Forge a path to success.

Chapter 211 Emergence into Adult Insect
Come forth, heroes!

The Demon King excitedly raised his arms and roared at the dark world.

"This is the stage for the final battle. Let me see your love and courage!!"

No one responded to him.

The heroes have been executed by dismemberment, leaving only their cold corpses on the gray execution rack.

In the Land of Despair, there is no distinction between friend and foe, and even the envoys who should have followed its lead met the same fate.

Vansalar looked around and saw only corpses and things that had long since ended, with the dead singing hellish songs.

Then it could see nothing at all; in those few short seconds, the Land of Despair had lost most of its light. Even the Holy Pillars dimmed, and only from the towering mountains did a crimson light pierce the sky.

"..."

Vansalar slowly lowered his hand, scratching his head dejectedly.

"Oops... I messed up."

I got too excited.

Before you know it, it's become like the battlefield it used to be.

Thinking about it calmly, I really shouldn't have gone all out from the start. I should have considered their feelings a little, like last time, and casually used a Void Shadow Technique to knock them down, making them think about how to train some more. I could have said, "At least when all of you reach level 3, you won't be qualified to fight me," made some threats, and then laughed it off before letting Wacro drive them away...

But Vaklo's dead. This whole scheme is pointless now. Why did he have to die so young, you idiot? It's all your fault.

Sigh, I can almost hear Oleksiy laughing. It's all your fault for getting so excited, isn't it?

Vansalar scratched his withered, yellow hair and sighed dejectedly in this lifeless wasteland. He snapped his fingers listlessly, with a dull thud.

"—The nightmare has come back to life," he said.

Then, the shadows gathered, transforming into familiar human figures. Assassins, snipers, knights... flames, spiders, insects... each "person" was exactly the same as before, only their faces were shrouded in gloom.

The Land of Despair is his dream, where he can easily control the life and death of those within. Most people with weak wills will comply with the rules of the Heavenly Prison and continue as "people in the mist," while a small number of those who are noticed by it and resurrected in the nightmare will become "messengers of fear."

Unable to disobey his will. Unable to conceal their own thoughts. No longer free, no longer possessing will, they can only strive for the goals of the Nightmare King. For a subordinate favored by the Demon King, this is a blessing; for an enemy who has angered him, it is eternal torment.

This time is different, Vansalar thought. He truly loved these heroes and didn't want to say goodbye so soon. So be it.

May you be reborn in your dreams.

You will definitely become wonderful ambassadors.

Then, a blood-red slash pierced the kingdom. The messengers, who were about to solidify, scattered into ashes amidst a mournful cry.

The Demon King's eyes widened. He couldn't help but laugh, his fingers twitching with excitement and nostalgia.

"You've come, Chongming!"

Silently, the bandaged warrior stood in the darkness. He stood beside the lingering blood-red light, saying nothing, offering no provocation, not even glancing at the overjoyed Demon King, but simply slowly tightening his grip on the sword at his waist.

"Are you really decided? Aren't you going to wait for the next one?" Vansalal laughed wildly. "Is this hero worth betting your centuries of dedication on?!"

Chongming drew his sword. The blade was a deep crimson, like the fangs of a demon stained with blood. He swung his sword, the hymns ceased, the shrill laughter stopped, and crimson swept across the lightless land, reflecting the man's roar in the shattered dream.

"—Nightmare Massacre!"

--------

And so, the nightmare ended.

The stage hasn't turned. The smoke of battle hasn't cleared. The war continues. The struggle between the war plants and the Demon King's army follows the previous developments. The Demon King has just appeared in the center of the battlefield. The messengers are pleading for mercy. The warriors prepare for a death match.

Both sides were present, none missing. Curse Thunder, Limb Spider, Burning Ash... Chu Hengkong, Shakes, Qingxia, Qingye... all were there, their physical and spiritual bodies intact, their injuries remaining as they were before the Demon King appeared.

Everything was as if it had never happened.

No.

Nothing ever happened. Because the original ending was abruptly cut short by someone.

Thus, a history that once existed but no longer exists flooded people's minds.

"Ah, ah..." The spider touched its pale face, its pupils dilating in overwhelming fear.

"Aa ...

It scratched its face, emitting inhuman howls. It rolled around like a dying insect, its sewn-on limbs flailing wildly, its features contorted in excessive madness. The embers beside it lost their light and knelt silently on the ground, while the cursed thunder remained motionless, like a robot without power.

It was utterly disgraceful. Their pathetic state made them a laughingstock. But no one could laugh at them anymore. No one.

Qingye covered her face, screaming for a long time in an attempt to regain consciousness. Shakes began to vomit, but due to prolonged fasting, she could only vomit bile. Qingxia knelt on the ground, unaware that she was crying. Chu Hengkong tried to get up, but failed. He got up, fell, stood up again, and knelt down, as powerless as a child who had just learned to walk.

Vansalar clapped his hands vigorously and smiled broadly.

"Sorry, sorry to have startled you. It was just a grand illusion! Like the tricks the Fallen often play, it was just the Demon King's prank, hahaha!"

Nonsense. Everyone knows that's not true at all. Because what happened in the Land of Despair still resonates in their hearts.

Those fears, those torments, every pain and sorrow at the moment of death, remain like etched marks in their hearts. Was it an illusion? Impossible, they truly died. They should have been "resurrected" as entirely new beings, like a once-abandoned machine being recycled and rebuilt, but the restarted being was no longer itself.

