This World Needs a Hero

Chapter 313:

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HELHEIM SCANS

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Larze's confident words caused a stir in the cockpit.

"A way to strike back?"

Could there really be such a clever strategy in this dire situation?

All eyes, filled with hope, turned to Larze, who responded with a confident grin.

She stood up abruptly and positioned herself in the centre of the cockpit.

"The enemy believes our goal is to break through to the 50th sector as quickly as possible, so they’re doing everything they can to slow our advance."

It was an attitude that, while slightly irritating, inspired confidence.

The hero chuckled and added his voice to the conversation.

"That's right."

"Now, let's think a little more flexibly."

Snap-

As Larze snapped her fingers, the screen that had been showing the outside world shrunk, and a holographic map of the 48th sector appeared before everyone's eyes.

"They believe our objective is to break through. But what if it isn't?"

"What?"

"What if there was another plan hidden within the plan?"

Larze smiled mischievously.

Half-convinced hero spoke up as he glanced at the spot where her gaze lingered.

"A stake?"

"You’d understand right away, having seen Zero’s memories."

"No way…."

"Exactly. There was a similar moment, wasn't there?"

At her words, a scene flashed through his mind.

The moment when the Demon King and ??? were engaged in a decisive battle.

Zero had used all his strength to infiltrate with a stake.

Then, he overloaded the core where demonic energy had accumulated, blowing away half the city and the two exhausted absolutes.

"An explosion of the core…."

Hearing this, Cuculli raised her hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?! Isn’t it impossible for anyone but demons to handle the core?"

Larze affectionately patted her on the head, her hand skillfully navigating between Cuculli's sharp horns, and continued her explanation.

"Yes, it’s difficult for humans to handle."

Indeed, it was so.

For centuries, humans had tirelessly researched the secrets of the core, a device that absorbed the mana of nature and converted it into demonic energy.

They believed the reverse would also be possible if they could uncover its secrets.

But despite their countless efforts, humans ultimately failed to unravel the core’s principles.

'Except for Zero, of course.'

Only he could understand and manipulate the core’s workings, even if only slightly.

...The artificial core in the Sealed Forest was the result of that knowledge.

But after his sudden death, research on the core came to a standstill.

"But we have a homunculus who inherited Zero’s vision!"

All eyes in the cockpit turned to Izaro in the corner.

"……."

His expression stiffened awkwardly under his robe.

Of course, the knowledge Izaro possessed was incomplete.

No matter how much Zero had poured his heart into creating the homunculus, it could not fully contain all the powers and visions Zero had gained at the cost of his lifespan.

"But what if we add the power of Barrett Namsov, Izaro, and the greatest magician of the second era, who inherited the visions of the first era?"

Miracle, Larze.

The hero repeated her epithet in his mind.

"Are you saying you can replicate that explosion?"

"To some extent."

Lucas, who had been silently listening, raised his hand.

"But how is that going to strike a blow? The explosion would only occur after Avalon has passed, and since the enemy operates in small guerrilla units, would a demonic energy explosion really inflict any significant damage…?"

It was a sharp point, showing that his time after being discharged from the hospital had not been wasted.

But Larze merely wiggled her finger from side to side.

"Well, it would be nice if a few high-ranking demons got caught in the blast. But that’s not what we’re aiming for."

Snap-

Larze’s eyes turned a vivid blue as the screen changed again.

She shared her vision, enhanced by high-level magic.

The people stared at the screen, their eyes widening.

"…The 47th sector?"

"Why the 47th sector all of a sudden?"

The scene showed familiar terrain and writhing building mutants.

It was undoubtedly the 47th sector, which they had passed through a few hours ago.

As Ban frantically scanned the area with a desperate expression, those who belatedly noticed the change gasped in shock.

Larze chuckled.

"Yes, it's clean, isn’t it?"

"Oh…."

The 47th sector was clear.

There were still some residual dark energies, but it looked no different from the outskirts of the cursed lands.

The nauseating, thick, demonic energy fog was nowhere to be seen.

Larze’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

"Those bastards. They're collecting the demonic energy after we pass and sending it to the next sector. They need time until the descent ritual is complete anyway, so they’re using it to block our path."

Over the past few weeks, the large-scale movements of demonic energy had already proven that demonic energy could move freely between cursed sectors.

The hero nodded and muttered.

"So they're planning to gather all the demonic energy at the 50th sector when the time comes and use it for the descent ritual."

"Exactly. Until then, the demonic energy is being used as a strategic weapon."

Larze switched the screen back to the 48th sector in front of them.

Ssshhhhh-

Avalon’s hull was slowly entering the black rain pouring down from the demonic energy clouds.

Gulp-

The sound of simultaneous swallowing echoed through the cockpit.

"My God…."

It was difficult to see due to the darkness, but the bizarre phenomena in the 48th sector were revealed with each flash of lightning.

Rumble-!

In the brief flashes of light, the raindrops sparkled like shards of black glass.

The horrific and overwhelming sight left everyone silent and fearful.

But Larze’s voice remained cheerful.

"Alright, now I’ll explain the essence of the operation, so focus."

As she finished speaking, Larze raised her hand.

At the same time, a fireball the size of an adult’s head appeared at her fingertips.

Her slow but clear voice continued.

"Magic materialized with mana, its fuel is the mana in the atmosphere."

Larze then pointed at the screen, which showed the black rain.

"The explosion caused by overloading demonic energy, its fuel is demonic energy itself."

"Ha…."

"In simple terms, demonic energy is the oil, and the explosion is the fire. After it burns, what’s left is, well… just smoke and ashes."

