The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

15 – EP1. Dawn Approaches

It’s hot. Agonizing. Difficult. Painful. Terrifying.

All sorts of negative words popped out.

Why did he have to suffer in this fire that melted his muscles and swallowed his bones?

If it was his fault, there was nothing else but the shining sword that suddenly appeared in front of his eyes that he grabbed.

Please, stop. Stop. Stop.

A second felt like an eternity. Inhaling felt like thorns.

Especially considering that he might not be able to breathe again.

No. It’s painful. I want to live-

He thought that way as he felt the inferno greedily consuming his flesh.

His body didn’t move, and his consciousness paradoxically sank deeper into the fire, as if into the deepest sea.

Death enveloped him.

And soon, again. Again.

He returned to the past.

The moment he returned—yes, the enemies were climbing the walls with ladders.

Ainzel instinctively realized what he had to do.

“Your Grace!”

Angel approached Beatrice and spoke.

“Do not use your divine power yet!”

“What do you mean by that?”

Sain, who was blocking the enemy in the front, said.

He is struggling under the pressure. No matter how difficult it may be, he won’t let them break through.

He can still endure more.

He finished his calculations.

“I can’t see the enemy commander! If you unleash your divine power rashly, who knows what might happen!”

Beatrice nodded her head.

Then, Angel went to Faria.

“Don’t attack with the catapult for no reason, use tracking magic instead.”

“Tracking magic? Why on earth?”

Faria hesitated.

Oh, what should I do? Shouldn’t I have followed him for no reason?

“The catapult won’t do anything.”

“The enemies are climbing ladders anyway. The catapult is meant to be used before they climb the ladders, it’s not urgent now. Please find the commander.”

His eyes were filled with an uncanny certainty. As if he had come back from seeing the future.

Is that the special trait that a hero possesses?

They say that heroes solve problems by thinking a little differently from others when making decisions. Could that firm conviction be what filled him? It’s an unknown matter.

Faria unknowingly nodded her head.

Then, he went to Lena.

“Wait, when the commander appears, secretly shoot an arrow towards that guy.”

So, Faria’s tracking magic soon sent a red dot flying towards a spot in the air.

The majestic appearance of a demon appeared.

Before the demon could open his eyes and assess the situation,

“Lena!”

An arrow flew towards the red dot.

The genius who was preparing to break through the door with forbidden magic was pierced by the arrow.

“…!”

The forbidden magic was canceled.

The lost dark magic forcefully surged back into the body of the Genome, causing the flow of dark magic to become tangled once again.

In simple terms, it meant that a single arrow had pierced through his insides.

The Genome coughed up black blood.

What had happened? He had undoubtedly crafted a flawless plan. He believed so. So why, of all things?

He had poured his magical power into the ladder, focused on piercing through the enemy’s consciousness, and intentionally shattered the door. But why?

Though he didn’t know who it was, someone had discovered his plan.

It couldn’t be a mere coincidence. Otherwise, the arrow wouldn’t have come so swiftly, before he could react.

…Right now, that didn’t matter. It was a time like this.

The Genome barely managed to gather himself and shouted, “Retreat! We’re retreating!”

Jigiral. Could it be a hero? If so, it made sense. Heroes were the kind of people who effortlessly thwarted grand plans.

He mounted his skeletal horse.

Phurung, the skeletal horse nearly threw him off.

He sneered at his own situation.

What’s wrong, Genome? Is the fact that a mere commander’s plan got twisted bothering you when you can’t even control a single lowly undead?

His forces began to retreat.

“Waaah!”

“We’ve driven the enemy back!”

Cheers from the soldiers resounded.

The fortress had withstood the enemy’s assault and led them to retreat.

They couldn’t afford to be complacent, but in reality, they had already won.

A besieged fortress that had once fallen could never gain an advantage over the attackers.

That’s why they could breathe a sigh of relief.

…

“Impressive.”

Feria said absentmindedly.

Even in her dreams, she didn’t know. It meant that the strange confidence had arisen from Angel’s death.

