Good People Are Rewarded... Right?

Nick was lifted high into the air and then slammed to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.

Selendron's foot pressed down on his head, the elf's voice calm yet cruel. "Absolutely right, your kingdom is doomed, you will become the exterminated, and you will have no home."

He raised his voice. "Find his family and spread the word that anyone who reveals the location of a member of the Valentan Family will be spared."

Nick was badly injured, writhing in excruciating pain. His head was pinned down, and his face was covered in blood. He couldn't move at all, but he still mumbled, "I curse you, I curse you all, elves! Your country will be reduced to ruins, your land will be filled with poison, and your people will be exiled forever..."

"Even I've heard those words hundreds of times. Humans, we've conquered many nations, allowing them to become cornerstones of great dynasties. We've also killed countless rebels. You are but a tiny, insignificant part of it all. If curses were effective, what would be the point of swords!"

Selendron was in no hurry to kill Nick, this lowly human who had committed grave crimes and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of elves; all the extreme punishments of the Dusk Warband were to be inflicted upon him.

He wants to destroy everything about humanity, bit by bit.

It begins with hope.

The legion commander then revealed a cruel smile, moved his foot, squatted down, grabbed the mayor's hair, and said calmly, "Do you think your actions are heroic? Do you think reinforcements will come? Do you think that Valentan has done something remarkable by resisting until now?"

"Then I can tell you, it's all meaningless."

"Because..."

Selendron whispered something in Nick's ear.

Nick's pupils contracted sharply, then he gave a mocking smile, "Who says it's meaningless? The Dusk Warband, the Twilight Moon elite troops, the ace army—how many died trying to conquer this city?"

This struck at Selendron's weak spot, enraging the elf who slammed Nick's head to the ground.

He suddenly lost interest in talking to this loser.

Even as the city fell, even as his family was on the verge of extinction, even as he was about to suffer incredibly cruel punishment and pain, this human maintained the posture of a victor from beginning to end.

This prevented him from enjoying any pleasure or happiness.

"I hope you stay this optimistic and resilient until the day you die."

Selendron waved, signaling the soldiers to take the man away.

But the next moment, a deafening explosion came from afar.

Even Nick, who had almost fainted, suddenly looked up.

The elven commander's gaze sharpened, and then his body began to tremble.

Because he remembered the voice.

I'll never forget it.

In the course of his long life, it was only in the last few days that he had heard such a peculiar and strange sound. The explosion was not a violent and intense burst of fire, but a brutal, rough and terrifying outburst.

He was deeply impressed by the sound.

"Ha..."

A low growl came from its throat.

The trembling in my body was not fear, but excitement.

The wounds on his body throbbed with a dull ache, and the flying shrapnel, the sharp shockwaves, and the terrifying explosions were all things he had never heard of or seen before, plunging him into fear.

He was not afraid of the attack.

Rather, it is the fear that represents the meaning behind this attack.

It wasn't fear of the person commanding the attack.

Rather, it was fear of what he might do next.

Kang De.

Kant

Selendron roared, the fire of rage surging within him bursting forth.

You haven't run away yet!

You really didn't run away!

The gods still favor the elves!

Even if it means losing many soldiers, it's all worth it if we can capture you or kill you!

The legion commander roared as he ran to the edge of the terrace, gazing in the direction of the rising explosion. The alchemical chariots he had never seen before roared and raced through the streets of Valentan, amidst explosions, flames, and continuous deafening roars. He also saw the human, the Cathayan who fought for Goth.

"Blow the horn! Blow the horn!"

He shouted sharply, "Mage Corps! Heavy Arrow Hunters! Forest Riders! All of you! Charge!"

The melodious bugle call instantly resounded throughout the entire city.

In the boiling city, the elves who participated in the massacre all raised their heads, their eyes blinded by blood. Before them were soldiers fighting desperately or civilians trembling in fear. When the order arrived, the elves were momentarily silent or surprised, but the next moment, an even more intense rage took over their hearts.

Almost all the elves turned away without hesitation.

They were all screaming the same name.

" --Kang De!"

Even their enemies and lambs to the slaughter could feel the spirits' rage and murderous intent.

That person must be killed no matter what; the lives of the rest of the city are irrelevant.

These fierce and brutal elves displayed such an attitude.

He immediately withdrew, abandoning his killing spree.

All for the sake of killing one person.

In an instant, countless people escaped death or survived temporarily. Some breathed a sigh of relief, while others broke down in tears, too exhausted to even run away. Their loved ones had died, the elves had broken their promises, and the countless blood debts and the hatred that seeped into their bones had left them numb, angry, or terrified after experiencing the apocalyptic scene following the fall of the city. But they no longer harbored any illusions about the elves.

