The World's Weakest Hero, Volume 1, Chapter 13 & Epilogue (Patreon)

[I messed up my chapter numbering, which is why chapter 13 is so short. I'll fix it later~

For now, I just included the epilogue with it to make it long enough for a patreon post. With this, volume 1 is complete. I'm already 1/4 done with vol 2, so I will be posting the revised chapters for it soon!]

Chapter 13

As I close in on the gigantic mutant, my scythe radiates a gentle light that fills me with a subtle warmth.

This power–Shiro’s power–really brings back memories.

Although it's different from her big sister's, the two of them are twins. It can't be helped that their powers would carry a sort of harmony.

Perhaps that's why my body can contain her power–because they're sisters.

Still, I don't have long. I can already feel the strain it's putting on me.

Fortunately, I don't need long to finish this.

“[Body Enhancement V]. [Hymn of Power]. [Rune of Arcane Energy]. [Celestial Focus]. [Blessing of the Void]. [Tranquil Moon].” I feel a surge of power reminiscent of my time as this world’s strongest hero. “That should be enough buffs for this weak leviathan.”

In truth, it's overkill. But it's not every day that I get to enjoy the power I had 15 years ago. So, I want to go all-out just this once.

After closing the gap, the black tendrils reach out, seeking to immobilize me like they had done to Lyra.

Get real.

I don't even slow my steps, since the tendrils simply evaporate when they get too close to my body.

With its appendages rendered useless, the leviathan resorts to using its massive size, reaching down and trying to crush me in a hand larger than my own body.

It may be bigger than me, but it's definitely not faster.

With a simple push off the ground, I vanish from its sight. At least, that must be how it feels. But in truth, I simply used my unrivaled speed to leap into the sky and land on a magical platform.

With a few more jumps, I reach the mutant’s head and stare into its pitch-black eyes.

“Hey, Bartholomew,” I say to the surprised leviathan's face. “It's finally time to pay for all the people that have suffered just because you hate the heroes.”

With a massive swing, my scythe cuts into the mutant's head. Such a small weapon should be just a minor nuisance to a massive creature like a leviathan, and yet…

“Groarrr!” The mutant roars in pain.

The attack is so powerful, the leviathan stumbles back, losing its balance. It crashes to the ground in a massive impact, completely shattering the road and toppling several nearby buildings.

With my scythe raised high, I gather my mana for another spell.

“But more importantly,” I say as I look down on the mutant. “You're going to regret trying to crush Lyra! [Pale Moonlight]!”

As it lays on the ground, a bright light engulfs the leviathan's upper body. While it continues to shine, the mutant's roar slowly fades.

After only a few seconds, the leviathan falls silent. The light fades shortly after, revealing the empty ground where the mutant's upper body once lay.

“It's over…”

I cancel my magical air step, plummeting to the ground at tremendous speed. Yet when I hit the street, I don't feel even the slightest impact.

A few seconds later, however…

“Ugh…” I stumble, falling to my knees.

“Lezard!” Lyra comes running over.

“I'm … fine.”

“You don't look fine! Your skin is almost as white as your hair!”

As she speaks, my white hair slowly fades back to its natural brown. At the same time, I feel the immense amount of strength fade, leaving me feeling drained like never before.

“Just … need to rest for a while.”

“Let's go back to the inn. Here, give me your arm.” Lyra grabs it without waiting for me to comply.

“Thanks. I'm going to–”

That's all I manage to get out before my vision goes black.

Epilogue

The shadow from a light post stretches down the road, yet no mage has come to light it, despite the late hour.

My feet aren’t moving, but I’m still getting closer to my destination with each passing second. That’s because my destination is moving toward me.

Or rather, my target.

A figure appears from around a corner, his skin and clothing dyed in a deep yellowed hue thanks to the sun’s position near the horizon.

That figure turns my way, walking toward me with carefree steps. But I don’t intend to let them just quietly pass me by.

“Hello, Isaac.” My words cause the figure to stop in his tracks.

“What…?” Isaac’s eyes go wide. “Lezard, is that you!?”

