Epic of Caterpillar
chapter-175

While Kireina captured the Champion of Psychic Eyes, Nanako Maki. The Hero of Raging Winds, Hammond, was struggling to save his own life as it fought against the Sin of Lust Wives, Zehe, Nesiphae, Gaby, Mady, Adelle, Charlotte, and Lilith.

Even though he was praised as the strongest human in the Athetosea Kingdom, he was now being stripped of all his honor and glory, while being constantly ravaged by the seven women that Kireina deeply loved.

Inside the Dark Space, there was no way out unless the creator of the space himself would open it, or if it died. Hammond did everything he could to kill Zehe as he immediately knew that the Ashura woman was the one behind this. However, he had to constantly deal with six powerful warriors pouncing at him from every direction. Hammond had never used his abilities to such an extent before and has never fought so much for his own life like now.

Even he was surprised over his constant evolution in techniques and skills, however, it wasn't anything compared to the overwhelming strength of the Dark Fairy seven wives. Their coordination and cooperation were peerless.

As Hammond used his capabilities to his limits, he protected his weak points with his shields made of Emerald Winds while intercepting other blows. Nesiphae and Lilith were the ones pressuring him the most, as their attacks were able to easily break through his Emerald Wind Shields and deal massive damage. If it wasn't for his [Legendary] rank equipment, Hammond limbs would have been detached long ago.

Alongside it, his bones and organs were being constantly crushed and healed back due to his natural recovery as a Hero, being compared to highly evolved demi-humans like Nesiphae or Truhan.

Even though he was healing back at a constant rate, his body began to ache in pain as the poison spread by Nesiphae was constantly diminishing his body. His mind would also go blank for a small second and his senses would be inverted by Mady, who was constantly messing up with his mind using her Illusion Magic.

Adelle would rush like a flashing light towards him, surpassing his incredible speed and raining his body with hundreds of light speed strokes, making the Hero vomit blood countless times. She was also able to constantly buff the rest of Kireina's wives while having an incredible speed, dodging any attack that Hammond threw at her.

Gaby's Ghost Ship was also overwhelming, blocking the Hero's path while attacking him with a barrage of cannon explosions. Gaby would also release twelve giant sharks that possessed incredible resiliency.

As Hammond struggled for his life in a desperate battle, he could see his deepest memories pass through his mind.

The Hero of Raging Winds was a man that did not originate from the Athetosea Kingdom. Hammond Rollant was born in a small village in the outskirts of Athetosea, right outside of its current territory.

Although the village was extremely poor, he had a good life, he worked hard to tend the crops and make his father happy, as his mother died when she gives birth to him. Hammond always liked to explore and adventure, and would usually go alone in the forest near his village, looking for adventures waiting for him.

Due to his father's teachings, Hammond grew attached to the idea of being a hunter, and his father taught him how to hunt small birds and animals like squirrels.

However, this world is not safe for a small kid, as monsters roam everywhere, and an easy meal like Hammond would never be wasted.

One day, at the age of 6, as Hammond roamed through the forest, a vicious Dark Armored Bear attacked him and almost killed him several times, its blows were devastating and it could easily destroy a whole tree with a swipe of its hands. Hammond somehow survived by hiding inside of a small hole in an old tree, the bear wasn't able to destroy the sturdy tree even if it ravaged it with all it might. In the end, the bear on its rage followed Hammond trails and entered his village, devastating everything.

When he came back, he saw his former home completely destroyed as his father disappeared alongside half of the village population. The bear was said to be a pregnant female and was looking for food to store in fat for its hibernation.

As Hammond got to know the death of his father, his world slowly shattered in pieces, and due to the surviving villager's blame, he was exiled from its home before he could even grieve the death of his father.

Now, similarly, then Gustav, Hammond had to survive in the wild however he could, as the years passed, he grew strong and, on his journey, he found once again the bear that killed his father, only to find it playing around with its pups. However, he did not care about such things and using different tactics and the lances he has made using wood, he stabbed the armored bear mother on its neck, where its armor doesn't protect her, celebrating the death of the monster, Hammond proceeded to impale the quivering pups and ate them that very night.

Even as he finally had his revenge, Hammond fell empty. His ate for monsters grew bigger he killed more and more. He enjoyed making them suffer. As one day he came across a small tribe of Cat Sith, the small cat demi-humans welcomed him with open arms and even offered him to pass the night in there. However, Hammond paid back their hospitality in that same night, slashing the necks of the sleeping cats as he bathed in their blood with a crazed gaze. His obsession quickly evolved towards demi-humans, as he enjoyed killing them without a reason at all, a hate that wasn't even justified.

He was then known by the other demi-human tribes as the green demon due to his talent in manipulating green winds. Although most demi-human tribes in the forest tried to fight him off, they were easily slaughtered by him and not even the children were spared.

His rampage continued until the entirety of the forest was completely cleaned of life, as even the small animals were killed without any mercy or care about the ecology. He was seen as a demon that only took lives without any purpose other than its satisfaction.

Hammond grew bored and tired of killing senselessly as it didn't give him the satisfaction he desired and seek so much. At the age of 16, he was found by a small village in Athetosea and was raised in an orphanage, where they taught him how to work honestly, even then, he only desired to kill and had a very hard time containing his undying urges.

Hammond became a bounty hunter and hunted for criminals and deadly monsters, taking thousands of lives every year. He quickly gained fame as a merciless bounty hunter, everyone in town feared his presence. When he realized this truth, he only desired for all of them to die.

