The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 273

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 273. Omens of Destruction (3)
Hectar, Archbishop of Destruction.
A loyal subordinate of Amon, and one of the rare Apostles of Destruction who had directly received a “spark” from Amon himself.
A high-ranking Demon within Gehenna City, treated with the respect afforded to generals or nobility.
With the recent near-annihilation of other factions besides the Archbishop of Destruction, he had accumulated even greater power and authority.
‘And yet all I’m tasked with is kidnapping some brat.’
Hectar trudged through the damp, humid Jungle with an irritated expression.
With war against the Heroes looming on the horizon, the other Apostles of Destruction who had received sparks were all eagerly preparing for battle, anticipating the coming bloodshed.
“Tch.”
No matter how much he revered the Master of Destruction, Amon, he couldn’t bring himself to care for such a trivial, worthless task.
‘Did he not trust me enough?’
Hectar released a short sigh, recalling Amon’s request to be cautious of a single Candidate—not even a professor.
As he and his subordinates pushed through the undergrowth, advancing through the Demon Realm, it happened.
“Hmm?”
A faint scent of blood tickled his nostrils.
Being a Demon bearing the stigma of the Demon God in his chest, his heart began to pound at the smell of human blood.
‘Found them.’
Hectar’s eyes gleamed as he rapidly moved toward the source of the scent.
At his destination stood a Candidate, exactly as expected.
A Candidate with ash-grey hair, the color of burnt cinders.
‘Is this the Candidate Lord Amon mentioned?’
Grey hair wasn’t a common color, so the odds were high this was the right one.
‘Convenient.’
Hectar gazed at the grey-haired Candidate and summoned black flames.
Then.
A question brushed through his mind.
‘Why are there no wounds?’
The scent of blood that had tickled his nose moments ago wasn’t the kind that came from a drop or two.
Yet looking around, all he saw was scattered ash drifting through the air.
There were no visible wounds on the Candidate’s body that would produce such a scent.
‘Well… it doesn’t matter.’
Whether there were wounds or not, his task remained singular.
“…A Demon?”
The grey-haired Candidate’s eyes widened as they met his gaze.
Of course.
No Candidate would meet a Demon in the Demon Realm without trembling in fear—
“Well, I’m meeting Demons left and right here.”
“…?”
What?
“Yeah, well, Demons are better than beasts anyway.”
What the—
Why is this bastard reacting like that?
* * *
I never expected the creature drawn by the scent of blood to be a Demon Human rather than a Demon Beast.
‘To verify Morris Jin’s true power, a Demon Human is actually better than a Demon Beast.’
But why in the world is a Demon Human here?
‘And Apostles of Destruction, no less.’
I narrowed my eyes as I observed the black flames burning atop the Demon Human’s hand.
Just as I’d witnessed at the Imperial Palace before, those black flames were a symbol of power unique to the Apostles of Destruction.
‘Though they don’t seem quite as strong as those creatures back then.’
The Apostles of Destruction I’d encountered at the Imperial Palace each possessed power that approached the Archbishop of Destruction himself, but these Demon Humans now before me lacked that caliber of strength.
‘That Hectar fellow seems somewhat more formidable… but the rest are merely adequate.’
Still, they possessed far greater power than ordinary Demon Humans.
Yet compared to the Apostles of Destruction I’d faced at the Imperial Palace, they fell considerably short.
‘Analysis can wait.’
For now, dealing with these Demon Humans took priority.
“Yuren!”
At my brief call, light footsteps echoed from a distance away.
“What’s wrong, Dale?”
Yuren arrived in the blink of an eye.
“That’s…”
Upon spotting the three hooded Demon Humans, he furrowed his brow.
“Demon Humans? Why are they here…?”
“Let’s worry about that later.”
“…Right, got it.”
Yuren nodded and drew his sword.
There was something I needed to tell him before the other Party members arrived.
“Oh, Yuren.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t finish them too quickly.”
“I want to assess Morris’s abilities.”
“Ah, right. Got it. I’ll take it easy.”
Yuren nodded in acknowledgment.
“What…?”
The Demon Humans stared at the two Candidates conversing so casually before them.
Rather than trembling in fear at their presence, what were they saying about not finishing too quickly and taking it easy?
“Dale! What’s happening?”
“Saint, please stay back.”
“Huff, huff! Wait, how is Yuren moving so fast?!”
Iris, Camilla, and Morris, arriving belatedly, caught sight of the Demon Humans and their expressions hardened.
But the shock was fleeting.
“Everyone, prepare for combat.”
At Yuren’s final command, the Party members’ expressions shifted.
Iris immediately cast blessings, Camilla hoisted her greatsword and formed a defensive line, while Morris swiftly began chanting incantations.
‘They’re all quick.’
Morris in particular, having experience as a Mercenary, responded even faster than the rest.
“Ha. You little brats….”
“How audacious of you!”
The two Demons snarled viciously and charged forward.
Crash! Rumble!
And so the battle began.
The Party members formed a formation centered on Yuren, pressing back the charging Demons.
