I rolled on the floor as if falling and landed on the guy's back. Normally I would stab or cut the ogre in the back, but I knew that it would be difficult to pierce the ogre's hide with my weak strength, so I didn't get greedy and threw myself with all my strength and pushed the ogre away.
Considering the size and strength of the ogre, I really did my best. How could it be that my body was actually in the opposite direction? Honestly, I thought my shoulder was going to crumble.
As if my earnestness had reached the sky, his body leaned forward.
I got up from rolling on the floor and stood a step away to check on him.
A cliff was ahead. If he fell like this, it would be my victory.
The upper body had already completely fallen off the cliff. If things continue like that, my head will fall off. If you fall from the cliff first, it was impossible to climb up no matter what you do in that state.
...I thought so, but that damn ogre. In that situation, he turned around and grabbed my ankle!
'Fuck!'
Damn it, I forgot to take into account the length of the ogre's arms.
My body suddenly shut down and my vision changed quickly.
The receding sky was felt in real time through the shrinking clouds.
And soon.
Kwaaaang!!
A heavy shock was felt throughout my body.
'Ouch.'
I felt like my stomach was upset.
I swallowed the rising nausea and pressed my feet to the floor to get up.
Kwaaaang!!
...Huh?
Oh, I was holding a dagger. But did the land originally feel like this?
I gathered my shaking vision and looked around.
Demons were surrounding me everywhere I looked. And the hero and the Demmon King were not far away...huh? No wait, what is this?!
The guy under me was the ogre from before. The place where my dagger pierced while trying to hit the floor was none other than his neck.
'Even if it's an ogre, if you put your weight on it and stab it, it will stab through... no!'
Was I now in the middle of enemy territory? Besides, I killed their colleague right in front of their eyes, right? Is that it?
Perhaps because of the sudden intrusion, everything was quiet.
With even the Demon King remaining silent, I began to walk blindly, thinking that I had to get away quickly before the came to their senses.
The place my survival instincts pointed to was none other than the side of the hero.
The light emanating from his body was a bit ominous, as if it was trying to self-destruct, but there was no other place to go.
Since demons were surrounding us on all sides, it was obvious that we would die no matter where we went, but we could not go to the Demon King.
A hero who was already half-dead and about to explode himself was my only lifeline. Feeling an indescribable feeling, I walked with a stiff expression on my face, being careful not to shake my legs.
It took no time to reach the hero. The hero, who had already been looking at me with his eyes wide open since I fell, made eye contact with me and immediately smiled helplessly.
And he moved his lips as if he wants to say something... but I couldn't hear him at all.
'I guess he doesn't even have the energy to talk.'
It wasn't necessary, but I was curious about what he was saying, so I kindly grabbed his shoulder and put my ear close to him.
Then, a faint voice mixed with wheezing flowed into my ear.
"Did you... want..."
"...?"
There were no more words.
Was that really the end? What on earth did he want to say...
"!?"
It was then that I felt something strange.
The light emanating from the warrior's body poured towards me.
I was confused at first, but it wasn't long before I figured out what he was thinking.
'Did you want to transfer power?'
─He was giving up self-destruction, which was the only opportunity to kill the Demon King. Rather than joy or gratitude, I felt sad.
A hero's power could not be intentionally transferred in full.
The closest option was to scatter fragments of power across the continent. It was unknown who would be the owner of the fragments, so the hero's will is literally useless...
Sure enough, I felt the hero's power pass through my body.
Let alone settling down, it could not stay for a moment and passed leisurely like water through a net. It lost its light, crumbled into pieces like burnt ashes, and soon disappeared into the distance.
It will probably spread across the continent like this.
'I feel like I've become a lightning rod.'
Even though I received the power of a warrior in one body, I could not store it and just let it flow away.
'...How foolish.'
The hero must know this clearly, so I don't know why he didn't give up.
The force that was pushing into me gradually weakened, and the warrior's body also collapsed, as if leaning on me.
His end was approaching.
'Ah, we made eye contact.'
He smiled faintly, as if to comfort me. At that moment, the compulsion to say something took hold of me, but I was unable to say anything until the force that was rushing in was cut off, all light disappeared, and his body went limp.
I was caught up in an indescribable feeling, and for a moment, my expression hardened due to the sense of loss I felt from the hero.
'...Dead.'
My only lifeline.
I checked again, but I couldn't hear any breathing. His pulse was gone.
In my dazed mind from shock, a forgotten fact came to mind.
The silence that fell when I fell. That silence...
"..."
"..."
...Still continued.
As soon as I realized that fact, I began to worry endlessly about the gazes pouring in from all directions.
As I hesitantly stood up, the eyes of those looking at me slowly rose.
Ah, it would have been better if I hadn't known until the end.
As those countless eyes moved along with me, my body suddenly becomes stiff with tension. It was even more so because among those gazes was that of the Demon King.
I guess the reason my legs were shaking was because of my fear. No, I think my hands were shaking too.
'It's not my fault!'
It was dangerous in this state.
Having studied hard before coming here, I knew very well that if I showed weakness in front of demons who specialized in fighting against flesh and blood, I would be eaten.
That's why I wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"Cough."
Oh no.
Blood poured out of my mouth.
It was something I had been holding back ever since I fell here.
'Damn it, why now...!'
I gently bit into the delicate flesh inside my mouth.
I knew that when I fell, my entire body received quite a big shock, but I thought it would be a little better because I was able to hold on surprisingly well, but I never thought I would cough it out now.
To put it to the extreme, I wanted to grind this damn body to pieces.
In the meantime, the warrior's limp body was so heavy.
