Is this the poker world?Ada thief!

Before Jaden and the others, [Warrior-Raz] vanished, and the villagers were plunged into grief upon witnessing the death of a familiar friend and relative.

In this oppressive atmosphere, Jaden hesitated for a moment before making his decision.

"I'm going to check out the 'Overlord Army's' camp, because John might be there!" Judai said to [Wandering Hero - Fried]. "Let's go together, Mr. Fried, to rescue John and your companions!"

Behind Judai, Jim frowned and said to Edward beside him, "In the Far East, there is a saying called 'Kuuki-ga-Yomenai,' which is 'KY,' right?"

"So that means you can't read the atmosphere." Edward rubbed his temples. "Even if Judai is anxious about John's affairs, he shouldn't say something like that at a time like this."

“Because he’s still a child.” Caesar concluded calmly.

As expected, upon hearing Judai's words, [Wandering Hero - Freed] shook his head: "I won't go with you."

“Big brother, saying that at a time like this is bound to make them angry.” Kenzan sighed, and Marufuji Shoichi shrugged. “As expected, they refused.”

"I'm not refusing because of my personal feelings." Having overheard the whispers of the group, [Wandering Hero - Fried] added, turning to show the many villagers behind him to Judai and the others.

Those who were close friends or relatives of [Warrior-Raz] grieved for his passing, but many more were simply people who were similar to [Warrior-Raz] but had no deeper connection with him. The atmosphere among them was more one of fear and despair—because [Warrior-Raz] represented not only himself but also the "Iron Knights" to which he belonged.

They were nothing but the elderly, women, and children, powerless to resist. They had no chance against the invasion of the "Overlord Army." The death of [Warrior-Raz] shattered their last glimmer of hope. Knowing that the "Iron Knights" were no longer able to protect them, their lives were in grave danger.

"I will stay, I can only stay, I must stay." Looking at Judai, [Wandering Hero - Freed] said, "It's easy to be a hero and charge ahead alone, but I can't exist just as a warrior like you. The safety of the villagers is the mission I must bear, and the responsibility that only I can continue to shoulder."

“In contrast to you, we are not here for the safety of the town’s residents. After the ‘Overlord Army’ retreats, we will leave to find our comrades.” O’Brien stepped forward, not letting Jaden say anything more, and said what he wanted to say for him, and added that it was on the premise that the ‘Overlord Army’ retreats.

(In the original work, Jaden really did this; everyone says his teammates are geniuses, but Jaden himself also had significant problems.)

Judai remained silent, because in fact, if O'Brien hadn't said anything, he really did intend to leave the shelter right now to find John, regardless of whether his actions would expose the place.

Everyone thought that the matter was over and that any further action would have to wait until the "Overlord Army" outside had retreated. But unexpectedly, an accident still occurred.

"boom!"

A burst of dragon flames shot onto the mountainside. Although it wasn't enough to shatter the mountain, it had the effect of striking from afar and intimidating people, causing a violent tremor inside the shelter.

In the sky, the [Warrior Captain of the Dark Demon Realm - Dark Sword] rode his mount [Pitch Black Fighting Dragon], circling high in the air. After his comrades recovered, he immediately urged it to unleash another attack downwards, and another dragon flame slammed into the mountain wall!
"What's going on? Why is this place being attacked?!"

The shelter was in complete chaos. Although the lack of able-bodied men prevented a riot, too many young children were terrified by the sudden attack and were sitting on the ground crying loudly, making people's eardrums itch.

Facing the stern gaze of [Wandering Hero - Freed], Manjoume, feeling offended, retorted without hesitation: "Are you doubting us? Indeed, you were hiding well before, but we were discovered as soon as we arrived, right?"

"Fool! Do you suspect that I, the old man Wan Zhangmu, am in cahoots with those guys outside?"

"No, I was just being paranoid." Seeing that all the people he had brought were still there, even Judai, he realized that he had been overthinking things.

What he had seen in Judai's eyes made him think that Judai might run away from the shelter when no one was looking, thus exposing the place to the "Overlord Army". So he thought of Judai and the others as soon as they were attacked, but now it seems that he misjudged.

However, what [Wandering Hero - Freed] didn't know was that he hadn't really thought much about it. Judai did have the idea of ​​running away when no one was paying attention, but because Fubuki reminded him, Asuka, who had been keeping a close eye on Judai, didn't give him any chance to be alone. Instead, she prevented him from acting on his own.

