Chapter 226: The True Heroine

What Li En encountered was actually a death trap.

Lex's karmic ties were destined to entangle him; to be precise, this reincarnation was, in a sense, forced to clean up after Lex.

But the Thousand-Faced Dragon did not care about the outcome of the cleanup.

If the reincarnated "Li Ensu" died a few times, and the kingdom fell only to be reborn, that was also perfectly acceptable.

After all, it was not the first time; it was merely another cycle of generational change. Moreover, in the eyes of the Thousand-Faced Dragon, the kingdom's destruction was a textbook example of getting what one deserved.

"My reincarnation has returned to this kingdom. The source of all this is actually that junior, Laina, who is very, very powerful. She found the true form of the 'Great Red Dragon' while it was asleep."

No one knew how she managed it; perhaps it was a deal with the "Whisperers," or perhaps her soul ability of "Single-Mindedness (locking onto one target and pursuing it to the end)" had broken through all limits, but she had done it.

She crossed the limitations of mountains and seas and found the legendary "Great Volcano."

She awakened the Great Red Dragon.

The Thousand-Faced Dragon is formless, but the traces, avatars, and remains it left behind are not necessarily the Great Red Dragon that once unleashed the Dragon Calamity. Buried deep within a certain volcano, in a deep slumber, it can, in a sense, be viewed as a node connecting the Thousand-Faced Dragon to the mortal world, or as a tool for forcibly interfering with the world when necessary.

Very stupid, truly very stupid. Even if it is merely one of the Thousand-Faced Dragon's avatars, the Great Red Dragon is still a planet-destroying weapon, a complete ultimate killing machine.

Every time it awakens, it brings only destruction, whether to a kingdom, a plane, or even an entire world.

Yet as a Heroine, she not only voluntarily awakened the evil dragon but also chose to reason with the utterly unreasonable evil dragon.

"The kingdom was destroyed by you; our people should not have suffered such misfortune."

【No, you deserve this fate. Those who truly caused all this misfortune are the king and people of the kingdom. Those who truly invited destruction are your ignorance and arrogance.】

The malicious dragon mocked the Heroine's ignorance. It mocked the kingdom's heinous sins and the way the wicked accused others first, and it intended to fall into a long slumber once more.

But could it truly be ignored? The Heroine's arrival was equivalent to throwing the mess created by the Thousand-Faced Dragon's reincarnation right in front of it, asking, "How did you do such a terrible job? How could you be so stupid?"

"You owe us. You should repay us. I am willing to offer everything I have, seeking only a chance for change."

【No, you have miscalculated the cause and effect. It is you who owe Lex Thorne. But Lex indeed owes a debt to cause and effect, though not to you. We will make compensation ourselves, but not for you, who have fallen due to arrogance.】

But in the end, the reincarnation of Lex Thorne, Li En Sudar, appeared within the kingdom's borders.

He was given a "Main Quest." As long as he followed the guidance and became entangled with the beasts and the kingdom, Lex's karmic ties were destined to find him.

As long as the key nodes and starting point of fate were confirmed, what was destined to happen would happen regardless; the process was not important.

As for whether it could be handled properly? Actually, no one cared. The Thousand-Faced Dragon always moved forward. Dying a few times to repay karmic debts or even serving as an Offering was nothing.

Even if the seas change into mulberry fields, even if the kingdom falls, even if the ruling race changes, as long as the world endures and human nature endures, the Thousand-Faced Dragon will move forward eternally.

"Luckily I drew the Snake; otherwise 'Li En' would be dead for sure."

The trouble Lex caused was simply not something Li En could handle.

In fact, if the "One-Day Pact" tricked over by the Snake had not existed, both he and the kingdom would already be dead.

The One-Day Pact meant that for that one day, his body and soul were entirely handed over to Lex Thorne to operate; it was equivalent to an ancient Heroic Soul using his young body.

That strength and upper limit were a completely different concept from normal Heroic Soul possession.

In normal Heroic Soul possession, the Heroic Soul occupies at most thirty percent, acting more like a "navigation system" while driving; it can offer suggestions, guidance, or even actively plan the route, but whether to follow it depends on the driver.

No matter how well others speak, the actual operation is destined to be a mess; some things exceed the limits of the "navigation" from the very beginning.

Even if the navigation system is awesome, one cannot expect a tricycle driver to directly pilot a supersonic fighter jet and perform a Sidewinder maneuver in the sky.

But at this moment, Li En's body, having obtained the "One Day," was completely mastered by the Heroic Soul Lex; how much he could unleash depended entirely on the Heroic Soul's own skill.

The hardware is a bit rotten, but we'll make do. There's still some power reserve in my sword. Not bad.

A Sun Weapon? Not bad. Senior Snake is truly a kind person.

Still not enough. Burn my soul; it's useless anyway. The duration of the Heroic Soul card has unknowingly burned away half.

If the hardware is insufficient, make up for it with software. In the end, when the "Invincible Heroine" appeared once more, naturally all problems were solved effortlessly.

Even if this power was destined not to last, perhaps only exploding for a few minutes or a few dozen minutes, it was still that Heroine who shook the entire continent.

In fact, Rosalind's choice was correct. Upon seeing "Lex," she immediately abandoned a part of herself and the race she was attacking.

