One World, One Family (4)
The hero moved, sweeping his sword through the air.
His movements became faster, and his actions bolder.
Knowing that his own weakness was Reed, he didn't hesitate.
But still, he couldn't reach Reed.
The dummies were protecting Reed with magic, blocking all his paths.
If he moved hastily, Reed would switch places with the dummies, and he would be caught in a deadly explosion of magic.
Since the ability to turn back time was not infinite, the hero had no choice but to hesitate.
Reed began to move frantically.
'I must not stop.'
Fighting the hero was like riding on the back of a tiger.
It was not only to stay out of the attack range, but also to be on guard against stopping time.
If he stood still, the hero would use a skill called "Pose".
It turns back time by 5 seconds, and if one stays still in that area, they become a target.
It was virtually the same as standing still, making it no different from giving the hero an effective hit.
He used time, and Reed used space.
But he shouldn't think it's safe.
The moment he let his guard down, even space would belong to the hero.
'As long as I'm careful about that...'
How great would it be if he only had such abilities?
The hero was a boss-level swordsman with a Swordmaster-level skill, and an experienced adventurer who had been through numerous trials and was quick-witted.
The hero was already ahead in physical abilities and experience.
As he gathered information to some extent, the hero's movements became bolder.
Bang! Bang!
He deflected all the flying cards and explosions of magic, and quickly tried to pierce through one of the dummy bodies.
Reed used teleportation to evacuate that dummy body.
As if the hero had been waiting for that, he targeted another dummy body close to the evacuated one.
When one uses magic continuously, there's bound to be a small gap.
He took advantage of that gap to target and attack another dummy body.
Reed hurriedly tried to expose the body and reveal the explosion, but the hero didn't allow it.
He crushed the armor with his sword, preventing it from opening.
The dummy body collapsed on the spot, spewing a blue liquid.
"Indeed, that annoying teleportation magic is a gift from the goddess. I thought it was destroyed when the guardian died."
The hero shook off the blue liquid from his sword blade.
His eyes quickly scanned the dummy bodies, including Reed.
"So there are only three left now?"
Reed hadn't even considered his full power.
Accepting this was the most humiliating moment for Reed.
The remaining dummy bodies began to move.
There were only three left.
The strategy was still intact.
Even though it was not as good as having four, moving more boldly would involve risks, but it wouldn't be a problem.
'Induce "Return".'
When time rewinds, not only his own injuries but also the injuries of the dummy bodies disappear.
Though the mana used for teleportation remains used, it can be replaced with potions.
And Return cannot be used infinitely.
At some point, there will be a moment when it cannot be used.
The hero continued to gather information and adapt.
His movements became smoother, and he seamlessly responded, finding gaps to exploit.
In the end, it was difficult to fully protect Reed with three dummy bodies, and the hero thrust his sword at Reed like piercing a piece of food with a fork.
"Ugh!"
The hero's sword pierced through Reed's shoulder.
Before the pain could reach Reed's mind, his yellow crystal emitted light.
A dummy body that was far away flew in front of Reed and the hero.
It restrained the hero's body and exploded as it was.
Time rewound.
Reed noticed the fact by looking at the dummy body in front of him and the hero far away.
"Did you prepare to die for real, or did you gamble, knowing that you would turn back if I tried to die?"
Instead of answering, he smiled.
Reed felt that the momentum had slightly tilted in his favor because the hero had asked him a question.
'The goddess of victory is still far away.'
With the determination to touch the tip of his toes and grab his hair, Reed threw the cards.
Bang! Crash!
The explosive sound from the cards rang out chaotically.
That's when it happened.
"Ugh!"
The sturdy floor began to tremble.
It seemed as if a new skill was being used, but the hero also seemed to have not anticipated this situation, showing a surprised expression.
The explosion and the injuries were rewound, but the shock that the vast space had received could not be completely undone.
"Ugh!"
Feeling the ground beneath him crumbling, he quickly evacuated.
He almost flew, his posture collapsing as he inadvertently looked down at the broken floor below.
Something darker than darkness itself was spinning below.
'Where is that, and where does it lead to?'
He couldn't know.
He didn't want to know, and there was no time to think about it.
If he thought any further, he would lose his life to the sword flying from behind.
Reed used teleportation to disappear from that spot.
Clang!
The hero's sword pierced the empty space where Reed had been, and Reed regained his posture in the meantime.
'The remaining dummy bodies are not 3... but 2.'
In the midst of confusion, the hero had eliminated one of the dummy bodies.
Although it was annoying, it was an excellent judgment.
No matter how hard he tried to land a hit, the hero remained a hero.
His body remained intact while two dummy bodies disappeared.
'No, did he take some damage after all?'
Upon closer inspection, there were parts torn apart by the debris.
Of course, it wasn't enough damage to cause any problems with his movements.
Reed didn't care about that fact.
It was just one blow anyway.
If he could land one proper direct hit, one of them, either the hero or Reed, would die.
With that belief, Reed began to operate the remaining two dummy bodies.
With less stability than when there were three, he boldly approached the hero.
The hero kept using "Return" to avoid the explosions, and Reed gradually became more precarious.
One dummy body collapsed without even exerting any strength.
Before dying, the dummy body hurled the hidden explosive at the hero's face as a last-ditch effort.
Bang!
The explosion was not rewound.
The white porcelain mask covering the face crumbled away.
His face was torn apart by the debris, and blood flowed from his forehead.
Golden eyes tinged with a strange hue stared at Reed.
'Does that mean such a wound is nothing? Or is it that he can't use "Return" anymore?'
