Chapter 1: A Hero? You?
“Dear, it’s time for your medicine!”
A pure white dress adorned her angelic figure, her beauty enough to topple nations. Loseweisse, the Holy Maiden of the Holy See!
Crouching by Qin Chu’s bedside, she held a bowl of inky black concoction. The injuries inflicted by the Dark Witch, Shaye Nigulas, were so severe that even the Holy See’s most potent healing spells proved ineffective. After a month of consuming various potions, his condition showed no signs of improvement.
Perhaps, he would never recover.
As if sensing his despair, a faint blush crept onto Loseweisse’s fair face. “Let me feed you.”
“Our Hero must recover soon. This world needs its Hero!”
She brought the bowl to his lips, took a small sip, then, to Qin Chu’s astonishment, leaned down. A wave of fragrance washed over him as her cherry lips pressed against his. A warmth spread through his chest, a sensation both foreign and exhilarating.
Sip by sip, he drank the bitter medicine, which now tasted strangely sweet.
Such a pure and shy girl, yet she dared to be so bold, to do something so out of character, all for the sake of his recovery.
A fire ignited within Qin Chu’s heart. He yearned to seize this moment and confess his feelings to Loseweisse. He had developed a fondness for her during the war and had even expressed his affections. Back then, Loseweisse had only blushed, caressing his face as she gently rejected him. Now was not the time for such matters, she had said, not while the war raged. They could revisit this once peace was restored.
Though rejected, Qin Chu sensed that Loseweisse harbored feelings for him too. Now that the war had ended and peace prevailed, surely she wouldn’t refuse him this time?
But as the words reached his lips, he hesitated.
Was he, in his current state, worthy of Loseweisse? His incurable injuries, even if they didn’t claim his life, would likely confine him to this bed forever. He would be nothing but a burden.
He abandoned his intention to confess, a gentle smile gracing his lips. As long as Loseweisse found happiness, nothing else mattered.
But at that moment, Loseweisse abruptly pulled away, her previously gentle expression contorting with disgust.
She vigorously wiped her lips with a handkerchief, her slender neck convulsing as if she might retch at any moment.
“Ugh, disgusting!”
This icy demeanor, a stark contrast to her prior warmth, could this truly be the same person?
The door creaked open, and two figures entered: Ekaterina, the Crimson Valkyrie, and a short, elderly man, both members of the Hero Squad.
Their eyes settled on Qin Chu.
They had once shared drinks and laughter, but now their gazes held mockery and arrogance.
Were they being manipulated by some force? Why were they looking at him with such disdain?
Qin Chu tried to speak, but found himself robbed of his voice, unable to utter a single sound. An invisible weight, millions of tons heavy, pressed down on him, stealing his breath.
“Loseweisse, you’ve worked hard,” Ekaterina said, her voice a soothing balm. “Kissing someone you don’t love must be quite the ordeal.”
Loseweisse meticulously wiped her mouth with the handkerchief before flinging it away. “It’s nothing. All of this is for Master Jie Luo.”
Jie Luo? The First Hero?
Understanding dawned in Qin Chu’s eyes.
Looking down at the astonished man lying in bed, Loseweisse sneered, “You seem surprised? Compared to Master Jie Luo, you’re nothing but a pig. But be glad, at least you’re a useful pig. Your blood will open the door to Master Jie Luo’s resurrection.”
“Consider it your final act of service to this world.”
Couldn’t this man comprehend the situation? Or was he simply refusing to accept reality?
Did he truly believe she had fallen for him?
Ten years ago, when hordes of Demon Beasts had overrun the Heavenly Continent, overwhelming humanity’s defenses and painting the land red with blood, the Thirteen Sages had summoned the First Hero. What a charismatic man he was! Loseweisse had fallen head over heels for him at first sight, her love absolute and unwavering.
Countless times, she had yearned to offer her purity, meant for the divine, to him. But Jie Luo always insisted there was no rush. They would marry after the war.
And then, Jie Luo died.
Qin Chu became the Second Hero, with Loseweisse and the others remaining as members of the Hero Squad.
However, they had never truly accepted him. In their hearts, only one person deserved the title of Hero: Jie Luo. They loathed Qin Chu for daring to assume the mantle, feeling it was nothing short of sacrilege.
