The Last-Seat Hero Has Returned

37. Last Will (6)

“…Ash?”

Ashtaroth frowned as he looked at the swirling gray ash.

There was no reason for ash to be swirling around when no fire magic had been used, and it wasn’t dust either.

“Where did this…”

Before the question could even continue.

Baaang!

A fist flew from behind and roughly struck Ashtaroth’s face.

“Ugh!”

Ashtaroth staggered back from the brain-rattling impact.

“What the…?”

Ashtaroth, who had been hit by Dale’s punch and sent flying, clutched his bleeding nose and glared with wide eyes.

Did he survive that wound just now?

‘No.’

A hole the size of a head was pierced through his chest.

His heart and lungs must have been completely swept away by the magic discharge, so how could he still be alive?

And more importantly…

‘The wound is gone.’

Dale’s chest, which had been gaping open, had already returned to its original state.

“Hah.”

A low chuckle escaped from between Ashtaroth’s lips.

“The power to heal a wound that tore out the heart and lungs in an instant.”

There weren’t many powers in this world capable of such an absurd feat.

“It’s a ‘blessing,’ isn’t it?”

A divine blessing that only a very few heroes possessed.

Ashtaroth finally understood how that gray-haired candidate could be so confident even in front of the ‘Archbishop.’

“You had more than one hidden trick.”

He had thought that the unknown blue liquid in the glass bottle was the extent of his hidden tricks, but to think he also possessed a ‘blessing.’

“This is… I didn’t expect the plot to get this interesting. Oh, could you at least tell me the name of the blessing you possess? I’ve never seen a blessing that heals such fatal wounds so quickly.”

“You’ve been babbling on for a while now.”

Dale kicked the ground fiercely, as if he had no intention of entertaining the chatter.

‘There’s no time.’

Three minutes left until the effect of the stigma enhancer wears off.

‘It’s over once the effect of the stigma enhancer fades.’

Although his magic power had recently increased significantly after absorbing the primordial fire, it was still far from enough to fight Ashtaroth with only half the magic power of the other candidates.

“Tsk.”

Gathering the increased magical power due to the stigma amplifier, it focused on the tip of the gripped sword.

The magic, compressed to its limit, absorbed the surrounding light and turned black.

Sun Sword.

Form 5, Black Spot.

Although its range was much smaller than the higher form ‘White Light’, its concentrated attack power on a single point was a more powerful technique.

“Haahhh!”

With a roar, the condensed magic was unleashed at a single point.

The sword, dyed in black, fiercely surged towards Ashtaroth.

“Ugh!”

Ashtaroth hurriedly retreated, spreading his magic like a curtain to envelop his entire body.

Crack! Crash!

The condensed magic at a single point savagely tore through the purple curtain surrounding Ashtaroth’s body and pierced his heart.

No.

To be precise.

“Hah. This time, it was really dangerous.”

He thought it had pierced his heart.

Until the sword was repelled in front of Ashtaroth’s chest, blocked by a space distorted like a mirage.

“Really… no matter how many times I see it, it’s amazing. How can you pierce my magic curtain with such a small amount of magic?”

Even though his magic power had explosively increased after drinking the blue liquid, in absolute terms, Dale’s magic power was not that much.

At most, it was about 2-3 times the average magic power of the cadets.

Of course, even that was an enormous amount compared to the magic power Dale originally had, but from Ashtaroth’s perspective, it was just a trivial difference.

‘If that cadet also gains magic power.’

Imagining what kind of monster he would become sent chills down his spine.

“But well… that’s not something to worry about right now.”

What matters now is obtaining the ‘Seven Eyes’, and Dale doesn’t have the power to stop it.

“Oh, and by the way.”

Ashtaroth smiled faintly.

“You weren’t the only one with a hidden card, you know?”

A sinister halo of light emanated from Ashtaroth’s stigma, and veins grotesquely bulged around it.

Veins that covered Ashtaroth’s entire upper body like tree roots.

