Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The Demon King was said to have no emotions. He was numb to everything, and the endless stretch of time had rendered his life nothing more than a perpetual state of boredom. And yet, the three years Lucifer spent in the human realm had been more valuable than all the aeons he had lived since birth.

‘I’ll admit it. After you died… I was lonely.’

Those calm eyes softened with longing as he rubbed his now-flat belly. The moment those eyes, which mirrored the vibrant greens of the earth, turned gentle.

He missed those days.

***

[“I may have been the Hero’s wife, but that’s not my name. Are you going to keep calling me that?”]

[“And what should I call you, then?”]

[“My name is Cyril.”]

[“I have no reason to call you by your name.”]

[“That’s a bit cold, isn’t it?”]

[“You’re a curious human… Are you hoping for warmth from the Demon King?”]

[“Why not? All living things are born lonely. Even the Demon King isn’t without sentiment.”]

[“I am not such a being. You are ‘you.’ That is enough.”]

***

He had never once called her by name. Would things have been different if he had? Would she have smiled?

 A soft, bitter laugh slipped from his lips. He never imagined he’d find himself retracing those old conversations, stirring memories long buried.

‘You were right, Cyril. I’ve… grown attached to your child.’

A heavy aura radiated out from him, filling the space.

“You pitiful creatures may try whatever tricks you have… Come then, show me what you’ve got.”

Lucifer’s red eyes slowly shifted toward the humans, frozen in terror.

‘But, Cyril… my affection lies solely with Bellatrix.’

The suffocating stone house exploded into rubble, and Lucifer rose into the air. As the surrounding landscape came into view, a cruel smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

A familiar place, just perfect for unleashing his wrath. It was a sneer, arrogant and ruthless, one that Bellatrix had never seen.

***

On the continent of Tiera, there were three lands blessed by three gods. These sacred lands were rich in verdure, their soil ever-joyful and overflowing with resources.

Humans established kingdoms on these lands, ranging from small, fleeting nations to mighty empires with long histories. Though the earth had been drenched in human blood countless times, the gods’ blessings remained.

The gods loved the fiery spark of human life.

And in their divine favor, three mighty empires came to dominate Tierra:

• • The Knight’s Kingdom, Tekka.

• • The Holy Empire, Albiero

• • The Magical Nation, Kalah

Naturally, these three empires shared borders across the lands of blessing and the very heart where all three blessings converged was the Mortal Mountains. The Mortal Mountains were rich in resources, dense in mana, and steeped in divine sanctity. Wars over the mountains were relentless.

One day, in the midst of never-ending bloodshed, a divine prophecy was delivered:

[“Those who spill blood beyond the mountain shall incur the wrath of Tiera.”]

Thus, the mountains were granted peace. But centuries of calm shattered in an instant. On an otherwise peaceful day, a massive vortex tore through the sky. Dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and violent storms swept across the land. Anomalous weather signaled an even more terrifying omen.

[“What nonsense… Why was this ever forbidden in the first place?”]

With that idle murmur, the Mortal Mountains vanished from the map.

BOOOOM—!

A single word, uttered with power, shook the world to its core. The formless might obliterate every trace of the mountains in its path. The once-green lands were reduced to swirling black dust.

The Demon King’s arrival reshaped the land of Tierra.

His presence was cataclysmic; a disaster incarnate. The sacred land that once thrived beneath divine blessings had turned into a wasteland where life could never bloom again.

In time, the Mortal Mountains came to be known by a new name:

Inphetera, the land of death where the Demon King had descended.

***

Sylvanas slowly opened his eyes.

“Why… why would HE show me that…?”

As a priest serving Tierra, the god of the earth, Sylvanas had been in prayer. The gods rarely answered, even in prayer. But this time, to his astonishment, he was shown the moment of the Demon King’s descent.

He had been praying to find his sister’s child, so why was he shown this?

With furrowed brows, he tried to decipher the gods’ intent, but nothing came to mind. The Demon King was supposed to be gone. This was the first time Sylvanas ever questioned the divine will. But he clung to faith.

