I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 88 : Teleportation and Return [3]

The land before me had turned into a wasteland.

Burnt grass, scorched trees. The ground was still emitting smoke, black fumes rising to the night sky. The burnt scent of metal, wood, and ash lingered in the air.

I saw a group of students swarmed around Ruby. They tugged around her, they were cheering her. Their voices overlapped with each other.

I didn't actually catch what they were saying.

"What happened?" I asked myself.

Then, I noticed. Ruby wasn't wearing her Hero mask.

"I see. I see." I nodded my head.

'Nice going, Ruby.' I inwardly applauded her.

"We have arrived." Lilith's voice was calm, devoid of any excitement. She was simply stating the fact.

Finally, we had reached our destination—the place where the teleportation would commence for our way to the Human Continent.

"Teleportation will begin in three minutes," Lilith added. Then, without a sound, she disappeared from my sight.

I didn't flinch, she was still here, but she didn't need to be in the teleportation field itself.

She could activate the spell from nearby. There was no need to concern myself with her movements now, after all the contract binds me and her beloved master.

Instead, my gaze returned to Ruby. Her bright, carefree smile. The way she laughed as she was carefully guided by the students. The way she blushed when one of them complimented her.

A strange sensation pulsed inside me.

Everything about her was captivating.

'Ahem.'

Sera's cough snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked.

Lately, I was getting distracted by Ruby far too often.

"Haaah…!" I let out a deep sigh, clearing my mind.

Hopefully, these feelings won't cause trouble between us.

I had told Ruby about Faceless Nathalia's weakness. It was actually fire. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her mortal figure—though calling her mortal wasn't entirely accurate. I had analyzed the wave spectrum of her Elemental Essence.

Even in a land rich with Fire Essence, her body showed no resistance to it.

At first, it didn't make sense to me.

But after meeting Nathalia and Lilith, I considered the possibility.

Maybe they deliberately made her vulnerable to Fire Essence.

'Should I be grateful to her for that?'

Well…

No. It didn't really matter to me much.

Faceless Nathalia was insignificant in my eyes. If I had wanted, I could have taken her down in seconds. But I didn't.

If I used my Fire Essence in front of so many people, I would expose myself. And if that happened, the Hero Association would come looking for me.

'Umm… just go already.' Sera's voice interrupted my thoughts again.

I clicked my tongue.

'Yeah, yeah.' I was just reflecting on the past.

"Haaah…!"

I let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I can't really hold myself… This thing happens naturally, I am young after all,"I muttered, offering a half-hearted excuse to Sera.

'Please stop. Just focus on the situation we are in,' Sera scolded again, her voice was filled with irritation.

"Ugh!" I scuffled.

"Tsk!"

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Clicking my tongue in frustration.

Ruby was still surrounded by her students, their excited cheers filled the area, it even reached my ears. They tugged at her, showering her with praise and admiration. She handled it well, laughing and smiling, but I could tell she was getting overwhelmed by all of it.

"Hehe.." I laughed softly.

My mind drifted somewhere else, my focus shifting beyond this current scene. I was searching for a particular group.

"Where are they?" I whispered under my breath, scanning the treeline, and the area around me.

And just as I spoke, they finally appeared in my sight, from the other side of the forest.

Leading them was a familiar figure. A group of three followed closely behind her.

My master, Envy, was at the front, and behind her were Anna, Aria, and Julius.

'They are here.' I thought in relief.

I had assigned Envy to guard the three while I was gone, while Ruby had been entrusted with facing Faceless Nathalia.

It wasn't that Envy was any weaker, but in this land rich with Fire Essence, she was restricted to use few of her skills. Her full power couldn't manifest here, making Ruby the best choice.

And I had been proven correct. She actually gave me the exact result as I wanted.

Envy and others approach us.

Hope spotted the approaching group and gave Envy a small nod.

"That's weird." I said softly.

I noticed something odd. Hope was being unusually cautious around her.

I narrowed my eyes.

Slowly, the trio was guided toward our group, taking their place at the front.

They didn't even try to find me.

Well, it wasn't their fault.

I had specifically told them not to even glance in my direction, not even flicker a reaction toward me after we regrouped. They were all just following my orders.

After all, I had a lot to explain to them.

I had revealed my multi-elemental to them. They had seen me wield three elements at once.

So, there was no way they wouldn't question me about that.

