Chapter 1

The Hero Is Dead

The emperor has gone mad!

By the time the rumors reached beyond the imperial palace walls, the situation was already beyond saving.

The emperor had become more than a tyrant—he was a madman. And the people of the empire had become a host of fanatics devoted to him.

A wind of blood and slaughter swept across the continent. Countless kingdoms went up in flames. Surrender was not accepted.

One year.

That was all it took for every kingdom and city on the continent to vanish from the map.

But wasn't it said that heroes were born in troubled times, and that the brightest hope shone in the deepest darkness?

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 crumbled, no one laughed anymore.

They hailed him as the Hero.

As news of his victories kept coming, the heroes who had been hiding from the emperor's gaze began to emerge, one by one.

One known as the Saintess joined the Hero. Through her miracles, the wind of slaughter unleashed by the emperor ceased.

One known as the Archmage joined the Hero's party. The Archmage's magic drove back the advancing imperial army.

One known as the Blacksmith forged arms and armor for the Hero and his companions. The Blacksmith's weapons mercilessly shattered the imperial army's armor and shields.

One known as the Spirit Mage sought out the Hero. The spirits the Spirit Mage commanded embraced all things, but not the emperor and his empire.

Blades gleamed beneath the rising sun, and cries of counterattack rang out.

An allied army formed around the Hero and his fellow heroes. Bringing together all the might of the continent, the allies declared war on the emperor and his empire.

And then.

... Everyone died.

The Saintess's miracles were mere tricks before the emperor's supernatural powers.

The Archmage's magic turned to ash before the emperor's magical might.

The Blacksmith's weapons were reduced to toys before the emperor's treasured artifacts.

The Spirit Mage's spirits bowed before the emperor's power.

The allied army was brutally crushed and ravaged by the imperial forces.

The emperor had won.

We had lost.

But there was one man.

The Hero had not lost.

A man staggered along, leaning on my shoulder.

Ian, the Hero. Supreme commander of the allied army.

He was not dead yet.

The allied army had been routed, and the heroes were dead, but Ian had survived.

No. They had saved him.

The entire allied army and all the heroes had given their lives to save Ian alone.

And now it was my turn to keep him alive.

"Stop, Adrian. It's pointless."

I heard Ian calling to me, but I ignored him.

The imperial army was pursuing us even now. We had to keep moving.

"You know it too. There's no hope left."

Ian spoke again. There wasn't a trace of strength in his voice.

There wasn't much I could say to him.

"Don't talk like you've given up."

Ian was our army's hope. Whatever it took, I had to keep him alive.

As long as we had Ian, the allied army could rise again someday.

"Please, Adrian."

Ian turned his lifeless eyes toward me again.

That look in his eyes as he stood at death's door.

Why couldn't I bring myself to look away? Was it because Ian was not only the continent's Hero and the allied army's hope, but also my dearest friend?

"I don't want to watch anyone else sacrifice themselves for me."

What might be my dearest friend's final request.

"..."

In my heart, I wanted to grant his request. But I had a duty to keep Ian alive.

If necessary, I had to give my own life to save him. That was the last mission entrusted to me.

Right now, Ian was... just a little tired.

"... Let's rest a little before we go on."

After much agonizing, I finally stopped.

I sat Ian down against a tree in the forest, and deep regret filled his eyes.

Defeat in the final battle against the emperor. An utter defeat, at that.

It would have been strange if he had no regrets.

"Adrian. Do you know what moment I regret most now?"

"When you confessed to the Saintess and got rejected."

"No."

"There's something you regret more than that?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"When I had to kill your little sister."

My little sister?

Oh, right. He'd killed my sister.

"You didn't have a choice."

My younger sister had been a fallen witch.

Known as the Sovereign of Bitter Cold.

Someone the emperor had acknowledged as a "sovereign," a key asset of the imperial army who had slaughtered countless comrades in the allied forces.

Killing her was something that had to be done. It wasn't a matter of resenting Ian or anything like that.

Besides, she was my sister in name only. She had been adopted into the family to replace me, its good-for-nothing son.

We were strangers without a drop of shared blood. There had never been much of a bond between us.

And originally, the allied army had ordered me to kill her.

It was a kind of test of loyalty. Since my sister was the Sovereign of Bitter Cold, a key imperial asset, it was only natural from the allies' perspective.

I'd accepted the order without any particular qualms.

But Ian, the bastard, had insisted on stopping me.

She was still family, he'd said, and stepped forward in my place.

Family.

That word had always been difficult for me.

"How was she? My sister."

"Your sister... was incredible."

"You sick bastard. I wondered why the Saintess rejected you. Now I know."

"What can I say? She really was incredible."

Ian broke into snickers.

It sounded like a dirty joke, but I knew that wasn't what he meant.

The empty space where his left arm should have been.

My sister was the one who had taken that arm.

It had been a massive blow to the allied army's strength. Perhaps it was even why we had lost the final battle.

After all, the only person who could stand against the emperor had been left in this sorry state.

"Wasn't there some other way back then, besides killing your sister? Did she really have to die? That's what I regret most."

"Leave the Sovereign of Bitter Cold alive? Don't tell me you had a thing for my sister."

"She was the prettiest person I'd ever seen. Prettier than the Saintess, you know?"

