〈Arc 1- The Moon Illuminates the Darkness〉

Prologue - A Miserable 'Villain'

Superbia.

Invidia.

Avaritia.

Ira.

Luxuria.

Acidia.

And finally, Gluttony.

Those were the sins I committed.

Thinking about it a bit, a wry smile appeared on my face.

Taking a small look at the state my body was in, a weak laugh escaped my lips.

"That bitch is really quite tough..."

"... Even in such a deplorable state she was able to deal such a fatal blow to me-... Cough!"

A large pool of blood was spat out from my mouth. My organs were quite damaged and some were even charred.

The only reason I was still able to maintain my consciousness was because of the last few drops of mana left in my body.

"Well... at least this 'return' will finally be over..."

I raised my head slightly and fixed my gaze on the sphere that gave off an ominous golden colored energy. That orb contained the legacy of the 'Original Hero'... My ancestor.

As I looked at that floating object in front of me, a feeling of sadness began to fill my head.

The Empire was already devastated, but the inhabitants managed to save themselves, while the various foreign kingdoms were doing their best to keep their people safe from the remaining demon army.

However, my expression only represented unfathomable sadness.

"It ended better than last time, but... The sacrifices were the same..."

My mind began to fill with various images, causing a nostalgic glow to appear in my slightly darkened gaze.

"A scum like you is not worthy to carry on our family's legacy!"

My sister blurted out those words days after I had become the patriarch of our noble house.

The fierce look she had on her face when she saw me was still vivid in my head. At least now she must be happy, right? After all, that brother who tormented her for a long time is about to die.

"I know I'm going to die, but... I want you to know that both I and the Empire detest your unpleasant existence..."

The princess of the Empire, my fiancée, had said those words to me moments before she released all of her solar energy in order to save what was left of the Empire at that time.

Her tone of voice was cold and there was a great trace of hatred in it. I can't blame her, my actions really caused great disgrace to the Empire.

"Your existence is the greatest sin that the Lightstorm house could commit...!"

Those were the words that the Saint told me, who ended up giving her life to stop the evil contamination that the Demon King had released on the continent.

Even for someone devoted to God, she couldn't help but hate me. I can understand, after all, she witnessed the massacre I indiscriminately committed towards the children and adults of a foreign village.

"Your death will not be enough to calm the cries of deceased souls!"

That was the reminder left for me by the witch I once had a connection with. All of the dark mana from her was drained and served as the catalyst for the Demon King's awakening.

She had always sought to curse me or poison my food. But, she never left my side, even in the last moments of her life, she activated a spell so she could protect my body...

I wasn't sure how long it had been, but the memories in my head kept replaying.

The betrayal I committed to the Empire.

The day I killed hundreds of imperial guards and used them as a sacrifice to form a pact with the Demon King.

The despairing face of the elves when I contaminated the 'God' they worshiped so much.

The theft of the 'Primordial Essence' from the Fairies.

The cries and screams of the slave women I bought just to satisfy my sexual appetite.

The confrontation I had against my classmates.

Memories kept flashing through my head. Little by little, the scenes of the different acts that I committed began to appear in my mind.

Despite having been the cause of all those events, my expression could only show a feeling of sadness and remorse.

"If they saw me now, they would surely be quite happy, wouldn't they?"

He was sure that he would receive laughs of joy and some consoling blows. Yes, I was not someone they should spend their tears on...

However, all kinds of thoughts that I had in that instant completely disappeared when a heartbreakingly familiar scene appeared in front of me.

"Dad..."

The scene I was currently watching… It was the time I killed all the members of the Lightstorm noble house… My own family.

The screams were heartbreaking, the blood of the servants, knights and guards covered the castle that once shone like immaculate marble.

Once I was done with all of them, I headed towards a beautiful and spacious hall, however, there was only one person present in the room.

My father, the patriarch of the Lightstorm Family... And the only person except for the Emperor who made it to the Transcendent realm.

He didn't speak and neither did I, we just stared at each other for a long time. There was no reason why we should blurt out a few words between us, after all, the decision had already been made...