If it weren’t for the Heavenly Continent’s reliance on the Hero’s power, they wouldn’t even bother with pretenses.
Every moment spent with Qin Chu was agony, forcing smiles upon their faces to maintain the facade of camaraderie. It was torture.
They longed to spit in his face, to scream, “A Hero? You?”
Qin Chu’s victory over the Eternal Monarch, his sealing of the Dark Witch, and his banishment of the Demon Beasts back into the abyss had earned him unparalleled fame among humanity. This only fueled Loseweisse’s rage. Jie Luo was the one true Hero; this imposter didn’t deserve a shred of the glory.
Fortunately, Loseweisse knew how to resurrect their beloved Hero. The blood of a successor could unlock the gateway to his return. Had it not been for their need for Qin Chu to combat the remaining Demon Beasts, she wouldn’t have allowed him to live this long.
When she contacted the other members of the Hero Squad, none hesitated, none objected. They would join forces to eliminate this wretch who had stolen the glory rightfully belonging to Jie Luo.
Those in power were also reluctant to tolerate anyone above them. As long as the Hero lived, their authority remained precarious.
Now, with peace restored and the Demon Beasts driven back into the abyss, the Heavenly Continent no longer needed a Hero. There was no need to antagonize those who held true power for the sake of an insignificant pawn.
They orchestrated the release of the Dark Witch, Shaye Nigulas, from her prison, even providing her with a rage-inducing elixir, hoping she would eliminate Qin Chu for them.
But Qin Chu was too powerful. He sealed Shaye Nigulas once more, returning gravely injured.
Every day, they administered a potent poison disguised as medicine, a concoction designed to slowly break down his iron-like muscles and skin, rendering any healing magic useless.
The pathetic fool never suspected a thing, believing his deteriorating condition to be a consequence of his battle with the Dark Witch.
And now, the time for harvest had arrived.
“Master Lex, how are the preparations on your end?” Loseweisse inquired coldly.
The short, elderly man stroked his beard, a sinister smile playing on his lips. “Rest assured, Lady Loseweisse.”
“My preparations began the moment the Hero set off to subdue Shaye Nigulas. My CBB excels in this field. They are masters of weaving tales.”
“I doubt the Hero is even aware that his reputation has been utterly destroyed while he lay injured.”
“A public trial. There won’t be any issues.”
Indeed, a public trial.
While they could easily kill him here and blame it on Shaye Nigulas, claiming he succumbed to his injuries from their battle, such a death would only solidify his status as a savior, forever remembered as a hero who gave his life for humanity.
They couldn’t allow this vile creature to steal the adoration that rightfully belonged to Jie Luo.
They wouldn’t simply kill him; they would break him, utterly and irrevocably, ensuring his name would be forever etched in infamy.
…
“Extra! Extra! The Supreme Council has issued an announcement: The Dark Witch, Shaye Nigulas, was released by Qin Chu himself! After extensive investigation, it has been confirmed that with the restoration of peace after the Eternal Calamity, the Hero, feeling his own importance waning, unleashed the Witch to prove his worth.”
“Ugh, how disgusting! He sacrificed fifty thousand lives for his own selfish desires! Fifty thousand souls! Doesn’t his conscience haunt him?”
“I refuse to believe Hero-sama would do such a thing…”
“There’s photographic and video evidence! What more do you need? Are you on his payroll? Because I could use some extra cash.”
“You’d stoop so low as to defend him for money? Aren’t you afraid of your ancestors spinning in their graves?”
“You’d be nothing but Demon Beast dung without the Hero!”
“Hah! What ‘Hero’? He’s just an over-glorified relic of the past. I bet if I was born back then, this outsider wouldn’t even be a blip on the radar. Besides, are the Demon Beasts even that strong? We’ve encountered them recently, and the Guardian Alliance handled them with ease. It seems the Demon Beasts are nothing special. I could take them on myself.”
“I think this old geezer just got too big for his britches. He’s been acting like some kind of savior all this time. But he wasn’t the only one who fought the Demon Beasts. It’s obvious that now that there’s peace, he can’t handle his dwindling relevance. Wasn’t there an incident recently where he beat someone into a coma for not recognizing him?”
“And what about the time he went on a drunken rampage in a bar and killed several people?”
