Chapter 225: The Strongest Hero Family

This day—or rather, this night—was destined to be recorded in the kingdom's history.

"Heaven, why is it dark?!"

"Just a moment ago there was sunlight—how did it turn black all at once?"

In the instant before the "Night Owls" launched their assault, the sky suddenly plunged into utter darkness, dragging the entire city into night.

People were bewildered—it wasn't even dinner time, yet the sky had turned black all at once.

But those unlucky survivors who had endured the Dragon Catastrophe were now trembling in terror.

"It's here! It's here!"

"White Night! It was like this before—the day turned black all at once, this is an omen, the omen of the end."

Those who had lived through that night of despair remembered every sign—the sudden descent of darkness in daylight was the most vivid nightmare of their memories.

Then, as in memory—

"Aooooo!"

Howls and cries of beasts and birds surged from all directions.

In the darkness, the beast packs appeared simultaneously—but the most dangerous were always the large, dark owls merged with the night.

As apex predators of the night, "Owls" had no reason to hunt in daylight.

Yet as a sentient being with deep hatred for the entire kingdom, she brought her own kind.

This was revenge. A hunt. Even the opening act of a war to destroy the nation.

"This is war! Sound the alarm!"

"Albert Lucifude, the Viscount of Radiance," still busy within the city, was the first to realize the truth as city lord.

Screams and wails echoed everywhere, yet no one knew who the perpetrator was.

Night could bring peace and comfort to life—but it could also conceal the killers and their crimes.

The shadowy attackers were already generating death—each strike turned a person into pulp in an instant, and this was only the beginning.

Towers, buildings, even arrow platforms nearby collapsed instantly! The attackers couldn't even be seen.

"What is that?"

Albert saw it—the massive shadow perched atop the arrow platform, swallowing the crossbowmen whole.

It seemed to be a bird-like monster with a round head, its body flickering in and out of the darkness like a ghost.

In truth, to most ordinary people and even low-rank transcendents, these giant birds were invisible!

Beneath their spread wings poured forth swarms of beasts—these creatures appeared and immediately began hunting everywhere—screams and wails erupted everywhere.

"Guh."

The shadowy bird perched atop the arrow platform tilted its head, turning aimlessly.

Its blood-stained beak opened, its dull yellow eyes—unable to move—glowed with bloodlust; it seemed to be struggling to form a mocking smile.

"Die, beast!"

The top-tier warrior hurled his spear with full force—it became a meteor streaking toward the monster.

"Crack!" Finally, impact occurred.

The explosion successfully repelled the monster; it flapped its wings and flew away.

But Albert's face grew even darker—this was his full, serious attack, meant to kill. If even he couldn't easily slay it, and if such "Guh-um guh" monsters infested the entire city, what hope did others have?

The battle-hardened veteran seemed to already see the future—the approaching apocalypse.

Would this city, painstakingly built up over years, end here?

Would the kingdom, barely recovering its strength, still be unable to escape its doom?

Had his belief that the younger generation's brilliance signaled a new era of prosperity been nothing but a dream?

"At least, Her Majesty the Queen, and the Princess… they must not perish. They must not!"

Decisive, Albert abandoned seeking aid from others and led his personal guard toward the governor's mansion.

It had come at no other time than now—clearly targeting the Queen. At the very least, at least let the royal family survive. As long as they lived, the kingdom could endure; its people could still be protected.

"Boom!"

But before he reached his own governor's mansion, the sudden explosion of a building right before his eyes chilled his heart.

And the red figure rising from the shattered ceiling made his scalp crawl.

"How can there be such an absurd monster?"

Red dragon wings spread wide; the flame-covered Dragon Knight slowly rose.

It stood over four meters tall; the light and heat radiating around it could evaporate oceans.

Hovering in the sky, its very presence warped the surrounding air and mass, rendering it utterly invisible.

Seeing this clearly out-of-spec existence, Albert was utterly stunned.

"No. Absolutely not!"

He recalled that desperate night of the Dragon Catastrophe—the legend that White Night was followed by the appearance of the Great Red Dragon. Was it true?

He erupted in motion, trying to stop the dragon-beast as it ascended.

"Huh?"

The creature merely glanced at him from afar—and Albert, a top-tier warrior, froze completely.

The dragon's gaze of intimidation flooded directly into Albert's mind, locking him in place.

This was a true monster—a super-demon capable of tearing him apart in an instant.

