The World's Weakest Hero, Volume 1, Chapter 10 (Patreon)

[Note: Character art of Lezard and Lyra above. Hmm, Lezard's design is looking a bit familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it.]

Chapter 10

“Hah…” Lyra lets out a long breath. “That aberrant was quite a bit stronger than the first.”

“Yeah, if I had to rank the first one, I'd give it an F. But this one gets an E.”

“That's not much of a step up.”

I shrug. “Compared to an aberrant we'd find in the mist, I can't give these ones a passing grade.”

“That's true. But if the others are as strong as the one I just defeated, we'll run out of strength long before we clean them from the city.”

“Agreed. But we don't have to take them all down ourselves. Look.”

I point toward a group of people coming our way. They're not the typical townspeople we've been rescuing as we fight.

No, these ones are decked out in battle gear and carrying weapons. In other words, city guards.

“We should make ourselves scarce before they get here, though.” I motion for Lyra to follow me into an alley. “And those guards aren't the only ones out here fighting the mutants.”

“Heroes,” Lyra says as she steps off the street. “With their strength, monsters of this caliber should just be fodder for them.”

“Yeah, but keep in mind some of those heroes are just kids with a fancy title. Add in the fact that one of them just got murdered, and they're likely feeling insecure about the whole fighting monsters part of their job.”

“You think they need our help?”

“Not really. It'd be great if Rosa were here with them, but she's still out of the city, meeting the king. Still, they should be fine with just Isaac and Mitsuki leading them.”

Lyra gives me a sidelong glance. “What about this kingdom's soldiers? Where are they when we need them?”

“Off protecting the border, trying to keep the mist from taking over more of their kingdom. Can't blame them, but it does leave their cities understaffed. And the guards that are left here are little more than recruits with fancy equipment.”

“I see. So it's really up to us and the heroes to make sure as many citizens as possible make it through the day.”

I nod. “Pretty much. The guards will be a nice distraction for the monsters, but we can't rely on them to do the heavy lifting. That's why we're going to swap tactics.”

“Oh? And what exactly do you have in mind?”

“What is it that attracts mutants?”

“Humans–or more specifically, living creatures. It's just they tend to target humans more than animals. And also, the stronger the person, the more they attract powerful mutants.”

I clap. “All correct. But there's something missing from your answer.”

“Missing?” Lyra puts on a thoughtful face. “They go after anything filled with life, as if it were their mission to end it…”

“You're on the right track.”

“Life … life.” Lyra’s eyes suddenly light up. “Ah, spirits! They chase spirits, which is why spirits flee from the mist.”

“You got it. So let me ask you this–what do you think would happen if all the spirits in the city were to converge on a single point?”

“It would be like a magnet to all the mutants. But there's no way we can round up each spirit like that, not with how whimsical they are.”

“That's true. At least, that'd normally be the case, anyway.”

Lyra looks skeptical. “Are you saying that's not the case for you?”

“Let’s meet up with the other heroes, then you'll find out the answer.”

While we were talking, I've been leading Lyra through the city. Rather than heading toward the next group of monsters, my destination is actually my former classmates.

They're heroes now, according to the people of this world. But most of them are still just budding, barely capable of surviving here, much less leading the charge to save it.

Still, I can't deny that their raw strength is far superior to ours right now. And it's that heroic power that I intend to put to use to save as many people as I can.

“Do you really intend to meet up with the other heroes?” Lyra asks as we step onto a new street. “Don't they believe you to be their enemy?”

“Yeah, some of them probably think I'm a bad guy, especially with the timing of this attack. I escape from my cell, and a day later, mutants are invading the city. I'll definitely be blamed for it.”

“Then isn't it far too dangerous to meet with them?”

“Don't worry, I only need to get close. I don't actually have to see them. And more importantly, they don't have to see me.”

Lyra follows me into another alley. “Your classmates are certainly strong, but you said it yourself–they aren't warriors. Can they really defeat the mutants if they attack all at once?”

“With Isaac and Mitsuki, they should be fine. Not only are those two way stronger than us right now, but Mitsuki in particular won't let her classmates fall.”

