All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

The Demon King's army's iron hooves have begun to stir.

Before the Obsidian City Lord's Mansion, hundreds of thousands of demonic soldiers stood in formation, their black armor forming a forest, their demonic aura soaring to the heavens. Giant axemen, demonic archers, and necromancers lined up in order, the sounds of clashing armor and rubbing weapons intertwining to create a terrifying war song.

Yue Gui stood with his hands behind his back on the high platform, his black dragon-patterned robe fluttering in the wind, as if echoing his fighting spirit. He looked up towards the direction of the Holy Empire's capital, his eyes devoid of any emotion, only cold resolve.

"Your Majesty, the entire army is ready and can set off to attack the capital of the Holy Empire at any time!" The arrogant man knelt on one knee and reported in a deep voice, his whole body brimming with fighting spirit.

Lust and death stood on either side, their eyes respectfully awaiting orders. Although the Demon King's army suffered losses in the battle of Hammer's capital, their morale was greatly boosted, and they held Yuegui in even greater awe.

Yue Gui nodded slowly, his voice low yet penetrating the entire army: "Let's go."

A simple command, yet it resounded like thunder throughout the ranks. The demon soldiers roared in unison, their shouts soaring into the sky, before marching in orderly steps toward the capital of the Holy Empire, their iron hooves leaving deep imprints on the earth.

"Those goddesses and heroes will not stand idly by," Yue Gui murmured to himself, watching the demon army's departing figures.

He knew better than anyone that the Holy Empire was the core stronghold of the Goddess's faction and humanity's last line of defense against monsters. Karen's squad, as the current main force of the Heroic faction, would inevitably go to provide support.

What he wanted was a direct confrontation.

He sought revenge against the imperial nobles who betrayed him, to uncover Karen's true identity, and to tear apart the lies woven by the goddesses in order to find clues to his return home.

Meanwhile, in a hidden cellar on the outskirts of Hammer's main city.

Karen leaned against the wall, her face still pale, but under Allen's magical healing, the wound on her chest had improved slightly. Leah and Doron stood guard at the cellar entrance, vigilantly observing the outside world.

"Strange, why are the monster's roars getting farther and farther away?" Doron frowned and muttered to himself. He gripped his giant axe tightly, his previously tense nerves relaxing slightly.

Lia also noticed the anomaly. She peeked out and looked into the distance, her eyes full of doubt: "The demon army seems to be moving, and the direction... seems to be towards the capital of the Holy Empire."

Karen's heart skipped a beat, and she struggled to her feet: "This is bad! Yuegui's target isn't Hammer City at all, it's the capital!"

He instantly understood that Yue Gui's attack on Hammer's main city was merely to contain the Warriors' faction. Now that the objective had been achieved, he immediately gathered his forces and headed straight for the core of the empire.

"We must set off for the capital immediately!" Karen said urgently. "If the capital falls, the human race will completely collapse."

Allen put away his staff and nodded: "The captain is right. The demon army is too large. The capital's garrison may not be able to withstand it."

Without further hesitation, the group packed their simple belongings and, taking advantage of the lull in the main force of the demon army to move, quietly left the cellar and sped off towards the capital of the Holy Empire.

The departure of the demon army greatly reduced the pressure along the way. The monsters that once filled the streets and alleys had disappeared, leaving only dilapidated houses and congealed bloodstains, telling the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

The group sped along, not daring to delay for even a moment. Occasionally, they encountered surviving human refugees along the way. Upon learning of the demon army's massive attack on the capital, they were all filled with fear and fled in all directions away from the capital.

As dusk fell, a small village nestled against the mountain came into view. Wisps of smoke rose from chimneys, and the faint barking of dogs echoed through the air, creating a stark contrast with the dilapidated landscape along the way—like a haven of peace in a chaotic world.

"Let's go to the village to rest and replenish our food and water supplies, and also find out the latest news from the capital," Karen suggested, as the continuous journey had caused his injuries to ache again.

Without objection, the group walked into the village along the path at the entrance. The villagers, seeing their armor and weapons, showed a flicker of wariness in their eyes, but did not drive them away; they simply avoided eye contact.

Just then, a white figure stood up from under the old locust tree at the village entrance and walked towards them.

"Captain Karen, Leah, Dorron, Allen!"

A familiar voice came from behind them, and they were all startled. They turned around and saw Sabella wearing a slightly worn battle nun's robe. The wound on her shoulder had been bandaged. Although her face was still a little pale, her eyes remained firm.

"Sabera! What are you doing here?" Lia rushed forward, her face filled with joy and worry. "Weren't you besieged by the Demon King's army at the western stronghold?"

