#858 The Hero Appears

Ritheseus joins the President Fight!!!

“Those weird-looking people are the bad guys, huh? Please leave it to me; I’ll take care of them all!!!” 

“Awesome, Ritheseus! Our dependable hero!!!”

The otherworldly champions brought by the Pope number around four or five. 

They, who had completed their participation procedures thanks to my advice, are all sporting mischievous grins.

If even one of them wins, the Pope will become president, plunging the human race into disaster once again.

“Mwahaha...! Once I become king, I’ll immediately organize a Holy King’s Army and begin our counterattack against the Demon King’s Army...! I’ll make the demons pay by annihilating them for the suffering they caused me...!”

It’s crystal clear that this guy should never be given power.

To stop his ambition, we really need Ritheseus to step up.

“I’m off, Lord Saint! I’ll show them the mettle of a farm graduate!!!”

“I’m not worried at all!”

Ritheseus promptly faces one of those alien champions.

The two ascend the arena made for this moment, facing each other.

His opponent is the one with skin as bright as ruby red.

It’s dazzlingly fluorescent, almost blinding.

“Kyahehehehe... What a scrawny little brat. You don’t look like you’ll put up much of a fight.”

The opponent, sneering cruelly, looks like nothing more than a third-rate villain, lacking any semblance of a hero’s bravery.

“I was called here as a hero, but fleeing after losing would be so boring. I welcome another war where I can kill as many as I want.”

“Go, my valiant Ponpon Chintoke! Fulfill your holy mission and reclaim my rightful rule!!!”

The Pope, still with an arrow sticking out of his head, is ecstatic.

“Begin the match!!!”

With the signal, the alien champion’s body starts to glow as if emitting energy.

“My skill turns the Force into direct attack power! Even unarmed, I’m as good as any armed fighter! I’ll turn you into a bloody pulp in no time!!!”

“Let’s have a good match.”

Ritheseus bows and then becomes a blur of light.

Before his opponent or the audience can even react, he closes in at super speed and delivers a single punch.

“Ongohabeerrgh!!!”

Aura or not, it didn’t make a difference.

The Pope’s top hero had his face caved in, green blood spewing as he was sent flying through the air.

Then, he crashed outside the arena.

The opponent Ritheseus had punched was either completely knocked out or just convulsing uncontrollably, not even able to utter a groan.

“The contestant is unconscious... The winner is Ritheseus.”

“Ugeeeeeeeh?! What are you doing, you fool?! This was our chance for the Pope’s comebackkkkkkkkkk!!!”

With the first one swiftly knocked out, the Pope, backing the champions, is furious.

“Damn trash! To think I’ve been accompanied by such rubbish until now! But the next one will be different! Come forth, Pokepoke Miharii! Show them the greatness of the skills bestowed by the gods!!!”

“Very well. I’ll show you that I’m five times stronger than Ponpon Chintoke... whuuuuuuh?!”

And just like that, the match is decided.

The Pope’s second champion, overwhelmed by Ritheseus’s speed, is knocked out with a single blow.

The match mirrors the first one.

It’s a testament to the saying, “For the strong, a battle with a vastly inferior opponent becomes mere procedure.”

Indeed, no matter how powerful the skills bestowed by the gods to these otherworldly summoned beings, none of them stood a chance against Ritheseus.

Ritheseus, having honed his skills and learned much on the farm, possessed a divine bloodline, now resurfacing with greater intensity due to ancestral awakening, elevating him to a near-demigod status.

As the myths go, the ancient gods descended to earth long ago, engaging freely in love affairs with mankind, irresponsibly procreating.

Their offspring naturally exhibited powers far beyond ordinary people, accomplishing feats that would become legendary.

These individuals were once called heroes.

It’s only in modern times that summoned beings with skills from other worlds are referred to as heroes after the demigods have left the Earth.

Ritheseus is, in a sense, a primordial hero reborn in the modern era.

Calling them ‘imitations’ might be a bit harsh, but it was clear that the summoned heroes were a substitute for the original, legendary heroes, and the difference in stature was stark.

“Fuwawawa...! How can it be? Our church’s celebrated champions, bested by such a lanky lad...?!”

At last, grasping the gravity of the situation, the Pope trembles with dismay, the arrow lodged in his head quivering comically.

It was apparent now. Even though the Pope’s champions were still numerous, the outcome was clear. 

