Chapter 14: Leaving

Millions of years ago, the world of Exodia was a peaceful world, devoid of anything as terrible as war. Then, an anomaly appeared: the demon lord Kamikaze. He wasn't born from any demon, but from the seven gravest sins of mankind: lust, greed, gluttony, wrath, sloth, envy, and pride. His appearance reversed the very laws of the world. An alliance was formed from various races, including demons, to destroy him because Kamikaze treated them with extreme cruelty.

But the difficulty lay in the fact that not only was the demon lord powerful, but so were his children, created from the blood and fluids of the demon lord himself. The battle between the various races against the demon lord Kamikaze had raged for trillions of years, thousands of people from different races had perished, the gods representing the world's morality had fallen, and the world was plunged into the deepest darkness of despair.

But from that deep darkness, a light of hope emerged: the Holy Sword "Ecarlibur" had arrived!

Forged by the finest blacksmith, blessed by the goddess of the star lake, its light dispelled the deep darkness of despair and war that had lasted for trillions of years. Before the holy sword, all morality was meaningless! But one thing troubled its creators: who would wield it?

A discussion ensued, and the gods, along with various races, decided to choose a human: Arthur, an orphan boy adopted by fairies in a cradle. Arthur was different from other sentient beings in this world; he was brave, possessed boundless kindness, and, moreover, the holy sword Ecarlibur had chosen him when he drew it from the stone during the challenge of extracting it from the Star Lake Goddess's task.

Arthur stood on the battlefield, his hand gripping the hilt of Ecarlibur, the holy sword radiating a brilliant light, dispelling the darkness that had enveloped the world for trillions of years.

Before him, the Demon King Kamikaze sat on a throne made of the bones of countless fallen warriors. He neither smiled nor showed worry, only silently observed Arthur with eyes blazing with hellish fire.

"So you've arrived, Arthur."

Kamikaze's voice was low and resonant, like the wailing of millions of souls.

"You've kept me waiting too long."

Arthur didn't reply. He stepped forward, each step firm, the light from his holy sword dispelling the evil black mist that enveloped the ground.

Kamikaze narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm... a formidable sword. But do you think you can defeat me with just that?"

Suddenly, the surrounding darkness surged.

~BOOM!~ Seven colossal entities emerged from the night—the seven children of the Demon King, the embodiment of the seven gravest sins of mankind!

Asmodeus—Lust, a seductive demoness with eyes blazing red with malevolent intent.

Mammon—Greed, clad in dazzling golden armor, wielding a scepter adorned with glittering jewels.

Beelzebub - Glutton, a colossal creature with an insatiable appetite, his mouth constantly devouring.

Satan - Wrath, enveloped in blazing red flames, his eyes like two suns burning in eternal rage.

Belphegor - Sloth, a sleepyhead, holding a pillow, yet each step he takes causes the ground to crack.

Leviathan - Envy, a giant serpent coiled around Kamikaze's castle, his blue eyes flashing with hatred.

Lucifer - Pride, bearing jet-black angelic wings, looked at Arthur with a mocking smile.

"You may wield that sword, but you can never defeat all of us!"

Lucifer laughed loudly, raising his dark longsword.

Arthur took a deep breath. He knew this wasn't just an ordinary battle. This was a battle that would decide the fate of the world.

He raised the holy sword Ecarlibur high. A strong wind swept across the battlefield, carrying a dazzling light.

"I do not fight alone."

Arthur said, his eyes resolute.

"I fight for those who have fallen. For those who sacrificed themselves for this world!"

The sword glowed brightly.

After more than 60 days and nights, the battle was over, and victory belonged to Arthur. Arthur slowly walked across the desolate battlefield, where the light of Ecarlibur still flickered amidst the ruins. The corpses of the seven sins lay scattered around, lifeless. The whole world held its breath, awaiting the end of a battle that had lasted trillions of years.

Before him, the Demon King Kamikaze knelt on the ground, his body ravaged, deep wounds spreading across him. Black blood flowed from his mouth, his bloodshot eyes gleaming with defiance.

