According to the information revealed regarding the Otherworlds, to be exact, from the world of Renaris, which was the human world before theirs, when a world is threatened by evil and faces tribulation, two important figures are expected to emerge.
One is called the Saint, and the other is the Hero; the main characters of a typical fantasy trope.
Furthermore, the Guardian of the World would be able to intervene and bestow gifts on people.
In Renaris, a rather religious world from what he heard, they call the gifts "Blessings" or "Providence". In Lohiya, these gifted people were just referred to as "ability users."
In addition, theoretically, the mana that is already existing in the world would also activate, which would then be the foundation of magic, aura, and even divinity.
The Abyss was already the Renaris' second tragedy; thus, they were able to fight off the Otherworlders by a large margin when compared to Lohiya, the present world.
Nevertheless, they still sustained significant losses due to being outnumbered hundreds to one.
It was commendable, however, that their fight with the Otherworlders lasted for a thousand of their years before their eventual fall.
There were a few factors that led to their defeat, but he knew of three.
First, the early Hero and saint have long since died when the Abyss opened at Renaris.
Second, it took a good thousand years for the two new important figures to appear; it was a little too late.
And third, the new Saint died even before they defeated the demon king.
In the end, Renaris was destroyed, and they arrived at the unprepared Lohiya. But there was one huge problem—the enemies had already become overwhelmingly powerful and numerous—so much so that the joint force of the remaining Renarians and the few fighting Lohiyans, who are gradually acquiring abilities and growing at a faster pace, couldn't catch up anymore.
The situation was proven precarious in that, just three years after the advent of the Otherworlders, around the time he was released from prison, there appeared the Saint of Lohiya.
The appearance of one of the sought-after figures in such a short time could only mean one thing: that the situation went past the threshold of what the Lohiya and its forces could handle.
It would have been a matter of time before the Hero appeared.
However, two years have already passed after that, and there is still no sign of the Hero.
The Saint, who was commonly known as "the Seer" due to his ability, made the dispiriting prophecy that Lohiya would eventually fall in the near future; they didn't need the Hero after all because all paths lead to destruction, except for one.
He doesn't know the ace up their sleeves, of course, as he was just mere cannon fodder.
All he knows is that the last chance the Seer foresaw ushered them into the present battle.
It was a plan where they gambled thousands of their remaining forces to fight off hundreds of thousands of the enemy.
And the gist of that plan was for the leading figures to reach the Abyss.
"Watch out!"
While he was ruminating, a hobgoblin who had gotten past their team leader approached and swung its sharpened weapon at his defenseless neck.
Nevertheless, though he heard his leader's call, he didn't bat an eye as his focus was fixed on a single direction.
Slice ---!
A red-haired middle-aged man dashed rapidly and must have attacked with a sword at a speed impossible for his sloppily trained eyes to catch on to. He only noticed the cleanly cut head of the hobgoblin rolling on the ground.
The pair of turquoise eyes briefly looked at him, and without even uttering a word, they proceeded to eliminate the enemies surrounding their group.
The man was none other than the Renarian Hero, the strongest person in their force.
'I was saved.'
His unblinking gaze lingered at the Renarian Hero's wide back; he was torn between being thankful and dissatisfied.
It was sometimes amazing how he managed to survive despite having no desire to live. It was unjust, but he could only take things as they came.
"How brave!"
The cloaked man with sleek black hair reaching the waist finally came near; it was the same guy he was looking at previously—the Seer, Saint of Lohiya. The Seer smiled and praised him; somehow the glint in the irises as dark as the night made him uncomfortable, like they were familiar.
He wanted to ask if they had met before or if they knew each other by chance, but they didn't have the luxury of time at the moment.
However, he knows it was impossible, as the Saint was said to have been born and had never left the New Vatican, the Guardian's Dwelling Place, except when he was revealed and participated in the wars.
In addition, he was also one who did not go outside that often, except for some work-related engagements.
Fortunately, the man who is the object of resentment of every seismologist in the world is still alive and giving the hint that he's about to go online, so it was time to attend to him.
As a native Lohiyan and Saint, the Seer trained himself to be quite adept in light magic, which has healing effects.
With just a swish of his hand, the arrow wound gradually healed.
In addition, he also felt warm light seeping into his body, thus healing his injuries and reviving his vitality, as the Seer also used the same magic on him.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"Urgh…"
Not long after, their chubby scout finally stirred from unconsciousness and was flustered when he woke up in front of a celebrity.
Notwithstanding, the Seer returned his gaze to him and said a word before leaving with the Hero and going back to their esteemed party.
"I wish you the best of luck."
"...Thanks."
He was again engulfed by the uncomfortable feeling of being known and scrutinized.
He couldn't understand the Seer, who looked at him with some sort of meaning.
It was the first time they interacted. Truthfully, the Seer gives off a sacred aura.
Perhaps it was just similar to how bad people might feel uncomfortable mingling with the Pope.
"We've wasted too much time; let's go; hurry your ass up!"
"Yes, yes…"
"What?!"
"Yes, sir!"
He brushed off the peculiar impression aside and continued to run, now with his energy renewed, thanks to the strange but holy Saint.
***
Unlike what they initially estimated, they spent more than five hours before catching a glimpse of the Abyss' outline on the horizon, then another four hours to come near the edge—they were totally outnumbered and overpowered.
Yet he was still alive. He couldn't help but think that he was either a weed or a cockroach in his previous life.
"Urgh!"
Cough, cough.
He coughed up a significant amount of dark blood. He survived until the present, but that doesn't mean he was uninjured. In fact, he was covered with lacerations, burns, and bruises from being hit by various attacks.
The vitality that the Seer left him with was reduced to almost nothing in the span of nine hours or so.
He loaded his shotgun with the remaining bullets.
'Finally, I'm six bullets away from my end.'
With his supply of energy almost exhausted, his likely death would no longer be considered pathetic.
Moreover, this time, there was no one to save him.
The rotund scout has long since died, and his team leader's body lies unconscious at his feet. Other than him, there was no trace of the other people in their unit.
Along the edge, the remaining four members of the esteemed party were visible, but at a distance where asking for assistance was no longer possible. But it's not like he'll ask to be saved anyway.
It was enough for these people to fulfill their roles out of respect for their sacrifice.
The ten or so enemies surrounded him, some snickering, others drooling and staring at him as if he were a feast.
'This is goodbye, I guess.'
He took a glance at the remaining party, wishing them luck in their business.
But before he could turn his face forward, he heard a familiar voice calling his former nickname in a surprised tone.
He felt repulsion being called by names that he wanted to be disassociated with.
And he felt even more so upon realizing the identity of the voice.
"Argus?"
In an instant, he felt like he was submerged in cold water.
Whether it was due to his wounds or not, he felt his blood drain from his entire body, exposing him to chills down to his core.
While he was stunned, the voice turned into a warm tone with a little hint of ecstasy.
"Ah, it's no longer Argus, I see."
He slowly looked up and glared at the devil.
"Should I call you 'Liberator?'"
Kerioth, now in his demonic form, smiled gleefully, his eyes almost forming crescent shapes.
It was the same blissful smile that heralded the beginning of his despair seven years ago.