Not All Heroes From Earth Are Bad [EN]: Chapter 251

Traversing the void, Choi Hyun-seok reflected on his memories.

‘What happened?’

He distinctly remembered launching a kick towards the Pope’s head.

Then, he momentarily locked eyes with the Pope.

When he regained consciousness, he was soaring through the roof of the Grand Temple.

‘Judging by the throbbing in my body, I must have been hit by something.’

His entire body felt numb.

It was a different sensation from the pain that followed using Flomot [a technique or ability].

It was definitely the aftermath of being struck by a powerful impact.

‘I don’t know exactly what it was, but it reacted instantly and sent me flying for sure.’

As the Pope, he expected him to have some hidden tricks, but he never imagined he could react at this speed.

It was a speed that even Choi Hyun-seok himself had difficulty perceiving.

“Hoo…”

He twisted his body in mid-air to correct his posture and catch his breath.

Before he knew it, the Pope, who had followed him out of the Grand Temple, was visible.

Only then did Choi Hyun-seok properly observe the Pope’s appearance.

Though hidden by his pure white robes, it was evident from his exposed skin that the Pope was emaciated.

He wondered how such a frail, elderly body, seemingly incapable of even running, had managed to block his attack.

“It is truly a bizarre fate. Wouldn’t you agree?”

After a moment of staring at each other, the Pope spoke first.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’m referring to the so-called Heroes. Are they not, in truth, beings who have already died once? It is the natural order to be reincarnated, yet they were deceived by a being called God and cast into this world.”

“Well, I can’t say you’re wrong.”

The Pope seemed to want to talk about Heroes.

Choi Hyun-seok decided to humor him.

After all, what was important now was to divert the Pope’s attention while buying time.

There was no reason to refuse the conversation.

“Choi Hyun-seok. Why do you fight? What are you doing this for?”

The Pope asked.

Why fight?

Why go to such lengths?

After a moment of contemplation, Choi Hyun-seok chuckled and shook his head.

“I have no choice. I’m a Hero, after all. It’s a Hero’s job to defeat villains like you and save the world.”

“Save the world? A mere facade. Nothing more than propaganda that demands only the Hero’s sacrifice.”

“What are you talking about? Stop beating around the bush and just say it.”

“You defeated the Demon King, yet you never questioned anything.”

A hint of disappointment laced the Pope’s voice.

Gazing at Choi Hyun-seok with cold, sunken eyes, he continued.

“True salvation. Eternal peace. All illusions. A pipe dream. Choi Hyun-seok, do you sincerely believe that such a paradise, which even children would doubt, will come to pass?”

“That’s…”

Choi Hyun-seok, about to say something, closed his mouth.

He wanted to refute it, but nothing immediately came to mind.

That was how accurately the Pope’s words struck home.

Choi Hyun-seok had been contemplating similar topics recently, so he knew.

‘Yeah. It’s a messed up world.’

It was simple at first.

The Demon King was absolute evil.

So, defeating the Demon King would bring peace.

But the reality was different.

Even with the Demon King dead, nothing had changed.

Rather, a more chaotic world had arrived.

‘Is this chaos simply because we didn’t exterminate the demons?’

Some might say this.

The world hasn’t changed because there are still demons.

As long as a new Demon King appears and demons follow him, peace will not come.

To quell the chaos, all demons must be killed.

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head.

‘No. The problem wasn’t the demons in the first place.’

He could say for sure.

The fundamental problem wasn’t the demons.

Even if all the demons disappeared from the continent, peace would not come.

Rather, wasn’t it the presence of demons that prevented peace among humans?

‘Then, if the Pope and Gatrein [likely a place or organization] fall, will peace come?’

At that moment, the Pope’s voice pulled Choi Hyun-seok from his reverie.

“You must be thinking now that I am absolute evil.”

“…”

“Even if I die, and Gatrein and the Theusis Order [likely a religious order] collapse, do you think peace will come to this continent?”

It was a sharp question that cut through him as if reading Choi Hyun-seok’s mind.

Choi Hyun-seok clenched his fist tightly.

“Yeah. Even if I defeat you, peace might not come. No, it won’t come. In time, a second Pope, a third Pope will appear one after another. Because crazy bastards exist anytime, anywhere.”

“Then even now…”

Choi Hyun-seok interrupted the Pope.

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to quit and go back.”

“You’re going to fight a meaningless battle?”

“I’m going to live a life faithful to the present.”

“Foolish.”

The Pope shook his head as if he couldn’t understand.

Choi Hyun-seok didn’t expect him to sympathize, so he let it go.

“Heroes are like this. How would a villain know a Hero’s heart?”

“That’s why it’s even more foolish. Why won’t you listen to the advice of someone who has walked the path before you?”

“What…?”

“Surely you haven’t realized it yet?”

Bewilderment flickered in Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes.

Someone who has walked the path before him.

That meant.

“You’re a Hero…?”

Pope Orban IV was a Hero.

That’s what he meant.

The Pope neither affirmed nor denied it.

He simply smiled bitterly and slowly retreated.

“Only a futile death awaits the foolish.”

“Wait!”

“Where are you going!”

Choi Hyun-seok had no choice but to step back as he tried to chase after the Pope.

The legendary Kinley Fusel and her companions, Gelling and Asmund.

The legendary trio of the Gatrein Holy Empire stood in his way.

‘Why is he running away when he has such power?’

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t understand.

The Pope’s momentary display of power.

