Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 175

One night, a sudden purple sun appeared in the sky.

It obliterated half of the resistance’s base hidden in a valley deep within the Verbeia mountain range. The fact that the princes survived this initial devastating attack could be seen as a small mercy amidst tragedy. But was it truly fortunate?

“Ugh.”

Bern was swept along the ground by the sudden explosion and the impact that followed.

When he finally regained his senses, the scene at the resistance’s headquarters was a nightmare.

“This... this is...!”

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A massive crater.

It gaped open at the center of the resistance base.

This was no volcano, yet a crater had formed. Torn bodies of fellow soldiers, ravaged by the powerful blast, lay scattered around Bern.

He thought he had grown stronger, capable of enduring the deaths of comrades and rising as a resolute leader. But seeing the bodies of his fallen allies so close left his mind blank.

Gritting his teeth, Bern looked up at the sky.

His eyes locked on the source of the purple sun that had appeared in the night sky.

A man with horns stood suspended in the air.

Bare-chested, displaying his muscular frame, he looked like one of the high-ranking warrior-type demons.

*Hummmm.*

The sacred barrier cast by the Holy Maiden kept the central continent largely protected from the miasma. Yet, even in this sanctuary, the miasma surrounding this figure was thick and tangible.

A force so profound and dark—it was clear that this was no ordinary demon.

“Looks like the rats were hiding here.”

He bared his teeth, smiling a bone-white grin.

Prince Bernhardt von Alpharion knew immediately.

This was an enemy far beyond what the current resistance could handle.

“Your Highness! Are you all right?!”

“Lord Duke!”

The aging head of the Roeide family rushed over, relieved to see Bern alive. But relief was short-lived.

“That demon...!”

“He’s the Eastern Legion Commander of the Demon King’s army... the one who brought down the Kingdom of Alpharion.”

The Duke clenched his jaw.

“Hurry, Your Highness! The resistance cannot face that being. I will hold him back until you escape!”

*Clang!*

Despite his age, the Duke was once near the level of a master swordsman. His determination to save Bern was evident in his resolute voice.

Bern’s eyes widened.

“Are you telling me to run again? To flee while our kingdom burns, leaving behind the dying people, only to hide once more?”

“Your Highness...!”

“I’m not the child I was back then. This isn’t just about Alpharion anymore. Even children younger than me are fighting for humanity.”

*Clang.*

Bern drew his sword.

Taught by an excellent master, he was capable of slaying demons. Bern was not only a prince of a fallen kingdom but a warrior fighting for humanity.

The Duke said no more. This invasion surely involved more than just the Legion Commander. No matter how dire the situation, there was no choice but to fight.

“Bern!”

“Leon! You’re alive!”

Prince Leon of Betarion joined him.

Leon was not as skilled in swordsmanship as Bern, who had received intensive training from Melissa. But as a member of the Betarion royal family closely associated with the Supreme Church, Leon had holy power at his disposal, even if not to the extent of a priest.

*Hum!*

Empowered by the holy energy Leon transferred to him, Bern gripped his sword firmly.

---

*Boom!*

The Duke of Roeide and the elite swordsmen of the resistance charged the Eastern Legion Commander.

Bern and Leon, meanwhile, fought to fend off the swarm of demons that poured in relentlessly, barely sparing a thought for the terrifying battle raging at the center of the crater.

*Screech!*

*Screech!*

“They’re endless!”

*Clang, clang, clang!*

The surviving resistance soldiers were scattered, fighting desperately, but the sheer number of demons overwhelmed the princes.

Even so, if it were just the demons and the Legion Commander, they could manage for a while. No matter how powerful, even a Legion Commander couldn’t unleash such devastating attacks repeatedly without pause. The knights, led by the Duke, were holding him at bay for now.

The princes clung to one hope.

“Master Melissa will come! We just need to hold out until then.”

But that hope was shattered by the arrival of new enemies.

*Boom!*

“Argh!”

“Aaah!”

A sudden surge of dark energy felled soldiers and knights by the dozen.