That very night, without any justifiable reason other than his desire to kill and the fear of the people, Hammond burned the whole village into ashes, as he mercilessly murdered the survivors that managed to escape, even the elderly and children were mercilessly cut into pieces by his Raging Winds…

As the years went through, he was now known as the Demon of Raging Winds, and both humans and demi-humans feared his existence alike. However, one day as he came across a new village that he could devastate, he met a strange woman that changed his fate.

He grew closer with the woman as they developed a relationship, for the first time, Hammond was able to express his emotions like a human being, and slowly developed complex emotions like a normal person, and not the broken and merciless slaughterer that he grew up into.

As his emotions bloomed, the woman changed his perception in life and told him that if he wanted to repent for what he has done, that he would need to dedicate his power to save people instead of slaughtering them, becoming a Hero.

For the first time, Hammond realized what his destiny and purpose truly were. His [Epic] suddenly awakened and gave him the Title of [Hero of Raging Winds]. Although Hammond dedicated himself to protect humans, he was still merciless against demi-humans and even grew to despise them even more. As the woman manipulated his emotions, he joined the Athetosea Kingdom and became the first Hero, meeting Gustav for the first time.

He gained fame and was renowned as a [Great Hero] by the people, his influence was greater and so did his riches, slowly creating his own Noble House.

However, the urges for the slaughter of his past would surge from time to time, and Hammond would release them in the countless demi-human tribes that inhabited Athetosea's territory. Enslaving the demi-humans and selling them gave him a quick profit, increasing his wealth and fortune even more.

But not all things will always remain the same, as the mysterious woman that brought so much joy and love to him, suddenly disappeared one day from his life, she was never seen again. And some people even started to forget her existence out of nowhere. Hammond began to think about the possibility of the existence of this woman to only be a creation of his own broken mind, trying to make him enter into reason.

Although he cried and grieved for the disappearance of the mysterious woman that brought so much happiness to his life, he had already built so much and gave so many promises, that he firmly kept them. As he grew up, he became the pillar of Athetosea and was in charge of all the Kingdom's [Epic] users.

Due to his influence, he kept the demi-humans trying to sneak inside of the Kingdom at bay, while going in subjugation quests to eradicate those demi-humans who opposed the Kingdom.

He slowly grew cold and merciless once again, and his twisted personality began to appear, but now with a justification. To protect his promise, he ravaged and mercilessly killed anyone who stood on his way.

However, one day he was unable to grasp the situation and was involved in a terrible war, against his own will, he was forced by those of higher status, and because of the promises he held to that woman, he had to accept instead of slaughtering everyone and doing what he pleased.

And as he fought in the war, he spectated the death of all those who were on his charge, those geniuses and talented warriors who were pillars to his Kingdom, died in horrible ways, giving him the feeling that everything he has been working for so long was being slowly destroyed.

And now, he was captured by the culprit behind this whole situation, Kireina, and her wives. After fighting with Kireina, Hammond experienced fear for the first time in years and was once again fighting for his life.

Although he desired for something to change the odds, or for his [Epic] to help him, help never came. Even with his countless skills, resiliency, and vitality, Kireina's wives and their cooperative work were devastating and led to Hammond to a terrible state, where he was barely hanging on his own life.

His face was tired and enraged, his wounds were constantly trying to regenerate, but because of the constant poison being administrated inside, its regeneration was becoming slow by the second.

Just when he thought that he would finally die, Zehe suddenly opened the Dark Space and everyone was suddenly freed from it, however, as Hammond tried to use this opportunity to escape with his life, a shadow came from the skies at incredible speed, while manipulating the winds in a fashion similar to him, a beautiful young Harpy Girl clashed over his back while looking at him with disgust and scorn.

"Thanks to Master, I will be able to finally experience my revenge… Hero of Raging Winds, Hammond!"

"R-Revenge? I-I don't even know you!"

The Harpy Girl lowered her head as he talked to him with a cold stare.

"You don't even remember all those you have slaughtered? You don't even remember my tribe?! The Windy Mountains Harpy?! You're beyond salvation, "Hero"! You are nothing but a senseless monster! Just like us! What you seek to destroy so much, is what you have become, Hammond...!"

At her words, the Hero couldn't refute at all, everything she has said was true, he now just realized, that he has always been a monster, just like those he despised.

"N-No! It can't be! I am not a monster! I…! I…! I am not… But… I… W-Who I am…? What have I been doing this whole time…? I…"

"And now you're wondering what you are? And now you are trying to apologize?! You are nothing more than stepping stone for me, Hero!"

"Tch…! G-Get away!"

And now, as the Harpy Girl Nephiana confronted Hammond, the Hero of Raging Winds, a destined battle written in the [World's Epic] was about to unfold. Without them realizing, the God of Storms and Wind watched over the spectacle of what he has carefully planned.

In a different space, a beautiful being was glancing over the projection of the Realm of Vida, his body structure resembled that of the most beautiful of humans, his skin was fair and white, his eyes had an incredibly deep emerald color, leaving trails of green light whenever he glanced at, he had pointed ears and long green hair, alongside this, on his back he had twelve green wings, each one releasing a different type of winds. He was wearing a white blouse and brown pants, with golden boots. He had a charming beauty and was a handsome young man, however, despite his looks, his age was over a millennium.

"Just as it has been written, my champion shall arise from these two… Who will win? Mortals are truly a source of endless fascination… The [World's Will] is resonating…"