On the blood soaked battlefield, thousands of soldiers surrounded a single man.
Their armor was cracked, their shields stained with dirt and blood, yet they stood their ground as they formed a tightening circle around him.
"Take down the demon!"
"Do not let him escape! We attack together!"
The man in the center slowly raised his hand. Dark energy gathered above his palm, thick and violent, twisting in the air as if it had a will of its own. The pressure alone made the ground beneath his feet fracture.
With a single motion, he unleashed it.
The massive wave of energy tore across the battlefield, swallowing everything in its path and crushing the air with unbearable force.
"Be careful! Block the attack!"
Several soldiers raised their shields and barriers at once, but the spell was too overwhelming.
Then, a streak of red light cut through the chaos.
A young man with hair blazing like fire appeared in front of the soldiers. His holy sword shone with radiant light as he stepped forward without hesitation. With a single decisive swing, he split the incoming wave in half.
The explosion of energy scattered across the sky instead of tearing through the army.
"Huh… that is the Hero… Edwin Perrin!"
"We are saved!"
Edwin did not look back at the cheering soldiers. His eyes were fixed on the man ahead.
"Edsel Domitius!" he called out, his voice echoing across the ruined battlefield.
Edsel responded by gathering even more energy around his body. Dark magic swirled around him in violent currents, distorting the air and cracking the stones beneath his feet.
Edwin tightened his grip on his sword. Flames erupted from the blade, burning bright like the sun, their crimson glow reflecting the color of his hair. The heat rolled outward in waves, pushing back the darkness.
The two forces clashed.
Light and shadow collided in a violent explosion that shook the battlefield. The impact sent a massive shockwave across the area, forcing soldiers to brace themselves and shield their eyes from the blinding flash.
When the dust finally began to settle, the battlefield had changed.
Edwin remained standing at the center of the destruction, his sword still glowing faintly in his hand.
Edsel, however, had been hurled backward by the impact. His body had crashed into the nearest building, reducing part of it to rubble. Blood trailed down his forehead as he struggled to rise from the debris.
The darkness in his eyes slowly began to fade, the pure black returning to its original color as he forced himself to look at the man who had struck him down.
"Y-you…"
"Edsel, why did you sign a contract with the Demon King? Answer me!"
Edsel remained silent.
The man standing before him had fought for years to reach this moment. Endless battles, countless sacrifices, and now it had all led here. To think that his own end would come at the hands of someone he once stood beside felt almost ironic.
"Answer me! Why did you betray mankind?"
A broken laugh escaped Edsel's lips.
"Betray mankind? Do not make me laugh. Did I betray mankind, or did all of you betray me first?"
Edwin clenched his fist, his jaw tightening. "We did not betray you, Edsel. You destroyed yourself. Your actions were cruel and unforgivable. I gave you countless chances to change, to walk a different path, but you refused. You chose to run away from everything."
Edsel began to laugh, the sound unsteady and almost hysterical. The fact that Edwin called him a terrible human being felt absurd to him.
"What a joke. You stole my fiancée. You took the achievements that should have been mine. You stand there pretending to be righteous, but you are nothing more than the world's favorite child. Luck always chose you. That is why I chose this path."
"You…"
"It does not matter anymore, Edwin. You won, just like you always do. I was always meant to remain in your shadow."
Silence fell between them as the last trace of strength left Edsel's body.
And that was how the War Demon, the final boss, Edsel Domitius, met his end. Not as a legend. Not as a conqueror. But as a tragic figure consumed by his own resentment.
[You have successfully completed the canon ending by defeating the final boss.]
[You have received a reward: 100 Lucky Points.]
"How boring," the young man muttered as he removed his glasses and tossed his phone onto the bed. The device bounced once before slipping off the edge and crashing onto the floor.
"Damn it!"
He quickly rushed over and picked it up, checking the screen for cracks.
"This game seriously drained all my energy. I actually thought the villain was interesting, but he just gave up after fighting Edwin. What was the point of all that build up?"
He let out an irritated sigh.
"This is exactly why I should never listen to that idiot's recommendations. And here I thought I would at least have the option to play as the villain."
He stared at his phone in frustration.
Then suddenly, a message appeared on the cracked screen.
[Would you like to play as the villain?]
[Yes / No]
"Huh?"
He blinked, unsure if this was some hidden feature or a glitch.
Maybe it was an extra mode. A secret route.
The thought slowly began to interest him. If he could play as the villain, maybe he could change the story. Maybe he could avoid that pathetic canon ending. After all, being the villain sounded far more fun than playing the predictable hero.
"Let's see if I can do better…"
Without overthinking it, he tapped Yes.
The screen instantly turned black.
"What is going on? Did the fall damage it or something? It was working perfectly a second ago."
Before he could press the power button again, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him. His vision blurred, and his body felt unbearably heavy.
He tried to move, but he could not.
His strength gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor as darkness swallowed his sight.
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He gasped.
The moment his eyes flew open, he shot upright in bed, breathing heavily as if he had just surfaced from deep water. His heart pounded violently against his chest, and he instinctively clutched at it while scanning his surroundings in confusion.
"Huh… what is going on? Where am I?"
He was in a large bedroom.
The bed beneath him was wide and far too comfortable to belong to his small apartment. The sheets were soft, the fabric rich and unfamiliar. The room itself was extravagant, decorated with intricate carvings, tall curtains, and antique furniture that looked like it had been taken straight out of a medieval film.
"Wait…"
A terrible realization began to creep into his mind.
He quickly threw off the blanket and rushed toward a tall mirror standing near the wall. His footsteps echoed against the polished floor as he stopped in front of it and raised a trembling hand to touch his face.
The reflection did not match him.
The person staring back had dark pupils and jet black hair, completely different from his usual brown. Even his facial structure looked sharper, colder. He was dressed in a loose white sleeping gown that did not belong to him.
"This is not me…" he muttered as he slowly stepped back.
The face in the mirror was unmistakable.
Edsel Domitius.
Not the broken final boss from the ending, but a younger version of him.
His mind struggled to process it. Maybe this was a hallucination. He had played the game for eight hours straight without rest. He once heard that when someone becomes too immersed in something, they start dreaming about it immediately after.
That had to be it.
Staring at his unfamiliar reflection, he suddenly lifted his head and slammed it against the nearest wall.
A sharp pain exploded across his forehead.
"Ow! That hurts!"
He grabbed his head, wincing as the pain lingered.
"This pain is real… Does that mean I have actually been reincarnated?"
Before he could think any further, the bedroom door swung open with force.
Several maids hurried inside, their expressions alarmed. Behind them walked a tall man whose presence alone commanded authority. He had the same dark hair and dark eyes, with faint circles beneath them that made him look stern and exhausted at the same time.
"Edsel Domitius!"
He flinched instinctively.
"Not even a proper greeting for your father?"