The Insurrection of the Inept Hero

Chapter 142: The Warlock Hero's Last Stand

Myran stared at Joseph with fear and disgust.

"Why can't you humans just give up? How stubborn can you be? Is your pride worth your useless efforts!?" He shouted at Joseph as his aura leaked from his body.

"Pride? Don't be mistaken, I don't care about pride or honor. It's something only the greedy ones would care about. I was trained to discard such feelings."

Suddenly, his stance became tighter, leaving no openings for Myran to spot.

"Your insults mean nothing. Your title means nothing. Therefore, you mean nothing. In conclusion, you are nothing to me. Just an annoying cockroach."

"Sh-shut up!"

Angered, Myran shot towards Joseph recklessly, aiming for his head. Joseph took a step forward and the moment Myran was about to hit him, he stepped to the side, grabbing onto Myran's hair.

"Wha-?"

In an instant, Joseph pierced through Myran's stomach. The latter struggled as he felt his energy drain away from his body.

"You bastar-!"

Myran was interrupted when Joseph knocked his head off his body with a powerful palm strike. Myran's head rolled across the ground as Joseph erased the rest of his body.

"So that's how it is huh? Well, at least you're finally using your full strength."

As his body finished regenerating, he got into a stance. His aura materialized around him, causing the ground to be encased in ice.

Myran cackled as he darted towards Joseph again, throwing powerful punches and swift kicks.

"Tell me, Joseph! Why did you suppress such power when you could've used it to eliminate me by now!?"

Joseph caught Myran's arm and pulled him closer to perform a headbutt. The force caused Myran's skull to shatter, leaving him staggered.

"What kind of person uses their full strength on runts like you?"

"Grr, don't get so cocky!"

Myran threw a left hook but Joseph countered with a powerful right cross. The former staggered back as Joseph began his counterattack.

Myran was bombarded with blows that could break a mountain and attacks that were as fast as light.

He eventually was unable to heal like before. The attacks were too strong for him to regenerate and he needed an alternative quick.

With a roar, he emitted a shockwave from his body, blasting Joseph away. Joseph caught himself as he looked up, watching Myran as he changed into a new form.

"You will feel the wrath of a prince, a prince of hell."

Though the cold words came from Myran's mouth, Joseph stood unaffected. Instead, his body was wrapped in violet light as he too began to transform.

"Your wrath means nothing to me."

A pillar of energy wrapped around Joseph before it dispersed into a crackling aura.

Myran noticed that Joseph looked different and upon getting a closer look, his confidence had begun to falter.

"V-v-violet Nephalem?"

Joseph's body was covered in slim, jet black armor with purple incandescent flames which spouted out from his back and coursed around his body. They shaped into a set of wings, each with different appearances. One was similar to an angel's wing while the other was bat-like.

"So that's what the purple energy came from, but how!? How is a human such as you able to obtain that power!?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Joseph responded before pointing at Myran, then at him.

"Unlike you, I... am the honored one."

Myran growled at Joseph's words and let out a bloodcurdling roar.

"Don't give me such bullshit! You are not worthy of that title, so don't you dare proclaim yourself as something you aren't!!"

An enraged Myran launched himself towards Joseph. The latter countered Myran with a spinning kick to the face.

He didn't stop there. The moment Myran hit the ground, Joseph snatched onto his ankle before thrashing him around the place. As Myran healed, he grabbed onto Joseph's arm and held him in an armlock.

Joseph at first struggled to escape from his enemy's grasp, but soon he devised another strategy. Instead of fighting back with brute strength, he decided it was easier to erase his opponent's arms and legs instead. After all, it wouldn't do much considering he was immortal.

Using his Principle of Erasure, he swiped his hands and erased Myran's appendages. As he escaped from his grasp and Myran regenerated his body parts, the two fired countless beams at each other, both clashing with immense force able to shake the ground.

"Come on! Is this all you've got!? Is this all your full power has to offer!?" Myran taunted as he continued to fire beams. However, he did not notice that Joseph had slipped away until he stopped.

"Where did he-?"

"You're losing your footing," Joseph said, appearing behind Myran before delivering a savage blow to his head.

The latter was blown away but caught himself as he reformed his head. He then appeared behind Joseph and attempted to mimic Joseph's attack, but he was already one step ahead of him.

"Fool."

Joseph dodged Myran, vanishing from thin air and appearing behind him. He then blasted Myran away with a point-blank violet-colored sphere.

Myran once again crashed into the ground but quickly regained his footing as always. However, Joseph appeared in front of him and Myran instinctively attacked. The two clashed and were now in a stalemate.

"Tell me, Joseph! I know you have a reason for hiding this immense power of yours! You must have a more noble reason for doing such a thing. What is the truth!? And don't give me that weakling bullshit!" Myran yelled.

"Why don't you open your eyes and see?" Joseph responded calmly.

Myran growled until he noticed something fly by.

'A flake?'

Noticeable and many flakes crossed both Myran's and Joseph's vision. Soon, Myran noticed that the flakes were coming from Joseph.

"You-"

"A human body has a certain limit to wielding power. I am one of them. As much as I didn't want it, it was the fate I was forced with."

