Chapter 645: The Coming Storm

—”The Day of Crimson Dusk.”

This was the name given to the day the battle in the Imperial Capital ended. What began as internal strife escalated into a world-altering event, marking this day as extraordinary.

On this day, Mara, the Imperial Consort for ten years, was defeated.

On this day, the legendary treasure of the Empire was awakened.

On this day, a decade-long, large-scale magic ritual unfolded, turning the sky black and the earth crimson.

Also on this day, the Imperial Capital was half-destroyed, and the Empire nearly fell. Though the culprit was vanquished, the event sent shockwaves throughout the Human Realm, the Divine Realm, and even the Demon Realm, prompting them to send envoys to investigate.

Undoubtedly, the events of this day would be recorded in history, becoming a pivotal moment in shaping the world’s future.

And gradually, the world learned another truth:

After a thousand years, a Hero had once again appeared.

…

Human Realm, Mitra Kingdom.

In the King’s bedchamber, Ancil, Lia, Aldia, and Charl were present.

Ancil, looking at a report on parchment, his expression changing constantly. Lia, Aldia, and Charl, having also received the news, had similarly complex expressions.

They exchanged glances before Ancil spoke.

“What are your thoughts on this matter?”

His question was met with silence. They seemed at a loss for words.

Only Lia chuckled wryly.

“That guy hid it well.” Her feelings were difficult to describe.

Even the usually stoic Aldia felt the same.

“…Is this information accurate, Your Majesty?” Aldia asked in a deep voice.

“Most likely,” Ancil replied with a wry smile.

“So,” Aldia murmured, “It wasn’t someone else who defeated me, but a true Hero.”

Charl couldn’t help but speak.

“Could there be a mistake?” She looked doubtful, “A Hero shouldn’t be able to appear in this world anymore.”

“Indeed,” Lia said calmly, “The Grand Ritual for summoning Heroes has been sealed. The Supreme God Omniis announced it herself a thousand years ago, and the Goddesses of the God Race also confirmed that the Grand Ritual is sealed in a forbidden zone at the border of the Divine Realm, and no one but Omniis can break the seal.”

For a Hero from another world to appear again was unbelievable.

Ancil understood their doubts.

However…

“I’ve contacted Lady Lazareth, the head of the Adventurer’s Guild who first met with Earl Buztout, and also Vivian of the Lazareth family, to confirm this.”

Ancil sighed.

“Although they didn’t give me a direct answer, probably not wanting to reveal his identity without his consent, they hinted and admitted that Earl Buztout’s previous identity was fabricated by them.”

Before this, Shien was an adventurer from Larmigion in Marquis Mulau’s territory, an orphan from the orphanage funded by Riley Lazareth. This was the identity Riley provided for him. Therefore, everyone thought Shien was a commoner from Larmigion, rising to prominence after the appearance of the Assassination Branch of the Old Demon Faction.

Now, since Riley had hinted that this identity was fake, it meant Shien’s identity wasn’t so simple.

Moreover, countless people witnessed the Holy Sword’s light during the battle in the Imperial Capital.

Therefore, Shien’s identity was confirmed.

“No matter how unreasonable, a Hero has indeed appeared. This is a fact.”

Ancil said, turning towards the entrance.

“You knew about this already, didn’t you, Lucy?”

Everyone looked towards the entrance.

There, the unparalleled princess quietly appeared.

“It seems you all know,” Lucy said impassively, a faint pressure emanating from her.

“Lucy?” Lia asked, surprised and uncertain.

Aldia and Charl gasped. The pressure from Lucy, although faint, was enough to make them feel threatened.

“Your Highness, you…” Aldia was surprised. As Lucy’s mentor, he didn’t know when she had become so powerful. Before, although Lucy was outstanding, she couldn’t exert such pressure without unleashing her Holy Sword or Unique Skill.

Now, she could.

This surprised Aldia and shocked Charl.

Ancil seemed to realize something, his expression changing. He also understood why Lucy was exerting such pressure.

“Don’t worry,” Ancil said helplessly, “Even if I know Earl Buztout is a Hero, I don’t intend to do anything.”

Yes. Ancil understood. Lucy came here for Shien’s sake, even exerting pressure on her father, sister, and mentor.

“He’s still my son-in-law, your fiancé, a noble of the Kingdom, the renowned Earl Buztout. This won’t change,” Ancil said seriously, “Rather, I’m overjoyed that a true Hero has become a member of our Hero’s Kingdom, marrying into our family of Hero descendants.”

This wasn’t just for Lucy or the Mitra Kingdom, but also for Shien.

“His identity has been exposed. He’ll definitely face many challenges,” Lucy said, looking at Ancil, “I don’t want this country to abandon him, or worse, turn against him.”

Lucy clearly stated her stance.

“But, Your Highness, the Demon Race…” Charl wanted to say something.

But Lucy interrupted her.

“I don’t care about other factions,” she said decisively, “I just want to tell you, I will stand by him. If the Kingdom fears the Demon Race, then stay out of it.”

Even if the Kingdom didn’t support Shien, Lucy would follow him without hesitation.

