“Do you really think you’re not the hero of the prophecy?”
Charina asked, her voice steady.
“Who knows,” Dalen shrugged, genuinely uncertain.
He wasn’t lying. He knew nothing about the Well of Reversal or any of the other mystical elements of this world. He had simply spent some money in a game and found himself here.
There was a time when he thought he might be the hero of his own story. In his teenage years, full of dreams, and in his twenties, brimming with confidence, he had believed that.
But in the end, he was just one of many ordinary people. Even after being thrust into this world with a body that was anything but ordinary, his perspective hadn’t changed much.
If anything had shifted, it was his approach to life.
He no longer lived just because he was born; he chose to live deliberately, with purpose.
“Is there ever just one hero? Everyone is the hero of their own life, prophecy or not. Whether their story is a tragedy or a comedy is up to them.”
“Everyone as the hero… that’s an unusual interpretation.”
“I warned you it might not be helpful.”
“No, it was more than enough.”
With a rustle, Charina turned away, her ceremonial robes billowing in the wind as she headed toward the center of the spire.
Reaching a throne-like chair in the middle, she pulled a scepter from its armrest.
A deep hum resonated through the air, an invisible pressure spreading outward.
The air atop the spire froze instantly, and Dalen’s breath became a thick mist.
He looked up. Dark gray clouds were casting shadows over the vast city below.
“I’m sorry if I seemed doubtful,” Charina’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
Dalen turned to see her seated on the throne, gripping the scepter with both hands.
Runes glowed and danced across her shoulders, resonating with the energy of the spire as she prepared countless spells.
“It’s not just my life at stake in this battle. The lives of this land’s people are on the line too.”
”…”
“Unlike the ancient tyrants of other lands, I still find this position overwhelming. The power given to me is mine, but how can I claim the lives of children born from others as my own?”
Her smile was weary, contrasting sharply with the fierce power she was summoning.
“But your words gave me confidence. Despite my human frailty, I believe you’re someone I can entrust with the fate of my people…”
“Heh, you must have been really worried.”
Dalen chuckled softly, and Charina frowned slightly at his levity.
Her frown reminded him of the rebel leaders he had encountered—those who would sacrifice anything, even the souls of their people, for power.
To them, Charina might seem like a weak ruler.
As she began to weave her spells, Dalen stepped onto the edge of the spire.
“I’m just a mercenary hired by you. The fate of the people and their lives are burdens you, as their ruler, must bear.”
”…”
The height of the spire was dizzying. Dalen surveyed the city below.
Soldiers of the Ironblood Army marched in formation. Carts hurriedly transported supplies. Defensive lines were being constructed with barricades and traps at key intersections.
The elderly and children were being evacuated to central buildings. Young women shared final kisses with lovers heading to the walls.
Cheers of encouragement mingled with cries of farewell, echoing through the streets. The noise was a chaotic blend of hope and despair.
”…”
It was a scene that tugged at the heart, even from a distance.
As the ruler and protector of these people, the weight of this sight must be unimaginable.
It was impressive that she hadn’t shirked her responsibilities at such a young age.
Especially in a world where many had twisted their minds to ascend to power.
Dalen placed a hand on his waist, feeling the small cracks on his axe.
Standing on the windswept ledge, he found his balance and spoke.
“But don’t worry. I’m not the kind of mercenary who runs off with the money.”
And for the promised reward, taking down a dozen demons was no big deal.
With that, he launched himself from the ledge.
Thud—
His vision soared as the cold wind rushed past him.
Dalen took a deep breath and kicked off the air again. The wall of wind shattered under his resistance, and the scenery blurred around him.
Whoosh!
The biting chill on his face evaporated as his dragon blood boiled within him.
With eyes glowing with magical energy, he gazed beyond the city walls to the frozen wasteland.
Rumble…
The northern lands were shrouded in an alien storm cloud.
Instead of rain or snow, it scattered fire and ash—a manifestation of the demon god Suum’s power, protecting the demon and monster hordes.
[Oh, it seems Suum is serious this time. The forces are even stronger than a few days ago.]
His spear murmured, observing the same scene. Beneath the clouds, an endless army advanced.
Tens of thousands of twisted monsters and even more corrupted barbarians.
The number of barbarians easily exceeded a hundred thousand. It was as if nine-tenths of the northern tribes had been conscripted.
Some might have willingly sacrificed their lives, but most were likely captured and offered as living sacrifices.
It was a tragic reality, but there was no time for tears. Now, they were just corrupted soldiers with horns and spikes.
Thud—
Gaining more altitude, Dalen spotted the demons leading the elite forces at the rear of the army.
Over fifty demons. Since awakening in this world, he had never seen so many gathered in one place.
Two were archdemons, the rest mid-level or lower.
As soon as he laid eyes on them, a flood of notifications filled his mind.
[You have discovered the corpse of a priest impaled on a demon’s spear.]
[You have discovered the corpse of a bound necromancer.]
[You have discovered the corpse of a wizard who couldn’t withstand torture.]
[You have discovered the corpse of an artisan who rebuilt a crumbling wall…]
[You have discovered the corpse of a mage summoned by the Sky Fortress…]
[…]
Over a dozen corpses.
Fates sealed as demon fodder.
Dalen dismissed the scenes flashing through his mind and drew his axe.
The axe from the Golden Palace had seen many battles, and cracks marred its surface.
It couldn’t be helped. Even relic weapons weren’t indestructible.
”…!!”
A low-level demon leading the vanguard of barbarians and monsters spotted him.
A four-meter-tall giant with a single, watermelon-sized eye in its chest.
Its massive eye widened in disbelief, and a yellowish energy began to form before it. It was chanting a spell.
