chapter 2

3200 years later.

The once-invincible Demon Race ultimately met its defeat at the hands of a coalition of multiple races, known as the Multiracial United Empire.

The Demon lord was killed in battle, and her Four Heavenly Demon Kings were either captured or eliminated.

After this war, the Demon Race declined drastically and became a marginalized and persecuted race on the continent.

The three major powers that defeated the Demon Race subsequently became the new rulers of the continent. These powers were the Asumos Church, the Dragon Race, and the Fata (which later split into three towers).

As the supreme leader of the Dragon Race, the Sacred Dragon King, Membeli, naturally acquired an unparalleled status across the continent.

Beyond his lofty position, Membeli's strength was unfathomable. He single-handedly repelled the attack of hundreds of thousands of demon troops and severely wounded three of the Four Heavenly Demon Kings. In doing so, he laid the foundation for the coalition's victory.

To the people of the continent at that time, only two beings could possibly rival Dragon King Membeli: Anze, the strongest Apostle of Heaven from Asumos Church, and Heretia, the Supreme leader of Fata—both peak level 8 Divine Being.

Indeed, countless individuals who attempted to challenge the Dragon King eventually failed. Under his immense power, they were subdued and ultimately swore allegiance to him.

Fortunately, despite his overwhelming strength, Membeli was nothing like the former Demon King, who had misused his power. Membeli was a noble and strong individual who never bullied the weak. He even used his power to maintain balance among the various major powers on the continent.

Punishing the wicked and maintaining peace, he became a guardian of order on the continent.

Membeli's numerous achievements and ever-rising reputation meant that he was revered by many. During the initial war, he had used his own body as a shield to block the Demon lord's forbidden curse, thereby saving a third of the continent's population. Consequently, he became a figure of faith for many, his status rivaling even the goddess of Asumos Church.

Countless legends about the Dragon King, as well as the now-active Eastern Holy Dragon Church, were born in this era.

Considering Membeli's formidable strength and the long lifespan of the Dragon Clan, people across the continent believed that he would be with them forever. He would always be the guardian of the continent, maintaining the world's peace and tranquility.

However, while everyone believed this to be the case, the news of the Dragon King's death eight hundred years ago struck like a bolt from the blue, leaving countless people dumbfounded.

As for how the Dragon King died? Well, there are lots of theories.

….

More than eight hundred years ago, Dragon King Membili reached the pinnacle of dragon existence. Not only did he have absolute influence within the Dragon Race, but he also had an extraordinary reputation across the continent. At one point, he was even revered as the Dragon God. Membili was riding high and full of vigor at this time.

At that moment, he had two main objectives left in his life.

One was to keep practicing, aiming to break through the peak of the eighth level and step into the realm of legend, becoming a being that had entered the realm of gods.

The other goal was to become the guardian of the continent.

Having witnessed too many tragedies, Membili wanted to preserve this hard-won peace. Given the past millennia of inter-racial conflicts and the great expansion of the demon race, the continent was riddled with scars. Recovery was the main task at hand.

Membili vowed to eliminate anyone who tried to disrupt this peaceful atmosphere.

"Whoever you are, if you try to disrupt the order, I will destroy you. If you dare to overreach, I will mercifully help you meet your end."

These were words Membili had once spoken.

Arrogant, perhaps, but he had absolute confidence in his own strength.

And the source of his confidence was his overwhelming power, enough to crush all life!

In his view, there was no one left on Ancita continent who could challenge him. Evil threats to the peace of the continent had been eliminated. Even if some 'evil' tried to rise again, he, as a partner of justice and a guardian of the continent's order, could easily crush it.

This way of thinking persisted until that day...

…

…..

.....

On the Day of the Dragon Ancestor Festival, Anze, once a fellow warrior and now the Heavenly Apostle of the Church, arrived at King Membeli's royal chamber with urgent news. Upon hearing Anze's report, Membeli took a moment, silently thinking.

"Anze, are you saying that you've detected the Shadows energy in the Winter Forest? That legendary force belonging to the Demon Lord? Are you sure about this?"

At this, Anze, a middle-aged man wearing pure white knight's armor, looked earnestly at the dragon before him. "Do I have any reason to lie to you?"

"Fair point. So, what's the origin of this power?"

"We currently believe it's the result of an experiment conducted by the demons."

"An experiment?"

"Yes, the Demon King Enkibi performed it in Winter Forest before the great battle. It seems they were trying to tap into the power of Demon Lord through ancient incantations and ritual circles. They were likely aiming to summon a minion of Demon Lord to bless their race. After all, in their eyes, the legendary Demon Lord is a deity belonging to the demon race."

"Demon Lord? Isn't that being supposedly from another realm? These fools... Anyway, wasn't that experiment destroyed by Heretia's forbidden spell, which bombed the middle of the forest? The captured demon at that time even admitted their experiment had failed. So why would the power of the Shadows suddenly appear now?"

"The information comes from the Demon Capital, which is 108,000 miles away from Winter Forest. Given the unreliable state of the demon's information system at that time, their news may not be accurate."

"You're saying the experiment might have succeeded?"

"Yes, judging by the few traces of the Shadows energy we detected in the Forest, it seems likely. I suspect that the demons managed to summon something akin to a minion of Demon Lord. However, because of the forbidden spell, they couldn't control it and couldn't get it to appear on the battlefield during the great battle."

"A minion of Demon Lord, huh... Even in death, that Demon King is a headache. Truly a detestable creature."

Membeli narrowed his eyes, showing a look of disdain yet tinged with lethal seriousness. After all, the Demon Lord was a horrifying entity that had nearly destroyed the world in the past. And its minions, being creatures that harness the power of the Demon Lord, undoubtedly pose a threat to world peace.

In his view point, such beings must be eliminated immediately, lest the consequences become unthinkable.

With that thought, the Dragon King cast a meaningful glance toward the north.

"So you've come to me because this minion of the Demon Lord has appeared. You want me to accompany you to Winter Forest to deal with it, don't you?"

At this, Anze gave a slight nod, neither confirming nor denying outright.

"Yes, given the uncertainty about the strength of this minion of the Demon God, I think it's safer for us to go together."

"Us? You mean…"

"Mm? Are you saying Heretia will also come?"

"Yes, the three of us going together will be safer."

"All three of us? You're being overly cautious, Anze."