The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 2

by Light Tuchihi

  “Seiya! You did it!”

  “A-are you sure? Is it really dead?”

  Princess Tiana is worried, but…

  “I checked with Scan! The Demon Lord has zero HP left! You defeated him!”

  The princess seems so relieved to hear those words that she listlessly sinks to the floor. Standing by her side, Seiya boasts:

  “See? I told you everything was gonna be okay.”

  “Does this look okay to you?! To say we won by the skin of our teeth would be the understatement of the century!”

  Everyone is in high spirits, despite being utterly exhausted. Even the mage Colt is laughing in amusement. However…something red suddenly shoots out of Colt’s mouth.

  “Huh…?”

  Copious amounts of blood trail from his mouth. Not even Colt can make sense of what happened.

  …Although only half a body, the Demon Lord’s sharp tongue is sticking out of its mouth, piercing Colt’s chest like a sword. Princess Tiana screams at the sight of the sudden tragedy.

  “Colt?!”

  Like a reptilian tongue wrapping around its prey, the Demon Lord reels Colt in in the blink of an eye, and he disappears into its massive maw. The Demon Lord’s lower body instantly regenerates as if it used the body as nourishment. Aria’s face drains of all color as she trembles.

  “Th-this can’t be happening! I checked! The Demon Lord’s HP was at zero! He was dead!”

  After regaining its strength, the Demon Lord swiftly springs out before Aria, then snatches her up in its four hands before laughing in triumph.

  “I have two lives. I lost one, but the other is still going strong!”

  “Wh-what…?! S-Seiya… Tiana… Run! We can’t wi—”

  But Aria’s warning is cut short. The Demon Lord swallows her as well.

  “Heh-heh-heh-heh! Now I can completely regenerate thanks to their nourishment!”

  Propping himself up with his sword, Seiya somehow manages to stagger to his feet, but his fatigued legs won’t stop quivering.

  “Tiana…can you still use your healing magic…?”

  “S-sorry, Seiya… I’m out of MP…”

  As tears begin welling up in the apologetic eyes of the once-headstrong princess, Seiya places a hand on her head.

  “You have nothing to apologize about. It’s my fault for not coming prepared.”

  And just like that, Seiya shoves Princess Tiana far away.

  “Tiana, run.”

  He takes a step forward as if to protect the princess, but the Demon Lord passes right by Seiya and goes after her.

  “I won’t let you escape! I’m going to kill this woman first!”

  “Stop…”

  Seiya tries to rush over to Princess Tiana, but he no longer has any control over his body. He pitifully collapses, able to do nothing but watch the Demon Lord. The monster slowly approaches the trembling princess, then fixes its eyes on her stomach.

  “Oh-ho…? Though faint, I can sense a tiny spark of life growing within this woman’s belly…”

  Even Seiya, who almost always remains calm, begins trembling. The Demon Lord slowly rotates its hideous head in Seiya’s direction.

  “I see! So she’s carrying your child!”

  Sensing Seiya’s fear, the Demon Lord sneers.

  “I’m going to rip that child from her stomach and devour it right in front of you! This mother and her child will become the first two sacrifices of my new world!”

  “Stop… I beg of you…”

  The vision in the crystal ball suddenly cuts off.

  “…I believe that’s enough.”

  It all happens so suddenly that I find myself baffled at first, but I almost immediately understand why Ishtar doesn’t show us what happened next…because to my side is Aria, sobbing inconsolably.

  “It wasn’t Seiya’s fault! It was all my fault! If I had sent Seiya to Sage Village to learn the secrets of the Demon Lord, then none of this…! This was my responsibility as his goddess!”

  The moment she bursts into a fit of crying, I suddenly remember. Out of the three hundred worlds Aria saved, there was one that she couldn’t— It was Ixphoria! Oh…! It all makes sense! Seiya’s friends were killed along with the woman he loved and his unborn child…! This traumatic event must be the reason Seiya became so overly cautious!

  I calmly try to analyze the situation in my head, but…

  “R-Rista.”

  “Ristie…?”

  “…Huh?”

