metal screamed against metal, echoing across the shattered plains of the Demon Continent.
Once, this land had been magnificent, filled with eight kingdoms and many territories, each filled with life. Now it was nothing but craters and corpses.
My hands trembled as I forced my cracked blade upward, barely managing to deflect the Hero's strike. The impact jolted through my arms, rattling my bones and nearly tearing the weapon from my grip. Every fiber of my body screamed for relief.
[Tch. So this is humanity's "chosen one."]
I leapt backward and extended my arm. A crimson sigil unfolded before me, layers of rotating symbols stacking over one another.
[Shallal alnaar]!!!
From it, a torrent of red and black flames burst forth, consuming the space around it and heading straight towards the Hero.
His Deep, aqua blue eyes widened, glowing a royal blue as he prepared to counter. But it was too late!
[Got you.]
But before my flames could swallow him, a silver radiance cut through the inferno.
The Saintess—Reina—stepped forward, her hand raised as my fire was dispelled into harmless smoke that floated upwards, a cocky smirk on her face as she did so…It was infuriating!
[If–IF she wasn't here–!.]
Before I could reposition, the Hero lunged through the rising smoke. His divine blade pierced straight through my abdomen.
warmth spilled down my legs as I coughed, blood dripping from my mouth onto the glowing blade embedded in my body.
The Hero's expression didn't change, staying emotionless as he pressed it deeper.
Behind him, the humans, elves, and even the murim warriors and cultivators of the Subjugation Army erupted into cheers.
"HE DID IT!"
"Wolfsheim defeated the demons!!"
I laid there on my knees, the hole in my chest glowing with the divine energy from the blade, eating away at my flesh, no—My very existence itself.
The pain was unbearable. But that didn't mean I couldn't hear the cheers of these villains…
They had invaded our lands.
Slaughtered billions of demons, children, women, elderly, everyone from babies to the retired.
Including our nobles and kings—My father and mother included among them.
We never crossed their borders.
We never attacked first.
Their gods had given the order—and–and that was enough.
The rest of the Hero's party gathered around me.
Dordami, the half-dwarf, half-giant champion, rested his massive warhammer on his shoulder.
"I heard they've got a motherlode of mines around here. Why don't we explore them after we clean up the rest?"
Nearby, Beatrice, the archmage, stared greedily at a grimoire she had pulled from one of the many corpses scattered across the battlefield.
"Or we could study their magic~"
Her eyes gleamed with fascination.
"It makes me tingle just thinking about it~"
Budum!
[Study? Explore!?]
Budum!
Cracks began spreading across my body as laughter bubbled out of my throat.
A blinding light burst from within me as demonic energy condensed at my core, compressing again and again as it spiraled inward.
This was my final attempt at dealing some damage…
The greatest 'fuck you'!
[Singularity]!!!
Beatrice's eyes widened, only she, and possibly the Hero himself could foreseen what would happen.
A mana barrier snapped into existence around her and the others.
"EVERYONE, GET BACK—!"
[Too late.]
Every last drop of demonic energy inside me erupted at once.
At the same time, it dragged everything around it inward—space, matter, and demonic energy all collapsing into a single point of pure destruction born from my very essence.
The entire continent and beyond would have been reduced to ash, even the soul itself would have been torn apart.
However.
When the dust cleared, the Hero and his companions were barely standing—injured, broken, and trembling, but not dead.
The Hero stood at the center of the devastation, one hand raised.
A golden aura surrounded him, a halo-like disc floating behind his back. His wounds were already beginning to heal at a terrifying speed.
The raw amount of divine power he emitted was terrifying...as if he was from another dimension entirely.
[This bastard…]
[He never took our battle seriously.
Not for a single second.]
[I never stood a chance...]
My vision dimmed as they cursed my name.
◇◇◇◇
"YOUNG MASTER!"
I jolted upright, gasping for air.
The battlefield was gone. Aswell as the Heroes party and Subjucation army.
In its place was a familiar ceiling.
My rooms.
[My room?]
"Young master?"
A maid leaned over me, concern written across her face.
I ignored her completely.
Throwing the covers aside, I rushed toward the mirror.
My vision, which was blurry was coming back in full, allowing me to get a look at myself.
My wild, untamed purple hair tumbled past my mid-back, streaks of white all through my hair, framing a face softer than I remembered. My skin was slightly tanned; my eyes striking—irises ringed with black and red, bottom eyelids marked by a vertical lines on each eye.
Slowly, I touched my abdomen.
The place where the blade Asha had pierced straight through me.
To most demons, even a shallow wound from that weapon was fatal. The divine energy within it prevented regeneration entirely.
And I hadn't been merely cut.
I had been impaled through the vitals.
