C002. Prelude (II)

Ellie had rejoined the group at some point. She didn't appear out of breath in the slightest and somehow managed to keep up with them in her tight outfit.

"What took you so long?" Rosie asked, sounding somewhat worried.

"Don't worry about her; I'm sure she was doing something perverse again," Leo quipped.

"Hey, watch your mouth! Sister Ellie isn't like that," Rosie snapped back.

"It's alright, dear. He's just a little bitter because his hair won't grow," Ellie replied with a smirk.

"HEY!" Leo protested, while the others couldn't help but chuckle. Only Rey remained silent.

"Alright, guys, let's focus. We're almost there," John said, bringing everyone back on track. They all nodded in unison as they approached the North Wing.

So far, they hadn't been ambushed by a general, which meant the enemy had made a smart move. The remaining generals had chosen to protect their master instead of arrogantly trying to take them out. Demons were prideful and often arrogant, so while they had considered this possibility, they hadn't expected it.

This was also good news for them. If the generals had chosen to protect their master instead of attacking, it meant there were only one or two generals left in the castle, and they couldn't afford to leave their master unprotected.

After fighting their way up the North Wing, they finally arrived at the top floor. They entered a large hall with a giant double door at the far end.

The room had 21 alcoves on both sides of the walls, each containing a large, pure white stone knight that could only be described as a holy knight.

Each knight held a different weapon, ranging from a shield and sword to a spear, bill, flail, or even a harp. The last alcove held the statue of a female angel with four pitch-black wings, one of which was broken. She had small goat-like horns growing on the sides of her head. The intricate details of her facial features made her look almost alive.

As the group stepped forward, a strange sensation washed over them. It wasn't pressure or fear but a sense of calm. Despite their unease, they gathered themselves and moved forward.

They had only taken a few steps when they heard it—music. A beautiful melody, played on what sounded like the highest quality instrument.

Instinctively, they fell into a battle formation, scanning the room. The source of the music was the only holy knight holding a musical instrument.

Unlike the others, this knight wasn't wearing a helmet. Made of stone, its movements were smooth and gentle as its fingers plucked the strings of the harp. The music was unlike anything they had ever heard, filling them with an unnatural calm.

Since the knight wasn't attacking, they decided not to provoke it. They didn't need any more distractions on their mission. Slowly, they began to move toward the large door ahead. But the moment they took a step, the knight turned its head to look at them—and smiled.

It wasn't a gentle smile; it was twisted and creepy, so wide it was practically a grin. The sight sent chills down their spines and raised goosebumps on their skin.

"Dodge!" John yelled, and the group instinctively dropped to the ground.

Boom!

A stone arrow slammed into the ground a few meters away from them. They scrambled back into formation. A knight with a bow had fired the arrow, its power so great it cracked the heavily reinforced marble floor. Now, they had no choice but to fight.

The stone knights stepped down from their alcoves—all except the smiling knight, which continued to play the harp.

"Leo, tank. I'll provide support. Everyone else, focus on dealing damage. Watch out for any surprise attacks from the remaining two statues," John ordered. They followed his lead. Leo used his skills to draw the attention of all 19 knights, while John supported him, ensuring he didn't get overwhelmed.

They moved strategically to avoid being surrounded, and Rosie intercepted any ranged attacks. Rey launched spells suited for stone monsters, such as "Chain Lightning" and "Sonic Boom."

Ellie used her own strange spells, waving her fan to cause some knights to decay and fall apart, while others lost control of their limbs, striking their fellow knights. With flawless timing and teamwork, the group made destroying 19 Tier 6 Holy Knights look easy—when it shouldn't have been.

Only a handful of knights remained when suddenly, the music changed. It was no longer calming but chaotic, like a storm. The flow of mana within their bodies became erratic, and the spellcasters found themselves unable to cast their spells.

"What's going on?" Rey snapped, breaking his usual silence. Without his spells, he was nearly useless to the team.

John noticed the change as well. "We need to destroy the knight with the harp. This is most likely a result of its music."

"John's right. The change occurred when it started playing a different tune," Ellie added.

"Alright, cover me. I'm the fastest, so I'll take it down before it even knows what hit it," Rosie said.

Before she could move, the statue of the fallen angel flapped its remaining three wings and appeared in front of them. A spear of light and darkness materialized in each of her hands as she swung them at Rosie. Unable to react in time, Rosie braced herself for the impact.

Boom!

Rosie opened her eyes in surprise, realizing she hadn't felt any pain. She looked up to see John standing in front of her, blocking the attack. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"Er—uh, no, I'm fine," she stammered, her cheeks turning bright red. John wanted to make sure she was okay, as she looked a little feverish, but the angel had already launched her second attack. "I'll handle this one; you take out the harp bastard," he said.

Rosie immediately snapped out of it. Leo was getting overwhelmed, and the others couldn't help because they were unable to use magic. She activated a rage skill, which didn't require mana control and enhanced her attacks and speed. Taking a low stance, she shot forward like a bullet.

In less than a second, she crossed the distance and shattered the harp knight's head, even as it continued to play it's music, not making any move to defend itself till the very end. The grin still plastered on its face.

