Forbidden Constellation's Blade-Chapter 171: That’s Who A Hero Is.

Fritz saw the motion a heartbeat before it happened, just enough time to know he couldn’t stop it.

He tried anyway as wind condensed around his blade. He forced his arm up.

They were sluggish, but the movement was enough to stop them from targeting his vital organs. One claw tore across his shoulder and the other slammed into his side. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

His body twisted violently in the water, armor buckling under the impact of the strike. Blood spilled beneath the fractured plating, his own.

The black brine that clung to their claws seeped through the seams of his armor and into his flesh like ink sinking into parchment.

Fritz kicked hard, trying to swim back toward the dry corridor. But his sluggish arms along with the sheer amount of water he’d have to get through was too much.

This isn’t good...I can’t take many more attacks!

One of the creatures blurred forward again, awkward legs propelling it through its own domain with ease. Fritz raised his blade and tried to predict the path, driving it forward with everything he had left.

But again, mucus and water dampened the force, turning what should’ve been a lethal blow into a slight scratch at its abdomen. The creature’s jaw opened wide, rows of teeth bare as it lunged.

He barely twisted in time. The bite grazed past his shoulder plate, and the second creature crashed into him on the side once more.

The corridor vanished from his vision. All he could see was murky black water and moving shapes.

If this is all it takes...

His chest tightened as the poison crept deeper, muscles responding a fraction slower by the second.

...then what kind of Hero am I?

The shape surged toward him once more, claw extended. He didn’t have the strength to outswim it, he never did. His swings felt heavy, like trying to swing a blade through mud.

The claw came straight for his chest.

That was when his instincts took over. Instead of pushing outward, instead of trying to repel the creature itself, Fritz forced his Essence directly into the point of impact.

Wind gathered beneath his breastplate...and burst. The explosion resounded the exact same time he was about to be hit. It didn’t hurt the creature, but the sheer amount of force had scared them and launched him backward through the water.

Fritz’s eyes widened instantly.

That somehow worked?

The second creature came in quick before he could realize what happened. Its claws carved down his arm. Fritz timed the blow...as soon as he got hit, he’d channel his ether to the location of impact.

This time, it was his arm.

BOOM!

The same thing happened. The creature’s strike had bounced back and recoil had launched him backwards into the water once more.

That’s it. That’s how I get out of this alive.

If he couldn’t win in their domain, he’d use Essence burst and their strength to escape it.

The next impact came harder than the rest. The creature didn’t slash this time, choosing to ram into him at full force. Fritz felt something crack beneath his armor as water exploded around them.

And once again, Fritz did the exact same thing.

For a split second, the world seemed to compress as he was sent flying. The water around him tore apart as light flooded back into his vision and air hit his face.

Fritz broke through.

He tumbled violently across the dry corridor, armor scraping against the stone as he coughed up a mouthful of saltwater.

Behind him, the water wall shuddered.

Two shadows churned just beyond the boundary, hesitating just a fraction of a second before tearing through again. Finally, both creatures burst into the corridor, claws extended, wanting him dead.

Fritz forced himself upright despite the poison in his body. His fingers tightened around his sword hilt that, to his surprise, he managed to hold on to the entire time.

The first one rushed him. Fritz raised his sword to block on instinct as the second one circled to try and pincer him.

Shit...I still don’t have a way to deal with this mucus.

But that was when he realized.

When he’d channeled Ether exactly to where they’d attack, the force rebounded, which scared them off and launched him back.

What if...he used it offensively?

Fritz used his crossguard to knock the first creature’s claws to the side before slamming his elbow into its face, causing it to stagger back.

That was when he turned around and stared straight at the second creature trying to ambush him.

Its eyes widened, clearly not expecting for this to happen.

Fritz stood with his blade at the ready, pointing his tip straight at the creature’s heart. Wind Essence coiled all around his blade, like a compressed spring ready to let loose.

And he did exactly that.

His blade pierced through the second monster’s ribs, it wasn’t fatal, but it was all he needed. The creature snarled, jaws spanning inches from his face.

And in that heartbeat, Fritz pumped his Essence into the blade with everything he had. For the briefest instant, nothing happened, as his eyes were still locked with the creature’s.

Then...the air imploded.

Wind detonated from inside the creature’s body. The force had nowhere to go but outward, ripping through both bone and flesh. The monster convulsed as the blast erupted through its back in a spray of black blood, before going limp.

Seeing what had happened, the second one shrieked and charged, frenzy replacing all other instincts.

Fritz met it head-on, catching its strike with his blade. With a twist, he drove the blade upward beneat its jaw at the same time it snapped its teeth around his pauldron.

Ether surged down the length of the sword and erupted at the point of contact.

[Essence Burst]

The explosion tore straight through the creature’s skull, splitting it from within. The body spasmed once before going limp, collapsing at his feet.

Fritz stood there, chest rising and falling unevenly, drawing in ragged breaths. The poison still burned beneath his skin. His armor was cracked in multiple places and he was still bleeding from multiple areas.

"Get yourself together, Fritz," he muttered. "How can a Hero struggle this much..."

He dropped to one knee, finally realizing how much his armor was dragging him down.

If more came, and they would, he wouldn’t survive like this. Especially now that his armor had been a detriment instead of benefit.

Fritz exhaled sharply. "Fine."

He reached for the clasp at his shoulder and tore it free. The pauldron dropped with a dull clang against the stone. Other pieces followed.

Without it, the cold air of the corridor bit straight through his soaked underlayer, but he could breathe a bit easier.

Blood streaked across his shirt where claws had cut through. The poison still pulsed beneath his skin, but his movements were quicker now when he flexed his fingers.

The water on both sides of him seemed calmer this time, but he wouldn’t wait to see what would come through next.

Only then did he truly take in the corridor.

It stretched forward in a straight line, carved cleanly through the parted sea. And far—far ahead, was the beam.

From here, it looked almost solid...like something he could reach out and touch. The corridor led directly to it.

So that’s where this ends.

His legs nearly buckled as the poison surged again. Fritz exhaled slowly and began lowering himself into a sitting position.

A part of him wanted to sit down and circulate carefully, to force the poison out of his system piece by piece and stabilize himself.

But the other part knew it was impossible. It was a process that took an extreme amount of time.

Time he knew that he didn’t have. Ryn and the others were waiting on him. They can’t find a Demi-God head-on...all they could do was wait for him to destroy this machine.

Fritz let out a quiet breath.

"...No."

He didn’t have the luxury of perfect conditions.

He planted the tip of his sword against the stone and pushed himself up. The motion sent a spike of pain through his ribs, but he forced himself steady.

If he waited, the poison would slow him further. If more of those creatures came, sitting still would only make him easier prey.

So he would purge it while moving.

Fritz began to walk.

Each step felt harder than the last. His sword scraped lightly against the stone as he used it like a walking stick. The process hurt, but he kept walking.

The beam grew larger with every step.

The light reflected off the walls of water, refracting the state he was in clearly. His breathing was still uneven, his vision flickered faintly at the edges.

But even so.

"...A Hero isn’t someone who descends from the sky," he muttered under his breath.

He took another step.

"It’s not someone who was chosen."

Then another.

"It was someone who keeps moving."

His knee buckled mid-step. He caught himself on the sword and forced himself upright again.

"Even if their hand is shaking—"

His grip tightened around the sword.

"They reach out anyway."

His eyes lifted toward the beam.

"That’s who a Hero is."