War, Death, Chaos, and Despair.
Even those four words weren't enough to describe the state of the world
The skies above the Veylian Empire split apart like glass. Dungeons rained down, tearing the heavens in half. Half the empire was engulfed in flame, their screams rising to the gods. The other half knelt, not in prayer, but in fear.
The year 2026 had begun with the greatest catastrophe in human history.
As the clock of the new year struck, the world's first and only Ex dungeon descended onto the world, headed by its lord, the heavenly demon. Several other SSS-level dungeons across the continent simultaneously broke, launching an all-out attack against mankind.
The world was ending!
Not in silence, but with fire and steel.
Towers crumbled, rivers boiled, and the skies screamed as legions of monsters poured across the empire. At their center stood the Heavenly Demon, a colossal being wrapped in shadow and flame. His very breathing sounded like thunder across the lands, and each step of his, cracking the earth like glass.
Rumored to be born from the unholy amalgamation of fire and shadow. At a staggering seventy feet tall. Obsidian black wings that covered the sun, red skin that burst with sparks of flames, igniting the surrounding air.
A tail that spanned several miles in length, destroying tens of buildings and taking hundreds of lives with every swing.
And beady red eyes that seemed to devour the soul of anyone who dared look directly at him
With an appearance and devastating power, the people of Veylian did not call him the Heavenly Demon.
Rather, they referred to him as the source of the end!
However, even at this. All hope was not lost.
Upon the ruined spires of the imperial palace, Sovereigns! human beings akin to Gods clashed against the Heavenly Demon's army commanders.
The Sovereign of Radiance raised a sunblade that blazed across the empire, vaporizing millions of monsters and demons in its wake.
The Sovereign of Storms summoned thunder that swallowed cities, destroying all that stood in his way
Even evil factions who aimed to overthrow the empire, such as the Cult Oblivion, joined the fray in humanity's last stance against these monsters, unleashing a tide of erasure that screamed with the voices of a thousand worlds.
In this battle, millions of lives were being lost every second, as the Veylian Empire was humanity's largest and only empire; everyone knew that if they lost this battle, then the only fate that awaited them was extinction.
Not only that, but they knew that if the Heavenly demon was not killed, then all their struggles would have no meaning.
Fortunately, there was still hope.
Right now, the colossal heavenly demon was at a standstill.
His giant body looked down as he faced a human, who made him somewhat confused.
His red pupil widened with apprehension; he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.
Before him was a human, no taller than an ant to him; however, the aura he emitted made the heavenly demon cautious.
Before him was none other than Elias Stromfront, behind him a group of heroes with similar auras, each making the Heavenly Demon more shocked as he couldn't believe that such powerhouses existed among the human race
Battered yet unwilling, these heroes were humanity's final stance.
With armor shattered, their blades bloodied, and scars on their bodies more numerous than hair on their head.
Elias Stromfront, 'the world's only hope'
Lyra Seraphiel 'The one born from light'
Dorian Ashveil 'The world's strongest human'
Ananda Dharmiel 'The Still lotus'
Together, these four, with Elias at the lead, held the job of destroying the Heavenly Demon.
And as the world's only hope, despite the overwhelming odds in their opponents' favour, not only did they not give up, but their eyes glowed with more fervor as time passed
Meeting the Heavenly demon's gaze, the surrounding wind began to stir as they each readied their guard.
"Heavenly Demon! How dare you attack humanity!"
"Today, even if I have to burn my soul, even if I am barred from reincarnation, unable to return"
"Even if I am to burn all of my bloodline, on behalf of all humanity, I assure you that today! You will fall!"
Shouting to the sky, Elias, with blood dripping down his golden hair, and the light in his once valiant blue eyes somewhat dim, raised his bloodied sword towards the sky
"Ananda now!'
Hearing this, Ananda Dharmiel stepped forward, his once golden robe in tatters; however, unlike his robes, his golden eyes reflected neither fear nor rage, only stillness and compassion.
Raising his hands, light gathered like a lotus, blooming in the storm. And in a calm voice, enough to silence the entire battlefield, he declared
"All things return to balance, Heavenly Demon, Empires Fall, Flames die, and hatred consumes only itself.
Today, that balance is you."
The lotus of light in his hand flared, golden petals scattering into the storm.
And as he stepped forward, he whispered words that echoed in everyone's ears, including the Heavenly demon.
"Namo Amitabha"
Then the strike fell- serene, unstoppable, and absolute.
Seeing this, even without Elias' command, the other heroes knew it was their time to act.
With a roar, Dorian hurled his spear skyward. Flames and lightning coiled into a storm-spear the size of a mountain.
"Judgment Inferno!"
The weapon struck, shattering scale and sinew, leaving a crater of charred flesh.
Lyra followed with a song of sorrow, her voice cutting through the chaos like moonlight over stormy seas. Chains of radiance bound the Demon's limbs.
"Elegy of Binding!"
The monster staggered, his form shackled, his chest seared.
Elias's blade ignited, burning with every drop of his life force.
"Heaven-Splitting Arc!"
The sword fell in a radiant crescent, cleaving the battlefield in half. The Heavenly Demon's body split, shadow and flame tearing apart as his scream echoed across creation.
Light consumed the world.
Hope surged.
Victory was at hand.
And then, through the storm of light, Elias saw it.
A smile.
A smile on the Heavenly Demon's face.
"…Not good."
The world trembled.
[End of Volume 9: The Demon Lord's Defeat.]
[Next Volume releases next week!]
[Support the author for faster updates!]
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Arthur blinked at his laptop screen, stunned.
"…That's it? That's where you end it?!"
He slammed his desk. The old wood rattled under his fists.
"Thirty chapters of dragging this fight out, and you cut it off there? Damn author, don't let me find you!"
His laughter turned into a cough, rough and hollow.
"Three years I've followed this story. Ever since my diagnosis… this was all I had left. Friends? Family? They're gone. But this novel… this was my escape."
Tears blurred his vision.
"And now you ruin even this? Just to milk money?!"
His chest burned. His breathing grew ragged.
"This novel… this life… what's the point?"
The curse slipped out like a confession.
Then the pain struck. Crushing, merciless. His chest seized, his vision spun. He clawed at his shirt, but the world tilted, his body crashing to the floor.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
…And then, light.
A cry pierced the air. His own cry.
Small hands. A woman's voice. An unfamiliar name.
Adrian Valemont.
The world he once read about was now his.