It's precisely at times like these that I find myself thinking of other things.

For example, three things.

First, killing Kang De is even more important to the elves than conquering the city.

Secondly, this person whom the elves wanted to get rid of, and whom the elves valued highly, had once protected the city with all his might, and was then pressured, questioned, and even hated by the people.

Third, even now, he is still fighting in this city.

For a moment, many people were filled with mixed feelings.

Human nature is fickle, frivolous, and easily changed. Perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps in the future, these feelings will vanish with the wind, and ugly souls will reveal their ugliness again for various reasons. But at least for now, many people whisper this name, holding a certain degree of respect and guilt towards him.

Although it's meaningless.

But perhaps it also has meaning.

Panting, chewing on blood-stained jerky and rations, a soldier, clutching his rifle and leaning against the wall, gazed at the piles of corpses and the flowing river of blood in the street. Suddenly, he jumped up and roared, "Go!"

One by one, the soldiers, who had hastily bandaged their wounds, stood up.

Like tiny water droplets that, after the waves have crashed, still rush towards the rocks.

Kant

Kang De only visited the city hall once. The once bustling streets were now stained with blood, the sky and earth had changed color, the clean and tall buildings had been blackened, and the pedestrians and luxurious carriages were gone. Only the elven cavalry and infantry continued to attack.

Selendron's roar echoed from the high terrace.

Kang De looked up and saw the elven commander's strong body straddling the high platform, with Nick, covered in blood, being carried to the side. War had extinguished the spirituality of all intelligent beings; honor and morality had become a joke.

The legion commander grabbed Nick's hair, laughing cruelly, "You've finally come! What are you here for! To save him! To save this city! Can you do it!"

Nick's body trembled, his expression twisted with despair. Faced with the elves' torment and threats, and with the entire city's citizens facing slaughter and his family about to be wiped out, the mayor had not shown the slightest fear. But at this moment, looking at Kang De charging back and forth, he finally couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face.

Crying, shouting, even vomiting.

"Go away!" he cried out in despair, "Why did you come back! Why did you come back!"

Before he could finish speaking, Selendron grabbed him by the neck, the bright, sharp tip of his sword pressed against his throat. The elf roared, "Kang De! Do you want to save him?! You know what to do!"

Kang De roared, "Fire!"

The Autobots raised its right arm, and the cannon roared. However, a gale gathered and compressed into extremely dense air in an instant. An atmospheric shield appeared out of nowhere and actually blocked this seemingly inevitable attack.

Selendron laughed wildly, and with a flash of his sword, he severed Nick's left arm, blood spurting out.

"See that?! You can't do anything! You can't do anything! You can't save him, you can't save everyone in this city, you can't even save yourself!"

Selendron roared, "Because your enemy is us! The invincible Twilight Moon army! You are facing the most powerful nation in the world! You have no chance! What awaits you is endless defeat and a hopeless death! Why don't you escape! Use your spatial magic to escape!"

"I'll fuck your mother!"

Kang De, his eyes bloodshot, roared, "You're finished! You're all finished! Your country is finished! Every elf here today will die! I will kill a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand elves, and even more! Then you will understand! There is only one reason for the fall of the Dusk Moon Dynasty! Only one!"

The sword flashed again, and Nick's right leg was severed as well. Selendron sneered, "I thought you were a formidable character, but it seems you're nothing more than a pathetic, hysterical, and boastful human being."

Kang De took a deep breath and stared intently at Nick.

The other person's eyes held pleading, earnestness, and dissuasion... but that might just be Kang De's illusion.

But it doesn't matter anymore, nothing matters anymore.

When he opened his eyes again, Kang De's gaze had calmed down, just like when he was in Glittering Sand.

His tone was calmer than ever before. "Let's go, prepare to return to Earth."

In a corner of the city, the fierce battle continues. The elves here have not been swayed by the horns. The carnage and bloodshed have greatly impaired the creatures' judgment, turning the legendary wise and intelligent elves into savage and bloodthirsty beings. The one they want to kill, Kang De, is Cathayan, and there are Cathayan here as well.

Moreover, the Cathayan here killed many of their comrades.

"Kill them all! Kill them all!"

Arrows rained down, their fierce roars deafening. The tightly knit Heaven and Earth Society heavy casualties, and most of the survivors fought desperately to hold them off. By now, this was the largest organized resistance in Valentan, thanks to a man named Hong San who had once led and commanded them, and now he had returned.

People once again depended on and obeyed him.

