The Fallen Hero (Part 2)

"Destruction is the end of all things, and their final destination. Even heroes carved from jade with exquisite craftsmanship will wither away over the endless passage of time, then be forgotten..." Eliyi stood amid the ruins of Mira Cathedral, gazing at the fragments of Hero Square. "The threads of Destiny... are beginning to spread..."

"Yalila—where are you?!" Tiadam stood alone in an unfamiliar corridor, howling. Beneath his feet lay piles of clay husks possessed by lesser demons, while bright red blood flowed from his wounds.

"This guy... is he really human?" Through his scrying magic, Lufa witnessed Tiadam's entire battle against the lesser demons. "No magic, no weapons—fighting demons that have acquired vessels using nothing but physical attacks... This... this physical strength surpasses ordinary humans..."

"How is it? I told you so..." Yalila lay on the sofa bed, secretly applying the expensive skincare products Oyana had brought back from the royal capital. "He has the bloodline of a Hero. Ordinary lesser demons can't handle him. Use a greater demon instead."

"What are you talking about...? I'm only an upper-class demon among the lower demons... How could I possibly summon someone of my own rank...?" The image within Lufa's flames glanced at Yalila. "Besides, even if I barely managed to summon one... do you have a sacrifice for it?"

"Then summon a mid-level demon!" Yalila said impatiently.

"I can... but what about a vessel?" Lufa's flickering form kept shifting. "Mid-level demons are nothing like those lesser demons. Without a suitable vessel, a mid-level demon will not appear in the Mortal Realm."

"Ah—you're such a pain!" Yalila casually tossed an empty bottle at Lufa. "How about this? It used to hold Teacher Oyana's rose perfume."

Lufa said, "Uh... where's what was in the bottle...? Did you use it all?"

Yalila said, "Don't worry. There wasn't much left in it to begin with. Teacher Oyana told me to sort the trash, so I just... disposed of it while I was at it..."

"Suit yourself..." Lufa said. "But... let me ask you first. Are you sure you want to summon a mid-level demon to deal with your boyfriend? Their abilities are nothing like those lesser demons. Once they go berserk, even I might not be able to restrain them. Think it through..."

"Let me correct you. Not boyfriend—it's ex-boyfriend, understand?"

"Understood..." Lufa said.

"In the name of the Fourteen Witches, I use the things of this world to link the path between you and me. Defile the temple of the gods and unleash blasphemous power. I, the lower demon—Lufa Lansha, summon you here, my kin. I shall grant you a body to stir this world..."

"Yalila—"

"Yalila—"

"Yalila, where the hell are you—" Exhausted, Tiadam still called out the name of the woman he loved, while those unromantic lesser demons swarmed toward him like flies.

"Damn it! Another wave!" Tiadam tore off a strip of his clothes and crudely bandaged his wound before throwing himself at the lesser demons with his fists. He knew that, as a human, he stood no chance against this endless stream of lesser demons. Those creatures from hell could be reborn as long as they had vessels. Yet he still wanted to protect something...

A drizzling rain fell that morning. It was the day of Tiadam's mother's funeral, but only a handful of people had come. At twelve years old, he stood alone in the rain.

"Is this... Okasht's cousin? He's so skinny... He doesn't look like a Hero..."

"Really? Whatever... His father wasn't a Hero either. Following in his father's footsteps and becoming a farmer isn't so bad..." Oyana chatted and laughed with the mourners beside her. "The most pitiful one is Limasa. She thought she'd married into a wealthy, respectable family, but sadly... the man wasn't clever. He sold off the family fortune and even lost his own life..."

"That's true..."

"Oh ho ho—"

"What about your elf prince? Are you still in touch with him?"

"We stopped talking long ago. You just play around with men like that. Did you really think there was anything between us?"

"That's true..."

"Why... why... Why didn't the people Father helped come to pay their respects, while these long-tongued women did..." Tiadam stood silently in the rain. "If only... Father had never helped them..."

Tiadam raised his eyes toward the sky.

"It's clearly morning, yet the sky is so overcast that not even a trace of light can be seen..."

