The world before Nico's eyes made him shudder. Underneath the rippling eternal night sky was a kingdom laid in flames. The walls were breached, and the already barren lands before it grew more scarred by flames. It was as if the kingdom had been impoverished in an instant.
Nico stood on top of a tall tree next to Frostine who stood on a higher branch. From there, he could see the number of red ships that ferried the forces of the demons through the skies of the kingdom. If they charged recklessly, they might only bring more death than manage to drive the demons away. That was why he still wasn't rushing towards any enemy he found.
Moreover, taking a detailed look at himself, he seemed to be clad in tattered clothes. The adventurer's garments were too worn-out as if he hadn't changed out of it for months. Had the Nico Finch of this world been traveling all over without anyone? Or was he sleeping in the streets of the kingdom he couldn't save?
"Nico, the red commanders are coming out. We should strike soon." Frostine had this vigor in her eyes as if she was happy. Nico couldn't discount the fact that this woman could change her personality based on her happiness with him. If she was angry, she was nothing but a cold woman; if she wasn't, she was rather enthusiastic. It might have something to do with his promises…
"Alright. We'll strike at them. Maybe they will retreat if we could take their commanders down." Nico didn't know anything about those things, but there was a feeling inside him. It was as if his muscle memory could attest to his strength that was superior to these things.
"They will." At the sight of the red commanders, Frostine's excited smile turned cold. Her visage then shifted into its battle mode, and it didn't fail to amuse Nico. This Frostine girl was rather cute.
As for the red commander, they were like red spirits in black armor. There was only a monstrous silhouette and an inverted triangle as a shape. The features of the face were somewhat flattened.
In a cue, the two jumped down the tree, Nico not knowing how his body was able to survive such a thing. They then ran across the field out of sight, planning to get past the walls. Since there was no security, it was fairly easy.
However, when they got inside the wrecked section of the kingdom, they saw a few villagers trying to arm themselves against the demons who mocked them with their presence alone.
What made it strange to Nico was that the demons were not even trying to ridicule the humans. The chief was aiming a shaky rake at the advancing red commander. Next to him were the men who were trying to protect their wives and children by buying time. The chief then said, "How dare you enter our kingdom! Go away! You don't belong here!"
"Brave humans. Unlike your king who hides in the rubble of his glory." The red commander didn't even laugh. However, he still conjured a ball of fire from his palm. "I shall remember you in the ashes of the fallen."
Before the red commander could strike down the old village chief, an ice bolt shot from the side. The red commander shattered the ice bolt with the fireball, only to realize that another figure had charged under the diversion of the ice bolt.
The eyeless face looked so shocked when a bladed ice staff came near his face. Bang! The blade struck down at the red commander instead, but the red commander's body was tough and enhanced by magic. The blow only pushed him away from the villagers.
At the appearance of the robed woman, the villagers had run away. They inevitably ran past a young man with the appearance of a street dweller.
"Traitor." The red commander frowned at the emergence of a night maiden. He could recognize her being by the glowing tattoos on her body. The rest of the invading demons showed up and growled at the newcomers.
"…they looked so different…" Nico knew what a typical demon looked like, but these creatures before him were too civilized to be the erratic ones he knew from media depictions. The monsters were not all black in color, but they did have pieces of black armor on their bodies. Even the red commander didn't appear to be a demon based on what he knew.
Was this the look of the demons whose king managed to defeat the destiny hero?
Just like what Nico said, the memories of the body began to drift into his own mind. He now knew what a destiny hero was supposed to be. They were children of prophecy that was told to destroy the Neo Nyx, the incarnation of all evil souls that wanted to ravage the world. It was a classic blend, but the ending was bad. The destiny hero of this world, Nico Finch, failed.
It didn't even grow better when a mere mortal transmigrated into the hero's body. They did share the same name and face, but they were very different. The destiny hero was a trained knight due to his noble birth, but just like normal, his House Finch was decimated by demons during an invasion. As for the new soul, he was just a movie king. What did he know about fighting?
Still, Nico drew out the sword made of light. It was something that his body knew so well, but it was also the only thing that it could remember. This hero must have degraded so badly. 'It doesn't matter… as long as my body remembers how to fight, I should be fine. Moreover…'
"Die, imbeciles!" Frostine fired a strong ice spell that summoned icicles from the ground. The demons evaded some, but the peaks still grazed or exploded some of their body parts. Based on what Nico could see, she seemed to be this magician type, but the way she was dressed didn't fit an ice maiden. She also had a different class name.
"Wait, is that…?" A demon moved out of the way earlier, but that placed him closer to Nico. When the stark light of the sword hit his vision, he instantly had an epiphany that the hero had shown up on the battlefield. "You've risen!"
Nico only hooded his eyes before assuming a sword stance that his body knew… and what he had learned from taking up high fantasy roles. "And you've run out of luck."
In a swift motion, he rushed forward and stabbed the demon in the chest. The core that served as the demon's heart exploded, and Nico kicked the body off of his sword. At this, he wondered why his reflex didn't destroy the body. This demon might actually rise again.
Actually, it did.