"Is that any way for a hero to talk about a witch? You deserved to get rejected."

Ian snickered again at my words. But his eyes were still full of regret.

He regretted killing my sister.

And that was why I, too, regretted what had happened back then.

It should have been me, not Ian.

I should have killed my sister.

Honestly, I wasn't sure I could have done it. I probably would have died instead.

But Ian would still have had his left arm.

Then who knew how the final battle might have turned out? At the very least, it wouldn't have been such a crushing defeat.

"Adrian, it isn't your fault."

"I know. You're the one who was too weak and got your ass kicked by my sister."

"Got my ass kicked? I lost an arm, but I won."

Ian and I looked at each other and chuckled.

"Adrian."

"What?"

"I have one last favor to ask. Will you do it?"

"If you leave out the 'last.'"

"..."

Ian didn't agree.

"What is it?"

"I'll tell you if you promise to do it."

"Then don't tell me."

"..."

"... Fine. I'll promise, all right? What is it?"

"Eat me."

... What?

Ian's shocking words left my mind blank for a moment.

"Absorb me with your Predation ability."

Predation.

My ability to absorb a living creature's powers by eating its heart.

Beasts, monsters, insects, bugs, even humans. As long as a creature had a heart, it made no distinction.

It let me grow stronger without limit over time. An ability so powerful it could fairly be called cheating.

And yet I hadn't been able to surpass Ian. Even with Predation, I couldn't hold a candle to him.

That was why I had to keep him alive now.

Even if it cost me my life.

"Adrian, all this time, the emperor has been desperate to kill me. He's tried everything, even at the cost of most of the empire's strength. Why do you think that is?"

"Because you're the Hero, the only one who can stand against him."

"No."

Ian shook his head firmly and continued.

"Because I'm the only way to stop the emperor."

"That's the same thing."

"It's not."

Ian looked me in the eye.

"There's a question I've always carried in my heart. After I met you, Adrian, that question became a suspicion. And today, at last, it became a certainty."

"What are you talking about?"

"Please, Adrian. Eat my heart."

There was madness in the eyes Ian turned on me.

It seemed even he had been worn down by this war steeped in slaughter. Hero or not, he was human in the end. No one could be strong all the time.

"I can't do that."

Whatever the case, this was a favor I couldn't grant. It was an absurd request to begin with.

The allied army needed Ian. The only reason I was still alive was to give my life if necessary.

Ian and me.

If only one of us could live, it had to be him, not me.

Ian nodded as though he'd expected that.

"You just promised. You said you'd grant my last request."

Ian raised his remaining arm, his right, and pressed his hand to his chest.

I didn't even have time to do anything.

SPLURT!

Blood sprayed up, staining my vision scarlet.

"!!!"

My eyes flew wide open.

Through that widened field of vision, I saw Ian crushing his own chest and forcing his hand inside.

"Y-you, what are you—!"

It had happened so suddenly that I could barely speak.

CRUNCH! CRACK!

I heard bone grinding and muscle tearing.

When Ian finally pulled his hand out, it was drenched in blood.

There, in his bloodstained hand... his heart was still beating.

"... Please... Adri...an."

Ian held his heart out to me.

Without it, his life was draining away rapidly.

"The emperor... the continent... and the people..."

His strength gone, Ian toppled forward.

I hurriedly caught him. His face fell limply against my chest.

"If you... go back..."

A faint whisper came from Ian, his face buried against my chest.

"Your sister... don't... hate her... too much..."

After those words, I heard his voice no more.

"I...an?"

There was no answer to my call. All I could feel was Ian, grown cold.

... I couldn't think.

The situation was so unreal, this reality so... my mind was simply numb.

I had no idea how long I'd remained rooted to that spot.

"Over here!"

"There are tracks here!"

The distant shouts of imperial soldiers jolted me back to my senses.

Had I lingered too long? They had found our trail.

I had to flee, quickly, even now.

But I couldn't bring myself to move.

Slowly, I lowered my eyes.

Ian lay in my arms, utterly still. There was no warmth left in him.

Ian... was dead.

"Found him! We've found the Hero!!"

"Don't rush in! Predator's with him!!"

Having finally found us, the imperial soldiers closed in from every direction.

I wasn't even aware of what I was doing.

At some point... Ian's heart had found its way into my hand.

Like its owner, the heart was rapidly losing its life.

"Predator's trying to devour the Hero's heart!"

"Stop him! Whatever it takes, stop him!!"

The imperial soldiers' frantic cries reached my ears.

Their swords came raining down from every direction.

CRUNCH.

The tough muscle of the heart was crushed between my teeth.

The sharp tang of blood filled my mouth, and suddenly something appeared in my vision.

◆New player detected.

◆Error: Duplicate unique perks exist.

◆The unique perk will be passed on to the new player.

◆Transferring perk...

Unidentifiable messages appeared before my eyes.

At that same instant, the imperial soldiers' swords, descending from all sides, pierced my heart.

CRUNCH!

* * *

I died.

Why was I certain I was dead?

It was obvious. My heart had been pierced by the imperial soldiers' raining blades.

Nothing could live without a heart. Even Ian, the Hero, had died as soon as he lost his.

So I was dead.

"Ugh—!"

Then what was this?