Reincarnated as a failed hero?! Watch me Defy Fate! - Chapter 194

Chapter 194: The Unseen Strings of Fate
Envi’s POV:

I could feel it—a dark, malevolent aura radiating from the rooftop above. My instincts screamed at me to move, to get up there fast and save Nana and Kai from whoever was attacking them.

But then I froze. My heart dropped.

Up on that rain-slick rooftop, through the veil of the storm, I saw them—Nana and Senior Kai—plunging from the edge, their bodies locked in a desperate embrace as they fell.

A jolt of terror shot through me.

The wind howled as if mourning their descent. Lightning split the sky, illuminating their silhouettes tumbling down, helpless against gravity’s pull.

I stood there for a heartbeat too long, paralyzed by fear, my legs stiff and numb.

No. Move. NOW!

I slammed my own thigh with my fist, forcing life back into my limbs. I couldn’t afford to hesitate. I didn’t have time to think or calculate.

They were falling—fast.

Could I even reach them in time? Could I catch both of them? What if I was off by even a second?

If I miss… they’ll die.

“DAMN IT! NO TIME TO THINK!” I roared, pushing everything else out of my mind.

With a surge of desperation, I activated [Dark Magic: Shadow Steps], merging with the shadows around me. In an instant, I blinked forward, closing the gap between rooftops and air, slipping through the darkness like a phantom.

I kept going, step after step, pushing the magic to its limits, until—finally—I was close enough. I could see them clearly now.

Nana’s face was bruised, her cheek swollen. She clung tightly to Kai, whose body was battered and bloodied.

They must have been ambushed… outnumbered.

Unconscious. Vulnerable. Resigned to their fate.

The sight lit a fire inside me. My chest burned with fury.

“I WON’T LET YOU DIE!!” I screamed, launching myself forward with one last burst of Shadow Steps.

I reached out—And caught them both in my arms.

But we were still falling.

Only thirty meters left before we slammed into the unforgiving asphalt below.

I wanted to use Shadow Steps again… but the spell couldn’t carry others.

Think, Envi, THINK!

Then it hit me—there was still one chance.

I clenched my jaw and unleashed [Blessing of the Wind God], feeling the surge of divine power wrap around me. My body became lighter, the winds obeying my will like loyal servants.

I summoned the air around us, forced it to push back against gravity, to slow our descent with everything I had.

“NRRGHH—COME ON! MOVE!”

The strain tore at me. The magic pulled on my muscles like chains. But I didn’t let go. I couldn’t let go.

Slowly… agonizingly… we began to drift instead of fall.

Six meters left.

Three.

One.

We touched down—softly, like feathers carried by the breeze.

I dropped to my knees, panting, soaked from the rain, shaking from the effort.

But they were safe.

I looked at them in my arms—bruised, broken, but alive.

“…I did it.” I whispered, voice trembling. “I actually did it…”

I gently lowered them from my embrace, relief washing over me like the pouring rain.

I gently carried both of them to the side, shielding them from the rain that continued to pour like a curse from the heavens. Their condition was worse than I feared—especially Senior Kai.

Once again, he’d been beaten to a pulp. But this time… this time his arm looked like it had been stabbed. Blood poured from the wound, soaking his torn clothes.

Nana wasn’t any better. A swollen bruise marred her cheek, and her arm was clearly dislocated.

If Nao saw this…

If he saw his older sister and his trusted senior in this state, there would be no mercy. He would tear those bastards apart.

Even though he wasn’t here, I could feel his fury.

I could feel his sorrow.

Seeing the people he cared about treated like this—it was beyond heartbreaking.

And it broke me, too.

My emotions surged like a tidal wave. I clenched my fists, unable to contain the anger and pain swelling in my chest. I didn’t want Nana or Senior Kai to suffer like this.

Nao must be devastated.

And I… I felt the same.

In all my time with Nao, I had glimpsed countless memories—of his family, his life, and especially his bond with Nana.

He loves her deeply, sincerely.

And though I was only ever meant to be a system, a tool created by a goddess… I’ve come to understand his emotions.

I’ve come to share them.

To me, Nana isn’t just Nao’s sister anymore—she’s become like a sister to me as well.

“Just wait…” I growled, fists trembling. “I’ll make those bastards pay for this.”

I clenched my jaw so tight I bit through my own lip. Blood trickled down, but I didn’t care.

I wanted—no, I needed to get back to that rooftop and punish them all.

But a knot formed in my chest.

I couldn’t just leave Nana and Kai here, unconscious and injured. Vulnerable. What if something happened while I was gone?

I hesitated—until a voice cut through the rain behind me.

“Sir… you… you actually saved them?!”

I turned around.

It was the black-haired girl—the same one who’d helped me earlier, guiding me here. She was breathless, soaking wet, clearly having chased after me with everything she had.

