The Ashes of Hope
The massive warrior snapped to attention at my words.
“Fade, has there been any word from the main force?”
“I will confirm it at once, Cezar!”
The result of splitting off from the main army and launching our own invasion was so absurdly one-sided that I couldn’t even laugh. While the human forces had their full attention fixed on the entrance to Tenebris, where the 1st, 4th, and 5th Legions were engaged in a fierce battle, my strike team—including myself—slipped out with ease and razed the nearest human city, Hope Town, to the ground.
“Cezar, I have received word from the main force.”
“Speak.”
“The fighting continues, but both sides have suffered staggering losses. The humans are estimated to have around five hundred casualties, while our main force has taken approximately eight hundred.”
“Nearly half our number. That’s sufficient. Send word for them to retreat.”
“By your command, Cezar!”
After dispatching Fade with the order, I settled onto a convenient tree stump, let out a long sigh, and gazed at the scenery before me. Burned-out buildings reduced to ash. Bodies hacked into tiny pieces. Looking at myself—feeling almost nothing at such a brutal sight—I suddenly became aware of just how much I had changed.
“W-why… did we… do… nothing… wrong…”
From within the symphony of screams, a man whose lower body was engulfed in flames crawled desperately to my feet. Tears of blood streamed down his face as he glared up at me with pure resentment. His groans were thick with rage, sorrow, and every other negative emotion imaginable. It was truly pitiful.
But that was all.
“Life is full of unfair things, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…What?”
“That’s all there is to it. If you want to resent someone, blame the heroes who failed to protect you.”
“K-kuaaaaagh—!”
As a final act of mercy, I placed my foot on his head and slowly pressed down until it burst. So he would suffer no more. So he would never have to scream again. How considerate of me.
“Cezar, is something the matter?”
“No, nothing at all. Have you finished the task I gave you?”
“Exactly as you commanded. All those too old to serve as labor have been killed. The young men and women have been taken captive.”
“Any who escaped?”
“None confirmed, but shall we pursue them?”
“No need. It’s time to head back. Tell the troops to move to the gate first. I will burn the village myself.”
“As you command!”
In the distance, I could see dozens of young men and women bound hand and foot in the blood-soaked square. The men would become labor. The women would serve to invigorate our forces. From the humans’ perspective, it was an unforgivable atrocity that trampled on their so-called human rights. But that was their viewpoint alone. For the demons of Ravilis, it was simply not worth considering.
To us, humans were nothing but enemies if they could not be used. And if they were not enemies, they were no different from livestock. We swallowed what was useful and spat out what was not. That was their place in the world, and before I knew it, I had begun to accept it as natural.
It was a bitterly sour realization.
Once the soldier relayed my orders, the massive column began moving toward the gate. A few among them still had defiant sparks in their eyes, clearly plotting escape, but the moment they saw Gini Luxury and Fade Allwhite capture and execute those who tried, their steps quickened in terror.
I raised my hand toward the now-silent little city, focusing my magic at my fingertips. Black flames flickered to life, growing larger and larger before flying toward the few buildings still standing. The instant they made contact, the flames exploded outward, devouring everything that remained—buildings, lives, and even my own memories.
This place was Hope Town. A city that had never existed before, and now could never exist again. The border city at the edge of Tenebris that had been revealed to the world when the previous Cezar was slain. A city that had never truly belonged to this world was now being swallowed by darkness.
As if it had never been there at all.
Once everything had been reduced to ashes and the black dome in the distance began creeping steadily closer, I turned to head for the gate—only for something shining to streak toward me from afar.
Shwoooo—
Kwaaaaang!!!
The blazing red flames that slammed into the ground with a deafening roar glared at me with crimson eyes and roared.
“Youuuuu bastard!!!! Where do you think you’re running?!”
“…You’re late.”
The face before me was painfully familiar. Once, I had trusted him more than anyone. Now, I hated him more than anyone.
“Inferno.”
“Don’t you dare speak my name with that filthy mouth!!!”
With a furious bellow, a flaming fist flew straight at me. I lightly dodged it, taking in every detail of his appearance. The same fist that had killed me at the very end was once again aimed at me. The sight made my lips twist into a sneer before I could stop myself.
