All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

The sounds of fighting at the village entrance were deafening.

The vanguard of the Demon King's army surged forward like a tidal wave, their black armor stained with blood, fangs bared, and weapons gleaming with a bloodthirsty light. Doron swung his giant axe, each strike sending several demon soldiers flying, the blade stained with the black blood of the monsters.

Leah stood at the rear, her arrows shooting out like meteors, accurately piercing the demon soldiers' vital points. The sound of bowstrings vibrating mingled with the screams of the monsters. Allen conjured a fireball at his fingertips, unleashing a barrage of flames towards the horde of demon soldiers, scorching them and causing them to howl in agony.

Karen wielded her knight's sword, its blade enveloped in holy light. Each swing tore through the monsters' defenses, creating an insurmountable barrier in front of the villagers. Sabella, meanwhile, moved nimbly through the battle, her broken holy sword still radiating holy power, purifying the demonic energy in its path.

Ella stood at the gate of the village chief's house, her cloudy eyes gazing at the figures fighting a bloody battle ahead, but her thoughts drifted back to a hundred years ago.

They were like that back then too.

They were just as spirited and fearless in the face of the demon army, even with trembling legs and fear in their hearts, they still stood in front of the people and built a defense line with their own flesh and blood.

The return of Yuegui a century ago is like Karen today.

Equally responsible and reliable, he always stands at the forefront of the team, no matter how dangerous the battle, telling everyone in a firm voice, "I'm here." After each battle, he always has the most wounds, yet he still smiles as he bandages his injured teammates, jokingly telling them they didn't try hard enough.

How lively our squad was back then! A wild warrior, a gentle priest, a cunning thief, and myself, always silently protecting him. We adventured together, laughed together, struggled on the brink of life and death together, with only one goal in our hearts—to protect this world.

But in the end, things have changed.

"Time waits for no one..." Ella sighed softly, her hoarse voice drowned out by the sounds of battle, her eyes filled with reminiscence and sorrow.

A century is enough time for a once-proud and valiant team of heroes to vanish into the annals of history, and for a hero who saves the world to become a universally despised demon king. And he, too, has transformed from a spirited space mage into a frail old man who now struggles even to stand.

"Hahaha!"

Suddenly, a hearty laugh erupted from Ella's mouth, shattering the tense atmosphere of the battlefield. In that laughter, the vicissitudes of time were gone, leaving only the passion and arrogance of the brave squad from back then.

Karen and the others were all taken aback, turning to look at Ella with eyes full of confusion.

Ella slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes suddenly sharpening, and the faint magical fluctuations around him began to surge wildly. He straightened his hunched body, and although he was still thin, he exuded a chilling aura.

"Youngsters! Let me show you what the Hero Squad was all about back in the day!"

As soon as she finished speaking, an immense and powerful magical force erupted from Ella's body.

An invisible shockwave swept across the entire area, forcing the demon soldiers and warrior squad members who were engaged in battle to retreat. The demon soldiers' faces showed fear, and they almost dropped their weapons.

A dense spatial magic enveloped Ella, causing the air currents in the sky to become turbulent, as if the air itself was being twisted and torn apart, and even the surrounding light to refract slightly. Karen and the others felt difficulty breathing, as if a huge boulder was pressing on their chests, making it hard to catch their breath.

Is this the strength of the previous Hero Squad members?

Karen was deeply shocked. Even though Ella was very old, the power she unleashed far exceeded all of their expectations.

Ella rapidly formed hand seals while chanting ancient and obscure incantations. As the incantations resounded, the spatial magic around him grew increasingly dense, and black spatial rifts began to appear in the sky, emanating an aura that devoured everything.

"Forbidden Spell: Space Blade!"

Ella gave a low shout and swung her hands forward sharply.

The spatial rift in the sky suddenly expanded, and countless tiny spatial fragments gathered together, condensing into a giant spatial blade with a diameter of 100 meters in front of everyone's horrified gaze.