"Haaaah…" I sighed again, feeling the overall weight of the situation I pushed myself in. Just thinking about the upcoming explanations was exhausting.

I really needed an excuse.

'Don't you dare create another lame excuse,' Sera's voice rang inside my mind.

'What?!' I shot back instinctively.

'When did my excuses become lame—'

'Always were!' She cut me off immediately.

I smirked. 'Then why don't you give a better excuse?'

Silence.

She said nothing afterward.

—Are you ready?

Another voice echoed in my mind. It wasn't Sera's. This one was different.

It was from Lilith.

"So, she could use telepathy too." I murmured.

I focused on Sera's consciousness, making sure Lilith wouldn't realize I had a ghost possessing me.

'Sera, can you hear her too?' I asked carefully.

'Yes, I can. And please don't call me a ghost.'

I chuckled under my breath.

Taking a long breath, I braced myself.

For the last time, I scanned my surroundings, checking if everyone was here.

'Seemed all good to me.'

The first and second years were here. The single rankers were in here too. Even the Defender was present.

Everything was set.

'Do it,' I commanded Lilith.

The moment the words left my mouth, the ground beneath us— which was smoky, cracked, and almost burnt from Ruby's attack—gleamed with a sudden white light.

"?!"

"Ah!"

Gasps and shouts broke out around me. I carefully witnessed everything, as the white glow spread outward, illuminating every inch of our bodies.

Even all the single rankers were caught off guard.

"What's happening?!" someone yelled in confusion.

"No—Not again!" another voice screamed.

"Help!" Another.

Chaos erupted everywhere. Some stumbled back, while others instinctively reached for their weapons.

Ruby, Envy, Justice, and Greed reacted instantly, unsheathing their weapons.

But Hope…

Hope remained still.

He was unfazed by all of it.

My eyes widened at the sight.

Everyone else had reacted in some way. Even Envy and Ruby had shifted into a defensive stance.

But Hope…

It was as if he didn't care at all.

Or—

He knew.

He knew exactly what was happening.

He knew we were teleporting back to the Human Continent.

I didn't really put my mind into it for now. But, I had made myself a mental note—

I will find out who he truly was.

Slowly, second by second, the world around me blurred with a rapid crackling sound.

Zoooo! Zooo! Zoooo! Zoooo!

One by one, all vanished before my eyes.

First, the students disappeared into the light. Then, the Heroes' turn came.

"..."

Soon, only I remained, standing alone here.

The ground beneath me still shimmered with white light, casting a flickering, distorted shadow against my body.

I looked ahead.

On the other side of the forest.

To her—

To Lilith.

Her blood-red eyes drilled into me, it wasn't even moving. The pure white feathers on her wings trembled slightly with every subtle movement of her shoulders.

She stood motionless, watching me, with an unreadable expression on her face—one was of envy and another… something softer, something closer to care.

As if she wanted to see me one last time before I left.

"Ah…!"

A thought appeared in my mind. It was a question—an urgent one on that.

The anticipation of my question burned in my chest.

I had to ask her.

I really needed to…

The white light continued to engulf me, pulling me toward it, dragging me away from my desperate attempt to ask her a question.

I was running out of time.

My lips parted, the words rushing to the tip of my tongue.

It was about to explode.

"Tell me something...!" I screamed.

Lilith remained still at her place, her expression was unchanged.

"Tell me...!" My voice grew desperate, pushing past my limits. "Did the gods mistake Lucy as the Child of Prophecy?!"

For a moment, Lilith's eyes widened, startled.

Then, slowly, her lips curled into a radiant smile.

She closed her eyes, her voice calm yet filled with meaning.

"We will meet again soon."

And then—

I was gone.

I blinked.

Just for a second.

And the moment my eyes opened again, I found myself staring at a towering mountain, its peak covered in ice and snow. The cold was brushed against my skin, the wind was chilling.

I was staring at Frostvile Mountain.

"Huh?" The word slipped out as I tried to process the sudden shift in my surroundings. Just moments ago, I had been standing in the ruins of battle, watching Lilith from across the forest. Now, I was here.

The teleportation had worked.

Before I could think further, a voice called out to me.

"Zane!"

I turned my head to the right.

Anna.

Her expression was filled with relief, her breath visible in the cold air. But she wasn't alone.

The others were here too.

We had finally returned.

End of Chapter.

[End of Vol 1]