“How perceptive of you. What gave it away? Was it the voice, the face, or something else even more obvious?”

His face flushes in anger. “Shut up! You’re trying to make a fool of me, even now!?”

I sigh. “Have you already forgotten how you look? You broke character just because I picked at you one time. That Heroic Skill is wasted on you.”

“You … you know…?”

“Of course I know. The Heroic Skill, [Copy], lets you use other people’s techniques as you please. But it has another ability, one you’ve been keeping hidden from everyone else.” I narrow my eyes. “Isn’t that right, Curtis?”

“Haha … hahaha!” Isaac’s face shifts, his body growing thicker and taller until not a trace of his figure remains. “So what if you know? You come out here messing with me and think I’m just going to let you walk away? You messed up, Lezard. Big time!”

“Oh? Gonna murder me like you did Josh? With Isaac’s face this time, instead of mine?”

“Nah, not gonna give the credit to him. I want everyone to know that I’m the one who found and beat you.”

“You want the recognition, huh? Makes sense. I bet being called ‘Hero Curtis’ sounds great to your ears, doesn't it? Finally, for the first time in your life, you feel like you have some value, some worth. And yet you can't help yourself, can you? You can only use your new title and power to inflict pain, as you've always done.

"Do you think yourself a hero simply because someone gave you that title? Ridiculous. A title is a mere word, like any other. It's not the title that makes the hero, it's their actions. Anyone can claim to be heroic, but those who truly are don't need a title to validate themselves.

"A corrupt judge must still be called 'The Honorable', a rotten noble called 'My Lord', and a tyrant king called 'Your Majesty'. But there's nothing honorable, noble, or majestic about any of them."

I point at Curtis. "Just like there's nothing heroic about you."

The bully frowns, giving away his anger and frustration. He’s always been simple to read, and that hasn’t changed since our summoning.

If it were almost anyone else, there might be other ways to deal with a rogue hero. Teach them a lesson and show them that just because they have a bit of strength doesn’t mean they can use it however they please.

But that’s not possible with Curtis. He’s petty, hard-headed, and selfish. Besides, he already committed an act that I absolutely can’t forgive.

You’re going to regret killing Josh.

Curtis clenches his fists, showing his anger like a child who just had his favorite toy taken from him.

“I won’t let you keep doing this, Lezard! Making me look like a fool over and over! I told you already! This isn’t Earth! If you get in my way, you won’t live to regret it!”

“Is that all you have to say?” My voice doesn’t contain a speck of emotion.

“Shut up! Don’t look down on me! I’ll kill you, just like I did Josh! I’ll get rid of anyone I don’t like, until I’m the biggest, strongest hero left! Then I’ll make the rules! I’ll be in charge! Nobody else!”

“How worthless. You’ll never be in charge, Curtis.” I raise my scythe. “Because you’re going to die right here.”

“Try it, Lezard!” Curtis leaps at me, his face red with anger.

Curtis’ powerful, level 41 fist closes in on my scythe. As a level 5, there’s no world where I can overpower his attack, even if he’s just lashing out in fury.

But just before he reaches me, my hair shifts to a pale blue. And with my feet spread wide, I call out the name of my skill.

“[Annihilation].”

“G-guh…”

Still in his attacking pose, Curtis looks down at his body. A streak of red runs the entire length of his torso, as if something had sliced straight through his inhuman defensive stats like they didn’t even exist.

“N-no way…” He drops to his knees. “How could someone like you…”

His body hits the ground, and the street begins to run red with his blood.

“It’s done.” I lower my scythe.

A gently glowing, blue butterfly lands on Curtis’ body. The spirit of the departed simply sits on the corpse, its ethereal body unaffected by the breeze blowing down the street.

After several silent seconds, the blue butterfly flaps its glowing wings and rises into the air. It flies in my direction, circling me several times while leaving wispy trails of glittering spirit particles around me.

When it completes its third revolution, the spirit begins rising further. It ascends past my head, my scythe, and eventually even the buildings that flank the street.

I watch in silence as the spirit of the departed climbs even higher, eventually disappearing into the darkening sky.

I close my eyes, my face still turned up. “Rest in peace, Josh.”