The blade was entirely black, with a faint silver sheen at the edges. Twisted spatial currents swirled around it, tearing the air apart wherever it passed, emitting a piercing shriek, and even causing the earth to tremble slightly.

"kill!"

With a wave of her arm, Ella unleashed a colossal spatial blade, carrying devastating power, hurtling towards the vanguard of the Demon King's army. The demon soldiers along its path had no time to react; they were swallowed by the distorted air currents surrounding the blade, turning to ashes before they could even scream.

The demon soldiers were terrified and turned to flee, but they could not escape the pursuit of the spatial blade. The giant blade swept across, and wherever it passed, demon soldiers fell in droves, black blood and severed limbs scattered all over the ground. The originally surging demon horde was instantly torn open with a huge gap.

With just one strike, the vanguard of the Demon King's army suffered heavy losses. The remaining demon soldiers trembled with fear and dared not advance any further. They could only watch Ella from afar, their eyes filled with terror.

Ella slowly withdrew her hand, the magical fluctuations around her weakening slightly, her face growing even paler, and a faint trace of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. The forbidden spell was an immense burden for her now, nearly exhausting most of the magic she had left.

"Leave this to me." Ella turned to Karen and the others, her voice hoarse but filled with undeniable determination. "I'll use spatial magic to teleport you to the Holy Empire's capital. You must get there as soon as possible to stop Yue Gui and expose the goddess's conspiracy."

Looking at Ella's pale face, Karen was filled with admiration and reluctance: "Sir, it's too dangerous for you to be here alone. We can't leave you behind!"

"Yes, sir, let's go together!" Leah quickly added, her eyes filled with worry.

Ella waved her hand and smiled, "I'm old and won't live much longer. I'm already very satisfied if I can do something for this world in the last moments of my life, and bring back the glory of the Hero Squad one last time."

His gaze swept over Karen and the others, his eyes filled with expectation: "You are the hope of this world. You must accomplish what we couldn't do back then. Remember, no matter what difficulties you encounter, never forget your original aspiration as heroes."

Karen and the others fell silent. They knew Ella's mind was made up, and further persuasion would be futile. They bowed slightly to Ella and said in unison, "Please, sir!"

This bow is a sign of respect for Ella, gratitude to her predecessors, and a way of passing on the spirit of courage.

Ella nodded, said nothing more, and formed hand seals again. This time, all the remaining magic power in his body surged forth, and complex and ancient magical patterns began to appear on the ground. Golden light emanated from the patterns, forming a huge teleportation array.

The light from the magic circle grew brighter and brighter, completely enveloping Karen and the others.

"Take care!" Karen gave Ella one last look, her eyes filled with determination.

Ella waved her hand, her smile gentle: "Go on, children."

A burst of light instantly engulfed Karen and the others. When the light faded and the teleportation array disappeared, the hero team was nowhere to be seen, leaving only lingering magical aura in the air.

Ella staggered, grabbing the wall beside him for support, and coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The successive casting of forbidden spells and large-scale teleportation magic had placed a fatal strain on his aging body; he could clearly feel his life force rapidly draining away.

"Ella, you're still the same."

A deep and familiar voice suddenly came from behind Ella.

Ella froze and slowly turned around.

In the darkness of night, a black figure stood silently. His dark robe with dragon patterns fluttered in the night wind, and a faint black mist surrounded him. The divine spear on his back trembled slightly. It was none other than the Demon King Yue Gui.

He appeared there at some unknown time, quietly watching Ella with a complex expression that revealed neither joy nor sorrow.

Ella looked at Yue Gui with a bitter smile: "Yue Gui, I'm not the same as before. I'm almost dead."

His voice was weak, and his body trembled slightly from exhaustion of magic; he even needed to lean against the wall to stand.

Yue Gui slowly stepped forward, his gaze falling on Ella's pale face. After a long silence, he slowly said, "I was talking about your personality."

He paused, a hint of regret in his voice: "Fine, you still don't want to come with me? When a person dies, they have nothing left."

