Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

The massive werewolf let out a roar, and its powerful pressure swept across the surroundings. Its sharp teeth emitted a blood-red glow and, in the blink of an eye, it was in front of Vorquis, pouncing towards his head.

”[Golden Shield Protection]”

In the nick of time, several shields composed of Holy Light flew in front of Vorquis, continuously rotating around him.

The werewolf’s teeth grazed against the rotating Light Shield, knocking out a few, causing it to jump back.

Priest Tara maneuvered the Golden Shield upward, which had just protected the people, instantly transforming into a spinning cutting blade.

The werewolf lowered itself to dodge, but its movements were still a fraction too slow. The massive Golden Shield cut open a large wound on its forehead, and countless blood spurted from the wound, flowing along its long snout into its eyes.

Its vision blurred, and the werewolf swung its head to fling the blood from its forehead.

Seizing this opportunity, the Hapi Yixuan in the sky folded its wings, swooping down with ferocity, its sharp talons piercing the werewolf’s back.

Letting out a painful howl, the werewolf shook its body, trying to throw the Hapi off.

The Hapi Yixuan vigorously flapped its wings, soaring into the sky.

Spotting the Hapi’s movements, the werewolf stood upright again, swinging its claws to strike at the Hapi; at that moment, a bottle containing red liquid flew in front of it.

The werewolf’s sharp claws effortlessly shattered the bottle, and the blood-red liquid gushed out, transforming into a dense red mist that completely enveloped the werewolf.

The pungent gas invaded its nasal cavity, and the werewolf’s whole body felt extremely uncomfortable. It could feel its Strength being taken away by these gases but was helpless to resist.

”Lord Vorquis, now is the time!”

Hearing Princess Eena’s voice, Vorquis tightened the grip on his sword, forcibly calming his trembling body.

He had to fight, he had to become stronger; this world was not as simple as he imagined.

Previously, he always arrogantly thought he was the protagonist.

But he was wrong.

In this world, there truly were no such things as protagonists or supporting characters.

Many people believed they were born different, but they were never special.

Ultimately, Hero was just a title.

If one does not have Hero’s strength, cannot complete Hero’s task, then they lose Hero’s qualification.

If one has Hero’s strength and can complete Hero’s task, then anyone can be a Hero.

Although he was still called a Hero, Vorquis knew it was just an empty title.

Previously, he valued his empty title, believing that as long as he bore the name of Hero, he would be victorious, how absurd it was.

It was reminiscent of his past life, believing ”If you just study hard, you can be first in your grade.” ”If you are first in your grade, you can definitely get into a good university.” ”If you get into a good university, you will surely have great prospects,” like his parents.

In his past life, he was labeled countless times, as if those labeled should be a certain way.

But he, and what they imagined, was different.

In this life, he labeled himself, and he labeled others repeatedly, as if those labeled should be a certain way.

But he and them were not as imagined.

Knowing deeply what it’s like to be categorized and forcibly labeled as something entirely uncharacteristic, why did his self in this world still want to rely on labels to define others, insisting on imposing stereotypes onto a person?

Why, knowing this was wrong, did he still do it?

Repeatedly questioning himself, a silver light flashed on Vorquis’s Sword Blade.

No flashy effects, no extensive build-up, Vorquis plunged into the red mist wielding his Sword Blade, as if wanting to vent all his accumulated pressure, engaging the werewolf in battle.

Seeing this, Princess Eena put away the magic potion she was preparing to use.

Back when Vorquis shut himself away, Princess Eena truly thought something might happen.

To save this world, Heroes are indispensable.

Heroes were selected by the Village of Heroes, although their selection criteria were unknown, Vorquis’s initial performance was not like that of a Hero.

Initially, always obedient to Heroes, Princess Eena had formed a tragic barrier between herself and Vorquis due to his actions.

In Princess Eena’s view, Vorquis’s awful, self-centered personality was doomed to failure.

Princess Eena even began to ponder what would happen if the Hero died midway.

Although historically, there are no records of Hero failures or death, according to hearsay, not all Heroes that departed the village were the ones who defeated the Demon King.

Perhaps the Village of Heroes is already prepared, with backup Heroes.

If this Hero doesn’t work, then replace them with another, as long as the Demon King can be defeated, everything is negotiable.

Perhaps, to prevent panic, they deliberately avoided announcing the replacement of Heroes.

Change the narrative, say that the first dispatched Hero was a decoy, meant to attract the Demon King’s focus... That works too.

Seeing the Hero indeed lose the match due to his arrogance, Princess Eena outwardly showed concern, yet secretly prepared to escape.

If Vorquis doesn’t overcome his shadow within a month, then he’ll be abandoned.

However, after watching Yang Yu’s match, Vorquis’s mood seemed to have shifted slightly, now, at least, he just barely appears somewhat Hero-like.

Therefore, Princess Eena decided to observe further.

Unfortunately, given Vorquis’s current strength and his present team, saving the world is nearly impossible.

Princess Eena had already conveyed Vorquis’s situation through informants back to the homeland, clarifying the current Hero’s inability to immediately eliminate the Demon King upon its descent.

To ensure the nation’s safety, a certain sacrifice was necessary.

Every time after the Demon King descends, the world undergoes varying lengths of collapse, the existing order disintegrates, and a new order is rebuilt on wasteland.

If the nation’s stability can be maintained, surviving the Demon King’s descent and the collapse period of order, Serti will face unprecedented development opportunities.

And to achieve this, to rekindle ancestral glory, the Hero is an indispensable important asset.

As long as the possibility remains, Princess Eena would not abandon Vorquis.

The intense battle slowly drew to a close, the somewhat fatigued Vorquis propped himself up with his sword, breathing heavily, and the massive werewolf fell.

Vorquis finally depended on the power of his small team, successfully resolving the Guardian of the Eighth Tier of the Underground Maze.