I WAS The Rank–1 Hero-Chapter 66: To The Human Continent [2]

"He is taking so long." Ruby showed her worry.

Her crimson hair flickered under the dimming firelight as she hugged her knees. Zane had run off after that sudden surge of overwhelming aura, leaving everyone unsettling feeling.

"He’ll be fine," Envy reassured her with a warm smile on her face. "Did you forget who he is?"

"I know... but he went alone," Ruby whispered, her voice was barely audible.

"You worry too much." Envy chuckled, crossing her arms, she added. "Our job right now is to watch over these kids."

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Ruby’s gaze drifted toward the three sleeping figures a short distance away from Envy.

Anna and Aria leaned on each other shoulder, their exhaustion face tell away everything they went through, Julius was no different, he was snoring lightly, his body sprawled across the cold ground.

"They’ve been through a lot," Ruby murmured, a mix of relief and sadness can be heard from her tone.

As the youngest headmistress of Nova in the history, in a prestigious academy, it was her duty to ensure their safety. But despite all her efforts, seeing her own students in such a vulnerable state pained her.

Her hands clenched into fists.

She knew the truth.

She knew exactly how crafty the Hero Association was.

They had pushed her into this position, guiding her whole journey in secret—even when she was unaware of it.

She was being controlled by them.

She despised this.

She despised being bound to them.

A surge of Fire Essence leaked from her body, the air around her heated as her eyes glowed in a deep crimson.

On this continent, her Fire elemental power was even fiercer, and powerful.

Envy noticed the shift in Ruby instantly.

"Relax," she said softly, her smile was filled with motherly warmth.

It made Ruby flinched at her words.

"I-I’m sorry, Master," she quickly regained control of her Essence, suppressing the raging flames, she stared at the distance were Zane went to.

Time dragged on.

One minute…

Ten minutes…

Thirty minutes…

Each passing second only worsened the storm in Ruby’s mind.

She continuously stomping her boots on the ground.

She was extremely worried.

A million question raced through her mind.

’Were all the students safe?

Did they have enough food?

What if something happened to them?’

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Haaaah….

With a sharp breath, Ruby shot up from her seat.

Lowering her gaze to her master, she stated—

"I’m going after Zane."

Envy shot back.

"You may not." Her tone was sharp, making Ruby to choose her next words carefully.

"B-But master, they—"

Ruby tried to argue, but Envy cuts her sentence.

"He must have some kind of plan prepared," Envy continued. "Going behind will only ruin it."

Envy was correct, Zane as the former Rank-1 had encounter several situation, which seemed impossible to complete.

But somehow—

He always make the perfect decision and gets to successfully complete it with minimum casualties involved.

Ruby and Envy were strong—No doubt there.

They knew it better than anyone else.

But Zane was on whole another level.

Ruby still remembered that day, that look on his eyes, that sinister laugh, everything—that day when he mercilessly butchered Glory.

With a mumbled voice Ruby spoke.

"But still he—"

"Aghh! This maiden in love! Seriously, he will be fine."

She continued.

"If he didn’t return in thirty minutes, then I would personally go search for him."

***

On the same time:

Like an Angel descending from the heaven, she hovered in the air.

Her pure white gown simmered under the moonlight, her massive feathered wings spread widely, catching everyone’s attention.

But we , finally noticed something.

Her face…

There was nothing there.

No eyes.

No mouth.

No nose.

No ears.

It just pure, smooth, plane skin, as if someone has erased it completely. Her hair matches her white skin color. The moon above cascading its light on it.

"What... is that…?" Someone asked, their voice laced with fear and uneasiness.

Everyone had same question in their mind.

What the hell is that thing?

I was no different from the others, yet my mind remained calm.

’I-Is that Nathalia?’ I asked Sera, my eyes locked onto the figure hovering above us.

Her appearance matched the description Sera had given me—except for her face. Or rather, the complete absence of one.

’She is. But…’

"But what?" I pressed, gripping my katana tighter.

’That’s her dream form.’

Dream form?

Nathalia had the ability to bring dreams into reality—and that applied to herself as well.