"Hey! Brat, take this—" A silver-haired girl threw a small cloth pouch at Tiadam's face. "This money is for you. Don't you dare starve to death!"

The pouch had not been thrown very hard, but when it landed on the ground, several silver coins rolled out.

"Th... thank you..."

When the lonely, helpless boy wanted to thank the silver-haired girl, he found that she had already been dragged to Oyana's side. Two hard slaps silenced the girl completely.

"So this is a half-elf? She looks almost no different from an elf. Once she grows up, she should fetch a good price..." a woman beside them said with a laugh.

"Forget it... If I really sold her, I'd have to hire another person for my shop."

"By the way—where did you pick up this half-elf? I heard elves care deeply about bloodlines and don't allow elves to have too much contact with humans..."

"Oh—her? She's the result of that elf prince spreading his affections around."

"Could this girl possibly be your..."

"What do you mean, mine? I took proper precautions. She's Lan's daughter. Before that woman died, she entrusted her daughter to me. I was too embarrassed to refuse, so this is what happened..."

"You truly are kind-hearted, then. Oh ho ho ho—"

The same misfortune, a similar life... Have you ever cried in the rain as well...

"Yalila—I'll definitely save you from that witch's hands. Wait for me—you have to wait for me!" Tiadam roared and shattered all the clay monsters with one punch. At the same time, the remnants of the forty Hero statues seemed to sense the power within his body and began to tremble as well...

"So the sleeping Hero is about to awaken too..." Eliyi looked toward the sky and laughed madly. "Destiny is beginning to entwine, the world is beginning to turn. I can no longer wait for that day to arrive—"

"This guy's insane, isn't he..." Through Lufa's scrying spell, Yalila saw everything Tiadam was doing for her. "This lunatic keeps saying it's for me... I'm perfectly fine here. Who needs his concern? As long as that useless human stays away from me, that's enough... A bandit like him thinks he deserves to talk about saving me? Lufa, when is that mid-level demon of yours coming out? I'm sick of looking at him."

"It's already here—" The image in the flames gradually dimmed as an enormous surge of magic burst from within them. Green balefire twisted the space of the present world.

"I am—Gundaljika, general under Kars, Demon of Fire. Who has summoned me into this world—" Green flames swirled around a transparent glass bottle. The demon twisted the fire into the shape of a face, and a frenzied, evil voice filled Yalila's ears.

"This... is the demon you summoned?" Yalila stared at the flame, no larger than a mung bean. "It isn't even as big as a fly... And this thing can deal with Tiadam? It seems even less reliable than a lesser demon..."

"Foolish woman—you know nothing! A demon's power has nothing to do with its size! Do not compare me, Gundaljika, to those lesser demons!" The tiny voice of the flame did not draw Yalila's attention in the slightest.

"Even if you aren't a lesser demon, you're still a lower demon... What's the difference between you and them?" Yalila gave a light puff, and the green flame wobbled as it drifted toward the space where Tiadam was. "Drive the man in the corridor away... and your mission will be complete—"

"Yes~" Yalila seemed to faintly hear something calling out.

"Lufa, is this thing you summoned really okay? Don't let Tiadam snuff it out with a single finger." Yalila looked at Lufa.

"Are you really an elf? What you just said makes me doubt your appearance..." Lufa continued flickering within the wood. "It looks small because the living room you are in is maintained by my power. How could a mid-level demon possibly surpass the physical limit imposed by me, a greater demon? Didn't Oyana teach you any of this when she taught you demonology? Did you listen? Did you remember?"

Yalila said, "Stop talking nonsense. Just tell me whether this thing can drive Tiadam away."

Lufa said, "No problem. A mid-level demon like this is not something human strength can resist... even if he is a Hero's descendant..."

A wild wind blew from nowhere. The narrow corridor began to stretch, and the walls on both sides turned to darkness beneath the encircling green flames. Within that darkness, something seemed to be watching Tiadam.

"I am—Gundaljika, general under Kars, Demon of Fire. Prepare to die—" A flaming skull slowly rose...

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