  I don’t notice until Mash and Elulu call my name. Hot tears are streaming down my cheeks without end.

  “Sniffle… Mn…! Ngh…!”

  The tears won’t stop. I can’t breathe. My chest feels like it’s being torn apart.

  Why? Why am I feeling this way?!

  “…Did the memories of your soul awaken?” Ishtar asks with a solemn tone.

  “Ristarte… You are the Princess Tiana that Seiya Ryuuguuin couldn’t save. That was you before you were reincarnated as a goddess.”

  Th-that princess…was me…? I used to be…a human…? Th-that can’t be…!

  The Great Goddess continues as if she knows that I won’t be able to believe it.

  “When you jumped to conclusions and thought that Valkyrie and Seiya were sleeping together, you were furious, weren’t you? That’s because a faint memory of your love for him is still lingering in your soul.”

  “Ah…!”

  Those words leave me speechless. The sadness, anger, and frustration I felt deep within my heart that day supports the claim that Seiya and I were in love in a past life.

  “Thanks to a combination of Aria’s fervent desire and Princess Tiana’s virtuous conduct, you were able to be reborn as a goddess after death.”

  Ishtar continues as I stand there in shock.

  “A hundred years have passed for you in the unified spirit world where the flow of time is slow. However, only a year has passed for Seiya Ryuuguuin… It wasn’t a coincidence that you chose him to save Gaeabrande with you. The two of you were reunited by fate. Of course, Seiya Ryuuguuin doesn’t remember his past, either. Not remembering Aria is proof of that. But even then, the regret of not being able to save his loved ones has been carved into his very soul. And he expressed that with a certain word after you summoned him.”

  “‘A certain word’…?”

  “Do you remember when he said ‘properties’ soon after you met’?”

  I remember. I was trying to get him interested, so I tried to get him to check his “status”…but he said “properties” instead.

  “This is what he saw then.”

  I choke up when I see the image within the crystal ball.

  “Th-this is…! But…?!”

  “He’s smart. He was able to accurately grasp the situation he was in simply by seeing what was written here. He understood he was summoned once before and failed.”

  Unable to contain myself any longer, I start creating a gate to Gaeabrande when Aria yells:

  “Rista?! What are you doing?!”

  “What do you think?! I’m going to find Seiya!”

  “Rista, wait! Don’t go! I don’t want to lose you again!”

  Aria grabs my arm and tries to stop me. I hold her hand.

  “Aria, thank you so much for everything you’ve done. But I have to go. Seiya means too much to me. I can’t let him go alone.”

  “Rista…”

  Ishtar faces me with a solemn look on her face.

  “Nobody would blame you for backing out now that the Demon Lord has the Chain Destruction. If anything, I recommend that you turn back. I am sure that is what Seiya Ryuuguuin would want as well. Even then, you still wish to go?”

  “I’m going! Of course I’m going!”

  “…Then it appears there is no use in trying to stop you.”

  I quietly nod, then start to cast a spell to specify a destination in Gaeabrande. Seiya—that overly cautious Hero—must have known we would eventually figure out his plan, and he likely too
k that into consideration before heading off to the Demon Lord’s castle! So there’s no way we’d make it in time if we created a gate around the castle itself!

  Ishtar quietly speaks up as if she knows what I am thinking.

  “You are planning on creating a gate in the deepest lair of the Demon Lord’s castle where the final battle will take place? I believe that extends beyond the realm of support as a goddess.”

  “I don’t care! I’m ready to take whatever punishment awaits me!”

  I start walking through the gate when somebody suddenly grabs me by the arm. When I glance back, I see Mash and Elulu looking grim.

  “Mash, Elulu, there’s no reason for you two to die as well. If you want to return to Gaeabrande, then have Great Goddess Ishtar send you somewhere safe, okay?”

  Mash vigorously shakes his head.

  “I want you to think back to what you just said to Ishtar, because that’s how we feel, too! Of course we’re going with you!”

  Elulu nods deeply as the tears well up in her eyes.

  “Seiya saved both our lives, so if his life is in danger…then we have to go save him!”