Did he gain the upper hand?
If there were two left in this situation, it would have been more hopeful, but now there was only one left.
Emotionally, he shouted that he could do it, but his reason was murmuring that it was impossible.
And as always, reality favored reason.
Even that last resistance seemed to be meaningless as it came to an end.
"Is that the end of your tricks?"
"......"
Unfortunately, it was the end.
He had used up all the mana potions he had brought, and there was not much mana left.
He had no means to fight alone.
However, Reed acted as if he still had a hidden card up his sleeve.
But as if it was a ridiculous act, the hero stood in front of Reed.
"You call yourself a hero? Kidnapping a daughter despicably and making a weak mage suffer?"
"Do you expect the heroes in fairy tales to look at the world innocently? The world is not easy. One cannot shine without getting dirty once. If one does not fall into a real crisis, they will die in the comfort. That was the conclusion I came to about what I could do for the continent during my long journey."
A clear voice filled with conviction.
That's why it made him even angrier.
"What I'm trying to save is just one thing."
The sharp pain piercing through Reed's chest.
The hero's sword penetrated Reed.
"That's why I won."
Blood flowed back, and the scent of death increasingly stung his nose.
He tried to save his daughter with all his might, but in the end, he could not rescue her from the hero's hands.
I did my best.
No.
What's the use of dying?
What's the meaning if I couldn't save her even though I did my best?
Failure cannot be sugarcoated in any way.
I failed.
I failed as a tower master and as a father.
I am already a despicable person.
So, can I become even more despicable?
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
He pushed his body into the sword that pierced his chest.
Tightly tying it to his internal organs so that he couldn't pull the sword out, he approached the hero.
With a great effort, Reed grabbed the hero's head with his gauntlet-covered hand.
He didn't have the strength to crush the hero's head with one hand.
But he had the ability to do so.
The seal on the gauntlet on his right hand opened, and all the explosives he had tucked inside were visible to Reed's eyes.
The rune cards all turned red.
Looking at his face that came close to his nose, he spoke.
Instead of saying that he only wants to save himself, he answered shortly and thickly.
"Die."
Igniting 52 explosive runes.
Bang!
* * *
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Reed's body rolled like a vine swept away by the wind of the wasteland due to the massive explosion.
His body didn't stop until it reached the collapsed spot.
Feeling that he would fall like this, he tightly held onto his sanity and barely managed to grab the edge.
"Ugh...!"
With the strength of his left hand, it was difficult to even hold on, let alone climb. He tried to hold on with his right hand, but there was no feeling in it.
'It's been cut off.'
There was no need to check.
Reed tried to think of everything he could do with his left hand.
However, there was nothing that came to mind.
Down below.
He could only see a future of falling into a place even darker than darkness.
'But the hero must be dead, right?'
He remembered his arm being cut off and the vivid scene of the explosion.
Since the hero didn't use "Return", he must have taken all that damage without a doubt.
"Damn."
His hand was gradually losing strength.
He was bound to fall down like this.
That's when it happened.
Someone's hand grabbed Reed and lifted him up.
Had Dolores or Phoebe come in? Lifting his head with that thought, he saw an unexpected figure.
The one who extended the lifeline to him was none other than the hero.
His face and chest were in a state that could hardly be called human.
That's why his golden eyes on the white snow seemed unnecessarily shining.
He opened his mouth.
"In the end, you couldn't save anyone."
"......"
"That's your fate. Yours... and the fate I have to bear... a fate that can only lead to tragedy."
He fell silent as if waiting for Reed to speak, then opened his mouth again.
"Will you beg for mercy one last time?"
The hero wanted Reed to beg for mercy.
At this moment, when his life depended on the hero's hand, fear flickered across his face.
Save me.
He waited for those words to come out.
Reed spoke cautiously with trembling lips.
"Flame... please..."
Instead of begging, Reed recited a magic spell.
His mana had been exhausted long ago, and there was no other way since his right arm had been cut off. Yet, his mouth shamelessly chanted the magic.
"You're persistent... really persistent."
The hero threw Reed with a disgusted face.
It was not below the cliff, but behind the hero, in a wide-open space.
As the hero threw him, Reed lay on the ground and looked up at him.
The confusion was momentary, and he started to replenish his exhausted mana while catching his breath.
"Why did you... save me?"
He asked a question to buy time, but instead of a fitting answer, a question came back.
"Do you know who I am?"
"I know. You're a piece of trash."
The hero sat down on the opposite side of Reed.
Despite undoubtedly being seriously injured, he was more composed than Reed.
"I loved this continent."
Reed didn't want to hear such a story.
He wished he could shove magic into his face, but he didn't have the strength or ability to do so.
In the end, he had no choice but to listen to the hero's words helplessly.
"I saw the sun rise at the eastern end and set at the western end. I fought giant scorpions in the southern desert where my skin burned, and I fought Leviathan on the frozen sea in the north. And finally... the Demon King invaded this continent."
A story that should be proud somehow sounded sad.
It was as if all those things were meaningless.
"All those journeys were undoubtedly just. I loved the continent and everything on it. So... I thought I was right until I killed your parents."
The hero picked up his sword and stood up again.
The dirty blade, covered with ash and dust, caught Reed's eye.
He had gathered mana through meditation, but it was still ridiculously insufficient to fight.
The hero asked.
"Do you want to protect your family?"
"......"
"It was a rhetorical question. That's why you came here. The little girl must have left here and returned."
"......When?"
Seeing his tightly closed lips twitch, the hero chuckled.
