Hero's Coffin Chapter 106

Chapter 106

[Ha, haha, ahaha... Well this...]

Facing that beautifully smiling face, the Dium let out a dry laugh as if dumbfounded. Seizing that opening, Haren immediately took something out from his chest and threw it. Whoosh, orange mist spread like a smoke screen.

The color of the mist was familiar, allowing him to guess who had provided this artifact. It was probably one of the magical tools Beatrice had given. And as expected, while the Diums looked around in confusion as if fallen into mental disorder in the mist, his companions could see each other clearly.

After returning to rejoin his companions, Haren spoke.

"Everyone could have escaped safely, but I kicked away that chance."

"What?! No, that's absolutely not true!"

Just before, the Dium had offered to let his subordinates leave safely if he took its hand. But Haren had answered by cutting off its hands, which meant they would have to fight the Diums inside the cave. There could have been a way to play along while looking for an opportunity, but now a battle several times more difficult and harder than last time was set.

But none of his subordinates expressed complaints, and rather, Noi even shouted fiercely while choking up.

"If you had accepted that offer, I would rather not have been with Haren! I would have pretended not to know for life!"

Something sparkled around his face as he shook his head wildly. Perhaps tears were being scattered. Haren smiled faintly and jokingly replied that was quite a frightening thing to say.

They couldn't talk for long. They had to quickly form a strategy, and how far had that discussion progressed? Bang! A thunderous sound rang out.

[So you dare stand against me after all.]

The four-horned Dium shot its fingers like shells again. It was a powerful attack that cratered the ground, and then black energy swept through the area, clearing away the smoke screen's fog. Though its body was small like a human's, its power was terrifying.

The Dium's hands had completely recovered by now. From the cleanly cut wrists, swoosh, they regrew and it swept back its hair with its restored hands.

[Do you really believe these humans you protect are worth such devotion?]

The Dium asked as if it truly couldn't understand. Even after seeing the mountain of corpses here and learning there were traitors who had brought them directly, why would they choose to fight such a dangerous battle?

This would be a common hero's dilemma where such contradictory situations cause confusion in values. But because Haren had already guessed the existence of traitors, he remained calm, and because what moved him wasn't some grand cause, he didn't fall for the Dium's manipulation.

Because what he protected was just the value of his mother's sacrifice. So having confirmed the existence of humans who would damage that, he would be even less likely to back down.

"It's clear that taking your hand would be even more worthless, isn't it?"

Haren answered with a bright smile. As he finished speaking, he rushed at the four-horned Dium and the real battle began, with his companions quickly dispersing.

The strategy was simple. While Haren kept the four-horned Dium occupied, the rest would go destroy the cores. Considering there were three three-horned Diums in the cave, it was an extremely tricky task, but fortunately they had special magical tools.

[Doppelgangers?]

[Tsk. Using strange tricks.]

Among the artifacts Beatrice had left was a kind of doppelganger magic that created illusions of the user. There were only two, so Kalterik and Mela shared them, and now there were ten copies of each in the cave. Though limited by only being able to imitate half the original's abilities and disappearing after one hit, it was enough to confuse the Diums.

And another means of stopping the Diums' attacks was in Noi's hands. He held a small glass bottle full of plants. It was a terrarium. It was something prepared to use his ability even in places like this cave where life force was hard to find and spatial constraints were great.

Creeeeak– Plant stems rose up over the glass bottle and gradually thickened. The vines that instantly grew huge caught the Diums' feet.

[Kuaak, get rid of the fairy first!]

"Where do you think you're going!"

"You won't touch Noi!"

"Huaaaap!"

When a three-horned Dium thrashed and ordered, Kalterik blocked it. The copies seemed to have perfectly replicated even the original's personality as they were all equally noisy. Ugh, ten Kalteriks. He looked around the cave where their shouts echoed with disgust.

Though everyone was fighting hard, unfortunately he was excluded due to his poor condition. Since his role had originally been to identify and inform about the cores' locations in the Encroachment Zone, he had done his part, and his companions didn't particularly assign him any other roles either.

So he was now quietly tucked away in a corner. Fortunately, the ring he had been forced to buy at Lara Workshop had a stealth effect, which was very welcome. A three-horned Dium passed right in front of him without noticing.

Phew, he caught his breath while crouching. His consciousness kept trying to flicker and fade. To be in this state just from crossing the boundary once, if the map changed again he might never return. Why was he the only one like this when all his companions were fine?

"Those corpses were all sacrifices..."

He muttered quietly, if only to hold onto his sanity. Actually just before, when the four-horned Dium had thrown the corpses beyond the boundary, his companions had been angry but he had only been puzzled. Wondering why they wouldn't use those corpses as zombies. Rather than throwing them away, if they had raised them as zombies, his companions would have had a much harder time.

And he had heard that those killed by Diums became zombies, so why hadn't they become zombies? Because their souls had disappeared, used in rituals to revive Dedium? Something felt unsettling but he couldn't think clearly. Getting increasingly dizzy, he finally gave up trying to reason and just leaned his head diagonally against the wall.

Just then, the sound of the four-horned Dium's laughter rang out from over there.

[Hahaha, I look forward to telling our god about you. How pathetic was the end of those who stepped forward claiming to carry on that foolish human's will!]

"Do you believe Dedium can revive? The energy gathered by the western ritual master is gone too, and now only one Encroachment Zone will remain."

Haren responded very calmly. He naturally spoke assuming cases where they would destroy each other. One corner of the Dium's mouth rose crookedly.

[Of course. Though you pitifully wouldn't know, our god is already preparing to awaken. Though the wicked seal still interferes, eyes will open soon, and once we find 'that', our god will finally become whole.]

"...That?"

[Haha, what use is there in you knowing? It would be better for you to beautifully close your eyes knowing nothing. This is the only consideration I can give you!]

Kwagwagwang! As the Dium waved its hands, its fingers flew and exploded as if scattered. Haren calmly jumped around the cave, skillfully avoiding the attacks. Though shells exploded enough to fill the entire floor, he lightly leaped high into the air.

Though this repeated pattern from before didn't come across as threatening to him at all, it seemed the Dium's original purpose had been to get Haren airborne to create an opening.

[And you, you seem to be injured right now.]

The Dium's newly regrown fingers suddenly lengthened and aimed at Haren's abdomen. His mind went blank at the fingers shooting sharply as if to pierce through him.

Swoosh–! Though his vision was dizzy from vertigo, the attack aimed at Haren appeared all too clearly, and thinking he had to block it, he immediately summoned and sent undead. It was an act following the judgment that Haren would have difficulty avoiding the attack while in mid-air.

Stagger, the Dium was pushed back half a step by the suddenly appearing undead. Though he felt relieved at the attack barely missing Haren, then the Dium turned to look exactly where he was and sighed. Their eyes met directly.

Ah, his stealth had been seen through.

Crack, the ring split as if its power was spent. Just as he was regretting acting too rashly, the Dium's whole body trembled. It seemed an overreaction to just that small interference.

[You.]

Its completely black eyes with no distinction of whites grew as if about to pop out. The Dium shouted, filled with rage, no, perhaps ecstasy.

[You've come back!]