177 My Heart Died

177.

What should I do?

Should I just run away?

But that’s clearly a choice that has the road to ruin waiting for me.

It’s confirmed that I’ll be saddled with astronomical debts, even if it’s not the full amount.

I still have All-Canceller left.

With All-Canceller and Brave Sword, there might still be a chance to defeat them.

Thinking that, I changed out of my clothes torn by Overdrive.

,Riel-ssi, if they show up again, use All-Canceller right away. And then, don’t hesitate to get out of there. This time… I might lose.”

,B-but I can’t do that…”

,Jeff’s goal is my body, so even if I lose, it won’t be the end right away. Hide and come save me. That makes sense, right?”

,A-alright. If that situation comes, I’ll definitely save you.”

Riel-ssi is nodding with a serious face.

I said that, but my real intention was just for Riel-ssi to avoid danger.

Those bastards who are trying to turn me into a living doll are unlikely to just let Riel-ssi go, since she boasts almost the same level of cuteness as me.

Whether Bonaparte and Jeff were watching nearby, or monitoring through dolls or magic, they reappeared as soon as Overdrive was deactivated.

,All-Canceller!”

My fate depends on this one All-Canceller.

Riel-ssi, who cast All-Canceller on me, immediately ran to the alley behind Warehouse 3.

,Hmm, you’re thinking of sacrificing yourself for your comrade. How touching.”

,I’m enough on my own. Dealing with trashy guys like you is nothing!”

Bonaparte had a new doll beside him.

A silver doll, in contrast to the black No. 99.

Is that Bonaparte’s hidden card?

The duration of All-Canceller isn’t that long. I haven’t measured it exactly, but it feels like about 15 minutes?

I have to finish them all off within that time.

My mouth feels a little dry.

,Go! My ultimate masterpiece, Combat Doll No. 102!”

The silver doll with blades instead of hands rushed at me. It seems Bonaparte’s basic combat style is to have the doll take the front line and analyze the opponent from the rear with his unique analytical skills.

,Haa!”

I desperately parried the combat doll’s blades. I don’t have much time. The game over condition is time, not HP.

I need to take down this doll as quickly as possible, and then the remaining two guys…

Huh?

Bonaparte is standing far back behind me and the doll, exchanging sword strikes at a rapid pace.

Jeff, who was definitely there with him, is gone.

Is he hiding because he’s too weak for this level of fight?

Or…

There was no time to think about that. As expected of the ultimate masterpiece of the highest authority in doll magic, the combat doll’s fighting power was considerable.

,Giga Thunder!”

Plus, Bonaparte is providing magic support from the rear.

But I can’t afford to pay attention to every single restraining attack spell. Even if I take damage, it’s more important to finish this quickly right now.

,Haaap! Whirlwind Slash!”

The combat doll’s limbs were twisted at strange angles by the whirlwind-like sword strikes. No matter how strong it is, it’s just a doll. It’s nothing in the face of a true hero’s power.

Alright, I suppressed the doll while keeping Brave Sword intact. I pointed my sword at Bonaparte and charged without hesitation.

,Hey, Hero! Stop!”

It’s Jeff’s voice. It’s coming from the side of Warehouse 3.

The direction Riel-ssi… ran away in.

,Uueup!”

Jeff was holding onto the struggling Riel-ssi. His thick arm was brutally squeezing Riel-ssi’s slender neck.

,Riel!”

,Hehe, don’t move, Hero-nim. Unless you want to see your cute comrade’s neck snap.”

‘Damn it…’

I frowned at the despicable trick.

I should have expected this much…

Even while captured, Riel-ssi was desperately shaking her head.

,Now, put down your weapon and take off all your clothes. And wait in that state. Until that suspicious skill ends.”

,…Promise me you won’t touch Riel-ssi.”

,Ah, I will. As long as I can achieve my goal. We won’t harm that nun-yang.”

I slowly placed Abyss Sword on the ground. And I started taking off my clothes one by one as they demanded.

,Hehe, what a great body. It’s a body worth dedicating your life to as a man.”

I became naked. With my arms raised and even the freedom to hide taken away, I had to be defenselessly exposed to Jeff’s gaze, which was scanning my entire body as if licking it.

,It’s about time. Hero, stop.”

Bonaparte seemed to know the duration of All-Canceller quite accurately. Hearing his command, I was deprived of the freedom to move my body.

Bonaparte picked up Abyss Sword, which I had put down, and examined it before saying.