The purple miasma flowing from Ashtaroth spread out like a spider web, engulfing the surrounding space.

The space consumed by the miasma distorted as if heat waves were rising.

“The Blessing of Distortion.”

Ashtaroth looked at the space distorted by the miasma and raised the corners of his mouth in a sly smile.

“It’s the name of the grace bestowed upon me by the Demon Lord.”

A blessing that distorts the very space it touches.

Though it demanded a great price due to its destructive power, the enemy before him was not one to be fought with such considerations.

“To think I would have to go all out against a mere candidate, not even a professor.”

Even Ashtaroth himself didn’t seem too pleased with the situation, as he spread his arms wide with a self-mocking laugh.

“Your blessing and my Blessing of Distortion.”

Snap.

Ashtaroth lightly snapped his fingers.

“Shall we see which of us is more favored by the gods?”

The wave of distorted space engulfed Dale.

Crack! Crash!

Limbs twisted.

Brain matter scattered between the crushed skull.

Shattered intestines spilled out between broken ribs.

“aaah! Da-Dale!”

Iris’s scream echoed once more within the veil of illusion.

An undeniable instant death.

Dale’s corpse, reduced to a lump of flesh, rolled helplessly on the ground.

“Now, let’s see if you can come back to life from this.”

No matter how much of a ‘blessing’ related to healing one possessed, it was impossible to revive from a state where the entire body had been reduced to a lump of flesh.

With that thought, Ashtaroth leisurely turned his gaze away from Dale’s crushed corpse.

“As many times as it takes.”

Swoosh!

With scattering ashes, Dale’s sword swung at Ashtaroth.

“What the…!”

Ashtaroth’s eyes widened in shock.

“Ha… Do you possess some kind of immortal blessing?”

“Well.”

To be precise, it’s a blessing of resurrection.

In terms of not dying no matter what, it’s no different from an immortal blessing.

“This is absurd.”

Ashtaroth shook his head in disbelief.

He had thought it was an unusual blessing when the wounds, where his heart and lungs were torn out, regenerated in an instant, but to think he actually possessed the ability not to die.

‘However.’

With a cold sneer, Ashtaroth raised his hand.

“Just because you can’t die… doesn’t mean you can defeat me.”

Crack!

The distorted space split Dale’s upper and lower body in half.

“Ugh!”

The wound itself regenerated instantly due to the blessing of resurrection, but the excruciating pain of his body being split in two lingered like an echo, constricting him.

“I’m curious to see how long you can keep coming back to life.”

Ashtaroth lightly snapped his fingers, and the space, distorted like a mirage, crushed Dale’s body once again.

“Damn it…!”

Dale muttered a low curse and moved his body to avoid Ashtaroth’s attack, but it was nearly impossible to dodge his attacks in the completely twisted surrounding space.

And above all.

“Hup!”

Dale thrust his body into the gap in the distorted space and swung his sword at Ashtaroth.

Clang!

The sword strike, swung with all his might, was futilely deflected by the demonic barrier.

‘Has the effect of the stigmata amplifier worn off?’

Dale bit his lip as he felt the magic power that had been boiling throughout his body cool down.

The balance of power, which had been barely maintained through the stigmata amplifier, began to collapse rapidly.

Crack! Crash! Crunch!

With the effect of the stigmata amplifier gone, the ensuing battle was one-sided.

Every time an attack mixed with the blessing of distortion was launched, Dale’s body was shattered and regenerated repeatedly.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, memories of a past life flashed through his mind.

Memories of the powerless days.

‘It was always like this.’

Some might call it a miraculous ability to revive instantly after death.

But he knew better than anyone from his past life experiences that merely ‘not dying’ meant nothing.

‘Even if there were an immortal ant, it would still be just an ant.’

In the face of overwhelming power, the ability of immortality was excessively powerless.

“Ah, ugh.”

The repeated deaths gradually gnawed at Dale’s sanity.

The accumulated pain blazed, using his reason as kindling.

‘It hurts.’