He had considered finding Ella, taking her away from this turbulent world, and finding a place to live out her remaining years in peace. After all, Ella was his only teammate back then, one of the few people in this world with whom he had any real connection.

Ella shook her head, her gaze becoming distant, as if she had returned to her childhood.

"Back then, I ran away because my mother remarried."

His voice was choked with emotion and full of regret: "I was young and ignorant back then. I thought that after my mother remarried, she would no longer love me. I left home in a huff and wandered around. Later, I met you all and joined the Hero Squad."

"I know that she raised me all by herself, traveling around to make ends meet, and sacrificed a lot. She remarried so that she could give me a better life, but at that time, I didn't even say a word of understanding."

"Over the years, my only regret is that I didn't have the courage to go back and see my mother before she passed away, and I didn't tell her in person that I didn't blame her and that I loved her very much."

After Ella finished speaking, silence fell over the air.

Yue Gui listened quietly, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes. He had never heard Ella talk about these past events before. It turned out that this space mage, who always silently protected the team, harbored such regrets in her heart.

He instantly understood Ella's thoughts and knew that Ella was prepared to die.

Ella raised her head and looked at Yuegui, her eyes hardening: "Yuegui, I know that it was the goddess and the imperial nobles who betrayed us back then. They destroyed our team and everything you had."

"But the people of this world are not at fault, those innocent civilians are not at fault."

"You chose revenge, choosing to seek justice for those traitors in your own way. But I, out of cowardice, chose to hide, choosing to live in seclusion here, watching the world descend into chaos step by step."

His voice rose, tinged with self-mockery yet filled with unwavering resolve: "But I am still a member of the Hero Squad! Even if everyone is dead, even if our former captain has become the universally despised Demon King, I will still stand before all living beings and confront the new 'Demon King'!"

The "Demon King" here refers to both the Demon King Army led by Yue Gui and the goddesses and nobles who are hiding behind the scenes and controlling everything.

As soon as he finished speaking, the last remaining bit of magic power within Ella's body erupted. Even though his life force was rapidly draining away and his body was on the verge of collapse, he still straightened his spine, surrounded by indomitable spatial magic power, and looked at Yue Gui with unwavering eyes.

Yue Gui's gaze gradually turned cold, and the black mist around him surged. His demonic energy collided with Ella's spatial magic, forming an invisible shockwave that swept across the entire area. The remaining demonic soldiers in the distance were terrified by these two world-destroying forces and fled in panic, not daring to linger for even a moment.

"Since you've made up your mind, then I'll grant your wish." Yue Gui's voice was low, tinged with regret, but even more so with the resolute determination of battle. "Let us settle the regrets of the past."

He slowly drew the divine spear from his back. The black and red patterns gleamed with a dark luster in the night. A powerful aura erupted from the spear, clashing with Ella's spatial magic.

A human and a demon, one of light and one of darkness, stood at the entrance to the dilapidated village, their bodies radiating immense magical power. The collision of these two forces caused the sky to change color, the earth to tremble, surrounding houses to collapse, debris to fly everywhere, and the entire village to the brink of destruction.

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Holy Empire.

A flash of light, and Karen and the others appeared outside the city gates of the capital.

The capital city lived up to its reputation. Its towering walls, constructed entirely of white boulders, reached into the clouds. The walls were covered with defensive magic arrays, shrouded in holy light, exuding a solemn and sacred aura. At the city gates, soldiers stood guard, weapons in hand, vigilantly observing their surroundings.

Karen and the others, however, had no interest in observing the sights of the capital.

They turned their heads simultaneously, looking in the direction of the village. Even though they were thousands of miles apart, they could still clearly feel the two world-destroying magical fluctuations colliding and intertwining fiercely.

One force was Ella's indomitable spatial magic, carrying the last glory of the hero's team.

The other force was the overwhelming demonic energy of Yuegui, carrying a century of resentment and unwillingness.

These two forces clashed and fought each other, as if telling the story of grudges from a hundred years ago, and the fateful entanglement between the hero and the demon king.

Karen and the others stood there, silent for a long time.

