The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 2

by Light Tuchihi

  The Demon Lord’s reproachful cries are drowned out by the laughter of the goddess atop the Gate of Valhalla. And just like that…as the gate slowly releases a miasma, the doors slam shut with a booming thud.

  Mash utters:

  “H-he did it…! The gate closed!”

  Then Elulu yells:

  “Seiya!”

  Floating in the air, Seiya unsteadily descends to the surface. Then, like a marionette without strings, he collapses to the floor.

  “Seiya…!”

  We rush over to him. In addition to the wound the Demon Lord gave him, his entire body is cut and bleeding all over. Thirty seconds have already elapsed since he used the Gate of Valhalla, so his body is starting to break down.

  Paying no heed to the blood spewing out of his body, Seiya stares at us in a daze. When I hold him in my arms, he speaks to me in a drowsy voice.

  “Rista, you took a shortcut to the Demon Lord’s throne room, didn’t you? What happened to the rules of the spirit world that you were always going on about?”

  “You idiot! That doesn’t matter right now! If you die here, you’ll never be able to return to your world!”

  “I know. But I defeated the Demon Lord,” the Hero says with an air of satisfaction.

  I continue to go off on him.

  “If you were truly cautious, you would’ve figured out a way to do it that didn’t involve killing yourself in the process!”

  Usually, he would say something back or hit me, but Seiya’s ravaged body can no longer do even that. He simply remains silent…until his eyes close heavily. The pool of his blood on the ground already suggests that it’s too late.

  “Seiya…!”

  “Master Seiya…!”

  Elulu and Mash cry as they shake his body, but he’s unresponsive. In just a few more seconds, the Gate of Valhalla will take the rest of Seiya’s life force as compensation.

  In the midst of their screaming and crying…

  “I won’t let you die…!”

  Mash and Elulu look up at me with bloodshot eyes.

  “Who said you could die anyway?! What’s your problem?! You said you’d be back by nightfall, you liar! We were supposed to go to the casino, then have a drink, then go to the hot springs where I’d show you my funny bathing suit… There are still so many things I want to do with you!”

  After pelting the Hero with my words, which he probably couldn’t even hear anymore, I scream in a voice loud enough to shake the darkness of the abyss.

  “Order!”

  Then I pray to the Great Goddess Ishtar of the unified spirit world.

  “Please grant me, Goddess Ristarte, all my divine healing powers!’

  “Ristarte, you have already violated the rules of the spirit world by warping yourself to the scene of the final battle.”

  The powerful voice resonates throughout my entire being, as if the Great Goddess Ishtar is speaking directly to my soul.

  “Ristarte, what you have done has already conflicted with the rules of the spirit world. Not even I will be able to protect you any longer if you continue violating them. You could be tried by the innermost layer of the spirit world and lose your title as a goddess.”

  But with firm resolution, I reply:

  “It’s fine. I’m prepared for whatever happens. Besides…”

  I continue with such a tranquil tone that I surprise myself:

  “I believe this moment is the reason why I became a goddess in the first place.”

  After a few moments of silence…

  “Very well. I will grant you the full extent of your divine powers…”

  Ishtar’s voice radiates.

  Then…

  “R-Rista?”

  “Ristie?”

  Mash and Elulu are astonished. All of a sudden, a blinding light wraps my body like a sun wrapped in darkness.

  I’m sure that my regret for not being able to save you in my past life is what granted me this power. Just you wait… I’m going to show you just how superior my divine healing powers are to the destruction wrought by the Gate of Valhalla.

  I tenderly caress Seiya’s blood-streaked face.

  Because this time, even I…

  “I’m perfectly prepared!”

  CHAPTER 50

  Happy Ending

  Seiya continues losing blood at an alarming rate, as if he is being cut by countless invisible blades. I place a hand over his body. The moment I touch Seiya’s skin with the light pouring from my palm, the wound instantly heals. However…

  “Rista, this is bad! The wounds just keep appearing no matter how much you heal him!”

