blogombal Page 235
Page 235
"Whether you use me as experimental material, as a sex slave, or even force me to play the Lent card, in short... a bright, pure, and powerful human like me is the best breeding ground for magic for you, isn't it?"
The dark mage's lips twitched a few times: "No matter how you look at it, surrendering can never be considered honorable."
However, Mino's subsequent words did persuade him, and he seemed somewhat tempted.
In his mind, Artotai's voice echoed.
"My lord, are you really sure your feigned surrender plan will work on these treacherous black magicians?"
"There's no other way, this is the last resort." Mino looked around at the dozen or so dark mages, a sense of powerlessness rising in his heart.
Although he killed four dark mages in the blink of an eye, if he continued, he would only die in the blink of an eye.
"What I need to do now is to buy time, to buy time until your slowly accumulating holy power is enough to break the seal in my body... For this purpose, I have proposed a solution that they absolutely cannot refuse."
Thinking of this, Mino proudly raised his head:
"After all, capturing a hero like me—handsome, noble, unyielding, and pure—is the dream of every demon and dark mage!!!"
"Don't talk like you've been preparing your resume for years just to use it for this one moment!"
Over at the dark mages' side, the separated groups of dark mages gathered together, whispering amongst themselves. Then, one of the leading dark mages looked at Mino:
"Mino Warrior, are you saying you intend to surrender?"
“Yes.” Seeing that these dark mages had taken the bait, Mino perked up and stepped forward, patting his chest.
"I have a dream: to dedicate my life to the great cause of the Black Mage! For this, I am willing to offer up my precious and rare, strong body!"
"Ruin me as you please!"
The leading dark mage looked Mino up and down, stroked his chin, and nodded: "A good suggestion."
Mino's smile grew even brighter.
The plan is through——!
But the next moment, the leading dark mage's demeanor changed drastically, and his tone turned cold:
"But I refuse!!!"
Chapter 342 [The Death of Mino]
"Haha, I knew you guys would agree... Wait, what did you say?"
The laughter stopped abruptly, and Mino, realizing what had happened, froze.
"Didn't you hear me, Hero?"
The leading dark mage's lips curled into a sneer: "One of the things we dark mages love to do most is say no to self-righteous heroes like you!"
"Hey!!!" Mino was shocked:
"You have the face of a pathetic extra, yet you utter such distinctive lines. Did you get the wrong script?!"
"You're the one who got the wrong script, Mino the Warrior!"
The dark sorcerer's eyes turned cold:
"As the strongest hero in human history, the epitome of perseverance and indomitable spirit, the great human being whom the entire kingdom has bestowed upon you the title of 'torture' hero, would you really do something so utterly foolish... Do you think that's possible? Are you trying to fool us like we're foreigners?!"
Magical fluctuations once again gathered on the bent staff:
"If you're really going to give it away for free, then there's only one truth: you're faking it! You definitely have ulterior motives!"
"Not to mention, this is the order from that lord: you must die here today, no matter what!"
Turning his head, the dark mage commanded the others:
"Don't waste any more words on him, kill him immediately!"
Grass!
At that moment, Mino deeply realized how serious the consequences could be if one's persona was set too high.
If it were those great demons who had dealt with him for five months, they would definitely believe him without hesitation, but these psychopathic black magicians... completely unable to appreciate the perfect contrast between "hero + freebie"!
"Altoté, is it ready yet...?"
"My lord, hold on! Just a little more time! Give me just a little more time!"
The sword of Altotai was taut, almost unleashing its full potential, but both the previous battle and the current delaying tactics had only lasted a short time, and the holy power within it was far from sufficient.
"A little time?" Mino looked up, sensing the magical auras around him that were brimming with terrifying power, and he already had a judgment in his mind.
"I'm afraid it's too late..."
Swish-!
The next moment, all the lights flashed.
These cunning and treacherous dark magicians hadn't wasted their time; it was as if they had seen through their greatest weakness.
They condensed attack magic that was less powerful but had a certain degree of tracking ability.
No matter how sharp one's reflexes are, it's impossible to dodge successfully with physical speed without the enhancement of holy power.
More than a dozen dangerous beams of light first rose into the sky, then changed into countless tricky angles, crashing down on him!
Mino held his sword horizontally, his wrist trembling violently.