  There are no words I can say to them as I gaze into their innocent eyes. After all, they feel the same way I do right now…

  I quietly nod, agreeing to take them along. But the moment I place a hand on the gate, Ishtar speaks to me from behind.

  “The Demon Lord is using Area Chain Destruction. The magic force it creates makes it impossible for me to see into the future. Therefore, I have no idea what is going to happen after you go through that gate.”

  Her voice sounds scratchy at the end, so I turn around to find her staring at me with a deeply troubled expression.

  “Ristarte, be careful.”

  “Thank you.”

  After deeply bowing my head, I walk through the gate.

  I’m coming, Seiya. I know I won’t be much help even if I’m there, but regardless, I’ll be there for you. I won’t let you die alone.

  For just a brief moment, as I pass through the gate’s dimensional vortex, I think back to the message Seiya saw after saying “properties.”

  “Be careful. Be cautious. Be overly cautious. You may find yourself alienated or hated, but you have to endure it all. This time, for sure, you’ll prove that you can save your friends, your loved ones, and the entire world.”

  CHAPTER 49

  Even I…

  The moment I exit the gate, I find myself in the abyss—a darkness with neither skies nor land. As a chill runs down my spine, I can feel it in my bones. I am inside the Area Chain Destruction.

  “Wh-what is this place?!”

  “I thought this was supposed to take us to the Demon Lord’s castle?!”

  Elulu and Mash wail in surprise. I made a gate to take us to the final battle within the Dark Lord’s castle. That part I am sure of. This must be the Demon Lord’s magic. He must have covered the area in darkness to give himself an advantage during the battle. Inside the transformed throne room, I see a pale aura, glimmering as if it is humanity’s last glimmer of hope within the darkness.

  “Seiya…!”

  The Hero is facing off against the Demon Lord several dozen meters up ahead. Clad in armor and in human form, the Demon Lord of the S-ranked world Gaeabrande confidently stares down the Hero. Neither of them seems tired. It looks like the battle just started.

  I made it in time…but my relief is short-lived. Seiya places his left hand over his right before pointing it at the Demon Lord. I tremble at the sight of his stance.

  Th-that’s Valkyrie’s final attack! Thirty seconds after using that move, the blowback will kill him!

  “Seiya, wait! Stop!” I scream as I rush over, but my voice doesn’t reach him.

  He fixes a piercing glare on the enemy before him. Then…

  “Omega Valkyrja: Gate of Valhalla!”

  His dignified voice cuts through the darkness, immediately followed by a colossal gate that appears along with a white miasma over his head. In a flash, the Demon Lord, who has been facing Seiya, is nowhere to be found. The black gate opens while releasing the mist, soon revealing that the Demon Lord has already been sucked through. As blood drips down the face of the gypsum goddess, she bursts into laughter.

  “Gi-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh!”

  The Demon Lord is unquestionably shocked by the Goddess of Destruction’s unavoidable, ultimate technique.

  “What?! But I put up an Anti-Magic Field around the area…!”

  “Techniques of Destruction aren’t magic. That’s why they can be used regardless of the circumstance.”

  “Techniques…of Destruction…?”

  He struggles to free himself from the gate, but the countless spikes attached to the inside of the doors shatter his armor and pierce his body. The Demon Lord turns pale as he sees the black blood dripping down his arm.

  “A weapon other than the holy sword Igzasion can pierce my flesh? Such a material, no, such an ability exists?!”

  The human body of the Demon Lord suddenly begins warping and becoming more demonic in appearance. His eyes turn red as his mouth splits open, baring sharp fangs. At the same time, his bulging, dark-red arms latch on to the gate’s doors, trying to force them open as they close around him. Even then, the power of the Gate of Valhalla exceeds that of the Dark Lord. Even the God of Death, Thanatos, was unable to withstand its power. However, the Demon Lord’s body begins to transform. The armor around his body shatters as robust arms appear beneath his other arms. With six arms, just like Eraser, the Demon Lord tries to wrench open the door while bloodying his limbs. But…what I see next is something I wish was a dream. The Gate of Valhalla is slowly being overpowered by the Demon Lord’s brute strength!