‘I don’t understand yet… but there must be a reason.’

BOOM!

An earth-shaking sound thundered through the air.

Sylvanas turned to the barred window. Though iron bars blocked the view, he could still gauge the situation.

“What in the world…?”

His eyes narrowed then a thick black fog coated the landscape. Lombard’s stone house had been completely demolished. The once-gray buildings now lay in ash, crumbled into powder.

Some appeared absorbed by the earth, others flattened as if crushed by some great force. Seeing no guards outside the door, Sylvanas stepped out.

He was worried for Lawrence and the child.

‘Was this an attack from someone targeting Lombard’s domain?’

If so, it was a stroke of luck. A chance to escape. Finding his sister’s child was a lifelong mission, but not one he would sacrifice an innocent for. Especially not one with eyes just like Arthur’s.

He couldn’t overlook that. He couldn’t walk away from someone who resembled the man he missed most. Even if it meant the child would end up as an offering to Alzahar at Lombard’s hand.

“H-Holy… what happened here…”

He rushed out and ran toward the beasts’ cages where the child had been held. But the cages were already destroyed, the area littered with bloodstains. Stone walls had turned to dust. The blood pooled on the ground looked like someone had exploded where they stood.

“Ugh!”

The ghastly scene made him gag. Clutching his mouth, he forced himself not to retch and then, not far off, he spotted someone.

Trapped under a wall, groaning in pain. And it was Lawrence.

“Lawrence!”

“Urgh… Syl… va… nas…”

He gritted through his pain and barely lifted his head.

“What happened?! You’re hurt this badly… Who could’ve—?”

“Run… damn it… get out of here… now!”

Sylvanas gritted his teeth and brought his hands together, muttering a divine incantation. Holy light surrounded his hands as he pressed them to Lawrence’s forehead to which Lawrence flinched.

“Damn it! I told you not to heal me!”

“Now’s not the time for pride! Want to die? If you die now, you won’t even get to curse the temple or get your revenge!”

“…Tch.”

Lawrence growled and closed his eyes, biting his lip in frustration.

“I said run. The Demon King… he’s still here.”

“What…?”

“Damn it! How many times did I tell you not to drag just anyone around?!”

“What are you talking about?”

Sylvanas couldn’t lift the stone trapping Lawrence. If Lawrence recovered a bit more, perhaps he could lift it himself. After partial healing, Lawrence kicked away the debris and stood up, despite the blood still leaking from his leg.

“That brat, whether she’s the Demon King’s child or his plaything, I don’t know. But she’s no ordinary kid!”

He scanned the area and picked up his sword from the ground.

“No way. Why would the Demon King… come back here?”

“I’d love to know! Wasn’t he supposed to have disappeared a year ago?!”

“…”

“The temple blamed the Hero for failing to defeat him. Arthur was stoned to death by the very people he saved!”

Lawrence scratched his head in irritation. Catching his breath, he grabbed Sylvanas by the collar and shouted.

“They said he’d already been mortally wounded by the Demon King! That it was a random stone that killed him! That anyone who couldn’t defeat the Demon King didn’t deserve to be called a chosen Hero, so Arthur must’ve been a fake! That’s what they claimed!”

“…”

Lawrence dragged Sylvanas up a collapsed wall. It wasn’t very high, but from there they could see everything. Everything was dust.

A black, deathly fog coated the landscape. It felt as though yet another layer of horror had descended upon an already cursed land.

“Cut the crap. Open your damn eyes! The only one who could’ve survived an attack from the Demon King was Arthur!”

“…”

“Defeat him? That monster? The fact Arthur kept coming back alive after every battle, that alone proved he was the real Hero!”

Lawrence roared with fury, his voice echoing across the ruin. Even if the Demon King heard it, he no longer cared. Now that Lucifer had returned, survival was a distant hope.

If he was going to die, then he’d at least use his last breath to shake some truth into the ever-ignorant Sylvanas.

Let the temple be exposed, let the lies crumble.