“What makes you so sure about her?”

“Because I asked her to protect them.”

Lyra gives me a questionable look. “That's it? You asked her?”

“Yep.”

She waits for me to continue, but that's all the answer I give her. Eventually, she shakes her head, giving up on that line of questioning. Instead, she moves on to another topic.

“Are we headed towards your classmates right now?”

“Yeah, they're fighting a group of mutants near the castle.”

“How do you know that? Isn't it too far for your limited sensing abilities?”

“I can't pick up the presence of any people or mutants that far away–with one exception.” I rush out onto another street. “I can absolutely feel Mitsuki in that direction. And if she's there, so too must my classmates. Since she's not moving much, I can only conclude that they're in a battle.”

Lyra looks skeptical. “You can feel her from this distance? How?”

“Maybe we've just been together so much that her presence sticks out to me?”

“That doesn't sound plausible.”

“Who knows. Either way, it seems my deductions were right. Mutants.”

We've gotten close enough now that the presences of mutants are starting to pop up, along with my classmates who are fighting them.

As expected, they came out of the castle and immediately ran into an aberrant, along with the monsters that surround it.

For my classmates, such a battle can almost be considered a joke. At least, that's the case when comparing the pure strength of both forces.

But just yesterday, they learned that one of their hero companions had been slain. Suddenly faced with their own mortality, many of them have to be pondering some tough questions.

Is this a trap?

Are they trying to lure us out so they can take us out like they did to Josh?

Will there be a monster so strong that we have no hope of winning?

Those kinds of questions are likely swirling around in the minds of some of my classmates. Such doubt can have a huge impact on their ability to fight, which is likely why all of them are sticking together, rather than separating into smaller groups to wipe out the mutants quicker.

Well, I can consider that a blessing in disguise. If they had broken into several groups, it'd make it harder to gather them up to face the aberrants all at once.

Still, it's going to be really demoralizing to have such a large swarm of monsters attack them.

It would really feel like a trap, as if the mutants were waiting for them to step onto the battlefield before swarming them.

But, that's just how it has to be. If they're going to play hero, they'll need to know just how cruel this world can be to those who shoulder the responsibility of saving it.

It was made crystal clear to me during my time as this world's strongest hero that my job was to fight monsters and save the world.

My wishes? My opinions? Even my very life itself?

None of that mattered. All they cared about was stopping the mist.

That mentality hasn't changed. If anything, it's only gotten worse since then.

They sure are lucky to have Rosa watching over them.

No, chances are, Rosa herself is just a tool to keep the heroes in line.

Did they learn from the mistakes they made when dealing with me?

Heroes don't like to be told that saving a town filled with people isn't worth the effort. At least, I certainly didn't like it when I was ordered to abandon people to their doom.

Hence why I disobeyed orders and often found myself on the wrong side of this world's rulers.

If my classmates were put into that same situation, I wonder what they would do?

My guess is that they're working hard to keep their new batch of heroes from even knowing the truth.

After all, if it was so hard to control me, then I can only imagine how much they'd be pulling out their hair trying to control nearly a dozen heroes.

There are a lot of forces at play. The king with his desire to keep the throne, the nobles with their games, and even the people with their endless expectations.

And in the middle of all that are the heroes. Kids, brought from the classroom to a world on the brink of destruction.

There's just no way they can navigate the minefield, especially when most of them don't even realize that there are mines buried around them.

Not until it's too late.

That's why I need to regain my power and save this world again.

Not just for the people on this planet but for my classmates, as well.

But before any of that, I'm going to need them to work hard for the sake of this city.

“Here,” I say, stopping in an alley. “This should be close enough.”

“Your classmates are just on the other side of these buildings, but it seems like the mutants they're fighting are nearly defeated. We'll have to hurry before they finish the battle.”

“Don't worry, I've got a plan that will make it so they won't leave, even after they clean up all the monsters.”

I close my eyes, shutting out the light from the already darkened alley.

This spell. As expected, I can't cast it at my current level. At least, not at the strength I need to attract the spirits from all over the city.

