The Hero Called a Tyrant

Ruby finally reached the last section of the temple’s ancient records. The worn pages seemed heavier than the ones before, as though they carried the weight of history itself.

She took a slow breath before reading aloud.

"To humanity during the Age of Chaos, Anos was a tyrant."

She paused, letting the words settle over the room.

Then Ruby continued, her voice quieter than before.

"But to the demon race... he was a hero."

No one answered.

The room fell into a heavy silence, as if everyone instinctively understood the contradiction in those words.

To humanity, Anos had been a nightmare.

To the demons...

He had been their greatest king.

"He protected them," Ruby continued.

"He united them."

"He led the demon race to heights it had never reached before."

She lowered the ancient record for a moment, letting her gaze drift across the room.

Every face was fixed on her.

"It is said that he ruled for more than a thousand years."

Brinda’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

"A thousand years?!"

Disbelief rang clearly in her voice.

Ruby simply nodded.

"At the very least."

Eon frowned, struggling to make sense of what he had just heard.

"Then... why wasn’t he ever replaced?"

"There had to be someone stronger eventually... right?"

Ruby answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Because no one could defeat him."

The certainty in her voice sent a chill through the room.

"The ancient demon race chose its rulers through strength alone."

"The strongest ruled."

"The weak followed."

"That was their law."

She folded her arms across her chest before continuing.

"The problem was that none of Anos’s children ever managed to surpass him."

"Not even one."

"They were all unimaginably powerful."

"By any standard, they were monsters."

She paused, her eyes growing distant.

"But standing before Anos..."

She slowly shook her head.

"They never had a chance."

Once again, silence settled over the room.

This time, it felt even heavier.

Everyone could almost picture it—a king so overwhelmingly powerful that even his own descendants, each capable of terrifying the world, remained trapped beneath his shadow for centuries.

Ruby drew a slow breath before continuing.

"So... knowing they could never defeat him in a fair fight, one of Anos’s sons chose another path."

"He began gathering allies."

"He searched every corner of the world."

"The strongest warriors."

"The greatest mages."

"The mightiest champions each race had to offer."

Her voice gradually softened, carrying an almost reverent weight.

"They all answered the call."

"They stood together for one final battle against the Demon King."

Ruby lowered her eyes to the ancient record once more.

The faded pages trembled slightly between her fingers.

"Unfortunately..."

She spoke almost in a whisper.

"There are no surviving records describing what truly happened that day."

No one spoke.

Questions filled every mind, yet none of them could find the words to ask.

Whatever had happened during that final battle...

History itself had buried the truth.

"No detailed records."

"No eyewitness testimonies."

"Only scattered fragments."

Her gaze swept across everyone in the room.

"The battle took place inside the Demon Emperor’s throne room."

She inhaled slowly before speaking the final line.

"And when it was over..."

"Anos’s son was the one left standing."

The room became deathly quiet.

No one knew what to say.

After hearing both versions of history, Videl and the others found themselves even more confused than before.

According to the Temple of Justice, Anos had been a ruthless tyrant whose endless pursuit of battle had dragged the world into suffering.

Yet the Temple of War painted an entirely different picture—a legendary king who had stood between his people and countless enemies, protecting them until the very end.

Neither account felt entirely false.

Yet neither felt completely true either.

Instead of answering their questions, every new piece of history only deepened the mystery surrounding the Demon Emperor.

Brinda let out a long sigh and rubbed her forehead.

"How can the same person sound like two completely different people depending on who’s telling the story?"

Natalia gave a helpless shrug.

"That’s history."

She leaned back in her chair before quietly adding,

"It’s never just about what happened."

"It’s about who lived long enough to tell the story."

Ruby nodded.

"And people are biased."

Eon crossed his arms.

"So what’s the truth?"

Neither holy maiden answered immediately.

Eventually Natalia sighed.

"Probably somewhere in the middle."

Everyone quietly accepted that answer.

Then Videl asked the question that had been bothering her the entire time.

"What happened to the Demon Emperor’s son after he killed his father?"

The room immediately became silent.

Natalia and Ruby exchanged glances.

Several seconds passed.

Then both holy maidens answered simultaneously.

"That we cannot tell."

The answer came so quickly and so firmly that it caught everyone off guard.

Brinda blinked.

"That’s it?"

Ruby shrugged helplessly.

"That’s it."

Natalia nodded.

"Certain records are restricted even among holy maidens."

Eon frowned.

"You told us about the Age of Chaos."

"You told us about the Ancient Continent."

"You told us about the strongest being in history."

"But you can’t tell us what happened afterward?"

Natalia spread her hands.

"Not because we don’t want to."

"Because we genuinely aren’t allowed to."

Ruby sighed.

"There are some things written in the sacred archives that even we can only access partially."

Brinda immediately leaned forward.

"Now you’re making it sound even more suspicious."

Natalia smiled.

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps not."

Videl narrowed her eyes.

For some reason, the more they refused to answer, the more curious she became.

"Did the son become another emperor?"

"No comment."

"Did he disappear?"

"No comment."

"Did he die?"

"No comment."

Ruby laughed.

"You really won’t give up, will you?"

Videl crossed her arms.

"Of course not."

"You told a story and skipped the ending."

"That’s torture."

Brinda immediately pointed at Videl.

"Exactly!"

"You can’t just stop at the most important part!"

Eon nodded in agreement.

"For once, I agree with Brinda."

"Miracles do happen."

Brinda glared at him.

The atmosphere became slightly lighter.

Unfortunately for them, neither holy maiden looked willing to budge.

Natalia smiled sweetly.

"The only way you’ll learn more is if you become my chosen hero."

Ruby instantly grabbed Videl’s arm.

"Ignore her."