“Consider this a warning,” Lucy said bluntly, “I don’t want to be an enemy of my own country. Don’t force me.”

These words made Ancil and the others’ expressions change slightly.

After saying this, Lucy turned and left without hesitation. She had made her stance clear to her family and her country. This was ruthless, cold, even rebellious.

But this was Lucy’s choice.

Therefore, she left resolutely, unable to stay.

“Sigh…” Ancil sighed.

“What should we do, Father?” Lia asked after hesitating.

“What are your thoughts?” Ancil asked her back.

Lia’s stance was also firm.

“Like Lucy, I want to stand by him,” she said softly.

Although surprised by Shien’s true identity, Lia didn’t forget that he was her benefactor, the one who recognized her worth. She had sworn to support Shien and Lucy, and her resolve hadn’t changed.

“Good,” Ancil nodded, “In that case, let’s gamble on that lad.”

Ancil’s stance was also firm. He was human, a Hero descendant, the King of this Hero’s Kingdom, and a supporter of Heroes. His choice was obvious.

“Issue an order. From now on, closely monitor all movements of the Demon Race, especially the Demon Embassy. Report any activity, and intervene if anything unusual happens.” Ancil looked at Aldia, “You personally handle this, Aldia.”

“Yes,” Aldia nodded firmly.

…

Tegor Forest, Elven Homeland.

Sophie was speechless upon receiving the news.

“How could this be?”

“He… he’s actually a Hero?”

Leia and Nia were also shocked, unable to believe it.

The members of the Elven Corps were also present, equally stunned.

“A Hero…” Carol was speechless.

“Impossible…” Jenom had repeated these words countless times.

After a long silence, Sophie finally spoke.

“No wonder Goddess Nadue favored him so much…” She felt complicated emotions.

“Your Majesty…”

“What should we…?”

Leia and Nia were hesitant and unsure what to say.

Sophie looked at them, pondered for a moment, then said,

“Although this is surprising, Shien Buztout is a friend recognized by our Elven Race. If this friend is also the Hero admired by humanity for countless years, then we don’t need to hesitate.”

Sophie stood up.

“Issue an order.”

“Tell the children of the Elven Race to be prepared for battle.”

“Remember, closely monitor the Demon Race’s movements.”

Hearing Sophie’s order, everyone present lowered their heads and agreed.

…

Situations similar to those in the Mitra Kingdom and the Elven Homeland occurred in various countries of the Human Realm that day.

An indescribable tension filled the entire Human Realm.

A storm was brewing.

While the various nations of the Human Realm discussed and decided on their stance regarding the Hero, the Divine Realm and the Demon Realm also took action.

In the Divine Realm, the Three Goddesses gathered.

Lildas immediately confronted Anima and Nadue.

“So, you two already knew that fool was a Hero?”

Lildas was furious, almost in tears.

Anima and Nadue exchanged glances, then smiled wryly.

“Sorry, Lildas,” Anima apologized, “We were worried you’d overreact, so we wanted to keep it from you for a while.”

“Indeed,” Nadue added, “If you had known Shien was the Hero, you would have definitely done something, wouldn’t you?”

“What…?” Lildas said indignantly, “Am I really that unreasonable?”

This question was answered not with words, but with silent stares from Anima and Nadue.

Lildas was hurt.

“Come on… come on… I’m also very sensible, you know…!?”

Lildas sulked.

Anima and Nadue could only smile wryly and quickly comfort her.

“We know you’re responsible, Lildas, but this matter shouldn’t be known by too many people, and you’re not very good at hiding your feelings, so we took the liberty of investigating first,” Anima said gently.

“I’ve also been monitoring that Hero,” Nadue smiled faintly, “Thanks to that, I’ve learned quite a bit about him, so you don’t have to worry about us being unable to handle it.”

Hearing this, Lildas finally calmed down somewhat.

Then, the Goddess of Fate asked softly,

“Is he really the Hero?”

“Absolutely,” Anima and Nadue nodded, “We’ve confirmed it personally. His Holy Sword possesses great power, potentially even greater than Hero Mitra’s.”

Lildas was speechless again.

After a while, the Goddess of Fate said softly, “I can’t believe such a scoundrel appeared among the Heroes we hold in such high regard, our eternal partners.”

Lildas still couldn’t accept that Shien was the Hero.

Anima and Nadue chuckled.

However, in the next second, their expressions turned serious.

“The fact that he is the Hero is confirmed, there’s no doubt about it,” Anima said seriously, “The problem is, until now, we still haven’t figured out why a new Hero was summoned when the Grand Ritual is sealed.”

“Moreover, the Hero’s identity has been exposed. This is a serious problem,” Nadue said worriedly, “I’m afraid the Demon Race will overreact to this.”

This was a matter that needed to be resolved.

Otherwise, the peace that had lasted for a thousand years might be broken.

Anima and Nadue had been trying to prevent this from happening.

Now, with Shien’s identity exposed, they couldn’t help but worry.

Lildas immediately said without hesitation,

“Let’s bring him to the Divine Realm. With us guarding him, even the Demon Race won’t be able to harm him, right?”

This was a terrible idea.