  Voices trembling, Elulu and Mash cry out.

  “Th-this can’t be happening!”

  “He’s gonna escape!”

  My body quivers at the unbelievable sight.

  B-but…! Seiya risked his life to use that move, and yet…!

  Once half of the Demon Lord’s body has been pulled free, he sneers with his widely split mouth.

  “Don’t you dare underestimate me…human…!”

  But in the next moment, the Demon Lord’s expression stiffens! The Hero is floating right before his eyes. He had already used Flight and is right before the Gate of Valhalla, assuming a combat stance with sword in hand!

  “I never underestimated you, Demon Lord of the S-ranked world Gaeabrande. I figured you were capable of at least this much.”

  Seiya widely draws back the Adamantitor, wreathed in flames.

  “Phoenix Thrust!”

  He thrusts his sword toward the demon’s chest with the same move that pierced the emperor’s golden armor, but it clinks as if metal were hitting metal. It looks like Igzasion really is the only thing that can cut through the Demon Lord’s flesh! But even then, Seiya tries to force the demon back into the gate with all his might!

  “Your sword cannot hurt me! Don’t think your strange moves can seal me away, either!”

  The Demon Lord’s roar echoes. After pulling his body even farther out of the gate, he swings one of his six arms right into Seiya’s stomach. Unable to even defend, Seiya is sent flying back at an incredible speed.

  “Gwah…!”

  He somehow manages to stop himself before regaining his footing, but he immediately vomits blood.

  “Master Seiya!”

  “Seiya!”

  They scream his name, but Seiya simply wipes the blood from his mouth with his arm before taking flight once more. He is prioritizing trapping the Demon Lord inside the gate over healing his wounds. After getting into position with his sword, Seiya’s joints begin to creak…

  “Eternal Sword EX!”

  The Hero uses Adenela’s ultimate attack. However, the Demon Lord laughs at him.

  “You fool! I told you that your moves are useless against me!”

  The continuous strikes wash over the Demon Lord like rainfall, but he doesn�
�t even bother to defend himself. He simply continues focusing all his strength on pulling himself out of the gate… However, after the sword touches the Demon Lord, the sound of flesh being sliced echoes along with the appearance of numerous cuts all over his upper body.

  “A sword that’s not even Igzasion…is cutting into my flesh?!”

  The Demon Lord scowls in the face of the puzzling phenomenon. Even I have no idea what’s going on!

  H-how?! How is that working when Phoenix Thrust didn’t?!

  While continuing the flurry of attacks with one hand, Seiya throws something at the Demon Lord with his other hand, which makes a light crackling sound when it connects. Thereupon, it falls to the ground and into the darkness.

  “What was that…?”

  The Demon Lord is struck dumb with bewilderment.

  “Hmph. It’s a Ristarte Hair Doll.”

  …?! Whaaaaaat?! That’s the embarrassing doll I made with my hair! I-is he really going to use that?! And during such a critical moment?! Way to ruin the tension! B-but now I get it! Seiya didn’t use Phoenix Thrust to push the Demon Lord back into the gate! It was to stick the Adamantitor inside the gate and synthesize it with the indestructible, all-powerful Spikes of Destruction! The Demon Lord looks at the Hero’s sword as it emits a white miasma just like the Gate of Valhalla, then gasps.

  “This is the sword born from the realm of death—the Valhalla Blade.”

  Seiya widely swings the Valhalla Blade back. A peculiar aura, bright like a tangible soul, emanates from the Hero’s body, illuminating the darkness.

  “Return to the source…! Valhalla Thrust!”

  Seiya thrusts the sword with all his might. Bearing light, the blade pierces the Demon Lord’s forehead. With a jarring crack, the Demon Lord’s skull breaks open as his screams echo throughout the abyss. Immediately, his arms prying the gate open lose all strength. Seiya lets go of Valhalla Blade as it sticks out of the Demon Lord’s head, then twists his body in the air while unleashing a powerful kick into the sword’s hilt. The impact completely knocks the Demon Lord’s hands off the doors!

  “H-human—!”

  “Gi-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh-geh!”