Prologue

On the continent of Zervia, dragons soared across the vast sky, elves whispered in the quiet forests, and the legend of heroes began in the Radiant Tower City, capital of the Rose Kingdom.

The sound of boot heels striking marble floor echoed from far to near through the empty palace hall. The strongest hero party of the age had assembled and now stood before the king of this country.

The black-haired man at the lead stood on the red carpet, bowed, and spoke respectfully, “Greetings, Your Majesty. At dawn, my party and I will depart from the East Gate for the Dark Lands to slay the Demon King. Since we are about to set out, I have come specially to pay my respects and hear your final decree.”

The Rose King on the throne nodded, his fingers unconsciously stroking the gem atop his scepter. “A decree? No need. For the human kingdoms, for the God of Light, for the people weeping at the borders... those words have been repeated countless times by scholars and bishops. I think you’ve grown tired of hearing them.”

“Rather than that, Hero Lin Peng Cannos, what odds would you give for this expedition to slay the Demon King?”

“Ten out of ten.”

Lin Peng looked up at the Rose King and said with confidence, “Your Majesty, allow me the honor of introducing the companions I rely on for this journey.”

He turned his head to the left and met the gaze of a stubbly middle-aged man beside him. They exchanged a smile.

“Lyon Cagnese, 7th-tier Legendary Shield Guard! The sturdiest defense in our party, hailed as a living fortress, a man among men!”

Lyon stepped forward and bowed to the Rose King, revealing a mature, steady smile. “Any enemy who wants to harm my companions will have to get past my shield first.”

As Lyon retreated to his side, Lin Peng turned to the pink-haired girl on the far left who was clutching a staff. Seeing Lin Peng look at her, the girl shyly reached up and pulled down the wide wizard hat on her head.

“Amyki Light, 7th-tier Legendary Mage! The most proud disciple of the Imperial Magic Academy’s dean. At just twenty years old, she has mastered eighteen types of elemental magic. Her specialty, Explosion Magic, is an enemy party wiper, a true formation destroyer!”

Hearing Lin Peng give her such exaggerated titles—though they were all true—Amyki felt very shy. She quickly bowed to the Rose King and then hid behind Lyon.

Then Lin Peng looked at the tall, blonde lady standing on his right, and his tone became extremely solemn. “Next is the Saint who received the blessing of the gods and successfully entered the Holy Domain. 8th-tier Priest, Vianna Cecilia! She wields powerful healing magic and resurrection magic that can bring the dead back to life!”

Vianna reached up to remove the veil from her face and smiled at the Rose King. “Hehe~ Long time no see, Your Majesty.”

Seeing that familiar face, the Rose King stood up from his throne in shock. “Saint, you’ve also joined the hero party?”

Vianna spread her hands, looking innocent. “Yeah~ The Hero kept inviting me to join the party, and I couldn’t refuse his kind offer, so I accepted~”

“Good, good, good...”

The Rose King sat back down on his throne, looking relieved. “In that case, with you, Hero Lin Peng, being an 8th-tier Holy Domain Magic Swordsman, your party can indeed be considered the strongest hero party in history.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. My party and I are indestructible. Our coordination is seamless. Our bonds are unshakeable.”

Lin Peng grinned confidently with a crooked smile.

“This expedition to slay the Demon King—we will surely achieve victory!”

---

“Ugh—”

Lin Peng was blasted away by crimson magic. The hero’s sword fell from his hand and stuck diagonally into the scorched earth.

“Two thousand twenty-five years have passed, and this is the strongest hero party of the present day?”

“Heh~ Not much after all~”

A sinister yet childish female voice echoed in Lin Peng’s ears.

He lay on the ground in a sorry state, his vision blurred from the intense pain, but he could still clearly see the black throne hovering in the air covered in strange runes, and a silver-haired little girl lying lazily sideways on it, yawning.

Dark red magical flames burned in the void around the black throne, illuminating the little girl’s exquisite yet utterly cold beautiful face.

Her blood-red star-shaped pupils turned lazily and finally landed on him. The corners of her mouth curled into a playful smile that was completely mismatched with her childish face.

“Still not dead?” She tilted her head, her bare feet gently swinging, the clear sound of bells rippling through the dead silence. “Then... play with me a little more~”

With that harmless-looking cute face and cheerful tone, if someone didn’t know, they would think it was a child from some noble family, innocently inviting someone to an afternoon game.