The power within me begins to fade, and my hair turns back to its natural brown.

At the same time, the sound of footsteps comes from behind me. They’re slow and methodic, with a pace that I would recognize even if I didn’t already know who they belonged to.

“Lezard,” a very familiar voice calls out.

Turning, I meet Mitsuki’s eyes. Her sword is already out, but I don’t enter a battle stance.

Unlike Curtis, Mitsuki is a real threat to me. Not only is she a seasoned fighter with a lifetime of experience with the sword, but I used up most of my mana on that single skill just now. If I had to fight her, my only real option would be to flee.

Yet despite knowing that, I make no attempt to run.

Mitsuki sheaths her sword. She didn’t have it out to attack me—just the opposite, actually. She was ready to jump in and help, if my battle against Curtis started going poorly.

“It’s been a while since we could really talk, Mitsuki.”

“I expect answers, then. Real ones.”

“I know. That’s why I led you here, so we can talk.”

“You knew I was following you?”

I nod. “I made sure you saw me, then tracked your mana.”

“Tracked my mana…” Mitsuki makes a curious face. “Sometimes, I get this strange sensation when you’re nearby. It’s as if … as if I can feel you, even when I can’t see you.”

“So you are awakening to your heroic powers, as expected of you. You can detect anyone, if you practice enough.” I shake my head. “But I didn’t bring you here to train you.”

“And why did you bring me here?”

“To show you this battle so that you could see the truth for yourself. You saw it, didn’t you? Curtis could change his appearance to the last person he used his [Copy] skill on. That’s how he was able to frame me as Josh’s murderer.”

Mitsuki looks to his body. “Yes. But now, it’s impossible to prove your innocence.”

I shrug. “True, but I don’t really care. After all, I plan to leave this city tomorrow and go save this world without the help of the other heroes.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Why!? I can see that it took all of your strength to defeat Curtis! You can’t go into the mist alone, if you drain yourself in a single fight!”

“Mitsuki, the reason I wanted to talk to you before I go is because I know you. I know you'd abandon our classmates and search for me. But I can't let that happen. They shouldn't be here at all. They're not capable of saving this world. Despite their titles, they're not heroes. Someone needs to stay and protect them."

"What about Isaac? Isn't he the strongest among us all? Are you saying even he's not cut out to be a hero and to protect our classmates?"

"Him? He's the last person I'd label as a hero. Mitsuki, be careful of him. He's smart. A genius, some say. But he sees this world as a game of chess. And in chess, pieces need to be sacrificed in order to win."

"If none of us were meant to be summoned as the hero to save this world, then…" Mitsuki points at me. "What about you?"

"Me?" I spin my scythe, which vanishes mid-twirl. "I was just a level 1 with no Heroic Skills. How could I have possibly been the target of the Summoning Spell?"

Mitsuki sighs. "Always playing the fool. When are you just going to admit that you're no normal man? Besides, that scythe—isn’t it…”

“Hm? What scythe?” I show her my empty hands.

“You and your jokes, Lezard.” She sighs again. “Where are you going once you leave the city?”

“I’m going to the spiritkin’s land. There’s something there that I need.”

“Isn’t their land on the other side of the mist? Do you plan to travel through such a dangerous place alone?”

“Actually, I won’t be alone.”

Another set of footsteps echoes down the street, once again coming from behind me. But I don’t turn to meet the eyes of the person heading our way. Rather, I keep looking at Mitsuki, who turns her gaze to the one walking toward us.

“That’s…!”

“Hello, Miss Mitsuki.” Lyra gives her a respectful introduction. “It’s good to meet you again.”

“The girl we saved from the mist. Lyra, wasn’t it? What are you doing here with Lezard?”

“As per our agreement, I’ll be escorting him through the mist and back to my homeland.”

“Homeland?” Mitsuki’s face shows realization. “You’re a spiritkin?”

“I am.”

“Then, the reason you came here was to seek the help of the heroes?”

“Yes. We assumed the humans would summon one, as they did the last time the mist threatened this world. I was surprised to meet so many before I even made it out of the mist, but I suppose it could only be considered fate.”

