The world was dying.
In this apocalyptic scene stood an unknown "existence."
He was tall, with a pair of massive black horns protruding from his head.
He was the First of the Four Calamities of the demon race, Orosius.
At his feet lay several lifeless corpses.
And before Orosius, one person still stood.
A young boy who could barely stand, the longsword in his hand nearly shattered.
He was this world's last hope.
“Evil... demon...” the boy rasped, blood frothing at his mouth. “Today... I will definitely slay you here!”
His voice echoed through the deathly silent world.
Orosius heard him.
He slowly turned his head. His dark gold vertical pupils landed on the boy; first in surprise, then he burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Slay me?”
Orosius laughed so hard he doubled over, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. “You, a mere ant?”
He stopped laughing, but his mouth remained curled in an exaggerated arc, his eyes full of contempt.
He shook his head, his voice heavy with disappointment.
“Does this world still lack an opponent who can entertain me? Not even one existence above Rank 9... Is the so-called Child of the World only at this level?”
He casually tossed the black longsword in his hand onto the ground, then suddenly grabbed his tattered shirt with both hands and ripped it open!
Rip!
The fabric turned into fragments and drifted away.
His upper body was bare, dark gold magic patterns flowing slowly across his skin.
He spread his arms wide, exposing his chest to the boy without any defense, a mocking and expectant smile on his face.
“Come then. Let me see if your final struggle has the merit to measure me!”
The boy was stunned, then snapped out of it. Without hesitation, he immediately gathered his remaining power into his longsword!
Blood-red tears streamed from the boy's eyes. Staring fixedly at the demon with open arms, he used every last ounce of his strength to swing his sword!
This strike was his everything—it was the world's everything.
The sword light slammed squarely into Orosius's undefended chest.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted. As the light faded, the scene became clear.
Orosius still stood in the same spot.
He lowered his head slightly, looking at his chest... completely unharmed.
“Heh...”
A sneer.
He raised his right hand and seized the boy's neck.
The light in the boy's eyes died out. The longsword in his hand completely dissolved into points of light, and his broken body was lifted into the air, with only a faint breath remaining.
“Is this it? That's not nearly enough!”
Orosius's voice was terrifyingly calm, a complete contrast to his previous wild laughter.
With a casual flick, he tossed the boy's broken body aside.
The boy seemed to want to grasp at something, but his body had completely lost all control.
Orosius stopped looking at him and raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at the earth beneath his feet.
A dark gold vortex manifested at his fingertip.
“A boring journey. You shall vanish along with your world.”
Just as the darkness at his fingertip was about to erupt, several distinctly different auras tore through this dying world without warning and descended.
Orosius's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and the terrifying energy gathered at his fingertip quietly dissipated. He turned slowly.
Three figures had appeared nearby at some point.
The leader was Veen, Second of the Four Calamities.
Standing slightly behind him was Luya, Third of the Four Calamities.
On Veen's other side, a petite figure leaned halfway against him.
She was a girl who looked even younger, with messy light purple hair cascading down. She had been forcibly summoned by Veen; she usually spent her time sleeping. Her name was Eve, and she was the Fourth of the Four Calamities.
On the ground, the dying boy seemed to sense the powerful auras, and a final spark of light burst from his glazed eyes.
Could they be powerful experts from other worlds here to stop this demon?
However, in the next second, Veen spoke, addressing Orosius.
“Are you not afraid that the gods will send down divine punishment if you play like this?”
The hope in the boy's eyes instantly vanished. They... were together.
Orosius sneered, his voice booming with total disdain for Veen's question. “Divine punishment? Veen, since when did you start caring about those self-righteous fellows?”
He pointed to the sky.
“The Demon King and I have already surpassed Rank 9—that is the God Realm. The only difference between us and those so-called true gods is nothing more than an empty title like godhood.”
“If they really dare to send down their so-called divine punishment...” A flash of battle intent flickered in Orosius's eyes. “I wouldn't mind playing for a while longer.”
Veen didn't seem surprised by his answer. He merely scanned the collapsing world, looked at the dying boy on the ground, and sighed.
Orosius ignored his sigh. His gaze swept over the three, lingering for a moment on Eve, who was practically hanging off Veen, and his brow furrowed again.
“So, what are you doing here?” Orosius's voice carried a hint of displeasure at being interrupted.
Only then did Veen get to the point. “There is something you need to know.”
“Speak.”
“The Demon King has fallen.”
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The disdain on Orosius's face vanished instantly. His pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at Veen. “The Demon King... has fallen?”
For the first time, disbelief entered his voice.
“How is that possible? How could that lord have fallen?”
Veen shook his head, a well-timed look of helplessness and confusion appearing on his face.
“Unclear. The cause is unknown, the process unknown. By the time we arrived, we could only confirm that the Demon King's life aura had completely dissipated. As for all his power and authority...”
He looked up at Orosius.
“...It has been completely inherited by his direct bloodline, Her Highness Lilith.”
“Lilith...” Orosius repeated the name in a low voice, his brow tightly knit.
Of course he knew the Demon King had a daughter, but in his impression, she was just a well-protected little princess who had nothing to do with the title of Demon King.
Orosius lowered his head, countless thoughts surging through his mind.
In that case...
He slowly raised his head. The confusion in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a thirst for power and a covetousness for authority.
A perfect opportunity had presented itself before him without warning.
Kill that little girl named Lilith, and seize the Demon King's power and throne.
At that time, he would no longer be the First of the Four Calamities, but the true Demon King!
The thought was like wildfire, instantly igniting all his ambition.
But he did not reveal it immediately; he only took a deep breath.
“I see.”
Orosius's voice returned to calm, carrying a faint, imperceptible hint of joy.
He looked at Veen. “You go back first. I'm going to visit a few more worlds to take care of some small matters.”
Veen looked at him. After a moment, he gave a slight nod. “Understood.”
He didn't say another word and turned around.
Luya yawned again and followed lazily. Eve was led away by Veen, who gently put an arm around her shoulder.
Space was torn open once more, and the three figures stepped into it and vanished.
Only Orosius remained, along with this world that was about to come to a complete end.
After a brief silence.
“Haha... Hahaha... Hahahaha!!!”
Orosius threw his head back, his laughter becoming even more unbridled.
He laughed for a long time before gradually stopping, but the excitement on his face hadn't faded in the slightest.
He looked down at the boy at his feet, whose eyes held nothing but utter despair.
“I almost forgot my business.”
He casually raised his right hand toward the entire sky and earth.
Energy began to spread, enveloping the entire world until finally, everything vanished.
Orosius stood in the void.
“Now then, where is the next playground?”
He grinned, his figure gradually fading until it too merged into the darkness and disappeared.
Rate on N.U.
