World's Last Hope

After the saint cast his vote, countless others followed. In the end, it was decided: Eric, Aria, and the old man's niece would be the ones to attempt liberating the cathedral.

'I actually managed to pull it off! Though the addition of a third member was unexpected,' Eric thought to himself.

After a long and tedious discussion, it was concluded: there would be three attempts to liberate a cathedral from the god of life, and two from the god of the ocean.

"With this, I announce the end of this seasonal vote," declared the saint.

Eric stretched his body, feeling relief wash over him. "Ah, finally. How long did that take? Three hours? Four hours?"

"Come with me." Without waiting for a response, Aria suddenly grabbed Eric's arm and pulled him toward a private area.

Once they reached a secluded spot, she released his arm and turned to face him, her expression unreadable.

"Yes?" Eric asked cautiously. 'Did I do something to annoy her'? he wondered. 'She said she wanted to become a grandmaster, so this should be a perfect opportunity for her.'

"How did you do it?" Aria asked, her voice tinged with amazement.

"Do what?"

"How did you manage to outplay the grandmasters all by yourself? These old folks are much harder to read than most people."

Eric shrugged, a faint smile on his lips. "I have a knack for reading people's emotions. I learned at a young age the best ways to manipulate someone to get what I want."

"That's incredible!" Aria said, her astonishment evident. "And what about that claim of yours about being able to kill anything with a single cut? How did you manage to pull off a lie like that?"

Since Aria was the only person Eric trust in this world, he decided to explain how Flame Soul worked.

"So, basically, as long as you manage to make even the tiniest scratch on any enemy, the fire will eventually destroy their soul?"

"Yeah, that's how it's supposed to work," he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Not that I've been able to test it yet. There hasn't been a moment to breathe since I was summoned to this world."

"That's true," Aria agreed. "You must be beyond exhausted... What do you say we crash at my place?"

Eric froze, gulping audibly. 'Did I hear that right?'

"At your place?"

"Yeah, you don't exactly have your own place here or the money to rent a room, so we don't have a choice but to crash at my place, after all!"

"Sure, lead the way."

As Eric followed her, a faint smile appeared on his face.

'You could've just given me money to rent a place... not that I'm planning to say this out loud.'

*****

Aria's home was more like a palace. A large garden surrounded the property, complete with a pool and a team of servants tasked with keeping everything spotless.

As they entered her home, Eric noticed Aria's grandfather waiting for her. The old man's expression darkened the moment his eyes met Eric's.

And that was how Eric found himself sitting at a grand dinner table with Aria and her grandfather. The food was absolutely divine - whoever cooked it was undoubtedly a master of their craft.

Not only that, but Eric had the best view he could have hoped for: Aria sat across from him, dressed in an elegant white gown decorated with gold, her armor nowhere to be seen.

This could have been the best night of his life - if her grandfather wasn't constantly throwing dangerous glances his way.

After the meal, Eric was escorted to a luxurious guest room where he would spend the night.

As soon as he closed the door, he cursed himself.

'Of course, she didn't mean what I thought! I'm such a dumbass! And the way her grandfather looked at me… he must be full of doubt… not that I would blame him.'

Eric sighed heavily and sat on the bed. Then, he realized with dread that he had to take his armor off.

'Okay, this is going to hurt like hell. Better not scream like a baby - I don't want to attract any attention.'

Placing a hard cloth between his teeth, Eric bit down and began removing the armor. How bad could it be? Feeling like peeling off your own skin was unpleasant, sure, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle... right?

Thirty minutes later, Eric found himself on the ground, his forehead drenched in sweat, tears streaming from his eyes.

'THIS HURTS LIKE HELL!'

And the worst part? He was only halfway done.

Another thirty grueling minutes passed before he was finally free of his armor, now as naked as the day he'd arrived in this world.

'This is for my own good. Better to get used to the pain outside of combat rather than during it.'

Dragging his trembling, exhausted body to the bed, Eric collapsed and had the best sleep of his life.

The next morning, he was woken by a knock on the door.

"Eric, are you up?" Aria's voice came from the other side.

"Yeah, but don't come in! I'm still naked!" he called back.

"Then summon your armor and get ready. After breakfast, we're leaving for the cathedral."

"So soon?"

"Yes. When the fate of millions of people is on your shoulders, you can't waste time."

With a grunt, Eric pushed himself off the bed and summoned his armor. As he stood, his gaze shifted to the hologram display that constantly hovered in the corner of his vision.

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[Current Essence: 288]

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'I need to hurry.' Trying to push away the unpleasant thoughts he opened the door.

"Good morning!" Aria greeted him with a faint smile and a pleasant tone, easily the best wake-up Eric could have hoped for.

"Good morning!" he replied, feeling his spirits lift.

*****

After a quick breakfast, they prepared to leave - but not before Aria's grandfather cornered Eric. For thirty agonizing minutes, the old man detailed exactly what he would do if anything happened to his beloved granddaughter while they were in the corruption zone.

*****

They were standing in front of massive gates made of silver and decorated with gold.

'I guess this world has an abundance of these resources' Eric thought.

"So, this person we're supposed to meet - do you know her?" he asked, turning to Aria.

"Yes, she's usually a quiet person, but in combat, she's incredibly deadly. It's reassuring to have her around."

"So, you're the reason I'm going to the death zone? You're younger than I expected."

At the unfamiliar voice, Eric turned his head. A woman slightly taller than him stood there. She had black hair that reached her shoulders and striking purple eyes.

She appeared to be in her late twenties, wearing a dark uniform and black leather boots, which highlighted her pale, flawless skin.

Why do the people in this world look so good?! He quickly hid his thoughts and tried to compose himself.

Stretching his hand towards her he responded. "Hello, I am Eric, nice to meet you, to be honest this was the idea of your uncle not mine… um… what is your name?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, glancing at his outstretched hand, before reaching out to shake it.

"I'm Olivia. Nice to meet you. It was pretty funny seeing how angry my uncle was when he got back."

'Looking at her outfit, she must be proficient in hunting in the dark.'

"Now that all three of us are here, let's go," Eric said, trying to sound calm. Honestly, though, he wasn't. They were about to leave the safety of the city gates and enter the corruption-ridden land beyond. There was a reason it was called the death zone.

As the massive city gates slowly creaked open, Eric grimaced as the air turned thick and hard to breathe.

"This is due to the corruption," Aria's voice offered reassurance. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon enough."

"Let's go," Olivia said, though her tone was flat. "I wonder how far we'll get before we inevitably have to retreat."

It wasn't surprising she wasn't in high spirits - she was heading into the death zone with only one master and a cursed one, no less.

"Retreat? Oh, no, no. We're reaching that cathedral," Eric said firmly. He wasn't going to let the group's morale drop so early.

"Well, at least you seem confident. That's good. Let's see how long you can keep up the façade, oh chosen one," Olivia said, her voice laced with sarcasm as if she could see right through him.

Eric could only smile awkwardly at her remark and took a step forward, entering the death zone.

'From now on, things are going to get much more interesting… and deadly.'