The blade itself had been blessed by countless divine beings—the Amesha Spentas, the Yazatas, and innumerable Fravashis.
Yet, when I looked, pressing into my stomach, nothing was there, just a smooth surface if you don't count my muscles.
Either this was an illusion on a ridiculous scale…
Or I had gone back fourteen years by the looks of my body.
Regression seemed far more reasonable if I thought about it. Perhaps my final explosion ripped a hole in space and time.
"Young master?" The maid leaned closer, obscuring my vision, a small pout tugging at her lips.
"Why are you ignoring me~?"
I blinked twice, suddenly coming to the realization that this wasnt just any maid…It was Valentine Zepar…
She was my personal maid and bodyguard…She had died two years into the war, protecting me during the Fist King's attack on the palace. She died that day.
Along with my mother.
So…If she was here— Then mother was too.
For the first time, I truly looked at her.
She had pale, porcelain skin. Short silver hair tipped faintly with red, cut just to her neck.
And two pointed ears, likely from her half dark elf lineage.
It was all paired together with glowing violet eyes framed by sharp, predator-like features and thick eyelashes.
She stood only a little shorter than my collarbone.
Instead of answering her, I stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
She froze, completely confused.
"Y-Young master? Is something the matter?" she squeaked, her voice suddenly much meeker than before.
"It's nothing."
I slowly released her, exhaling in relief.
"I'm fine."
I had felt it. I felt her warmth, the beating of her heart, the way she breathed...
She was real. I was certain.
Glancing back at the mirror, I noticed I was still dressed in my sleeping clothes.
"Valentine."
She immediately straightened.
"Yes?"
"Do I have anything planned today?"
She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully.
"Oh! That's right! Lady Hildegard returned from Gula this morning! And Young Master Nero just arrived from the Phenex territory!"
Hildegard was my mother, and Nero was my half brother. If he was here, then there was a good chance Helianor had arrived as well.
But that didn't matter. None of that mattered.
Only one thought filled my mind.
Mother is alive.
Without another word, I rushed toward my walk-in closet.
"Hey! Don't you need help getting dressed?" Valentine called out, holding up a neatly prepared set of clothes.
"I can manage," I replied quickly, taking in a deep breath.
I walked inside and closed the closet door before she could argue further.
If this was truly regression, then there was one more thing to check. I closed my eyes, feeling deep within my body.
At the core of my being, a rotational force generated demonic energy, colliding and compressing itself in endless cycles.
[Radiance of the Morningstar] [Brilliance of Venus]
Those were the two Bloodline abilities I had inherited from my father. The first, known as radiance, constantly generated and collided my demonic power against itself, refining it and increasing in quantity near limitlessly. The second, known as Brilliance of Venus enhanced the quality of everything I did, like my talents, learning, attacks, defenses, Etc.
It was truly one of the strongest bloodlines in all the world. With these two alone I was a force to be reckoned with, reaching the Peak of the 10th Order—Mystic realm. Whilst my bloodline abilities reached the 5th class of Comprehension, which may seem low. But something like this was hard to get to that point. And was vastly superior to most other abilities at the same comprehension level.
It's what allowed me to last over Three hours against the hero, even If he was possibly fatigued and heavily holding back on me…
Thankfully, they were still there. Though my power and comprehension regressed with it. Now I was at the master realm, known as the fourth order. And my Bloodline was still at the first level of comprehension.
Thankfully I wasn't completely at 0.
A few minutes passed as I got dressed, admiring myself in the mirror.
Black long-sleeve shirt, Purple coat lined with silver fur, and Simple black pants, brought together by a white belt and circular golden buckle.
Who said I couldn't have style for a simple dinner?
I stepped out with a proud smile. Purple suited me perfectly. Honestly, it suited everyone.
They just didn't know it yet.
"You're looking quite…stylish, my lord," Valentine said as she stepped forward, straightening my collar.
The scent of her hair drifted toward me, briefly distracting me, my thoughts veering into some dangerous territory. Quickly, think of something!
"Valentine," I said. "Is my father attending today?"
After all, I wasn't going to remember every little detail.
Valentine hesitated, fidgeting slightly with her skirt. "N-No… I believe he's still out training. I can send a message if you'd like—"
Ah right, right now he should be somewhere in the Distorted sea. He won't be back for maybe another year I believe.
"No. It will be fine."
My relationship with my younger brother wasn't particularly complicated. He was the son of Father's second wife and only a few months younger than me.
Naturally, that caused problems.
His mother despised mine. And she had taught him to despise me as well. We never did get along.
But there was one thing I knew for certain. He wasn't a bad person…Perhaps our relationship could change this time around.
◇◇Two Hours Later◇◇
[I take it back.]
Nero was glaring at me like a rabid dog, his hand clenching a Black steel fork hard enough to turn it to dust.