Larze’s eyes shone intensely like stars for a moment, allowing no room for disagreement.

Everyone’s gaze focused on her lips.

"Our objective in this operation is to vaporize the demonic energy they’ve painstakingly gathered."

Only then did the people understand what Larze meant by "striking back."

It wasn’t just a strike.

It would be a fatal blow.

Cheers and applause erupted from various parts of the cockpit.

The magicians who already followed Larze were now gazing at her with nearly worshipful eyes.

However, the explanation was not yet finished.

“Of course, there are a few prerequisites,”

Larze said, for the first time losing the smile on her face.

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Sensing the seriousness, the others fell silent, though some had already guessed what she was about to say.

“First, a small team must secretly infiltrate the stake. That part should be easy. The demons are entirely focused on stopping Avalon’s advance, so they won’t even consider the possibility that we might be targeting the stake instead.”

A small team.

The listeners mulled over those two words in their minds.

“The problem is, as Duke Wellington mentioned earlier, the explosion must happen after Avalon has passed through the 48th District.”

A cold silence descended upon the control room.

“Wait…”

“Exactly. Someone, whether me or Izaro, will have to stay behind to trigger the explosion. And a few warriors will need to stay with us to fend off the demons, who will undoubtedly swarm us as soon as they realize what’s happening.”

“……”

Larze looked around the room with calm eyes.

“I won’t lie and say this is a safe operation.”

Even in the best-case scenario, where the demons’ interference was minimal and there was enough time to escape before the core exploded, it wouldn’t change the fact that they’d be stranded in the heart of the demonic realm.

“Avalon will already be far away by then.”

But even with all these risks and sacrifices, this was an operation that was hard to refuse.

The benefits would be enormous if the plan succeeded and the core absorbed and exploded with the 48th District’s demonic energy.

First, the immense loss of demonic energy would further weaken the Demon King’s descent.

Moreover, with the demonic energy destined for the 49th District gone, breaking through to the 49th District would become much easier.

There was even a chance that more than just half of the forces would make it to the 50th District, as initially expected.

…Though the team would be sacrificed.

“So, Captain?”

Larze looked at the Hero with an expression that showed she was curious about his decision, leaving him with a final word.

“Please give your orders.”

The Hero remained silent, staring at the holographic map deep in thought.

He finally spoke just as the black rain of the 48th District began to batter Avalon’s barrier.

“Very well. We’ll adopt the operation.”

His unusually decisive acceptance left some with puzzled expressions, but the Hero continued in a firm tone, making it clear he wouldn’t entertain any objections.

“From now on, we’ll select the team.”

* * *

The selection of the team was quicker than expected.

All the members were volunteers, and the Hero personally approved them.

There was significant dissatisfaction regarding the selection, but there was no time to argue further.

“Everyone, to your positions!”

As Avalon fully entered the center of the 48th District, the demons, as Larze had predicted, launched their attack with small but powerful guerrilla forces.

Scree-e-eech—

Boom!

Purple demonic shells rained down on Avalon from beyond the demonic clouds.

The demons' strategy was clear: bombard the barrier with long-range demonic artillery to weaken it and then land on the deck when they saw an opportunity.

In the demonic energy-laden clouds, they had an almost infinite ability to recover demonic energy.

They planned to pour all their firepower into overwhelming the warriors and then devour the remnants of the team.

“A ground battle will break out soon. Defend yourselves as best you can, but conserve your strength!”

On the human side, the focus was on defending critical equipment.

As the barrier shrank, Avalon’s exterior became exposed.

Crash! Boom!

The turrets were destroyed one by one.

All the equipment, except for the main cannons and detection systems, began to suffer damage.

The once smooth and sturdy armor was torn apart and corroded by the rain.

Yet, not a single person’s expression wavered.

‘It’s fine as long as we keep moving.’

Their only focus was on enduring, drawing all attention, and pushing through the 48th District, remembering their mission amid the chaos.

The deafening sounds of shells striking, the vibrations, the flashing warning lights, the ear-splitting alarms, and the endless sound of rain.

Amid this turmoil, the Emperor looked at the leader of the team.

It was nearly time for the team to be deployed.

“…I’ll entrust this to you.”

In the Emperor’s hand was an artifact that had been passed down through the imperial family—a gift from Zero to the first Emperor, who had been his friend.

It was an artifact that had protected the Emperor, the human rallying point, from countless assassination attempts by demons and their collaborators.

The selected members stared in awe at the legendary artifact.

Unlike a typical crown adorned with various sizes of diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds, this crown was made entirely of an unknown pale-white mineral.

However, intricately detailed magic circles were etched into its non-reflective surface in fine patterns.

Its name was the Crown of Governance.

The artifact created a formidable concealment field that protected its owner and those nearby.

The Emperor slowly extended her hand and placed the crown on the leader's head.

The strange scene, resembling a throne transfer, left the people in the chamber holding their breath.

“As only the imperial bloodline can activate it, I must apologize for activating it now.”

The jewels on the crown shone brightly for a moment, illuminating the surroundings.

When the light faded, there was nothing—no trace, no presence.

The Emperor clenched her teeth and stared at the empty space as she spoke.

“You have 30 minutes. Reach the stake by then.”

“……”

“You stubborn fool. You idiot.”

At the moment the Emperor, unable to contain herself, spat out curses, forgetting all decorum—

Clang—

The hatch opened with a hiss of compressed air.

Simultaneously, a low voice came from the empty space.

“Don’t worry.”

Ten seconds passed.

The Emperor stood still, gazing at the black rain before turning away.

Clang!

The hatch closed.

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