I Will Eventually Embark On The Path Of No Return Called A Hero

[Arc5] - 55. The Vow to Protect Everyone

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"It's pitch black here." King moved forward, feeling his way through the darkness until a faint yellow light appeared.

"We're here…!"

As his eyes squinted from the sudden brightness, a long sword flew out from a blind spot, aiming for Elizabeth, who was rubbing her eyes behind him.

"Not a chance." King raised a finger, and his Spirit Spear intercepted the sword.

"I knew you'd use the Black Hound's powers to sneak into Liones."

A middle-aged man in armor, controlling his Spirit Spear, commanded the sword to fly back to his side. King recognized the familiar magic and froze.

[Why can't you trust humans, Harlequin?]

[Because they're just humans, a foolish race that fights endlessly for the same things every day of the year.]

[But humans also have cultures and thoughts that fairies lack, don't you know that?]

[I don't care to know. Don't trust them too much, or one day, you'll regret it.]

[If that time comes, I'll leave it to you to stop me, my dear friend, my king.]

You told me that with a smile, didn't you?

So I killed you back then, ending your suffering in the only way I could.

I couldn't protect anyone—not the girl I liked, not my sister, not the forest, not even my friends. If I'd protected even one of those things, I could have lived on in peace.

But I failed to protect anything, accomplished nothing.

So, have you returned to haunt me again?

"Helbram."

"Six… seven hundred years, Harlequin," Helbram said, as white smoke enveloped him. In front of King stood a slender fairy, though the middle-aged appearance he wore mirrored King's bulkier form.

"You grew wings? Just like you, they're only half-baked, but today, I'm not here for personal grudges." Helbram clapped, and countless Holy Knights, enough to challenge an entire nation, appeared in front of King.

"Hand over Princess Elizabeth and surrender."

"Captain, you and Princess Elizabeth should escape. Leave this to me." King stepped aside slightly, letting Meliodas and Elizabeth step forward.

"King, can you handle this?"

"Captain, worry about yourself instead. And go easy on Elizabeth when you make your escape."

"Hey! Are you really having a casual conversation in front of me?" Helbram raised his hand, and enormous vines erupted from the ground, whipping toward King.

"Wait, Helbram! Princess Elizabeth is still there!"

"I don't need your reminder! If this troublesome guy were easy to deal with, he wouldn't be such a problem!" Helbram looked up suddenly to see Meliodas, holding Elizabeth, flying through the air, just missing the vine's strike as they escaped.

"Go after Meliodas and Princess Elizabeth. Leave this [Sloth] to me!"

"No, none of you are getting past me."

Countless spear-like projectiles shot through the smoke, preventing any Holy Knights from approaching Meliodas and Elizabeth.

"Here's my chance!" Ignoring the Holy Knights assaulted by the projectiles, Helbram swung his hand, striking King with a vine that slammed him from building to building, eventually landing him on a clock tower.

"The Spirit Spear can only be one. Even if you could fully wield its power now, you can't defend both your captain and fight me at the same time."

Flying up to King's crumpled form on the clock tower, Helbram sneered, "Look at you. Were you in the same state when you knelt before the destroyed Fairy King's Forest?"

"It was much worse." King brushed the dust off, floating up slowly. The vine attack had only dirtied him slightly.

"What? Impossible… Damn it! Alright then, Holy Knights, give me all your magic power!"

Helbram's magic was [Link], allowing him to absorb multiple magic sources, theoretically making him infinitely powerful.

King calmly watched as Helbram swung the vine down. He was slammed from the top to the ground, the roots battering him like a hammer. It didn't hurt at all, but the deranged laughter of his old friend pierced his yet unhealed heart.

"Helbram, do you still wish to kill all humans?"

He couldn't forget it—the friend who loved humans slaughtering them with such cruelty. He understood Helbram's motives, leaving him no choice but to end it.

"Wish? I can't stop!" Helbram laughed maniacally, clutching his face. "I can't forget the cries of my companions, the brutal, meticulous torture humans inflicted on them, slowly plucking their wings, one by one."

"How could I ever be at peace without killing every last human?"

Helbram raised his hand, sending the Holy Tree Sword spinning like a saw toward King, who lay on the ground.

I see, you're still suffering, aren't you?

King stared calmly at the approaching blade, catching glimpses of the happy life they once had—his adorable sister, his smiling friend, the lively fairies, and the lush forest—all in the past now, like the failed king he once was.

It's time to say goodbye.

Just like the vice-captain said, I need to become a great king.

Before the blade reached him, the Spirit Spear appeared, deflecting it, shielding King.

"So you chose to abandon your captain to save your own life?"

"No, I'm a king who can protect everyone, so…" Before Helbram's astonished eyes, King's massive wings and body grew even larger, the Spirit Spear evolving as if fed by the Fairy King's magic.

"[To Protect All]—this is my vow."

The Spirit Spear had only one form, but the Fifth Form coexisted with the First, as branches from the Sacred Tree sprouted and grew!

"What is this?"

"This is the proof of a king. I'm sorry, Helbram." King looked calmly at him, his mature form oddly familiar yet foreign to Helbram.

Though his appearance had changed, King was still King—the kind Fairy King who wielded his power for others.

"My friend, forgive this useless king. This is all I can do… [Sunflower]."

The Spirit Spear sank into the ground, and a massive flower bloomed, its center radiating not life, but a light of destruction.

"This…" Helbram didn't see the light of destruction but instead, memories of his happy days.

No matter how many humans he killed, how fiercely he laughed, he found no joy. The fairy Helbram had died long ago, betrayed by humanity, the moment he harmed his first innocent human.

"I've decided to never lose anyone again, so…" King closed his eyes and lowered his hand. "Goodbye, Helbram."

"Goodbye, Harlequin."

Boom—!

A brilliant light tore across the sky, heralding the start of the battle.