Mitsuki looks thoughtful. “But the humans hate your people. They even think you’re responsible for the mist. What would happen if they knew one was here in the city, especially considering the recent attack?”

“That’s why Lezard acted the way he did when we first met. He hid my spirit from your knight captain’s amulet of detection, then warned me against revealing who I am. And since then, we’ve been meeting in secret and planning our journey back to my homeland.”

“Sounds like something Lezard would do. I just wish he had kept me informed the entire time.” Mitsuki looks at me as she speaks her second sentence.

I shrug. “What can I say? I didn’t want you to do anything crazy, so I tried to limit what you knew. But after my arrest, I couldn’t justify just leaving and letting you wonder what happened to me. Like I said, I figured you’d chase me down, rather than staying with our classmates. And that would be very dangerous for them.”

“I understand the reasoning, but that doesn’t mean I’m not sour about it.”

“I promise to make it up to you when we meet again.”

“And when will that be? You’re going through the mist and to the spiritkin lands, right? But for us, Captain Rosa seems intent on taking it slow and growing our levels over time. There’s no telling how long it’ll take for us to embark on a mission to the heart of the mist.”

“I know from experience how quickly carefully laid plans can fall apart. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again sooner than you expect.”

“I still think I should go with you, just in case…” Mitsuki hesitates. “But if you think Isaac is really so willing to sacrifice our classmates when it’s convenient, then I guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll stay and protect them, as you suggest.”

“Thanks, Mitsuki. They only got dragged into this mess because of me, yet I’m asking you to take responsibility for them in my stead. I’m sorry.”

She shakes her head. “No, if you know of a way to stop the mist, then the best way to protect them is to end the threat the world faces. After that, there won’t be a need to go into battle anymore.”

“Still, I feel guilty about how it all turned out, but this is just how it has to be.” I shake my head. “Lyra and I need to get a few things ready before tomorrow morning, so let’s end the meeting here. I hope you and our classmates have a good trip back to the mist the next time you go.”

“Yes, I’m sure we’ll continue to get stronger. And I’ll make sure to protect them, too.”

Lyra gives her a bow. “You have my blessings, as well. May the spirits watch over you and your companions.”

“Thanks. Take care of Lezard for me. He can be a handful, but you won’t find anyone more reliable if you scour the whole world.”

“Yes, I’ve seen both sides of him already. Calling him a handful is quite an understatement, though.”

Mitsuki nods vigorously. “Tell me about it. But if you can resist the urge to strangle him, you’ll likely get what you want in the end.”

“I’ve had to stay my hands several times, but you’re right that it all worked out afterwards. Let’s hope I have the perseverance to continue holding myself back.”

“Um…” I raise my hand. “I’m still here, you know?”

Both girls look to me. “Yes, we know.”

“Just making sure…” I lower my hand. “Anyway. Until next time, Mitsuki.”

“Goodbye.” Lyra gives her another bow.

“I’ll see you two again before long.” Mitsuki nods at us.

Our goodbyes aren’t dramatic. Despite the chance that we won’t see each other for a while, Mitsuki and I fully expect that the day we meet again will come sooner than it seems.

Whether or not that’s true, we won’t know until that day arrives. But the two of us have never been apart long, and we don’t intend to start now, even if we end up separated by a thick layer of deadly mist.

As Lyra and I walk down the road alone, she takes a peek at my face, as if trying to judge my emotions.

“Not going to tell her who you really are?”

“There’s no need. If it’s Mitsuki, she’ll figure it out. Or maybe … she already knows.”

“You did show her your scythe. Perhaps that will be enough for her.”

“Either way, it doesn’t change anything. Until I get my power back, I’m not the hero I was 15 years ago. I’m just—”

“This world’s weakest hero.”

“Hah! Now you’re starting to understand! Then let’s use my weakness to its fullest! It’s my greatest strength, after all!”

Lyra sighs. “There he goes again…”

With a bounce in our steps, we turn the corner, leaving Mitsuki and my life as an honored hero behind.

And now, it’s time for our adventure to truly begin.