However, [Wandering Hero - Freed] had a new question: if it wasn't Jaden and his group, then who had exposed the existence of this place to the "Overlord Army"? He believed that the "Iron Knights" would never betray them under torture, but...
(Laz's wife didn't appear in the animation, but she is likely the nurse in the upper left corner of Katu.)
Suddenly, he realized something and looked at Kyle, who had been forced to become the only man in the family because of their father's death, and who, despite being the younger brother, was comforting his sister who was trembling from the attack—or rather, the photograph that Kyle always held in her arms, the only remaining memento of [Warrior-Raz].

The sounds outside the shelter confirmed his earlier conjecture—

"Humans hiding here, you have been exposed! It is thanks to that human warrior who risked his life to escape here that we have confirmed that this is definitely your hiding place."

Riding a dragon and circling in the air, [Dark Sword, Warrior Captain of the Dark Realm] shouted around the hill where the refuge was located, knowing that someone could definitely hear him: "Although I don't know where the entrance is, my troops are on their way here and will soon find you hiding. You can't escape!"

"boom!"

As it spoke, the Dark Dragon unleashed another burst of dragonfire. With the idea of ​​trying anything, the Dark Warrior Captain of the Dark Realm - Dark Sword continued to bombard the area below. He had tried to persuade the dragon to surrender to save trouble, but if the Dark Dragon accidentally hit the right spot and broke open the entrance to the shelter below, it would save him a lot of trouble as well.

"Come out and surrender now! Otherwise, when our 'Overlord Army' finds you, it won't be as simple as just capturing you as prisoners!"

"As expected, it was about [Raz]," [Wandering Warrior-Freed] gritted his teeth. He had been grieving over the death of [Warrior-Raz], but he had forgotten that the other party could very well use his escape to find the location of the refuge.

—Has he forgotten even the most basic military strategies because he's been wandering for so long? How pathetic.
Using a special peephole in the shelter, Ed observed the situation outside and immediately recognized the monster in the sky.

"That is, the [Dragon Knight of the Dark Demon Realm - Dark Sword]? Judging from the appearance, the one riding the dragon is not the [Warrior of the Dark Demon Realm - Dark Sword], but the [Warrior Captain of the Dark Demon Realm - Dark Sword]."

He hurried back to inform everyone of the news, but was also very puzzled, "Mr. Fried said before that the leader of the 'Overlord Army' in this area is [Dark Knight - Zul], right? But why is [Dark Demon Dragon Knight - Dark Sword] here?"

"I don't even know why I'm in this world, how could I possibly know the answer to this question?" [Wandering Hero - Fried] gave a high-quality answer - "I don't know," he said with a frown. "In our world, the [Dark Realm] is even a legendary existence, used to scare children. Heaven knows why they would appear here after we were transferred to this world, and even act under the so-called 'Overlord Army' name."

"We also heard the name 'Overlord' in the world of the bird-beast races before." Amon recalled the dying words of the [Birdman] who was defeated by Judai not long ago, and took the opportunity to ask [Wandering Hero - Freed], "Do you know who 'Overlord' really is?"

"I don't know, and nobody knows. Everyone has only heard of the 'Overlord Army,' which claims to be the army under the name of 'Overlord.' Nobody has ever seen 'Overlord,' and they're not even sure if he exists. Maybe he's just a figurehead created by the top leaders of the 'Overlord Army' to control their subordinates."

Shaking his head to indicate that he knew nothing about "Overlord," [Wandering Hero - Fried] leaned against the wall, feeling the tremors from the renewed attack on the shelter. He looked at the people inside and gritted his teeth: "For most people, thinking about 'Overlord' is too leisurely. Just trying to survive right now requires all their strength."

“The ‘Overlord Army’ outside knows of my existence. If I appear, they will definitely focus on me and be distracted while they are trying to capture powerful warriors. So I want to ask you, please, take everyone in the town and leave.”

"After that, it doesn't matter if I leave the 'Overlord Army's' encirclement and abandon them, at least let me die before them."

He did not morally blackmail Judai and the others into protecting the villagers in his place. The Wandering Hero - Freed simply asked Judai and the others to take the villagers away from the shelter in his place, intending to use his own life to cover for everyone.

“But—” “There are no buts!” Interrupting Jaden, [Wandering Hero - Freed] waved his hand and said, “Listen up, everyone! This is no longer a safe haven. It could be breached at any moment, so everyone, leave with these people!”

