Chapter 1: The Hero Died
The current emperor had gone mad!
By the time rumors made it beyond the walls of the imperial palace, the situation was already beyond saving.
The emperor had gone beyond being a tyrant and become a madman, while the people of the Empire had become a cult of fanatics who worshiped him.
Winds of blood and slaughter swept across the continent.
Countless kingdoms went up in flames. Surrender was not accepted.
One year.
That was how long it took for every kingdom and city on the continent to disappear from the map.
But they say heroes are born in troubled times, and the brightest hope shines in the darkest hour.
One man drew his sword against the emperor.
People laughed at him.
But when the Empire’s fortresses fell one after another and its legions were defeated, no one laughed anymore.
The people praised him, calling him the Hero.
As news of his continued victories spread, the heroes who had been hiding from the emperor began to reveal themselves one by one.
The woman known as the Saintess joined the Hero.
Under the Saintess’ miracles, the winds of slaughter raised by the emperor came to a halt.
The man known as the Archmage became one of the Hero’s companions. The advancing imperial army was forced to retreat by the Archmage’s magic.
The man known as the Blacksmith forged arms and armor for the Hero and his companions. The weapons he forged mercilessly shattered the armor and shields of the imperial army.
The woman known as the Spirit Wielder sought out the Hero.
The spirits under her command embraced all creation—except the emperor and his Empire.
Blades gleamed beneath the light of the rising sun, and cries of counterattack rang out.
A coalition army was formed around the Hero and the other champions.
Having gathered all the power remaining on the continent, the coalition declared war on the emperor and his Empire.
And then—
They all died.
The Saintess’ miracles were nothing more than petty tricks before the emperor’s supernatural powers.
The Archmage’s magic crumbled to ash before the emperor’s overwhelming mana.
The Blacksmith’s weapons became mere toys before the emperor’s sacred treasures.
The Spirit Wielder’s spirits submitted before the emperor’s power.
The coalition army was brutally trampled and ravaged by the imperial forces.
The emperor was victorious.
* * *
We were defeated.
But there was one man—
The Hero had not yet been defeated.
A man staggered beside me, leaning against my shoulder.
Ian, the Hero and commander-in-chief of the coalition army.
Ian was not dead yet.
The coalition army had been routed and its champions killed, but Ian had survived.
No—they had kept him alive.
Every last member of the coalition army, including the champions, had sacrificed their lives to save Ian.
And now it was my turn to keep him alive.
“Stop, Adrian. It’s pointless.”
I heard Ian calling my name.
I ignored him.
Even at this very moment, the imperial army was pursuing us. We had to keep moving.
“You know it too. There’s no hope left.”
Ian spoke again.
There was not even a trace of strength in his voice. There was not much I could say to him.
“Don’t say something so weak.”
Ian was the coalition army’s hope. No matter what it took, Ian had to survive. As long as Ian lived, the coalition army could rise again someday.
“Please, Adrian.”
Ian’s lifeless eyes turned toward me again. They were the eyes of a man standing at the end of his life.
Why couldn’t I bring myself to look away?
Was it because Ian was both the Hero of the continent and the coalition’s last hope?
Or was it because he was also my dearest friend?
“I don’t want to see anyone else sacrifice themselves for me.”
It might have been my dearest friend’s final request.
Personally, I wanted to grant it. But I had a duty to keep Ian alive. If necessary, I had to give up my own life to save him.
That was the final mission entrusted to me.
Ian was currently….merely a little tired.
“....Let’s rest for a moment.”
After much deliberation, I finally stopped walking. I sat Ian down against a tree in the forest, and deep regret filled his eyes.
He had lost the final battle against the emperor. It had been a complete and utter defeat. It would have been stranger if he had no regrets.
“Adrian, do you know which moment I regret the most now?”
“When you confessed to the Saintess and got rejected?”
“No.”
“There’s something you regret even more than that?”
“When?”
“When I had no choice but to kill your little sister.”
My little sister?
Oh, right. Now that he mentioned it, this bastard had killed her.
“That couldn’t be helped.”
My little sister had been a corrupted witch. She was commonly known as the Monarch of Frost.
She was someone the emperor had personally acknowledged as a “Monarch”, and she had become one of the imperial army’s core assets, slaughtering countless soldiers of the coalition.
Killing her had been something that absolutely needed to be done. It was not a matter for which I could blame Ian.
More importantly, she had only been my sister in name.
She had been adopted in my place after I became the disgrace of our family.
Not a single drop of blood connected us. We were effectively strangers, and we had never formed any meaningful bond.
Originally, the coalition army had ordered me to kill her. It had been a kind of loyalty test.
Since my sister, the Monarch of Frost, was one of the imperial army’s most important assets, the coalition’s decision had been understandable.
I had accepted the order without much resistance.
But Ian had vehemently stopped me.
He had said that she was still my family and had gone in my place.
Family.
That had always been a difficult word for me.
“What was my sister like?”
“Your sister….was fucking incredible.”
“You crazy bastard. I was wondering why the Saintess rejected you, but now I understand.”
“What was I supposed to say? She really was incredible.”
Ian burst into laughter.
It sounded like a vulgar joke, but I knew he had not meant it that way.
Ian’s left arm was now completely missing. My sister had been the one who took it from him.
The coalition army’s strength had been severely weakened because of it.
Perhaps that was even why we had lost the final battle.
After all, the only man capable of opposing the emperor had been reduced to this state.
“Was there truly no other way besides killing your sister? Did she really have to die? That is what I regret the most.”
