TRSDICI 01

Chapter 1

You’re Laughing?

Blood spread across the ground.
Human and demon limbs drifted through it.

It was hell.

No… this was clearly reality, yet that was how it felt to me.

“So, you’ve finally given up?”

A terrifying appearance that looked like a mix between a human and a demon.

It was the Demon God who had turned this continent into hell.

I gasped for breath before speaking.

“Shut up, ugly bastard.”

“…Huh.”

For the first time, the Demon God laughed.

Facing his killing intent strangely made me feel calm, while at the same time my chest burned hot.

But the Demon God could not move because someone’s holy power was restraining him. Though, once his wounds healed, he would move normally again.

“Sword Demon…”

Someone called me.

I ignored it since I never liked that title very much.

“Sword Demon, you damn bastard…”

I turned my head.

A man was leaning against a large rock with his body hanging limp. His brilliant silver hair had already turned red.

“You’re still alive?”

“I can’t die while leaving only you behind…”

I was the only human left standing in the sea of blood.

“We weren’t close enough to worry about each other.”

“If the last surviving human is a lunatic like you, I’d have no face to show the Goddess.”

“Ah.”

That, I could understand.

I was Sword Demon, called the strongest villain on the continent.

And he was the strongest Holy Knight.

Because of that, he spent his life chasing me while I simply walked my own path.

An old memory suddenly came to mind, and my brow twisted deeply.

“Stop following me already, Rudian. Are you planning to chase me even into hell this time?”

“……”

Rudian let out a dry laugh.

Today, everyone laughed whenever they opened their mouths.
At this point, I might as well add “clown” to my title.

“Sword Demon… can you win?”

Rudian looked at the Demon God standing still.

Who was the Demon God?

The father of all demons. A god with enough power to crush the world alone.

That was no exaggeration.

I tightly gripped my sword.

“I can win.”

Rudian glanced at me and spoke in a calmer tone.

“What a shame.”

“What is?”

“If I had realized earlier that you weren’t truly evil… perhaps things could have turned out better.”

I snorted lightly.

“Wasn’t your Holy Nation the one that decided I was evil on its own? I only killed those who deserved to die. So I have no regrets.”

“I see.”

Rudian quietly thought over my words before speaking again.

“I chased you for years, yet I never managed to catch you. You were stronger than anyone and talented in every way.”

“……”

“That’s why it’s such a shame. If someone like you had become a Holy Knight, we might have become the best of friends.”

But only those blessed with holy power by the Goddess could become Holy Knights.

Still, since this was the end, I silently listened to him.

“Sword Demon, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“What?”

“I heard your family were devoted followers of Ella. Why did you choose a different path?”

The one true god, Ella.

The deity worshipped by the Holy Nation and known as the Mother of Humanity.

“There’s no special reason. The teachings simply didn’t suit me. I wanted to live more freely.”

“Freedom…”

“And even if I had followed Ella, I doubt things would’ve changed much. If the Goddess truly protected good people, my family would never have been destroyed like that.”

I continued speaking as if swallowing flames.

“Or was it because I didn’t believe in her? If that’s the case, then the Goddess is incredibly narrow-minded. One sheep walks another path, and she abandons the entire flock.”

“……”

“Look at that bastard.”

I pointed my sword toward the Demon God.

“That thing called the father of demons descended personally to fight for demons. But our precious Goddess won’t even speak while her last Holy Knight is dying.”

I looked at Rudian.

“Rudian, was your faith ever rewarded?”

“……”

“Go on, pray. Ask her to restore my destroyed family. Ask her for the power to defeat that Demon God.”

The anger I had buried for years burst out all at once, making my teeth grind together.

Rudian calmly faced my rage.

“Sword Demon.”

“Speak.”

“The Goddess does not solve problems for us. She only gives us the strength to overcome trials. Just as she granted me holy power.”

“……”

“In the end, it is our duty alone to harvest the fruit.”

His blue eyes did not waver.

“Then what about the Demon God? You’re lying there half dead.”

Rudian blinked once before answering.

“Didn’t you say you would win?”

“What?”

“I bought you time, so now you’ll somehow handle the rest.”

Seeing his sincere expression made me sigh without realizing it.

This stubborn fool’s faith was too strong. Even my rage-filled sword could not break it.

“Kael Luminar.”

For the first time, Rudian called my real name.

“You are not Sword Demon. Nor are you evil. You are simply…”

Suddenly, his voice quietly faded away.

As if he were offering a prayer, complete silence filled the surroundings.

The life had vanished from his always-bright blue eyes.

‘Damn it… this feels unpleasant.’

I reached out to close his eyes.

No… I tried to.

“……”

Blood flowed from my severed left shoulder.

I could no longer shield this man from the sky above him.

‘At least I’ll take revenge for you.’

Holding my sword in my right hand, I turned toward the Demon God.

Blood splashed from the ground with every step I took.

Then I tripped over someone’s arm and fell forward. Red blood burst upward.

I had already reached my limit long ago.

It felt as if countless hands were rising from the blood and dragging my body down.

“……”

Before me was a dead man’s face. His eyes were wide open.

Unable to lose, I suddenly found myself staring back at the corpse in a contest.

“Impressive.”

Through the corpse’s eyes, I saw the Demon God approaching after breaking free from Rudian’s restraint.

“That enormous hatred toward Ella. And power that surpasses humanity.”

The closer he came, the heavier the air became from his overwhelming presence.