It was clearly above that of an average legend.

Even though it was just one strike, Choi Hyun-seok, who had surpassed the physical abilities of a legend, was helpless even after using Flomot.

‘If he joins forces with the legendary trio now, they can easily take me down. But he’s deliberately running away? There must be a reason.’

Why was the Pope leaving as if fleeing?

There were two main reasons to speculate.

Either something had gone wrong, forcing him to leave.

‘Or he’s unable to fight.’

The Pope was elderly.

No matter how great his power, it wouldn’t be easy to fight with such an old body.

What if the Pope didn’t have the ability to fight continuously?

‘If I take care of this trio, I can finish off the Pope too.’

Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes gleamed.

The three of them were top-tier even among legends.

Moreover, they had been working together for hundreds of years.

No matter how superior Choi Hyun-seok’s physical specs were, he couldn’t easily guarantee victory.

‘And the riffraff are starting to gather. Even those guys can be troublesome if they band together.’

He could feel the rapidly gathering divine power.

Probably priests and paladins.

Choi Hyun-seok called them riffraff, but in reality, each one was an elite soldier.

If those people gathered and started creating synergy, they could quickly surpass an average legend.

‘What should I do? According to the plan, I need to buy time, but the more I do, the more disadvantageous this battle becomes. But if I fight too hard, my stamina will run out before I can fill the time.’

He couldn’t give it his all.

He couldn’t hold back either.

As his worries deepened, Rachel’s voice reached him.

“Hero! Focus!”

“Huh?”

“First, we need to concentrate on dealing with the trio in front of us!”

“Ah, right.”

Rachel’s words brought him back to his senses.

Right. Now wasn’t the time to fuss over this and that.

The enemy in front of him wasn’t an easy opponent to take lightly.

“Shall we get started?”

Choi Hyun-seok took a stance and glared at Kinley Fusel.

***

“I’ll leave the rear to you, Sir Kinley Fusel.”

The Pope said as he retreated.

Kinley Fusel responded with a light bow.

In all honesty, she wanted the Pope to disappear quickly.

Being with him was uncomfortable in many ways.

However, the Pope, who had said he would leave the rear to her, didn’t leave and continued to say things that irritated her.

“Choi Hyun-seok is currently using body enhancement magic. Don’t try to defeat him by force, just buy time. It will be easier to win by depleting his stamina.”

“Yes.”

“You must never let your guard down and engage in battle as defensively as possible.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t put on airs and use everything you have. It’s best to think of the enemy as an overwhelmingly powerful being.”

“…Yes.”

“Then I’ll trust you and go.”

Contrary to his words of trust, the Pope looked at Kinley with distrust until the very end before retreating.

Kinley Fusel smiled fiercely and gritted her teeth.

“Now he’s openly disregarding me. Fine.”

After several failures.

The Pope’s trust in Kinley Fusel seemed to be hitting rock bottom.

He still seemed to respect her on the surface, but she knew.

She was only being used because there was no substitute.

If there was another part that could replace her, the Pope would have replaced her without a moment’s hesitation.

‘Well, maybe it’s for the best. He’s giving up the on-site command and just using me as a pure component, so it’s easier for me too.’

Thanks to that, Kinley Fusel stepped down from the position of operations manager.

Since some time ago, the commander-in-chief appointed by the Pope has been in charge of the command.

Kinley and her colleagues were reduced to being used as legendary chess pieces.

Thanks to that, she had to work with the unsettling Hero squad, but what could she do?

Originally, the loser follows without complaint.

‘The only good thing is that they’re considerate enough to keep me away from those crazy bastards, saying they’re taking care of me in their own way.’

The Hero Training Project.

Kinley didn’t like them from the start.

She felt uneasy when she first learned about the plan, but when she actually met the subjects, the discomfort became even more severe.

It was like a visceral aversion.

‘Those guys aren’t human.’

They all had empty eyes.

All they could do was mechanically destroy something.

Because of this, Kinley had intentionally excluded the Hero squad when she was commanding operations.

‘Those guys must be fighting outside the capital by now, so I need to finish things here as much as possible to avoid running into them.’

As she roughly sorted out her thoughts, Kinley gripped her hammer tightly.

Just in time, she could see the other side taking a stance, as if they were ready to fight.

Kinley smiled fiercely.

“The game of tag is over. Forget about the idea of being able to escape.”

“Escape? Me?”

Choi Hyun-seok pointed at himself with a dumbfounded expression.

“Why would I run away from the No-Hope Trio?”

“No-Hope Trio? What does that mean?”

“It means three idiots.”

“You…!”

She knew it was a pointless provocation, but her blood pressure rose without her knowing it.

Everyone was busy ignoring her.

Kinley spat out as if chewing.

“Are those your last words…?”

“No. When I think about it, you guys use the word ‘legend’ too casually. It doesn’t have any weight. No weight. I’ll make up a suitable one for you this time.”

Choi Hyun-seok opened his mouth as he stroked his chin and pondered.

“After all, the No-Hope Trio suits you well. Or the Hopeless Three Stooges is also good.”

“I’ll tear that wicked mouth of yours!”

Kinley shouted and kicked off the ground.

Her companions scattered to the sides in accordance with her movement going straight ahead.

Three legends flying at a terrifying speed.

The man standing at their destination, Choi Hyun-seok, smiled with satisfaction.

“After all, trash talk is the best when it’s childish.”

Such vulgar provocation is much more effective than awkwardly scratching their nerves.