Saying something banal like “He’s the weakest among heroes...” wouldn’t change the fact that there wasn’t much difference between the strongest and the weakest.

And to Ritheseus, boasting strength hundreds of times greater than theirs, their efforts were no more than a contest of acorns.

“Let’s call it a day. Please refrain from causing any more trouble for others,” Ritheseus advises gently.

Yet, some still fail to grasp his sincere tone.

“You think you’ve won just by defeating a bunch of nobodies among the heroes?”

What a predictably cliché response.

“Ponpon Chintoke and Pokepoke Miharii are merely front-runners. I, the great hero Piyopiyo Mutechii, directly under the Pope, am twenty times stronger. Don’t get cocky, kid, or you’ll learn the hard way.”

“Much obliged,” Ritheseus responded, bowing politely.

Some of you might have realized something about the President Fight by now, given the flow of events.

In reality, Ritheseus has only ever battled against the Pope’s heroes.

Originally, the priority was eliminating the old evils rather than choosing the new Human Republic president. So, under the guise of a tournament, we’re essentially asking Ritheseus to swiftly defeat them.

For him, achieving a streak of five or ten victories would be trivial.

The “strongest” hero (self-proclaimed), now facing Ritheseus, is a man with skin like metal.

The metal man smirks.

“First off, let me explain who I am. In this primitive world, you may not grasp my magnificence. I lack the knowledge.”

“Right...”

“I am a Metalian. Among the inhabitants of the 47th Galaxy Federation, we are known for our exceptional combat abilities. And this is why...”

Ritheseus’ opponent stands there, swiftly swinging his arm downward. 

With just that, the ground at his feet splits open dramatically. His hand, as it swings down, extends sharply like a blade.

“We Metalians, with bodies that possess the characteristics of liquid metal, can alter our form at will, hardening and sharpening ourselves using our metallic traits. Every Metalian is essentially a walking arsenal, our bodies as sharp as blades. Our defense is on par with metal itself, making us formidable opponents in close combat. Few can stand toe-to-toe with us in a melee battle.”

As I thought, hero summoning isn’t limited to just one alternate world but pulls from various ones.

That metal man must have been an alien summoned from some distant galaxy.

His fluid metal body is a testament to his innate extraterrestrial abilities...

Which means...

The skills bestowed upon heroes when they cross into other worlds are a whole different story.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha! The god of this world endowed me with the Slash skill! Enhancing my body’s cutting properties! Perfectly synergizing with my Metalian traits! With this combination, there’s nothing on the battlefield I haven’t sliced through!!!”

His inherent physical prowess, combined with the skill’s capabilities, set him apart from other summoned heroes.

“I’ll slice you in half in an instant! And then, make that foolish Pope a king, reigniting war! I’ll cut down a hundred, no, a thousand enemies!!! Ahahaha, what a thrill! Gwah?!”

And just like that, the battle was decided.

In the end, despite his long preamble, the outcome was the same as the previous two fights.

One punch to the face, and it was over.

Regardless of his metallic body and bladed limbs, they meant nothing against Ritheseus’s speed and strength, honed in the farm fields.

Just like the two previously defeated heroes.

The metal man, with his dual traits, might have had an advantage.

However, complacency without training is fatal...

Against Ritheseus, a hero with exceptional talent and rigorous training, there was no chance. 

The metal man might have truly been the strongest, but now, the Pope and the remaining heroes watched in shock and disbelief.

“...Piyopiyo Mutechii has lost...?!”

“It’s no use...! We’re doomed. All of us are going to be killed!”

“We can’t stay here! War is just a dream! I’d rather be alive!!!”

“I’m heading to the countryside to live a quiet life tending the soil!!!”

One after another, the otherworldly heroes fled, leaving only the Pope behind.

“What?! Where are you going?! Protect me! You’re heroes, aren’t you?!”

The Pope, pitifully abandoned.

Thus ended his grand ambitions, dissolving into mere fantasy.

**Notes:**

- Ponpon Chintoke: In the Seventh Star System’s common language, it means “Valiant and Experienced Warrior.”

- Pokepoke Miharii: In the ancient language of Planet Armia’s second dialect, it signifies “Vivid and Startling Crimson.”

- Piyopiyo Mutechii: In Metalian language, it translates to “Sharp Multi-layered Blade.”