“It would be a waste to kill you. If you wish, you could become a demon—”

The moment the Demon God stepped close—

I suddenly sprang upward and swung my sword.

Slash!

The startled Demon God pulled back, but my blade deeply cut across his chest.

He immediately struck back with sharp fingertips, and I jumped backward like a fly.

“……”

The Demon God and I glared at each other as if trying to kill one another.

Blood flowed from the wound on his chest.

I hated Ella, but I hated the Demon God who turned this continent into hell even more.

The silence dragged on awkwardly, so I spoke first.

“Fooled you, didn’t I?”

“……”

The Demon God’s eyebrow twitched.

Then the corner of his lips moved before he burst into loud laughter.

Confused, I spoke.

“Why are you laughing? Did getting ambushed break your brain? Fine. From now on, your name isn’t Demon God anymore. It’s Mad God. No objections allowed.”

The Mad God finally stopped laughing and stared at me.

“That was dangerous. If you had wielded holy power instead of magic power, the outcome might have been different.”

The wound on his chest slowly healed.

At this point, it wasn’t even surprising anymore.

Most of Rudian’s attacks had left scars, yet the wounds I made healed completely.

“Anyway, I’ve heard your answer well enough.”

The Demon God lowered his stance.

His blade-like killing intent pierced my entire body.

The Demon God vanished from where he stood and instantly appeared before me.

I swung at his exposed neck.

Clang!

But his fingertips blocked the strike.

Since I only had one arm left, I could not put enough strength into the blade, and my sword shattered.

Slash!

At the same time, a hot sensation passed across my neck.

When I regained my senses, my vision was floating in the sky.

Whoosh—

When I was young, I envied birds flying freely through the sky.

But becoming one myself was not beautiful at all.

As I looked down upon the scenery of hell, I saw Rudian’s corpse.

Unable to face him, I quietly closed my eyes.

‘Your faith was far too much for someone like me.’

Actually, I never denied the existence of the Goddess herself.

The scriptures and the holy power of the Holy Knights proved she existed.

But that did not mean I worshipped her.

There were simply too many things she forbade.

The only one who nagged more than my father was the Goddess herself.

“Kael! You little troublemaker! When will you finally grow up?!”

Honestly, listening to my father’s nagging was better than reading scriptures.

‘But now I can never hear it again. If an afterlife truly exists, Father must be in heaven… while I’m in hell…’

Smack!

A heavy impact struck the top of my head, and my eyes snapped open.

“You bastard, how can you sleep at a time like this?”

Some pathetic-looking guy was glaring at me.

‘Did this idiot really hit my head? This weakling who looks like he’d die from a glare alone?’

Tilting my head slightly, I first checked my condition.

My severed neck was perfectly attached again.

The exhaustion consuming my body had completely disappeared.

And inside me swirled a familiar yet unfamiliar energy.

However, my physical strength was weaker than usual, and both my hands were tied behind a chair.

“Hey, I asked how you can sleep after being kidnapped.”

The man tapped my head as if telling me to wake up properly.

Something inside me tried to rise, but overwhelming confusion suppressed it.

‘…Kidnapped?’

Just moments ago, I had been fighting the Demon God before losing my head.

So why did the anger still feel so vivid?

As if I were truly alive?

And now that I looked closely, this ugly face seemed strangely familiar.

“What? Why are you staring? Got a problem?”

No matter what, I never forget three kinds of people:

Those who hit me.
Bad people.
Ugly people.

And surprisingly, this guy fit all three.

‘The time I was kidnapped while returning to my family…’

When I was young, I once wandered around the Holy Nation pretending to be on a pilgrimage.

On the way back home, I was kidnapped by unknown men.

And unbelievably—

This bastard’s face matched one of them exactly.

‘Even the place is the same.’

A dark warehouse lit by moonlight.

It happened shortly before my family was destroyed, so I remembered it clearly.

“Lower your eyes when you look at me.”

But what I could not understand was why both he and I were alive.

‘Did I return to the past?’

Why?

Did the Goddess who never once looked my way finally give me a chance?

Or did someone else send me back?

‘Hmm.’

I had many questions, but it truly seemed I had returned to the past.

Unless I had finally gone completely insane—

Well, my mind had never been very normal to begin with—

But if this was truly reality…

Then it meant I could change everything that once slipped through my fingers like sand.

My destroyed family.

My dead relatives.

That hellish past.

“Haha…”

A laugh escaped my lips.

I didn’t even remember the last time I laughed.

“This bastard’s laughing?”

The man’s face twisted fiercely.

“Is my face that funny?”

At that moment, I kicked the chair away and stood up.

Our eye levels instantly matched, making him flinch.

I glared at him while taking one step after another.

Instinctively, he stepped back.

When I finally stood before him, he stopped retreating.

The distance between us was close enough for our noses to touch.

Still glaring at him, I slowly opened my mouth and let out a low laugh.

“Hahahahaha…”

As I laughed like a madman, he let out a dumbfounded chuckle.

“Haha… this guy’s really gone crazy…”

I immediately stopped laughing and hardened my expression.

“You’re laughing?”

“You started it—”

I leaned my head back—

And slammed it into his face with all my strength.

Bam!

The man collapsed backward.

A trail of blood poured from his nose.

Pain spread through my forehead.

The smell of blood filled the air.

Enjoying the sensation waking up every part of my body, I smiled brightly.

Ah…

I really did return.

(To be continued)