“What are you staring at, you bastard?”
Dalen grinned fiercely.
Whoosh—
His axe vanished into thin air, slicing through the void with ease.
It reappeared right in front of the demon’s eye.
The axe materialized literally in front of its face, exploding in a burst of golden light before the demon could react.
Screeeech…!!!
Even from a distance, the demon’s scream was audible. The yellow energy it had been gathering scattered like refracted light, obliterating dozens of its own monsters.
Dalen advanced further. He clenched his hand, shrouded in a gray aura.
「Return to the Underworld: Ignite」
Fwoosh!
The demon’s body, struck by the axe, erupted in crimson flames.
It was one of the fruits of his mastery over the sword’s power.
Combining the skills of Return to the Underworld and Ignite, he had harnessed the latent potential of the legendary sword from Lerredonara.
Though he hadn’t yet reached the sixth rank, where one could directly manipulate mystical forces as their own…
The ability to use them indirectly was proof that he was at least one step closer to that level.
Amidst the divine flames, the demon’s screams faded into silence.
With the vanguard demon defeated, the army halted. An archdemon at the rear sensed something amiss and turned its gaze toward him.
”…”
The massive armored figure glared silently. Dalen smirked defiantly.
After a brief exchange of glances, the armored figure raised its hand and shouted.
───!!!
Red lightning crackled through the storm clouds, and the halted army resumed its charge toward the city.
[You have discovered the corpse of a grand mage summoned by the Sky Fortress.]
Dalen noted the message hovering above the armored figure’s head and dropped toward the city walls.
The siege weapons atop the walls were just finishing their preparations.
The battle had begun.
Every siege begins the same way.
A sharp cry pierces the tense air.
“Fire!!”
Boom―!
At the command of the commander, dozens of cannons roared like thunder. The cannonballs arced high into the sky.
Enhanced by Bjorn and imbued with the dwarves’ rune magic, the projectiles soared kilometers, striking the enemy vanguard with precision.
Thud, thud, thud…
The rune-etched stones bounced and rolled across the ground, crushing the corrupted barbarians into mere chunks of flesh.
Lines of stubborn, bloody trails crisscrossed the battlefield. Before the hot blood could even cool, the cannons on the second wall unleashed their fury.
“Second line, fire―!”
Boom!!
As the cannons on the first wall reloaded, the second and third walls unleashed their barrage.
Then, the first wall thundered again. The iron-blooded soldiers stationed at the front were skilled enough to reload in the briefest of moments.
Thud! Boom! Rumble…
Even the distant walls felt the tremors.
A middle-aged man, waiting with his bowstring drawn, let out a boisterous laugh.
“Ha! So much for the devil’s minions. Reduced to nothing by blind stones!”
“Don’t jinx it, man!”
“What’s there to jinx when fighting demons? Look at the paladin over there! Forget those superstitions!”
The man clapped his comrade on the shoulder and glanced over. Lucia met his eyes briefly and nodded.
The man, emboldened by her acknowledgment, began to chatter excitedly. The scars on both men suggested they were seasoned mercenaries.
”…”
Lucia took a deep breath, watching the mist of blood rise among the enemy ranks.
Today was the harshest day of the week, with biting winds. Yet, the wall was strangely warm.
The battle hadn’t even begun in earnest, but the heat of the battlefield was already warming the stone.
Someone approached her then. He spoke.
“When do we deploy?”
A voice still in the throes of adolescence. It was Parn.
Once an unregistered mercenary guarding caravans, the boy had become a squire in the paladin order.
Not publicly known, but he was personally mentored by the order’s leader.
Lucia looked at the boy’s single eye for a moment. She spoke.
“Nervous?”
”…No. I just want to cut down those demons as soon as possible…”
“I’m nervous.”
The boy fell silent. Lucia slowly raised her hand and gently tousled his hair.
Children grew quickly. The boy, once barely reaching her chest, was now nearly eye level with her.
But mental growth didn’t match physical growth. His inability to acknowledge fear was proof he was still a child.
‘I am afraid too.’
A deep, resonant voice echoed in her mind.
A man who feared death and being forgotten, worried he couldn’t bear the weight of the world.
Yet he vowed not to take the easy path. He said he hated the idea of kneeling in defeat more than failing.
”…Strange man.”
His words, spoken so nonchalantly, left a vivid impression on her heart.
He had said he couldn’t lose twice.
Lucia resolved that she, too, would not lose twice.
“It’s okay to be scared, Parn. A paladin isn’t a madman who knows no fear.”
”…”
“In a situation where everyone retreats in fear, a paladin is someone who, despite their own fear, relies on the divine and charges into battle. Remember, without fear, there is no courage.”
Parn nodded slightly, turning his head. She could feel him biting his lip.
Lucia turned her gaze back to the battlefield. Despite the relentless cannon fire, the enemy continued to advance.
Hundreds had already fallen, yet it made no difference. The number of corrupted barbarians was overwhelming.
Clad in ragged leather and metal plates, their muscular bodies filled the gaps with shells and spikes protruding from their skin.
Dalen must be watching this scene from somewhere on the wall.
With his senses, he might already see the demons surrounded by countless monsters beyond the barbarian horde…
”…Parn. Behind me.”
A fleeting sense of warning.
Lucia’s eyes flashed as she quickly raised her head.
Streams of divine power flowed out, the holy tattoos on her armor glowing fiercely.
“Knights! Defensive positions!”
Her shout echoed across the wall, and as it ended, the dark clouds in the distant sky began to writhe.
A portion of the red-glowing clouds surged forward.
That was the only warning.
───────!!
In the next moment, hundreds of red lightning bolts bombarded the walls.