Tears welled in Leah's eyes as she gripped her bow and arrows tightly, her heart filled with reluctance and admiration. She knew that old Mr. Ella would probably never return.

Doron gripped his giant axe tightly, veins bulging in his fists, his eyes filled with anger and helplessness. He wanted to go back and help, but he knew that Old Man Ella had bought them time with her life, and they couldn't let that sacrifice go to waste.

Allen's gaze was solemn as he slowly said, "Mr. Ella is using her own way to put an end to the story of the Hero Team from back then."

Sabella remained silent, gazing in the direction of the village, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She recalled Ella's words and Yuegui's tragic past, and her feelings for Yuegui grew increasingly complicated.

Karen gripped his knight's sword tightly, his eyes resolute and heavy. He knew that Ella had paved the way to the capital for them with her life, and they had to carry Ella's expectations and the glory of the Hero Squad to uncover the truth and stop this war.

Those two earth-shattering magical fluctuations lasted for a long time before gradually weakening and finally dissipating completely into the world.

There was no longer any sign of life coming from the direction of the village, as if no one had ever existed there.

Karen slowly withdrew her gaze, looked at the city gate of the Holy Empire's capital, and said in a solemn tone, "Let's go."

"We cannot let down Mr. Ella's sacrifice. We must enter the capital as soon as possible, prepare to deal with the Demon King's army, and at the same time investigate the conspiracy of the goddess and the nobles."

The group nodded, suppressing their grief and heaviness, and walked towards the city gate of the capital.

The soldiers at the city gate, seeing the armor and weapons on Karen and her group, and the lingering aura of battle around them, immediately became alert and stepped forward to stop them: "Halt! Who are you? How dare you trespass into the capital of the Holy Empire!"

Karen took out the Hero's Token and handed it to the soldier, saying in a deep voice, "We are the Hero Squad, here to support the capital and resist the Demon King's army's attack."

Upon seeing the hero's token, the soldier's expression changed slightly, and he quickly bowed respectfully: "So it's you, Hero! I've been rude; I'll open the door for you immediately!"

The heavy city gates slowly opened, revealing the interior of the capital. The streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. But Karen and the others knew that this tranquility was only temporary.

The Demon King's army will arrive soon.

The conspiracy between the goddess and the nobles is still brewing in the shadows.

After defeating Ella, Yue Gui will inevitably lead the Demon King's army to storm the capital.

A decisive battle concerning the fate of the entire world is about to officially begin in the capital of the Holy Empire.

Karen and the others entered the royal capital, their eyes resolute. They knew that endless dangers and challenges awaited them. But they were fearless, for they not only bore the mission of protecting the world, but also carried the glory of the previous Hero Squad and the expectations of Elder Ella.

They must win.

For Ella, for Yuegui, for all the innocent people caught up in the war, and even more so to reveal all the truth and restore peace to the world.

Above the capital, holy light still lingered, yet a sense of oppression emanated from it. It was as if even the gods knew that a storm powerful enough to overturn the world was quietly approaching.

Karen looked up towards the imperial palace deep within the capital, a sharp glint in his eyes. There, not only were the imperial nobles present, but also the forces of the Goddess's faction. He knew that to uncover the truth and stop the war, he had to start there.

"We'll go to the palace first, meet with the Emperor, and explain the situation," Karen said in a deep voice.

Without objection, everyone followed Karen towards the royal palace deep within the capital. Their steps were firm, each one a slow, steady march towards truth and hope.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, amidst the ruins of a village, Yue Gui stood amidst the devastation, a faint trace of blood staining his divine spear. He gazed in the direction of the capital, his eyes filled with complex emotions—anger, regret, and a hint of barely perceptible confusion.

"Ella, I will fulfill your wish and make those traitors pay the price they deserve."

He spoke softly, his voice carried away by the wind. Then, he turned and walked towards the Demon King's army. Black mist surged around him, demonic energy soared, and an even more terrifying aura erupted from his body.

Royal Capital, here I come.