Chapter 14 — The Weight of Lightning
The battlefield had grown quiet.
Not with peace.
But with dread.
Takiro Valen stood amidst the fading corpses of low-level demons, his chest rising and falling heavily. His mana was nearly depleted. Every breath burned.
Across the ruined street, the true nightmare had revealed itself.
The main demon.
Even from a distance, Takiro could feel it.
Its form flickered.
Blurred.
Unstable.
Like reality itself refused to hold its shape.
God of Thunder had seen it too.
And he understood immediately.
This was no ordinary enemy.
An illusion-type demon.
The most dangerous kind.
A demon whose true body could remain hidden while its illusion fought in its place.
You could battle it for hours…
And never touch the real one.
God of Thunder clenched his weapon.
He could not take chances.
He leapt forward.
“Thunder Splash!”
Lightning roared.
His strike descended with absolute precision, severing the demon’s head.
The head fell.
For a moment—
Victory.
Then—
BOOM.
A devastating punch crashed into his side.
God of Thunder’s body flew across the street like a broken ragdoll, smashing into the remains of a vehicle.
The severed head dissolved.
An illusion.
The real demon stood untouched.
Fear spread instantly among the civilians.
“The God of Thunder… was blown away…”
Takiro’s eyes widened.
This wasn’t just dangerous.
This was catastrophic.
He looked at the remaining low-level demons.
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Then at the fallen hero.
He made his decision.
He would handle the low-levels.
God of Thunder had to focus on the main demon.
But his body was reaching its limits.
His mana was nearly gone.
His fists trembled.
He slammed his hand into the ground in frustration.
If only I had trained more…
If only I had taken it seriously…
All those excuses…
All that wasted time…
Regret tightened around his heart.
But he forced himself to breathe.
This was not the time for regret.
This was the time to act.
Footsteps approached.
Takiro turned.
Civilians.
Men.
Women.
Even the elderly.
One of them stepped forward.
“We will fight.”
Takiro froze.
“We will protect the children,” the man said. “This is our battle too.”
Hope burned in their eyes.
Desperate.
Fragile.
But real.
Takiro knew the truth.
If they fought—
Many would die.
But he also knew something else.
This world belonged to them.
Not just heroes.
He gritted his teeth.
Meanwhile—
God of Thunder rose slowly.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
He wiped it away.
And smiled.
“I’ve been waiting…”
His voice was quiet.
“For a battle like this.”
He raised his weapon.
“Thunder Strike.”
The sky split open.
Lightning descended.
The illusion shattered.
For the first time—
The real demon was exposed.
God of Thunder attacked relentlessly.
Strike after strike.
But his mana was fading.
He was reaching his limit.
And the demon still stood.
Then—
Something happened.
The elderly stepped forward.
“Our duty,” one of them said gently, “is to ensure the next generation sees tomorrow.”
They raised their hands.
Light emerged.
Mana.
Their mana flowed into God of Thunder.
His eyes widened.
He could feel it.
Power.
Returning.
He roared.
“ROAR OF LIGHTNING!”
Thunder exploded across the heavens.
The earth trembled.
Lightning fell again and again—
Until nothing remained.
The demon turned to ash.
Silence.
Victory.
But behind him—
Bodies fell.
The elderly collapsed.
Unconscious.
Their mana spent.
Takiro saw it.
And moved.
Without hesitation.
He shared his remaining mana.
Every last drop.
Light flowed from him into them.
His vision blurred.
His legs weakened.
He smiled faintly.
“They fulfilled their duty…”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“…now it’s my turn to fulfill mine.”
Darkness took him.
Takiro Valen fell.
Unconscious.
Across the battlefield—
God of Thunder turned.
And saw him.
The man who had given everything.
For a moment, he did not move.
The God of Thunder stood in silence, the storm around him fading, replaced by something far heavier.
Reality.
Takiro Valen lay on the broken earth, unmoving.
Not dead.
But frighteningly still.
Civilians rushed past the God of Thunder.
They did not wait for orders.
They did not ask for permission.
Carefully—gently—they lifted Takiro’s unconscious body.
“He’s still breathing.”
“Careful… don’t move his head.”
“We need to take him somewhere safe.”
They carried him away from the battlefield, toward the nearest intact home.
Not as strangers.
But as their hero.
Nearby, a small child clung tightly to her mother, tears streaming down her face.
She looked at Takiro’s unmoving form as he was carried away.
“Mom…”
Her voice trembled.
“…the hero… he’s going to be okay… right?”
Her mother froze.
She opened her mouth—
But no words came out.
Because she didn’t know.
Because heroes were not supposed to fall.
Not like this.
Not after winning.
She pulled her daughter close.
“…Yes,” she whispered anyway.
Because hope was all she could offer.
Behind them, murmurs began to rise.
Whispers.
Then questions.
Then anger.
One man stepped forward, his face tight with frustration.
“Why?”
God of Thunder looked at him.
“Why did only two of you come?” the man demanded.
“Where were the others?”
His voice grew louder.
“You’re heroes, aren’t you?!”
More civilians turned.
Listening.
Waiting.
God of Thunder did not answer immediately.
Because the truth…
Was ugly.
“…Many heroes have resigned,” he said at last.
Silence fell.
“There is…” he continued quietly, “…a lack of trust. Among heroes themselves.”
The words felt bitter even as he spoke them.
Another civilian stepped forward, anger blazing in his eyes.
“Then how do you expect us to trust you,” he said sharply, “when you heroes can’t even trust each other?”
The question struck harder than any demon’s blow.
God of Thunder had no weapon against it.
No shield.
Only honesty.
He looked at them.
At their fear.
At their anger.
At their desperation.
“…Because,” he said softly, “…we are still here.”
No one spoke.
“We are still fighting.”
His eyes drifted toward the direction Takiro had been carried.
“…And as long as even one hero stands…”
His voice lowered.
“…we will not abandon you.”
The civilians said nothing.
But they listened.
And sometimes…
That was enough.
Far away, inside a small damaged home—
Takiro Valen lay unconscious.
Unaware—
That everything…
Had already begun to change.