“You wanted to let the Monarch of Frost live? Don’t tell me you were in love with my sister.”
“Your sister was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I’m telling you, she was even prettier than the Saintess.”
“Is that something the Hero should say about a witch? You deserved to get rejected by the Saintess.”
Ian chuckled again at my words. But his eyes were still filled with regret.
Ian regretted killing my sister. Because of that, I also regretted what had happened back then.
I should have done it instead of Ian. I should have been the one to kill my sister.
Honestly, I did not know whether I could have killed her.
I probably would have died.
But at least Ian would still have his left arm.
No one knew how the final battle might have unfolded if that had happened. At the very least, we might not have suffered such a crushing defeat.
“Adrian, it wasn’t your fault.”
“I know. You were too weak and got your ass kicked by my sister.”
“What do you mean, got my ass kicked? I lost an arm, but I still won.”
Ian and I looked at each other and smiled faintly.
“Adrian.”
“What?”
“I have one last request. Will you grant it?”
“If you leave out the word ‘last’.”
“......”
Ian did not agree.
“What is it?”
“I’ll tell you if you promise to do it.”
“Then don’t tell me.”
“......”
“....Fine. I promise. Now what is it?”
“Eat me.”
What?
Ian’s shocking words left my mind blank for a moment.
“Absorb me with your Predation ability.”
Predation.
It was my power, which allowed me to absorb the abilities possessed by a living creature by consuming its heart.
Beasts, monsters, insects, vermin—even humans.
As long as it was a living creature with a heart, Predation did not discriminate.
It was an ability that allowed me to grow infinitely stronger over time. It could only be described as absurdly overpowered.
And yet I had never surpassed Ian.
Even with Predation, I had never come close to reaching Ian’s level. That was precisely why I had to keep him alive.
Even if it cost me my own life.
“Adrian, the emperor has been desperately trying to kill me all this time. He was even willing to sacrifice most of the Empire’s military strength just to make sure I died. Why do you think that was?”
“Because you’re the only Hero capable of opposing him.”
“No.”
Ian firmly shook his head.
“Because this is the only way I can stop the emperor.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“It’s different.”
Ian looked directly into my eyes.
“There was always a question in my heart. After I met you, that question became a suspicion—and today, it finally became certainty.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Please, Adrian. Eat my heart.”
There was madness in Ian’s eyes as he stared at me.
It seemed that even he had grown exhausted by this war drenched in slaughter.
Even a Hero was ultimately still human. No person could remain strong forever.
“I can’t do that.”
Regardless of the circumstances, I could not grant his request.
It was absurd from the beginning.
The coalition needed Ian.
The only reason I was still alive was so I could sacrifice my life if the situation called for it.
Between Ian and me, if only one of us could survive, it had to be Ian.
Ian nodded as if he had expected my answer.
“You just promised that you would grant my final request.”
Ian raised his remaining right hand and placed it against his chest.
I did not even have time to react.
Splurt!
Red blood erupted, staining my vision crimson.
“!!!”
My eyes flew open.
Before me, Ian was crushing his own chest and forcing his hand inside.
“You—what the hell are you doing?!”
The situation was so sudden that I could barely speak.
Crack! Crunch!
I heard bones being ground apart and muscles tearing.
When Ian finally pulled his hand out, it was drenched in blood. And resting upon that bloodstained palm was….
Ian’s heart.
It was still beating.
“....Please….Adrian.”
Ian held the heart out to me. With his heart gone, his life force rapidly drained away.
“The emperor….the continent….and the people....”
Ian’s body lost its strength and pitched forward. I hurriedly caught him. His face fell limply against my chest.
“If you….manage to go back....”
A faint whisper came from Ian as he lay against me.
“Don’t….hate your sister….too much....”
After those words, Ian’s voice fell silent.
“I….an?”
He did not answer my call. All I could feel was Ian’s body growing cold.
....I could not think.
The situation was too unreal. The reality before me was too difficult to comprehend.
My mind remained utterly blank. I did not know how long I remained frozen there.
“He’s here!”
“There are tracks here!”
Shouts from the imperial soldiers in the distance snapped me back to my senses.
Had I remained there for too long?
The imperial army had found our trail.
I needed to flee immediately. But I could not bring myself to move.
My gaze slowly lowered. Ian lay motionless in my arms. There was no warmth left in his body.
He was dead.
“We found him! We found the Hero!”
“Don’t charge in recklessly! The Predator is with him!”
The imperial soldiers who had finally found Ian and me closed in from every direction.
I was not even conscious of what I was doing. At some point, I found myself holding—
Ian’s heart.
Following its owner, the heart was rapidly losing its remaining life force.
“The Predator is trying to devour the Hero’s heart!”
“Stop him! Stop him at any cost!”
The imperial soldiers’ frantic shouts rang out.
Their swords descended upon me from every direction.
Crunch.
My teeth crushed the heart’s tough muscle.
The pungent scent of blood filled my mouth, and strange messages suddenly appeared before my eyes.
◆ New player detected.
◆ Error: Duplicate Unique Privileges detected.
◆ Unique Privileges will be transferred to the new player.
◆ Transferring Privileges...
As those incomprehensible messages appeared, the imperial soldiers’ swords pierced my heart from every direction.
But what the hell was this?
Crunch!
I died.
Why was I so certain that I had died?
It was obvious.
The imperial soldiers’ swords had pierced my heart. Nothing could survive without a heart.
Had Ian not died the moment he lost his?
Therefore, I was dead.
“Urgh—!”
But what the hell was this?
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