Visions of death played endlessly in the warrior's mind—no battle, no roar needed; just one claw, and death awaited him.

Cold sweat poured down his body. The battle-hardened veteran felt despair for the first time.

It was the gap between life tiers—the despair of a frog facing a giant serpent.

Struggle was meaningless.

"Is today the end? Have all our years of struggle been meaningless?"

Albert was utterly defeated. The top-tier warriors of the Radiance Guard who followed him now lay sprawled across the ground.

Merely from that one glance—from that distant dragon aura.

"I've never seen it before… yet why do I feel it's familiar? Almost… comforting?"

Yet in his despair, for some reason, Albert touched upon hope.

That "dragon" raised its sword—the Hero's Sword, unforgettable to all.

"Rise. My own sun."

Calm, confident words echoed throughout the city.

Some felt it differently—in that instant, hearing that familiar voice, Albert's eyes filled with tears.

"How is this possible? How?" If he could move, he would pinch his own cheek to confirm this wasn't another dream of "him" returning.

But what followed proved this was no fleeting dream that ended with a sudden awakening.

A "sun"—a super-hot fireball radiating light and heat—slowly rose upon the tip of the dragon-man's sword.

When it reached its intended height, it exploded!

Clouds shattered; the entire city was illuminated!

Night was finally dispelled.

Countless Night Owls finally revealed their true forms—large black- and brown-feathered owl monsters appeared beneath the sunlight.

Some flew wildly in panic, others plummeted to the ground, still others froze in stunned confusion.

And the vast hordes of rats, rat-monsters, and rat-tribes they had commanded—whose evil deeds had been hidden in darkness—were now clearly visible.

"It's him. Only he can illuminate the entire battlefield, the entire city." Albert knelt, tears streaming down his aged face.

Night still covered the city—but the sun in the sky blazed with light that lit up the entire battlefield.

Some ancient Night Owls were already fleeing in terror. The nightmare of the Dragon Catastrophe night was not felt only by the victimized beast tribes.

"Kneel… or die."

The red dragon-man lowered his raised sword, then swept it gently.

"Aooooo!"

"Guh guh guh!"

Accompanied by countless screams came a colossal slash that cleaved the sky.

Where the flame-laced sword qi passed, countless demons and monsters were split in two—then evaporated in despair and wails.

This sight made Albert nod repeatedly. Yes. That was the feeling—unreasonably overwhelming power.

He no longer hesitated. Only the man from his memories—the invincible man—could display such absurd strength.

But Albert's plan to rush forward halted.

He saw the red dragon-man touch his hairless beard, shake his head, and lower his sword. It was still him—his old habit. It meant he…

Albert's scalp went numb. He shouted urgently to those behind him.

"Don't come closer! Get down! Lower your heads! Don't look!"

The remaining Qingxing Radiance Guards and soldiers could not understand.

"Idiots! Cover your heads and survive—the Hero's Majesty finds his power insufficient. He's about to unleash a bigger move!"

Yes. This familiar scene meant the Hero's Majesty felt his firepower was inadequate—he planned to switch to "a bigger sword" or "a larger, sturdier battlefield."

But this time, Albert misjudged. This was not the peak-era Laike. He truly could not burn the entire battlefield outright.

Yet he had prepared—or rather, another version of him had prepared.

"Contract: 'Liyah,' summon."

Suddenly, a strange metallic weapon was summoned by her.

It twisted and deformed continuously along the way.

By the time "Lex" gripped it, it had transformed into an absurdly massive "mechanical cannon."

It resembled a three-segment crystal particle cannon; after Lex linked it to his right hand, a faint flame burned within.

When Lex truly focused, the burning flame turned directly into a "compressed miniature sun."

"What a fantastic weapon. Rapid-fire mode, activate."

Immense light and heat condensed at the cannon's muzzle, gradually compressed and fused, until—

"Fire."

Under perfect control, the light and heat from the muzzle became countless meteors tearing across the sky.

That night, every corner of Huicheng witnessed countless meteors slicing through the darkness.

Those orange-red meteors resembled racing suns, effortlessly tearing through night and gales, reducing countless giant birds and beasts to ash.

One, two—they split nearly infinitely mid-flight, yet always locked onto their targets with precision.

In the end, the sky above the entire city was filled with showers of meteors and the desperate screams of monsters and monstrous birds.

Finally, the birds either flew away or were dead, and the night dispersed.