At first, Lin Peng also thought she was a powerless child, until she released her magic and a big slap sent him flying. Then he knew that appearance was just a disguise to confuse opponents.

She was actually the master of the Dark Lands, the Demon King who brings chaos to the world! Phyllis!

Lin Peng gritted his teeth and looked around, trying to find his companions, but only saw a scene of despair.

The shield, broken in two, lay scattered on the ground. Lyon, whom he had called a fortress, had been cut in half at the waist, his upper and lower body separated. Though not completely dead, he was now just barely lingering.

Amyki knelt on the ground in the distance, her eyes filled with tears. The gem set on top of the staff in her arms had gone completely dim. Around her, three ugly little demons circled, constantly making faces and letting out eerie, sharp mocking laughter.

The usually pure and elegant Saint was now in tattered clothes, and on her smooth lower abdomen was a strange dark red pattern. Her face was covered with a black blindfold, and her wrists were bound with black chains, hung far away on the branch of a withered tree, her life or death unknown.

Clearly, this miserable state already showed the outcome of this battle.

The strongest hero party they had assembled had been completely defeated!

Lin Peng clenched his fists in frustration.

‘Damn it! This Demon King... is not even at the Holy Domain level...’

The Demon King Phyllis frowned slightly. “Huh? When did you get that intel? I’m about to ascend to godhood and step into the realm of 10th-tier deities now.”

Lin Peng’s pupils contracted, then he became resigned.

So it’s 10th-tier...

No wonder...

Heh...

No wonder!

This failure was entirely due to lack of intel. If he had known earlier that the Demon King was 9th-tier Mythical, just one step away from becoming a 10th-tier deity, Lin Peng would have chosen to develop a bit more in the kingdom instead of coming here to throw his life away at this time.

“Hehe~ What? Scared now that you know I’m a half-step deity?”

Seeing the black throne approaching, Lin Peng struggled to climb to his feet. “No... Now that I know this intel, I absolutely cannot retreat and let you leave the Dark Lands!”

“I am the Hero! Hero Lin Peng! Behind me are countless homes and lights! How could I be afraid!”

“Don’t underestimate my resolve to protect the world! You bastard!”

With adrenaline surging, Lin Peng roared and stood up again. Even without a weapon in hand, he clenched his fists and leaped to smash them against Phyllis on the throne.

And then Lin Peng was sent flying again.

“Futile stubborn resistance.”

Phyllis put down her fair little foot that had just kicked him away, yawned again, and gave her evaluation of Lin Peng’s resistance.

Seeing Lin Peng, like an indestructible cockroach, get up again and again only to be knocked flying several more times, a flicker of interest passed through Phyllis’s eyes. She maneuvered her black throne to fly closer.

Lin Peng, still insistently trying to get up from the ground, felt someone grab his collar. With a sudden feeling of weightlessness, his legs dangled in the air.

Phyllis lifted Lin Peng to midair and said with a smile, “Since the Hero loves this world so much that he would stop me from getting some fresh air even at the cost of his life,”

“Heehee~ I just suddenly thought of a very interesting idea~”

“If the Hero becomes a member of the Demon King’s army, then maybe I’ll be too busy training you to leave the Dark Lands~”

Using his last strength, Lin Peng kept pounding on Phyllis’s hand and managed to say, “You... dream... I will never... betray...”

Phyllis’s lips curled up, her eyes playful. “I didn’t think the Hero would agree~ So this is just a notice~”

“Next, I will erase all your memories, completely remodel this frail body, and plant the seed of chaos magic inside you...”

“From now on, you will be reborn...”

“And this world will no longer have the Hero Lin Peng...”

The seductive demonic voice drilled into Lin Peng’s ears. His eyes widened and he struggled desperately, but soon the vigilance and defiance in his eyes began to dissipate bit by bit.

His still-kicking legs suddenly went limp. The struggle changed from violent resistance to intermittent twitching. The arc traced by his ankles in the air grew shallower and shallower.

With one final slight tremor, the legs lost all strength completely, dropping straight down like the limbs of a puppet whose strings had been cut.

In the air, only the girl’s soft laughter remained, along with Lin Peng’s gradually steady and lengthening breaths.