I Picked Up the Hero and the Demon King

34 – Trial and Growth (2)

The surroundings are blurred.

Buildings rose and earthquakes occurred.

The sky, which had been gray, began to move little by little and start to be painted.

Dust and acrid wind blew, buildings collapsed and collapsed, and the roads were dirty with dirt and debris.

A city in ruins.

However, it was so comfortable that I felt familiar because I was not used to it.

I soon found out. Where is this place.

Battlefield.

I fought countless battles in my previous life… It was a battlefield.

At some point, the only people here were me, my sister, and the examiner.

“What did you make this for?”

In response to the question, the examiner pointed to Yoo Soo-ah and Yoo Seo-eun.

“I started with you, but the fact that fate is still flowing while being trapped in a frame centered on those two remains unchanged.”

“Are you saying sisters are still the most important thing?”

“That’s right. In the end, you said something like a sword that cuts off fate… But the important thing is how to guide those children and how they change and grow.”

“Change… Grow… Wait. Are you saying there’s going to be a war? The two of them were heroes of each faction.”

I felt a little nervous and shook my head when I saw the examiner.

“No. If you start with one fixed point, there is no guarantee that the other fixed points will happen the same. Irregular, changing, and new things will happen.”

“Then…”

“There’s no guarantee that it won’t happen either. When you think about it, the war is a strong point in your fate that flows like yours, so it’s probably more likely to happen.”

“No matter what happens, war happens… Sisters eventually become heroes?”

“But it doesn’t have to be like that. You’ll have to see if the things you know will happen.”

“…Haa…”

My head hurts.

I wonder if it’s because I’ve been hearing words I couldn’t easily accept.

But that’s a problem that can be understood later.

Now I have to solve the test right in front of me.

“So what kind of test are you taking?”

“It’s simple. Whether or not those two can grow. As the bond with you deepens, it will have various effects in the future. There are many things to test, but…”

The examiner crossed his arms and pondered for a moment, then gave me another cold look and replied.

“Now I’m thinking of testing you to see if you have any ‘potential’.”

“Possibility?”

“Yes. Whether it is right for you to take on the sisters and continue to walk through your destiny, the possibility of changing your incomplete destiny.”

“Hmm…”

I didn’t understand what you were talking about.

If the sisters are the subject, there’s no reason for me to take the test, right?

… No Told me as a starting point.

She said she would see if it was right for her sister to be by my side, so she must have expected something from me.

But I couldn’t remember what it was, so I looked at it with a little question, and the examiner began to explain.

“Did you hear about how the sisters became superhuman?”

“Yes.”

“The two of them will always become superhuman no matter what happens. This is absolute unchanging even if fate twists and turns. However, this constancy was broken when we started with you as the fixed point.”

“Is it good?”

“No. When an invariant is broken, it means a serious problem. It means that the only working part in a broken machine is broken.”

“Then you two have to become superhumans somehow. So?”

“Simple.”

Just right.

The examiner snapped his fingers.

Then it slowly soared into the air and looked down at me.

As I snapped my fingers once again, black energy rose from the ground and formed a human form.

“For the sisters, the most intense moment of fate is when the villain dies. If you recreate it, you will see the change… And the potential for growth.”

“What? Wait a minute, that means—”

For a moment, an ominous thought came to my mind.

Reproducing the role of the villain in the previous life when he was born and died…

In short, don’t you mean that I should die this time?

As I looked at it with worry, the examiner smiled.

“Do you think you vaguely understood it? But it’s not really going to kill you. Then it might cause a bigger problem. Therefore, I’m going to drive you to death.”

“What?! Is that okay!? No. More than that, the kids are hardened right now! You wouldn’t know about this situation, would you?”

The overall color returned, but the sisters were still gray and frozen.

Well, what are you trying to show me? Are you just trying to kill me because you don’t like it?!

“Don’t worry. The sisters are the subjects of fate, and now they are temporarily separated from the flow of fate. You can intervene as much as you like.”

“Intervention?”

“Yeah. I’m still watching this scene. I must be conscious.”

“Wait. Consciousness? Can I listen to the conversation?”

“It’s okay. I can’t hear them anyway.”

On the one hand, I’m glad. If it was Yoo Soo-ah, I wouldn’t know, but Yoo Seo-eun was the demon king, so there’s no need to listen.

