In the shadowed throne room, where the stench of death hung heavy in the air, a firm voice pierced the silence: "Finally, after all this time, your end has come, Aurelian... or should I say, the deposed ruler of the Kingdom of Alix?"
The tyrant responded with a mocking cackle, indifferent to their threats. The hero, Arthur Sigurd, stepped forward, unsheathing his blade with eyes burning with resolve: "I will never let your darkness swallow this world! My comrades and I have sworn by our blood to protect the realms from the likes of you!"
Aurelian rose coldly from his seat, drawing his black blade. "And who will stop me? You? Try, then."
The heroes charged like a raging storm, but their strength shattered against the rock of his overwhelming power. They retreated, panting and exhausted, as Aurelian laughed scornfully: "Is your strength spent so soon? I haven't even finished warming up!"
Arthur gathered his remaining strength, and the companions braced for a final assault. But amidst the chaos, one shadow remained still... and suddenly, a treacherous blade flashed through the air. In the blink of an eye, Arthur's head rolled across the floor.
Eyes widened in horror, and shock stifled the companions' screams as they stared at the killer... It was their own comrade, Hideki.
With icy detachment, Hideki spoke to his shell-shocked friends: "What's wrong, everyone? You know well that I always lean toward the winning side. Aurelian's power is invincible, and he offered me my life and the lordship of a kingdom... an offer like that simply cannot be refused."
His friend Mark screamed, tears streaming down his face: "What are you raving about, Hideki?! You would betray all of humanity and lick the boots of this cursed devil for a hollow throne?!"
They rushed toward him in vengeance, but a hidden spell paralyzed them instantly, pinning them to the spot.
Hideki approached with slow, deliberate steps, whispering: "It is a trap I prepared in advance, just in case of your futile victory. I'll start with you, Mark... Yes, I would sell the entire world for my own goals." With a single strike, he took Mark's head.
He turned toward Kazumi, his eyes overflowing with deep-seated malice: "You called me a brother, Kazumi, but I never saw you as anything but an enemy. You excelled at everything; you had a family and warmth, while I slept on the frozen streets and fed on scraps. But... what fuels my rage most is that 'Mika' is the one who will mourn you... I have always loathed the feelings she harbors for you."
Before Kazumi could process the shock, Hideki's sword swung, claiming Mika's life. Kazumi let out a heart-wrenching scream, and Hideki smiled a diabolical smile: "Since you share the same feelings, why don't you meet in hell and marry there?" With a final blow, the curtain fell on the heroes' lives.
Hideki stood silent, blood dripping from his blade. Aurelian's applause echoed through the hall: "Well done, Hideki! A truly spectacular, bloody show! But unfortunately, in my new world, there is no place for your kind. You shall die with them!"
Aurelian raised his sword, but surprise paralyzed him; a sharp blade sank into Hideki's own neck. The strike wasn't from the tyrant—Hideki had turned his blade upon himself.
Aurelian recoiled in bewilderment: "You stab yourself? Is this what you call knightly pride?!"
Hideki coughed up blood, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "No, you fool... this is the end of your dreams."
At that moment, the sky cracked open, revealing a giant portal. Aurelian thought for a second it was his army, but the portal overflowed with a suffocating darkness and an ominous aura.
Hideki added with a trembling voice: "Do you know what this is? It is the 'Gate of Doom.' To open it, I needed five sacrifices saturated with pure, absolute hatred. Do you think Arthur hated me for no reason? I slaughtered his parents before his very eyes before we arrived, and he couldn't kill me because of an artifact's curse until the mission was complete. And now, Aurelian... let's go to hell together."
Before he could finish, the portal exploded with catastrophic energy, erasing the palace, the army, and the tyrant. It left nothing behind but ash scattered by the wind.
In the midst of this void, Hideki's spirit drifted, watching his handiwork. He smiled bitterly: "Finally... the era of terror is over, and humanity will know peace. But the price was steep... and my soul now heads toward the abyss."
Regret gnawed at him as he remembered his friends: "What a cruel irony... I was born in the gutters, and when I joined the knights, I found warmth. They called me brother; I lived among them in a comfort that felt like heaven's compensation. Yet, I had to reap their souls with my own hands. Was I destined for misery and ruin forever? If I were granted another chance... another life... I would fix all of this."
In response to his final plea, a brilliant light pierced the darkness, blinding him. When the light faded and his eyes opened again, he wasn't in hell. He found himself breathing, pulsing with life, and the clock had turned back...
He stood once more, a boy of fifteen