Her face, destroyed in half, contorted in rage. The insect hovered close. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the insect and tore it apart. Golden blood splashed on her skin, scorching, purifying her dark-born flesh. Shaking in pain, the Dark Lord screeched, summoning a thousand [Void Tendrils], dragging the whole dungeon into the starving void.

“Hey! Are you guys there?” screamed Borius, unable to see in the darkness. Then, a swarm of Lightfang Crawlers grabbed him with their claws and flew away.

“[Wings of the Avian Goddess]!” Farem shouted, summoning a massive pair of feathery wings. Soaring as fast as he could, Farem caught up to Borius, yanking him out of the Lightfangs’ claws. “[Angel’s Divine Coat],” he said, enchanting Borius’s plate with a glowing buff. The effect would last for five minutes, preventing Borius from drowning in [Abyssal Palace].

“Is that you, Dumbrem?! Run for your life! I’ll hold them back!” Borius howled as Farem dropped him down to the black ocean floor, far away from the approaching Crawlers. “Darn it, everything’s so dark!”

Without wasting a second, Farem glided over to a furious Aria, ink-black tentacles mending her face with [Shadow Heal]. Soon, the dungeon collapsed; what remained was a tremendous sea of darkness.

“Sweetheart!” he called. “I need you to focus! There is a swarm of Lightfang Crawlers coming. I’ll aid you, so do not fear! Keep [Abyssal Palace] up and slay them all! I believe in you!”

Though her entire body shook with fury, his voice had calmed her down, if only for a heartbeat. She flung her purple cloak to Farem. Her long, silver hair spilled free, cascading over her pauldrons. Her Nightfall Armour screamed to life, its battle-cry tearing a rift of void into the air. [Void Tendrils] writhed and coiled, braiding themselves into a tattered mantle that streamed down her waist, each strand hungering for flesh.

All hail the Dark Lord.

Farem landed softly on the ground. A [Light Beam] shot at him, but he simply sidestepped out of the way.

Hordes of Crawlers buzzed toward him, their mandibles pounding together like war drums. Aria charged straight into the army, [Void Tendrils] following behind her into battle.

She [Shadowdash] past him, and the two exchanged a knowing glance. Farem tossed his Longsword into his [Inventory] and brandished the mighty Light Blade.

He marched forward, each step a roaring tsunami. The Lightfang Crawlers recognized him as the destined Hero of Light, so they ignored him and headed straight for the Dark Lord. Big mistake. No one would harm Aria and get away with it.

“[Speed Enhance].”

All that remained were corpses. Sliced in two. Farem slashed madly, cleaving through the hordes before they could register his movement. Betrayed, the Crawlers shot [Light Beam] after [Light Beam] at Farem. But he was faster than light. Every shot missed. Little by little, they fell, yet for every Lightfang that died, another one replaced it. Farem cracked his knuckles and stretched his back. He might have gotten rusty.

“[Darkflame Tempest].”

Black flame rained from the ceiling. Winds blew. From the depths of the earth, a fiery tornado rumbled to the surface. In mere seconds, it turned thousands of Lightfangs to nothingness. Those that didn’t perish… The flaming wind whipped them into golden viscera. “You like that?” Farem gripped his blade tighter. “My wife taught me that skill!”

In the distance, he could hear a faint chuckle.

Shrieking desperately, the Crawlers charged Farem from every direction, determined to claw out his heart. Slowly, Farem sheathed his Light Blade and took a deep breath, crouching into a drawing stance.

At just twenty-two years of age, Hero Farem had attained strength beyond belief. That strength hadn’t waned a bit, even at twenty-eight. His level had risen far above S-Rank, which, at the time, was considered the pinnacle of power. So the Guild Association had granted Farem, the first man to ever achieve Level 1000, the mantle of…

X-Rank.

“[Hanako Iaijutsu Style: Blooming Lily Cut].”

The Crawlers stared, confused. Why hadn’t their claws reached the Hero? The questions were never answered, as their heads slid off their bodies. Pink lily petals fluttered around Farem’s blade as he sheathed it back with a clink. The cut was quick. So fast it was almost invisible.

A petal landed on his ear, soft and soothing, almost like the music he heard long ago. That day, the sound of her piano left an imprint on his mind. The Hero promised himself: He had to get much stronger. He would learn all kinds of divine, arcane, and forbidden skills. So that when the time came, he would meet the Dark Lord face-to-face—not to slay her, but to stand beside her…

And protect her.