I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

"Arthur…." Merleen pleaded, and grasped me tighter. "I want to come with you. I want to be with you! You told me that….I can help you. And I want to help you…..win this war"

"But I've changed, Merleen! My goals have changed….I want to destroy Albion….I want to kill those people standing in my way….And I don't want to kill you too."

Merleen shook her head and answered, "I….I will follow you until my last breath…. I want to…..include my life with yours."

Merleen's claims made my heart jump with joy. Those words only enlightened my eyes, gleaming at the distant hope we would achieve. Instead of turning against me, Merleen would walk by my side. 

If the two of us would conquer Albion, our job would be a breeze. I didn't know if that would happen to friends, but that was a problem for later.

When I was about to point out Merleen's condition, the girl clutched her hand against my sword. Clarent became more powerful after receiving those buffs from Crayman….It even turned out to be a better weapon than I had before getting nerfed from this world.

My current sword had a passive ability of darkness. And the obsidian element in this world was the most powerful ability that had no weaknesses except for its own kind. 

Besides the darkness status, Clarent had also increased my status power and statistical points. I couldn't even count the numbers, since it had already flooded my screen. Crayman had granted me immeasurable power, with the combination of dark magic and demonic spells. Since I was a human, my being welcomed these upgrades with open arms.

Merleen shared my power, since she was my partner. My system identified her as my other half, which permitted her for another dark transformation. A screen emerged before me when Merleen touched my sword, showing that she would have my abilities.

Merleen needed to heal as soon as possible. With the wounds she had received, there was no telling how long Merleen could live through that pain. And we were already running low with the medical potions and herbs we had in our inventory. 

The only option we had was this obsidian transformation, which came from my arcane.

Merleen also noticed the confirmation coming from her system. She slowly averted her view from the screen as she returned my gaze.

"It's never too late to go back, Merleen. You don't have to walk on the path that I would be walking," I uttered, presenting her my final warning.

The only thing that kept me from killing Merleen was her intentions of helping me. If she had stood in my way, I would have….killed her immediately. If she was lucky, I would have imprisoned Merleen until she would notice my goal.

Thankfully, none of that happened.

This power I received amplified every emotion inside one's body. Crayman mentioned that if my heroicness still remained inside me, that righteousness would prevail. And my heart would push the darkness behind, leaving no room for turning on the darker side.

However, the opposite came to me. And the light had never crept through my tunnel. Before I knew it, vengeance successfully consumed me. And I became a monster who wished to kill those people who ruined my life.

"You could either die as a hero….or live long enough to be the villain. Choose, Merleen…Choose before it's late….You could stop me right now and carry my forsaken responsibility, or you could with me. Take my hand, so we can change the world into a brighter place. A place where no one could bother our lives….A place where we're the most powerful creatures living on this planet!"

Without a second doubt, Merleen pressed the button and activated the ability. A high-pitch sound echoed throughout our vicinity, telling us that the system accepted her decision.

As soon as the system accepted Merleen's answer, my sword radiated a dark light. Ironic as it was, the luminance blinded our eyes. But thanks to my adaptive ability, the problem subsided. Merleen's anguished face and screech were the things that addressed my sight upon viewing my partner.

My system notified me that it finally began the transformation. It took me around a few minutes before attaining this immense arcane coming from the sword's power. Merleen will have her sweet time to transform….And I had nothing but time before taking the lives of those who battled me.

Merleen kept shouting incoherent cursed words about the transformation. But despite her sailor mouth, Merleen remained focused and gave everything she had for the process. 

The girl's hair slowly turned grey, which matched the colour of my hair. Her stave also mutated into an ancient wood, filled with dark magic. Obsidian matter gathered around Merleen, which healed her wounds and strengthened her body. Within a few minutes, Merleen would come anew. And that would mark our plan!

"After your transformation, we will kill all involved in Albion. Those who would fight us will immediately become our enemy. Those people who would run away will live to tell our tale. But before they could run away, we must tell them our plan…..And if they prove their loyalty, we will have no choice but to accept the people's kindness. We are….generous handling lives, after all," I told Merleen, while caressing her hair. "Bear with the pain, Merleen. Don't be afraid….I'm not going anywhere without you."

Even though Merleen gritted her teeth, she still heard my voice. The magical girl nodded her head whilst absorbing every magicule surrounding her body. My system showed me Merleen's increasing arcane, which surpassed even mine. 

I was a knight that had little mana. So Merleen getting all the arcane was a better choice than giving it all to me. 

While waiting for Merleen's complete transformation, I went to the field. It was the area where I first clashed against King Arthur. That knight nearly had the upper hand, which almost killed me. But thanks to this power, I could finally overwhelm that pesky knight and shatter him.

"Just wait for me, King Arthur….I will kill you like you've killed Fenrir." I mumbled to myself, while staring in the distance. "I'm sorry, my friends. I think we will cross paths with one another. And if that happens, we will fight until one of us die….I want you to stop me and end this madness. The war will not end until the two factions will unite…..Until then, I will spark that flames….Just like King Arthur kindled mine."

The monologue I performed was the coolest thing I ever did in my life! However, those lines didn't come from a hero. After all these events, I had turned into a villain….I will become one after Merleen's transformation. And when I do, I will place my wrath against Albion.

As soon as I said my fill, a wave of magic appeared behind me. It didn't come from my hands but the arcane came from my powers.

Even though Merleen was still fighting through the pain, she waved her hand and conjured magic circles. These circular runes had the same texts written from the portals Crayman and King Arthur used. And the knight had utilised the last teleportation ability, which marked the end of that transportation.

However, Merleen, a sorcerer, copied the spell. Our system didn't have any information about transportation portals, but Merleen cracked the code. Even though people had called those spells as ancient abilities, Merleen conjured them with her own hands.

"I just need a minute to recover. For now, I'm preparing everything, so we could travel faster towards Albion," Merleen uttered, whilst charging her spell.

Even though Merleen could use the ancient ability, she still needed multiple runes to conjure them. Since Merleen came up with this idea from scratch, it surprised me to see her struggle. But despite those little adjustments, Merleen stated that these magical portals worked like the ancient scrolls. 

After a minute, the transformation process had finally ended. Our systems notified us that Merleen received unfathomable powers, which came from me. 

Instead of slamming herself on the ground, Merleen used magic and levitated her body. She didn't use any hand gestures or magic circles but Merleen flew above the ground. That mage defied gravity as Merleen floated without wings in her back.

"You got yourself a little upgrade too, Merleen? What else did you receive?" I asked.

Merleen continued marvelling at her improved arcane and features. She even gained a cape, fluttering behind her back. That girl also changed her clothes thanks to the transformation Merleen received. Instead of the regular-looking mage dress, Merleen wore an elegant skirt. Merleen imbued all her clothes with magic, which also served as a protective barrier against physical damage. 

Merleen's ancient stave also had an orb, resting on top of it. It was the source of her power, swirling inside the sphere. That sphere was also a part of her core that can never fall from her hands.