A part of me has always wondered: how did we get to this point?
Arcadia… once it was a prosperous and vibrant land. Now it was nothing but a desert of blood, death, and flames.
Of course, I knew exactly what had caused all this. My question was just bitter irony. And yet, I couldn't help but look around and feel a shred of compassion for what had been lost.
But the real question was another one: did it still matter?
No.
In a land where the people had been slaughtered or enslaved by those who brought chaos… there wasn't much left. Except for one thing, to make the invaders who led us to this suffer and scream in misery.
That had become the only spark of pleasure left in my existence.
"YOU!... FILTHY HUMAN… I PROMISE YOU WILL SUFFER… FOR ETERNITY!"
"Uuh, I'm so scared. And how do you think you'll manage that, Mister Lizard?"
I slowly closed the notebook. Beneath me lay a gigantic red dragon. Its wings were broken, scales torn apart, and its blood… that burning blood now forming a crimson lake around its body.
I could have killed it many times over. But where was the fun in that?
"MY BROTHERS… MY CLAN WILL AVENGE ME! THEY WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND—"
"Yes, yes. They'll hunt me to the ends of the world, torture me, and then offer my corpse as a meal to my family… not that I have any. How original."
I shook my head, disappointed.
"I have to say, you Draconians are incredibly boring. Clan this, honor that, blood, revenge… blah blah blah. No creativity at all. At least demons are more satisfying in that sense."
With a sigh, I stepped down from its body and grabbed the halberd. It was time to put an end to this farce.
"Last words?"
"I—"
"Just kidding. I don't care."
The tip of the halberd pierced the dragon's chest, right where its "heart" was, their most vulnerable spot.
"AHHHH! W-WAIT HUMAN! I CAN OFFER YOU A POSITION OF HONOR! IN MY CLAN I—GHAHH!"
Seeing a Draconian, a creature that thought itself noble and above everyone else, writhing on the ground like a worm, begging for mercy… was almost intoxicating. Too bad their voice, once transformed, was so annoying.
With a twist, I turned the halberd, tearing the wound even more. The Draconian collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Another bastard was gone. Not that it made much of a difference, considering how many were left… but still, it was satisfying.
"You really have a sadistic side."
"!"
I had no idea how someone managed to get so close without me noticing. Instinctively, I grabbed the halberd and spun around, swinging with all my strength.
CLANK!
The blade crashed against a sword. But the intruder didn't move an inch — instead, I felt the full recoil, to the point my arms felt like they were about to break.
"Interesting… You're at least a Grade 7. That would explain the rumors about the guy who hunts high-grade alien races."
Since he didn't seem intent on attacking, I looked at him more closely.
Hair and eyes as blue as a summer sky. A face that could make even the gods jealous. And that sword… unmistakable.
"You're the Hero?"
"A title I don't think I deserve. But yes, that's me."
Now, that was a surprise. I'd heard he kept fighting the champions of the alien races, but I never thought I'd meet him in person. Nor, honestly, did I want to.
Because he was one of the reasons the world had fallen into ruin.
"What's the Hero doing in a forsaken place like this? I thought you were still defending Solagar. Unless…"
"The capital has fallen."
Just as I expected.
It was clear now. The war was lost.
"Me and what's left of the resistance are marching towards Starlight Academy. This will be the final battle. I sensed a presence in this area and came to check. So, what do you say, will you come with us? Someone like you, able to take down an 8th Rank Draconian, could make a difference."
Never in my life did I think I'd get an invitation from him.
And to be honest… it wasn't even such a bad idea.
It was getting harder and harder to find those parasites. The few I did find were too high-ranked, and I could only face them by catching them off guard. But on a battlefield? There would be many more there. And of a lower rank.
"Lead the way, then."
"This way."
I followed the Hero in silence for a while, until we reached a camp with a few thousand people. But...
"This... is the resistance?"
I looked skeptically at what was supposed to be an army. It looked like a single gust of wind would blow it away. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a single soldier who wasn't wounded.
"Have mercy... they all survived the battle at the capital. It's already a miracle so many agreed to follow me."
"Follow you to die, then."
My words were sharp, but it was the truth. Those people, at best, would serve as a wall of flesh.
"Don't worry. These men and women would gladly give their lives if it meant taking down even one of the enemy."
I turned towards him, surprised by the apathetic tone in which he said it. The image I had of the Hero was that of an idealist with rainbows and unicorns in his head.
"You're different from how I imagined you."
He answered with a smile, but there was no light left in his eyes.
"I've simply lost and killed too much."
****
We traveled for a few days. Of the alien races, there was no sign. The only obstacles in our path were the occasional monsters, but with the Hero at our side, they couldn't even get close.
That's how we reached Starlight Academy. I had to admit, it was still as impressive as the first time I saw it. Even if damaged in many places, it still looked like an enormous fortress city.
In the days that followed, we prepared for the siege. In that strange calm, no one could stay relaxed. The tension was thick, everyone aware that everything could end at any moment.
After a week of waiting, the inevitable happened.
The assault had begun.
Every day we were under attack, without rest. Their waves seemed endless, and our ranks thinned more and more. I watched faces disappear, one by one, and every night, many wondered who would be left the next day.
When I stepped onto the field, every thought vanished. I left behind every feeling except the thirst for blood, slaughtering everything in my path. Fighting had become pure instinct.
I wished I could inflict more suffering, especially on the demons, but unfortunately I never really got the chance.
