American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 239 Marbas: I am the King of Flame Demons! Son of the Three Palaces! Locke: What kind of king are you?

"Where do I come from?"

This was a question that Diana had kept buried in her heart since childhood.

Especially when the gargoyle projected and distorted that obsession about origins from her subconscious with unparalleled clarity before her eyes.
A scorching arena, a roaring demon, terrified spectators...

Everything is fading away.

She transformed back into that little girl, no more than seven or eight years old, wearing a rough but clean linen skirt and barefoot.

The sunlight, like scattered gold dust, falls on the pristine white sand of Paradise Island, warm yet not scorching.

The azure sea gently lapped at the shore, bringing a salty yet refreshing breeze that ruffled her dark, slightly wavy hair.

In the distance, the shouts of Amazon warriors during their training could be faintly heard, everything was exactly the same as the most beautiful childhood scene in her memory.

Beneath this peaceful facade, however, lies a silent barrier.

As usual, she awkwardly chased after her mother's figure.

The Queen walked on the beach, her posture upright and her demeanor graceful, bathed in the awe-inspiring gazes of her subjects, yet seemingly shrouded in an invisible barrier.

"Mother."

The little girl mustered her courage, jogged to catch up, and looked up, her bright blue eyes filled with pure longing. "General Phillips said that every soldier knows his roots. So...where did I come from?"

Hippolyta paused for a moment.

She didn't look down at her daughter; her gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon, as if the answer lay there, or perhaps...
Nothing at all
Her profile appeared exceptionally cold in the sunlight.

Diana

Hippolyta said calmly:
"Some questions don't need answers. You are the princess of Paradise Island, and that's enough."

After saying that, she continued walking forward.
He left his little daughter alone on that overly bright beach.

Their backs to each other were distant, as if there was an insurmountable chasm between them.

The sea breeze blew, but little Diana felt a little cold.

She lowered her head, looking at her legs covered in sand, and an indescribable sense of grievance and self-doubt gripped her young heart.

"Am I... not perfect enough?"

She stared at the empty beach, muttering in a whisper that only she could hear, "Not strong enough, not good enough..."

"That's why my mother didn't want to get close to me, and didn't want to tell me where I came from..."

"Ms. Ella".

Diana stopped an elderly maid who was carrying a fruit platter.

This was the maid she trusted most, who often secretly told her stories.

"Please tell me?" she pleaded, clutching the maid's sleeve. "Everyone says I'm Mother's only child, but why... why do I always feel like I'm different from everyone else? Where did I come from?"

The maid's kind smile froze, replaced by panic.

The fruit plate in her hand tilted slightly and almost fell.

Then she suddenly took a half step back, broke free from Diana's small hand, and avoided eye contact with those clear eyes.

"Princess! Please...please don't ask anymore!"

The maid's voice was extremely low and trembling, "Her Majesty the Queen has strictly forbidden... forbids anyone from discussing this! Please, please stop asking!"

After saying that, she practically fled, leaving little Diana alone, standing in the shadow of the cold, tall stone pillar, her emptiness and doubt growing ever stronger.

The fog of memory grows ever thicker.

That seemed to be when she was a little older.
During a sparring session with General Phillips, his fierce attacks triggered Diana's instinctive resistance.

She remembers feeling just a bit wronged at the time.
Want to prove myself
So, just as she raised her hand to block, a violent arc of azure electricity burst forth from her palm!

It slammed hard into Phillips's crossed arms!

"Ugh!"

The female general, whose strength was enough to capsize a warship, was blasted backward by this sudden force and crashed heavily onto the sandy training ground more than ten meters away. Her arm armor was charred black, and she fell into a brief coma under the onslaught of electric light.

The entire training ground was deathly silent.

All the Amazon warriors present stared at themselves, who stood frozen in place, with looks of shock, unfamiliarity, and even a hint of fear.

Queen Hippolyta rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.

She looked at the unconscious Phillips, then at her panicked daughter whose little hands were still steaming slightly. Her face showed no pity, only an icy seriousness.

Diana

"Power that you cannot control will only bring harm and fear."

She delivered a chilling verdict, personally placing a pair of icy silver-blue wristbands on Diana's slender wrists. "Wear them, and don't take them off until you learn to control them. This is... atonement."

The wrist guards were as cold as shackles.