According to Sera, the angelic figure in the sky was indeed Nathalia, but not her real body. It was her dream form—a version of herself that was far more powerful than her current body, it was crafted according to her own dream.

A body that possessed immortality.

’Immortality? But how?’

Even the thought of it felt absurd.

How was she able to manifest such a form into reality?

I’m still not knowledgeable about those Authority Holders.

But Sera had seen this form of her before.

Nathalia only used this version of herself in battles she wasn’t certain she could win.

’So… was she afraid?’

By who?

Afraid of us?

Afraid of me?

Or…

My gaze flickered to Hope, who was standing ahead, firmly gripping his silver katana.

The answer was clear.

She feared him.

And she was right to.

Because in this battle, I can guarantee—

Hope would win.

And what we all witnessed next validated all my reasons.

***

Without hesitation, Hope launched himself into the sky, griping his katana firmly.

His movements were fluid, his body made a majestic arc through the air.

The sheer force of his action sent a ripple through everyone’s body, awe and anticipation gripping those who watched his fight.

Yet, Nathalia’s dream figure remained still at the sky.

She did not flinch.

Did not react.

Hope’s blade descended on her.

With a single clean swoop, his katana sliced through her waist.

Schlick!

Flesh parted body.

Bones cracked.

Jagged, twisting intestines spilled from the gap on each half, unraveling the grotesque coils of her inside.

Thick, arterial blood sprayed onto the ground, like a rain , painted the soil beneath in crimson.

Nathalia’s exposed ribcage with the shards of bone grinding against each other as her severed torso dangled for a mere second. Before—

Something absurd happened.

The two halves of her body—still gushing, still twitching—began to move.

Drip. Drip.

The sound of flesh stitching itself back together can be heard clearly.

The torn intestines slithered back into its place like living tentacles, the ruptured organs reknitting with wet, squelching noises.

Crack! Crack!

Shattered bones snapped and bent into alignment, their black edges forcing themselves to reform to its original state.

They all witnessed this unhinged, un natural sight.

Not a single wound.

Not even a scar.

The seer horror of it sent a shiver down every onlooker’s spine.

Their bodies stiffened as nausea swelled in their stomachs.

Some even held their breath.

Some even threw up right away.

Hope didn’t stop there.

The moment Hope’s body landed on the ground, he struck at her again.

His movements blurred, too fast for the human eye to follow.

One moment, he was standing still—the next, he was like a lightning boult, tearing through the air with his katana.

BOOOOMMMM!

Everytime he moved, a trail of sonic boom left behind his back, sending a massive gust of wind.

The onlookers held their breath. Everything was happening too fast for their brain to process it.

Their eyes strained to keep up with all his movements, but Hope’s speed was beyond their comprehension.

Only one among them saw it all.

At the very back, a boy stood still, an obsidian-black katana gripping in his hand. His jet black hair framed his face, and his silver eyes shone with an unwavering confidence that set him apart from other students surrounding him.

He wasn’t like them. He didn’t belong among them.

BAAAAMMM!

A loud explosion of violet energy erupted from Hope’s katana, scattering streaks of purple lightning across the sky.

RUMBLE!! RUMBLE!!

A shockwave blasted the whole atmosphere, shaking the ground beneath them.

The force cracked the earth, sending cris-cross lines racing across the land.

For a moment theres only silent remains.

It took a second for all of them to register what had just happened.

In the blink of an eye—

A massive ice boulder now hovered over Nathalia’s dream form, stretching vastly in the air. The colossal structure stretched almost six meters in diameter, a frozen behemoth shines like a diamond under the moonlight.

Silence.

Nathalia remained in the air, unmoving, as if that massive boulder above her meant nothing.

The sheer mass of the ice should have been enough to crush any opponent under it.

But she probably knew.

She knew this wouldn’t kill her.

And that knowledge alone made the scene even more terrifying.

Zane standing at the back with his guards on, analyzing every details, his whole body remained calm.

Zane deduced an important detail through Nathalia’s Dream figure.

Her body is just like his. The ressurection process, the way her whole body reconstructed—

It was similar to his.

A satisfied smile curled on his lips.

"Just like me… the same immortal body."

End of Chapter.