The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Vol. 3

by Light Tuchihi

  Earth magic?! But I thought he couldn’t use magic while in Berserk Mode!

  But when I see the number of earth serpents gathering to protect Seiya, it hits me.

  Ohhh! Those are the fish Seiya took from me! He turned them back into earth serpents!

  “It doesn’t matter how many of those you have. It won’t change a thing. I’ll just tear them apart.”

  Grandleon lunges at Seiya! He’s so quick that the earth serpents can’t even react in time, but Seiya uses Phase Two and dodges the attack! In the blink of an eye, he counters with the platinum sword, but…

  “Oof. That was a close one.”

  Grandleon blocks the strike with his sinister black claws. Seiya’s eye color changes back to normal, so the Beast Emperor capitalizes on the moment and follows up with another attack. But the earth serpents lunge at Grandleon in unison, as if sensing their master is in danger.

  “Tch! Enough of your games!”

  He slices through the dozen or so earth serpents one after another with Jet-Black Nail reducing them to sand! Grandleon then instantly rushes forward to attack Seiya!

  All of the earth serpents were destroyed! Seiya…!

  But Grandleon suddenly stops, resentfully clicking his tongue.

  “There are more of those?!”

  The ground beneath Seiya’s feet protrudes once more, revealing the faces of even more earth serpents! This time there are thirty—fifty—no, at least a hundred of them! Wh-what’s going on?!

  The swarm of earth serpents charges Grandleon from every direction. With a placid tone, Seiya explains.

  “I was planning on fighting you from the beginning, so I hid earth serpents underground all over Termine ahead of time. Now I’m just gathering them here.”

  S-so that’s what’s going on! But, like…just how many earth serpents did he make?! I mean, he was almost done with the ritual! Just how cautious is this guy?!

  But they are nothing more than a distraction. They stand no chance before Grandleon, who destroys them one by one using Jet-Black Nail. Seiya uses Phase Two and tries to create some safe distance between himself and the enemy while Grandleon is dealing with the earth serpents, but the Beast Emperor isn’t so forgiving. He chases after Seiya while simultaneously dealing with the fodder. He destroys twenty-four, then thirty-four, and so on. Every attack speeds up my already racing heart.

  “…What? Is that it?”

  The ground doesn’t swell below Seiya this time. Grandleon’s eyes light up as if he can already taste victory…then he suddenly charges Seiya! The Hero promptly uses Phase Two, dodging the first attack along with the second. Instantaneously, he thrusts his sword at Grandleon’s heart with all his might, but the beast just barely manages to get out of the way in time! Then…the monster throws a third attack at Seiya.

  Phase Two is about to end…! This is it…!

  But to my astonishment, Seiya’s eyes are still red! He parries the attack with his sword before bending his body backward to dodge the incoming left-hand slash. From an untenable position, he swings the platinum sword and grazes Grandleon’s nose! This time, it’s the Beast Emperor who moves away and creates some distance.

  He’s still in Phase Two?! How?!

  Grandleon appears just as confused as I am.

  “Hey… What’s the deal? Were you just pretending you could only do that in short bursts to trick me? No… You can’t fool these eyes. It took everything you had to barely maintain that power up until a few moments ago.”

  Seiya twists his neck while cracking his knuckles.

  “Using Phase Two puts a lot of strain on the body and mind, so going straight into it would have mentally and physically destroyed me. Therefore, I gradually made adjustments while weaving into it during our fight. However…”

  A powerful aura radiates from Seiya’s body as he locks his red eyes onto Grandleon.

  “I have seen all you have to offer.”

  Hearing Seiya utter those words, the same thing he said back to the emperor in Gaeabrande, gives me chills.

  H-he’s a genius! He mastered Berserk: Phase Two during his battle against an unbelievably powerful enemy!

  “I won’t be holding back anymore.”

  Seiya unsheathes another platinum sword at his waist. Dual-wielding two blades, he holds one sword aloft and the other waist-high.

  “Don’t you dare underestimate me, human scum!”

