Screams of civilian filled the atmosphere of the night.

Death, fire, and destruction. The Avalon Empire has been invaded by countless beings that appeared through dimensional gates positioned all around the capital city of the empire and its settlements. Their invasion was so sudden, the empire couldn't respond quickly enough and just under an hour, many villages, towns, and cities were engulfed in flames.

The one leading the invasion proclaimed himself to be "The End of All."

"So, you're here."

Sitting on the throne was the King of Chaos, Lucifer, also the one who proclaimed as "The End of All". His gaze was fixated at the man who walked into the throne room.

Supposedly, Lucifer's generals, four of them, was supposed to protect him, their king. But they were nowhere to be seen.

'This is to be expected.'

Lucifer thought so.

The man in front of him was not an ordinary human.

"Alexander Dimitri, the greatest Royal Knight of the Avalon Empire."

"It looks like I won't have to introduce myself, anymore, Lucifer."

Lucifer stood up and slowly walk himself down the stairs.

Alexander knew that the opponent he will be facing will give him the most toughest challenge no ordinary human beings can ever hope to surpass. But this did not bring fear to him at the slightest. Although he is human, he had already faced beings comparable to demigods and won. Still, this does not mean that the opponent he's facing is comparable to the demigods he fought.

Lucifer himself was born with only one purpose.

[To bring end to all of creation.]

Not just humans, but every creation in the universe, including gods.

Alexander unsheathed his katana and threw the scabbard. He got into a fighting stance that was commonly used in Kenjutsu.

"Prepare yourself, Alexander Dimitri. You will now face the greatest adversary of humanity."

The two quickly dashed towards each other, starting the beginning of their battle.

*****

"Have you heard?"

"What is it?"

"It seems the young master had finally lost it."

"Young master Alex?"

Two maidservants were whispering at each other while busily carrying water buckets at the back of a mansion.

"Yes. It seems like he wanted to try wielding a sword. But because the sword was heavy, he lost grip and cut his leg. Luckily, there was a healer nearby so they managed to heal the young master before he lost too much blood but the price of healing that wound costed a lot."

"What was the young master thinking? Wielding a sword when his body is so frail?"

Both maids sighed.

"Anyway, the young master was taken back to his room. He flailed around after getting cut by the sword and because that was the first time he got sliced by a sword, he probably couldn't endure the pain and fainted."

"Can't he at least be considerate enough not to do something stupid? This household's financial situation is currently in a tight spot and hiring a healer is a huge burden. We'll probably not get paid again if he continues to do something stupid again."

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. But it wouldn't be surprising since this territory had not been blessed with good things."

*****

In a small room.

A young boy laying on a single bed opened his eyes. Trying to get up, he felt tremendous pain on his left leg. Though the pain was so immense, the boy didn't leak any sound and just clenched his teeth hard.

Several few minutes had gone by and finally the pain had stop.

Panting, he slowly but carefully got up from bed again.

'This place is extremely shabby.'

Some parts of the room were full of holes big enough for a rat to go through. The wooden floors were a bit rotten judging from the foul stench. Truly, this could only mean that the financial position of this household was not great.

But this wasn't a concern for him.

'What's more concerning is the current condition of this body.'

The state of his body was not good. In fact, with how his body is right now, it's like a twig that can easily be broken.

'But I did wish for a normal life. Maybe this is normal here?'

A thought that only lasted for a second.

When the boy tried to walk, his left leg felt so weak that he lost balanced and almost fell to the floor. Luckily, there was a desk near for him to grab on to. However, this did not change the fact that he is currently in a difficult situation.

'I am really frail right now. This is a dangerous situation that I should first prioritize.'

As the boy tried his best to reach the door, a knock could be heard from the other side.

"Young master, I brought you your meal."

A young maidservant invited herself in after knocking. Carrying a meal, she dropped the food and covered her mouth that was wide open with both of her hands.

"Young master! The healer said you shouldn't try to walk so please hurry and go back to bed!"

"Huh? But I---"

With a speed that was not achievable by ordinary humans, the young maid appeared behind the boy and princess-carried him back to bed.

"No buts! Your body is extremely frail and if you try to move now, you'll injure yourself again."

"I got treated and my wound was patched up, yes? So it won't be a problem if I tried to walk."

However, the young maid shook her head.

"Healing magic might recover external damages, but it can't restore what was lost."

"I see..."

The young maid placed a blanket on top of his legs and a pillow at his back, then urged him to lay down to which he cooperated willingly since he felt that disobeying this young girl would not do him good.

"Don't worry, young master Alex. I, Hannah, your personal maid, will take care of you fully so that you con recover quickly!"

'So her name is Hannah, huh...'

Hannah proudly puffed out her modest chest.

This sight could only be described as a scene in a novel or anime. Alex, the young boy, couldn't help but smile a little at her enthusiasm to take care of him.

"I'll be in your care, Hannah."

He said to her.

"Leave it to me, young master Alex! I'll be right back to get your meals since I accidentally let go of it. I apologize."

Hannah bowed and left the room.

Silence filled the room, and a cold sweat could be seen on Alex's forehead.

'Not being able to sense her presence even though she was just right behind the door I was about to go through was concerning. But what I'm more concerned about is her physical prowess...'

Certainly, it was a surprise that he was not able to sense her presence. But what worried him the most was Hannah. She is, by no means, an ordinary maid.

For a royal knight of the Avalon Empire, Alexander Dimitri would be able to obliterate Hannah in just microseconds. However, he is not Alexander Dimitri anymore. but Alex, third son of Baron Romeo del Los Santos, according to the memory of the current body.

It could either mean that he lost his ability as a royal knight or because of current body's current condition, which is so frail.

'It doesn't matter. I should focus on improving my body after my left leg fully heals.'

Fortunately, Alex's body can still be improved. The body did not suffer from any terminal illnesses or diseases that could hinder motor skills. However, with how his body is right now, it will take some time to improve his physical attributes.

'Since I am still nine years old, I would have to take my time... but I still need to hurry up in case an unexpected variable might come up and threaten my life.'

For Alexander Dimitri, he lived his life being constantly threatened by the predators of his old world. Thus, there was no time to be complacent as it could cost one's life. So he thoroughly trained himself to the bone and took any opportunities that would make him stronger. Although everything changed when he became a royal knight working for the Avalon Empire, that habit was deeply engraved in his mind.

Even though he is now nine years old, he felt that it was not an excuse to not start preparing for any possible danger that might come for him. If people could hear his thoughts, they would certainly think that he is crazy.

However, the laws of this world was not different from his old world.

The dangers that lurk in the world Alexander is currently living in would never give anyone a head start even if they wished for it.