Chapter 1: 1. The 10th Life - No Intention to Save the World (1)

“Huh.”

The man, leaning on his sword embedded in the ground, surveyed his surroundings.

It was autumn, the most bountiful season of the year.

But the earth, which should have been golden, was dyed a dark red, and instead of the crops that should have been harvested, there were countless bodies.

“Don’t you find this tiring?”

In the heart of the hellish landscape, the man pulled out his sword and looked at a specific spot.

“You just keep attacking on schedule. I’ve never seen such diligent and hardworking bastards like you.”

The being standing opposite him, grinding his teeth, found it absurd.

“Don’t you feel anything seeing this?”

It was a confrontation that would determine the fate of the continent.

For his survival, for his country, or to protect those he cherished.

Some were forcibly dragged into it, while others joined voluntarily.

And they all died.

In the future, this would also become history.

Only a few would have their names recorded.

Most would be remembered simply as countless soldiers, knights, and mages.

But one thing was certain.

“Are you still called the hero chosen by the goddess after all this?”

The two figures standing on the blood-soaked earth.

The names of the hero Delden Del Blade and the Great Demon King Aphelios would be recorded in the first line of history.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“...”

In the midst of a decisive battle for humanity, a significant turning point in history.

The hero, with dead eyes, nodded as he looked at the Great Demon King Aphelios.

‘What is this?’

For Aphelios, it was incomprehensible.

Those who had lost everything in a brutal war often had such eyes.

But who was his opponent?

The strongest sword, created by the goddess of light, the highest deity of humanity, known as the goddess of creation.

Always the wall that stood in front of the demon king.

A shield that protected humanity, even at the cost of his own life.

But to him, an infinitely sharp sword.

‘And he’s the hero.’

The Delden Del Blade standing before him was undoubtedly strong.

So strong that even with all the power of the demons gathered at the altar of the demon god, they could not defeat him.

‘Until recently, he was the ideal hero.’

Even before the divine revelation, he had been preparing to fight the demons by nurturing talent.

After receiving the revelation, he unified humanity around himself and even brought together the various races that had been at odds.

Thus, he could proudly claim to be the strongest army of demons in history.

He did not waver against the overwhelming forces of the demons, and with the treasures gathered from all over the continent, he equipped his army, making the demon army itself feel threatened.

We can win. We can live to see tomorrow.

The demon king vividly remembered the hero leading the charge at the front lines, shouting these words.

‘But why?’

The shining hero suddenly disappeared one day.

And what remained was a human radiating an aura of “what if the world collapses a bit?”

For Aphelios, who had always feared his only rival, it was absurd.

“Hero, have you been betrayed by humanity?”

That’s why, even in the midst of the final battle, Aphelios asked.

Of course, he thought it was a joke.

“Sort of.”

“...”

It was a nonchalant answer.

But the anger contained within was palpable.

‘Has humanity gone mad?’

The hero could be a terrifying presence to ordinary humans.

Even the strongest demon king, Aphelios, feared the existence of the hero.

But it’s normal to discard the hunting dog after the hunt.

To stab the hero in the back when humanity’s fate hangs by a thread!

“Hero.”

But it’s not bad.

No, it’s an opportunity.

The demon king, looking at the hero who did not hide his killing intent, thought so.

“Is there any need to protect humanity, who has betrayed you?”

In terms of sheer power, the demon king was stronger than the hero.

The strongest demon king in history.

To break all the shackles, he absorbed all the demonic energy at the altar of the demon god, a power so great that it was said to be close to the demon god himself.

And it was true.

He did everything he could because he judged that he could not defeat humanity otherwise.

“Come to me.”

But even with that immense power, he could not defeat the hero.

And he realized it.

No matter how strong he was, he could not guarantee his life in a fight with the hero.

Winning and living are entirely different things, and Aphelios knew this all too well.

‘If I die, then even winning is not winning!’

Aphelios wanted to live.

What was the point of ignoring the priests of the demon god and the existing powers in the demon world, and risking his life to take the altar of the demon god?

It was because he feared the hero.

Because he knew that the hero had always burned his life to defeat the demon king!

“You also know. Humanity has betrayed you. There’s no reason for you to risk your life for them just because they are of the same race.”

History kept repeating itself.

When a powerful leader, a demon king, was born among the demons, they moved to conquer humanity according to the will of the demon god.

Humanity was always in peril, but with the hero as a focal point, they fought back.

And the final battle.

The hero and the demon king perished together.

No matter how strong the demon king was, no matter how powerful the demon army, the history never changed.

“We don’t want the annihilation of humanity. Only the rulers will change; not much else will.”

