I Killed the Hero and Took His Achievements-Chapter 53: The Return of the Hero (Kenji’s Revenge)

[Location: The Floating Arena - High Atmosphere]

[Event: The Grand Tournament - The Final Round]

[Time: High Noon]

The stadium was hovered 30,000 feet in the air, the view was breathtaking, and the entire continent of Oaklan was stretched out below with a patchwork of conquered lands. The audience wasn’t looking at the view. Instead, they were looking at the carnage with 100,000 spectators cheered.

The combatants had been whittled down. Only one challenger was remained.

"And now!" My voice boomed over the speakers. "For the Grand Finale! The winner will receive the [Revival Scroll] and a coupon for 5% off at any Avarice Shop!"

The crowd roared. They loved coupons.

I sat in my VIP box while sipping wine. Sylvia and Seraphina flanked me. Ahri was down in the arena while acting as the "Final Boss."

"Who is the challenger?" Sylvia asked while checking the roster. "The list says ’Unknown’."

"It’s a surprise entry," I grinned.

BOOM. A green meteor crashed into the center of the arena. It didn’t only land, but it was impacted. The shockwave cracked the floating platform. The forcefield flickered violently. The dust and radiation filled the air instantly. The front three rows of the audience were blown out of their seats. Their popcorn was scattered everywhere.

"My leg!" a noble screamed. "My leg is glowing!"

When the dust settled, there stood a figure in the crater. He wasn’t human anymore. His skin was glowing neon green. It was translucent in places, showing bones that pulsed with unstable mana.

His muscles were swollen, corded like steel cables under high tension. His hair had fallen out entirely, replaced by a crown of burning green flames. He was missing his left arm. But in its place, a massive, jagged rock was fused to his shoulder. It wasn’t attached; it had grown into him.

[Target: Kenji (The Radioactive Avenger)]

[Level: 60]

[Class: Berzerker / Walking Disaster.]

[Status: Terminally Ill but Too Angry to Die.]

[Radiation Output: 500 Rads/sec.]

"Cain!!!!" Kenji roared. His voice sounded like a Geiger counter was having a seizure. It was a distorted static-filled scream that grated on the soul. "I have come for my revenge! I have come for my arm! I have come for justice!"

The crowd gasped.

"Is that... the Hero?"

"He looks like a ghoul!"

"He looks... strong!"

Kenji pointed his rock-arm at my VIP box. "come down here, you coward! Fight me like a man!"

I leaned over the railing. I swirled my wine glass, looking bored. "I’m a CEO, Kenji. I don’t fight laborers. I have staffs for that."

"Laborer?!" Kenji spat a glob of glowing green saliva. It hit the floor and hissed, and melted through the stone. "I am a martial artist! Master Wu taught me the way of the rock!"

"He taught you how to get cancer," I corrected him. "You’re leaking, Hero. You’re a biohazard."

"I am radiant!"

I snapped my fingers.

Ahri stepped forward. She was wearing her combat gear. It was red silk dress modified for movement, and nine daggers floating around her. Her nine tails swayed hypnotically behind her. "Hello, puppy," Ahri teased. She covered her nose. "Euh. You smell like spicy air."

"Silence, witch!" Kenji bellowed. "Women are distractions!"

"Fight!" I ordered.

[Round 1: The Speed Battle]

Kenji charged. He didn’t run. Instead, he propelled himself.

[Skill: Nuclear Dash.]

Green fire exploded from his feet. He crossed the 100-meter arena in a blink. WHOOSH. The air pressure alone shattered the stone tiles of the arena. He swung his rock-arm. It was a clumsy swing. A haymaker aimed at Ahri’s head. But the force behind it was cataclysmic.

Ahri dodged. She didn’t block because she couldn’t block. She danced around him, light on her feet, leaving afterimages of red silk. The rock fist hit the air where she had been. CRACK.

The sonic boom knocked the wind out of the spectators. "You’re slow," Ahri taunted, appearing on his flank. She slashed with her daggers. [Skill: Fox Blade Dance.] Ping. Ping. Ping. The daggers hit Kenji’s skin. They didn’t cut. But, they bounced off. His skin had hardened into organic lead.

"My skin is the shield of justice!" Kenji laughed maniacally. "You cannot cut the truth!" He spun around while swinging his arm.

Ahri backflipped away. She landed gracefully, but she hissed. She looked at her hand. The fur on her arm was singed.

[System Alert: Radiation Poisoning.]

[HP: -50/sec.]

[Status: Nauseous.]

"Master!" Ahri yelled up at me. "It hurts just to be near! He’s a walking microwave!"

"Keep moving!" I shouted back. "Don’t let him touch you!"

"I am inevitable!" Kenji screamed. He slammed his fist into the ground. [Skill: Nuclear Smash.] BOOM. A shockwave of green fire exploded outward in a 360-degree radius.