Even though a regular human would have lost their mind from the excruciating pain, he had returned from death and immediately moved to thwart the enemy’s plans.

For someone who couldn’t do a single thing despite being taught magic, there was a sudden change. There was a hidden background.

…Did he fight to the end, repeating death like this throughout the journey?

An ordinary person might have gone insane.

But he, in his agony, remained sane. He didn’t fall apart, probably.

No, perhaps he had fallen apart. But it was because of that, he could communicate with the enemy…

Communicate with…

I don’t know.

The moonlight shone on the valiant warrior who was laughing brightly with the soldiers.

He joyously celebrated the victory he had achieved at the cost of his life, more than anyone else, relishing it.

As the images revealed the smiles of the women, paradoxically, the faces of those in reality decayed.

And then, Lena spoke.

“But, you know, is this right?”

She glanced at her comrades, her head tilting.

“What do you mean?”

Beatrice asked Lena.

“From what I remember, after driving the enemy away like this, didn’t we chase them…?”

Their eyes twinkled.

That’s right.

After driving the enemy away, they fought on, pursuing them.

They didn’t celebrate and make merry within the castle.

…Something had changed.

The reason, yes.

He had died. No matter the reason, at least once.

Their faces stiffened.

…

After a long time, he could genuinely smile.

He had won.

He endured pain, suffering, and even death.

But he emerged victorious.

Perhaps, he would be revered as a hero who defeated the demon army without having to die.

For the first time, he inflicted significant damage on the enemy. With this, maybe there was some meaning in the pain he had endured.

It was different from the meaningless things he had experienced last time. Yes, it was different from them…

Jegiral, that can’t be true.

No matter how beautifully you dress up death,

He died, he will die, and it meant nothing.

What difference does it make whether you die fighting the greatest and mightiest enemies or die at the hands of the most cowardly and wretched rats?

To a hero, death was only an obstacle and a fence that hindered his mission.

The appearance of that obstacle did not matter.

But still, he smiled.

With every breath, his skin stung, and every time he closed his eyes, screams rose from deep within. Yet victory was sweet, and he became the victor.

The soldiers and comrades also smiled at him. Wasn’t that all that mattered?

And as deep darkness blanketed the sky, Genome resumed the attack.

First, he shot down those on the ramparts, then sent the ashen soldiers the demon king had sent.

I don’t know what they were, but these ashen soldiers, even though they were alive, did not breathe, eat, drink, or sleep.

They were perfect for facing unsuspecting enemies.

The ashen soldiers climbed the walls using ladders and quickly occupied the ramparts, and the gates opened.

And the fortress, whose gates were now open, turned into a hell.

Again.

The gates were breached again because of the enemy.

The hero watched the enemy burn the fortress with desolate eyes.

Why?

Why did this happen?

Have you succumbed to ghosts?

He gripped his sword, his face contorted in anger.

In the late evening, the enemy suddenly launched a surprise attack.

And they occupied the ramparts without causing a commotion. It meant the enemy was a small elite force.

Where did this small elite force suddenly come from?

There had been a major battle during the day. How could they infiltrate and kill a relatively large army?

It was a biological limit beyond will.

He saw the ashen soldiers slaughtering the humans, and then, he spotted another figure.

Genome.

He had encountered the enemy’s commander once again.

He shouted as soon as he saw the hero.

“Indeed, it is you, the hero.”

It’s the end.

Ainz closed his eyes tightly, and soon flames engulfed his body.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the moment when he had just driven away the enemies.

In this way, he ensured that the soldiers continued to maintain their defensive stance.

After a few days, when the soldiers’ stamina had dwindled, they inevitably pushed forward.

He died.

Returning to the past once again, this time he sought the most efficient way to defend the castle.

However, no matter what, the limit eventually arrived, and the enemies inevitably breached the city walls.

He repeated the process as many times as he could in an attempt to hold on.

But no matter how many times he repeated it, when the soldiers’ stamina ran out, the enemies overwhelmed the fortress.

There was only one way.

“Chase after those soldiers.”

End it all at once.