The Hero Becomes the Duke's Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 186

Facing a god directly.

If it had been someone else, they might have felt more awe or shivers.

‘This seat... It was indeed that old man who used the mana cultivation technique.’

However, Aden, who originally had no particular reverence for gods and had already met one twice before in dreams, didn’t feel much emotion.

"God uncle?"

Elise blinked when she saw him.

"Master!"

Fenrir, upon seeing the owner of the Sacred Fire, immediately rushed over and embraced the man made of flames.

Aden flinched for a moment, thinking, ‘Isn’t he going to get burned like that?’

-Fenrir, it seems you have fulfilled my request well. It must have been difficult, thank you.

“I was fine. It was a mission bestowed by you, Master. But... I missed you a lot.”

-Well done.

Fortunately, perhaps because the flames were not ordinary, the fiery man gently patted Fenrir’s head as she clung to him.

A reunion between a familiar who longed for its master and the master.

It was a truly affectionate and special scene.

However, coming to obtain a sacred relic only to suddenly meet a god was rather bewildering.

“Uncle! You’re really the god uncle, right!”

Elise called out cheerfully, happy to see a face she hadn’t seen since the Awakening Ceremony.

In response, the fiery man glanced back at Elise and frowned slightly.

-You are... Is that so? You must be the child who inherited my power.

“Huh? Uncle, don’t you remember me?”

-Hah, calling me ‘uncle’... If anyone had called this seat that back in the day, I would have burned them alive!

The fiery man clicked his tongue and chuckled bitterly.

It seemed that the fiery man, who was considered the master of the Sacred Fire, didn’t recognize Elise.

He spoke in a blunt tone.

-This seat is merely a remnant thought, a clone left behind by my true self before transcending. The one you met was likely my true self.

From the fiery man’s words, Aden realized one thing.

The being in front of him was not the actual master of the Sacred Fire revered in the Western Continent but merely a clone.

Aden took a step forward and spoke to the clone of the Sacred Fire’s master.

"Are you the master of the Sacred Fire?"

-Who are you...?

"Aden Remes. I’ve received the strange eye you left behind and... well, this larva as well."

Squirm!

Aden briefly revealed the Fire Eye and pulled out the Winter Hibernating Larva from his pocket.

Squirming in excitement at seeing its owner after a long time, the larva danced happily.

As the fiery man stared at Aden for a moment, glancing between Elise and Aden...

-Damn it.

He soon frowned deeply and slapped his forehead.

-The legacy and power have been split. It seems that it was indeed too much for a mere human to comprehend and utilize the full flow of the universe. But still, considering it wasn’t completely severed, you could say it was a success... of sorts.

The fiery man muttered something only he could understand.

He then glared at Aden with narrowed eyes and murmured.

-Hmm, at least you’re not talentless. Born with a Heavenly Martial Body, a Supreme Yin Body, and reaching the Fire Realm at such a young age... You barely pass the threshold. Not bad.

Heavenly Martial Body? Supreme Yin Body?

“...What are you talking about?”

-It’s nothing you need to know.

After finishing his grumbling, the fiery man looked at the two of them.

-Welcome to this place, descendants of this seat. I am the clone of the being you call the master of the Sacred Fire. What brings you to awaken this seat?

“So, what should we call you? A certain goddess called you ‘Blaze’.”

-...Hah, that crazy woman. Wait, did you say goddess, that lunatic?

“She’s called the God of Slaughter and Death.”

-Damn it.

The man rubbed his head as if just thinking about it gave him a headache.

His face showed both irritation and a hint of fondness.

So, the God of Slaughter’s nickname was ‘Crazy Woman’?

What an oddly fitting nickname.

-Just call me the Master of the Sacred Fire. That’s the title I’m most familiar with.

"Understood, Master of the Sacred Fire. For now, awakening you wasn’t our intention."

-Then?

“This girl, the saintess of the Sacred Fire Order, received a divine revelation from your true self to come to this temple and ignite the Sacred Fire. So, we simply followed the revelation.”

-A divine revelation... Is that so? It seems things have progressed as expected.

The Master of the Sacred Fire nodded in understanding, his thoughts aligning.

Just as Aden was beginning to feel a bit bored, he murmured.

-This seat left behind its legacies in preparation for the end of this world. And arranged it so that this seat would awaken when that end drew near. The essence of this seat is meant to be inherited by the descendants to resolve the ‘end.’