Arthur looked down at the one who had plunged the world into darkness, his voice low but resonant:

"You've lost..."

Kamikaze's lips curled slightly, a mocking smile playing on his lips despite his weakness.

"Lost...? Ha... Ha ha ha..."

He laughed, his voice weak, but there was no fear or regret in his smile.

"Yes, I've lost."

Arthur frowned, gripping the hilt of his sword.

"But listen, Arthur."

"The darkness I created will never disappear, Arthur. You can kill me, you can erase the seven deadly sins... but humanity will still commit them. Lust, greed, rage... all will give birth to a new Demon King. And when that day comes, who will stand against it?"

Arthur remained silent. He knew Kamikaze wasn't lying.

The world might be temporarily saved, but human nature wouldn't change. Sins, desires, would continue to fuel the darkness.

"And don't forget my other children, Arthur, have you forgotten that from birth they were copies of a god?"

Kamikaze laughed loudly.

"Of course I know, I even killed one of them."

Arthur raised his holy sword.

"And I will destroy them all."

Arthur swung the sword down and beheaded the Demon King.

The Demon King's head fell, ending the life of the most powerful Demon King who had ever existed.

<♤♤♤>

In the days following the death of Demon King Kamikaze, the world was filled with human joy and the fear of those who sided with the Demon King. Humans celebrated the victory of Hero Arthur, cities were illuminated with torches of glory, and songs praising the one who had liberated the world echoed everywhere. But in the shadows, those who had once served the Demon King were trying to survive from those who were hunting them.

The Demon Lord's army lost its supreme leader, and numerous strongholds quickly crumbled. The weak fled, hiding in the desolate wastelands. The greedy plundered treasures from Kamikaze's ruined palaces and escaped to distant lands. Those absolutely loyal to the Demon Lord chose suicide, their souls following their master to hell.

<♤♤♤>

"Hey, miss, miss!"

Sophie heard someone calling her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a red-haired young man with an eyepatch standing there, seemingly trying to wake her up.

"Oh, excuse me... who are you...?"

"Oh, I just happened to see you lying in the middle of the road like this, worried something might have happened to you, so I came over to check."

Sophie heard this and, after a moment of thought, suddenly screamed.

"Oh no!!! I overslept again!"

"The boiling water at my house is still on!"

She immediately ran off, but halfway there, she turned back and shouted loudly.

"Thank you so much for waking me up in time!!" Then she ran off again.

The man shouted back, "Oh, you're welcome!!!"

Sophie's figure gradually disappeared. The stranger just stood there, a single tear silently rolling down his cheek.

<♤♤♤>

Before the battle between Kamikaze and Arthur begins, let's move on to the conversation between Aurora and Akazuha.

"You said you could resurrect her?!"

"Yes."

"But... there's a catch... she'll forget who you are..."

"I understand..."

The very source of Sophie's existence has been destroyed. To restore it, there's only one way: reincarnation, something only the goddess of reincarnation or the creator god can do.

How they live, how far their lives will take, are all decided by these two gods.

But, this reincarnation will cause the person to lose all their memories, and they will no longer remember anything from their previous life.

"You won't be sad, will you...?"

"No, not at all."

"Your mother did everything for you. She lived in this hell with you for years. I just want to repay her kindness, I want her to have a better life... so, Aurora."

Akazuha gently took his half-sister's hands.

"Please... help me..."

Aurora heard those words. She had also been cared for by Sophie, because Lilith only saw her as a tool rather than a child she had given birth to. Gradually, Aurora came to see Sophie as her mother.

So she nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, I will definitely give Sophie a good life!"

<♤♤♤>

Akazuha wiped away his tears, a slight smile appearing on his face.

"It seems my decision to come here was the right one."

"It's been 30 years, hasn't it?"

"Mom, you were reincarnated into a poor peasant family. They took care of you, raised you, educated you, and you're living a better life than your old one, Mom."

He gazed at his mother's village for a moment, then turned and left, continuing his dream of exploring the world.

"Where should I go next...?"

He took out a map and examined it.

"Hmm, this place seems promising."

"The Kingdom of Impact, sounds cool."

End of Chapter 14