The structure of hero and demon king had been repeated many times in history.

That’s why Aphelios wanted to break this cycle.

But absurdly, the strongest demon king in history faced the strongest hero in history.

History did not change and repeated itself.

That’s why Aphelios could not miss this opportunity.

So, with a very earnest voice, yet very confidently, he shouted.

“If you want, I’ll give you half of this world!”

Half of the world.

In reality, it was a loss for the demons.

After all, half of the world was already inhabited by humans, and the other half by demons.

In the end, it meant giving back half of the world to humans after winning the battle.

“...”

“Hey, if you want to negotiate, I can give a bit more...”

Aphelios even showed his willingness to give up what he originally had.

But.

“Hey.”

The hero, Delden Del Blade, rejected the demon king’s temptation.

No matter how much he had been betrayed, he was still a hero.

His sacred resolve to protect humanity was not swayed by the demon king’s sweet temptation...!

“I’ve been getting a lot of anger lately.”

There was no noble resolve.

“Eh...?”

“So, shut up and attack.”

He just needed a place to vent the anger burning deep in his heart.

“No, that’s a bit...”

Aphelios was taken aback.

What kind of nonsense is this?

For the will of the goddess, or to save the world.

At the very least, to avenge his parents or the fallen comrades, he could understand.

But to vent anger?

The final reason for the historical battle between humans and demons to be just venting anger!

“Didn’t you get betrayed by humanity, hero?”

But what made Aphelios the most angry was that the hero was venting his anger on him instead of humanity.

“Yeah, but I want to fulfill my duty as a hero one last time.”

It didn’t sound like he had a strong sense of duty.

On the contrary, the hero’s appearance exuded a sense of annoyance, and Aphelios couldn’t help but blurt out.

“Really?”

If he hated it so much, did he need to keep his duty as a hero?

It would be better for everyone if they just pretended not to know each other.

‘Damn humans.’

Aphelios couldn’t understand the human race.

Living for a fraction of the lifespan of demons, they dominated the continent.

Every time a war broke out, they seemed to be on the verge of collapse, yet they always managed to repel the demon attacks.

But what he couldn’t understand the most was the hero standing before him.

The one who always stood in the way of the demon king in the repeating history.

The monster who reached the demon king despite raiding the altar of the demon god to break the cycle.

“Huh.”

The hero sighed.

Then, the expression of extreme annoyance disappeared, and a cold, ruthless expression, like that of a butcher, appeared.

“Yeah, I thought I might not need to do it that way.”

It wasn’t just the expression that changed.

The surging mana and the thick killing intent within began to strangle Aphelios’s throat.

It was chilling.

Aphelios instinctively reached for his neck, feeling as if it had already been cut by the sword.

“Thinking about it, it’s all your fault.”

The hero, Delden Del Blade, thought.

Do I really need to save the world?

It had happened before.

Not because of faith in the goddess or a sense of duty as a hero.

Just because of the effort he had put in.

The time he had struggled to survive.

And the people who had believed in him and followed him.

So, Delden redirected his anger.

“Whenever you’re bored, you bring your army and cause chaos.”

The demons had invaded humanity five times.

“When you don’t have the strength, you send spies to cause trouble.”

The number of times black mages, who fell for the schemes of the demon god’s followers and the demons, caused trouble was three.

“And now, you’ve even stripped yourselves of everything.”

Delden also had a lot to say.

He didn’t want to die either, like Aphelios.

But what could he do?

Humans and demons, always thinking of starting a war whenever they had the strength.

“Thinking about it, the reason I got stabbed in the back is also your fault.”

So, the hero Delden Del Blade raised his sword.

Forcing himself to bring up his faith in the goddess and his sense of duty as a hero, which had already hit rock bottom.

Using his resentment and anger towards the new world as fuel.

“So, let’s finish this.”

“What a crazy...”

Aphelios cursed, his face showing how unjust he felt, but it didn’t matter to Delden.

Just one last time.

If the goddess had any conscience, she wouldn’t play such games anymore.

‘Just try it.’

He would be thoroughly twisted.

The hero poured everything he had into his sword.

“Die.”

“Damn hero!”

Thus, the final battle ended with the hero Delden Del Blade burning himself out and perishing with Aphelios.

The demons, having lost their focal point, Aphelios, eventually retreated, and the most intense war in the history of humans and demons came to an end.

And hundreds of years later.

“Ouch!”

The newborn baby thought.

‘What a bitch of a goddess.’

Delden Del Blade.

No, the hero of the 10th life, cursed the goddess and reappeared in the world.