“Lildas, although we must protect the Hero, we should also respect his wishes. Bringing him to the Divine Realm and guarding him against his will isn’t protection, it’s confinement,” Anima immediately refuted.

“I also disagree. Doing so might provoke the Demon Race, making them think we intend to use the Hero. At that time, the conflict will be irreconcilable,” Nadue also disagreed.

“But…”

Lildas still seemed anxious.

The Goddess of Fate was like this, easily messing things up due to her excessive sense of responsibility and mission. That’s why Anima and Nadue didn’t want her to know about this too early.

“Anyway, calm down, Lildas,” Anima patted Lildas’s shoulder and comforted her, “Don’t worry, it’s not like a thousand years ago. Many in the Demon Race don’t want to break the current peace. I believe they will consider this matter carefully.”

“Indeed,” Nadue agreed, “Moreover, that Hero has connections with several Demon Lords, especially with Airi, the Dragon Demon. Their relationship is even better than ours with the current Hero. I believe she won’t just stand by and watch him fight against the Demon Race.”

“Really?” Lildas was doubtful, “That cruel Dragon Demon would vouch for a human, a Hero who is their natural enemy?”

Lildas seemed unconvinced.

She had already forgotten.

“Did you forget how the Dragon Demon protected him at your blessed one and the Hero’s engagement banquet?”

Anima’s reminder made Lildas speechless.

At that time, Airi did protect Shien without hesitation, even against Lildas, who was stronger than her.

Not just Airi, but Sara also appeared at the engagement banquet and vouched for Shien.

This current Hero not only had a unique personality, but also had an unusually good relationship with the Demon Lords.

This, however, made Lildas worry about something else.

“Could the Demon Race be trying to win over the Hero?” Lildas couldn’t help but ask, “Since we can’t find the reason for the Hero summoning in the Divine Realm, could there be a problem in the Demon Realm?”

These words made Anima and Nadue frown.

They had also considered this possibility.

Although the Hero summoning had always been a Grand Ritual of the God Race, perhaps those who understood it best weren’t the God Race themselves, but their opponents.

Heroes were the natural enemies of the Demon Race, and since ancient times, the Demon Race had also researched them.

If their research continued until now, was it possible that they had developed an alternative method to summon Heroes?

Was this current Hero summoned by the Demon Race, not the God Race? Was this a possibility?

That’s why this Hero had such a good relationship with the Demon Lords, right? Could they suspect this?

The problem was…

“The Hero summoning is a Grand Ritual created by the Mother Goddess herself, considered the second greatest feat after the creation of the world. I don’t think the Demon Race can achieve such a feat,” Anima shook her head, denying this guess.

“The Demon Race is known for their power, but they are not as versatile as our God Race, so I don’t think they can do this,” Nadue also denied it.

Lildas thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Even I can’t do it, so the Demon Race definitely can’t either.”

As the closest to omnipotence, Lildas was qualified to say this.

“Alright, let’s not worry about the reason behind the Hero summoning for now,” Anima said, “The most urgent matter is to contact the Demon Race and tell them our stance.”

“Indeed,” Nadue agreed, “Sara, the Moon Demon, is intelligent. I’m curious about her attitude towards this matter.”

Sara’s attitude, in a sense, represented the overall attitude of the Demon Race.

Even if the Demon Race overreacted to the Hero’s appearance, Sara’s actions would determine their course of action.

If Sara considered the Hero a threat, and she also suspected that the God Race secretly restarted the Grand Ritual, then she might use this as an excuse to attack.

If she had other ideas, then what those ideas were was undoubtedly very important to the God Race.

“In that case, I’ll personally go to the Demon Realm,” Lildas immediately volunteered.

“Wait a moment,” Anima stopped Lildas.

“Don’t be impulsive. Let’s contact them first,” Nadue also said quickly.

If Lildas, the strongest of the God Race, one of the most powerful beings in the world, personally descended upon the Demon Realm, it might further arouse the Demon Race’s vigilance.

“I’ll go,” Nadue said, “Although I’m a little worried about Melika, I can enter the Demon Realm silently and contact Sara.”

This was the best method.

“Alright,” Anima agreed after some thought, “Then I’ll leave this to you, Nadue.”

“Don’t worry,” Nadue nodded.

However, at this moment, a goddess came.

“Lady Lildas, Lady Anima, Lady Nadue,” the goddess said hurriedly, “There’s a letter from the Demon Race.”

These words made the three goddesses react.

“A letter from the Demon Race?” Anima was surprised.

“Could it be from the Moon Demon?” Nadue realized.

“Let me see!” Lildas immediately snatched the letter, opened the envelope, took out the parchment, and read it.

Upon reading it, Lildas’s eyes widened.

“Wha… what…!?”

Lildas exclaimed.

“What’s wrong, Lildas?”

“What happened?”

Anima and Nadue’s hearts tightened.

They quickly approached and looked at the letter.

Upon seeing it, their expressions changed, becoming extremely strange.

“This Moon Demon…”

“She actually made such a decision…?”

Anima and Nadue’s mouths twitched.

Lildas looked dumbfounded.

The goddess who delivered the letter felt uneasy upon seeing this.

A strange atmosphere filled the air, lingering for a long time.