SSS-Knight in a Hero World

This was a hard sight to stomach.

Seeing Judas and Kerio fight against a villain many times their size and weight was rather difficult.

Judas was the only one putting up a direct fight, while Kerio stayed back, opening surprise zipper potholes to trip the villain's steps.

At last, Judas managed to grab hold of the villain's arm, clinging to it like his life depended on it.

"Get off me, brat!" the villain roared, swinging their arm wildly.

Slam!

The boy's body crashed into a tree, the impact making the wood shudder. No child his age should have to endure such a blow.

But even through the pain, Judas refused to let go. He squeezed his eyes shut, tightened his grip, and focused with everything he had. And then.

Ferris watched on in disbelief.

Judas lost consciousness and fell to the ground, while the 'villain' staggered backward before falling and rolling around the dirty grass.

Covering his mouth, Ferris leaned his back against a tree while he watched the spectacle before him.

Eventually, the 'villain' went limp for a few moments before moving again.

They kneeled and hunched over before raising one of their hands.

A buildup of essence? Ferris narrowed his eyes, but it was obvious what was about to happen.

Stab!

The 'villain' drove their straightened hand straight into their own chest. Their screech tore through the mountainous forest, sharp enough to make the air tremble.

Unfortunately, that stab wasn't enough as a new set of tissue quickly regenerated around the lodged hand of the 'villain', almost fusing.

Forcefully taking their hand out, the 'villain' continued to repeat the process.

Sometimes they slowed down as if the pain was getting to them, but then suddenly sped up with new vigor.

Just like Ferris, Kerio could only watch in horror.

And thankfully, Judas's sister was covering her ears and eyes in front of the sight.

Stab!

Stab!

. . .

STAB!

...Ferris couldn't help but make a disgusted expression.

The 'villain' ripped their own heart out, lifting it into the air.

But there was something strange about it that Ferris noticed. That heart didn't look like it belonged to a human...

Ferris wanted to think of an appropriate comparison, but there was nothing to compare that heart to.

It looked dry and wet at the same time, and it was nearly a perfect sphere shape. Its texture was rough and filled with layered shell-like skin and countless holes that were almost like a beehive's nest.

After a second, the 'villain' collapsed, and at the same time, Judas woke up and began vomiting his guts out in pain.

No child, or even an adult, could willingly kill themselves in order to achieve victory.

But that assumed if they were raised normally.

Judas wasn't, it seemed.

Around a minute passed by before Judas could finally forget about the pain and regain his mental strength. "L-lets go..."

Grabbing his sister's arm, they were about to continue running down the mountain.

But Kerio stopped. He was looking at the motionless child with a worried face. "B-but shouldn't we—

"Forget about him, we can finally escape!" Judas cut Kerio off with a raised voice.

Kerio swallowed his emotions and followed the advice given to him.

They survived... Ferris was about to run with them, but he stopped when something caught his gaze.

The villain's still alive.

This was Judas's own mistake. He assumed that human biology could be applied to whatever that deformed monster was.

Ferris saw the villain's heart start pulsating, secreting a mysterious honey-like substance that slowly made its way toward the open chest of the corpse.

Putrid essence... An aberrant? Ferris wondered, but what came next was even more surprising.

Trunks and flowers began to burst forth from the skin, taking control of the corpse, using the growing nature as a new skin and skeleton.

It was the same thing that happened to the kidnappers he killed around half a month ago, although this time it seemed as if this was a much more advanced transformation.

Failing to notice the transformation, the newly formed aberrant shot out sharp vines that lashed toward them.

And they quickly struck their mark.

Stab!

Ferris's entire body shook, his mind screaming at him to rush forward, to fulfill his duty as a knight and hero.

his sister screamed. "Judas!"

Perhaps because he had endured far greater pain only a minute ago, Judas barely seemed to react.

But this time, his reaction was not the same as with past wounds.

The strike had gone straight through his heart.

Judas clutched his chest, his strength leaving him as he sank to his knees.

With the last of his breath, he forced out a single word before collapsing. "…r-run."

He died, just like that? Dozens of thoughts went through his mind.

But Judas is alive! So why? Ferris almost assumed that he was talking to a ghost this entire time.

Seeing her brother's death, the sister fainted from the shock.

But Kerio remained awake, however he was frozen stiff which gave the aberrant an opening to exploit.

Stab!

Unfortunately, Kerio was also pierced by the aberrant's long-ranged vine attack.

Unlike Judas, Kerio's heart had been spared. The sharp vine had missed him by the narrowest margin.

Damn it! Ferris's gaze locked on the aberrant. Oh, how he wished he could have done something in that moment.

But there was no way to turn back time.

. . .

All of this is just memory, it's not really happening in the present. Ferris calmed down and carefully thought about what to do now.

. . .

Then he noticed something strange.

Judas just died, so why is this memory still playing? Ferris rubbed his chin, his fingers brushing against his lips in thought.

. . .

After a while, Ferris dragged his mind to a conclusion.

I see... So that's what it was...

Boom!

Ferris quickly glanced at the source of the large sound.

It was the person with a sword he saw from a little while ago.

He's fighting that aberrant, a hero then?

Looking at the hero closely, he noticed the strange suit that the hero was wearing.

Metallic, and a sleek design that facilitated agility and speed.

And a helmet that completely covered the face, leaving no gaps.

Knowing his old world's armor design, the one he was currently seeing would be a convincing futuristic version of it.

That aberrant easily died to a child, where is their strength coming from? Ferris saw that the aberrant was easily contending with the strange hero in the clash.

They were in a stalemate, wood against steel and steel against wood.

To quickly break off from the engagement, the hero did something quite unexpected.

Paralyzing essence gaze.

Essence blade.

"!!!"

Despite the swift cut, the aberrant's wooden armor was simply too strong for the essence blade to go through.

And so, all the kinetic energy from the slash didn't go to the cutting. Instead, it went off to blast the aberrant far away.

The strange hero readied his legs before jumping in pursuit, leaving Ferris completely in the dust.

And just like that, they were gone.

Another one from my world, first Evening and now this?

A headache began to form, distracting him from Kerio who walked through his body like an apparition.

The child was carrying the body of Judas.

Right...

Ferris focused on the mission again and followed Kerio.

They stopped in front of the motionless body the aberrant had been carrying.

Kerio flipped the body over, pressing his ear against their chest, listening for any faint sign of life.

After a long moment, he pulled back. Then—without hesitation—Kerio unleashed his blessing in full.

This is… Kerio's true blessing?

The air seemed to twist as his power spread. With it, Kerio peeled open the inside of the child's head, layer by layer, exposing what should have been hidden.

Then, he turned and did the same to Judas.

Ferris had no words for what he was witnessing. He could only watch.

Kerio reached deep into Judas's mind and pulled something free.

It looked like an orb of light, seemingly fragile yet impossibly dense and weightless at the same time.

Without hesitation, he pressed it into the other child's head.

Then, with a shudder, Kerio unfurled his own head. From within, he pulled a second construct, similar in shape and glow, and placed it beside the same body.

Once both were inside, he sealed the child's head shut.

Soon after doing that, Kerio died because the force that moved his life disappeared.

Only at that moment did the memory truly end.

The entire mountain burned to ash, and Ferris was now surrounded by complete emptiness.

. . .

Ferris closed his eyes. Outwardly, he looked calm, but inside every muscle in his body was tense.

He felt a strong presence stirring behind him "I've seen enough… now show yourself, Judas."

Turning slowly, his gaze locking onto a figure that looked like Judas.

"Are you really him?"