Sabella smiled, her tone becoming more relaxed: "The demon army suddenly withdrew, and the forces surrounding me also decreased. I took the opportunity to break through the encirclement and intended to go to the capital to provide support, but I didn't expect to meet you here."

Her gaze swept over Karen, a hint of concern flashing in her eyes: "Captain Karen, how are your injuries?"

"It's nothing serious, she just needs to rest." Karen shook her head, looking at Sabella with a hint of doubt in her heart. "The demon army's sudden withdrawal is probably for some other purpose. We were just about to head to the capital to find out."

Sabella nodded, a hint of seriousness flashing in her eyes: "I also feel something is wrong. Yue Gui took that divine spear and his actions are becoming increasingly strange. His attack on the capital cannot be so simple."

After the group reunited, their morale soared. Guided by the villagers, they arrived at the village chief's house. The village chief, a kind-faced middle-aged man, warmly welcomed them upon learning that they were brave warriors heading to the capital to resist the demon army.

The village chief's courtyard was small but kept clean and tidy. Inside the main room, an elderly man sat beside an old wooden table.

The old man's hair and beard were snow-white, his face was full of wrinkles, and his eyes were cloudy. He looked extremely weak, as if he would die at any moment. He was curled up in a chair, breathing weakly, and covered with a thick, coarse cotton-padded coat.

"This is the village's ancestor. He's old and his health hasn't been good. He usually likes to sunbathe here," the village chief explained with a smile, his tone full of respect.

Everyone nodded, not paying much attention. Karen found a place to sit down and rested against the wall, while Leah and Sabella went to help prepare dry rations, and Doron and Allen kept watch in the yard.

Just as Karen relaxed and began to circulate the remaining magic power in his body to heal his injuries, a faint but familiar magical fluctuation quietly entered his senses.

This fluctuation...

Karen suddenly opened her eyes and stared sharply at the old man in the corner of the main room.

It's him!

This fluctuation is exactly the same as the magical aura that teleported them to escape the demon army's encirclement at a crucial moment in the battle of Hammer's main city!

The situation was critical at the time; he only sensed the mysterious magical fluctuations and was teleported away before he could trace their source. Unexpectedly, he would sense this aura again in this remote village.

Karen stood up calmly and slowly walked towards the old man. He could clearly sense that the magical fluctuations were emanating from the old man, but the old man had deliberately suppressed them to the extreme, so that he would not have been able to detect them if he hadn't been consciously trying to perceive them.

"Sir," Karen said softly, her tone respectful.

The old man slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at Karen without any emotion, as if he were just looking at an ordinary young man.

"Young man, is something the matter?" The old man's voice was hoarse and dry, carrying the marks of time.

Karen took a deep breath, looked directly into the old man's eyes, and cut to the chase: "Sir, I'm very familiar with the magical fluctuations emanating from you. Back in Hammer City, wasn't it you who used teleportation magic to save us?"

The old man's body stiffened slightly, a barely perceptible glint flashing in his cloudy eyes before he regained his composure: "Young man, you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm just an old man nearing the end of my life; I have no magic powers whatsoever."

At this moment, Leah, Sabella, Doron, and Allen also heard the conversation between the two and gathered around.

"Captain, what's going on?" Lia asked in confusion.

"I suspect the old man is the one who saved us before." Karen pointed at the old man, her tone certain. "The magical fluctuations on his body are exactly the same as the aura he had back then."

Doron frowned, stepped forward, and carefully examined the old man, but noticed nothing: "It doesn't seem like it. This old man looks frail and weak, even having difficulty walking. How could he possibly be a powerful magician?"

Allen nodded, his eyes serious, and said, "Not necessarily. Some powerful individuals are adept at concealing their aura, especially ancient mages like these. Their strength is unfathomable, and concealing their aura is as easy as turning their hands."

Sabella stared at the old man, her eyes filled with doubt. She could sense that although there were no obvious magical fluctuations on the old man's body, he possessed an ancient and steady aura, far beyond that of an ordinary old man.

"Sir, we mean no harm," Sabella said softly, her tone gentle. "We just want to know, who are you? And why did you save us?"

The old man remained silent for a long time, a struggle flashing in his cloudy eyes. Finally, he sighed softly and said slowly, "Fine, since you've noticed, I won't hide it anymore."

He struggled to stand up, and Karen quickly stepped forward to help him. Leaning on Karen's arm, the old man slowly straightened up. Although he was still weak, his aura subtly changed, and an ancient and powerful magical fluctuation, no longer deliberately suppressed, slowly emanated.

The fluctuations were far more powerful than anyone had imagined, carrying a sense of the weight of time, which made everyone present feel a bit oppressed.

