「Prologue」

[The year 2849. The month of flame, day 29]

“…. Now then, it’s time wrap this up. Carry out the task that you’ve suffered so many hardships to accomplish or be killed.”

The man’s voice resonated throughout the nearly empty throne room. The painting that once lined the walls now laid on the ground and were covered by a thin layer of dust. The banners that had been proudly displayed were reduced to tattered scraps of fabric on the verge of collapse. Deep cracks had formed in the once immaculate marble walls and floor.

To the common observer, it would seem that this castle had been recently abandoned, however that observation was only partially correct. While the imperial family and their servants had fled years ago, the being that they fled from took the castle as his residence.

The terror that scared off the previous inhabitants now stood in front of his blackened and decrepit throne as he stared down at the latest batch of “heroes” that came to oppose him.

In stark contrast to the squalor that he resided in and the tattered gear the five people before him wore, the man’s clothing remained immaculate. He wore a simple black vest over a white silk button down shirt. His black dress pants lacked even a speck of dust and his dress shoes were polished to a fine shine. The only thing out of place was the black cape with a red interior that hung over his shoulders.

Besides his attire, there wasn’t all that much remarkable about the man’s appearance… well, nothing except his glowing red eyes and raven black hair.

The man was enveloped in a dark maleficent aura so potent that it would drive lesser men insane.

“Honestly, are you just gonna stand there all day or are you gonna kill me already?”

Despite the morbid subject matter, the man spoke in a rather calm and aloof tone as if he were discussing the weather.

Those most confused by this bizarre situation were the heroes that had been sent on this suicide mission to kill the man in front of them, a mission to kill the Demon King.

Though they had managed to penetrate his stronghold with relative ease, they truly learned the definition of despair shortly afterwards. No matter what spell they used, no matter what techniques they employed, no matter what tactic they utilized, they were unable to put a single scratch on the demon king.

One by one the Demon King brought the heroes to their knees, and just as the heroes prepared for death, the Demon King instructed them to kill him.

“Is this some kind of sick Joke!?”

The heroes’ leader mustered his courage to demand an explanation. His once pristine armor had spider-web cracks in certain places while the breastplate had been caved in. Even with a broken sword, he stood in front of his allies and tried to keep the monster’s attention focused on himself. The Demon King smiled as he stared down at the insect that still had the will to defy him.

“This is no joke, it;s merely a conclusion to a masterpiece seven decades in the making. Now, everyone has their part to play, and it’s time to play yours.”

“Don’t fuck around!!! Is this all just a game to you!? You’ve decimated entire continents, laid waste to millions, and brought this world to the brink of collapse!”

A young girl, barely past her seventeenth year was the next raise a protest. Despite her protective robes having multiple scorch marks and tears, and her staff being broken in half, a fire still burned in her eyes.

“Haa, in the grand scheme of things a few million lives are almost meaningless. How many times do I have to tell you? Quit wasting everyone’s time and kill me. Look, I’ll even make it easy for you.”

The Demon King’s maleficent aura suddenly vanished as he held out his arms and exposed his chest.

“Dna emalf esira, ymene ym nwod ekirts.”

Even though she know it was pointless, the young mage raised her broken staff and launched a fireball at him. To the surprise of all but one of the people in the room, the attack actually managed to hit the Demon Lord square in the chest, even knocking him back a bit.

To his disappoint, the flames died out before they could do anything but burn him. However, the Demon King continued to speak in his calm tone.

“See, now was that so difficult? Ah, before I die, know that everything I own belongs to you lot now. ”

For a moment the heroes were dumbstruck that a such a weak spell had been able to hurt the monster that shrugged off their best efforts mere moments ago. However, it lasted but for a moment as the heroes’ instincts kicked in, they caught their second wind and began their assault a new.

“May the wicked fall the ruin, ⟪Heaven Fall⟫” “Begone from my sight, ⟪Emperor’s Charge⟫” “ Crash down like a mighty storm, ⟪Radiant Hurricane⟫” “Emalf cinomed, em rednih taht sloof eht ot etsaw yal ot ouy nopu llac I”

The heroes gathered what little strength they had left to unleash their most powerful attacks against the Demon King.

Even as he was stabbed with a spear, burnt by the flames of hell, battered with a barrage of light arrows, and endured heaven’s wrath the Demon King only smiled.

