The Mind World And The Outcast Hero

The Tragic Hero

Nathan clenched his fist in rage. His back was against the wall and the lives of many people were at stake. He hated to admit it but he only had one option if he wished to save not only the civilians but Andrew as well. If nothing was done then they would all be crushed by the crumbling building. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he made a painful decision.

"Death, lend me your power!" Shouted Nathan. "I'll accept another letter! Just lend me at least 5%!"

Death was very pleased to hear this. Nathan could sense the sinister smile he made from within his graveyard.

"Very well!" Answered Death from within his mind.

Just then, a vast amount of Death Energy engulfed Nathan's body. Black lightning sparked and thunder boomed. The air around him became filled with the presence of death. Soon after, his right eye burnt with cold black flames and a darkened wing emerged from his back. His transformation was complete.

 Following this, a large piece of concrete broke away from the building as it prepared to fall atop Nathan and Andrew. However, a second later, a powerful kick sent Andrew flying out of the building and out of harm's way. He had not even gotten the chance to see what had happened.

"Nate!" He shouted.

To Andrew's surprise, he looked up to see different sections of the building falling apart. However, all the debris and rubble that fell was somehow disappearing seemingly into thin air. For a moment, he couldn't comprehend what was happening. This was until he caught a small glimpse of Nathan flying above his head, deflecting the falling concrete away from the civilians.

On the other hand, the Devil Beast which was now 150 meters tall, began to charge a powerful beam of light from its mouth. Nathan knew that if he allowed it to use such an attack then not one civilian would be left alive. He had to somehow stop the Devil Beast from attacking.

Sadly, that was not the only problem. The Beast King was also making his getaway on a flying Demon Beast. He would surely escape if Nathan didn't do something to stop him.

However, even with Death's power, Nathan felt heavily pressured. There was only so much that he could do by himself. Due to this, he only had two options:

1. He could continue protecting the civilians from the falling building and find a way to stop the Devil Beast.

2. He could abandon the civilians and the Devil Beast to give chase to the Beast King.

"Damn it..!" Shouted Nathan to the Beast King. "You might have escaped today but I promise that one day I'll find you and make you regret the day you were born!!"

Shortly after, the Devil Beast fired its beam toward the civilians. However, Nathan quickly intercepted the attack before deflecting it towards the sky. Due to this, a small hole was created in the clouds, revealing a ray of sunshine.

 

Sadly, Nathan's troubles were far from over. By this time, the building was ready to completely fall over. There was no possible way that he could stop the building from falling over. He needed Death's help.

"Death!" Shouted Nathan. "I need something to stop the building from falling over!!"

"That's impossible," replied Death.

"The hell you mean it's impossible?! Aren't you an Angel of Death?! There must be something that you can do!"

"There is but it doesn't stop the building from falling over. You can borrow a move from my arsenal called Death Trap. It kills anything it touches inclusive of lifeless objects. Use it to destroy the falling building!"

Hurriedly, Nathan then turned to face the falling building. He didn't know why but due to Death's power, he could somehow tell how he was supposed to use the attack.

"Death Art: Death Trap!!" Shouted Nathan.

Immediately, a large flaming black net covered the falling building. Soon after, the building disappeared as if it wasn't there, to begin with. Nathan was left amazed by the power of the attack. However, he didn't have time to be impressed. He still had the Devil Beast to take care of.

"Good, now our only problem is to deal with that Devil," continued Death. "The Beast King wasn't bluffing. If we kill it then it will explode."

"Don't you have a special attack designed for situations like these?" Asked Nathan.

"Unfortunately, I don't. All my attacks are designed to kill my enemies. If you wish to save your friends then you'll have to find another way to take care of it."

This was when a horrifying thought came rushing into Nathan's mind. He wanted to get rid of the thought but he could not think of a better plan. It was a good thing that Death wasn't able to read his mind or else he was sure to stop him.

Quickly, Nathan then flew down to Andrew's side. By this time, the side-effects of Death's power were beginning to take effect on his body. He was stifled with pain to the point where he almost couldn't breathe. However, he had to push through the pain.

"Nate, your borrowing that angel's power again..." Said Andrew dimly.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Andrew... But I'm here to give you a message,"

Andrew looked at Nathan in worry. He could tell that whatever Nathan was about to say to him would not be good.

 

"Andrew, I don't have much time but I at least wanted to say sorry."

