Chapter 1 – The First Past of the World's Hero

As he walked along the ruined village, he looked around him. The trees were wrinkled, dried up which now only a shadow of its greeny and tranquilizing past. The grass also suffered the same fate, but some managed to survive in the war-torn land thanks to its great adaptability.

Because he was in a hurry, he was stumbled down by a skull. A small groan and curses sipped out from his mouth, but there was no any pain carved in his expression. He stood up quickly and dashed to the east before turning to the north, but not before his eyes caught something.

It is a locked chest quite hidden in the grass. It was a quite popular way to save potions or weaponries in these war days. Although he needed to go quickly, hisd instinct told him to open the chest for items useful for the upcoming battle. And so he did, breaking the lock with his blade and kicked it open.

Puff! Three Imps appeared one by one surrounding him, each equipped with a blade that glints under the moonlight. Ambush! The man sighed, as his instinct betrayed him, and put his blade tip at the grassy ground with both hands gripped the hilt.

The Imps quickly charged onwards, with intention to cut every limbs of the enemy. But when they entered the man's attack range, a thick pressure could be felt. Aura. The man put quite sizable aura driven from his spirits of battle which caused the blade to glow with orange light. And, soon after that the blade was swung yet no blade could be seen. Gale. It was a word best describing the phenomenon shown to them which surrounded the man with impregnable gale.

Blood. Hands. Flesh. Their eyes caught those item when the gale hits them. Their blade was shredded, and for their bodies, it was minced meat. Their blood sipped into the earth and their corpses was left to decompose. Both will become nutrient of the plants.

The man felt empty. He took several breath and set off slowly. He walked toward the north quite lethargicly. But slowly but surely, he quickly took pace. His steps grew faster. His empty heart started to refill with burning spirit. And then he heard a sound.

"Argh, you dirty monsters! Get away!"

The man quickly stopped and tried to hear the sound clearly. He then let out an exclamation.

"Huh?" "This voice sounds familiar…" "Is that Parker? Thank goodness, he's free!"

He dashed through the northward curved road and spotted a house under siege. Two Imps and two creatures best described as giant spiders could be spotted sieging the house. The spiders acted as rams, ramming the front door while the Imps attacking the closed windows.

"Oh no, the door is about to break open! I'd better do something!"

He quickly inserted aura and dashed forward with his glowing with yellow blade. As soon as the enemy caught to his blade range, he attacked with a powerful diagonal blow that quickly slashed the poor Imp down.

The rest of the squad quickly turned around and attacked the new threat. The man inserted his aura again. His bade roars with yellow light. And this time he made a downward heavy blow to the front spider, cutting it into two. After that, he charged again with his yellow aura still glowing and slashed. The spider was cut, but the Imp tried to block. Its sword broke and with a backward slash, it was cut down.

Sweat formed from his body. He stabbed his word to the bloody ground and took several deep blood-stenched breath.

Perhaps thinking the enemy has left, the door creaked a little and an eye could be seen within the gap. The gaze caught a single familiar figure resting with both hands on a large blade which stuck to the ground. The door quickly slammed open and a person in his 40s walked out. He wore a bandana and a leather clothes which emphasised functionality than style. He then spoke thankfully.

"Phew, thank you. If it weren't for you, I'd already be dead."

The man smiled a little. "Aw, don't mention it. By the way… Have you seen Irene?"

"Oh, your sister?"The man hesistated a while. "Yes, but… I saw the Imps drag her towards the Town Hall."

The man's face grew grim. "Damn, they've got Irene! Parker, I gotta run and save Irene. Take care of yourself, alright?"

The man named Parker quickly stopped him. "Wait! You look exhausted. You should replenish your stamina at the spring west from here."

The man nodded and went west at the road intersection. A small spring located at the end of the road. He knelt and drank the water from the spring and washed his face with it. He felt clear and refreshed internally and externally. He then waved at Parker before going north again. He passed two fang-like statue at both sides at the end of the northern road.

The Town Hall appeared in his eyes. It was just a little larger house then the rest, as the mayor loves ordinary and peaceful life. Sadly he couldn't enjoy it for long. He scanned the area. Imps and Dark Elves could be seen over there, with several town villagers as hostages. He sharpen his eyes and when he met a familiar face. "Irene!"

A girl voice responded to that call. "Lu…Lucio!"

But before a moving reunion can commence, a voice from a hideous creature with thorns in its shoulder, two big devilish wings and sharp claws grown grom its finger could be heard.