“May destiny guide my blade as I tempt fate yet again, ⟪Luck’s Embrace⟫”

A pale aura surrounded the heroes’ leader as he raised his broken sword and charged at the Demon King. However, even as the Demon King’s charred and heavily wounded body was impaled, his composure never faltered.

“My role has been completed, wh-what proceeds rest on the shoulders of the next generation now. The foundation of… that which is to… come… shall be built on the corpse of that which came before.”

The once all powerful Demon King now struggled to complete his sentences. As his legs gave out, he clung to the hero that dealt the final blow.

“May…. your life……be a gloriously brief….one.”

With his last words, the Demon King’s life fizzled out, his body falling to the floor shortly afterward.

The five heroes were left in a state of utter confusion as they looked upon the Demon King’s corpse.

They failed to realize what had truly occurred here. Even though they had slain the Demon King, all of them felt as if he had somehow won in the end.

In the coming years, they would realize just how accurate that assumption had been….

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「Prologue Part 2」

[Year 9, The month of Air, day 23]

Ten years after the Heroes slew the Demon King the world as it once was came to an end.

The year immediately following the Demon King defeat was a truly joyous one, it felt as if a dark cloud that had hung over the entire world had finally passed.

To honor the death of the terror that plagued the world, the calendar was reset to zero and the first of what was suppose to be an annual celebration was held in the remaining counties.

However, there was never another celebration as the true ramifications of the Demon King’s defeat surfaced.

The Demon King had not laid waste to the world on his own. When his conquest began he created a multitude of monstrosities to serve him. The monsters were of various shapes and sizes, and certain members of their ranks processed powers and abilities unmatched by the average soldiers.

No longer tethered to their master, the monsters dispersed all across the world. The mighty dragons claimed the tallest of mountains and depths of the ocean as their territory.

While the majority of the beast-like and humanoid monsters spread to every inch of the global; they roamed the deserts, seas, plains, and forests; adapting to the harsh conditions of those environments with relative ease.

Some of the intelligent species began to form communities and distinctive cultures in the wreckage of fallen kingdoms.

If that was the only outcome of the killing the Demon King produced then it damaged could have been mitigated, however, a plague spread throughout the human population when they attempted to resettle the lands devastated by the Demon King’s forces.

The source of the plague was the Demon King’s residual mana, which had seeped into his former territory.

While all living beings absorbed small quantities of mana from the environment, as if it retained its owner’s malice, the Demon King’s residual mana took on a parasitic quality and rapidly invaded any host it came into contact with.

Excess amounts of this mana lead to weakness, discoloration of the skin, high fever, and in most cases a slow and painful death.

Although certain plants and beings with naturally high mana reserves could survive in these environments, humans were the most susceptible to this corrupted mana.

Though futile attempts were made to counteract the plague, it would take a century before the corrupted mana would start reverting back to a more natural state. Even then pockets of this corrupt mana, this miasma, remained.

The world simultaneously endured an extend reforestation period as plant life able to survive the miasma taint grow faster and larger than they normally should have.

The reduction of available land combined with the plague only exasperated the tension between the remaining kingdoms.

The seventy-year war of attrition the united forces waged with the Demon King had consumed the majority of all available resources. The standard rationing policies that had managed to support the kingdoms till the end of the war were not suitable for maintaining postwar societies.

With the prospect of returned agricultural land no longer viable and the fear of disease restricting long-distance travel, food production and distribution was placed under the iron fists of governing bodies.

Eventually, the countries, already on the verge of collapse, were forced to fight for what little resources they had between them. The previous war had already taken a toll on the people, but these circumstances arising one after another were too much for many to bear.

Massive revolts occurred all across the remaining kingdoms, almost everything that remained of the previous world collapsed in on itself.

The elves seeming immunity to the miasma plague allow them to find protection and sustenance in the lands no humans dared to tread. It wouldn’t be until the fiftieth year of the new calendar that the effects of living in such an environment made themselves known.

As for the Heroes that killed the Demon King, it could be said that they didn’t fare much better.

The spear wielder was one of the first to fall to the plague. As he was a member of a minor noble family he was at least allowed a proper burial, instead of being cremated like the others.

The young sorceress had simply vanished shortly after the celebration had been held. After a six-month long search, she was declared dead.

The elven archer returned to her people and eventually took her rightful place as the Elven Queen.