That leaves me with one choice. Well, two choices, but I really don't want to ask that girl for help unless I really need it…

With my eyes still closed, I focus on the energy flowing within my own body.

Mana has a circulatory path, much like blood with its network of veins and arteries. And like blood, mana always returns to a person's heart, where it begins the cycle again.

However, even if I were to expend every drop of my mana, I wouldn't have enough to draw in all the spirits. So rather than focusing on my mana, I'm actually concentrating on something else.

Or rather, someone else.

Sorry for always asking for help at times like this, but there are people I need to save.

The pulsating power within me doesn't respond to my words. How could she? She's still sleeping after using up all of her power.

If you were awake, I'm sure you'd agree that these people deserve to have us work as hard as we can to help them.

You always were soft like that, even if you were too shy to admit it…

I reach out to the spark of life resting inside my body and gently intertwine my mana with hers. Warmth floods me, like stepping into a heated house after a long day of working out in the cold. Immediately after…

Such power…

I almost forgot what it felt like to be this strong.

But I don't have much time before this power fades. I need to finish this quickly.

I open my eyes and look up, over the top of the buildings in front of us. My focus is on the sky, at a point just above where my classmates were fighting those monsters.

Although they just finished the battle, they've yet to move, so now's my chance to bring this plan together.

My hand comes up, my open palm pointing towards that same point in the sky.

“Spirits, hear my words and gather at my behest. [Command Spirit]!”

As I cast the spell, the empty sky above my classmates comes alight.

To those without a connection to their realm, spirits are unseen entities. Even if I call for them, not a single one of my classmates will notice them gathering, even if they're swarmed by thousands of spirits.

But as Lyra said, we can't allow our classmates to leave here because soon, the mutants will start swarming this area as they follow the spirits.

That's why I've created something that my classmates can see, something that will keep their attention long enough for the mutants to arrive.

“The moon sure is beautiful, isn't it.” I stare up at the visage of the moon I created in the sky above my classmates.

“Impossible…!” Lyra's gaze is focused squarely on me, rather than my false moon. “Are you … fusing with a spirit!? But that can't be. Only the Lucavi, who carry the Great Spirits within them, can fuse to such a degree!”

“I wonder about that…”

“Don't play dumb! That aura, that mana leaking from you–it can only come from a powerful spirit! And your hair…!”

I reach up and grab a lock of my hair. “Silvery-blue is such a beautiful color, isn't it? Actually, it's my favorite, and not just because it's the same color as the larger of this world's twin moons.”

“That color changing hair is an unmistakable sign that you've fused with a spirit! But how!?”

As I look at my own hair, the silvery-blue begins to fade. Within a matter of seconds, my hair has gone back to its original brown.

With the reversion of my hair, the power flowing through me also fades. At the same time, a heavy weight fills me.

Ugh. There goes my mana…

Although I powered the spell with her mana, I had to use some of mine, as well. And since I have so little to begin with, casting such powerful magic has left me feeling a bit drained and winded.

But the effect is worth it.

“Oh, the spirits.” I look around, purposefully avoiding Lyra’s questioning eyes. “They're gathering, just like I asked.”

“And how exactly did you manage to get them to obey? Minor spirits are whimsical and forgetful, yet they're moving toward your illusory moon with purpose.”

“Don't think too deeply on it. Just accept that the mission was a success. Soon, the mutants will flood this area, and my classmates will take them all down with minimal loss of civilian life.”

“Fine.” Lyra finally gives up on her questions. “But when this is over, I want to know the–”

“Hey, you!” A deep voice interrupts Lyra's words. “What are you two doing in that alley! Haven't you heard the fighting?”

Lyra and I turn to the entrance of the alley, where a pair of soldiers are standing. Since the heroes are here, men have been moving around the area the whole time, searching for more monsters or delivering messages between groups of guards.

Since we only needed to be here for a few minutes, I had planned on being in and out before anyone could spot us.

But it looks like the plan didn't go entirely as I had hoped.