  An explosive roar echoes as the two warriors clash. Seiya doesn’t use the dual-wielding version of Eternal Blade, nor does he use any skills or abilities. He simply attacks Grandleon relentlessly with both swords. Nevertheless, his speed and power are extraordinary. Hidden within each strike is enough power to make the heavens weep. The claws and blades interweave, creating a shock wave that ruffles my hair despite being so far away.

  Grandleon cannot defend quickly enough against Seiya’s brutal attacks. His cheek splits open, bleeding black blood. The jet-black armor protecting Grandleon’s body cracks as he is slowly pushed back.

  Wow! Seiya’s talents really are one in a billion! He can do this! He can win without the Hexagram Ritual of Retribution! But then, why did Adenela say he couldn’t beat Grandleon?! Ishtar was also really adamant about avoiding one-on-one battle like this as well…

  My worries soon become reality. Although forcing Grandleon to retreat, Seiya wears a pained expression. The Beast Emperor, on the other hand, seems overly confident for some reason.

  “What’s wrong? You seem to be in a rush. You’re a cautious man, so I know what you’re thinking. Your face practically screams ‘I need to kill him before he gets serious.’”

  What?! G-Grandleon isn’t even serious yet?!

  As Seiya breathes heavily during his continuous attacks, Grandleon calmly says:

  “Your gut instinct was right. But even then, there’s nothing you can do about it. Unlike Bunogeos, I power up automatically after taking enough damage from my opponent without countering. It doesn’t matter how cautious or prepared you are.”

  Seiya immediately slows his attack, but Grandleon scoffs.

  “It’s already too late, Hero.”

  Out of nowhere, Grandleon is swallowed by a black radiance.

  “Beast Hazard!”

  His body discharges an overwhelming jet-black aura, knocking Seiya away! The aura’s light eventually fades, revealing a transformed Beast Emperor. On his back are massive bat-like wings. His tail appears to have warped into a sinister snake with a mind of its own. In his new form, greatly resembling a chimera, Grandleon stands tall. A pale light radiates from his body like electricity. He promptly adopts a stance to charge Seiya. Sensing danger, the Hero hastily tries to create some distance, but…

  “Volt…!”

  Like a pale flash of lightning, Grandleon soars past Seiya so quickly that it looks as if they switched positions for a moment.

  …Seiya listlessly falls to his knees. The Hero, who remained calm even when the emperor of Roseguard cut off one of his arms, is clutching his stomach, his face twisted in agony.

  CHAPTER 24

  In This Cruel World

  Sparks flicker from the Beast Emperor’s body as he looks down at Seiya doubled over.

  “My attack power just surpassed one million, significantly exceeding that of Demon Lord Ultimaeus.”

  Grandleon’s status reflects in my eyes as I use Scan.

  BEAST EMPEROR GRANDLEON

  Condition: Thunder Beast

  LV: 99 (MAX)

  HP: 955,989/1,200,044

  MP: 0

  ATK: 1,023,987

  DEF: 998,596

  SPD: 938,855

  MAG: 58,754

  GRW: 999 (MAX)

  Resistance: Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Ice, Earth, Holy, Dark, Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Curse, Instant Death, Status Ailments

  Special Abilities: Dark God’s Blessing (LV: MAX), Flight (LV: MAX)

  Skills: Jet-Black Nail, Volt, Volt: Sky Strike

  Personality: Wicked

&nbs
p; Saying the situation is hopeless would be putting it lightly. Gaeabrande was nothing compared to this. No human could ever defeat such a monster.

  Just then…

  “Y-you’re…?”

  By my side, Queen Carmilla points at me with a trembling hand. That’s when I notice…I am no longer a fish-person.

  “Who are you?!”

  Desperately fighting the feelings welling in my heart, I tell the queen only what she needs to know.

  “I-I’m Ristarte. I’m a goddess who came to save this world. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I had to transform into a fish-person.”

  “I see…”

  The queen nods with a solemn expression.

  “You’re the goddess of fish…yes?”

  “…?! No!! A-anyway, I’ll fill you in on the details later!”

  Just as I start to return my attention to the battle, it hits me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

  W-wait… Why was the shape-shifting spell broken?!