“And let’s not forget the incident where he slaughtered an entire family after a failed marriage proposal… There’s irrefutable evidence for all of this!”
“If one person accuses you, it could be slander. But when a hundred people point their fingers at you, then you’re the problem.”
“Damn those foreign dogs from another world! We should never have summoned a Hero in the first place.”
Repetition is a powerful tool. A lie repeated a hundred times becomes the truth.
On one hand, they downplayed the threat of the Demon Beasts, diminishing their fear and, consequently, the Hero’s importance. On the other hand, they amplified the achievements of the other Hero Squad members, diluting the credit that rightfully belonged to Qin Chu.
Fueled by those who stood to gain from his downfall, the Hero’s reputation plummeted in a matter of days.
When Qin Chu finally opened his eyes again, he found himself suspended in mid-air, face up.
Two silver chains bound his arms, stretching upwards to disappear into the heavens. The Heavenly Cage Shackles, the Holy See’s most formidable restraint, completely sealed his magical power.
Two earthen-yellow chains coiled around his legs, burrowing into the ground. The Earth Mother’s Embrace, nullifying his Battle Qi.
A razor-sharp, golden sword hovered above his neck.
The Sword of Damocles, said to be capable of severing anything.
Add to that the poison coursing through his veins, weakening his flesh and bone, and the picture became abundantly clear.
Tsk, Loseweisse and her cohorts had planned this meticulously.
The public trial grounds teemed with a boisterous crowd, eager to witness the spectacle.
From his vantage point atop the execution platform, Qin Chu spotted countless familiar faces: former comrades, members of the imperial family, high-ranking nobles, high priests of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess and the Holy See…
Loseweisse stood at the forefront, her cheeks flushed.
“Qin Chu, you stand accused of premeditated murder, responsible for the deaths of fifty-three thousand, six hundred and thirty-two innocent souls. The evidence is irrefutable. Do you have anything to say in your defense?” Loseweisse’s voice, cold and sharp, echoed from above.
Qin Chu parted his lips, but no sound emerged. His voice box had been rendered useless by the poison.
“It seems you have nothing to say. Although it pains us to do this to you, our former comrade, the Hero who once saved the Heavenly Continent, your crimes are too heinous, your sins too grave. Only your death can appease the righteous fury of the people!”
“Kill him…”
“Kill him…”
“Kill him…”
The surrounding crowd erupted in a deafening roar, their faces twisted with bloodlust, eyes blazing with fanaticism.
Their voices merged into a monstrous wave, shaking the very foundations of the execution grounds.
Their contorted features radiated a perverse glee, bathed in the crimson hues of the setting sun.
Perhaps a few discerning individuals within the throng recognized the Hero’s inconvenient presence to those in power, saw through the fabricated evidence.
They might not have truly believed he deserved death.
But what could be more exhilarating than witnessing the downfall of someone once so untouchable, someone who stood as a symbol of hope?
Peace had returned, the Demon Beasts were vanquished, and the Heavenly Continent no longer required a Hero. Why risk offending those who held the reins of power for someone who no longer mattered?
Gazing upon their twisted faces, listening to their thunderous cries for his blood, Qin Chu couldn’t help but wonder: were these truly the people he had fought tooth and nail to protect?
He could even recognize some of them. Hadn’t he saved them from the clutches of Demon Beasts with his own two hands?
What had transpired to twist them into such grotesque caricatures of their former selves?
Rotten eggs, decaying vegetables, and leftover scraps rained down upon him.
Loseweisse reveled in his humiliation, her heart alight with wicked satisfaction. This was the fate she had envisioned for him: utter ruin, his name forever synonymous with treachery and disgrace.
“Execute him!”
As the order reverberated through the air, the four chains snapped taut, and the Sword of Damocles plunged from the heavens.
A sickening squelch echoed as the Hero’s body was ripped asunder, his head, torso, and limbs sent flying, painting the sky crimson.
In that final moment, as his body was torn apart, Qin Chu recalled the words the most powerful Dark Witch, Shaye Nigulas, had uttered to him as he sealed her away:
“You will witness betrayal with your own two eyes…”
“You will taste despair with your very soul…”
“You will know rage… You will know despair… You will know madness…”
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