I probed around inside the building that the hero had scuttled away into with my [[Presence Sense]]. There’s only one person inside of it: a man that’s running while stumbling around.
I picked up on the man making his way through the building and escaping to the alleyway on the opposing side. Jumping clear over the building and then chasing after him will lead to me losing precious time. I crouched down low, demolished the wall of the building, and forced my way into it.
Feeling the impact of miscellaneous objects falling on my back, I kept going and crawled out onto the alleyway on the opposite side. The moment I exit, the building behind me completely and utterly collapses. To whoever owns this, my bad, but… I can’t help it, y’know?
I sensed a presence to my left and when I turned toward it, the hero was there. Covered in blood and leaning against a wall, the hero is slouched on the ground. The bleeding is so profuse that it doesn’t seem like he can move all that much anymore.
[[Irushia]]
Species: Earth Huma
Status: Bleeding (Major)
Level: 78/100
HP: 32/602
MP: 6/552
His status shows that he could die at any moment.
A crowd had gathered a little ways away from where the hero is. Everybody was gazing upon the hero, seemingly dumbfounded. However, upon discovering me, the crowd up and bolted, chaotically dispersing in all directions.
The hero gave the fleeing crowd a sharp glare and picked himself up with his unsteady, trembling legs .
“Ans-Answer me, Laplace! Wh-What’s going to happen to me!? What should I do!?!? Laplace! Answer meee!!”
My body locked up as soon as I heard that name. Laplace… It’s one of the functions of Voice of God that brings to light the probability of anything for someone. Sure enough, the hero had it too. It took me by surprise because I heard him say it out of the blue, but as these are also his final moments, it’s not all that out there for him to rely on it. That said, though, since it feels ominous and all, I’ve been trying to keep it at arm’s length.
I leapt upon the hero while raising my arms over my head. And then, at the same time, from within the crowd of people, a single, lone girl rushed out to where the hero is.
“Gr-Great Hero!”
The hero had always been hailed as the brave, well, hero of Haranae up until now, so it’s certain that there’s a ton of people who haven’t been able to get this whole tumultuous situation figured out, either. And with a child, that’s doubly so.
Sorry, to the child in front of me, but at the very least, let me kill this scumbag.
When I swung my claws down, the hero moved at a speed that’s unthinkable when compared with the status that he had up until a few moments ago. The hero leapt and balled up his body, bringing himself closer to the girl that’s running towards him. That wasn’t a desperate move, but a wholly volitional one. From there, the hero collapsed onto the ground while holding tight onto the girl.
“Kyaa-!”
Furthermore, the hero quickly pulled his body back up and thrust the blood red sword right before the girl’s neck.
“Stay back!!” Get any closer than that and I kill this brat!! You okay with that!?!? What are you gonna do!?!? Now, stand down!!”
“Wh-Why… This must… I-it can’t…”
“Shut your face!! I hate you little shits!! Running my ear with your endless nagging! I’ll kill you allll!! Now, stand down!! I’m telling you to stand. Down!!”
Hey, you’re kidding me, right? Regardless of however the situation may be, you’re actually willing to go that far!?
Screaming and bewildered voices began rising up from the crowd as well.
“W-why is the great hero doing something like…”
“I thought that what I had heard was some kind of mistake… Why…”
The hero doesn’t give off any sign that he’s lending an ear to those around him.
“Fuhu- Ahahahahahaa-! I never expected that you’d actually, really hesitate! Goddamn moron!! You’re supposed to be a monster! You’re revolting!”
The hero removed the tip of his sword from the girl’s neck, releasing her, or so I thought. Right then, he slashed his sword straight across her abdomen.
“A- Ah- Aah…”
Blood spurted out from the girl’s mouth.
“GwoooO-!”
I advanced forward again with vigor and swung my forefoot down, aiming for the hero’s head. The hero kicked the girl, who was barely clinging to life, between himself and my claws.
With no time to think, I scooped up the girl with my forefoot so that I didn’t thrust my claws into her. With my forefoot having become defenseless, the hero slashed at it with his sword.
“Gwo-!”
“Ahahahahahaa-! Moron, idiot, foool!! Yes, fall for the same trick over and over and over and over again!”
The hero ran for the masses of people with his sword kept held high above his head. It seems highly unlikely for him to be able to move that much with that bleeding. No, wait, his rate of blood loss is going down. Are the hero’s injuries healing by themselves?
The blood-soaked scabbard of the hero’s sword looks like it’s pulsating vulgarly. Don’t tell me that sword sucks up the blood of humans and then restores the HP of its owner!? So does that mean the reason why he’s been chasing after the people is to secure a source of HP by slicing other people down?
…Partner, if you would.
“Gaaa-!”
With Partner’s cry, light wrapped around the girl. After that, I gently placed the girl on the ground.
“W-why would… you…”
I turned away from the murmuring girl and searched for the hero.
[Level of title skill [[Tiny Hero]] has increased from level 9 to level MAX.]
“Come on, now! If I don’t recover my health, then I’ll die! Haha- Ahahahaa-!”
The hero had just killed a second person and was in the process of kicking the man’s sliced up body to the edge of the street. I flew up to the hero and blocked the direction that he’s traveling in.
“…Eh?”
I buried my claws into his back and lifted him up high into the air. After gathering significant momentum, I violently slammed him against the surface of the earth.
“Aghaaghk!”
Though the hero did go and recover himself, it wasn’t by much. The hero’s movements were far from perfect and his actions right now are just that of someone completely struggling in vain. I don’t know what the hell kinda percentage Laplace told him, but I don’t think his prospects of winning were all that high from the outset.
“Gaa-!”
As Partner barked, light wrapped around the man who had fallen onto the edge of the street. He’s alive. Perhaps the hero intentionally didn’t kill him in order to draw my attention away from himself.
[Level of title skill [[Spirit Relief]] has increased from level 9 to level MAX.]
Both of my virtuous skills, [[Tiny Hero]] and [[Spirit Relief]], have hit their maximum values.
“Laplace! This isn’t what you told me! Help- Help mee!!” How can I- How can I save myself!? Tell me! Tell mee!! Don’t give me this shit!!”
The hero shouted while thrashing his arms and legs about. I took my forefoot that I’m pressing down on the hero with and put more force into it. The surface of the earth that the hero was splayed across cracked.
“Oughbuhk! Ah- Aah…”
The hero released the sword from his hand and, as the sword struck the ground, it let out a clatter.