  Mash is right. New cuts keep emerging as if to counter my divine powers. But even then, there is still a chance I can save him. The Gate of Valhalla’s recoil damage doesn’t last forever. Valkyrie proved this when she used Order to increase her vitality to prevent paying the ultimate price. If I can keep the damage from going past a certain point with my healing, then I should be able to save him.

  I lay Seiya in my lap, then continue to heal him while making sure to focus on his brain and heart. I’ve already used so much healing energy on Seiya that I would have run out of magic long ago if I were human. Elulu gives me a worried look.

  “Ristie… Are you okay?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

  Elulu smiles. It isn’t all talk, either. This divine energy, far different from magic, is endlessly flowing from the depths of my body. There is no concept of anything like MP to express it in numerical form, for this power is eternal.

  I can save him. I will save him. We’re going to have a happy ending this time. Right, Seiya?

  I don’t know how much time has gone by. In a way, it feels like an eternity and yet also as if no time has gone by at all. As the wounds appearing on Seiya’s body begin decreasing, Mash’s and Elulu’s faces radiate with hope. I continue concentrating on healing without letting my mind wander. And eventually…fresh wounds stop showing up.

  “I-is it over? Rista?”

  I give Mash a nod.

  I tell him that the trade-off for using the Gate of Valhalla is over. However, Seiya still doesn’t open his eyes. Their faces are racked with concern as they watch over him. But after completely unlocking my divine powers, I can feel a faint hint of life coming from Seiya. And before long, he slowly opens his eyes.

  “I… I’m still alive…?”

  After hearing the Hero speak, albeit in a daze, Elulu and Mash hop up and down with joy in their hearts.

  “Master…!”

  “Seiya! Thank goodness! Thank goodness you’re okay!”

  Thereupon, they look up at me with admiration in their eyes.

  “Ristie, you’re amazing! I can’t believe it!”

  “You’re such a badass, Rista! You’re like a goddess!”

  “…?! Because I am a goddess!”

  Seiya gazes up at me as his head rests in my lap.

  “You saved me?”

  “Yes…”

  The corners of my eyes start to burn. The man I loved most when I was human is going to live.

  “Seiya…”

  I lift Seiya’s head up and bring my lips closer to his.

  …And he immediately places a hand on my forehead, pushing me back and rejecting my kiss.

  “What?! B-but… Hey! I…! Why?!”

  “That’s what I want to know. What do you think you’re doing?”

  Seiya swiftly rises to his feet, then turns his head away from me.

  “S-Seiya?! You don’t need to feel embarrassed! I’m the love of your life! It’s me, Rista, who you love so, so, sooo much! So it’s fine if we kiss!” I shout while trying to embrace him, but he grabs me by the arm and pushes me back.

  “Stop. Get away from me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I won’t stop! I won’t get away from you! Now kiss me! Goddess’s orders!”

  “Cut it out! I’m going to punch you.”

  “That’s not going to fo
ol me anymore! I know you’re just trying to hide how you feel! But in reality, you love me so much you sacrificed your life to protect me!”

  WHACK! An unbearable pain shoots through my head.

  “…Owwww!”

  Blood gushes down the side of my head. I place a hand over where I was punched by the abnormally strong Hero.

  “I-I’m bleeding…!”

  “I told you I would punch you.”

  The Hero’s gaze is ice-cold, and I can no longer control my faintly trembling body.

  “Did you seriously have to hit me that hard?! I won’t be able to resurrect if you kill me here, you know!”

  “Good.”

  “Th-that does it!”

  Ishtar, are you sure?! Was I really the love of Seiya’s life?! People treat their garbage better than he treats me!

  While I regret breaking the rules of the spirit world to save him, Seiya scratches his cheek with a finger.

  “But, well…good job healing me in spite of the circumstances.” Seiya then looks at me while smugly saying, “All right, allow me to promote you from low-level off-brand herb to mid-tier potion.”

  “…?! I can confidently say that doesn’t make me happy one bit!”

  I can’t help but feel disheartened after fantasizing about a passionate embrace and kiss. Elulu suddenly tugs at my arm as I stand there, unsatisfied with our happy ending.