“Well, this is unfortunate…”

“Take them down?” Lyra raises her arms a bit, as if preparing to summon her chakrams.

“Easy, now. We're trying to save as many people as possible, remember?”

“In that case, it's fine as long as they're still breathing at the end.”

“Well … you're not wrong. But let's try to talk our way out of here first. They seem to want to take us to safety, so let's be good civilians and let them escort us.”

Lyra's hands fall back to her sides. “Let's hope this plan doesn't fall apart, as well.”

“Have a little faith. When it comes to people, I'm great at getting what I want.”

During our conversation, one of the guards has been walking toward us. The other is still at the mouth of the alley, watching us from afar.

“You two.” The guard gets close enough to speak casually. “This area isn't safe. The heroes may have defeated the monsters, but you see it–that strange moon in the sky. If you stay here–”

The guard stops. Both his feet and mouth are no longer moving, as if someone had cast paralysis magic on him.

But no such spell has been used. The man stops purely of his own free will. And the reason for that is…

“You…!” The guard draws his sword. “You're that murderous hero!”

“Oh…” I look to Lyra. “I think it's safe to say this plan fell apart.”

“You think so!?” Lyra summons her icy-blue chakrams. “We don't have a choice now. Let's take them down and get out of here before they call for the heroes!”

Lyra throws her chakram. Not at the soldier right in front of us but at the one in the mouth of the alley.

If he were to run, he'd be able to gather reinforcements and even get my classmates to help chase us down. It's a solid tactical move, but…

kachink

“Guh…!” The soldier at the alley’s entrance grunts as the chakram hits his shield.

“Go!” The guard just in front of us yells back. “Get the heroes!”

“Tch!” Lyra throws her second chakram.

“Don't even think about it!” The guard jumps in front of it, knocking it off course with his shield.

The first soldier has already vanished, and I can feel his presence as he runs down the street toward my classmates.

“Lyra, let's run.”

“I won't let you get away–”

The guard's voice ends when Lyra's first chakram smacks into the back of his head. She made sure to recall it so that the man would be directly in its return path, and unlike most other tactics and strategies we've tried today, that one actually worked as intended.

“If we run,” Lyra says, turning to me. “The heroes will follow. Then who will defeat the monsters that are on the way here right now?”

“Don't worry. I have a plan.”

“Yes, I won't worry one bit because your plans always go as you intend.”

“Thanks, it's nice to have your support.”

“Don't ignore my sarcasm!”

I do in fact ignore her sarcasm as I leap onto a small ledge protruding from one of the buildings. It takes a bit of effort and mana to reach it, but I still have enough to spare for some enhanced leaps like this.

After another jump, I find myself on the building’s roof. Since it's slanted, I still can't see my classmates, but I can feel their presence on the ground below, just on the other side of the building.

As I look up at the illusory moon I created in the sky, Lyra lands beside me. She's got quite a mouth on her, but it seems she stands by her word because she's still willing to trust in me, despite how poorly things are turning out.

“I'm going to get my classmates’ attention and keep them occupied until the mutants start showing up.”

“Is that safe? Aren't they far stronger than you?”

“They are. But if you stay hidden on this side of the roof, you can help protect me in case they attack.”

“I'm not at full strength, either.”

I nod. “True. But most of my classmates are indecisive and barely know how to wield their new power. We don't have to worry about them. But there is someone who might be a problem…”

The soldier that escaped has already reached my classmates. Soon, they'll be rushing toward the alley in order to reach me, so I don't have any more time to waste.

“I'm going. Just be ready to back me up.” I take the final leap, landing on the apex of the roof.

Looking down, I see a crowd of familiar faces. I've known them for most of my second life on Earth, even if we didn't always share a class every school year.

There's Alex, the go with the flow kid that I pressured into becoming my roommate. With Josh having been murdered, it was just me and him left to share a room. But now that I'm seen as a traitor, he's all alone in there.

Nina is also with them. Among all my classmates, she's the one I worry about most because she has a tendency to freeze up during stressful moments, making it dangerous for her to step onto the battlefield.