"Bro, come on! What are you saying sorry for? It's-"

"Andrew, please don't interrupt me. My time's running out! Just listen to me, okay?"

Nathan and Andrew then paused for a moment as they looked up at the Devil Beast who was about to release another powerful beam.

"Andrew," continued Nathan with a slight smile. "Listen, no matter what happens to me, don't seek revenge, okay? I hate to see my best friend wearing a frown. It doesn't suit you! A smile and jovial laugh look a lot better on you. So, I want you to do something for me. I want you to take Sindy and keep her safe until you find a way out of the Mind World! And finally, please tell Sindy I'm sorry that I couldn't keep my promise!"

Andrew looked up at Nathan with a painful glint in his eyes. He was ready to argue but before he knew it, Nathan was already gone. Nathan shot himself towards the Devil Beast as fast as he could. He knew that there was no way for anyone to defeat the Devil Beast without destroying the city. He had to take matters into his own hands.

 The Devil Beast then fired its beam towards Nathan but he deflected the attack before flying towards the crown of its head. Desperately, he then grabbed onto a small horn that was protruding from its forehead before lifting the Devil Beast off the ground.

"Death, give me more power!!!" Screamed Nathan.

"What are you planning? You'll explode if I give you any more of my power!" Warned Death.

"Just trust me! I know what I'm doing!!"

Reluctantly, Death then did as Nathan wished. Immediately, Nathan felt a drastic increase in his strength. However, his body felt like someone was injecting him with thousands of tiny needles. The high density of Death Energy that had gathered inside him was threatening to pop him like a balloon. Nathan had now received a total of 10% of Death's power.

Utilizing his newly gained strength, Nathan began flying upwards with the Devil Beast. He now had enough strength to lift something as heavy as 250,000 tons due to Death's power. Lifting the Devil Beast was now mere child's play.

As Nathan flew above the clouds, Death immediately understood what he was about to do. He could hardly believe that Nathan would do something so risky.

"Nathan, what are you doing?!" Boomed Death. "Your body is not in a complete transformation! If you allow yourself to be caught within the blast then I won't be able to heal your injuries before you die!!"

"I know that! But it's for the best! Alondo was right! Real heroes don't exist but that doesn't mean I won't put my life on the line to save those I care about!"

"What the hell are you saying?! You'll kill us both!"

"That was part of my plan! Both of us will be killed in this blast, Death! Your power can not be allowed to create any more chaos in this world! You're going out with me!!!"

"YOU TRICKED ME!!! HOW DARE YOU?!!!"

Nathan flew high above the clouds with the Devil Beast for all eyes to see. He then raised his sword above his head as he prepared his final attack. 

"Death Art: Nightmare Slash!!"

With a swing of his sword, the Devil Beast was cut in two. The air tingled and the atmosphere vibrated harshly. A huge flash cut across the sky catching the attention of every civilian, hero, and assassin in the city. This was all followed by an explosion as the Devil Beast exploded like a nuke.

Those who knew what happened cried out Nathan's name while those who knew nothing remained silent as they watched on unknowingly.

Sindy and Andrew watched as the sky exploded like a nuclear bomb. Sindy's heart sank into her chest and her body quivered with disbelief. Finally, an unknown object sparkled as it fell from the sky. It clattered against the asphalt as it fell before her.

To her painful surprise, it was the remains of Nathan's sword. Sindy stared at it blankly frozen with horror. She struggled to understand what had just happened as a teardrop was sent streaming down her face. Finally, the clouds began to cry as the rain pitter-pattered against Nathan's broken sword and Sindy's broken heart.

Andrew slowly walked towards her dragging himself like a corpse. He too was shrouded by a feeling of disbelief and sorrow. He then fell to his knees as he was unable to avert his eyes from Nathan's broken sword. The truth had seeped into their soul like water to a sponge. Nathan was dead.

Sindy then let out a deafening cry. She gasped for air with each screeching cry. She almost felt as if she was about to be driven insane. It became difficult for her to tell her tears different from the rain that pelted her from above.

Rick, who had also witnessed Nathan's sacrifice hissed in frustration before turning himself away. 

On the other hand, Instructor Brady looked up into the clouds as a drop of water fell from his chin. His student, Nathan, the Mind Hero, was dead. Not one person had died due to his sacrifice but now his story had seemingly come to an end. However, for the gods, it was only just the beginning...