Chapter 41 - Hero Ashkart (1)

"Aaaaaaa!"

I'm falling! That damn geezer kicked me right into this path, and now it's dragging me down like some vacuum!

My whole body's stretching and twisting, hurtling at warp speed. Every nerve feels like it's flipping upside down and inside out.

Finally, bam! I land—hard. And okay, maybe it didn't hurt, but damn, was I annoyed.

"I'll kill that damn geezer when I get back…!"

Wait… what the hell is this place?

It looks like some kind of corridor, with pillars stretching way up, forming a hallway that reaches the heavens. The stone's polished, almost untouched by time.

And… there's no miasma? The air's clear. Didn't that geezer send me toward the source of the tear?

The ground's steady, not a rumble or a shake. No monsters lurking in the shadows. It's like this whole place is frozen in time. Though… I can still feel a faint leak of miasma beyond this point—like the real mess is further in.

But something about this place feels... eerie.

This isn't about skill or training; it's that instinct both Josephine and I have honed—the one that screams danger even when all seems calm. And this place? It's setting off alarms in my head like nothing else.

It's the same feeling that comes up with Archmage Cassian. You know, the guy even demons fear—the pinnacle of magic itself. Just the thought of him makes Josephine's knees wobble.

But here? I can't sense anything.

I dust off the dirt that hitched a ride when I got tossed in here, and suddenly—

A cold sweat runs down my neck.

I see it. No… I feel it.

An unmistakable presence. A monster in every sense.

I may have surpassed human limits, earned the gods' favor—hell, even their love—but even I can't hold a candle to this.

Standing tall with his sword at his side… the hero, the myth, the living legend. Everyone knows him. The one who led humanity to victory in the Demonic War a thousand years ago, who struck down the Demon King. His golden hair still shines, his eyes are unfocused, staring blankly at the ground.

It's him. The Hero Ashkart.

[Quest Updated!]

[Quest: Defeat Ashkart!]

[Backstory: The Imperial Sage Almodey, desperate to relieve humanity's suffering, reached out to another dimension where humans had surpassed their limits. But instead of enlightenment, they'd gone mad, manifesting creatures born of their nightmares. This "miasma" granted sight beyond reality, but brought monsters as a price. Almodey, realizing his mistake too late, tried to seal the dimensional tear. The miasma spilled into the capital, driving everyone insane and spawning monsters. The Four Sages and Ashkart managed to partially seal the tear, with Ashkart sacrificing himself as the eternal guard. Now, he's mindless but undying, still guarding the seal. Defeat Ashkart and free him from his suffering!

Reward: ??? Failure: The tear will crack open again, with decreased divinity.]

Isn't this way too convenient?

Anyway, there's no way! That thing is a literal monster. I can feel it.

One hit from him would flatten me.

Tsk. It's not like I have to beat him, right? I'll just… slip past him.

I shuffle along the edge of the corridor. It's huge, so as long as I stay out of his direct line of sight, maybe he won't notice?

"…"

But as I inch around him, creeping toward the tear, I feel… nothing?

Then my head suddenly spins—no, it's literally spinning… right off my neck and onto the ground. I watch in horror as my body stumbles forward, headless.

'Eh…?'

'AHHHHHH!'

I snap back, drenched in cold sweat, back at the path the sages created for me.

'What the hell just happened?'

No mistake—I just died. That damn hero sliced my head off, and I didn't even see it coming.

Was he really that fast?

And it's not just that—I couldn't even sense him.

'Hahahaha…?'

Maybe I'm losing it. Maybe this miasma's messing with my head.

'Or maybe… I don't want to do this anymore.'

I try to step back onto the path the sages created.

'…'

It's blocked.

I push with all the divine power and mana I can muster. Nothing.

'God dammit!'

I try forcing my way through. No luck.

'Fine, I'll just destroy this place!'

"Serious punch!"

I slam the wall. It… deflects? Like a barrier. Doesn't even leave a scratch.

"Reality slash!"

Nothing. Not even a dent.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck! I can't die here! Not after everything I've done! Not for some stupid mask!"

Fine. I'll just blow past him, full speed. Once I'm past him, everything will be fine, right?

I dash with everything I've got, breaking the sound barrier—and as I pass him…

Schwing

My head separates from my body. Again.

'AHHHH!'

I'm back. Standing right beside the path. My checkpoint, apparently.

'Crazy!'

The hero reacted even at my serious speed? And we're talking about the body that withstood explosions. Even Cassian couldn't keep up with me like this.

This time, I cast [Conceal], stacking every concealment spell I know. I fly past again, faster than ever.

Schwing—decapitated. Again.

'AHHH!'

I'm back at the checkpoint. At this point, maybe I'll just name you Home Base.

'Crazy… even Sans wasn't this difficult.'

I sigh, exasperated. Time for another approach. I layer myself with every support spell I can think of. [Protect], [Guard]—you name it, I'm stacking it.

'Like Subaru in that one anime.'

I grit my teeth, feeling the pain. But whatever. I've survived worse—the philosopher's stone practically burned through me, remember?

This time, I also stack all the defense magic I can muster. [Protect], [Barrier], [Steel Skin]—you get the picture.

With every fiber of my being reinforced, I gear up for another attempt. I warm up and shoot forward with a force that could pass light speed.

Just as I'm about to pass him—

Schwing

Neck severed, back at the checkpoint.

'AHHH!'

"Damn this shit! It's fucking impossible!"