But this process was interrupted. For some unknown reason, they, who should have died, are still alive...!
Chu Hengkong finally stood up, staggering forward to throw a feeble punch at the Demon King. Vansalar raised his hand and grasped his fist. The Demon King couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"What exactly are you...!" Chu Hengkong's voice was hoarse. "You...!"

"Oh dear, oh dear, it really wasn't me this time. An old friend has placed a huge bet on you all!" Vansalal shook his head. "Now I can't help but look forward to it too. I'm so excited I can't speak, I haven't felt like this in ages. Be thankful, everyone, the Demon King won the lottery today and has decided to go back to the city to enjoy himself!"

He gently pushed Chu Hengkong back, then turned around, gesticulating wildly like a drunkard overjoyed. Although no one wanted to admit it, a sense of relief, to varying degrees, swept through the hearts of those who had been resurrected. Finally, this person was going to disappear. Finally, they wouldn't have to face him again. Finally, they could stay away from the Demon King—

"Halt, Vansalar!"

However, the knight's roar made the demon king stop.

Qingxia struggled to her feet, staring at Vansalar's retreating figure, her golden pupils shrinking with overwhelming fear.

"What happened?" Qingxia asked blankly. "What is the Land of Despair? It wasn't here last time, even when you were on the verge of death—"

"Oh, I let the water out last time."

The Demon King spoke as if discussing the outcome of a game, completely unconcerned.

"To be honest, I'm pretty much fed up too. I've accepted reality. The overly harsh rules of the Heavenly Prison have extinguished hope. There will never be another true hero in this desolate wilderness. If things continue like this, even if Chongming doesn't give up, I will have to give up too."

So when you led your army to attack, I slightly adjusted the game's difficulty. It went from 'Nightmare' to 'Normal'! I'm not demanding that everyone kill all the envoys, nor am I forcing you to defeat the Kingdom of Despair. As long as you, Xiao Qingxia, can reach my throne, I will willingly hand over victory!

Vansalar chuckled softly, ignoring Qingxia's astonished expression.

"Don't misunderstand, this is a reward just for you. After all, you are the 'hero' I created!"

"And as it turned out, my decision was a complete failure. Too pessimistic. Absolutely outrageous. To be defeated because of the agitation of just one person is hardly the miracle I longed for."

Rest assured, everyone, I will no longer insult you with my self-righteous 'ordinary' attitude. In this final battle, I will go all out, giving it my all, and deliver a truly 'nightmare' to every warrior!

The Demon King walked away, talking to himself, leaving the wounded heroes far behind. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Vansalar turned back.

“Oh, right.” Vansalar scratched his chin. “In terms of the outcome, you lost this round.”

"According to the rules of the Wilderness of Despair, the losers must accept punishment..."

He gestured at the messengers, glancing over the still-screaming, struggling spiders, the now-glowing embers, and the lifeless cursed lightning, and sighed helplessly.

"There's no other way. You're the one, Wen Yao."

"...Yes, my lord."

A soft, seductive voice rang out, affected, deliberate, and unnatural, like the urgent chirping of an insect courting its mate.

The soldiers' eyes were fixed on the woman. The white-haired woman hugged herself tightly, her fingernails digging into her fair skin until they bled. Her face was flushed unnaturally, and her pretty eyes were filled with lust. She touched the "wounds" on her body that had been pierced and then healed, letting out a long-suppressed groan.

That was a joyful cry of pleasure.

People realized this crazy fact.

This woman felt extremely happy because of her recent experience of death.

It's incomprehensible, utterly inexplicable. Living beings shouldn't react this way; even animals shouldn't turn death into pleasure.

"The restrictions are lifted. From now on, you can do whatever you want."

"Yes, Lord Vansalal!!"

A familiar, heavy voice rang out. More so than the sound of a heart breaking free, it was like a distant thunderclap, a hoarse cry from the depths of the earth—

A demon has appeared.

Her forelegs rose high, her horse-like body rearing up, and her smooth, coat-like lower body burst open from within. Broken flesh and bone, drawn together by blood and energy, were reshaped into slender, white hooves. Suddenly, a blood-soaked wound appeared on her smooth back, and two pairs of transparent, colorful wings emerged from her body, unfurling, with colorful fluid dripping down like saliva.

This process is much like metamorphosis, shedding the old body and embracing a new self—painful, ugly, yet incredibly beautiful. Now, Wenyao is no longer a wild beast; she is a delicate woman with colorful wings, exquisitely beautiful and alluring, like a fairy descended from heaven.

She gently fluttered her wings and flew higher into the sky than the others. Her joyful fingertips trembled as she pointed to her ugly, flightless kin on the ground.

Chu Hengkong sprinted forward, while Qingye forcefully pushed Qingxia aside. Everyone prepared for the attack, bracing themselves for the impending gunfire, stabbings, bullets, or lasers. However, Wen Yao only uttered words.

Poisonous words.

“Kill them, Qingxia.”

"Yes, Lord Wenyao."

A look of astonishment still lingered on his face. Words of obedience flowed naturally from his lips.

Qingxia turned to Silar and thrust out the Qingkun Spear. The spear tip pierced through flesh, drawing out crimson blood.

(End of this chapter)