With that, the other knights collapsed as if their strings had been cut, and the group regained control of their mana. Only the fallen angel statue remained active, but with all five of them facing it, it was only a matter of time before they destroyed it. After a grueling 30-minute battle, they finally emerged victorious.

...

Standing in front of the large, majestic double door, they took a moment to catch their breath. "This is it," John said, trying to steady his breathing. He knew he should remain calm, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.

He turned to his companions. "This is what we've been preparing for. The challenges we've faced so far will be nothing compared to what lies ahead. We're here to save the world, but we're also here to avenge the people. He's cunning and will use any underhanded tactic to save himself. No matter what happens today, we must take him down."

The others nodded, their expressions serious. Even though they were the strongest swordsman, warrior, assassin, mage, and witch, they couldn't help but feel nervous. Beyond this door lay the Demon King of Destruction.

After their preparations were complete, John stepped forward and placed his hands on the doors. But before he could push, the doors slowly opened on their own, revealing the room within. It was massive, but their attention was immediately drawn to the figures inside.

Seven figures stood in the room. One sat on a large, majestic throne at the far end, while three stood to his right and three to his left.

All five heroes gulped at the sight. Two males and a female stood on the left side of the throne, with the female closest to the throne. On the right side stood two females and a male—all demons. These were the six demon generals, the Demon King's most trusted aides.

What they hadn't expected was to find all six generals here, not on the battlefield. John and the others couldn't understand why. The allied forces were large and formidable. Why hadn't the Demon King sent his generals to aid his forces?

The reason was simple: there was no need. But none of them wanted to believe such a reality. John gritted his teeth. "This changes nothing. You four keep the generals busy for as long as you can. I'll handle the arrogant bastard on the throne."

If anyone else had said this, the others would have questioned their sanity. But this was John, the strongest hero in the world, blessed by the gods. He wielded the holy sword Expira, the only blade powerful enough to kill the Demon King.

Their abilities as heroes from another world allowed them to transcend tiers and strike down gods, much less mere demigods.

They all nodded and readied their weapons as they entered the room. Instinctively activating the Divine Protection Skill, granted to them by the Trinity.

Their auras immediately skyrocketed beyound any mortal limits. This was the trump card they saved for this very moment.

However, the moment they stepped into the throne room, it was as if gravity had multiplied several times over. They felt stifled, their vision going hazy, barely able to breathe, let alone stand. Some of them dropped to their knees.

What is this?

The man on the throne wore an exquisite raven-black coat with red lining along its edges. His black pants and jet-black boots were equally luxurious, with strange gems embedded in them. Beneath the coat, he wore a snow-white shirt with a faint dragon-scale pattern. His fingers bore eight gorgeous rings, each emitting a faint glow.

Though his face was obscured, his short black hair was neatly cut in a fade. He sat leisurely, one leg crossed over the other, his head resting on his right fist as he leaned back in his throne, eyes closed, as if completely disinterested in the intruders who had barged into his throne room.

This infuriated John even more. His determined spirit fought against the overwhelming suppression. "Holy Blessings," he muttered.

The sword in his hand glowed as a faint holy aura enveloped the group, alleviating most of the pressure. He didn't stop there. "Holy Might," he declared, and the sword emitted a white glow, boosting their strength. No longer feeling the pressure, they were back in fighting form, more confident than ever.

"Attack!"

John shouted, and all five sprang into action. Rey and Ellie prepared their most powerful spells, Rosie activated all her enhancement skills and Flame Dance, and Leo braced himself to absorb the enemies' attacks. It didn't matter if they had to destroy the entire continent in the process.

They wanted to draw the generals' attention as John dashed toward the arrogant figure on the throne with his fastest attack, Lightning Flash. His sword vibrated intensely, wrapped in streaks of silver lightning as he closed the distance in a flash.

But then—

"What... what is this? What just happened?"

John gasped. The Demon King had opened his eyes, his hazel pupils glowing red. In an instant, all of John's friends collapsed to the ground behind him.

"You bastard, what did you do?!" John screamed, his voice echoing through the throne room. "You'll pay for this! I'll make you pay, even if it's the last thing I do!" He roared, his armor glowing as the aura around him intensified. Cracks began to form on his armor.

"Forbidden Skill: Sacrifice!"

This was a last-resort skill that traded the user's life force for the power of the gods—a power beyond mortal limits, capable of reducing the entire universe to nothingness. John was serious.

With his friends dead, there was no hope of leaving this place alive. But with this power, he could take out the Demon King. Even without killing the generals, they would win the war as long as the Demon King was dead.

None of the demon generals had even moved, yet his friends had fallen as if they were nothing. It was as if they were livestock struck down by disease.

John couldn't forgive that. They had looked down on them, used some trick to kill his friends. But he wouldn't fall for it. With this skill, he was now a demigod, no, a Celetial being with the power to destroy the infinite multiverse at his whim. It was his turn to look down on them.

"Gasp!..."

Before he could take a single step, John spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to his knees. "Th-this isn't right... How is this possible? I'm a celestial... How can this happen? This isn't what they promised. This... this isn't fair. I'm... I'm a hero for fuck sake. The hero always win right? So why..."

With those final muttering like a derange man, he collapsed to the ground, his eyes and nose bleeding.

The strongest hero on the Human Continent had died an unremarkable death, without even understanding how it had happened.