Ahri’s eyes widened. She couldn’t dodge the area of effect. It covered the entire arena. She crossed her nine tails in front of her to block. The blast hit her. "Kyaa!" She was thrown back twenty meters.

She skidded across the floor while digging her claws into the stone to stop. She looked at her tails. One of them was burnt. The beautiful white fur was scorched black. "Ow!" Ahri hissed. Her eyes filled with tears. "You... you ruined my grooming! Do you know how long it takes to brush nine tails?!"

"I will ruin your life!" Kenji charged again.

Up in the box, Sylvia looked worried. She gripped the railing so hard that the metal bent. "Master, his stats are abnormal. His Strength is S-Rank. He’s actually overpowering her."

"He’s burning his life force," I noted calmly while watching the readouts on my HUD.

[Kenji HP: 100% -> 90% -> 80%...]

"Every second he exists, he’s dying. The [Martyrdom] artifact is the only thing keeping him together. It’s constantly healing the radiation damage and forcing his cells to mutate."

"So we just wait?"

"No," I said. "Ahri might lose before he burns out. He’s a candle burning at both ends, but the flame is hot enough to melt us all."

"Should I intervene?" Sylvia asked while her hands were glowing with ice magic.

"No," I said. "Ahri hasn’t even started trying. She’s still fighting like a warrior. She needs to fight like a Fox."

Back in the arena. Ahri was getting annoyed. She was dodging, weaving, and throwing blue fireballs, but Kenji just tanked them. His green skin absorbed the magic.

"Magic is weak!" Kenji laughed, drool dripping from his mouth. "Muscle is indestructible!" He managed to grab one of Ahri’s tails. "Gotcha!" He pulled.

"Let go!" Ahri yelped. She was yanked off balance.

Kenji raised his rock-fist. "Begone, thot!" He punched. It was going to be a fatal blow.

[Round 2: The Seduction Trap]

Ahri’s eyes changed. The playful glint vanished. It was replaced by the cold predatory stare of a demon who realizes that physical force is inefficient. "Enough," she whispered. [Skill: Charm (Overload).]

She didn’t use fire. Instead, she used her eyes. She looked directly into Kenji’s soul. Pink energy flooded the arena.

Kenji’s fist stopped an inch from her face. His green eyes flickered. The radiation dimmed slightly. Inside Kenji’s mind, the battlefield vanished. He wasn’t in a ruined arena. He was in a field of flowers.

And Ahri wasn’t a monster. She was... "Alice?" Kenji muttered, drooling slightly. "No... better than Alice..." The rage faded. Replaced by confusion. And overwhelming horniness. "She..." Kenji lowered his rock arm. "She’s... cute?"

Ahri smiled. It was the smile of a trap. She stepped closer. She ignored the radiation burning her skin. She placed her hand on his glowing chest. "You don’t want to hurt me, do you, Kenji-kun?" she purred. Her voice echoed with magic.

Kenji shook his head violently. "No! Master Wu said... women are distractions! Must... grind... rocks!"

"I like rocks," Ahri lied smoothly. She traced a finger down his chest. "You’re so strong. So... firm."

Kenji blushed. His green skin turned a weird shade of brown. "I... I am strong," he stammered. "I carried the big rock up the hill."

"Show me," Ahri whispered. "Show me how strong you are. Drop your guard."

"N-No..." Kenji stuttered. "I... I want to protect..."

"Then stand still."

Kenji stood still. He was paralyzed by the conflict between his lust and his training.

Ahri’s smile vanished.

She spun. [Skill: Nine-Tailed Lash.] All nine tails slammed into Kenji’s face simultaneously. SMACK. It sounded like a whip cracking the sound barrier. Kenji flew backward. He bounced off the floor, crashed through a pillar, and landed in a pile of rubble.

The crowd went wild.

"THE FOX GODDESS WINS!"

"FATALITY!"

Ahri dusted off her hands. She checked her nails. "Men," she scoffed. "So predictable. Give them a compliment and they drop their shields." She turned to walk away. "Master, I’m done. Can I have a treat?"

I stood up in the box. "Ahri," I said quietly. "Look behind you."

The rubble shifted. A green light exploded from the debris. "NO!" Kenji shrieked. He stood up. His face was caved in. His nose was on his forehead. His jaw was hanging loose. But then... SQUELCH. Green sludge filled the wounds. The bone popped back into place.

[Trait Activation: Martyrdom.]

[Condition Met: Fatal Damage taken while ’Simping’.]

[Resurrection (Partial).]

[Stats: Doubled.]

[New Trait: Incel Rage (Immune to Charm).]

"I will not be seduced!" Kenji roared. The sound shattered the glass in my VIP box. "I have taken the oath of celibacy! Master Wu taught me! women are liars! They only want my exp!" He charged again. This time, he was twice as fast.

