“Aaargh…!”
“S-spare me!”
The imperial soldier collapsed helplessly, unable to let go of the black crystal until the very end.
Even after realizing it had already lost its power, he clung to it foolishly.
“Why, why…!”
“Give me… power…”
Those who relied solely on the power gained by sucking the blood of others and acted arrogantly.
Those who ignored the chance for atonement even when it was given to them.
Cowardly ones who couldn’t even properly wield a sword and fight after losing the demon’s power.
“The demon’s power… If only I had it…”
One of the imperial knights muttered in despair, clutching the lightless black crystal.
“I really cannot bear to silently watch this foolish behavior.”
The chilling voice of a Holy Knight descended upon that knight, raising his sword high.
“Did you believe the demon would protect you until the end?”
“Aargh…!”
The imperial soldiers collapsed to the ground one after another, having lost their spirit.
It was the miserable end of those who had struggled until the last moment to maintain the demon’s glory that had lasted for three hundred years.
[This is the timeline separator]Lin watched the battlefield situation from the rear with a horrified expression.
The imperial army was being trampled like a helpless swarm of ants.
It was the perfect annihilation of the demon worshippers, including Veritas.
“What is this…”
“They must die as villains.”
Count Pryde coldly declared to him, who was unable to continue speaking due to shock.
“As perfect sinners who sold their souls to the demon, beyond redemption.”
“What do you mean…”
“It will make the remaining people of the empire into perfect victims.”
The man recited in a low voice, still not giving him a single glance.
“And the same goes for me.”
Only then did Lin understand his intentions.
The Count intended to embrace all the sins accumulated in this empire for three hundred years and self-destruct.
Cleanly and perfectly.
So that no harm would come to those who were simply born in the empire and had not committed any sins with their own hands.
Of course, it was not as if guilt or responsibility had suddenly arisen in that man’s mind to make him do so.
That much could be known just by looking at those indifferent eyes watching the countless lives perishing on the battlefield.
There was only one reason he was acting like that.
“Other humans still hold no value to me.”
“Then why…”
“Delphine.”
The answer to everything was contained in that single word he had uttered.
That man had planned all of this solely for Delphine.
For her alone.
‘Just what kind of man is he…’
How is such absolute love for someone possible?
No, did I just think of the word love?
The complex and contradictory emotions pouring into him were baffling.
Lin twisted his face and struggled to utter each word.
“You, you’re… a demon.”
That man could not be anything else.
The archenemy of his comrades.
The rival who was obsessively in love with the woman he loved.
Above all, a being without even a soul could not truly love.
Noticing Lin’s expression, the Count recited with an impassive face.
“I will not ask for forgiveness.”
Well, of course.
As if you would change.
Just as Lin was about to confirm that thought, the Count continued.
“I know it’s not something that can be forgiven with words.”
“…!”
Pryde took his gaze off the shocked man again.
He had no intention of making excuses.
That everything he had done was to protect Delphine.
That as a miserable commoner, he had no other choice.
What would change even if that man understood him now?
What he had to do now was not some hypocritical excuses that only spouted words.
“Victory is ours!”
“Advance to the imperial palace as it is!”
From beyond, the cheers of the Holy Knights who had completely annihilated the imperial army could be heard.
Watching their appearance, Pryde slowly raised his hand.
Now that he had fulfilled his duties on this battlefield, only the final task remained.
“…”
But for some reason.
His steps did not easily fall.
‘Now that you’re about to go die, are you feeling regretful, Ioan Pryde?’
Pryde smiled bitterly.
He had no regrets.
Even selling his soul to the demon, all of it.
Because all of that was to protect her.
If there was one lingering attachment left in his heart, it would be Delphine and the child…
But once he saw her face, he would never be able to turn back again.
The same went for the child who resembled her, whose face and name he did not even know yet.
But as a sinful father…
If only he suppressed this foolish desire, the child could grow up as a descendant of the saint.
Not as some miserable illegitimate child of a sealed demon contractor.
‘May you live happily, without any flaws.’