As he said, there was no time to hesitate here, because the [Dragon Knight of the Dark Realm - Dark Sword] had only used the mobility of his mount to lead the way here. His "Overlord Army" was also approaching. O'Brien, who had also checked the situation outside, informed everyone of the bad news. According to his estimate, the place would be surrounded by the "Overlord Army" in ten minutes at most.

The reason the shelter hadn't been found for so long was firstly because the "Overlord Army" wasn't sure if there were any powerful individuals still present, and therefore didn't conduct a thorough search of the area around the town. However, now, thanks to the escape of [Warrior-Raz], they have successfully confirmed the approximate location of the shelter, and the death of [Scout of the Dark Realm-Ska] has confirmed the presence of powerful individuals within the shelter.

These two points are enough for the "Overlord Army" to find the entrance to the refuge by virtue of their numerical advantage. Before that, the "Overlord Army" that has surrounded the refuge will cut off the villagers' hope of escaping safely. If they want to leave here, they can only seize the remaining less than ten minutes!
Although Judai still hadn't taken any action, the others, pressed for time, quickly sprang into action. Sho, Edward, Amon, and Asuka comforted the children, Kenzan, Fubuki, and Jim cared for the elderly and infirm, while O'Brien, Manjoume, and Caesar were on guard. Together, they helped the villagers evacuate to the shelter's backup exit to prepare for a breakout and escape.

Meanwhile, [Wandering Hero - Fried] removed his tattered cloak and put on a battle-hardened suit of armor covered in marks from swords and blades, with a noticeable wound on his waist and abdomen.

“I come from a military background and once led an army to fight for the kingdom. Raz, and many others were my subordinates back then.”

Seeing that Judai wasn't with the others but stayed there, [Wandering Hero - Freed] didn't say anything. Instead, contrary to his previous silence, he started talking to himself—perhaps because he felt that Judai might be the last person he would ever talk to in his life.

"During the long campaign, my team has gained many new comrades, but has also lost many friends in battle. Even I, as a general, lost my most trusted equipment, the Absorption Shield, in a certain battle. Not only that, my opponent left this wound on me as a permanent 'souvenir'."

The armored [Wandering Hero - Freed] turned to the side, allowing Jaden to see the wound on his waist through the broken part of the armor. It was an old wound from who knows how many years ago, yet it still had dark purple bruises on it, as if the wound underneath had not yet healed.

"That victory was so complete that I lost many old comrades and defeated the enemy who had long troubled me. The wound is still there and aches to this day. The power left by that enemy is also constantly eroding my mind, forcing me to leave the army and begin my wandering."

With a sigh, [Wandering Hero - Freed] looked at Jaden, "Years of fighting have made me clearly realize that there is no victory in this world that can be achieved without any sacrifice. With every gain, there is always something to lose."

"...But it shouldn't be like that." After a long silence, having listened to [Wandering Hero - Freed]'s words, Jaden finally spoke when no one else was around. "I...I want everyone to be safe. I should have won when I defeated [Scout of the Dark World - Scar], but why has everyone been dragged into this crisis by that victorious duel?"

【Wandering Hero - Freed】understood Jaden's thoughts. He began to feel that he had brought about the current situation, and wondered if things would be different if he hadn't defeated his opponent back then.

“I’m not some mystical wizard. Everyone I know and I are just brutes who only know how to swing swords, raise shields, charge, and defeat the enemy. Therefore, I don’t know if the ‘Overlord Army’ would have found this place if you hadn’t intervened back then.”

“But I know one thing very well—if you hadn’t intervened then, Kyle would have died.”

Facing Judai, [Wandering Hero - Freed] gave a stiff but sincere smile, "On behalf of Raz, I thank you. At least you let the father and son see each other one last time."

"Alright, the old man has vented most of his last words, it's time for you to leave." Seemingly having released all the pent-up emotions and pressure, the smile that [Wandering Hero - Fried] had managed to muster vanished, replaced by a serious expression. He walked resolutely out, saying, "Once I'm gone, you should hurry and prepare to break through with the others."

As he brushed past Judai, [Wandering Hero - Freed] walked away. Judai didn't turn around to look at him; unable to suppress the resentment in his heart, he couldn't help but clench his fist and slam it hard against the wall.

"boom!"