“Filthy mouth, you say. Is there anything more hideous than you?”
“You bastard!!!”
Even after swinging and missing once, Inferno continued throwing wild punches without pause. I dodged them all. Having risen far beyond my previous strength and now bearing the rank of Calamity, I was certain his crude attacks could no longer reach me.
“Why don’t you calm down for a moment? No matter how many times you swing, you will never touch me.”
“Bullshit!!!”
Rejecting even that mild suggestion, Inferno charged again. But I still had things to say. This time I didn’t dodge. I caught his burning fist, swept his leg, and slammed him to his knees.
“This is the proper height for the two of us to speak. You must never look down on me from above.”
“Khh… fuck.”
“Haha. You told me not to use filthy language, yet nothing is more vulgar than that mouth of yours. Still, I don’t particularly enjoy profanity. So I’d appreciate it if you shut up.”
With the same spirit he had shown by throwing flaming fists at me, I drove my own black-flame-covered fist straight into his lips. Several teeth flew out along with white fragments and droplets of blood as he coughed violently. The sight suited him perfectly.
“There. Ready to talk now?”
“……”
“Silence means yes, I suppose.”
What should I say first? There were so many things I wanted to ask. About our childhood? When exactly things had gone wrong? No, none of that mattered. I was not here as the hero Eternal. I was here as CezarIra.
I rarely used my real name, so hearing “Ira” still felt strangely awkward. Yet I no longer had any desire to live as Eternal.
“Inferno. You truly are filthy and hideous. Even so, I once considered you the greatest threat to Ravilis. To think you would be subdued so easily… it feels utterly meaningless. I almost feel like a fool for having worried so much.”
“……”
“Hey now. I’m speaking.”
Thud!
When he tried to open his mouth again, I didn’t like it, so I fed him another flaming punch. Inferno’s eyes glazed over. Held up only by the fist I still gripped, his upper body trembled weakly.
“Haa… how disappointing. I thought you might come yourself, but I never imagined you would be this weak. Did you really believe you could defeat me alone just because the previous Cezar was so frail?”
“……”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of killing you here. Not yet. You still have work to do. You must entertain me further. The death I will permit you is not a peaceful one in a place like this. Only after every last shred of your honor has been crushed, only after complete despair has swallowed you whole, will I allow you to die. So heed this warning: do not take your own life. If you do, I will drag your soul back even from the afterlife. Nod if you understand.”
But he did not nod. His eyes had rolled back, showing only the whites. He hung there like a broken doll, supported only by the fist I held. A truly pathetic sight.
“How insolent. How very insolent. What a shame.”
It wasn’t that the thought of killing him right then hadn’t crossed my mind. The urge to tear him apart the moment I saw his face had long since taken root in a dark corner of my heart. But I could not. I could not grant a comfortable death to the bastard who had stolen not only my life but my honor as well. I could not allow him an honorable end.
A warrior’s death belonged on the battlefield. That was the most honorable way. Therefore, Inferno’s death could not happen here, and the humans could not be allowed to mourn him as a hero. At the very least, his end had to be far more horrific and humiliating than mine had been.
It was in that moment, as my seething, sordid rage began to boil over, that a new target appeared.
A flash of golden lightning. Like a bolt from the heavens, another figure descended with a thunderous roar. The way they both arrived was so identical it was almost comical.
“What a bountiful harvest today. Two S-Class heroes at once.”
“Let go of that hand right nowwwww!!!”
The crackling lightning surged toward me, filled with hostility and rage—emotions I had never seen directed at me before. Strangely, it felt rather pleasant.
Yes. You must never direct those feelings at me again.
“Ileana. You are different from Inferno. You will be coming with me.”
I casually swatted the lightning aside, tossed Inferno carelessly to the ground, and moved instantly to the source of the lightning. My hand closed around her throat.
“Khhk…! L-let go!”
“I already listened when you told me to let go. Just how much consideration must I show you people? You will simply follow me.”
Today’s spoils were so rich that I almost wondered if my entire life had been leading to this moment.