  Magic that uses power in nature—earth magic, for example—relies on the energy of the soil itself in addition to the caster’s magic. That’s why the earth serpents could move even without Seiya’s magic. However, shape-shifting works solely because of Seiya’s magic. Which means…

  Seiya has taken an unbelievable amount of damage!

  I stare at Seiya breathing heavily with a hand on his stomach. Just as I expected, blood is pouring out of his torn-open abdomen.

  “Seiya…!”

  I get ready to rush over to heal him, but…

  “Stay back.”

  Seiya tells me to stop as if he knows my intentions. Grandleon turns his gaze on me as well.

  “Huh? Who’s that girl…? Oh… That must be the goddess from another dimension who came with the Hero.”

  The Beast Emperor mutters as if he isn’t interested in the least.

  “I’ll kill her later with the hag. You’re up first, though.”

  Grandleon poises himself to use Volt against Seiya, but the Hero manages to get back to his feet to take a defensive stance.

  “I despise humans. The Demon Lord created me after he turned this world into a land of ruin. So I bet I was killed by a human in a past life.”

  Thereupon, another bolt of lightning shoots past Seiya, and I hear the sound of flesh tearing open. Smoke rises in the distance, and Grandleon stands perfectly still. Seiya must have been unable to completely dodge Volt. His left cheek splits open as if he was cut with a knife. The Beast Emperor licks Seiya’s blood off his claws before repositioning himself to use Volt. Another pale trail of lightning shoots forward. This time, I hear metal clinking. It looks like Seiya is able to block the attack, but it sends the platinum sword in his left hand flying into the air. Seiya unsteadily drags himself to where the platinum sword lands, but Grandleon is already standing tall before it. As Seiya defenselessly reaches for the blade, the Beast Emperor swings his claws as if he’s about to chop off Seiya’s arm…but he suddenly stops.

  “…Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

  Bam. Grandleon buries his foot in Seiya’s stomach, kicking him into the air. When Seiya hits the ground, blood aggressively spews out of his stomach wound.

  “I noticed the moment I saw you. Your left arm is engulfed in a strange aura.”

  I gasp when I hear those words.

  W-was he trying to use Counter Break, like he did against the emperor in Gaeabrande?! That means he must have cast it on his arm before using Berserk just in case he got backed into a corner! He was gambling his own arm to cut off one of Grandleon’s…!

  “So that was the last ace up your sleeve, huh? It’s too bad.”

  The monster saw right through the cautious Hero’s plan. Grandleon laughs robustly while restlessly kicking Seiya in the stomach.

  “You ran out of luck when you ran into me. I’m going to kill you. Then I’m going to kill Ultimaeus! I will rule all humans and beastkin in the world!”

  Tears well in my eyes as I watch Seiya get kicked and stomped on like a sandbag.

  This extraordinary Hero…such a talented man…doesn’t even stand a chance! He would have easily won if he completed the ritual…! But because of me…! Because I…!

  Grandleon delivers a kick that sends Seiya several meters into the air.

  “Seiya…!”

  I can’t watch any longer. I don’t care if he kills me. I decide to rush over to Seiya. After placing a hand on his stomach, I get ready to use my healing magic when…

  “You don’t have to heal me.”

  Seiya spits out the words in agony. Has he realized that healing him won’t change the outcome of the battle? No… He probably just doesn’t want my help, since this is my fault.

  “I’m sorry…! I’m so, so sorry…!”

  All I can do is apologize, but Seiya slowly tells me:

  “Rista… You were right. If I’d wasted any more time on the ritual, someone dear to you would have died…”

  I—I can’t believe Seiya is saying this! S-stop! Don’t talk like you’re about to die!

  But Seiya uses his platinum sword as a cane and slowly pulls himself to his feet.

  “This pain…saved me from losing my mind. I should be able to use it now.”

  Although riddled with wounds, he has strength in his eyes. I can feel it in my bones when I hear his voice filled with determination.

  He’s planning on using Berserk: Phase Three! Phase Three will quadruple his stats! They would even exceed Grandleon’s! It’s all or nothing if he wants to defeat Grandleon! But… But…!