"I clearly wanted to be a hero, but why, why can't I bring a good ending to everyone!"

Over the past decade, Jaden's experiences have taught him that heroes can achieve good results as long as they bring victory. This was true during the "Seven Stars Incident," during the "Second World Martial Arts Tournament," and even his teacher Hayato Kobayashi's numerous past experiences of saving the world.

However, since the start of this semester, many things have begun to change—the emergence of "Expose Duels" means that even if Jaden wins a duel, he cannot prevent opponents like Amon and Mr. Sato Koji from being harmed when forced into duels. The duel with Yubel trapped John in the Spirit World, and his battle against [Scout of the Dark World - Scar] to save Kyle instead attracted an attack from the "Overlord Army".
Victory in a duel is no longer the universal answer. Many things begin to be influenced by factors outside of duels. Jaden, who originally only admired heroes and enjoyed duels, thinking that he could achieve his dreams in this way, was forced to realize the existence of things like "responsibility".

However, noticing something doesn't mean understanding it. Just like Jaden now believes that the incidents involving Yubel are all because of his past actions and that he needs to bear the related "responsibility," he still can't perceive the greater "responsibility" that Sho, Asuka, and the others have for recognizing him as the leader and acting with him. He's like someone who "doesn't see the trash on the ground."

"What am I still lacking?"

The wandering hero, Fried, paused as he pushed open the door, recalling the countless times he had watched his comrades die powerlessly, and the last battle he had fought against his former comrades who had gone berserk, where he could only rely on his men to desperately try to stop them from remembering the camaraderie they had shared in the past, just to survive.

(The Dark Invader corrupted the Demon Lizard, only to be beaten like a child by having his armpits pinched – a classic case of creating a "father figure" in the story.)

In that battle, he lost his comrades, his weapons, his dignity as a soldier, and later, his honor as a general.

He didn't know what kind of response others would give to Jaden's answer, but if it were him, based on his experience, he could only give that one answer—

"Power. I think—no, it can only be even greater power." [The Wandering Hero - Freed] left with those words, but his final words still echoed in Jaden's ears, "If my past self had been powerful enough, I could have stopped my rampaging comrades, I could have single-handedly defeated a powerful enemy, and I could have saved Raz and the others."

"I think I need power, more power."

"Power." Jaden turned around, looking at the still-open door, his brown eyes faintly gleaming with amber. "If I had enough power, could I change all of this? Then I want that too, I want even more power—"

"Sorrowful~ Heart-wrenching sorrow, it's a song of farewell~"

"The weary bones have burned away, and the decaying flesh has returned to the earth."

Just then, Jaden's terminal rang—the optimizations Misawa had made earlier allowed Jaden and his companions' terminals to maintain communication within a certain distance even in the New World. This was the caller ID tone of his terminal, which Jaden hadn't changed because it was specially chosen by Hayato-sensei. It seemed to be called "Ai Warrior".

"A procession of death gallops across the wilderness, dark and twisted, burning fiercely."

She hurriedly connected to the communication. It was Asuka calling Judai. It seemed that they had completed the evacuation preparations and were calling to inform Judai that she should also leave as soon as possible.

"Judai, I know it's hard for you to accept, but we really should leave." Asuka's voice came through the terminal, still relatively clear due to the short distance. "Mr. Fried made this decision with a clear conscience; we can't let his sacrifice be in vain—"

"You were the one who rushed to save John before, and now you're the one dawdling. What are you waiting for? Don't pin your hopes on Hayato-sensei. We're not kids who are being protected by adults anymore; we all came to this world with the resolve to sacrifice ourselves." It seemed that Manjoume had snatched Asuka's terminal and started scolding Judai, "Hurry up and lend a hand. If you keep dawdling, the vanguard of the 'Overlord Army' will be here soon. Be prepared to break out!"

"Power." However, Jaden could only repeat this phrase before making a firm decision, "I feel that it shouldn't be like this, there must be another way to change the outcome!"

"If we can defeat the [Dragon Knight of the Dark Realm - Dark Sword], we can at least buy more time for everyone's evacuation, and Mr. Fried won't have to sacrifice himself!"

"Huh? Poom? Judai, what stupid thing are you talking about—" However, Manjoume's words were cut off before he could finish. Having thought of a solution, Judai hung up the communication without hesitation and began to move, running towards the entrance where [Wandering Hero - Freed] was located. (End of this chapter)