Joseph's body reverted back to its human state and his skin was seen turning into flakes as Joseph stood.

"It was the goddess that gave me this power. Her intention for giving me this power was so I could eliminate him. Him... being Nero, the hero you want dead. However, I had other plans with this. My... lover... I promised her that I would use my abilities to protect the weak. I... do not intend on breaking that promise."

Joseph looked away and spotted Tadashi's corpse.

"I may not have been able to fulfill it fully, but I can't stop what fate has in hand. This is that goddess's divine retribution."

Joseph began to cough up blood and fell down to his knees. Myran watched as his opponent was slowly dying in his eyes.

"That's the reason I suppressed my power with the rings and bands. Without it, I'd become a pile of ashes by now. Well, not that it really matters since I was supposed to die anyway. These limiters were just something to stop the inevitable. But..."

Joseph stood up and stared at Myran with confidence.

"You're still going down..."

Myran chuckled lightly and responded to Joseph's statement.

"Oh really now? Do you really think you can still take me on in that state? Are you sure you aren't driven by your pride and arrogance? Honestly-"

"Of course, I can. Just because I've been weakened by this... well, let's call it an illness. Even with this illness, I can still take you down."

Joseph took a deep breath before smiling.

"I may not be able to kill you, but there are other solutions." He grinned before vanishing.

Myran instinctively flew into the air, ready for whatever Joseph had in stock.

Clutch!

"What the-?"

"Surprised you, didn't I?"

Joseph trapped Myran in a full-nelson, causing the latter to be unable to move whatsoever.

"Tch, so this is your master plan!?"

"No... that is."

Myran was confused for a moment until he felt a force pull him from underneath. When he looked down, there was a giant void expanding wider and wider.

"What is... what is that?" Myran gasped in fear.

"I don't even know... it was an ability I've had in my arsenal for a while but I've never used it. However, the name should do the explaining. The Void of Suffering. It's a metaphysical area in the void that acts as a prison for whoever is trapped inside it. Of course, people can escape from it, but it's only limited to those that can access this area. In short, I am that person."

"No... no! Let me go!"

"Oh, don't be scared now. I haven't even gotten to the good part."

Suddenly, golden strips of light began to spiral around the two. Flames were set across the two and more dust-like particles emitted from Joseph's body.

'Angela... I'll be meeting you soon...'

Those were Joseph's last thoughts before he activated his attack.

"Now then... taste the full force of my ultimate skill! FATAL DETONATION, SHATTER!!"

In mere seconds, with a wrathful cry, the two were wrapped in a bright burst of energy, forming into a giant dome of swirling hot fire.

The blast was immense, creating a giant crater that could take out several armies. When the attack had ended, Myran laid in Joseph's grasp with only a his skeleton and a few pieces of flesh remaining. He slowly formed back the rest of his body as he tried to make a compromise with Joseph.

"J-Joseph... we-we can make a compromise, okay? I'll... I'll give up on my goal to kill Nero for now so just let me go and we can-"

But when Myran met eyes with his foe, it was already too late.

"You... you're already dead..."

Joseph's eyes were stripped of their light and his body had been turned into stone. Even though Myran was finally able to escape, he did not have the willpower to do it.

"I... can escape... but why can't I move? Is he still able to hold me in this position though he's dead? He... he hasn't even thrown me into the void yet... does this mean I'm free?"

He had many questions and those were quickly answered in an instant. Moments later, Joseph's corpse began lowing Myran into the void. Myran wanted to flee, but he could not do it anymore.

The Prince of Cocytus eventually accepted his fate and the two were dropped into the Void of Suffering.

After consuming the two in darkness, the Void of Suffering had sealed itself.

One figure dropped down at where the Void of Suffering once was and he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Tch, seems I missed it."

***

Days later, news of the three heroes had reached the nations. Authorian quickly flew into a fit of rage.

"DAMN IT! NOW COCYTUS IS INTERFERING AND KILLING MY HEROES!?"

The servants and the other people in the castle could hear his ranting from even the lowest floors. Even the people in the dungeon could hear him and they laughed at his suffering.

"Looks like... looks like I have no choice-" Authorian began but he was interrupted when a figure appeared at his window.

"What are you gonna do? Kill the Inept Hero?"

Authorian spun around and met Omen in the eyes. He quickly fell on his back as Omen intruded his room.

"Th-the Inept Hero!"

"Huh?" Omen tilted his head in confusion until he noticed he wasn't wearing his mask.

"Oh, well, how stupid of me. Hehe, hello Authorian."

"O-Omen!?"

"Yeah, it's me. Do you not know the presence of your own superior?"

"But why-?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm exactly who you think I am. I'm just not from your timeline. But, don't jump to conclusions yet, I didn't show you my face on purpose. I merely just forgot."

Omen extended his hand and a mask appeared in his palms. He then donned it before smirking at Authorian.

"I have orders from the Twilight Queen. She wants you to stand down and wait. Eventually, he'll come for you. By that time, I assume you will have someone to protect you, right?"

Authorian didn't speak but Omen already knew what his answer was.

"Good. Now then, see you next time. That is if there is a next time."

With an evil laugh, he flew out of the window, morphing into his new form, the Majin, as he vanished into the night sky.

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