"Lord Lex! My Lord Lex!"

Still trembling on weak legs, Albert rushed over, trying to block the red dragon-man from returning inside.

At least, find out what happened—why he could return again from the Underworld.

But all he received was the Heroine shaking her head in refusal.

"It's already complicated enough. Don't get involved. The Queen is fine—don't come near until she emerges."

The Heroine sighed and reentered the "execution ground."

As he approached, "Lex" heard muffled curses and arguments from inside the chamber.

"My dear sister, you hypocrite spouting righteousness—do you know how much I suffered the night you reported our elopement?"

"As punishment, Father peeled off my flesh, cracked my bones—crack crack—he ate it all, he ate it all for three days and nights. So painful, so painful."

Her mad words, though screaming in pain, were filled with pure delight.

"This… is your reason for destroying the nation? From the start, you were wrong. The kingdom must never be shamed." Her voice was icy, brimming with contempt and fury—the Queen remained unmoved.

"Kingdom? Fool. You're the biggest fool here—you're the only one in the entire palace who takes the kingdom seriously. You were supposed to be the one eaten. I treated you so well, yet you stole my man."

"Crack!" Along with the sound of a boot landing came the crunch of shattered brain matter.

The Queen remained unmoved. She knew that with such a "monster," silence, disbelief, and refusal to listen were the most rational choices.

But the next moment, the girl's giggling echoed again through the ruined side hall.

"Hehe, isn't this my invincible darling?"

When "Lex" reentered, the black-haired Princess cheerfully mocked—even though her body was nailed to the ground and spikes embedded in her skull.

A footprint marred the split brain matter, yet she felt no pain, only laughed joyfully.

Her sister, Queen Marianna, stared at her with a pale, furious face.

The Princess could not reassemble her body; the wounds on her chest and neck were fatal—cleaved open by the Heroine's Hero Sword. Death was inevitable. The searing wounds still carried the faint scent of roasted meat.

But she still wasn't dead—or rather, the real her had never been here to begin with.

"So terrifying, so terrifying—truly, my invincible darling, hiding such dreadful power! But it probably won't last long, will it? Next time I'll come to you with my true body for some fun. I hope you're still as strong as now—give me the best experience." Rosa Lind giggled, still taunting cheerfully.

That slash through my chest hurt—so much pain. This heartless bastard—he cut me again for that whore.

She smiled, yet her heart seethed with the most venomous curses.

She was satisfied. Extremely satisfied.

She knew the "girl" this man cared for most was dead—he had lost again, utterly.

Ah, the pleasure of piercing my own blood relative's heart with my fingertips—so intoxicating.

She strained to turn her head, eager to see her recently slain "niece" one last time.

She planned to watch Lex's agony and despair, to see her bastard sister weep as her final hope vanished.

Even though both acted strong, Rosa Lind knew—they deeply cared for that foolish Princess, that idiot who was like a blend of her darling and her sister! Surely, they should love only her!

"Uh… Mama?"

The sudden words stunned Rosa Lind.

She whipped her head around and saw a hesitant golden-haired figure standing at the doorway.

"I… I think I died, but now I'm alive again—how?"

Rosa Lind spun again—where the Princess's corpse had been, only a shattered snake skin remained.

She turned back—her smile and triumph vanished instantly.

"I curse you! I curse your whole family! I'll slaughter every last drop of your bloodline. Wait. Just wait."

Her head transformed into a wailing banshee, gradually dissolving into a black bird of lament.

Even at the final moment, she cursed everything—her blood, her family, her lover, her kingdom.

Neither Lex nor Marianna looked at her again. Both stared at the anxious Dainya, their faces lighting up.

Marianna ran over and embraced her daughter, recovered from death.

Lex hesitated, unsure whether to approach.

"Slap!"

That sharp slap was perhaps his answer to approaching.

"You bastard Lex!" For the first time, Lex saw the Princess cry—crying like a child, yet still clutching an even smaller "child."

The "child" looked utterly bewildered: Who am I? Where am I? What are you doing? Why are you holding me? Why are you kissing?

Yes, before the man could complain, a faint fragrance swept over him.

That long kiss lasted a long time—after all, it had been fifteen years.

Lips met lips; teeth clashed.

"Uh… did you get your missing tooth fixed?"

"Idiot."

The "child" held in their arms was completely stunned.

Who am I? Where am I? What are you doing? Am I the extra one here?

(End of Chapter)