The tip of the holy sword Altotate vibrated three times in a short period of time, shattering several attacks aimed at the heart. The powerful recoil traveled along the blade, paralyzing Mino's right hand.
He suddenly twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the two attacks, but the magical aftershocks that landed on the ground immediately caused a violent shockwave, making him lose his balance.
And that's all Mino could do.
"——My Lord!!!"
boom!
A powerful impact suddenly exploded from the unconscious hand, nearly tearing the tiger's mouth apart. The holy sword in his hand was directly knocked away by the magic, drawing a cold arc in the air before being buried deep in the distant earth.
At this moment, a dense magical aura completely enveloped him.
Mino gritted her teeth, arched her body, and used her last strength to shield Mia in her arms beneath her.
Immediately afterwards, his limbs and internal organs exploded into horrific bursts of blood.
The scent of death lingered in the air...
"Hit a vital spot!!!"
"Success!"
The group of dark mages, who were most sensitive to life force, watched the hero's aura gradually weaken on the ground and trembled with excitement.
"The brave Mino has fallen at our hands!!!"
The leading black magician gripped his staff tightly, his face showing more disbelief than surprise.
"—We are the champions!!!"
The dark-skinned, extra-faced magician's eyes welled up with tears of emotion.
He was born ordinary, and he died ordinary; he was just an unknown dark mage. But being selected by the chief to participate in this operation made his entire life shine brightly. Just based on the memory of assassinating the hero Mino, he could live a proud life in the shadows with his head held high!
"The immortal hero is about to fall, and the demon of the abyss is born!"
He opened his arms wide with immense excitement: "Unless a miracle occurs, no one... can stop it!!!"
Miracles are impossible.
He remembered a long time ago, when he had personally asked that great chief what a true miracle was. Those deep, dark eyes pondered for a long time before finally giving him an answer he could understand:
"To come back from the dead is a miracle—"
……
Mino collapsed into a pool of blood, her eyes gradually dimming, and warmth slowly draining from her body.
He sensed death approaching:
"I miscalculated..."
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and managed a few breaths, but even more blood gushed from his lungs, his face gradually turning deathly pale from blood loss.
"Cough cough! If I had known, I would have killed a few more dark mages. That would have been... cough cough, cleaning up some trouble for Chief Lark."
Mino's vision gradually blurred, and she felt a lot of noise in her mind. It seemed that Altottai's sorrowful voice was constantly ringing out, but it was as if more voices were popping up in her mind, hazy and indistinct, and she couldn't make out what they were saying.
"Am I really going to die now..." Mino's consciousness was in a blur, and she only felt her eyelids were very, very heavy:
"But... it's not the first time I've died... I transmigrated to another world and never even saw the goddess... On the bright side, maybe I have the ability to rewind time... Hehe, that's probably impossible... But why..."
"I always feel like I...have died...more than once..."
With little time to think, Mino suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to take a nap.
Just then, Mino felt a warm breath on her nose. She lowered her head and realized that Mia, who was lying in a pool of blood beneath her, had woken up at some point.
"Bang... bang bang...?"
Mino's blood-stained face came into view, and the confusion in Mia's eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by deep panic and worry.
She anxiously sat up, trying to reach out her hands with a series of "ah ah woo woo" sounds, but she couldn't reach them no matter what she did.
"Mia...you woke up a bit early..." Mino grinned, forcing a smile. "It's not lunchtime yet..."
"Awoo! Awoo awoo!"
Large tears welled up in her eyes, and a thick mist clouded her vision. She had a feeling that the warm face before her was about to disappear completely.
"Huh, you're injured?"
The weak tone carried a hint of concern. Mino noticed a barely visible wound on Mia's delicate finger, which seemed to have been accidentally scratched on the previous altar, and was slowly oozing bright red blood.
Even though her own injuries were many times more severe, Mino could only see this tiny wound:
"That won't do. If Kleinna and her demons see this, they'll be heartbroken."
This was the last thing he could handle.
With the last of her strength, Mino grasped Mia's tiny finger and put it in her mouth.
Like morning dew gently kissing newly opened petals, a warm and gentle atmosphere flowed with the deep sunlight. In her hazy consciousness, Mino only remembered this method of stopping bleeding from her hometown.