How many times had he died already?

How many times had his bones broken, and his flesh torn apart?

“Ha, haha! Amazing! It seems you’ve died over a hundred times already, yet you can still regenerate!”

Ashtaroth burst into a mad laugh, stomping his foot.

“Well then, let’s see if you can come back from this too!”

Boom!

The purple demonic energy swirled and tore Dale’s body to shreds.

His body, torn into dozens of pieces, turned into gray ash and began to regenerate around the heart marked with a holy seal.

“Ha, what the….”

Ashtaroth shook his head in disbelief, beyond astonishment.

As he tried to unleash the demonic energy towards Dale once more,

“Stop! Stop it now!”

Iris stood protectively in front of Dale, blocking Ashtaroth.

“Isn’t that enough already… it’s sufficient now.”

“Hmm. But Dale’s life hasn’t ended yet, has it?”

“Was your goal to kill Mr. Dale?”

“That is….”

Ashtaroth swallowed his words as if struck to the core.

He clicked his tongue, looking down at the fallen Dale.

“I wanted to test how far your protection could hold out… but it seems we’ll have to check that next time.”

Ashtaroth turned his gaze away from Dale and moved towards Iris.

“Stop… right there… not yet.”

Dale, who had been torn into dozens of pieces and resurrected, staggered to his feet but soon lost his balance and fell back down.

Grinding his teeth, Dale watched Ashtaroth approach Iris.

His magic was already exhausted, and accumulated fatigue made it hard to even stand.

“Damn it.”

He thought he would live a new life after returning.

He had resolved to walk a different path from his previous life.

‘Is this how it ends?’

Even if he struggled desperately, throwing away his life like a pebble scattered by the river.

Even if he flailed with his crushed, mangled legs.

‘This time, again.’

Without saving anything.

Without protecting anyone.

The same.

Unchanging.

Must he watch his precious person die before his eyes?

“Dale…”

Iris looked at Ashtaroth approaching her, leaving Dale behind, and sighed in relief.

With a faint smile on her lips, she murmured in a small voice.

“…Thank goodness.”

As if she had no regrets, no remorse.

In such a peaceful voice.

She said.

“……”

As if struck by lightning.

His mind went blank.

‘Thank goodness?’

What on earth.

What on earth is fortunate?

Iris was now on the verge of losing not only the ‘seven eyes’ but also her life.

If I had done nothing, she would have only lost her eyes and it would have ended.

Because of me.

Because of me.

She experienced a more terrible hell than in her previous life.

But.

‘How… can you say it’s fortunate.’

Her mind was as tangled as a ball of yarn.

She couldn’t understand.

She couldn’t accept it.

Why didn’t she run away in her previous life and came back?

Why is she now standing in front of Ashtaroth instead of staying still?

She must have known that I would come back to life even if I died.

From noble mtl dot com

My life.

She must have known it was as insignificant as the pebbles scattered along the riverbank.

‘Why, why, why, why.’

How could she leave the word ‘fortunate’ as her last words?

“Ah, ugh.”

She staggered to her feet.

There was no more magic left in her body.

Her mind was already tattered like a torn rag.

Just breathing brought a pain that felt like her lungs were being torn apart.

Nevertheless.

“Fortunate… you say?”

She stood up.

With trembling legs, she stepped on the ground, and with shaking hands, she grasped the sword.

“Who dares… to say it’s fortunate?”

Why did she leave the word ‘fortunate’ as her last words?

I do not know.

Perhaps I will never know the reason.

‘But.’

One thing.

There is one thing I know.

‘Iris saved my life.’

Even if it was just one life among thousands, tens of thousands of deaths.

Even if it was just one of the countless pebbles scattered along the riverbank.

She sacrificed her life to save mine.

So.

Whoosh!

Flames began to engulf the stigmata, wrapping around my entire body.

The magic that had been lying dormant surged like molten lava.

“This time, it’s my turn.”

Boom!

With a rough roar, flames erupted from the sword in my hand.