She looked up at her mother's serious and distant face, overwhelmed by grievance and confusion.

Why? I just want to become stronger...

Why does the mother look at me like I'm a monster?

That night, she couldn't sleep.

The daytime 'punishment' and her mother's gaze made her sneak out of the palace.
Barefoot on the cold marble floor, like a small shadow, I arrived at the enormous door of my mother's palace, which was forever closed to me.

She pressed her ear tightly against the carved door, holding her breath to listen—

Inside, there was an unsettling silence.

It was as if behind the door was not a palace, but an empty tomb that had stood for a thousand years.

She was a little scared, but just as she was about to back away...
"Squeak..."

The heavy palace doors opened by themselves without anyone pushing them or feeling any wind!

A shadow carrying a musty smell surged out from inside the door. Caught off guard, she screamed and was pulled into the boundless darkness behind the door by that invisible force.

She stumbled and fell, then looked up.

There were no lights inside the hall; only the pale moonlight from outside the windows outlined a blurry silhouette.
Before her, the dense darkness gradually coalesced into a tall figure, as if it were alive.

That was the outline of my mother, but now it radiated a suffocating malice.

She slowly lowered her head, her eyes burning crimson, devoid of any warmth, only filled with cold mockery.

"Mother! Tell me, where did I come from?!"

With a sob in her voice, she pressed for an answer, a longing she had suppressed for far too long.

The shadowy figure's lips curled into a sardonic grin, every word dripping with sarcasm:

"From where?"

She scoffed, her scarlet pupils drawing closer, her shadowy fingertips almost poking her forehead. "Are you still clinging to unrealistic fantasies?"

"You are nothing more than an abandoned baby I picked up from the cold reef."

"See your true colors! You are not my daughter at all, you are just... scum from the mud!"

"It was my mercy that allowed you to live, while the truth rendered you useless."

As soon as the words were spoken, Diana's last shred of hope was completely frozen.
She knelt in the cold darkness, her shoulders trembling, tears streaming down her face.

Abandoned baby... remnants... useless...

These words echoed in her mind, almost tearing her soul apart.

She couldn't understand why the warm mother in her memory had become so cold, or why her very existence seemed to be a kind of original sin.

The extreme sorrow and despair threatened to drag her completely into the abyss of consciousness.

But just on the verge of being completely swallowed by darkness,

Suddenly, a scorching heat came from the pair of silver-blue wristbands on her wrists!

That was not the scorching heat of punishment, but an indomitable surge from the deepest part of one's blood!
The wristband spontaneously emitted a deep blue light.
Like stars awakening in the night sky, a gentle force spread along her arm, softly soothing her almost collapsing spirit.

Diana's crying stopped abruptly.

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears, and looked ahead once more.

This time, however, in the reflection of those scarlet pupils, she did not see her own insignificance and humility, but rather the unusually bright blue light on the wristband.

This light...

It's just like Mr. Locke's calm and collected demeanor when repairing weapons.
It also vaguely reminded her of the worry and tenderness in her mother's eyes when she was young, when she would quietly tuck her in late at night.

"Om-"

As if some kind of shackle had been broken, fragments of real memories, suppressed and distorted by illusions, transformed into pearls freed from the mud, gleaming with clear light, and surged back into her mind.
It was never about being distant!
In my memory, when my mother gazed at the distant horizon, her face was not indifferent, but rather filled with unfathomable worry.
It's not taboo!
The maid never panicked and ran away; she simply touched her gently and said, "Diana, you are family, and that's enough."

It's not a punishment!
On that training field, the uncontrolled lightning that erupted from her body didn't strike General Phillips! Rather, it nearly backfired on her in her own uncontrollable terror!

General Phillips, disregarding the danger, rushed forward and used his body and shield to block most of the energy impact for her!
The wristband my mother gave me when she rushed over was not a shackle, but a protection!

Protect her from the backlash of his out-of-control power, and protect her too...

To avoid being targeted by some unknown entity!
The gargoyle's distorted illusions confront real emotions and memories.
Vulnerable!
The confusion in Diana's eyes quickly dissipated.
She wiped away the tears on her face with the back of her hand, and with the warmth and strength from her wristband, she stood up with unwavering determination.

"Abandoned baby. This term is as old-fashioned as the stork or gargoyle."