But the defense line is already crumbling.

A desperate massacre, an apocalyptic scene, people dying one by one like cattle and sheep. Most people's mental defenses had collapsed, and at this point, many things no longer mattered.

"Brother! Brother!" Song Baoyi, covered in wounds, collapsed to the ground, crying loudly, "I've wronged you! I'm an animal! Go away! Don't worry about us! It's all over!"

Behind him were grieving and suffering people; around him were people who were terrified, screaming, but also fighting back frantically. Hong San chuckled and said, "I'm glad we can get better. Don't you agree?"

Even just a moment is fine.

Despite their humble origins and cruel fates, they wander the streets, using despicable, greedy, cunning, and untrustworthy means to make a living and protect themselves, becoming despicable inhuman beings. This is true for most people in the world, because for most people, morality is a luxury due to their humble origins.

This is the world as Hong San understands and sees it.

But that's not the whole world.

Even the humblest person can become better, and even the ugliest and most despicable person can shine. They did not become this way because they did not intend to; fate is not predetermined at birth.

At least there is a possibility of change.

Hopefully, the master will realize this... and hopefully sooner.

He is the one who can change everything.

This is all the ambition I have left; this is all I can do. After all, this is the kind of person I am.

But even someone as hopeless as me can change.

The defenses crumbled, the walls were violently pushed aside, and the elves launched an attack in formation, a row of large shields pushing forward.

Hong San thrust his spear forward, but after fighting for a long time, his strength waned, and his spear, being nothing more than an ordinary weapon, finally broke. The shield wall pushed forward, and behind him were people waiting to die. The Cathayan gritted their teeth and rammed into it, desperately holding back the pushing iron wall.

"Hong San..."

He was almost exhausted and could no longer resist the enormous force, but the Cathayan still exerted all his strength, resisting and blocking in vain, muttering and calling his own name.

Then talk to yourself.

"You are a human being... you are a human being... you are a human being... you! are! a! human being!"

He roared and howled as his body was pushed backward repeatedly.

The elven soldiers holding shields had already drawn their short swords and thrust them forward through the gaps in their shields, while the spears of the soldiers behind them also came piercing through. Hong San was no longer able to dodge.

At that very moment, a buzzing sound came from the sky behind them.

In a daze, Hong San felt golden light fill his vision. Then, his body fell backward. He felt a hurricane sweep past him and vaguely saw more than a dozen shadows flying into the sky, like broken leaves being swept by the wind. He felt the earth tremble and the air explode, mixed with the sound of bones cracking and screams. Finally, everything fell silent.

He kept his eyes half-open, too weak to open them fully. He could only see blurry shadows, vaguely recognizing a person standing in front of him, looking down at him. The person had red hair that burned like Flame and wore armor that flowed and shimmered like lava.

He felt a cold object being extended towards him; it must have been a war club. The man used the weapon to brush aside the messy hair on his forehead, seemingly examining him.

"Do you know someone with black hair like you? He looks like one of your kind, but he's better looking, stronger, more eloquent, and kinder than you. In short, he's better than you in every way, and even if he stood among you, you could immediately tell he's very different."

That voice belonged to a woman.

Hong San didn't have time to discern whether the voice was pleasant or not, because upon hearing the first sentence, a figure flashed through his mind.

He murmured, "Kang De... Kang De..."

The man's tone became more urgent. "Where is he?"

"I have no idea..."

Hong San lay on his back on the ground, a slow smile spreading across his lips. He said softly, "But within this city, if you head into the city, to the place where the fighting is fiercest, you'll find him."

Then he heard a violent tremor and a whooshing sound, like a giant dragon soaring into the sky.

Hong San smiled, feeling that now was the best time.

He's a very capable person, so I can rest assured.

A moment later, Hong San could hear the survivors crying. Many people scrambled to his side, pushing him, supporting him, and calling out to him. He blinked, tilted his head, looked at those familiar faces, and slowly smiled.

"You see, good people are rewarded, right?"

Then he felt very sleepy, as if all his burdens had disappeared.

So I slowly closed my eyes.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Did you know that in this world, there is an act called kidnapping, and another act called killing the hostage? Well, I'm just saying.

PS2: There are a few little things, like monthly passes, recommendation tickets, and knife blades, which I heard are pretty cute. I don't know anything about them, and I've never seen them before. Well, I'm just saying.

PS3: One last thing, don't think it's over just because A Xing is here. It's not over yet. There might be a big surprise tomorrow, but the premise is... um.

PS4: This is called a triple hint; if all else fails, we'll just outright rob you tomorrow.