“The end? What do you mean by that?”

Aden had a rough idea of what it might be.

The appearance of the Hell Gate Tartarus and the descent of the Underlord.

The great catastrophe that would occur in about ten years.

But Aden had a feeling that this wasn’t all.

-Are you curious?

“For now, yes.”

-Then, see for yourself.

“...See what?”

-Heaven granted this seat the unrivaled power to shake the world, but not the eloquence to explain things like that black one or that stern one.

He knew who the stern one was, but who was the black one?

Just as Aden frowned, wondering what he meant.

Tap.

The Master of the Sacred Fire placed his finger on Aden’s forehead and spoke indifferently.

-So, I’ll just show you. Watch carefully.

In that instant, Aden’s consciousness sank into the depths of his mind.

Then, something like a vision began to appear.

***

Humans cannot live without rivers and lakes.

Thus, the people of that place settled in fertile lands where a great river flowed, and a vast lake existed.

They drank the water from the rivers and lakes as if it were mother’s milk, moistened the dry land to cultivate fields, and built boats to travel between water routes.

“Humans cannot live without rivers and lakes, so the land between them is where humanity resides.”

The world between the river and the lake, known as Jianghu.

That was the name humans in that world gave to their land.

However, the fact that Jianghu was a good place for humans to live also meant it was a land coveted by other beings.

“A man-eating tiger the size of a house appeared in the neighboring village.”

“Many strong men died or were eaten while trying to drive out the tiger.”

“Overnight, many women became widows, and children were left orphans, crying.”

Ferocious monsters that attacked people.

“The northern barbarians have invaded.”

“There wasn’t a single child left in the places they swept through.”

Barbarian tribes that attacked from time to time.

The people of Jianghu felt the need to become stronger to survive.

“Let’s become stronger.”

“Let’s find a way to be stronger than we are now.”

They trained in strength and martial arts.

To fight monsters, to fight other humans.

As a result, they eventually discovered a new way to continuously become stronger.

It was to accumulate in their bodies a power they called ‘Qi,’ the source of nature.

“Let us contain the world within our bodies. Then, we too shall be as strong as the world.”

A truly arrogant thought, possible only because they were human.

But it was successful.

Those who contained Qi within their bodies gained incredible strength and agility beyond human understanding.

Those who fought using Qi were called ‘Qi Masters.’

Qi Masters gathered Qi and stored it in a place they called the Danjeon, using their formidable martial skills to kill monsters and drive away the barbarians.

The people thought peace would follow.

But it only became the source of a new type of conflict.

It all began from a trivial question.

‘What is a true strong person?’

As the world became peaceful, they began to discuss what a true strong person was.

Some said this.

“A true strong person is one who wins through consistent training and proper methods in a duel.”

Others said this.

“No. A true strong person is one who ultimately wins, even if they use underhanded tactics.”

The Qi Masters divided into two factions, which became the beginning of the ‘Righteous Faction’ and the ‘Evil Faction.’

“We cannot acknowledge you.”

“We also cannot acknowledge you.”

“Then let us determine who is right. Until one side is wiped out.”

“Agreed.”

Thus began a never-ending fight.

The Righteous Faction and the Evil Faction killed each other, hated each other, and waged war.

The martial arts of the Qi Masters became increasingly specialized in killing people, becoming more ruthless and sharp.

As martial arts developed, countless people fought and bled to death.

Countless others shed tears.

Blood and tears flowed into the rivers, filled the lakes, and soaked the earth.

Then one day, a group sprouted, nourished by that blood and tears.

“Who are you?”

“We are the agents of the buried hatred.”

“We are those who have grown by feeding on the blood and tears you spilled.”

They wielded an impure force called tainted Qi, different from ordinary Qi.

They created their own doctrine and worshiped strength.

Strength for revenge.

And thus, they worshiped the strongest among them, the founder of their doctrine,

 ‘The Heavenly Demon.’

“We are the Demonic Cult.”

“You raised us, so now it’s time for you to pay the price.”

This was the rise of the Heavenly Demon Cult, also known as the Demonic Cult.

***

‘What is this...?’

Aden felt confused by the unfamiliar information entering his mind.

But soon he realized.

These were the memories and knowledge held by the Master of the Sacred Fire.