"I am indeed the one who saved you before." The old man's voice was still hoarse, but it had gained a bit more authority. "My name is Ella. I was a member of the previous hero's team and a space mage."

"A member of the previous Hero's Party?!"

Everyone was shocked, their faces filled with disbelief. The previous hero team was a legend from a hundred years ago. They successfully slew the Demon King and protected the human world, but mysteriously disappeared after the war, never to be heard from again.

I never expected to run into one of them here!

"You...you really were a member of the previous Hero Squad?" Lia asked excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration. She had always held the members of the Hero Squad in high esteem.

Ella nodded, a hint of reminiscence and sorrow on her face: "That's right, I was the space mage of the previous hero's team, and the only one who survived."

"The only survivor?" Karen's heart sank. "What about the others? What happened to them?"

Ella's eyes dimmed, and she said slowly, "They're all dead, killed by the people we were protecting."

Everyone was stunned, their faces full of confusion. The previous hero team, who had slain the Demon King, were heroes of humanity. How could they have died at the hands of their own people?

Seeing the puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Ella sighed softly and slowly revealed the long-buried truth of history.

"A hundred years ago, our team gathered the strongest warriors of the time. After overcoming countless hardships, we finally found the Demon King's lair and engaged in a final battle with him."

"That battle was incredibly fierce, with heavy casualties among the team members. In the end, our captain successfully slew the Demon King and protected the human world."

"We thought that after the war ended, we would usher in peace and be respected and loved by mankind. But we never expected that what awaited us was not glory and honor, but betrayal and slaughter."

Ella's voice trembled, her eyes filled with grief and resentment, as if she had returned to that dark day.

"Our captain, who was also a hero at the time, was named Yue Gui."

"Returning from Guangdong?!"

Upon hearing this name, everyone was struck dumb, their faces filled with disbelief, their eyes wide open, unable to believe their ears.

The Demon King has returned; he was once a hero?!

The news was so shocking that they couldn't accept it for a while. That demon king, radiating evil and slaughtering all living beings, was actually the hero who saved humanity a hundred years ago?

"What...what did you say? Demon King Yue Gui was the previous hero?" Karen's voice trembled. He had suspected that Yue Gui's identity was not simple, but he never thought that it would be like this.

Sabella was also shocked, her eyes filled with doubt. She recalled how Yuegui had taken the divine spear, and the complex aura emanating from him; her doubts deepened.

Ella nodded and said in a heavy tone, "That's right, he is our captain, the most dazzling hero a hundred years ago."

"After slaying the Demon King, we returned to the capital of the Holy Empire with his head, intending to report back to the imperial nobles. However, we did not expect that the nobles had already coveted Captain Yue Gui's power and the treasures he obtained from the Demon King's lair."

"On the surface, they treated us warmly and held a celebration banquet for us, but in secret, they had already laid a trap to take us down."

"On the night of the victory celebration, countless assassins suddenly appeared and launched a sneak attack on us. The team members all died in battle to protect Captain Yuegui. I barely managed to escape the capital with the seriously injured Captain Yuegui using spatial magic."

"We escaped to a secluded valley. I treated Captain Yuegui's wounds, but his injuries were too severe. In addition, the despair and anger in his heart, caused by the betrayal of the people he was protecting, completely consumed him."

"On a stormy night, Captain Yuegui's aura suddenly became abnormal. A dense demonic aura surged around him, his power completely spiraled out of control, and his entire appearance became unrecognizable."

"When I woke up again, Captain Yuegui was gone, leaving behind only a devastated valley and a dense, suffocating demonic aura."

"Later, monsters began to appear frequently, more and more towns were slaughtered, and Captain Yuegui reappeared before the world as the Demon King."

As Ella's voice faded, the main room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone remained silent, their faces filled with shock and sorrow. No one had imagined that the Demon King Yuegui had such a tragic past.

He wasn't born a demon, but was betrayed by the people he was protecting, and consumed by despair and rage, which turned him from a hero who saved the world into a demon king who slaughtered living beings.

Karen's heart was in turmoil. He looked at Ella and asked in a grave tone, "Old sir, you said Captain Yuegui obtained a treasure from the Demon King's lair. What kind of treasure is it?"

He had a vague feeling that the treasure might be related to Yue Gui becoming the Demon King.

Ella shook her head, her eyes full of doubt: "I don't know. Captain Yuegui never told us what that treasure was, he only said that it was a very important thing, of vital importance to him."

"Then do you know why the imperial nobles betrayed Captain Yuegui? Was it merely because they coveted his power and treasures?" Sabella asked softly, her eyes full of confusion.