"What are you, you Human? You've lot of guts!"

"I've come to get my sister back!"

"Is that right? Keh heh heh, I admit that I'm impressed. Alright, you can have her back…!" it stopped a second. "Over our dead bodies! Keh heh heh!"

Then it and two Imps with it charged forward.

The man knew that the main threat is the Devil, and not the Imps. But the Imps would become a hindrance when he battled the Devil, so he retreated back a few steps and dodged all the charge by thrasing himself to the right.

He quickly stabilized himself and quickly made a powerful uppercut using his blade at the nearest Imp. It tried to block, but the blade strike was too strong and smashed it back with a huge cut at the leg and the shoulder sides. With the shock of the charge, it was paralyzed at the ground, only able to watch its blood flowing.

The Devil quickly exploit the gap in defence shown by the charge and attacked. It slashed diagonally and managed to shred the man's armor, small wound opened and blood slowly flowed out.

"What the heck! Its claw can shred my iron armour!" eclaim the man at his heart. "But my blade is not ordinary iron!"

He inputted aura into his blade and made a diagonal attack. Receiving a point-blank aura infused attack, the devil blocked it with its claw crossed yet still knocked back by its force and slumped to the ground. The second Imp who watched this quickly charged. Chest slash. Left diagonal slash. Left uppercut slash. All attack was blocked.

Obvipously snapped of its unability to inflict damage, it made a crazy fast paced suicidal style slashing. In short, wild slashing. The man retreated from its blade range, inserting aura and executed a downward heavy slash!

"Giant Strike!" yelled the man while executing the attack, giving a big cut from its right face to its right leg. Blood bursting out furiously and it fell to the ground.

The man quickly cated his gaze to locate the Devil which disappeared from the ground. Instinctly, he turned 180 degrees, reflexively blocked a diagonal slash with his blade.

He then kicked the Devil chest with his left leg so hard that even the Devil staggered back. Without further ado, he made a thrust aimed to its chest after reloading the aura. A sound of agony filled the air and with a ragged breath sound as its company.

"Hah, you're better than I thought!" a voice came from a dark elf. "But can you fight your sister too?" He then giggled wickedly.

He then casted a dark magic to Irene, which made her whole body trembled and hung her head down.

"Grr…" A weird sound leaked out and her head slowly rose.

"Irene?!" shout the man almost reflexively. "You scumbag, what did you do to my sister?"

"Heh heh, all Humans hide violence in their hearts. I just helped her let some of it out, that's all. Now I'll leave you to your little reunion. Mwa ha ha ha."

"Grrr!" A louder rage escaped irene's mouth.

She then moved toward the man. The man slowly backed off. His heart was in chaos. He put back his blade into its sheath. Irene kept moving forward. He kept moving backward. In the end of his eyes he spotted the dark elf muttered something while smirking. Irene suddenly dashed which caught the man off guard and launched a powerful uppercut into his chin knocking him backward.

"Ugh!" The man groaned. "Damn you! Bring… Bring her back!"

"Bring her back to normal, you say? From where? All you Humans are ugly inside. It's just that you don't know."

"Wh-what?!"

"Jealousy, deception, and hatred. All you Humans are filled with dark emotions and desires." He talked hatefully "Thanks to all your evil, our world has become a living hell! Or haven't you noticed?"

"But…" He took a deep breath. "My sister is innocent! She's never done anything wrong!"

"Hah, what makes her so different from any of the others?" He pointed to Irene. "Look, does she still look that innocent to you? She's also filled with darkness and evil just like the rest of you! Mwa ha ha!"

"You…!" He pointed to the dark elf full of rage. "I won't let you get away with this!"

He dashed toward, unsheathing his sword and going to attack the dark elf. Yet Irene chased with abnormal speed which able to match his speed as a trained warrior. The man look at her face which was full of rage.

"Irene…!?"

"Ha ha, you can thank me, Juder later for letting you die with your sister that you so adore!"

Irene kicked at his broken armor with all her strenght, causing the man to fall to the ground, coughing with blood flowing more from his wound.

"Ugh!"

His conciousness start to waver.

(Is… Is this the end?)

(I never even got to save anyone… I can't die yet…!)

(…) A sound could be heard

(W-who)

(…)

A girl lifted her wand high up to the sky and chanted magic. Mana weaving in the air. A light surrounded the man with such intensity that is blinding its surrounding people.

And so, a conciousness start to awake…