Even as he realized this, the scenes continued.

***

The Righteous Faction, the Evil Faction, and the Demonic Cult.

The world was divided into these three great powers, and a fierce war ensued.

But it didn’t last long.

Since their forces were evenly matched, a balance was achieved, and aside from minor conflicts, an unprecedented long peace followed.

100 years, 200 years, 300 years...

However, such a long peace did not lead to good outcomes.

Stagnant water eventually rots.

The long peace led people to forget the blood-stained past, and more and more people used their power for selfish desires.

“Blood is needed.”

Those who desired blood to flow once more began to appear one after another.

“We do not want balance.”

“We want blood.”

“Overwhelming hatred and a world where everyone kills each other, that is the true nature of the world.”

“We want blood.”

“We will destroy this false peace. We seek destruction.”

Villains who desired blood and destruction gathered in the shadows and created a new doctrine of blood.

The Blood Cult.

They raised the dead as jiangshi (reanimated corpses) to torment the deceased, and they practiced all sorts of forbidden arts and even human sacrifice, becoming a force of absolute evil.

Born on the day of the Killing Star, the Blood Demon, an absolute evil force.

He said this to the existing three great powers.

“To you, who are intoxicated by false peace, I declare the destruction of the world.”

The Blood Cult created an army of jiangshi from countless corpses and summoned powerful demonic entities, the rakshasas, using children as sacrifices.

Then they drank their blood and wielded tainted Qi even more vile and wicked than that of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

In the face of the Blood Cult’s madness, which sought only the world’s destruction and annihilation, the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and Demonic Cult were quickly put on the defensive.

“Let’s unite.”

“If we continue like this, we will all die.”

Thus, an unprecedented alliance was formed in the name of averting destruction.

A fierce war ensued.

The three blades named the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and Demonic Cult all pointed towards the Blood Cult, and at the end of that war, the Sword Emperor representing the Righteous Faction, the Black Path Alliance Leader representing the Evil Faction, and the Heavenly Demon representing the Demonic Cult stood before the Blood Demon.

A life-and-death battle ensued for three days and nights.

On the first day, the Black Path Alliance Leader’s neck was broken.

On the second day, the Sword Emperor’s sword was shattered.

And on the third and final day, the Heavenly Demon pierced the Blood Demon’s heart.

“Burn.”

He burned the Blood Demon to ashes with a flame created from Qi, ensuring that he could not be resurrected as a jiangshi.

Even the rakshasas could not withstand the flames of the Sacred Fire, and the Blood Demon could not withstand it either.

The greatest villain in the world disappeared, and the war came to an end.

But the Heavenly Demon also perished as a result.

He had drawn upon the life force that was the foundation of his existence to defeat the Blood Demon.

“This seat has always lived moving forward, never thinking of death. But now that death is at hand, I cannot imagine what the afterlife will be like.”

He recalled his life and was certain that he wouldn’t end up in a good place.

Perhaps he would be tormented in the flames of hell, suffering as much as the number of people he had killed with his martial arts?

That, too, would be the result of his own choices, so he wouldn’t deny it.

However, he had one thought.

“If this seat, the greatest villain in the world, were granted life once more.”

A wish that didn’t seem particularly noble.

“In that case, I would like to burn every last one of those rakshasas to ashes.”

With those words, the Heavenly Demon breathed his last.

***

In the life-and-death struggle that lasted three days, there was no victor.

But no one expected what happened next.

“We’ve succeeded in summoning! Lord Heavenly King! Lady Queen!”

“...But isn’t this a human? Is a mere human really the savior who will change the fate of the world? Could there be a mistake?”

“H-however, we followed the ancient texts exactly.”

“Even if he looks like this, we don’t know yet, Heavenly King.”

“...This seat asks, who are you? Is this the afterlife?”

The Heavenly Demon knew from his own words that it was not.

This was clearly a world where the living resided.

But it was also not an ordinary place.

He knew it wasn’t the place he lived in, for there were no women with pointed ears or people with wings on their backs there.

“No, this is not the afterlife, and both you and we are living beings.”

The beautiful woman with pointed ears smiled brightly as she answered the Heavenly Demon’s question.

“Welcome to this place, Hero.”

“...Hero?”

The Heavenly Demon, who had been certain he would end up in hell, found himself summoned as a hero in another world.