Ella's eyes turned cold, her tone tinged with hatred: "It's not just that. I later learned that a goddess was secretly manipulating the imperial nobility."

"Goddess?" Everyone was stunned.

"That's right, those high and mighty goddesses." Ella's voice carried a hint of sarcasm. "They need a powerful enemy to unite humanity's faith and consolidate their position. Captain Yuegui was too powerful and didn't submit to their control, so they instigated the nobles to betray him and turn him into a demon king."

"In this way, they can both eliminate a disobedient strongman and create a powerful enemy, forcing humanity to rely on their protection and thus gain more faith power."

These words completely exposed the goddesses' hypocritical masks. Everyone was filled with rage; it turned out that the war between humans and demons was merely a pawn for the goddesses to consolidate their power.

"These goddesses are going too far!" Doron roared, gripping his giant axe tightly, his eyes blazing with fury.

Lia was also filled with anger: "They actually sacrificed Captain Yuegui and so many innocent people for their own benefit. It's so cruel!"

Allen's gaze turned serious as he slowly said, "So, Yue Gui's attack on the Holy Empire's capital was not only to avenge the nobles, but also to avenge the goddesses."

Karen nodded, her eyes deep: "That's right. He knows the truth, so naturally he won't let those who betrayed and schemed against him get away with it."

His feelings toward Yue Gui became complex. There was anger at his slaughter of living beings, and sympathy for his tragic fate.

Sabella remained silent, the image of Yue Gui flashing through her mind. She suddenly realized that Yue Gui's taking the divine spear might not only be for its power, but also to expose the goddesses' conspiracy.

"Old sir, why did you choose to live in seclusion here?" Karen asked softly.

Ella smiled, her voice full of weariness: "I'm old, my strength is not what it used to be, and I can no longer participate in the war. I've secluded myself here, partly to avoid the pursuit of nobles and goddesses, and partly to protect this truth and wait for someone who can reveal it."

He looked at Karen, his eyes full of expectation: "Karen, you are the current hero, and the most promising young man I have ever seen. I hope you can remember this history, expose the goddesses' conspiracy, give Captain Yuegui justice, and give the world the truth."

Karen nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, sir, I will. I will find out the whole truth, stop this war, and never let the goddesses' conspiracy succeed."

Ella smiled with satisfaction, her body swaying slightly, appearing even weaker: "Good, good, I'm relieved to hear you say that."

Karen quickly helped him up and helped him back to his chair.

"Sir, please get some rest. We'll set off for the capital first thing tomorrow morning," Karen said softly.

Ella nodded, slowly closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually calmed down.

Silence fell once more in the main room. Everyone's hearts were heavy; learning the truth had given them a completely new understanding of the war and the goddesses.

As night deepened, the village fell silent. The village chief arranged rooms for them, but none of them felt sleepy.

Karen stood in the courtyard, gazing at the starry sky, her mind a jumble of thoughts. The past of Yuegui, the goddess's conspiracy, clues to her return home—countless questions intertwined in her mind.

He knew that the road to the capital would be fraught with danger. He would not only have to face the powerful demon army and deal with the schemes of the goddesses, but also confront the demon king Yuegui, who had a tragic past.

Sabella walked over to Karen and whispered, "Captain Karen, what are you thinking about?"

Karen turned to Sabella and said in a serious tone, "I'm thinking about how we should face Yue Gui when we get to the capital."

Sabella remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "He is a hero who has been betrayed; we cannot treat him as a mere enemy. Perhaps we can try to communicate with him and join forces to fight against the goddesses."

Karen nodded. "That's what I think too. He, like us, is a victim of the goddess's conspiracy. Only by joining forces can we have a chance to uncover the truth and end this war."

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar, accompanied by the roars of monsters, approaching the village.

"Oh no, it's a monster!" Doron's voice came from the courtyard gate, his tone urgent.

Karen and Sabella exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.

"It seems our rest time is over." Karen gripped her knight's sword tightly, her eyes sharp as knives.

Sabella also gripped the broken holy sword tightly, a resolute glint in her eyes.

Allen and Lia also rushed to the courtyard, ready for battle.

Awakened by the sudden movement, Ella slowly stood up, a hint of seriousness flashing in her eyes: "It's the vanguard of the Demon King's army. They must be scouting the road and clearing the way for the main force."

"No matter who they are, if they dare to cause trouble here, we'll teach them a lesson!" Doron said angrily, his whole body brimming with fighting spirit.

Karen nodded and said in a deep voice, "Everyone be careful, try not to reveal our location, and finish this quickly!"

The crowd responded in unison and rushed toward the village entrance.

As the night deepened, the roars of the monsters grew closer, foreshadowing an impending fierce battle.