The reason I always end up picking on her is because it's a good way to loosen her nerves. Now that I'm gone, I can't help but wonder how she's going to cope with all the stress of being a hero.

Of course, that petty bully is also among my classmates. Curtis has always compensated for his failures by lashing out at others. He usually targets easy prey, which is why I had to make him hate me so much.

With his focus on me, he spends most of his energy trying to bully me like he did many kids before. But unlike his other targets, I always seem to avoid his simple and petty actions.

It was tough to walk that fine line, dodging his attempts to bully me while making it seem like I'm easy prey. But it became a sort of game for me, while also helping other students from becoming his victim.

Then there's Isaac. Among all my classmates, he was summoned with the highest level. On top of that, he has two Heroic Skills instead of one like everybody else.

Although Isaac isn't very athletic, he's exceptionally intelligent, being valedictorian for several years in a row with his untouchable grades in virtually every subject.

Though the truth is that if I wanted to, I could have taken that crown from him. I've been through school twice in my life, once before my first summoning as this world's strongest hero, then again after my reincarnation back on Earth.

To top it off, even though my level reverted back to one after my reincarnation, I retained a lot of mysterious perks from my time as a hero, like being able to remember detailed information with ease.

Thanks to that, I can recall almost anything just by hearing it once. That forced me to purposefully miss questions on tests and other assignments in order to stay below the top students in my school, like Isaac.

But there's a problem.

He knew. Isaac definitely knew I was holding back my grades.

He really is frighteningly intelligent. He hasn't even reincarnated like I have, yet he can retain information so well.

No, it's not just the ability to remember things. He can make deductions, even with limited information.

He'll definitely figure out that he's a pawn. But will he go along with it, or will he start to scheme, like I did back when I was summoned the first time?

Either way, he's dangerous. Especially with that Heroic Skill, Vector Control. Someone like him having such a powerful ability is a pain. I absolutely can't underestimate him.

Finally, there's Mitsuki. As my childhood friend, she's the only one among them that I can really count on to take my side in this whole mess. But I can't ask her to turn her back on our classmates, not when they need someone to protect them.

Speaking of Mitsuki…

She's looking right at me, huh? How did she even know I was up here?

No, wait. Could it be that she's awakening to her powers as a hero?

Sensing the presence of others is a perk that any hero can learn, if they know how. Other than heroes, the only ones who can sense presences are the Lucavi, who use the spirits inside their bodies to detect the mana of all the creatures around them.

Yet despite me not having taught Mitsuki how to detect people, she clearly caught onto my presence as soon as she heard I was nearby.

I wonder if she's sensitive to my presence because we spent so much time together on Earth.

Regardless, it doesn't change what I need to do.

“Hello, friends!” I yell down to my classmates. “I hope all of you are having fun today!”

All their faces snap up, taking in the sight of the criminal hero who mysteriously escaped captivity. The only exception is Mitsuki, who was already looking directly at me.

“Lezard!” Nina’s the first to shout my name. “What are you doing!? Are you really the one who brought all these monsters to the city!?”

“Did I?” I place my hand beneath my chin. “That's a good question, Nina. I wonder what the answer is…”

“This isn't the time for games, Lezard!” Mitsuki is the next to speak up. “Tell us what's going on so we can clear your name!”

“There’s no point in telling all of you the truth. First off, who would believe anything I say? It could all be one big lie to mislead you. But that's not really why there isn't a point in telling you. Still, I suppose if you want the truth, I'll say it clearly.”

I point down at my classmates. “The best thing all of you can do is to sit in the castle and stay away from the battlefield. This world doesn't need a bunch of children playing hero. You'll just get in my way.”

“Get in your way!?” Curtis yells. “That's exactly what we want to do, you damn criminal! I knew you were no good! I told everyone that, but nobody wanted to listen! Now look! He's showing who he really was all along!”

That's the last thing I want to hear from someone like you, Curtis.

“I am who I am,” I say, ignoring my thoughts. “That has never changed, not from the moment I met any of you.”

“So what? You saying you were always a criminal?”

