Evading the Hero’s Party with Full Effort

Chapter 158

Ch.158 There Is a Game Set in This World

When Nekhuf and Roy clashed,  

I resolved to eliminate the variables—and aimed Equality at Davinus.  

Bang!

“Eek!”  

The first shot missed. He rolled away at high speed.  

“Bone Spear!”  

Davinus hurled a spear of bone toward us.  

“Barrier!”  

Icira’s spell materialized an invisible wall—deflecting the bone spear.  

“Hraaak!”  

Roy and Nekhuf exchanged brutal blows, swords flashing.  

No matter how strong Nekhuf was, he couldn’t hold his ground against Roy one-on-one.  

I fired Equality at Roy—  

He twisted his body grotesquely, dodging the bullet.  

“Icira! Hold Davinus! I’ll support Nekhuf.”  

I drew the Sword Saint’s Blade and rushed to Nekhuf’s aid.  

“Eek!”  

Under our combined assault, Roy began to retreat.  

“Hraaa!”  

He swept his leg—tripping me.  

Crash!  

Seizing the opening, he lunged forward.  

I rose instantly, watching Nekhuf chase after him.  

“Leeches!”  

That direction… was where the Seal Stone was.  

I fumbled for Equality, aiming—  

But Roy leapt high, landing directly before the Seal Stone.  

“Die, false servants of a false god!”  

He raised his blade to strike—  

Bang!  

Bang!  

Bang!

I emptied Equality into his body.  

“Khhhh!”  

Staggering, he brought down his blade—  

Shrouded in black aura—upon the Seal Stone.  

“Damn you!”  

Suddenly, crimson light erupted from all directions—  

Nekhuf swung his sword to strike, But Roy rolled aside, evading the blow.  

“He’s been hit by Equality—he can’t move like before! Now’s our chance! Finish him!”  

Equality couldn’t kill the King of the Dead—but it could reduce his HP to 1.  

Now, with Divine Light, I could strip away the God of Death’s blessing—and he would vanish.  

I’m sorry, Selena…  

If I hesitated now, waiting for her sake, I might never get another chance.  

“Ancient Holy Light!”  

I cast the holy spell to kill Roy.  

If this worked, I could bury him forever.  

Golden light erupted from my hands—  

It seared Roy’s body.  

Black aura burst from him—then dissolved into the air.  

Clear.  

The God of Death’s blessing… was gone.  

“Now, Nekhuf! Strike!”  

Nekhuf raised his sword—  

“Guardian of the Dead, Cerberus! Protect me!”  

Thick black mist erupted before Roy—  

A violent gale filled the chamber.  

“Khh!”  

Nekhuf was thrown backward by the storm.  

I despaired.  

“Aaah…” 

The King of the Dead’s final summon.  

Cerberus.  

Its massive body—  

This chamber would collapse under its weight.  

“Icira!”  

“What?”  

She stood beside a brother’s charred corpse—unrecognizable, burned beyond recognition.  

“Teleport! Now! We’ll all die if we stay!”  

The black mist began filling the chamber.  

“Teleport!”

Blue light engulfed us—  

And we fell into an unknown place.  

“Where are we?”  

“Outside the Seal Stone dungeon.”  

I scanned the area—worried someone had been left behind.  

Mia, Nekhuf, Nephert, Icira, and I—all were here.  

I exhaled in relief.  

“What… what just happened? Why did we retreat?”  

Nekhuf asked, bewildered—  

CRASH!

The mountain range where the dungeon stood exploded—  

And a colossal monster emerged.  

“That’s because of him.”  

Grrrrr!

A three-headed dog.  

Like the End of the World Serpent or the Ghost Giant—  

A summon of the King’s size and power.  

I aimed Equality and fired.  

Bang!

The beast collapsed.  

Thud!

Its massive body slammed into the earth—  

The ground trembled.  

“Equality only takes one shot… but summoning it in that narrow space? That’s just suicide for all of us.”  

Cerberus’s colossal form slowly turned to black ash—  

Scattered by the wind.  

Its disappearance felt fleeting.  

“…But what about Roy?”  

“He seems to have escaped.”  

There’s a known phenomenon when the final boss dies:  

A massive eruption of souls.  

That didn’t happen.  

Searching the ruins for Roy?  

That’s suicide.  

If we split up to look, we’d leave ourselves open to ambush.  

I’m safe in the Arbiter’s Armor—but the others? One hit, and they’re dead.  

Then everything collapses.  

“Icira… can you sense if Roy’s still inside the collapsed mountain?”  

She paused, thinking.  

Then shook her head.  

“Hm… I don’t think I can.”  

“Really?”  

After pushing him so hard…  

And now a wildcard?  

I stared blankly at the mountain.  

“Finding Roy in there… won’t be easy?”  

“He might’ve already fled.”  

I nodded.  

“Yeah… we had him cornered… and still let him slip away.”  

We’d defeated all three of his summons.  

But we had only one Seal Stone left.  

