Not For You

The monster did not try to slow down, nor did he allow himself to simply continue on and hit a wall, he did not push on to break through another wall and escape from Superstes's sight.

He didn't do any of that.

His eyes fixated on the heroine, the hero he believed was to blame for what he had become, she didn't deserve the title the system had given her.

He only had one thing in mind.

Not his survival, but killing Superstes.

Mustering every bit of strength left in his uninjured arm and slammed it against the first obstacle he could find, the amount of strength he dragged out of the core of his very being stopped him from charging any further, sending him straight toward Superstes.

His entire arm was blasted to pieces under the strain, he didn't care nor did he notice.

The sudden divergence in path and the spike of speed took the heroine completely by surprise and the monster was able to slam head-on into her body.

Superstes had infused herself with as much golden energy as he possibly could in this instant, aimed solely to minimise the damage.

As though he had slammed into something other than a person, the monster was pushed back as well, like two balls thrown at each other in midair by two people of the same strength.

The monster looked at the hero, he didn't even try to stand up for now, fully convinced that the blonde girl, with her weak frame wouldn't stand back up from this.

He had held her in his hand prior, he knew that she didn't have the constitution to resist such a dreadful blow, at least not without suffering lethal wounds.

She stood back up.

As steadily and certainly as the sun rises in the morning.

The monster stumbled back to his feet, shocked beyond what words could describe, he was certain to have felt the distinctive sound of many, many bones breaking!

The hero puked a stream of blood, comforting him in the idea that he had damaged her in a meaningful way.

Still, why was she standing? Why wasn't she trembling? How could she remain as able as before the blow? 

She didn't have the body language of someone with so many broken bones or someone whose internal organs had definitely taken a beating.

"Come on, we are nearing the end of our little scuffle" Superstes had a deranged smile, making even the abomination take a step back.

"You... You have nothing of a hero! What is your problem?! Why you? You weren't there when that thing was devouring us! We had to fight for ourselves..." the many voices were clear, as though each of those voices were coming from different people rather than a singular creature.

"...But we are weak! Look at what he had to resort to!" roaring their wrath, the monster lunged forward, his running off from missing limbs, he would reach Superstes in a few more seconds.

"I have nothing of a hero? I don't have much, but I do have this" a sword manisfested in her right hand, which was instantly imbued with gold, the glowing blade extended in the same instant, cutting straight through the monster and the houses behind.

The monster's head fell to the ground, his knees gave in and touched the ground, soon follow by his chest as his body fell forward.

For once, Superstes bothered to listen to the system confirming her kill, curious about this monster's true nature, although it seemed fairly obvious by now.

*You have slayed 'Coalescence Of Hope'* 

'Well, that isn't the clearest name-' usually, it was left at that, most people wouldn't even get that much, Superstes had only gotten to get as much ever since she had be designated as a hero, and it didn't have the politeness of telling her that she had gained experience.

Just like when she had defeated the crippled skeleton and received Slaughter Lord's Mastery, the system decided to be more talkative this time.

*The Coalescence Of Hope was born after a young boy, who firmly believed the hero would liberate them from the monsters*

*His hope was so bright and powerful, that even when his remains were fed to Sovereign Of Flesh and that he became fuel for her creations, it lived on through one of the mass-produced meat slimes*

*His will was distorted however, when he came back to his hometown, he assimilated the other inhabitants, all of their hope merged into one, shaping the flesh granted by Sovereign Of Flesh into something else*

*Together, they slayed the monsters overlooking their city and have remained in protection of their home until now*

'Sounds like a fairy tale' Superstes didn't think much of this little story the system had decided to share with her for some reason.

Did it do this because this monster was linked to one of the Obsidian Queen ministers?

In any case, Superstes was more interested by what she had just done, she had just done the infusing and extending in a single action, with incredible ease as well.

She had done it as easily as she breathed.

Calling her golden energy forth, it felt like it flowed faster and was purer than before.

'Did I just do something great?' she tilted her head and sighed, turning back to the guild.

The place was full of holes now but was still standing proudly, she hadn't had time to do what she had come for yet.

She needed to try and get more information on Axiolypito.

She began walking in the guild's direction, one that hadn't seen what had transpired before wouldn't even suspect that Superstes had received fractures and been struck so hard her organs had been swung around her insides.

In fact, the damage was already minimalised, the golden energy that constantly flowed through every parts of her body mended her bones and healed her wounds at all times.

She didn't even need to focus on healing for it to happen, with the new state of her energy, it was even faster.

She looked at her clothes, which had been ruined.

Good thing she had switched her actual clothes for that of the hanged man, she wouldn't have to go around looking like she had fought bears with her bare hands.

'Alright, let's go-' just as she was approaching the guild, something slashed across her back.

Another monster had arrived.