The constant disasters, with no end in sight, lead to faith in the church all but vanishing. As a result, the priest spent the remained of his life in exile, dying of natural cause in year forty-eight at the age of ninety-four.

The leader managed to gather the remains of his native country’s knight order into a militia that laid the foundation for the first human country to rise out of this chaotic period. He died in the year thirty-two at the age of sixty-two. He left behind a wife, a son and two daughters. His dying words were a simple question.

“Even in death, the world was in the palm of your hands wasn’t it?”

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「Prologue Final」

[Year 337, The month of Storm, day 5]

In the forest capital of the elven Kingdom of Eybevan, general Erin Kalaus impatiently waited as his wife gave birth to their first child in the next room over. His wife had gone into labor for twelve hours ago, and things had gone silent about thirty minutes ago.

Though he was a veteran army commander, he couldn’t calm his nerves as he waited for any piece of news.

After what felt like an eternity, the midwife finally entered the room. However, the solemn look on her face caused Erin to worry.

“Did something happen!? Is Aislinn alright!? Don’t tell me… the baby?”

“The baby and your wife are fine. The delivery went without issue and the two are resting now.”

Erin breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the midwife’s explanation.

“I was worried there for a second, so when can I see the two of them. Is a boy or a girl? Does the baby have my eyes or Aislinn”s fair sk──”

“Lord Kalaus, perhaps you should take a seat.”

The midwife interrupted Erin’s stream of questions before his hopes could raise any further . Erin’s eyes took on a sharp glint when he noticed the midwife’s wavering tone. Glaring down at the midwife with look known to send shivers down the spines of hardened warriors, he asked her a simple question.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“The-There’s always a one and five hundred chan──”

Erin didn’t even give the midwife the opportunity to finish speaking as he immediately ran out the room.

“Wait!!!”

Erin paid the midwife no heed and burst into the bedchamber where is wife rested. While his sudden entrance startled the midwife’s two assistance, Erin paid them no mind either, instead his sight focused on his sleeping wife and the small crib next to her bed.

Aislinn’s normally vibrant blonde hair was matted down with sweat and her complexion was paler than normal, other than that she seemed perfectly fine as she peacefully slumbered.

After acknowledging her well-being, he slowly walked up to the crib. A small baby wrapped in swaddling blanket slept in the crib and by all appearance was healthy.

However, the wisp of black hair atop its head and its light brown skin showed just how wrong that assumption was.

“It-it’s a boy, my lord.”

The midwife stepped up to Erin as she spoke but he continued to ignore her and proceeded to walk up to the crib. Almost as if in a daze, he raised his right hand and forcibly opened one of the baby’s eyes. What he saw was a crimson cornea with a black pupil.

“Why…? Why must that monster’s wicked curse affect my child?! What have I done to deserve this?”

Centuries ago the elves took to the forest as a means of escaping the collapse of the old world. Though they didn’t directly suffer from the Demon King’s miasma that enveloped the land they came to inhabit, a small portion of elves born after that time took on the features of the monster that brought the world to its knees.

Even after some communities relocated these babies kept on appearing in the elven population.

Their dark skin and black hair resulted in the children receiving the label Darh’ki, and were refused to be accepted as actual elves. The Darh’ki were considered barely a step above demi-humans on the Hymanie continent.

Originally, these demon children were killed without prejudice, but after a while, a more humane method for dealing with them came about.

“Although a storm seems to be on the horizon, the foundation should arrive within three days once contacted.”

“The foundation….?”

The foundation that midwife had brought up took it upon themselves to deal with the Darh’ki. For the first decade of their lives, the Darh’ki would receive basic survival training from the foundation before being set free at the border of Kingdom’s territory.

Those that survived eventually found their way to a human town, where they faced prejudice and fear. With few other options, the Darh’ki became bandits, were forced into slavery, or were devoured by the criminal underworld.

“I-I need some time to think this over. Till then move the child to a separate room and don’t allow Aislinn to leave this room or see the child.”

“I understand my lord.”

Erin managed to regain enough of his composure to give instructions to the midwife and her assistants, who immediately began acting on them.

Three days after the birth of his child Erin awoke to find that both the boy and his wife had disappeared under the cover the previous night’s rainstorm.

What he and the midwife had failed to realize was that Aislinn had awoken during their conversation three days earlier.