Diana's voice was soft, yet it was firm and resolute.

"My origins..."

Looking down at the wristband that was still shimmering with blue light, Diana felt as if she could sense her mother's deep love through it.
She raised her head, her gaze sharp, and stared directly at the shadowy figure that had begun to writhe uneasily, clearly declaring:
"...It is a miracle forged by love and will! It is a masterpiece of perfect fusion!"

"Mom...would never lie to me!"

The voice fell
The dark shadow shrieked and disintegrated amidst the azure arcs of electricity.

The surrounding darkness also dissipated rapidly, like the receding tide.

She stood once again before that familiar palace gate.

But this time, the feeling was completely different.

There was no cold, deathly silence, no chilling shadows.
She gently pressed her ear against the cool door, and what came from inside was no longer emptiness, but... a warm whisper.

Like a spring breeze blowing through the treetops.
Interspersed among them were a few extremely soft laughs, belonging to a mother.

The sound gave her a strange sense of peace.

She no longer hesitated, no longer feared.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door that had once been tightly shut to her.

Inside the door was not the cold palace she had imagined.

The palace was warm and bright, with soft light filtering in from an unknown source, illuminating the four-colored specks of light that floated slowly in the air.
It was a deep, warm yellow, a lively, clear blue, a steady, resolute mountain brown, and an ever-jumping electric arc.

They intertwine and swirl harmoniously, rendering the entire space like a sacred temple.

Her mother was Queen Hippolyta.
She wasn't wearing a majestic royal robe, but rather a simple white nightgown, and was sitting on the edge of the bed.

She lowered her head slightly, gently stroking an old photo frame in her hand, a nostalgic smile playing on her lips. Hearing the door open, Hippolyta looked up in surprise.

When she saw her daughter standing at the door, her eyes filled with an unprecedented clarity and determination, she was clearly stunned.

After a brief silence, Diana spoke first, her voice no longer filled with anxious questioning, but with a solemn confirmation:

"Mother, tell me. Where...where did I come from?"

Staring blankly at her daughter, Hippolyta looked at the clarity in her eyes after breaking through the fog.

After a long while, the gentle smile on her face slowly expanded, eventually turning into a radiant smile full of relief and immense pride, with even a few glistening tears in her eyes.

She did not answer immediately, but stood up and walked towards Diana:
"Your body."

She spoke softly, raising her hand to gently gather the golden light in the air, softly merging it into Diana's small figure, giving her a sense of solidity, as if rooted to the earth, "shaped by the boundless soil..."

"Your life."

As she spoke, a light blue halo rippled outwards, like a clear spring sprinkling down, nourishing the earth and bringing it vibrant life and moisture, "Nourished by the waters of life..."

"Your power."

The mountain-brown light steadily poured in, as if imbuing her bones and will with the resilience and endurance of the immortal mountains, "drawing inspiration from the mountains..."

"And your soul..."

Hippolyta's voice became solemn.

Until the leaping arc of electricity, carrying joy and majesty, suddenly entered Diana's brow, stirring up a vast ocean of thunder deep within her soul.

"...will dwell in the ocean of thunder, never to fall!"

The four colors of light blended perfectly at this moment!
It flowed around Diana, eventually slowly receding into the background, as if becoming part of the very essence of her life.

Hippolyta knelt down, looked directly into her daughter's shocked and bright eyes, gently took her small hand, and said softly:

“Diana...you are not an abandoned child, nor are you a piece of trash.”

"You are a masterpiece of love and will, the embodiment of my blessings for him."

"Bearing this blessing and origin, your true name..."

"Should be."

"—Diana Kent."

"Go, child."

The queen's eyes flashed with lightning and pride, "Let the demons witness your wrath."

In the illusion, the mother's gentle yet truthful declaration echoed in the hall of memory.

It resonated perfectly with the thunderous energy surging within Diana in reality!
The depths of those deep blue eyes no longer reflected confusion.

The four primal forces merged perfectly within her body, requiring no guidance or suppression, flowing naturally like her innate breathing!
She no longer needs the aid of weapons.
No longer need the protection of wristbands.

She is power itself!
“Rumble——!!!”

The thunderclouds above the arena were churning and boiling to their extreme!