'I have to run away, but if I do this, he'll just become a burden. Should I just leave him and jump out?'
As I was seriously thinking, the Demon King's lips, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.
"What's your name?"
What is the intention of this?
They'll find me and kill me if I ran, so does that mean I shouldn't even think about running away? Perhaps the intention was to find out my family members by listening to my name and kill or threaten them.
The chances of escaping and surviving were extremely low anyway, so it didn't matter whether I said my name or not.
Besides, my family...
"...Deon Hardt."
White hair blowing in the cool wind tickled my cheek. I swept it up, touched the corners of my red eyes, and smiled.
Now that I've told you my name, just do whatever you want.
Although I was so prepared, the words I received in return were unexpected.
Words that I couldn't even imagine and thought were impossible.
"Are you planning on joining the Demon King's army?"
For the first time in my life, I received a scouting offer from the Demon King. I was not happy. It's like saying it's an offer, but in reality, there's no room for choice.
It is obvious what would happen if I refused here.
But I was not swayed by threats like this!
As I held the hero's body, which kept slipping, I dared to confidently express my refusal in front of the demon king.
"I hate paperwork!"
...I may have said it in a bit of a twist, but for now, my intention to refuse was conveyed.
I heard that Corps Commanders are burdened with paperwork. I had no intention of being caught here and having to worry about paperwork.
"Then don't do it."
"...?"
"Hmm, what high-ranking official doesn't do paperwork...?"
Yes? Hey?
"If I don't have something, I'll just make one. How about a 0th Corps Commander? What do you say?"
Ah, no, wait a minute. Is he crazy?
The Commander of the 1st Corps took on the role of the Demon King's personal agent, but they ask me to become the Commander of the 0th Corps? But my skills hadn't been proven yet?
"You don't have to worry about backlash. Anyone who has seen this scene would never dream of opposing this decision."
Only then did I feel all the gazes on my back.
As a result, I had no choice but to accept the position of Commander of the 0th Corps that was first offered to me, as I was weighed down by the higher treatment I received the more I refused.
***
Kwaaaang!!
When Deon Hardt fell with a heavy sound, the hero was so surprised that he could not express it in words.
If it hadn't been for the sword stuck in his stomach, he might have jumped up.
That's because the outcome had already been decided.
The hero was unable to kill the Demon King, and all that remained was his death at the hands of the Demon King.
A hero who could not kill the Demon King had no value in existence.
All the treatment and honor the hero receives comes from the fact that he is 'the only human who can kill the Demon King,' so it was also natural that if he could not kill the Demon King, everything would be taken back.
Simply put, it meant that the current hero who was defeated by the Demon King had become a human being who was not worth saving.
'But why? Why can't I just run away from this?'
Why did he come to this place of death?
Deon Hardt. He not only has a duty as a 'companion', but also a duty to report the results of the battle to the Empire.
So, it would have been much more beneficial to quietly leave than to storm into this place where it was obvious that the hero would die.
Nevertheless, he had entered the middle of the enemy lines and was now walking confidently this way.
"Hahaha."
A hollow laugh escaped out, mixed with the sound of heavy breathing.
Could it be that a sense of camaraderie had developed in that short period of time they spent traveling together? Was that why he came here to collect the corpse?
─Even if he had to face the Demon King?
Perhaps because of the sword stuck in his stomach, a subtle sensation bubbles up from his lower abdomen and circled around his heart.
He couldn't open his mouth due to the indescribable pain, so he just kept his lips locked for a long time.
Perhaps out of frustration, Deon grabbed his shoulder and brought his ear close to him as if urging him on.
Thanks to that, the warrior was able to make a reckless choice.
"Did you... want..."
Contrary to the image known to the public, Deon was a kind and loyal person to the point of recklessness.
If the next 'hero' had to be born, it would be nice if it were him.
The hero began to pour out all the strength he had gathered for self-destruction with the intention of transferring it to him instead.
There was no way he, a hero, did not know that the power of a hero cannot be intentionally transferred.
Nevertheless, it was as clear as day what would happen after he died, and this was the only way for this person to live.
The hero, who had easily crossed the acceptable line set by the world, called out to the world, which was currently watching this situation.
'World, are you watching?'
A 'hero' was a being chosen by the world and given power.
So, it's definitely watching.
'This is my arbitrary action after all.'
Therefore.
Because he doesn't know anything.
He would bear all the consequences for violating the will of the world.
'May the anger over this action be directed only at me.'
The world measured the weight of sin made its decision. At that moment, the hero chewed the tip of his tongue in terrible pain. A scream that could not come out trembled deep in his throat.
Pain that felt as if his muscles are being torn apart and his bones were being stabbed with a sharp object. In that state, when pushed too hard, even his head hurt as if it would break.
It was probably a warning and punishment from the world, but it was ignored. He swallowed the blood welling up inside him and pushed harder despite the pain that shattered his soul.
'Please. At the very least, just one fragment...'
He couldn't let a person like this be killed by the Demon King. So please give him the strength to resist him.
But his earnestness never came to fruition.
All the forces that poured toward Deon came out and spread throughout the continent, losing only their light.
They passed through his body leisurely, like a bird passing through clouds, and without a single piece remaining, they disappeared into thin air, riding the wind and sunlight.
'..Is it really not possible at all?'
If he looked at the situation broadly, there was nothing to lose.
Although he crossed the acceptable line, the hero chose to 'transfer' his power in exchange for his 'life', and since he paid the price of 'life', the world must achieve his goal of 'transfer'. Therefore, the power that had disappeared like that would not belong to the world, but would stay on the continent and create another 'hero,' like the power of other heroes who chose to 'transfer.'
But what about Deon Hardt?