“Take from it what you will. In the end, it doesn't matter what someone like you thinks of me.”

“And what of the rest of us?” Isaac asks. “Surely having a group of heroes hunting you has some weight to it.”

“It's inconvenient, I'll admit. But I can handle something like that. I'll just need to–”

My sword comes up, and a rock the size of my fist hits the blade. The force of the impact is so high that I have to use all my advanced training just to deflect it.

As the sound of the rock whizzes by my ear, I look at Isaac's raised hand, which he used to throw the stone.

Or rather than throw, it's more precise to say he sent it flying with magic.

Vector Control. As usual, it's quite a troublesome skill…

The activation is near instantaneous, with Isaac able to change an object’s vector to whatever he desires. It's useful as a way to attack, as he just demonstrated, but it's also useful to defend, as any incoming objects can have their vectors changed to miss his body.

Offense and defense in a single Heroic Skill. And that's only one of the two skills he acquired when summoned.

Still, every ability has a weakness. I just wonder if Isaac figured his out yet.

“Useless,” I say, ignoring the bead of sweat running down my back from the near miss. “None of you are strong enough to threaten me.”

Isaac reaches to his waist, where several small daggers are lined up. Pulling one from its sheathe, he holds it up, the tip pointed directly at me.

“If you're that strong,” he says. “Then I don't have to hold back.”

No, please hold back. I've already used one of my trump cards to gather the spirits…

As the thought runs through my mind, I focus on those spirits, even as my eyes stay centered on the dagger in Isaac's hand.

The dozens of spirits that used to be here have turned into hundreds. Even that number continues to grow as more and more of them flock to the illusory moon sitting in the sky.

Though that moon is just an image I created to keep my classmates here while the mutants converge on them. It's kind of useless now that I've been exposed, but it still looks cool with how it hangs over the battlefield like a mysterious observer.

Regardless, my old friends can't see spirits, so they have no idea that nearly a thousand of them are swarming the area at this very moment.

But there is something coming that they can see.

“Are you sure you have time to fight me?” I sneer down at Isaac.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you're about to receive quite a few uninvited guests.”

My classmates look around, but there's nothing but an empty battlefield.

The other soldiers in the area are also on high alert, though they've been that way ever since I showed up. Still, they're paying even more attention to their surroundings now than they were before.

And it's during that moment when someone spots it.

“Mutant!” A soldier yells.

“How many?” Isaac asks, not taking his eyes off me.

“Only a few! No aberrant in sight–”

“Aberrant!” Another soldier shouts.

The second man yelled from an entirely different direction, meaning they know that at least two groups of monsters are converging on them at the same time.

But what they don't know is that this is only the beginning.

“More mutants! And another aberrant!”

“Tch.” Isaac clicks his tongue. “Form up! We can't let ourselves get attacked while out of formation! I'll capture Lezard. Mitsuki, you handle the battle here.”

“No, let me go after Lezard.”

“Absolutely not. Your allegiance is questionable, as it is. I won't leave something like this to you.”

“I can't agree to that! I’m sure if I can just talk to him without interruption, I can figure out what’s going on!”

“No, we’re sticking with my plan. Hurry up and get the others ready for combat before—”

“More mutants!” a guard shouts. “Dozens—no, hundreds of them!”

Isaac looks at me with a frown as he reevaluates the situation. As the leader of the heroes, he knows full well that he can't abandon them when they're about to face the toughest battle of their lives.

Even sending Mitsuki after me would be a risk, as he has no way of knowing if there's a powerful mutant mixed among the monsters that even he may struggle against.

With no way to give chase, he falls back on the same tactic he used when I first showed myself.

A glimmer of light bounces off the metallic surface of a small dagger as it flies right at my face. Propelled by Isaac's Vector Control skill, the blade contains enough power to instantly fell any low level mutant.

At my current strength, even I don't know if I could survive a direct hit, despite the [Body Enhancement I] magic I cast on myself before the fighting began.

Fortunately, I don't have to find out today.

The glimmer of the dagger's light vanishes as my vision is covered by a wall of ice. The magical barrier is large enough that it completely blocks my line of sight to the ground below, though I can still see the distorted outlines of my classmates as they fall into their battle formations.