Countless thick, white lightning bolts, no longer flickering randomly, converged wildly toward Diana's raised right arm as if paying homage to a monarch!

The radiance was so intense that she seemed to transform into a human-shaped thunderous sun, the blinding electric light making it impossible for any spectator to look directly at her!

The giant sword in her hand, under the immense power of thunder, hummed under the strain, its blade glowing inch by inch until it finally became completely energized!

It was no longer solid metal, but had coalesced into an extremely compressed, extremely unstable entity with a blazing white core and edges wreathed in destructive electric arcs.
Thunder Spear!

"It really is him! Who are you to him?!"

For the first time, disbelief lingered in the roar of the Balrog King.

Diana's gaze pierced through the blinding white lightning, locking coldly onto the colossal demon. She drew her arm back, her waist taut like a fully drawn bow, and the energy of the entire arena seemed to be drawn to her, solidifying instantly.

"demon……"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the thunder, carrying a calm that announced the end: "Witness what purification is, what... divine punishment is!"

The moment she finished speaking, her arm swung forward with a sudden burst of speed!

“Swish—Boom!!!”

The thunderous spear flew out of his hand!

There was no so-called flight trajectory, for it itself became a blazing white rift tearing through space! Its speed surpassed the ability of time and sight to capture, piercing through all of Malbas's hastily assembled defenses the instant it left his grasp.
The hellfire was torn apart like paper, and its lava shell was easily pierced!

The blazing white lightning energy erupted and raged wildly within its body, tearing it apart from the inside like countless sacred lightning blades!

Its enormous body convulsed and swelled violently, its lava armor cracking inch by inch, from which billions of blinding bolts of lightning shot out!

A beam of light shot into the sky, instantly dispelling all the gloom and ash in the sky!
The devastating shockwave spread outwards, shattering the first few rows of seats. Even Queen Hippolyta on the high platform had to raise her arm and gather her divine power to resist the terrifying aftershocks.

When the devastating energy storm finally subsided, the world returned to silence.

Diana was slightly out of breath, with beads of sweat on her forehead.

however--

Just when everyone thought that terrifying being from the abyss had been completely annihilated...
A sudden change occurred!

In the huge, charred crater in the center of the arena
Those pale sparks that should have been completely extinguished did not dissipate; instead, they attracted and converged with each other at an astonishing speed, greedily absorbing the remaining thunder power and pervasive hellish energy in the air!

"Om-!"

A more violent and ancient evil aura erupted!

Under Diana's horrified gaze, the countless pale sparks spun and coalesced wildly, and in the blink of an eye, they reconstructed Marbas's enormous lava body!
And, it looks... completely unharmed?!

No.
It's even more powerful now!

Its aura was even more profound and terrifying than before!
It was as if some kind of power, belonging to its true origin, had been unleashed by that near-destructive attack!

Diana's heart sank, and a chill ran through her.

She couldn't accept that she had given up all the power of her nascent life—the lightning that could purify all evil—and this was what she received in return...

It wasn't a victory after all?
Even an avatar cannot be completely erased...

What kind of demon is this?!

"Ho... ho ho..."

With a twisting motion of its newborn neck, Malbas let out a chilling, sinister laugh.

In those six burning eyes, the fleeting fear had long been crushed into dust, replaced by a furious rage that could melt everything in its path!
And that too is the ultimate arrogance and madness that comes from the depths of one's blood!
It slowly raised a burning arm, so large it could blot out the light, and pointed it menacingly at Diana, pale-faced, in the center of the arena. Its voice roared like a million volcanoes simultaneously from the depths of an abyss:
"Who do you think you're dealing with?!"

"Who do you think I am?!"

Its roar shook the entire island.

“I… Malbas! The fire-bearer of the Nine Rings of Hell! And my father—”

It paused, as if the name itself contained supreme power and taboo, and even when it uttered it, it was filled with unparalleled fervor and awe. Its voice suddenly rose, piercing the clouds:
"—His name is Trigon!!!"

"I am the son of the King of the Three Palaces, the Terrifying Three Palaces, the Destroyer Three Palaces, Skars Drez, Satan, the Demon, the Lord of the Three Palaces, the Master of the Three Palaces!!!"