Whoosh…

I kept staring at the rubble—  

Wondering if Roy would burst out from beneath.  

How long had we waited?  

“Let’s go. It’s already night.”  

“Yeah… but brother, you gave it your all.”  

Icira and Nekhuf tried to comfort me.  

“I’m disappointed. Truly.”  

I’d never pushed him this close before.  

“Next time, we’ll get him. One Seal Stone remains.”  

“That’s right. We nearly killed him this time. Next time, we finish him.”  

I nodded weakly.  

***  

At the moment Cerberus shattered the mountain,  

Roy escaped through the collapsed ceiling.  

Bang!

He glanced at the fallen Cerberus—  

Then sprinted full speed toward the back of the mountain.  

His body was broken.  

Davinus, slaughtered by the Dragon.  

Roy knew—he couldn’t win now.  

‘Just one more… one more Seal Stone to break… and the Gates of Hell will open.’

Only one remained.  

“Khh…!”  

He leaned against a tree, breathing heavily.  

‘Damn it. I let my guard down again.’

I died so many times this time.  

Just one left.  

But if I kept going like this…  

I’d break the last Seal Stone—and be killed by them.  

He sat, exhausted, lost in thought.  

Overthrowing the capital was impossible.  

They’d abandoned direct assault—only surrounding now.  

‘I need to regroup my forces elsewhere.’

Opening the Gates of Hell isn’t the end.  

“Haa… haa…”  

The King breathed heavily—and slowly fell asleep.  

‘Tired… so tired…’

***  

Back at the mansion, everyone went straight to rest.  

I ate a light dinner, then lay in bed, lost in thought.  

Only one Seal Stone remained.  

I had to protect it.  

But what if Roy, in desperation, breaks it during battle?  

Nothing could be worse.  

I wanted to move it—but it was infused with divine power.  

Moving it was nearly impossible.  

We had no cards left.  

We couldn’t be sure we’d win the next battle.  

No—we were at a disadvantage.  

Hundreds. Thousands. Maybe infinite regressions.  

We had to find a flaw in that cycle—  

A way to break us free.  

Since arriving here, I’d preferred cautious play.  

When I first came, I didn’t know what happened after death.  

In a game? You load a save.  

But when I realized this was another world—  

I knew: if I died here… it was over.  

“Huu… my head hurts.”  

Tap-tap. 

A knock.  

Honestly? I didn’t want to see anyone.  

I didn’t answer.  

Tap-tap!

‘I know you’re inside.’

Mia’s voice from the other side.  

Come to argue about earlier?  

I got up and opened the door.  

“I’m really tired. Can we talk tomorrow—”  

“I know you’re tired.”  

She held a tea tray.  

“Tea will ease your fatigue.”  

She gently nudged me aside and entered.  

She sat on the sofa as if she owned it.  

Watching her methodically arrange the teacups,  

I sat across from her.  

She boiled water with spirit, prepared the leaves.  

Why had she come?  

Lately, I’d been sleeping well—  

Our late-night tea sessions had dwindled.  

Now I didn’t need tea to sleep.  

She poured the tea into my cup.  

I inhaled its scent.  

“This… isn’t the same as usual?”  

“This is for stress relief. Not for sleep—this is for mental clarity.”  

What’s the difference?  

I took a sip.  

Clear. Cool.  

Filled with the smell of herbs.  

“Definitely different in taste and aroma. How?”  

“The tea before was blended with sleep-inducing herbs. This one has herbs that sharpen the mind and clear fog.”  

“I see.”  

I stared into my cup slowly—  

Then asked:  

“You were furious earlier… but now you’re calm?”  

She frowned.  

“I’m suppressing my anger. Only one Seal Stone remains.”  

Silence stretched between us.  

“So… you still oppose me pursuing Selena?”  

Honestly? There were still major obstacles.  

First: How to restrain Roy.  

Second: Even if I won her over, would she choose me over a god?  

Both were nearly impossible.  

I had a hint about restraint—  

Using Leah’s Gift to strip Roy’s magic resistance.  

But that… I’d think about tomorrow.  

“I oppose it. But… will you stop just because I say so?”  

Her eyes were calm.  

Inside them… resentment lingered.  

“I’ve been thinking lately.  

You helped us… not just to save the world, did you?”  

She was right.  

I’d thought of them as friends—  

Then suddenly, they said they loved me.  

I was caught off guard.  

Normally, I’d lie—play the charming rogue to survive.  

But I was tired.  

I wanted to answer honestly.  

“What answer do you want?”  

“Did you… ever truly love me?”  

I shook my head.  

“No. Not you. Not any of the Hero Party.”  

Her pupils trembled violently.  

“Then why? Why did you save our village?”  

I looked at her.  

“You remember? I told you about Destiny?  

A game set in this world.”  

I locked eyes with her.  

“You needed your ability.  

Scarlet had speed and raw power—but every other stat was trash.  

To support her… we needed Leah. Cecilia. And you.”

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