To sum it up, are you saying that you are watching this situation with only your body stiff and your mind intact?

Not knowing what they’re talking about, just watching what’s going on…

“Okay. The small talk ends here.”

The examiner snapped his fingers.

Then the black figure began to move little by little.

I hurriedly got into position, but my body wasn’t fully recovered, so I felt a little throbbing.

“These are the villains of the Villain Alliance you know. Among them, you called the opponent you had a hard time with. Unfortunately, you can’t call the Demon King, so don’t worry.”

“That will be very reassuring.”

“Ahahahaha. What’s wrong? Didn’t everyone from 1st to 18th in the villain alliance’s rankings lose their lives to you? Were the ranks up to 12th ranked EX? It was really absurd strength.”

“Noisy. The past is the past. Not now.”

Leaving behind the useless words, I chewed on the examiner’s words.

‘A tough opponent… ‘

Who is it?

If they are rankers in the Villain Alliance, it’s a big deal.

The reason I killed the rankers of the Villain Alliance in my previous life wasn’t simply because I was strong.

There were many factors, but the most important among them was the hero’s support.

And I was able to kill him because I somehow dragged him into a 1:1 battle.

But I can’t hope for that, and my physical condition now is too weak compared to then.

“Okay. Let’s see.”

Just right.

The examiner snapped his fingers.

Then the black figures began to attack.

The first step was to tie my feet.

‘This… !’

4Th place Atrixia’s Shadow?!

Damn it. Just having that woman is a pain in the ass… !

I was a little embarrassed, but I quickly swung my sword.

I cut through the swampy shadows around her legs, but immediately a huge shadow appeared over my head.

“Meteorite?!”

A huge meteorite. I noticed at once that it was a megalith of the 11th place Rock Tree.

It is impossible to evade that size.

Then… !

“Balken Sword—”

Lee Seo-jin gathered her strength after holding her posture low.

I looked at the huge chunk of stone that was falling, then swung my sword horizontally.

A line was drawn on the stone block, and it soon split in two.

A black figure with electricity clad in both hands appeared between the split stones.

Pajijik!!

As the black figure shot out electricity, a cage was formed around Lee Seo-jin in an instant, and he was electrocuted.

“Keew!!!”

This biography… Number 7 Impulse!

Looks like two f*cking bastards… !

Lee Seo-jin grinded his teeth as he was electrocuted.

However, his stance was undisturbed, so he took a downward slashing stance, then gathered all his strength and threw it at the black figure.

Hooung—!

A powerful sword strike flew at the black figure, but it lightly evaded it with sparks.

“Ha ha… Ha ha…”

Lee Seo-jin exhaled heavily.

Unfortunately he was the enemy he inferred, so he had to respond without pause.

Not only did he overwork his weakened body, but he also didn’t recover much.

It was hard work to fight with fatigue added to it.

I wonder if he knew he couldn’t move properly.

As the last black figure stretched out its hand, black flames swirled around Lee Seo-jin.

“Wait. This is—!”

Lee Seo-jin tried to avoid it as soon as he saw it.

It was an impossible attack to evade from the point of view.

Fire—!

In an instant, a black flame was created and swallowed Seojin Lee.

“Aagh!”

Pain that humans can feel the most. Burning pain.

The black flames were giving me more pain than I could have imagined.

When the light goes out after being swallowed up while shaking violently.

Lee Seo-jin, with smoke billowing all over her body and scorched traces like charcoal grilling, was barely holding on.

“Kuh…”

A short shriek.

Lee Seo-jin was well aware of the black flame of the second-place builder.

He was the second most difficult opponent after the Demon King, and because of that, he almost lost one of his arms.

“…Damn it.”

It was a desperate moment, but Lee Seo-jin’s eyes did not lose their light.

There was a hint of his will to fight somehow by gathering all the remaining vitality.

The situation was so disastrous that it reached the point of looking pitiful.

※

Yoo Soo-ah was watching the conversation.

Lee Seo-jin talking with a blurry figure.

There was no sound in the conversation between the two, and I couldn’t guess from the shape of their mouths.

“■■ ■■■ ■…”

“□□…”

She doesn’t know what kind of conversation she’s talking about or what topics she’s talking about.

Then the battle started and she could do nothing but watch.

Yoo Seo-eun was watching the battle.

Shadows attack from all sides.

