"Lord Valego!"
Skrr!
The blade ran through the demon king's chest, blood dripping onto the ground.
At a distance, a woman with large, dark horns on her head could be seen running towards the king's position as fast as she could, avoiding the countless deaths happening around her.
That's right, this was a war: the great war between humans, demons, and the one who had made an enemy of both—the demon lord.
Tripping multiple times, she tried her best to reach the broken castle as fast as she could, knowing deep down in her heart that she could never make it.
Meanwhile, inside that very castle, the one who had delivered the final blow to the demon king, the hero Forlase, had a grim expression on her face.
From a distance, she could hear the chants from the human army. "The demon king has been slain! The hero has won!"
While many of the demons who had joined forces with them collapsed to the ground, crying.
The hero, seemingly upset, spoke. "Making an enemy of your own people—how heroic of you, dear friend."
To which the demon lord, as life slipped away from his form, replied, "Don't tell me you're getting emotional. T-that won't be a grand look for… the hero, will it?"
Bluh!
He spat out blood, dark threads now covering his face.
Every second he spent breathing was as though countless needles were stabbing his heart.
Still, he had a smile on his face—a calm smile, one filled with relief and a hint of sadness.
Looking into the distance, he could see the red moon illuminating the countless dead bodies on the ground.
And right there was his loyal companion, sprinting towards him with tears dripping from her eyes.
Though he couldn't hear her voice, he knew she was calling out to him and sobbing heavily.
"Use it, hero, and kill me," said the demon king, his voice barely audible.
Closing her eyes, the hero responded, "I'm sorry."
"Worry not; with my death, the war between humans and demons will come to an end. No one will die anymore, nor will there be suffering from deep-rooted racism. My life will ensure it."
"Goodbye, demon lord of Eternity, Velago Pailoms."
The hero activated her ability; the holy light enveloped Velago from the inside out, turning his body into nothing but a skeleton with very little skin left.
And then, she pulled her blade out, pushing him to the ground.
As he fell, he caught a glimpse of her, tears trailing down her cheeks, her expression so soft it was hard to tell if she was truly the one who killed him.
'Oh, you stubborn female, I just told you not to cry. So... unladylike—'
Ba!
His body collapsed to the ground.
Then came the announcement.
"THE DEMON LORD OF ETERNITY IS DEAD!"
'Yes, I am dead.'
...
(100,000 years later, in Lumbe city of the Royal Kingdom of Verdina.)
"Arrgh!"
The warrior launched himself forward, striking down a goblin with his sword.
In a single blow, he managed to cut down the monster, severing its head, the blood spreading on the floor like a pool of water.
When he finished, the warrior slashed his sword to the side, letting the blood splash onto the ground.
"Good, that was the last one. Babe, are you alright over there?" He looked behind him.
A woman's voice echoed right after.
"Hai, I'm doing fine," the beautiful woman sighed, making her way towards the man. "To think we would have to fight monsters again, even though we already retired from the royal army."
She was dressed in a white gown decorated with a golden rose. In her hands was a long yellow staff, formerly a magic wand for mages.
She and her husband were heading towards the nearby village when they suddenly heard a loud crash coming from the forest.
Curious, they went to check it out and were surprised to find a broken carriage surrounded by monsters.
This was right after they found a trail of dead bodies, all of whom were dressed in the outfits of a known cult hunted by the kingdom for their evil deeds.
After successfully clearing the monsters in the area, the man moved closer to the broken carriage to check if anything inside could have attracted their attention.
Upon reaching it, the man was extremely shocked by what he found.
There, right in the middle of the rubble, was a small baby with black hair and eyes, sitting there and staring directly at him.
"What the… A baby?" the man blurted out, clearly shocked.
"Are you alright? Did you find something?" the woman asked, moving closer.
When she got there, she was also dumbfounded by the sight of the baby, but she acted quickly.
"A baby? Who would abandon a child in the middle of a forest?" Sympathy compelled her to take the baby into her arms. "Look at how cute he is."
"Oi! Careful, Alice, we don't know where this baby came from. That might be a monster in disguise for all we know."
"Monster?" Alice moved the baby closer for him to see. "Are you sure this cute face looks anything like a monster?"
As he took a closer look, the man's face turned red as the baby puffed his cheeks in a comedic fashion.
This not only made the man's heart flutter but also dispelled every suspicion he'd had until that moment.
"Okay, fine, but still, don't you think it's weird? The dead bodies of the cult of order—that has to mean something, right?"
But his companion paid him no mind. She was baby-talking to the child while making funny faces.
A brilliant smile spread across Alice's face, and she clutched the baby to her chest as if he were the most precious treasure in the world. "John," she breathed, her voice trembling with a joy he hadn't heard in years, "let's keep him."
"What? We can't just adopt a child; we don't know whose he is."
"Aww~ you hear that, Lloyd? John says we can keep you." A big smile formed on Alice's face.
"Wha—I said no such thing!" yelled John, his face red with frustration. "And why are you suddenly giving him a name?!"
"Kekeke~"
"Don't 'kekeke' me! Are you even listening?! Alice!"