With a clank, Isaac's dagger hits the wall, sending a spiderweb of cracks through the ice. Peeking through the wall directly in front of my face is a blade, its power nearly enough to break all the way through.

Nice timing, Lyra.

But man, can Isaac hold back just a little? If that hit me, I really might have been done for.

With the wall of ice blocking their vision, it's the perfect chance for me to retreat back to the other side of the rooftop.

Lyra's waiting for me, but we don't exactly have time to stand around and chat, so I wave for her to follow me before jumping over the alley and onto the roof on the other side.

“Thanks. You timed your wall of ice perfectly.”

“I wasn't chosen as the Spirit of Water's Lucavi without reason.”

I leap again, landing on yet another rooftop. “That's been obvious for a while, but you are still young. How long have you been her host?”

“Less than a year. The younger the host, the deeper the bond can grow with the Great Spirit. But a child's body can't handle their power, so the spirit often chooses a host who's an adolescent or young adult. Among the Lucavi, I was the youngest to bond with my spirit.”

I nod along, though I already knew about the bonding restrictions before she told me. “I see, I see. Well, use that deep bond of yours to wake that stupid spirit up soon, okay? It'd make all of this so much easier…”

“S-stupid!? I'll have you know the Spirit of Water is beautiful and refined! There's nothing stupid about her!”

My feet land on a fourth rooftop, but rather than keep running to the next, I come to a stop.

“Yeah, she always did have that air of elegance about her. That made it all the more fun to tease her.” I turn to the roof’s edge. “But forget about that snoozing spirit for now. We've got work to do…”

“Grrr…” Lyra reluctantly follows my gaze. “Mutants? But they're heading toward the heroes. Weren't you going to let them deal with the monsters?”

“My classmates will take care of most of them, but that doesn't mean we can't help them out a bit. Besides, there's always a chance a random civilian will run into these mutants before they reach the heroes. That means the more we defeat, the less likely that there will be any more casualties.”

“Guess I can see the logic in that. And also…” Lyra summons her chakrams. “I was getting a little irritated for some reason.”

“I wonder who'd do such a thing to you?” I raise my sword and jump down from the roof before Lyra can give a retort.

As I fall, two chakrams fly by me, heading straight toward the aberrant below. I get a bird's eye view as her weapons land a clean first strike against the powerful mutant before it even knows we're hunting it.

Rather than follow up on her attack, my sword cleaves a weaker monster as I land, splitting it nearly in two. As I roll to disperse my momentum, my weapon slices into another creature, sending it to the ground in a heap.

“Too slow.” I dodge a mutant as it leaps at me, giving it a wound for its trouble.

Another monster takes its place, but its claws only find the air where I was standing.

Even if I'm low level, my years of training, battle instincts, and experience fighting mutants won't simply vanish.

“If it's just a handful of weak monsters…” I sidestep another attack. “Then it can only be considered a warm-up.”

As the weaker mutants fall one by one, I watch Lyra's battle out of the corner of my eye. Even without her spirit’s power, she's strong. Not at the level of a seasoned hero, but she's more than a match for most of my classmates.

Her technique and battle experience far outstrip everyone except Mitsuki, who I've been training since she was little. Even Isaac can't hold a candle to her in terms of pure ability, though his intelligence and powerful Heroic Skills are far too dangerous for her to face him head on.

Just more reason for us to get out of this city and focus on growing stronger.

As soon as I take care of some personal business, that is.

The cleanup goes as expected, with the mutants becoming nothing but corpses littering the street.

Lyra releases her chakrams, and they vanish in a puff of icy steam. “Another aberrant down. But there are more nearby.”

“Yeah. Let's head over there and take them down before they can reach my classmates.”

“Working hard to help them, despite your new reputation as their enemy?”

I shrug. “Just how things ended up. It doesn't bother me or change what I need to do.”

“I see. In that case, lead the way.”

With a few leaps, we end up back on the rooftops, heading toward the next battlefield.