A megalith rises from the ground.

Electricity splattered in all directions.

Heukyeom attacked Seojin Lee.

Attack attack that looks so dangerous that you can lose your life one by one.

I tried to somehow create an advantageous situation against such an attack.

“Kuh!”

“Heh… Heh heh…”

Short screams and rough breathing to endure pain.

Lee Seo-jin was being pushed back as his movements gradually decreased.

Her sisters were watching the whole situation.

Unknown situation in English.

An unknown conversation.

A sudden battle.

But everything didn’t matter.

No matter what is happening right in front of your eyes, the most important thing is Lee Seo-jin.

He’s fighting.

He is being pushed.

He is dying.

The sisters could keenly feel that their precious person was gradually moving away from them.

‘No. Please don’t do that.’

‘Don’t attack.’

‘Please don’t hurt me.’

‘Please.’

I wanted to pray desperately, and I wanted to speak out somehow.

I couldn’t do anything, and I had no choice but to watch the situation while remaining awake.

“Creepy!”

Lee Seo-jin vomited blood after being hit by a strong attack and pushed away.

The four black figures continued to attack without hesitation.

She wanted to step out somehow.

I wanted to block the attack instead.

I wanted to kill those attackers instead.

I was desperately hoping that I would rather be taken instead.

Because it’s always been that way.

Because I always prayed, bowed down, and gave in whenever something bad happened.

So it didn’t matter, but this time I couldn’t help but stare at it without even being allowed to suffer.

From long ago until now, the sisters had no power, and they wished for power, but it was not given.

A question arose in the sisters’ minds.

‘Why?’

‘Why?’

For the first time, I asked why and I had doubts.

‘Why can’t I protect someone?’

‘Why do I have to remain helpless?’

Doubt soon turned into doubt.

Doubt soon turned into self-loathing.

Old sisters would kneel on her knees.

But now the self-loathing of her sister gave her a chance to reflect on herself.

‘So you’re going to be helpless again?’

No.

No.

Questions to ask yourself.

I could never be helpless this time.

How can you be helpless when your precious person is dying?

An unknown anomaly? Unreasonable situation? Sudden battle?

It didn’t matter.

Has there been one or two times that you have had to suffer like this?

No. There were countless

But I couldn’t stand still.

Even if you’re weak, even if you can’t do anything.

I will never stay still this time.

She was a sister who was determined not to bend, not to be helpless, and to move forward no matter what.

‘Move!!’

Her body stiffened, but she forced herself to move.

‘Tell me!!’

The words didn’t come out, but she shouted, imagining it hundreds of times.

As she tried to somehow get out of the situation where she couldn’t move, her will became stronger and indomitable.

Pounding.

Then something stirred in the sisters’ minds.

The small movement gradually changed into a big one, and little by little, the whole body began to strain.

It wasn’t because I made up my mind at this moment.

The long-held wish is now to repay the sisters.

The color slowly changed and liveliness began to dwell in the bodies of the two people who were still at rest.

※

“Ha. sh*t…”

My vision is blurred.

The body that had been forced to move was no longer listening, saying that it was really at its limit.

‘This is it… ‘

I looked at the black figure standing on my knees.

I flew an attack and cut several times, but it didn’t take shape and didn’t take any damage.

I’m going to die like this. Are you going to kill him in the end by driving him to death?

Well, it was said that if it didn’t pass the test, it would be scrapped.

‘… So what? I’m not going to give up.’

I haven’t let go of the sword yet.

I stood up again, saying that I would do it until the end even if I died.

However, his legs were shaky and he could barely stand without a sword.

But I didn’t give up.

No. I won’t give up.

“Let’s do it.”

I took a step.

Then the black figures began to move.

I could see that he was preparing the attack he had been doing so far and trying to launch it at me.

I grabbed the sword.

I desperately thought about what I could do while holding my sword in an upright position.

Then I remembered one thing.

A downward cut that has been swung hundreds and thousands of times.

If you’re going to make a last stand, nothing suits you better than this

“Ha ha…”

A dejected laugh came out.

Attack started flying.

But I raised my sword.

Looking straight ahead, he cut down.

The moment you want it to end like that.

‘… Uh?’

Suddenly, somewhere, a light enveloped me and made my whole body feel cozy.

A black orb appeared in front of my eyes and absorbed all the attacks coming at me.