“I did…” I replied, my voice hollow, still heavy with conflict.

“You really did it… I can’t believe it. Thank you, sir!”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she grabbed my hand, overcome with emotion.

“But they’re badly injured and unconscious… I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, lowering my head in frustration.

She looked over at Nana and Senior Kai and immediately rushed to them. After a moment of rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a small box full of supplies.

“Thank goodness I always carry my personal first aid kit!” she said, eyes shining with hope.

“What is that…?” I asked, a little confused.

“These medicines and tools should be enough to stabilize their wounds—for now, at least, until we can get them proper medical help.” Her smile was confident, reassuring.

“Oh great goddess… please, I beg you—save them!” I said, gripping her hand tightly, my voice breaking as tears escaped my eyes.

She smiled warmly and nodded.

With practiced hands, she began treating their injuries. She applied ointments and wrapped wounds with careful precision.

She paused when she reached Nana.

“This woman…” she murmured, a hint of recognition flashing in her eyes—but then she stopped herself from saying more.

I asked what she meant, but she simply shook her head.

She then relocated Nana’s dislocated arm with a quick, precise motion and wrapped it in a bandage. But she ran out of gauze when she got to Senior Kai’s stab wound.

Without hesitation, she ripped off part of her own sleeve and used it to dress his bleeding arm.

Her hands were steady. Her resolve unshaken.

I finally exhaled. Relief washed over me.

When she finished, she looked up and said she would call an ambulance—but her phone had no signal, likely because of the storm.

But deep down, I suspected something more.

None of this felt natural.

The storm, the violence, the timing—it all stank of interference. Of fate twisted by some Outer God, trying to puppet destiny itself.

I turned to her, my voice low but resolute.

“Please… watch over them, just for a little while,” I said, my eyes blazing with determination.

I couldn’t stand still anymore.

I had to hunt down the bastards who did this.

“Sir? Where are you going?” she asked, worried.

“I’m going after the ones who did this. I won’t let them get away.”

“But… it’s too dangerous! You’re alone! There were so many of them—what if you get hurt?!”

She reached out and grabbed my sleeve, pleading.

I gently pulled away.

“I will come back. Don’t worry… just wait for me,” I said with a soft smile, hoping it would ease her fear.

“O-Okay… I’ll wait. Please be careful,” she whispered.

“Thank you.”

Without another word, I turned and sprinted back toward the building. The place where Nana and Kai had fallen.

I found a quiet spot, dark and hidden from view, and summoned the shadows once more.

[Dark Magic: Shadow Steps]

My form melted into the darkness, climbing swiftly toward the rooftop.

My rage burned hotter with every step.

“You bastards… just wait for me.

…

I reached the rooftop.

I thought—hoped—they would’ve fled by now. But they were still here.

All of them.

Fourteen figures, standing in the storm like statues.

The rain lashed against them, yet not one of them moved to seek shelter. Their eyes were blank, devoid of life, like marionettes left on strings.

Something was deeply wrong.

They weren’t normal.

They were being controlled. Possessed.

This… this had the fingerprints of that damned Outer God all over it.

Then, suddenly—clap… clap… clap…

A slow, mocking applause rang out.

Laughter followed—loud, manic, and deeply unnatural.

One began, then the rest joined in, as if on cue, clapping and laughing in perfect, chilling unison.

My stomach turned. The sight and sound were deeply unsettling.

“Come out, you damned Outer God!” I shouted, voice cracking through the storm. “How dare you lay your filthy hands on the innocent! On Nana and Senior Kai… on Nao’s mother—his family! You cowardly piece of trash!”

But they didn’t respond.

They just kept laughing.

Mocking me.

Toying with me.

I felt the fury boil in my veins—I was being played with.

And then they moved.

Without warning, one of them—a tall man with dead eyes—lunged at me, fist flying.

I dodged cleanly and countered with a brutal punch of my own. A sickening crack echoed in the rain—his arm snapped backwards, completely broken.

But I didn’t have time to breathe.

The rest of them came at me all at once—an inhuman swarm, emotionless and unrelenting.

I summoned my power—[Dark Magic]—and let it erupt around me. Shadows surged outward like a living storm, blasting them off their feet and sending their bodies crashing to the soaked rooftop.

They fell hard.

But then—

The man I had just incapacitated stood up.

Not staggered. Not injured.

He simply stood.

And with a twist of his body, his shattered arm twisted back into place, bones resetting themselves like it was nothing.

My eyes widened.

That’s not regeneration… it’s manipulation. A puppet reassembling itself.

Then he smiled.

A cruel, jagged smile.

“Welcome… Child of Fate,” he said, his voice smooth and laced with malice. “Finally, we can speak face to face.”

“You…” I growled, my fists trembling, rain dripping from my clenched jaw.

“You’re the damned Outer God.”

He tilted his head, that sick grin widening.

…

..