I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Lilith grappled with my friends in each of her hands. Meliodas was unfortunately in front of him, gasping for the little air he could breathe.

If I let this continue forward, Lilith would kill my three friends in front of me. And, of course, I did not want that to happen.

But how could I save them with my petty self and my mediocre abilities? I was slow as a tortoise, with a stick clipped in my hand. And even if I reached Lilith's side, I wouldn't scratch that demon even if I tried.

If I wished to save my comrades in danger, I had to do something even more…. I had to rely on Clarent's power.

"Please…. I want to save my friends. If you could grant me power, you should do it now!" I thought, and gripped the sword's pommel in my hands.

After a few milliseconds, a shimmering light covered my skin. This world and game nerfed my characters heavily like a broken hero. But after witnessing my friends in danger, fifty percent of my power returned to me.

My system told me that, with a window that appeared at my upper view.

[Because of your dedication on saving your friends without killing the demon, the system grants you power. You shall now tap half of your strength from your original character.]

Those were the words written on the box that the system notified. It even made me wonder how the system knew that this world nerfed my powers. It mentioned that I should have my original strength after living in this world.

It made little sense to downgrade all my abilities without giving me an advantage.

But I brushed those trivial thoughts aside and dashed straight towards Lilith. However, I did not expect something like this would happen to me.

My eyes widened upon teleporting in front of Lilith. I did not even notice it, but my Clarent glowed a vivid light and granted me some insane powers. Within a few seconds, my blade already made it near Lilith's neck.

I did not plan on taking her life, since this demon had killed no one in my team. This act was just a threat that I wanted to instil in the demon if she tried harming my friends, especially in front of me.

"I don't want to kill you. And you don't want to kill us. You promised you'd take no one's life earlier. If there's one thing I know about demons is that they never get back to their word!" I said, while staring into Lilith's eyes. "I know you're a kind demon. If you really wanted to kill us, you would have done it earlier, especially with that Excalibur. And Meliodas has a past…. Please spare his life."

"If there's someone you need to kill, it should be me. I'm their leader. And I will take full responsibility for my friend's actions," I continued, while maintaining eye contact with Lilith.

It was like what I mentioned earlier. Lilith never planned on killing anyone when she said those words. She just acted out of defence, since there was someone who could control light on my team.

Light was the only ability that could harm the demon's skin. It was not their weakness, but their abilities'. Since demons had a high affinity with darkness, their bodies would react violently against light spells. Even though they had different classes and attributes-just like other creatures, they still couldn't take a massive hit from light magic.

But after hearing my words, Lilith softened up and retracted the fight. Lilith's eyes focused on the ground, while narrowing her eyebrows. Her eyes aligned together, showing a hint of regret at the action she did.

I also stole some glances at Meliodas and assured him that everything would turn out okay. After hearing my plea, Lilith gingerly dropped Merleen, Fenrir, and Meliodas on the ground. With a blaring thud, my three friends nestled themselves on the ground.

Fenrir and Merleen also lost consciousness as soon as they hit the soil. Since they had been through novel experiences, those two girls could not handle the pressure they faced. And considering that Meliodas controlled them without their consent, Fenrir and Merleen wouldn't know what happened in this fight.

But before Lilith could accept my deal, she turned towards me and said, "What am I going to do about this guy if he kills me again."

I gulped at her words and answered, "I have a feeling that Meliodas would try that again. But I will do my best to tell him about this situation."

I wanted to tell my honest concerns to the demon when she asked me. And it was a promise that I will keep with my life until I die. Meliodas might have thought differently when this event happened, especially when a demon was in front of us.

But little did he know Lilith could effortlessly kill us all within a matter of seconds.

"Very well. You have ten minutes to do that. I believe in you, Arthur. And you have my word and trust. All you gotta do is make use of it," Lilith exclaimed, as she threw Meliodas towards me without lifting a finger.

She might have had abilities that could telekinetically carry anything with her mind. If I had to be honest, that ability alone was enough to kill us all. It was a cheap skill, but effective when used properly.

And I hated to mention this, but Lilith had the statistical power of a high elite player, even without levelling up. I could even sense that this demonic girl got her system without me sharing it.

I thought I was the only one with this immeasurable power. It was the power that continued to feed the player with growth and strength beyond expectations.

But it defied that logic. A demonic girl, who already had the power to destroy a city, got her hands on a system. Lilith even received the Excalibur, the legendary sword in tales and legends.

As soon as Meliodas went flying in my direction, I extended my arms and caught his body. Meliodas came crashing towards me and pressed himself against my arms. My upper extremities almost broke if it were not for my knight's ability to strengthen my muscles.

"Meliodas, are you okay?" I asked, while patting his shoulders. "Do you feel numb? What do you feel? Tell me if you feel anything funny."

Meliodas shook his head and answered, "No, Arthur. I'm fine. That demon did nothing to me, except cut my airflow."

Even though Meliodas confessed those words, that man had trouble standing on the ground. After a few attempts, he knelt near the boulder and gasped for air.

"I know what you're trying to do. I'm sorry, Arthur. I just can't let it pass."

I stood from the ground and never gazed into Meliodas' eyes. "Let me just ask you one thing, Meliodas. Does your revenge for your uncle mean a lot to you?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Arthur, my uncle's life means a lot to me," Meliodas confidently answered, and eventually coughed out his saliva. "I will kill those knights who hurt my uncle. If I can't do that, I won't have any purpose in life."

I nodded my head and retorted, "As your friend, I will do everything to ease your heart. Just promise me you will save other people when they need you the most. If you keep killing innocent knights without batting an eye, you will become one of them."

"And if that happened," I said, and finally turned towards his figure. "You're one of them. Think again if your uncle wanted that for you. Imagine meeting your uncle in your afterlife, saying that you killed all the knights living in this world for his sake. And if that really eases your mind, I would never bother you again."

"And Meliodas, take Merleen with you back to Fisher. She needs to live a happy life. Fenrir could take care of herself."

After saying my fill, I turned my focus to Lilith and announced, "Lilith, take my life and spare my three friends. I want to help Meliodas. A deal's a deal, demon. It seems I lost that bet."

A faint voice in the distance echoed through my ears. It came from a feminine, recognizable sound, telling me to live. As I glanced around, Merleen's body quivered.

Even if Merleen became unconscious, she could still feel in her heart that I would leave this world…. and leave her behind.

"Is that your final decision, human?" Lilith asked, as she brandished her dark Excalibur sword. "Are you willing to sacrifice your life to save this man's pride? You still have a few minutes left on your clock. I advise you to take my word seriously."

"Enough, demon!" I raised my voice. "I will do this to save my friend. All of them are my friends. And I will do everything I can to protect them."