This was equivalent to abandoning more than half of her war accumulation and giving up a nation-destroying plan for a decisive battle. She knew that in front of the Invincible Heroine, there was absolutely no chance of victory in a direct fight.

"Rest assured, she won't cause trouble in the short term. Back then, when she was blasted by the Great Red Dragon, she was almost dead. I just added another strike, so she should be severely injured." Most of Lex's power had been unleashed against Rosalind; even if she had avatars, they would likely suffer collateral severe injuries.

From the very beginning, the Heroine system involved "countering immortality" and "cause and effect, fate." As long as she was struck, no matter how far away, she would be affected.

As for why she wasn't killed on the spot... it's hard to say.

"Lex" sighed, lying half-reclined on his back with limbs splayed, having absolutely no desire to move.

He had just unleashed a bit too fiercely. It seemed that after this body finished the possession, it would require a major overhaul. He was still wearing the large Red Dragon armor, having only removed the helmet to reveal his face.

But he at least knew to think of his "junior." The Dragon Armor he summoned borrowed the Red Dragon bloodline (in a sense turning Li En into the Dragon Armor as well), and he also put on the mask depicted in the portrait. Now, he looked even more like the portrait of Lex.

"Father... are you truly my father?"

"Yes, I am Lex. But I am also already dead. The current me is similar to a Heroic Soul; after one day, I must return."

For the crying girl, "Lex" sighed, speaking cruel words while gently stroking that familiar golden hair.

He saw the snake-patterned ring on the girl's chest and seemed to understand something.

"I truly must thank Senior Snake."

In fact, if not for the Snake's interference and planning, the City of Radiance would probably already have almost no living people left, followed by the destruction of the entire kingdom.

Then, he slowly stood up.

Although there was only one day, for him, it was already enough.

"We'll talk later; I'll clean up first." Without waiting for his "family" to react, he immediately took off and vanished.

Thus, the residents of the City of Radiance on this day truly saw the Sun.

The Knight of the Red Dragon spread his dragon wings and hunted throughout the entire city.

Whether Owl Beasts or demons, whether powerful monsters or tiny Rat People, none could last a single clash under the swinging longsword of the Red Dragon Knight.

That invincible face wearing a mask, that weapon and flame-haired head radiating the glow of the Sun, that Heroine's sword constantly illuminating the long sky like a lighthouse—how could one not think of the legendary Heroine?

"Heroine! Lord Lex, wait!"

And the City Lord, who had been chasing him all over the place, completely verified this conjecture.

The ancient Heroic Spirit warriors returned to the world once more, turning the legend of saving collapsing and destroyed city-states into reality; it was just that this Heroic Spirit warrior did not seem ancient enough.

"Lex" rushed back and forth, not only slaying those beasts and invaders but also casually dealing with some members of the Yixiexie Sect.

He even lifted a collapsed building to rescue injured children from within, and directly smashed through the ground to save the captives whom the Rat People had dragged underground.

"Is this the Hero? The legendary Hero?"

"You, you have returned. Can you save our nation? Can you guide us once again?"

"Wuwuwu, we finally waited for this. The kingdom is saved."

Those middle-aged and elderly people finally understood the weight of "Hero Lex." That was a symbol of an era, the era when the kingdom was at its most prosperous.

Could it be that everything has returned?

"I will return to the Hall of Heroes soon; my era has passed." But the answer he received was so disappointing.

He was busy saving people and even didn't have time to check on the situation of the Queen and the Princess.

"You, are you avoiding it? You would rather waste time outside than face your wife and daughter?"

The sudden question made Lex slow down.

One always understands oneself best; a question coming from within oneself could probably not be avoided.

"See through it but don't speak it out. Show some consideration for an old senior, kid."

Yes, at this moment, Li En remained clear-headed.

Now, it was his turn to become the "car navigation system," able only to watch and speak, unable to interfere with anything.

When their lips met, the most embarrassed one was actually himself.

"But only if an old senior is worthy of respect. I am essentially wiping your ass right now; you should at least say thank you to me."

"Thank you. And then?"

The scene of himself arguing with himself played out on Li En's side as well. With this shameless Hero slacking off, Li En truly didn't know what to say.

After thinking it over, Li En found Lex's weak point, just as Rosalind had said.

"Consider Dai Niya. Her situation is terrible. You must let us know what exactly happened back then."

"If I knew everything, would I still need you to help me investigate the truth?"

Lex remained unyielding; there were some things he intended to take to his grave.

He had already died abstractly enough; he might as well leave behind a bit of his posthumous reputation.

"Rosalind will come again, right? You can't just let her kill Dai Niya again. I have seen your dreams; don't you love Rosalind?"

Lex fell completely silent. For a long while, he did not speak.

"You have seen my memories, haven't you? You know I watched her for a long time before gradually falling in love with her. Do you think a night owl, a beast with the strongest night vision, would not see a fool quietly staring at her in those countless dark nights?"

Lex sighed, recalling the past; his entire life was full of black history.

What hero? The bloodshed, sins, and foolishness on his hands were unmatched even by a Demon King.

"Perhaps there was never a Second Princess. From the very beginning, she was a demon sealed into a human form."

(End of this chapter)