◆◆◆
Roughly 300 kilor* above the eastern horizon from the imperial capital, Guynesfried, several massive shadows sliced through the night sky.
TN: I don’t know if it was misspelt, but it’s written as キロル(kiroru)
A swarm of dragons, cloaked in obsidian scales.
They were the elite unit of the Former Demon King Army’s Western Division.
Leading the flock was the demon dragon Ygdra, whose body spanned over fifty meters from snout to tail.
His crimson eyes burned with hatred, an undying grudge toward humanity.
「We’re nearing the target.」
Ygdra’s voice was deep and resonant, shaking the very air.
「We strike Guynesfried with full force. Let the humans remember what it means to fear us.」
His subordinates answered in thunderous roars.
「Sky-Eater Ormund, take the lead.」
At the vanguard of the formation, a dragon nodded sharply, his eyes razor-focused.
His name was Ormund.
A fierce commander famed for his overwhelming speed.
「Understood, Ygdra-sama.」
Ormund unfurled his wings wide and accelerated in an instant.
His silhouette streaked across the sky like a meteor born of darkness.
「So that’s Ormund, the Sky-Eater. Not only fast, but precise. See how he’s tearing through the capital’s detection barriers one after another. With him, Guynesfried’s entire defense network will be laid bare.」
Ygdra’s words drew eager affirmation from his troops.
「As expected of Ormund-dono!」
「Glory to Ormund-dono!!」
◆◆◆
At breakneck speed, Ormund closed in on the imperial capital.
Each time he brushed against a detection ward, he shattered it before it could activate.
「Fufufu… How dull the humans are. Pathetic.」
But just then.
A sudden, blinding light filled his vision.
A searing brilliance enveloped the entire area.
「What is this…!?」
The radiance surged, flooding his field of view. A moment later, searing heat and explosive force assailed him.
「GUAAAHHHH!!」
Ormund’s scream echoed through the darkness.
His massive body was engulfed in light, scales peeling away one by one, his flesh tearing from within.
It was as though countless miniature suns had ignited inside him in a violent chain reaction.
His enormous wings became pillars of flame, turning into beacons that lit the night sky.
「W-What… is… this…」
Before he could even utter a final curse, Ormund’s body shattered into countless pieces, scattered to the wind.
Red flames and black smoke spiraled together, painting the heavens with a spectacle so vivid it looked like a giant firework blooming in the sky.
For a fleeting moment, the darkness of night was replaced by a searing daylight.
The shockwave blew apart the surrounding clouds, and the tremors reached even the distant ground far below.
◆◆◆
Witnessing the scene from afar, Ygdra and his subordinates were struck speechless.
「Ormund… was taken out…?」
Ygdra’s expression betrayed visible shock.
「What just happened!? Who dares attack us!?」
The ranks stirred with rising unease.
「It can’t be… Do the humans truly wield such power…?」
「Impossible! We are proud kin of the dragon race!」
Ygdra bared his fangs and roared to regain order.
「Silence! Do not falter! This must be some kind of trap. All units, form up into defensive ranks!」
But his command was in vain, for once more, a blinding light streaked across the sky.
「Again!?」
In the very next instant, another dragon at the rear exploded into radiant fragments.
「GWAHHHH!」
Deafening roars and bursts of light erupted in quick succession, consuming one dragon after another in flashes of annihilation.
「Damn it! Where is this attack coming from!?」
Ygdra scanned the skies in desperation, but saw no enemy.
Only the piercing rain of radiant arrows falling from the heavens, striking his comrades with unerring precision.
Amidst his stunned silence, a haunting voice echoed in his mind.
──『Withdraw, Ygdra…』
「Tch… Retreat! Full retreat, now!」
Ygdra managed to regain a semblance of control over the panicked and scattered troops. Yet his draconic face twisted in humiliation.
「So the hero has already revealed himself… My deepest apologies, Demon King-sama… I have led fresh forces to their deaths…」
──『Ygdra… even I did not foresee that the hero had already obtained such might. The fault lies not with you. For now, delay the invasion… and seek out a vessel for my return…』
・
・
After this night, the sporadic raids by the remnants of the Former Demon King Army decreased dramatically in frequency.
◆◆◆
The Western Division of the Former Demon King Army was repelled.
In the original timeline, this critical event was not accomplished by Hein, but rather by Azel Sera Alphide, heir to Count Alphide, and Serena Ira Fafnir, daughter of Viscount Fafnir.
The imperial capital, Guynesfried, suffered catastrophic damage during the assault led by “Sky-Eater” Ormund.
Ormund’s overwhelming might shattered the outer walls, engulfed the city in flame, and reduced streets and structures to ash.
Chaos reigned as terrified citizens fled, and countless lives were lost in the inferno.
However, Azel rose to challenge Ormund at great risk, awakening as the Hero only at the very brink of defeat.
Even so, the power he’d just awakened was insufficient to match Ormund’s sheer might.
After a fierce and one-sided battle, Azel was gravely wounded, but it was Serena Ira Fafnir who came to his rescue.
She too awakened, as the Saintess, and through her sacred powers, saved Azel from certain death.
With Serena’s healing light and support, Azel rose again, and the two fought in tandem against the monstrous dragon.
Still, they were but a fledgling Hero and an inexperienced Saint, the best they could do was force Ormund into retreat.
And what of Hein?
In the original timeline, Hein offered no aid.
He merely watched from afar, sneering, offering not a hand to protect the city.
Infuriated by Azel’s defiance during an earlier incident, Hein had even attempted to kill him, only to be thwarted by Esmeralda Ira Sarion, daughter of Duke Sarion.
Outnumbered and shamed, Hein was forced to retreat, and since then he held only scorn for Azel and Serena.
He stood idle, waiting for their deaths.
But that very malice… was sensed by the Demon King’s will.
Thus, the will of the Demon King chose Hein as its vessel for reincarnation, and ordered Ygdra to retreat, so that Hein would not be caught in the crossfire.
The truth was, the entire raid on the imperial capital had a deeper purpose, to locate the Demon King’s vessel.
The Demon King, with its supernatural awareness, had detected a potential vessel residing within Gynesfried.
And so, in the original timeline, the people praised the valor of Azel and Serena.
While Hein’s name was dragged through the mud.
Despite being of one of the Twelve Noble Houses, he had done nothing to protect the capital when it needed him most.
However, in this parallel world,
Hein personally slaughtered Ormund, who had dared interrupt his family time.
He toyed with and obliterated multiple of Ygdra’s elite drake-soldiers for good measure.
And the Demon King?
It never laid eyes on him.
What consequences this divergence will bring… remains to be seen.
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