"Get out of here... I'll take care of this."
"Ais?!"
Obeying Ais' words, the group regrouped with Riveria, who was panting.
"Ais... She"
Taking an elixir, Tiona held her stomach, her eyes widening in surprise. Ais' speed was beyond what any adventurer could possess.
Undeus was powerless against such speed; he couldn't land a single blow.
"That's how it's done, Ais! You can do it!"
*CLANG, CLANG
Clenching her fists with tear-filled eyes, Tione shouted. For her, seeing that damned monster cornered was the best reward.
*Creak...
*Bam
"Yes!"
And seeing Undeus fall, the group cheered. No matter what, the tables had turned, and Ais was about to kill Undeus.
However, Riveria frowned. Ais' speed wasn't normal, and she hadn't stopped once, always charging forward.
(This is bad... If she keeps this up, she'll die.)
Despite Ais' sudden increase in aura and energy, Riveria knew her body wouldn't withstand this much pressure. If her hypothesis was correct, Ais couldn't stop; otherwise, she would lose all mobility.
*ROOOOOAAAAARRRR
"What the hell?! Why won't this bastard die?!"
Growling, Bete couldn't bear it. Ais had taken down the monster, but a sea of bones emerged from the ground, using Undeus as a core, attacking Ais.
"Ais won't handle this; we need to help her."
Assisting each other, they readied their weapons again. Undeus was too troublesome to leave to Ais alone; they had to help her.
But someone stopped them.
"Don't move... This is Ais' fight."
"?!?"
Turning their heads in shock, the group jumped. After all, they recognized that voice, a voice they hoped never to hear again in this world.
"Captain!"
Yes, the person who stopped them was Finn, emerging from the shadows and walking slowly.
"Finn is right; we shouldn't intervene."
"Old man!"
Not just him, but Gareth walked by his side too. The ones who were supposed to be dead walked calmly, their bodies free of wounds.
"You... How?"
Mouth agape in disbelief, Riveria was sure she saw their corpses. No matter what, Undeus clearly killed them... How were they still alive?
"Captain!"
But despite Riveria's doubts and even thinking her mind was playing a trick, Tione didn't care. After all, the people who sacrificed themselves for her were back. So, without any hesitation, she ran into her beloved's arms.
Whether this was a dream or not, even if it was an illusion, Finn was back. That's all that mattered.
"Captain! Captain!"
"Calm down, Tione... I'm fine."
Embracing Finn tightly, Tione cried and called his name, afraid he would disappear.
Finn, on the other hand, felt powerless. Tione enveloped him in her arms, burying his head in those voluptuous mounds. Although it felt good, he was running out of air.
"Old man... You... Didn't die."
Trying to hold back his tears, Bete stretched his arms. Clearly, he wanted to hug this dwarf, but his pride wouldn't allow it. Of course, Gareth didn't care about that pride.
"Hahaha, of course not... It takes more than that to kill me."
Laughing heartily, Gareth slapped his back hard, feeling flattered. After all, he witnessed Bete's fury reaching the sky when he saw his corpse. Bete was a great companion.
Unable to bear it any longer, the group gathered and hugged those who were supposed to be dead...
Their 'sacrifices' touched their hearts, and the bravery they showed was marvelous.
"How are you alive?"
"It's true... I saw your bodies, huh?"
With curiosity piqued, Riveria was the first to ask, followed by Tiona, who pointed to their corpses, which had now disappeared.
"We owe everything to Champion-sama... Without him, I guess we wouldn't be in this world anymore."
"Yuki-sama?!"
"Yes."
Answering her question, Finn pointed in a direction. Everyone turned their heads to see a small figure watching the ongoing battle.
Arms crossed, Yuki's Sharingan spun...
He was clearly observing Ais' every move, as well as how her body reacted to the first gate.
"Yuki-sama..."
"Hm? You look terrible; rest a bit. It will be over soon."
Turning his head, Yuki looked at the approaching group, his broken team and blood dripping from their bodies.
"Thanks for your help, Champion-sama... Without you, we..."
"It's okay. This is something I should do; don't worry."
Stopping Riveria as she bowed, Yuki shook his head. After all, he was responsible for all of this.
"Thank you..."
"Champion-sama... Please, Ais... She"
"It's okay..."
Interrupting Tiona, Yuki smiled. After all, Ais was about to break free from her chains.
"She'll be fine..."
"But..."
Unable to understand, Tiona tilted her head, thinking Ais couldn't win. Undeus was becoming more unpredictable, even with his limbs destroyed, he could still summon that sea of bones. She was at her limit, and Yuki was the only one with enough power to kill the monster.
"Yuki-sama, if this continues, Ais might die."
Frowning, Riveria also didn't understand why Yuki didn't move. He could easily eliminate that monster, and there was no need for Ais to go to such extremes.
"I know. At this rate, Ais will die... No, she's in grave danger. The technique I taught her is a bomb; one wrong step, and she could explode."
Yes, with all that energy running through her body, if Ais couldn't control it, she might end up dead. After all, she didn't have a superior physique like Guy, Lee, or him. She was still fragile.
"But I trust Ais; she can do it. She has what it takes to break her limits... In the battle to save a loved one, the desire for battle is born... And you are the reason she's out there facing Undeus alone."
Smiling, Yuki raised a finger, pointing to Ais, whose body was now covered in a black whirlwind.
"You are the reason she will become a hero."
"Diee, Ahhhhhhh!"
*Pufff
With Ais' scream and Undeus' defeat, Yuki disappeared into the shadows, leaving the group speechless.
After all, that monster that almost killed them all was now defeated by Ais' sword. The powerful level 8 monster was taken down by one of their own.
"A hero is born..."
Looking at the motionless Ais, Finn sighed, feeling proud. Someone extraordinary had been born into his family, and although the methods used weren't something to laugh about, using her pain to advance and break her limits, Ais achieved something they couldn't.
"A hero..."
Murmuring, Riveria smiled. She was beaten and almost died, but the benefits were something other families had not reaped before.
---
"I..."
Murmuring words, Ais's tears fell.
She won... but at what cost? Two of her dearest had died.
Was it worth celebrating?
No, her heart couldn't bear it.
"Ahhhhhh!"
With a heartbreaking scream, Ais cried while looking up at the ceiling. She was at her limits, both physically and mentally. Even if she won, even if her body couldn't take any more, even if she gained greater power... she lost something important in her life. She lost more than she gained.
"You did well, Ais..."
"Yuki... Sama."
Lowering her head, Ais heard a familiar voice, and upon seeing the person in front of her, her tears fell even faster.
After all, there was Yuki, smiling and opening his arms.
"Well done... I'm proud of you."
"Yuki-sama!"
Launching forward, Ais couldn't hold back any longer. She buried her face in his chest and hugged him tightly.
"Waaaaaaa! I... Hick... Hick"
All her feelings poured out like a hurricane. She cried and screamed while embracing and taking his small body as support.
"It's okay, cry as much as you want... I'll be here for you."
Gently stroking her hair with love and tenderness, Yuki smiled. He comforted the poor girl.
"Waaaaaa!"
However, Ais continued her sobbing. At the same time, she felt a great security in this small body she leaned on. The light that had guided him here was now surrounding her with its soft and warm aura.
Everything was over...
---
TN: Manipulation at its finest 💀