*Bang!*

*Screech!*

A colossal sword reduced a resistance soldier to nothing more than a smear on the ground. A strange, sweet-smelling miasma seeped into the minds of the soldiers. Some, their sanity eroded, turned their swords on their comrades. Inhuman screams echoed, as blood trickled from soldiers’ ears and they collapsed.

And then they saw them.

A winged female demon, an armored knight wielding a giant sword, and a translucent banshee.

“Demon Generals...!”

The direct subordinates of the Eastern Legion Commander.

The full force of the Eastern Demon King’s army had mobilized to annihilate the remaining resistance.

*Flash!*

In the middle of the crater where the battle raged, a bright light flashed.

*Boom!*

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The Duke of Roeide and the knights were flung aside, their bodies battered by the overwhelming power unleashed by the Legion Commander.

*Hum!*

A purple sun once again flared to life in the Commander’s hands.

The resistance could no longer withstand it.

Despair filled the princes’ faces.

---

*Flash!*

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Just as they thought all hope was lost, a blue flash struck the center of the crater. The purple sun above the Legion Commander split apart under the force.

“Master Melissa, you...! Gaaah!”

The furious roar of the Legion Commander echoed as a massive clash of power erupted in the center of the crater.

*Hummm, crackle!*

Blue and purple light surged, threatening to expand the crater even further.

“It’s Master Melissa...!”

“Master Melissa has arrived!”

The princes’ cries of relief spread hope among the surviving soldiers.

But Melissa was engaged with the Legion Commander. Though not all the knights, including the Duke, had fallen, they were no longer in fighting condition.

Could the princes and the remaining soldiers hold their ground against the Demon Generals until Melissa defeated or repelled the Legion Commander?

*Crash!*

“Ugh!”

“Bern...! Cough!”

Bern was sent flying by the dark knight’s blade, and Leon, who had been using his holy power to fend off the succubus queen and banshee, fell to his knees, coughing blood.

The princes could no longer fight. Melissa could take on the Legion Commander alone, but she was just one person.

As the last embers of humanity’s resistance seemed about to be extinguished above the fallen princes—

*Boom!*

A golden light shot down among the Demon Generals.

“...Rain...!”

From where he lay, Bern turned his head just enough to see the figure bathed in gold, surrounded by Demon Generals.

A small girl with silver hair flowing in the radiant light.

The Hero, Rain.

“Melissa said that as long as I was alive, there was hope. But it looks like I can’t just stand by.”

She looked at the princes and gave a small smile.

“You {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} want to be the kings of humanity?”

Then, she raised her sword toward the Demon Generals.

“Then stay alive.”

---

The princes, drained of all strength, could only watch as the small girl fought.

Golden light surged from the Holy Sword in her tiny hands, standing out starkly even among the miasma-clad beings.

At first, the Demon Generals were momentarily pushed back by the golden glow, but soon they threw themselves at her without regard for their own safety. They knew that if this small Hero lived, she would grow into a threat they could never contain.

The light from Rain’s sword began to fade.

“No...!”

Bern, blood covering his face, shouted desperately.

Rain’s breathing was ragged.

She was still just a child.

Despite the immense power she wielded, her small body could not sustain it for long. If only she had more time, if she were just a bit older, she would be invincible against the Demon Generals. But not now.

Rain was pushing herself beyond her limits to save them.

The protective barrier around her weakened, and wounds appeared on her small frame.

“Kill her now, or—!”

*Slash!*

The succubus queen’s sharp claws lunged at Rain, ready to tear through her.

At that moment—

*Flash!*

Golden light burst from Rain’s body.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

The golden storm shredded the bodies of the Demon Generals.

---

The rest of the memory recorded by Bern, the author of this account, was a blur.

A gray world where he cradled her blood-soaked body, screaming as if he’d lost his mind. Leon, crying uncontrollably, poured holy energy over Rain’s abdomen, blood gushing out with every pulse. Melissa, eyes red with fury, appeared and snatched Rain’s body, shaking the priests as she shouted.

And amidst it all, Rain, smiling weakly in Melissa’s arms, despite seeming on the brink of death.

Chris watched it all unfold, stunned.