Yet, in my frenzy, I was not alone. By my side was him — the Hero. Only by watching him up close did I become certain: he was truly a monster, one worthy of having reached the rank of demigod.
As the days passed and the battles grew fiercer, I often found myself watching him, and during the short pauses between fights, we would sometimes exchange a few words.
At first, if someone had asked me if I hated the Hero, I would have said yes, without hesitation. But the more I got to know him, the more that answer lost its certainty.
Let's be clear, I still despised the choice he made in the past. But it was also true that he had already paid the price — maybe more than anyone else.
"One question: if you could choose one trait from the alien races, which one would you take?"
We were on the walls of the Academy, looking out over what was left of the battlefield. It was then that he asked me that question. And, for a moment, I found myself thinking about it.
"The angels, with their healing power that makes them almost immortal, are tempting… but against destructive magic that wouldn't help much.
The magic of the arcane elves is powerful, sure, but it needs a symbiotic bond with nature.
The strength of the giants is remarkable, but far too little versatile."
In the end, there was only one option left that seemed to offer more advantages than the others.
"I'd say the most sensible choice is the dragon heart. With it, I could use draconic words, boost strength and regeneration, and cast higher-level spells."
"You didn't say anything about the demons."
"They can go fuck themselves."
"Hah! I liked that one."
Seeing him laugh, I shook my head. I'd rather endure torture than gain even a single trait in common with those beings.
"Now I have a question... is it true you had a harem?"
It was a rumor I'd heard long ago, and it had always stuck in my mind.
"I've... never been good at saying no. Especially when feelings were involved."
I stared at him speechless as he scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
I almost felt like saying: "What are you, a teenage girl?"
But I held back.
"They say you had ten lovers."
"False. I was only married to five."
"Shame on you."
"…"
The Hero lowered his gaze, looking downcast. As strange as it was, he seemed to have a shred of decency.
"You know, Lyra... my wife, also my childhood friend, was pregnant when all this disaster began. One day, a demon appeared and stabbed her through.
I saw the whole scene as if time slowed down... but the result didn't change.
She died. She died with our child."
The Hero gripped the wall he was leaning on, shattering it.
"With the war that followed, I lost them all. One after another. Those monsters took away what I loved most, leaving a void that can never be filled. Only when I kill them do I feel a shred of peace."
"I know. I feel the same."
Maybe that was why we got along — we no longer had anything that gave us value.
He smiled at me, saying nothing. Only silence stayed with us. Yes, silence. After two months under siege, only the two of us were left. Everyone else was already dead.
Suddenly, we sensed several auras manifesting.
I felt like I was choking immediately. The Hero, instead, grew serious.
"They've finally decided to show themselves."
He was talking about the champions of the alien races. They were all there, gathered with a single goal — to eliminate him.
"Looks like they want to give you a grand welcome."
I managed to joke, while the Hero helped me withstand the pressure of their auras.
"So it seems. This will be my last battle. It's been nice knowing you... even though, to be honest, I don't even know your name."
"A bit late for that, don't you think?... Anyway, I'm Adel."
"Leon."
It felt strange to exchange names at that moment but it didn't matter, our end had come.
"So, Adel... will that magic work?"
"It should. I don't have much experience with magic circles, but when your heart stops beating... there'll be quite a bang."
"I like it. Well, see you in the next life, Adel."
I saw him grab his sword, ready to leap into the fray. But before that, I noticed something on the ground.
"Aren't you taking that with you?" I said, pointing at the necklace.
"I found it a while ago in a dungeon. I thought it would bring me luck... but look how it turned out."
He paused. "You know what? I'm giving it to you. My last gift for my last friend. Sounds good, doesn't it?"
With a laugh he threw himself into the battle, charging straight at his enemies.
I looked at the necklace, raising an eyebrow.
"Exactly... when did we become friends?"
Skeptical, but without thinking too much, I picked it up and put it on.
I gripped my halberd and stared at the army of those creatures advancing. I had to admit, it was hard to hold back a laugh. There were so many of them… so many I could kill.
I lunged forward.
The blade traced its first arc and the first blood stained the earth. An arcane elf fell, surprised by the brutality. A second was cut down before he could chant his spell. The giants tried to crush me with their maces, but I was already elsewhere, jumping through the shadows, striking with fury. The draconians roared, spitting fire, but I answered with searing steel, piercing their scales with lethal precision.
I moved with only one goal — to bring down as many as possible.
Angels, demons, giants, arcane elves, draconians, one after another fell under my strikes and the more I killed, the greater the feeling of ecstasy, so strong it felt like I could drown in it.
Yet, even the brightest star burns out.
My arms began to feel heavy. My wounds burned. My legs responded slowly. The broken halberd showed just how much I had given in this mad dance.
The enemy wave seemed endless and in the end, they surrounded me.
But I laughed.
"HAHAHAHAH!"
A circle of runes opened beneath me. The creatures around stopped. The elves fell silent. The giants stepped back. The angels vanished into the sky. Even the demons, for a moment, seemed afraid.
"Seems you went before me..." I whispered.
From deep within the academy, the mana stone began to pulse. My magic was complete. The Hero... was dead and his end had triggered the spell.
I watched them all try to flee, realizing what was coming, with a satisfied smile.
If I had one regret, it was that I couldn't kill them all with my own hands.
A flash, then only explosion. A roar that erased every sound. The ground split open. The walls disintegrated. The entire area seemed to be swallowed by light.
And me along with it.