This series of pronouncements of true name, filled with destruction and authority, weighed heavily on the souls of everyone who heard it!
The Amazon warriors in the stands, who had just recovered from the aftershocks of the lightning strike, were now deathly pale. Many of them even collapsed to the ground, their minds nearly broken by the shock of this evil name that was far beyond their comprehension!

Relishing this fear, Marbas's massive head turned to Diana, then swept over Hippolyta on the high platform, whose expression had drastically changed, his voice filled with absolute contempt:

"I don't care who that damned farmer is! In this forgotten alternate dimension, I set the rules! I control the power!"

"Who can stop me here?! Even... just one of my avatars!"

"Today, I, Malbas, the King of the Flame Demons, pronounce judgment—"

It suddenly raised its arms to the sky.

Flames converged in its palm!

A terrifying fireball with a diameter of over 100 meters quickly formed above its head!
The core of the fireball was extreme darkness, while its surface burned with pale hellfire. The light and heat it emitted distorted space, and its enormous size even blocked out the sky. The shadow it cast shrouded most of the arena in despair as the end of the world approached!

"—You, along with this ridiculous island, may all vanish into nothingness!"

Upon seeing this, Queen Hippolyta's eyes widened in fury!
Golden divine power erupted from her body. She raised the lightning-wrapped spear high and leaped down from the platform, the spear pointing directly at Malbas, roaring:
"Marbas! You treacherous bastard! Your opponent is me! Fight me!"

but.
The anticipated cataclysmic collision did not occur.

The Queen was astonished to find that Marbas, who was imbued with the power to destroy the world, had completely stopped moving!

Not only his raised arms, but even the dark, blazing sun above his head, powerful enough to incinerate an island, seemed to be eroded by a vast and boundless power, its surface ablaze with a pale, sacred flame.
The flames were not extinguished, but rather forcibly broken down and dispersed by a more fundamental force, turning into specks of light that silently melted into the air.
But in an instant
The devastating fireball that had brought despair had vanished, and the arena had returned to an eerie calm, leaving only devastation and the deathly silence of survivors.

Even at this moment, in Marbas's perception—

A bone-chilling cold suddenly enveloped the entire arena.

It wasn't a low temperature on a physical level, but an absolute coldness and suppression that originated from the depths of the soul and transcended the sequence of life.

That was a demon god like his father, the Three Palaces!
Faced with this chill, the rampant hellfire within the arena instantly waned, its flames shrinking as if trembling.

Marbas's deafening, arrogant roar came to an abrupt halt, as if his throat had been choked.

The extreme anger in its six eyes, which were burning with violence and destruction, quickly faded.

It turned its head, no longer looking at Hippolyta or Diana, but with unbelievable horror, gazing into the deepest shadows of the audience seats.

"Ta...tat..."

Clear footsteps came from there.

The newcomer walked very slowly, each step seemingly coinciding with the pulse of time and the nodes of space, causing the ruins, which had survived the catastrophe, along with the dust floating in the air, to fall into a soothing yet eerie rhythm.

An incredibly tall figure slowly emerged from the darkness.

The shadow did not dissipate with his appearance.
They even seemed like living beings, leaping and entwining around his body like the most loyal servants, gathering and stretching behind him.
Ultimately, it transformed into a pair of folded demon wings.

He was nearly three meters tall, and his skin was covered with a dark, hard stratum corneum.

On either side of the forehead, a pair of winding, jet-black horns broke through the skin and grew wildly!
A muscular dragon tail swayed restlessly behind him, each swing producing a dull sonic boom that tore through the air.

"Wow——!"

Wings adorned with dark red magical patterns unfurled with a roar, casting shadows that nearly obscured the entire world in Marbas's six terrified eyes!
It's him!

It's really him!

That demon god who should have been in another world, hidden beneath ordinary farmland!
On his shoulder, he casually carried a large, ancient-looking sword with a broad blade.

He walked calmly to the edge of the arena and stopped.

His gaze calmly swept over the mess and scorch marks on the ground, finally settling on the massive body of the Flame Demon King, who was completely stiff, as if nailed to the spot.

The entire arena was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Locke, now in his demon form, tilted his head slightly, looking at Marbas as if scrutinizing a clumsy and boring farce.

His voice was soft, without a trace of anger, and he simply said calmly:
“Marbas…”

"You lowly clown..."

"What exactly are you... stirring up?"

(End of this chapter)