I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

When the Shadow Demons opened their eyes again, all they saw was a charred ruin.

The Shadow Fiend leader, missing a corner, slowly stood up. Ashes fell from the spot he had accidentally touched. He looked around and recognized where he was.

"Is this... the old Demon King's castle?"

The ruins before them emerged from the ashes, the remaining black stone walls twisted into unnatural shapes, and plants grew on this wasteland destroyed by a demigod-level forbidden spell.

Yes, plants.

Clusters of tender green buds sprouted from the cracks in the charred bricks at a visible speed, trembling as they unfurled their leaves in the still air.

But just as they grow to about an inch tall, the leaves turn yellow, curl, wither, and turn to ash at a speed visible to the naked eye. Then new buds emerge from the same crack in the bricks, and the cycle repeats itself endlessly.

This is the result of the combined creative power of the elven high priest and the forbidden spell of the demigods of the human kingdom.

Of course, what the demons fear most is the remaining holy light power of the church's sages.

The holy light, like a great sun, stood at the highest point in the center of the old Demon King's city, and still emits a faint holy light to this day.

The Shadow Demon leader's smoky body began to dissipate the moment it touched the holy light. He hurriedly retreated into the shadow of the charred building, and only then did the burning sensation subside somewhat.

The ruins of the Old Demon King's City have long been designated as a forbidden zone within the demon realm, and the residual power of the demigod-level forbidden spell released more than three hundred years ago by the human kingdom, elves, and the church still lingers.

One of the Shadow Demon's henchmen clung tightly to the shadowy side of the broken wall, too afraid to move. "My lord, we must leave here as soon as possible."

The Shadow Demon leader nodded and took out a spatial scroll from his robes, personally bestowed by the Demon King, which allowed for precise teleportation within the Demon Realm.

The scroll was entirely black, with dark purple light patterns flowing across its surface. He unrolled the scroll and chanted a demonic incantation in a low voice. Dark purple light surged from the paper, enveloping the figures of several shadow demons.

The light faded in the next instant, and the ruins were deserted.

Demon King's Castle, Abyss Palace.

Ghostly flames burned quietly on either side of the throne, casting flickering light on the reliefs of past demon kings on the walls.

Marbaz sat on the throne, his chin resting on one hand, his crimson eyes half-closed, as if he were thinking about something.

Footsteps came from the palace entrance, and he opened his eyes.

The Shadow Demon leader entered the hall, and his subordinates stopped at the threshold, bowed, and retreated into the shadows.

He walked alone to the foot of the throne, knelt on one knee, and placed his right fist against his left chest.

"Your Majesty, I report back."

Malbaz was quite satisfied with the chieftain who had been the first to join him and had then led the way in carrying out many dangerous missions. He sat up straighter and said, "You've worked hard. Stand up and talk."

"It is my honor to serve you. On this trip, I found that ancient demigod, but her strength far exceeded our expectations. We could only convey the information as planned and were unable to make further contact. She has already learned of Hermes' death, so for us, we should consider it an achievement."

Malbazz nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes:

"That's enough. With His pride, He will surely take the [Crown of the Sage]. And you? Did you discover anything else on this trip?"

"When I left, I encountered a group of people. One of them had the aura of a holy sword on his shoulder. He should be the current hero."

Malbazz paused.

He slowly sat up straight, his crimson eyes reflecting the flickering ghostly flames: "Are you sure?"

"I am not entirely sure, but that aura is very similar to the description of the legendary holy sword, and the other party seems to be communicating with that ancient demigod."

Malbaz raised his right hand, his fingertips tracing a line in the air.

A thin, almost invisible, blood-red thread extended from his fingertip, piercing through the dome of the hall and into the void.

He closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then opened them again, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"No one has yet drawn the holy sword."

"His Majesty?"

"The moment the Holy Sword recognizes its master, a destiny connection will be formed between the hero and me, and I can sense its existence."

Since I didn't sense that connection, it means the aura of the Holy Sword he carried wasn't the real Holy Sword, but rather a substitute forged by the Church using fragments of the Holy Sword, or perhaps the lingering scent left by someone who had once touched the Holy Sword.

The Shadow Demon leader lowered his head thoughtfully: "Should we send someone to scout the Holy Mountain?"

Malbaz waved his hand. "No need to waste your time. Without the Holy Sword, the hero is at best a slightly stronger human. If the Church wants to use fragments to forge the Holy Sword to boost morale, then let them do it. A fake is still a fake."

"Should we send someone to deliver the retreat order to the Balrogs? Now that the mission is complete, leaving them on the front lines will only make them targets for the elves."

Malbaz shook his head upon hearing this, his smile deepening.

"The Flame Demon Clan has always obeyed only the orders of their clan leader. When they swore allegiance to me, the agreement was only to 'pay tribute regularly and not attack the Demon King's city on their own initiative.'"

When have they ever obeyed my orders? Ignore them. If they can capture the city, that's their skill; if they can't, dying on the front lines is still dying in battle—that's a peaceful end for them.

Of course, weakening the Flame Demon Clan in this way is also one of the objectives, a common tactic used by successive Demon Kings, but such words that are detrimental to the unity of the Demon Clan cannot be stated openly.

The Shadow Demon leader remained silent.

Malbaz waved his hand. "You may leave now. Take a few days to rest. There are other plans for you."

"Yes."

The Shadow Demon leader bowed and withdrew from the hall, his figure disappearing into the shadows outside.

The ghostly fire returned to calm.

On the other side, at the third border post.

When Ji Tian led his group back to the border, it was already dawn.

The guards on the city wall spotted them from afar and hurried back to report.

Anna, cloaked, hurried forward, her gaze sweeping over the group to make sure no one was injured before giving a slight nod. "Legolas has already sent scouts to check on the situation in Moontundra. You... saw that demigod?"

"I met them, and they were quite chatty," Ji Tian said.

Everyone dispersed to rest. Elena escorted Lilith back to her room to catch up on her sleep, while Ophelia quietly followed behind, her fingertips twirling the pale golden branch she had brought from the demigod treehouse, lost in thought.

Ji Tian walked into his temporary room alone, turned on the magic crystal lamp, took out the wooden box from his pocket and placed it on the table, then took out the torn pages inside and spread them out.

The first hero seems to have intentionally left something for those who came after him, as the manuscript thoughtfully uses English that conforms to Chinese grammar.

Most of them were blueprints of modern machinery that he had drawn from memory. Ji Tian flipped through several more pages before finding something that interested him: letters that seemed to be specifically for communicating with fellow villagers in later generations.

The letter began with that sentence, which felt especially warm and familiar on Earth:

"Kids, the other world is no fun at all."