I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Crayman didn't have a system, despite knowing about it. And since he understood the mysterious power, Crayman's chances of winning had turned slimmer. A devil against a knight with a system only spelled doom on his name. And when King Arthur would defeat him, Crayman's barrier would lose its effect. That event would leave Merleen and me vulnerable for the next fight, if this progression still immobilised me.

"So this is the power of the system. And here I thought it did nothing besides a display. Now that I've realised it, I have nothing else to fear," King Arthur uttered, as he stared at his hands.

The bluish screen emerged in front of King Arthur's face, telling him his increased numbers. Magique nerfed my character because of a glitch in turning this world into reality. I should be the one to inherit that system since I was the strongest player. And that system came from me, which I spread through Green Knight.

However, that power came biting back towards me. Despite having a system, I couldn't compare myself to King Arthur.

As soon as King Arthur completed his inspection, he glared at Crayman. He clenched his hands and lunged for another attack, with the system increasing his damage. Two hits against Crayman could render the demon motionless afterward. Judging by Crayman's expression, he also knew that would happen.

King Arthur didn't mind the familiars surrounding Crayman and went straight at him. And even if those attacked the knight, I doubted it would deal damage to stop him. With that increased power, nothing could hold King Arthur back.

Crayman used his spells defensively instead of attacking. Those magic circles surrounding him turned into a shield, but unlike the one in front of me. That barrier blocked one strike coming from King Arthur. But the second blitz pierced through the wall, punching Crayman on his face.

The demon tumbled backward like a rolling plant in the desert. Crayman finally ended his painful adventure when a boulder stopped his momentum, crushing it into pieces. A loud groan came from the demon, followed by cracking laughter.

Even though he didn't have the upper hand, Crayman still found the situation amusing.

'Was it always like this for every demon?' I thought, but nobody told me the answer.

Within a few seconds, I could finally move my body. But every step I took stretched my muscles into oblivion and sent me to hell. It was as if an imaginary fire burned my body into crisps, and eventually left me dead in the abyss.

Despite these sensations, I crawled my way towards Merleen. I checked for any wounds she had received from the battle while praying she didn't have any. Thankfully, Merleen only suffered cuts far from her vital organs.

"Everything's going to be okay, Merleen. I will get you out of here," I mumbled, while caressing Merleen's face.

I didn't care if the throbbing pain would spread throughout my body. As long as I could touch Merleen, it was good enough for me.

"Let's just wait until my transformation ends….. Until then, please fight through the pain, Merleen…."

I averted my gaze from Merleen and focused on the fight. If I wanted to escape this place, I needed to study King Arthur's patterns. He was like a boss knight that we needed to defeat inside the dungeon. But compared to the game, our lives were on the line. And the stakes were even higher than before.

I would leave our mission behind, despite losing Fenrir. There was no way in hell I would lose Merleen from this fight and accomplish nothing afterward. We had already lost a valuable member…. I didn't want to see my partner die in front of me.

The battle resumed, with King Arthur launching himself onwards. Crayman immediately rose from the ground and conjured multiple spells once again. Those familiars also joined the fray and made a shield out of their bodies. And the creatures who could cast magic sent out their arcane, eventually sacrificing themselves for Crayman.

Luckily, those deaths slowed down the rampaging King Arthur. Even though he used his Excalibur to breach Crayman's defences, it was still insufficient. Those creatures made the knight work for his treat before killing the demon.

However, King Arthur shoved those beings as if they were nothing but pebbles. Within a few seconds, those creatures had almost turned into dust with his Excalibur.

As soon as King Arthur emerged at Crayman's fore, he slashed the demon. Those magic circles also exploded upon contact, dragging the two into the abyss. It didn't take too long before an explosion covered the area, dragging the pair with them. Thankfully, the barrier took the blast and shielded the residents.

The detonation received some casualties near the city, but not enough to annihilate everyone.

A cloud of smoke appeared in the area and filled the town. Luckily, the smog didn't enter our shield and remained outside our space. It took a few minutes before the fumes disappeared. And when that happened, one man remained victorious. The other being rested before him, glaring at King Arthur.

The knight hopelessly rose from the ground, cracking dozens of his bones. King Arthur's silver plates and shields shattered into a million pieces. Even his skin revealed some cuts, which came from the blast.

When he stood before the demon, King Arthur summoned his sword. "No matter what trickery you use, I will always be stronger than you. Demons are monsters governing the dark side of this planet. And I will eliminate all of you and create the peace I desire."

No matter how hard I tried to understand his words, King Arthur remained a twisted person. Even though he had the option of stopping the war, that knight wanted a holocaust. And those beings involved were the demons who desired nothing but peace.

King Arthur crushed Crayman's dead body as he stomped it into particles. The man had already left our world, but King Arthur continued smacking Crayman on the face. He didn't care about Crayman's corpse as he relentlessly tortured the dead man.

Since Crayman died, the barrier he created went away with him. It slowly faded into nothingness, revealing our vulnerable self. Merleen held my hand tighter than ever before, knowing the events that would come soon.

"No more tricks. Just you and me, Arthur. You're the only threat standing on my way," King Arthur said, as he leisurely made his way in our direction.

The big guy had forgotten that there was still Abaddon's daughter running on the loose. She would avenge us, fallen heroes, if we failed this match. Lilith was also currently the strongest member of our team, right next to my sword.

However, that thought would change right now. After finishing the process of this arcane, my system finally alerted me. I didn't know what Crayman had in store for me, but I had to thank him soon.

That demon just wanted to see the world burn….. King Arthur killed Fenrir right in front of me….. I couldn't wait to take his life with my own hands.

King Arthur zoomed straight in my direction and aimed his sword at the two of us. Merleen couldn't cast any spells for the time being, while I just recovered from my transformation. But that was enough for me to fight this madman and send him to the other side.

Before King Arthur could even reach my neck, I waved my hand and projected a blast. The shockwave was strong enough to shove the knight backward, forcing him to roll against a boulder. The rock exploded into a million bits, telling me how powerful I had become.

When King Arthur regained his balance, he widened his eyes in disbelief. "And here I thought I killed Crayman for good….. Little did I know he sent out a devil kid against me."

It almost felt like King Arthur's words flattered me rather than mocking me. Even though I had no relationships with Crayman, that devil gave me power. And it was what he had mentioned previously to me.

Crayman wanted nothing more but chaos in this world. After giving me this power, my revenge would come soon enough!

Since a demon granted me this strength, I also inherited some of Crayman's powers. My system listed all those skills for me, including those I didn't know. But I had no time to browse them since King Arthur and I were still fighting.

I grew obsidian wings behind my back, akin to a raven. These feathers growing behind my back had a mind of their own and flew to places I wanted to go. My system also mentioned that these wings could serve as a barrier against some elemental attacks. I could also use it to attack my enemies, including the knight below my feet.

Despite my changes, I still remained in my humanoid shape. Like the demons near the city, I didn't grow horns or turn my skin on a scale. I was still my usual self, with the power enhancing my body.