Although countless conflicts had existed throughout the history of the world, none had lasted like the war between humans and demons.
It had endured for more than five hundred years.
Entire generations had been born and died without ever knowing peace. Cities had been razed. Kingdoms had fallen. And the blood of both sides had stained the land red for decades.
But all of that changed in a single day.
The day the New Demon Lord and the Heroine disappeared.
No one knew exactly what had happened.
The demons guarding the castle had only heard a massive explosion coming from the throne room.
When they finally dared to enter—after several terrifying minutes—the only thing they found were rubble, cracked walls, and a smoking crater where their lord's throne once stood.
But there was no trace of the Demon Lord.
Nor of the Heroine who had stormed the castle.
Both had vanished without a trace.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Some claimed they had annihilated each other in a clash of power so immense that their bodies disintegrated.
Others believed they had been transported to another dimension, condemned to fight for all eternity.
But the truth didn't matter.
What mattered was the result.
Without the Demon Lord, the demons lost their leader. Their unifying force. Their reason to keep advancing.
The demon generals began fighting among themselves for power. The troops split apart.
And the army that had once been an unstoppable force became disorganized chaos.
On the other hand, the humans weren't doing any better.
Without the Heroine—their trump card, their symbol of hope—they couldn't risk launching an offensive.
The human kings and generals knew that without her, any attempt to push into demon territory would be suicide.
So both sides stopped.
The front lines froze.
And for the first time in more than five hundred years, the world experienced something resembling peace.
A forced peace.
Uncomfortable. Fragile.
But peace nonetheless.
Soldiers stopped dying. Cities began to rebuild. And families, for the first time in generations, could sleep without fearing that an enemy army would appear at their gates.
No one knew how long it would last.
But for now, the world breathed in relief.
…
…
…
Mike slowly opened his eyes, feeling sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees and hitting him directly in the face.
Ugh…
He blinked several times, trying to focus.
Where…?
He slowly sat up, looking around in confusion.
Trees.
Trees everywhere.
They were enormous, with trunks so thick it would probably take five people to wrap their arms around one.
The ground was covered in dry leaves and moss, and the air smelled like damp earth and wood.
A forest?
The memory of what had happened began returning slowly.
The heroine.
The fight.
The skill he had used without knowing what it did.
And finally, the explosion of light.
Wait.
Did it work?
Did it actually work?!
Mike looked at his hands—still covered in gray gauntlets—and then looked around again.
No castle.
No throne room.
No psycho heroine trying to kill him.
Just… a peaceful forest, lit by the midday sun.
No way.
There's no way that actually worked.
A smile slowly formed on his face.
And then, unable to contain himself, he started laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
His laughter echoed through the forest, startling birds that took off from nearby branches.
"IN YOUR FACE, SHITTY GOD!" he shouted toward the sky, raising his arms in victory. "IT WORKED! I KNEW IT! FUCK, I KNEW IT!"
He stood up, still laughing like a maniac.
"I DIDN'T THINK SOMETHING THAT STUPID WOULD ACTUALLY WORK!" he continued, spinning in circles. "BUT IT DID! HAHAHAHA!"
Euphoria flooded him completely.
For the first time since he had died—or revived, or whatever the hell had happened—he felt good.
Mike felt free.
"TAKE THAT, PSYCHO HEROINE!" he shouted, raising a fist to the sky. "I BET YOU'RE STILL LOOKING FOR ME IN THAT SHITTY CASTLE!"
He spun again, laughing loudly.
"AND YOU, SHITTY GOD! YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA FUCK UP MY LIFE AGAIN, BUT GUESS WHAT?! I ESCAPED! I ESCAPED YOUR DAMN PLAN!"
Mike dropped onto his back on the leaf-covered ground, still laughing, staring at the blue sky through the branches.
This is great.
I'm free.
I can do whatever I want.
I can go wherever I want.
I can—
And then, in the middle of his euphoria, he noticed something.
A sound.
Soft. Rhythmic.
Breathing.
Mike froze.
Slowly—very slowly—he turned his head to the side.
And there, lying on the ground just a few meters away from him, was the heroine.
White hair messy. Silver armor covered in dust and leaves.
And her golden sword lying beside her.
Unconscious.
…
Oh… shit.
No, no, no, no, no.
Mike shot upright, staring at her with wide eyes.
WHAT THE FUCK IS SHE DOING HERE?
HOW DID SHE GET HERE?
WHY IS SHE HERE?
The euphoria vanished instantly, replaced by cold, crushing panic.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I celebrated too soon.
Mike grabbed his head, feeling frustration crash back in full force.
Of course.
Of course it couldn't be that easy.
Of course I had to bring her with me.
He looked at the heroine again. She was still unconscious, breathing softly.
What do I do?
Do I leave her here and run?
Tie her to a tree?
Pretend I didn't see her and get the hell out?
But before he could decide, the girl began to move.
A soft groan escaped her lips.
Her fingers twitched slightly.
And her eyelids began to tremble.
Oh, shit.
She's waking up.
Mike jumped to his feet, instinctively stepping back.
Shit, shit, shit.
What do I do?
Run?
Hide?
Pretend I'm a tree?
But it was already too late.
The heroine's eyes slowly opened, revealing that intense, determined blue.
And the first thing she saw was Mike, standing in front of her with a look of absolute panic on his face.
Their gazes met.
And for a moment, neither of them moved.
They simply stared at each other in silence, processing the situation.
And then, Mike had only one thought:
I'm fucked.