CHAPTER ONE: THE REAL EVIL (1)

The cold, frozen snowfall reached the tip of his nose. His forest-green eyes are focused on the flaming scene in front of him.

"Cold but warm" He talked to himself in silence.

The arrival of winter is signaled by the snowfall. People should stay in their homes with a blanket over their shoulders and a fireplace to keep warm. Unfortunately, the scenery was nowhere to be found. They are currently scurrying about like headless chickens. Even though the snow covers the land, it is still impossible to smell the upcoming winter. The flaming image of homes dominated his perspective.

The flying ashes, the downed trees, and the scorched road. It's hot. He is standing on the top of the clock tower, dressed nicely and holding a pocket watch. He silently prays. If God exists, he wishes to submerge the capital in a sea of fire.

"I am aware of it. Humans are the epitome of an ungrateful creature. Winter is here. We merely provide them with heat, right?" The suit-wearing man is being eyed by the blue-haired child, who has a cheeky grin on his face.

"Your Majesty..." He bowed his head slowly and smiled amusedly at the young boy by his side.

"Yes?" This time, the kid appeared perplexed.

He continues speaking while grinning invisibly. "I may be one of your blades, but I am still a human. Are you suggesting that I bite the hand that feeds me?"

"..."

"You know what? I despise you." The young man muttered while clicking his tongue. The tall guy stroked the boy's hair while casting a glance in the direction of the imperial palace.

"You don't have to worry about that. I have long destroyed that heart. After all, the only left is just a memory of a useless illegitimate child of a royal family. I'm such a fool. Truly foolish. I trust her yet she plunged her staff right into my chest. They betray me. I once believed if I returned victorious I would regain my mother's honor. Truly. How stupid."

"Capture him! Kill the traitor!" The voice of the Capital soldier can be heard. His eyes locked on the sight of the wretched woman who he once called beloved. Her eyes filled with fear and anguish. A little bit of sadness and despair as well. But for someone like him who understood the woman's filthy nature, a wicked smile can be seen in her eyes.

She is holding a magic staff in her hand. Humanity's Strongest Magician, Triane Velathor. The Eldest daughter of the Velathor Duchy, the crown princess. A woman who he once longed for. A beauty that makes his heart race. A traitor.

His mind stated. His heart no longer ached at the sight of the woman who was wearing the crown princess necklace. The woman who stabbed him and wished for his death.

"Liam! The demons used your body and control you, right? Snap out of it!" She looked like she wanted to cry. The man named Liam just smirked and looked towards another clock tower. He is waiting for something. A loud bang can be heard near the Capital gate. Triane and the other capital soldiers feel conflicted but they leave and move away from the sound source. The West, east, and south gate were breached by the demon army.

A swarm of demons rushes into the city. The boy who is standing next to him just laughs maniacally. He seems to be enjoying the madness that unfolds right in front of his eyes while the man just stares at the fleeting blond who is silently biting her thumb.

All of sudden, a sharp arrow stopped right on his face. The boy next to him stopped the arrow using a shield and suddenly smiled seeing the saint. Liam was stunned and looked toward the bell tower in the west.

A woman wearing a blue gown is looking at him with sad eyes. Rania. He knew deep inside her, that the child was crying and shouting at him. He knew that sight. The saints of Luminaire. One of the children he used to visit when he attended ceremonies in the Luminous Church. A true genuine sight of despair can be seen. The boy next to him just flings the arrow and throws it away.

"Your Majesty, remember. The reason for the attack today is not to kill the noble or royalty. It's for the chaos we need. But if some of them were killed, it should be fine."

"At first, we used to fight head-on and take down our enemy but now you rather let them have hope to live and focus towards the most population, not the power." The boy looked again toward the man next to him. The Ellora Empire didn't even know that they were wasting a great gem.

A finely competent general. He is not strong as a sword master, not a genius inventor, or talented with mana. He has something that not many people truly master, charisma. He managed to unite the demon's kin under his lead and force them to work together. For humans, it might be nothing special but for demons, hearing the word 'help each other' never exists.

Holding onto the man's hand, the boy teleported to the Northern area. The capital is under siege in all directions except the north. People believe it because it was the water area. Considering all the demons can only be found at sea, they believe it is safe.

A long bridge connecting the North capital with the forest of Clancy. It was like he had expected. Most citizens thought that water might stop the demons. They were completely wrong. The vast lake slowly decreasing. Some high-ranking magicians of the demon clan are connecting water to the demon land.

A blue-scale mermaid is swimming around in the dark next to a few blocks of ice. Cold resistance accessories are useful. One of them is waving her hand towards Liam. Liam laughed and patted the boy next to him again.

"You can go now, Your Majesty."

"Now you want to throw me away huh? For a scrawny-looking mermaid."

The boy clicked his tongue and left the man next to the rocky area across the bridge. Apparently, without any permission from the Royal family, the gate cannot be opened. Because Ellcra is next to Ruther kingdom, separated by the Clancy Forest. All the citizens packed onto the five hundred meters long bridge.

All nobles and aristocrats were hiding in the central Upper class. There are two layers of the area in the capital district. The Upper class consists of the royal family and nobility and the lower class consists of commoners and slaves. Most of the adventurer and knight stations are in the Upper-class area including the hero party.

He wants to greet them but he has a better thing to do. Triane was just coincidentally caught in the crossfire and tried to run to the Upper district. A rotten country is full of greed. How laughable, The Holy Sword user is hiding instead of fighting for the commoners. Liam took a deep breath and covered his eyes. People used to call him a hero.

The heroes are responsible for defeating the demon king. The fake gratitude that the Royal family granted him. He lived in a shadow thinking of getting acknowledged but he realized that he was just a pawn. He represents the royal family as a meat shield to protect the reputation of the Ellcra Empire.

Shaking his head slightly, he looks toward the blue mermaid. "Elen, is the preparation complete?"

"Yes sir! The Leviathan, sirens, and Kraken are all prepared! We're waiting for your words, sir!" Elen salutes the neat-looking man and replies excitedly.

Liam chuckled lightly and nodded. "Alright. Blow up the bridge."

A loud bang shook the entire bridge. People screaming and shouting. The Imperial Guard tried to open the door but failed. Long tentacles reach out to the citizens. The mermaids screeched and swam side by side with the sirens drowning the people. It's winter, and the frozen lake is no longer frozen. A Pile of corpses filled his sight.

Liam holds his chest. It's hurt as it beats fast. Is it guilt? No. Liam knows what it feels like. Satisfaction. He feels that he is not as useless as all those people have ever expected. Knowing the fact that all of those upper class cowering in the palace, they abandoned their citizen instead.

Heroes are flocking to protect the royal family. The Upper Region of the central Capital is untouchable. Liam was aware of this. That is the reason why he targets the lower region instead. Despite having most of the lower class citizens, it was the most populous region.

The cute little demon king is flying around, burning houses, and humans leading the demon march. Liam used to see people mocking them yet polite to him. Now, he feels something else. The horrified sight of the woman who once betrayed him. The faces of people who once mocked him and his mother filed in despair. What a sight to behold.

Holding the pocket watch tightly, Liam looks towards the fallen snow and the burning land. The sound of a screaming woman, a crying child, and praying can be heard. He never expected that he would destroy the place he wished to protect.

"This is my revenge." Once again, he looks through his memory, the records that had been playing in his mind for the past three years. The beginning of this ill-fated relationship. How is the one who claimed as the humanity savior now a loyal servant of darkness?