Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate! - Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Painful Betrayal
Aria’s POV:

The battlefield fell into an eerie silence as the name echoed across it like a death sentence.

Nosef Vermoryth. The Crimson Sovereign. Overlord Rank 3.

Just hearing it caused a chill to run down my spine. My heart pounded like war drums, but I clenched my fists, raised my head, and steadied my breath. No—this wasn’t the time to falter.

My hands trembled, but I shouted loud enough to reach the hearts of my soldiers.

“EVERYONE! LISTEN TO ME!”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s Overlord Rank 3—or even Rank 1. We do NOT surrender! This is OUR land! Our people! Our future!”

My words sparked something in them. Their spirits, once dulled by the overwhelming presence of an Overlord, began to shine again. Even if that light flickered faintly… it was still hope.

Tetsu-sama stepped forward beside me, blood dripping from a shallow wound on his temple but his stance unbroken. Cain, ever the tempest of fire and fury, nodded silently. Lucius stood on my other side, his eyes steeled with calm and determination.

Four of us.

Three Heroes of Braveheart and one Divine Valkyrie.

Facing down an Overlord.

Even if the world said it was impossible—we chose to fight.

We unleashed everything we had.

Tetsu’s blade moved like a hurricane, cutting through the wind with divine force.Cain’s fire erupted, clashing against Nosef’s blood constructs in bursts of roaring flame.Lucius danced with light, his sword shining like the last dawn.And I, wrapped in divine radiance, brought down the wrath of the heavens themselves.

Our powers combined were a symphony of destruction.

And for a fleeting moment, I believed… we were winning.

…

Ten minutes later…

Blood painted the earth.

My breath came in short gasps, every movement screaming with pain.

“…This… can’t be real…” I whispered, barely able to stay on my feet.

My body—pierced by dozens of blood spears, pulsing with corrupt magic. My divine protection? Gone. My healing magic? Useless.

“What is happening… why isn’t my Divine Magic working?!”

I looked around.

Cain…His flame had died. His armor, once unbreakable, now cracked and shattered. A spear had impaled him through the chest—blood drained slowly into the ground, his life force feeding the very enemy he swore to destroy.

Tetsu-sama…Still fighting. One arm gone. His legs trembling. Yet his eyes burned with will.

Lucius…

Lucius…

He stood in front of me, arms outstretched, a shield of light over my broken body.

But his body…

So many wounds. So much blood.

“Lucius… no… LUCIUS!!”

He looked over his shoulder. That smile—gentle. Always for me.

“I’m sorry…” he whispered, a single tear rolling down his bloodied cheek.

He fell. Collapsing like a marionette with its strings cut.

“NO! No, please! Don’t die! Don’t leave me!!”

The pain in my heart was unbearable. My lungs burned from screaming.

Something broke inside me.

A rage I never knew erupted—sacred and furious. I called upon everything.

[High Divine Magic: Sanctum Regalia]

Golden armor formed around me, brilliant and resplendent, forged from my pain, my wrath, my sorrow. It sealed my wounds, boosted my strength, and radiated divine judgment.

I launched myself at Nosef, my axe glowing with divine power.

“DIE, YOU DEMON!! [Braveheart Holy Axe Final: SERAPHIM!!]”

The heavens themselves roared. My axe brought down a pillar of holy light that split the clouds, cracked the earth, and engulfed the battlefield in celestial fire.

There was nothing left where Nosef stood.

…

Silence.

Did I win…?

But the blood… it moved. It congealed. Slowly forming bones. Flesh. Fangs.

He came back.

Fully intact. Laughing.

“HAHAHA! That was close! You almost got me… you damn filthy monkey!”

“You made me use seventy percent of my power. Be proud. You were an amusing distraction.”

He walked toward me, slow and deliberate. I couldn’t move. My magic was gone.

“Wondering why your Divine Magic failed?” He grinned, eyes burning like a furnace.

“Because you’re weak.”

He grabbed my hair, yanked my head back.

“Your light… is a flicker compared to the abyss. You were never going to win.”

I could do nothing but stare. My axe slipped from my hand. I was powerless.

I saw my soldiers—Freya, Luna, Marius—rushing, desperate to reach me. But demons blocked their path.

Leopold and Julius—collapsed, crying out in anguish. Watching the leaders they revered being torn apart.

All divisions… falling apart.

I felt cold.

Inside, I whispered: Is this how it ends…? Braveheart… Father… Lucius…

Then he formed a crimson sword.

He stabbed me. Again. And again.

I gasped—more blood spilled. My body trembled.

I was dying.

My soul screamed apologies to everyone I failed.

Suddenly Tetsu-sama came from beside Nosef and cut off his head with his aura sword.

SLASH!

Nosef’s body stopped for a moment then regrew his head.

Tetsu-sama couldn’t believe it.

“I’m sorry Naoki..Lilia, Mark, Milly..Ayame..” Tetsu-sama’s last words before he was stabbed in the chest by Nosef.

And he keeps stab him repeatedly, until he lost consciousness and was dying.

“NOOO!” I screamed in despair.

Nosef looked back at me and wanted to cut me off.

But then—

A tremendous surge of mana exploded behind me.

Familiar.

Warm. Yet… frightening.

Lucius.

He stood. Glowing. Alive?

Nosef stepped back.

He looked afraid.

This power—this wasn’t ordinary. This was… overwhelming.

My eyes widened in hope.

“Lucius… you’re alive… I knew… I knew you’d come back!”

I turned to see him—

SLASH!

The pain hit me before the shock.

Warmth spilled from my chest.

His sword was buried deep inside me.

“L-Lu…cius…?”

Nosef stepped back, grinning.

Lucius held me gently, almost… lovingly.

And then I saw him clearly.

His hair… half black. A horn on his forehead. One eye—red. Demonic.

That smile… was not the man I loved.

“You’re… not Lucius…”

He looked into my eyes.

“I am Lucius,” he whispered, voice devoid of emotion.

“Lucius Valzareth. The Lightbane Sovereign. Overlord Rank 2.”

I couldn’t breathe.

My knees gave out, but he held me up—mockingly.

“You… lied to me… all this time…?”

“Everything was useful. You were useful. But now… your purpose is over.”

He pulled me closer. My blood spilled on his hand.

“You played your role well.”

My heart was breaking. No—shattering.

I started to remember that Lucius looked different after he fought the demons the first time. Maybe he was possessed by this demon at that time.

“Please… give him back… give me back my Lucius!!”

“I AM your Lucius,” he said with a sneer. “This is who I truly am.”

He raised his blade for the final time.

I saw my friends—dying, trying to save me. Crying. Screaming. Failing.

And then…

His left eye.

It shed a single tear.

“Lucius… are you… still in there?”

He hesitated.

Just a heartbeat.

And I whispered, trembling:

“I… love you.”

SLASH!!

…

..

Darkness…

Silence…

But I fought with everything I had…

And now…

Let the light carry me home.

…

..