Ahri turned, eyes wide. She tried to cast Charm again. Pink hearts flew at him.

Kenji squeezed his eyes shut. He ripped his own ears off. "Lalalala! I can’t hear you! Justice! Justice!" He was a missile of pure rejection.

Ahri barely had time to react.

CRASH. Kenji tackled her. They crashed into the ground. Kenji pinned her down. His weight was immense. The radiation burned her skin on contact.

"Get off me!" Ahri screamed, clawing at his face.

"Die, demon!"

He raised his rock-fist. He swung.

Ahri crossed her arms. CRACK. Her collarbone snapped. Ahri screamed in genuine pain. It wasn’t a cute anime scream. Instead, it was the sound of an animal being broken.

"Ahri!" Sylvia yelled while preparing to jump.

I grabbed Sylvia’s arm. "Stay."

"But Master! He’s going to kill her!"

"No," I said. "He’s going to feed her." I leaned over the railing. I looked down at the brutal scene. Kenji was pummeling Ahri. She was losing. Her HP was critical.

[Ahri HP: 10%.]

She looked up at me. Her eyes were pleading. She wanted me to save her. She wanted me to intervene.

I stared into her eyes. "Ahri!" I shouted. My voice cut through the noise of the crowd. She flinched. "Stop playing with your food!" Ahri froze. "He is not an opponent!" I roared. "He is a meal! Eat him!"

Ahri blinked. Eat him? She looked at Kenji. She saw the fist coming down again. But this time, she didn’t see a threat. She saw the massive amount of mana radiating from him. It was the nuclear energy, the life force, and the sheer dense calories of a Hero’s soul. She wasn’t a girl nor a waifu. She was a Kumiho. A soul-eating fox demon. Her pupils dilated into thin slits. Her teeth elongated into fangs. "Yes... Master."

Kenji punched.

Ahri didn’t block. She lunged up. She opened her mouth unhinging her jaw slightly. She bit him directly on the neck. CHOMP.

Kenji paused. His fist hovered in the air. "W-What?" Kenji gasped. "Get off... argh!" He tried to pull away. He couldn’t.

Ahri wasn’t just biting. She was inhaling.

[Skill: Soul-Drain (Fox Variant).]

[Target: Radioactive Mana Source.]

A stream of green energy flowed from Kenji’s veins into hers.

"My power!" Kenji shrieked. "She’s sucking it out!" He hit her. He punched her in the back. Ahri coughed blood, but she didn’t let go. She clamped down harder. The green glow began to fade from Kenji’s skin, and transfer to Ahri.

"Tasty," Ahri whispered against his neck. Her wounds began to close. Her snapped collarbone knitted itself back together. But it didn’t stop there. The energy was too much. It was nuclear. It was divine. Ahri began to glow. Not blue, but Gold.

[System Alert]

[Companion ’Ahri’ is Evolving.]

[Catalyst: Radioactive Hero Soul.]

[Threshold Breached.]

Ahri kicked him off. She stood up. She didn’t look like herself anymore. Her fur turned a brilliant white-gold. Her nine tails fanned out behind her, but they weren’t made of fur. They were made of pure, white-hot plasma. The air in the arena superheated instantly. The stone floor turned to glass.

[Evolution Complete.]

[New Form: The Nine-Tailed Sun Deity.]

[Level: 70.]

Ahri floated into the air. Her eyes were two miniature suns. She looked down at Kenji. He was shriveled, pale, and trembling. His rock arm crumbled into dust. "You wanted heat?" Ahri asked. Her voice echoed with divine power. It sounded like a choir of burning angels. "I’ll give you the Sun."

She raised her hands. Nine miniature suns formed above her head. They swirled, growing larger and larger until they filled the sky. "Solar bombardment." She threw them. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. The arena exploded. The forcefield barely held. The spectators screamed, shielding their eyes from the blinding light.

Kenji didn’t even have time to scream. He was vaporized. His skin melted. His bones turned to ash. His soul was scrubbed from the material plane. The light faded. The arena was gone. There was only a gaping hole in the floating platform, looking down at the clouds below.

Ahri landed gracefully on the edge of the crater. Her tails dimmed back to a soft, golden glow. She looked up at me and smiled with a terrifying beautiful smile. "Did I do good, Master?"

"You did excellent," I said.

The crowd was silent in terror. Then, slowly, one person clapped. Then another. Then they erupted in applause. They cheered for the monster who just nuked a man.

I looked at the empty space where Kenji used to be.

[System Notification]

[Hero ’Kenji’ Defeated.]

[Respawn Timer: 24 Hours.]

"He’ll be back," I muttered, turning away. "But next time, he’ll be even crazier."

I adjusted my suit. "The tournament is over. The Army is ready. The Hero is farmed."

"Now..." I looked at the sky. At the red dot of the Interstellar Fleet. "It’s time for the Main Event."