  “Ristie… Why is…?”

  “I-I’m sure he’s just embarrassed! In reality, he really cares about me—about us. I’m sure of it…”

  But anyway…it’s time to shift emotional gears! After all, the Demon Lord is dead, and I was able to save Seiya! So I’m going to count this one as a win!

  But Elulu keeps tugging at my arm.

  “No, Ristie… Not that…”

  “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “Why…is the…?”

  Elulu then screams in a shrill voice:

  “Why is the Gate of Valhalla still here?!”

  Startled, I look in the direction of Elulu’s trembling finger, and just as she said, the Gate of Valhalla is still eerily floating in the air. At the very least, the gate is tightly shut, so there doesn’t seem to be a problem, but…

  “Gi-geh-geh… Guh-gah-geh… Gi-goo-geh…!”

  The goddess’s face on top of the gate contorts in agony. Then, with a deafening screech, the Gate of Valhalla flies wide open! The demon’s skull is shattered by the Valhalla Blade, its body torn to shreds and broken down by the Spikes of Destruction and the underworld’s miasma—only bones and chunks of flesh are left…and yet, the Demon Lord extends his skeletal arm toward us. A dark light shines in the palm of his hand.

  “If I must perish, then I’m taking you all with me! The end of the world is now! …Judgment Zero!”

  …It all happened in the blink of an eye. After regaining my true powers as a goddess, I was instantly able to sense the power of the Demon Lord’s attack—unfortunately so. The dark light in his hand has the power to split the world in two. All life on Gaeabrande will be reduced to ash without even feeling pain…including us. The moment the Demon Lord starts casting his ultimate attack, I suddenly think to myself:

  Even at a time like this— No, maybe it’s because it’s a time like this, I feel at peace for some reason.

  Sigh. After all that, we’re going to lose? This turned out to be a lot different than the happy ending I envisioned. I guess if there’s one thing I can be happy about, it’s that I get to die with the one I love… Wanting to burn the image of Seiya’s face into my memory one last time, I look back…

  And I find myself even more surprised than when the skeletonized Demon Lord crawled out of the Gate of Valhalla.

  “It’s over, Demon Lord.”

  …Not once did he let his guard down or relax. It was as if he knew this would happen—as if he realized the battle wasn’t over yet! The overly cautious Hero already has his left hand on his right wrist, aiming it at the Demon Lord! Before the demon can even cast his final attack—before I can even yell out “Stop!”—Seiya casts the final Valkyrja attack once again with no concern for his life, as if he were simply throwing it in the garbage despite miraculously being saved.

  “Gate of Valhalla: Encore!”

  Thereupon, another Gate of Valhalla appears over Seiya’s head while releasing more miasma. Atop the gate is the face of a dignified god! And inside the gate…

  “No…! I must kill you before I go…! Human…!”

  The Demon Lord has already been captured, spewing out his resentment. He tries to unleash the dark light, but the first Gate of Valhalla comes back to life! The Demon Lord is dragged into the gate from behind, arms and all.

  “Guhaaa! Hee-hee-hee-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

  With his lips twisted widely from ear to ear, the god’s face on the gate cackles in a maniacal frenzy as blood drips down his chin. The gate swallows the Demon Lord, dragging him into its depths along with the first Gate of Valhalla. With a violent clatter, the doors to the second gate slam shut. Instantly, Judgment Zero goes off inside, and the intense explosion causes the doors to swell and protrude. Although the gate warps, the doors still do not open.

  …Time goes by, and a deep silence reigns over us all as we stare hard at the new gate with bated breath.

  “I-is it over? I-is it really over…this time?”

  A deep voice echoes from above as if to answer Mash.

  “Guhe-hee-hee! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You can relax now! I swallowed him along with the first Gate of Valhalla!”

  “Th-the gate’s talking?!”

  Trembling, Elulu falls back on her bum.

  “Guhe-hee-hee! Heh-heh-heh-heh! He has been destroyed and returned to nothingness!”

  All of a sudden, the bloodstained goggling eyes of the second gate turn in Seiya’s direction.