Pryde sincerely wished for that, recalling his own unhappy childhood.
His hesitation was momentary.
Having completely made up his mind, Pryde raised his hand once more.
“Wait! Where are you going?”
Lin shouted urgently and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
“I have to take you to Delphine…”
Tak-
Before Lin could finish his words, with the sound of Pryde flicking his hand, the two of them instantly vanished from the northern plains of the border.
All that remained there was the red blood of the imperial army and the heated cheers of the Holy Knights.
[This is the timeline separator]In the empty imperial palace amidst the rushing war news.
The emperor and prince of the empire were imprisoned by Count Pryde in a room without a single window.
The prince suddenly shouted at the old emperor who was lying down, having lost his motivation.
“F-Father!”
“Don’t move, Gwenalt. We need to save air to breathe…”
“That’s not it, here! There’s a hole!”
At those words, the emperor abruptly sat up and exclaimed.
“R-really?”
“Yes! Over here!”
The prince shouted with a face covered in dirt and stone dust here and there.
“I heard the sound of rats underneath and dug, and there was a sewage hole!”
The emperor examined the hole his son pointed to with a doubtful face.
It was a hole emitting an indescribably foul stench.
Moreover, it was so narrow that it was clear they would have to kneel and crawl like dogs one by one.
“Seeing the rats going in and out, it must definitely lead outside!”
“But, but… Such humiliation…”
The emperor lamented with a face steeped in humiliation and sorrow.
He and his son were born of the noble bloodline of the royal family.
People chosen from birth, of a different class than other humans.
Whether it was a god or a demon that chose them was not important.
Only the fact that they were differentiated beings from others mattered.
“Yes… We must survive first.”
Only then could they seize the opportunity to turn misfortune into blessing.
If they could just get out of here, the loyal imperial soldiers would fight on his side.
To protect the great imperial family.
In the end, they decided to endure the humiliation and escape through the sewage hole.
“Pryde, that bastard… I won’t let him off.”
The king crawled through the dirty hole covered in filth and revealed a secret he had kept to the prince.
It was the method to kill a demon contractor.
Listening intently while crawling through the dark and filthy passage behind him, the prince widened his eyes and exclaimed.
“…The demon’s name!”
“Yes. As descendants of the first emperor, we have known the demon’s name for generations.”
In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, the emperor revealed the demon’s name to his son as well.
“Once we get out of here, we must kill that man at all costs. After losing the demon’s power, how dare that lowly…”
Grinding his teeth like that, they crawled through the dirty sewage hole for who knows how long.
A small light could be seen far away.
“We made it…!”
The emperor and prince simultaneously let out an exclamation.
We’re alive!
As expected, we won’t die.
We were born with a destiny that cannot die miserably like others with such a noble lineage.
The two of them crawled diligently like that and emerged from the hole.
Having been in a dark place, the emperor momentarily closed his eyes when suddenly faced with the sunlight.
And when he slowly opened his eyes again.
“Wh-where is this…?”
The place they had arrived at was not the imperial palace, not even District 1, but the plaza located in the shopping district of District 2.
Despite the central barrier wall being there, for some reason, people from various districts were mingling and bustling together.
Nobles, commoners, and even those who appeared to be lowly citizens from District 3…
And the gazes of all those people were fixed on the emperor covered in filth who had suddenly appeared.
A woman who seemed to be a central noble was the first to recognize him.
“…Your Majesty?”
Those words caused a great stir among the people gathered in the plaza.
“What? That filthy man is His Majesty the Emperor?”
“But why from such a sewer…”
People began to whisper.
No one bowed or showed formality even after seeing him, the emperor.
The emperor realized belatedly.
Pryde, that cold and thoroughly ruthless man, could not have missed the fact that there was a sewage hole in that room.
He had deliberately imprisoned them in that room.
So that they would escape and bring down the dignity of the imperial family and their own downfall.
‘Pryde, you demonic bastard…!’
He cursed inwardly, but it was already of no use.
“Your Majesty! Please explain yourself!”
“Could it be… You were trying to run away! Abandoning us during the war?!”
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