,Hmm, this is quite a good sword. Alright, I’ll take this as my share too. Is that alright, Jeff?”

,Ah, I don’t care. As long as I can have this hero. You can do whatever you want with the rest, Master.”

Jeff and Bonaparte were master and disciple. My body was deprived of its will, but the sensations coming in through my eyes and ears were still being felt by me.

Bonaparte handed me a knife, leaving me empty-handed. And he ordered.

,Now, stab her. Your former comrade, the nun-yang.”

What?

As the knife in my hand got closer, I could vividly see Riel-ssi’s pupils dilating with fear.

The blade easily pierced through the thin nun’s habit and soft skin, plunging into Riel-ssi’s body. A terrible sensation was transmitted through my hand.

I can feel Riel-ssi’s body wriggling through the blade. It was a sensation I didn’t want to feel.

My blood-soaked hand finished the stabbing action and remained still. It was impossible to tremble in shock or scream in anger. I was just watching and feeling.

Riel-ssi, finally released from Jeff’s grasp, fell weakly. Her eyes, losing their vitality, seemed to see nothing.

,…It’s okay, it’s not Hero-nim’s fault…”

Riel-ssi, with her face on the cold floor, said no more.

,This means I kept my promise, right? The promise was that ‘we’ wouldn’t touch her. Hahaha.”

Move.

Please move.

Move so I can tear those disgusting bastards apart right now!

No matter how much I shouted inside, my body was no longer mine.

It feels like my head is burning. But the hot part was only the outer part of my heart. The me inside was thoroughly cooling down.

Like it was empty.

Is this reality?

No, it can’t be reality. It shouldn’t be reality.

Please, please let it not be…

No one answered me.

Only the terrible red things seeping out of Riel-ssi’s body lying on the floor were visible.

I can’t even turn my head as I please. I can’t even close my eyes.

I’m just watching with a heart about to burst.

Jeff and Bonaparte were looting the warehouse while cheering. Even during that time, I had to watch the dying Riel-ssi and feel my heart freezing over.

There’s a me that denies the scene from just now. There’s a me that wants to deny the scene from just now. There’s a me that wants to forget the scene from just now. There’s a me that says I must never forget the scene from just now.

Those multifaceted ‘me’s were cooling down faster and faster.

The reality that I couldn’t move my body was rapidly eroding my sense of reality.

As if a movie that I could see and touch was unfolding before my eyes.

Denial of reality. And stopping thinking. That might have been the only defense mechanism I could take.

Because there’s nothing more I can do anyway.

Or want to do.

========================================

,Now, isn’t it much better to decorate you like this than when you were running around with a sword? It’s like a slightly sexy wedding dress. Hehe, well, it’ll all be taken off soon anyway. But still, erotic costumes have a big impact on motivation.”

,Ahem, I have no intention of commenting on your tastes. There’s a more important fact than that. I found out while investigating the state just now.”

,What is it?”

,Do you remember that annoying skill that this hero was using?”

,Overdrive… was it?”

,Yes. As far as I can tell, the source of that power isn’t magic. It’s the power of something greater. There’s no way to stop it. Right now, it’s stopped by my puppetry, but if he activates that skill again tomorrow, he’ll return to his original state.”

,T-then does that mean it’s only until today? I finally got to fuck him as I please?”

,No. Listen. I can’t stop the power itself. Not even with my puppetry, and probably not with any restraint in the world. But what’s needed to activate it is the power of the human heart.”

,The power of the heart…”

,Yes. To use an analogy, it’s like a fuse. I can’t stop the impact of the explosion, but I can stop it from being ignited. As long as I can keep him in this state with his heart turned off.”

,In other words, there’s no problem, Master?”

,Yes. That nun comrade seems to have been quite an important person to this hero-nim. Someone who kept his heart strong. Making the hero-nim kill his comrade was just a whim, but it turned out to be the best move. Well, I guess you could call it luck.”

,Well, even though luck is on our side, we’ll be living in hiding for a while. But still, these will be enjoyable days. As a man, that is.”

,Ah, I need to visit for about 3 days. The human heart is surprisingly resilient. I’ll give him a medicine to completely kill his heart.”

,Once that’s done, he’ll really be mine? Safely?”

,Yes. He’ll become a doll that can see and feel, but can’t move or think.”

,Then this is no longer a hero.”

,Yes. Just a meat doll. One you can play with as you please.”