Thinking of that day and of my father's understanding eyes before piercing his heart, made a rather sour feeling begin to consume my entire being.

Once that scene ended, the memories that kept invading my mind ended and didn't show up again.

I unconsciously let out a deep sigh due to the emotional entanglement I had started to feel recently. It's not that I was mentally weak, but remembering all that always made me feel the loneliness and sadness that I carry with me.

"Ha!...Since when did I become so sentimental?...Did my mind get damaged from the fight with the Demon King?"

I let out a small laugh at the irony of my own situation. However, I felt my right cheek getting wet and, although weak, I heard the sound of a drop of water hitting the ground.

"...This really sucks..."

Although my vision had become somewhat blurred, I could still see those wet trails that began to form on the ground.

How long has it been since the last time I cried?... Maybe it was about 2 years ago...

Before I plunged back into my memories again, an intense light appeared and surrounded the floating orb in front of me. A glow like no other began to illuminate the entire place and the dark skies had lightened a bit.

"Right... I don't need to think about it anymore..."

Along with that brightness, all kinds of feelings that had been growing in my heart disappeared and my eyes expressed an immeasurable coldness.

I had lost the main reason I still clung to life.

Taking a look at the sphere surrounded by white energy, a dark violet aura began to spread around my body.

I felt like my body was starting to get heavy and my eyelids felt pretty tired. A faint trail of blood seeped from my lips, while my skin went what little trace of warmth was left.

As if reacting to the strange aura around me, the floating sphere shook violently.

"There will always be two types of path... Good and evil"

Those words came out of my mouth, but it wasn't me who said them.

"The good will attract many people and their future will shine like the sun..."

I was just repeating what I heard back then, 17 years ago.

"Quite the opposite of the first, the bad guy can only cause suffering and omen"

That was true, unlike someone humble and honorable, a despotic and vile person like me can only meet a pretty miserable end.

"However, it is only by the second path, that ideals can be achieved and difficulties that overwhelm good can be overcome..."

A smile appeared on my gloomy face, while the aura around me concentrated on a single point, my heart.

At this, the sphere stopped its trembling and wandering motion. Instead, a thin white rope began to weave in my direction.

"In 1000 years the Demon King will appear again and chaos will once again consume the continent..."

The strand of energy created a link between the orb and me. Being the connection points, the core of the sphere and my heart.

"...When that day comes, I hope that you, my descendant, will choose the path that I did not dare to travel"

The thin thread began to darken moments after it came into contact with my body.

"Only someone with the same strength as me is able to defeat the Demon King and that person, is only my descendant"

That was the last sentence I blurted out, as I nonchalantly stared at the sphere in front of me.

The moment the energy strand went completely dark, the floating orb gave off faint traces of a dark aura.

At this, I simply turned my gaze to my right arm. My eyes immediately fixed on the necklace that rested in my hand.

It was simple and unremarkable, but a photo showed up on the little bauble that was attached to the chain.

A beautiful woman, a man with fierce eyes, two girls and a boy were the ones who appeared in the image.

However, my gaze fell on the beautiful woman next to the fierce-eyed man.

Seeing the bright smile and kindness that radiated from her face, a warm feeling filled my heart.

"I wonder if my choice would be the same if you had been alive..."

Several bolts of energy shot out from the floating orb at that moment.

"...No, I'm sure you would do anything to stop my decision..."

My eyelids began to fall due to the sudden tiredness that invaded my body and my hand slowly closed.

"I really appreciate you not witnessing what I am now..."

Suddenly, the thread of energy snapped and as the floating orb spun violently, a small whisper escaped my lips.

"...I couldn't stand it if you hated me too...Mom..."

That weak sentence was the last thing heard in the whole place, since a great explosion of light began to consume the entire area.

The floating orb vanished into various energy particles, while the only thing that came into my vision was an immense darkness.

The only thing that went through my head right now, were the words the Demon King had said to me when I turned my back on the Empire and joined his army.

"You truly are the nastiest human being I have ever met..."

***

[Congratulations! The conditions to unlock the hidden path have been met…]

[It has become the host of the 'Essence of False Sin' System!]