Rogue Villain-Chapter 386: Necessary

While his party members did their best to stall The Hero’s rampant growth by using any dirty means necessary, even incinerating all of The Hero’s luck, Ackster wasn’t doing nothing. As soon as his party members acted, Ackster reassigned the power of Limit Breaker to Smelting Furnace. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Limit Breaker had flooded all of Ackster, including his skills. But the paltry power that leaked into Smelting Furnace wasn’t enough.

Ackster had stolen fire from the world’s Core. If there was anything on or in Millmeria that could burn and refine world power, it was the flames cooped up in the center of the world. However, the minuscule amount he took couldn’t compare to the heat of the Core.

If Ackster wanted to refine the world power as quickly as possible, he needed to boost Smelting Furnace.

So, that’s what he did. He stuffed Smelting Furnace with the full brunt of Limit Breaker, fanning the flames and solidifying the walls, preventing any heat from leaking out and sealing the world power inside a raging inferno of deep red fire.

Ackster continued pumping up the heat with all his might. It didn’t take long before the world power started squealing and screeching under the oppressive fire like cut metal.

It wasn’t the first time Ackster refined a new source into his Ichor. He had done it with miasma, Anima, and soul power, which he learned to harness from the Creator’s notes. He had even used the Core’s flame to fuse soul power into his Ichor. Ackster was used to the process.

However, world power was on a whole other level than his other sources. He couldn’t put it in words or even get a feel for what world power was.

Ackster understood every other source he had under his control to a certain degree. But world power was too all-encompassing. It reminded him more of his Ichor than any of his other sources.

’Is it like that...?’

An idea struck Ackster.

What if world power wasn’t just like Ichor? What if it was the world’s version of Ichor? It was an omniscient and seemingly endless energy that the world used to power itself and everything in it.

Ackster couldn’t be sure. But it made sense if world power, the power of an entire world, was on the same level of the hierarchy as Ichor.

’This is going to take a little time.’

If Ackster were right, it would be a little tougher refining the world power. He wanted to encourage his party members. But saying anything to them right now would only distract them. They were fighting with their lives on the line and going beyond their limits.

Ackster was also pretty sure Shanshi had kind of died a few times already. If it weren’t for all the blood Ackster had given him in the time leading up to the final battle, Shanshi would have already been put out of commission.

But unlike the rest of the party, Shanshi was as good as immortal. Even Ackster wasn’t sure he could kill the vampire in a matter of days, at least not permanently.

It was better for Shanshi to take the brunt of The Hero’s attacks instead of the frailer party members like Wilma, Makkel, Karandiel, Mara, or Kargas.

Mastrax was a little unreliable. But if there was one thing about him that the others could rely on, it was the ability to use him as a meat shield.

For some reason, Mastrax still wasn’t powerful. But he still had his endless vitality pumping through his body. It was more powerful than Ackster’s vitality. Mastrax was at least as immortal as Shanshi, and since he wasn’t as slippery, Kargas didn’t have any trouble using him to activate his Dragon Slayer abilities to attack The Hero.

Ackster also noticed The Hero’s party members on the outskirts of the battle’s aftershocks. They bobbed on the fading ripples in the water as they regrouped and reorganized themselves while trying to understand what the fuck was going on.

Out of nowhere, a group of people, all of whom seemed to be about as strong as The Hero, appeared and started attacking the corrupted, white-haired Hero.

If it were the normal Hero, especially after finishing a taxing battle, he wouldn’t have held up this long under such an onslaught.

But the current Hero wasn’t just enduring. He was fighting back with growing momentum.

However, the person leading the group of people fighting The Hero, the blue-haired man with muscles that cut the air, was just standing behind them. He did nothing, even when the angelic woman with golden blonde hair lost a leg.

The blue-haired man didn’t even flinch when the man with hair like fire collapsed with blood pooling from all his orifices. The short-haired woman with dark brown hair caught an undodgeable attack with her stomach and coughed up blood and pieces of her organs before collapsing next to the fire-haired man.

After another two moments, the woman with long red hair was split almost in half. The Hero’s sword glanced right past her head and sliced through her shoulder down to her hip before the man with two curved and jagged blades attacked The Hero.

Kargas stabbed The Hero in his neck with both blades from behind to get him off of Mara.

But The Hero didn’t take lasting damage. The world power surging through his body like a storm fixed any damage the moment it appeared.

However, Kargas got The Hero away from Mara, and the last thing he saw before The Hero punched his face in was Mara breathing. But he didn’t have time to see whether it was her last breath or if she would survive.

People at their level had incredible tenacity. They didn’t die that easily.

But she had been cut in half with the power of the world. Something like that would be difficult to come back from.

’Not yet! Come on!’

Ackster cried out in his mind as he saw his party members fall one after the other.

Makkel was whatever. But Ackster had come to care for the others.

No matter how much Ackster had tried to convince himself he only used them for his own gain, it was undeniable that they had helped him retain what was left of his sanity. He had talked, joked, and shared food with them.

They had gone through hell with him. They had helped him reach where he was today. They had helped him become the person he was.

If necessary, Ackster had to see them die. But he didn’t want to! It wasn’t necessary! They didn’t have to die!

"PUPPY!"