  “Now, it’s time to pay up, caster! Your life belongs to me!”

  “I—I won’t let you have it!”

  I walk over to Seiya as he stands completely frozen.

  “Don’t worry, Seiya! I’ll save you again!”

  I was able to save him once, so I’m sure I can do it again!

  I start casting my healing in preparation, but…

  “…Huh?”

  No cuts or wounds appear on Seiya’s body. Instead, his cheek starts to crack.

  “Wh-what’s going on?! This is different than last time…”

  I touch his cracked cheek, immediately healing it. But his arms, legs—every part of his body starts to crack. No matter how many times I heal him, another part of his body begins to crack until they spread all over his body.

  A-am I not going to make it in time?! His body is being destroyed faster than I can regenerate it!

  The second gate laughs at me as I panic.

  “Guhaaa-ha-ha-ha-heh-heh-heh! I hope you don’t think a pathetic human can avoid paying the ultimate price twice in a row!”

  “Sh-shut up! Silence, you!”

  Faster… Faster…! I have to heal him faster than he’s being destroyed…!

  I pour all my focus into healing, but even then, the countless cracks only continue to spread.

  I scream to the god on the gate:

  “Don’t do this! Stop! Seiya saved this world! Don’t do this to him!”

  But the god’s vile laugh drowns me out.

  “Gu-hee-hee-hee-ha-ha-ha-ha! I am the Gate of Valhalla! Neither god nor demon, I am an agent of the realm of death! The trade-off is just and will be collected as such!”

  A white mist spews out…before the Gate of Valhalla abruptly disappears from the abyss. Elulu shakes my shoulders.

  “Ristie! Create a gate to another world! If we get away from the Chain Destruction, then…!”

  Mash backs Elulu up.

  “Y-yeah, if we do that, then Master Seiya will just return to his world even if he dies!”

  Even then, I cannot even take one step away from Seiya. The awe-inspiring aura of destruction is swallowing his body.

/>   “I can’t…! If I stop healing him for even a second, then he’ll shatter!”

  “Wh-what?!”

  Despite our hysteria, the Hero calmly stares at Elulu with his usual composed expression. Seiya then begins to speak as if he were making small talk.

  “Elulu, thanks for helping against the emperor.”

  “S-Seiya…?”

  “I probably would have died then if I hadn’t had your support magic.”

  “No…Seiya…! Because you saved me—because you didn’t turn me into the holy sword, you…! That’s why I…!”

  Seiya looks to Mash next.

  “Mash, now that the Demon Lord and the four generals are dead, there’s probably no one left in this world who can defeat you. Work together with Rosalie and protect Gaeabrande.”

  “Master Seiya…! No…! I still haven’t even gotten the chance to pay you back yet…!”

  The dragonkin children weep with stifled voices. That’s when I face everyone and yell:

  “Enough! Stop talking like that! Listen, I am going to save you! I am going to save you no matter what!”

  I tightly embrace Seiya with both arms in order to unleash all the power I have. But even then, his skin only continues to crack. The small crevices soon give rise to large fissures that spread across Seiya’s entire right leg. And before long, his right leg falls to the ground and shatters like glass, causing him to fall to one knee.

  “Why?! Why isn’t my healing working?! Why…?!”

  My cries soon turn into shrieking. Seiya then whispers into my ear:

  “It’s okay, Rista.”

  “No, it’s not okay! This is not how it’s going to end! I wasn’t able to save you then, so I became a goddess! So not again…! I can’t…”

  I suddenly feel something warm touching my back… Seiya is gently holding me in his arms.

  “Rista, you’ve already done more than enough.”

  Tears immediately well up in my eyes. I tightly hold Seiya back with everything I’ve got.

  “I wasn’t able to do anything in the end… Even after becoming a goddess, I was useless. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I was such a terrible goddess…”

  Seiya gazes at my tearstained face.

  “It’s strange. This feels so familiar for some reason.”

  Seiya’s expression suddenly changes, then he wipes the tears running down my cheek with his finger.