“Argh!”
“W-what?! What are these bastards?!”
The Demons who had charged forward with such confidence were driven backward, spraying blood.
“What is this….”
Hectar watched the battle unfold before his eyes, his expression twisted in disbelief.
‘They’re not Candidate Program level.’
This was a Party composed of only the most elite Heroes among active combatants.
“Tch….”
Hectar clenched his lips and drew forth his power.
Regardless, they were still Candidates.
No matter how skilled, they wouldn’t have much real combat experience.
‘If I strike the rear first…!’
Whoosh!
Black flames erupted from his hand, shooting toward Iris.
“Saint!”
Camilla hastily raised her sword to block the black flames.
“Ugh…!”
Caught by the black flames, Camilla was hurled backward.
‘This is getting dangerous.’
As I furrowed my brow and tried to rush toward Iris.
“Grow!”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Thick tree roots erupted from the ground, blocking the black flames.
“Leave this to me!”
Morris shouted, gripping a wand the thickness of his forearm.
‘Impressive.’
If they were just nameless rabble, it would be one thing, but this Demon named Hectar possessed considerable power.
‘To block that attack so effortlessly….’
I wasn’t merely defending against the attacks.
Morris, who had summoned thick tree roots to block the black flames, immediately cast a spell and launched a counterattack against Hectar.
“Tch! Damn it…!”
Hectar’s body became ensnared by vines that erupted from the ground, and he staggered backward with a grimace.
‘What in the world are these?!’
Hectar’s eyes narrowed in incomprehension.
How could this possibly be the strength of Candidates from the Candidate Program?
“Damn it!”
As I spat out a crude curse and attempted to draw upon the power of the ‘Spark’—
“Mm. I’ve seen enough.”
The gray-haired Candidate—the one called Dale—nodded with a satisfied expression.
“Thanks. That cleared up something I was curious about.”
“What….”
Dale slowly walked toward him.
And then.
Whoooosh!
Ferocious ash-white flames roared to life.
“Ah.”
That was the last thing Hectar ever saw.
* * *
“Haa, haa!”
Morris collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
I approached him and offered a water canteen.
“You did well.”
“…Thanks.”
Morris accepted the canteen and looked at me with trembling eyes.
“Dale… have you been hiding your strength all this time?”
“Isn’t that true for you as well?”
“Ugh.”
Morris’s shoulders flinched.
“Your magical level seems to be nearly at the Master rank… why have you been concealing your power all this time?”
“That’s….”
Morris trailed off and released a deep sigh.
“It was because of my Father.”
“…Your Father?”
“I mentioned before that I’m not his biological son, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
“My Father… he carries guilt about my real father, you see.”
Guilt, he said.
“He believes he was inadequate, and that’s why my father died. Though it’s common for Mercenaries to die in accidents during contracts…”
“Is that related to hiding your power?”
“If Father knew I’d reached near-Master level at my age… he’d probably never let me become a Mercenary.”
Fair enough.
What father would want his child to become a Mercenary?
Especially one who knew better than anyone how dangerous the profession was.
“But then why did you maintain second place in your class?”
If you were trying to hide your talent, there’d be no reason to rank second at all.
“If I deliberately failed the exams and ended up last…”
“N-no! That won’t do!”
Morris shook his head urgently.
“That… well, last place is… how do I put this… it’s…”
I sighed deeply.
And continued speaking.
“It’d be way too pathetic.”
“….”
What did this bastard just say.
“I didn’t want to disappoint Father… but I didn’t want to make him expect too much either.”
So second place was what he’d come up with.
“And deliberately getting second place was back then… honestly, even if I give it my all now, I won’t surpass Yuren.”
Morris turned to look at Yuren and shook his head.
Just as he said.
Though both Yuren and Morris were skilled fighters near Master level, Yuren held a slight edge.
‘The fact that there’s not much gap between me and Yuren right now is actually nonsensical.’
Anyway.
I’d achieved my modest objective of gauging Morris’s true strength.
‘Now let me figure out why these bastards are here.’
I turned my head toward where the Demons were.
All three lay sprawled on the ground in pitiful condition, but I’d kept them alive for interrogation.
“Iris, can you wake these guys up?”
“Ah, yes. First… their injuries are too severe, so I’ll need to treat them first.”
It was somewhat ironic that I needed to heal Demons.
But what could I do.
For interrogation, I needed them conscious enough to at least open their mouths.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, Dale.”
Iris approached the fallen Demons.
Then.
Whoooosh!
Black flames engulfed Hectar’s body, blazing fiercely.
“Iris!”
“Kyaaaa!”
I yanked Iris’s shoulder back urgently.
Savage black flames roared to life.
An ominous chill that felt like it was strangling my breath spread down my spine.
Twist, twist.
Hectar, who had been lying motionless, rose to his feet.
‘No.’
That wasn’t Hectar.
The face of the Demon Human engulfed in black flames was….
“…Amon.”
It had transformed into the Archbishop of Destruction, Amon’s visage.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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