He remembered what happened back then when they felled him before he could finish severing the connection between the world and the abomination.

 

The world quaked, and the wind roared furiously like a wounded beast. Were he not a mana sensitive person, he wouldn’t be able to feel how the dormant natural mana boiled and churned like a sea in the storm.

 

It battered and buffeted against his body and his former companion’s without any result, but it was different for the abomination. The rapid current of mana buffeted its dead tissue and reinvigorate it into regenerating again like when it was still stubbornly clinging to its life.

 

He had to do something before it would be really too late. So he grunted to call out to his squabbling former companion. He was really disappointed with them back then. They didn’t trust in him to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the world, assuming that what he did are only to further his own advantage. 

 

So he raged and dispensed with politeness and forswore his usual careful and thoughtful words.

 

...

 

Swallowing nausea from the churning mana current, he called out to his former companion, “...hey!” but they were busy grilling the sage on what should they do, so he shouted louder, “HEY!” ignoring how it pulls and tear his viscera.

 

They really dare to raise their eyebrow at him, giving the expression of ‘what other kinds of trouble you made this time? Haven’t you made enough messes now?’ so he called them out with tone viciously dripping with venomous contempt while dragging his aching limb to point at the abomination.

 

“...is this the time for your pointless yammering and squabbling? It’s regenERATING!” he bit out the emphasis, daring them to refute his words.

 

“you! what have you done?” the archmage shouted at him, face twisted with displeasure.

“What I did?” he laughed grimly at their accusation, and contemptuously continued, “Its what you brainless medieval cretin did!” and while they were taken aback with his vitriol, he shouted “what are you waiting for? Saint, use your providence on it!”.

 

The Saint, with her usual meekness, stepped forward and stumblingly used the providence, but it was dim and lacking strength. It seemed her heart was in turmoil again. 

 

“Stop... thinking too much!” he chastised her. “stand tall and be confident... for once! I can’t be... holding your hands forever!” he haltingly encouraged her because she was someone that had been crushed under the responsibility placed on her.

 

While he was instructing the saint in what to do, the archmage and the general was in a furious whispered exchange with the sage that was currently flipping the pages of the ancient tome she held in a frantic movement.

 

He incredulously watched their exchange while the dead abomination decayed under the saint’s providence, before exclaiming in anger.

 

“Why are you even bother asking that inflexible woman with no shred of forward-thinking ability what to do?” he laughed bitterly as he continued his words, “She would just say ‘the ancient’s method was this’... so on and so on... it’s the exact wrong thing to do!”

 

The three turned in his direction, and the sage exclaimed annoyedly. “Are you claiming that you know more than the people with the method that had been tried and proven?” She let out her retort with a condescending tone. ”What gives you the assurances that you know what you are doing? “

 

“...The ancients are the source of all these messes! Those... arrogant know it all bastard is the reason for this endless unnecessary... cycles!” in-between suppressing the pain he felt in his body, he poured all his hatred into halting words.

 

“Look around us! It’s not the time!“ the general tried to keep the peace as always, and the Archmage looked at him with a strange glint in his eye.

 

“This is not him!” he suddenly exclaimed. When the other turned to him, he continued. “Do you think he will say something like this?”

 

The other, even the saint are looking at each other in silent communication. While they were distracted, the Archmage gave a smug smile that made him know that he plotted something really awful.

 

“The hero must have already fallen!” the other made a various surprised exclamation but otherwise letting him continue. “He must have been already taken over by the abomination, and it intended to delay us with various hurtful words so it could fully take over the body while we were distracted!”

 

“Are you guys blind? This is my true thoughts about you! the only reason I never spoke it because I still respect you for accompanying me in this journey!”

 

[Hehe, respect?] the archmage sent a thought transmission while sneering down at him. [I already knew that you looked down at me! I knew from the start that you can’t be trusted!] his eyes alight with mirth before turning to the sage.

 

“Sage, check your book!” the general and the sage stepped closer to each other, whispering furiously while he continued, “Tell me what happened when the hero is taken over by the abomination!”

 

The saint that was suppressing the abomination startled and her gaze flitted between him and the others with an increasingly horrified stare.

 

He also knew what the Archmage aimed to do, and he cursed inwardly because he is the only one with the knowledge what would happen if the dead abomination is sealed together with him when he was still connected with the Hero ‘system’. But his anger made him choose scathing retort instead of refuting the Archmage.

 

“You are an idiot with alarmingly... lack of foresight! ...I always wondered, how could you survive... until adulthood, with your ...impetuousness!”

 

“Quickly, made your decision” the Archmage barked at the Sage, and emphasized, “We lack the time for self-doubt or trying to find another path!”

 

“...we have to seal him.” The sage expressed her opinion in the tone of finality while the general closed his eyes and grimaced.

 

“Saint, lock him together with the abomination!” the Archmage commanded, and her eyes widened, face paling as she glanced briefly back at the Archmage. She was someone with a weak will, so when the Archmage gave out an oppressing aura and expression of ‘if you dare refuse then the result will be your fault.’, she meekly complied.

 

The Archmage stopped hiding his glee when nobody else was paying attention to him. The Archmage, the Sage, and the General had decided to seal him, so he could only ask the Saint to reconsider this method. 

 

So he looked at her, devoting all the attention he could spare from suppressing the pain – trying to wordlessly convey his plea of help, to convince her to take another path.

 

She averted her eyes from his gaze and clenched her fist, body shaking.

 

[The world of the future doesn’t need any heroes.] Archmage’s face is impassive but his transmission is dripping with schadenfreude. [you’re always going on and on with sacrifice for the world] this time he gave an imperceptible smirk before continuing [So go and make the last sacrifice for the good of the world.]

 

“...You!” he glared thrashed around, but he can’t do anything anymore so he threw a warning as a parting word. “You guys will see the result... of your idiocy! Don’t go blaming... me! If, the result is not what you think it would!” 

 

...

 

The memories replayed would always cut off here, and he would drift off again into the oblivion. He would always struggle and attempt to get free, just for spite instead of out of hope like before.

 

And this time, he felt something suddenly gave under.