  “There are heights that humans were not meant to reach. If a human uses Phase Three, their mind will be forever lost to madness! The scars of the berserker will be carved into your very soul and will remain even after you return to your original world!”

  The Goddess of Warfare insistently warned us not to use Phase Three. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this! I get the feeling this isn’t going to be something you can overcome with raw talent and mental strength! Grandleon quietly watches us in the distance until…

  “Finished saying your good-byes? Don’t worry. I’ll kill her shortly after I kill you.”

  Grandleon gives a muffled laugh.

  “Wait… Should I kill her first?”

  He suddenly faces me!

  “Volt!”

  A pale bolt of lightning streaks toward me. Sensing death on the horizon, I instinctively shut my eyes when I hear a loud clash. I slowly open my eyes…only to see an unexpected sight. Grandleon has fallen to one knee! Black blood drips from his mouth and chin.

  “Human…!”

  His face contorted with rage, Grandleon glares at the Hero. I look over at Seiya and can’t believe what I see, either. His aura earlier couldn’t even compare to how powerful it is now! Even his skin has turned red, and his fingers are turning crimson as well!

  The Hero breathlessly observes:

  “It looks like…it worked…”

  “I-is that… Is that Phase Three?!”

  But Seiya shakes his head.

  “Even if I manage to defeat Grandleon…I still have to worry about the Dark Lord. This isn’t the time to be taking risks…”

  “Th-then what happened to you?!”

  “If the full potential of Berserk is an insurmountable wall…then there’s no need to get to the top. I just need to…climb the wall…halfway…”

  Seiya slowly mutters:

  “Berserk: Phase 2.5…”

  Phase 2.5?! Phase Two triples your stats, which means Phase 2.5…multiplies your stats by 2.5?! Does that mean he is able to match Grandleon’s stats by adjusting the phase between Two and Three?!

  “Well technically…it’s more like Phase 2.491…”

  Th-that’s oddly specific, but okay…! Anyway…that’s amazing! He was able to adjust it to the decimal point?!

  Grandleon spits a mixture of saliva and blood onto the ground.

  “So that’s the real ace up your sleeve, huh? Nothing has
changed, though. You’re going to die.”

  With that, Grandleon charges Seiya using Volt. Engulfed in a dark-crimson aura, Seiya rushes toward the Beast Emperor in turn. The two collide! After a powerful blast, I see Grandleon blocking Seiya’s dual blades with his claws. Grandleon smirks but is gradually pushed back as if Seiya is overpowering him!

  “What is this power…?! There’s no way a mere human could be this strong…!”

  “I gave up being human for the moment.”

  “I’ve had enough of your crap! Who the hell do you think I am?”

  Enraged, Grandleon raises an arm high into the air before swinging his claws through the platinum sword in Seiya’s right hand, shattering it into pieces!

  “Looks like your weapons can’t keep up with your strength.”

  He was right. Platinum swords are strong, but they aren’t fit for duels against Demon Lord–class monsters. Plus, the sword has gradually worn down over the course of their fierce battle.

  This can’t be happening! And after finally raising his stats to match Grandleon’s…!

  I fall into a pit of despair…but the ground under Seiya suddenly swells! Out slithers an earth serpent carrying a sheathed sword in its mouth!

  “…?! There are still earth serpents underground?!”

  “Yeah, I made a spare earth serpent and a spare platinum sword.”

  Seiya takes the platinum sword and unsheathes it, but…

  “My left sword is pretty beat-up, too. I’ll switch it out just in case.”

  As he softly steps on the ground, it suddenly bulges once more, revealing another earth serpent with another sheathed sword!

  “A spare earth serpent for my spare, and a spare platinum sword for my spare.”

  H-how many spares does he have?!

  Indifferent to how astonished I am by his thorough preparation, Seiya gets into stance with his two new swords. Grandleon clenches his teeth.

  “You’re a joke… What are you, a magician?”

  Grandleon slowly moves his arms in a circle.

  “I’m not gonna hold back any longer! I’m gonna infuse both arms with Volt and tear you apart with Jet-Black Nail!”