The next morning in Avalon began like any other, calm, and almost deceptively peaceful. The city moved in its usual rhythm, merchants opening their shops, students heading toward academies, and patrol units cycling through their assigned routes under the supervision of the Guardian AI. From the outside, it was a thriving sanctuary, a place untouched by the chaos consuming the rest of the world.
But for Arthur, that calm rarely lasted long.
He was midway through breakfast when a piece of information reached him. It came through layers of intelligence networks he had established across multiple kingdoms both utilizing technology and people. A simple piece of information… but one that immediately caught his attention.
The Order of the Church had finally allowed the summoned heroes to step onto the battlefield.
Arthur paused for a brief moment, the utensil in his hand hovering slightly as his thoughts shifted. Until now, the Church had been unusually cautious with those otherworlders, keeping them hidden, training and observing them. He had already suspected that they were building something behind the scenes, but this confirmed it.
They believed the heroes were ready. Or at least… ready enough to risk.
Arthur was interested in these summoned heroes so he decided to go and see what they are capable of. The news about these summoned heroes was not known to the public yet, but many people in the upper echelons were aware of them.
Selene, seated across from him, noticed the subtle change in his expression. She tilted her head slightly. "Something happened?"
Arthur set the utensil down and leaned back slightly. "The Church is finally deploying the summoned heroes."
Selene's brows lifted just a little. "Already? I thought they were still training."
Arthur replied calmly. "Which means either they've made faster progress than expected… or the situation on the battlefield is getting worse."
Selene didn't respond immediately, she understood what that implied. The Church was not known for acting prematurely when it came to valuable assets. If they were releasing those heroes now, it meant they needed them to get stronger fast.
Arthur stood up after finishing the last of his meal. "I'm going to take a look."
Selene nodded while smiling in a teasing way without trying to stop him. "The Church won't like you 'interfering' in their matters."
Arthur also gave a faint smile. "I'm not going there to 'interfere'." That, at least, was true.
…
The battlefield had shifted deeper into the human continent over the past weeks, stretching across the borders of multiple kingdoms. Entire regions had been destabilized, their defenses collapsing under the repeated assaults by the demons. The Order of the Church had stepped in to support them, sending troops, supplies, and priests to stabilize what they could.
Some powerful demons had polluted their land and rivers resulting in the shortage of food. There were priests who could purify the lands but the moment they purify them, the demons would again pollute them leading to a never ending cycle.
This in turn consumed huge amounts of resources and manpower which could be used in the battlefield, so the Church found it more resource efficient to provide these kingdoms with rations rather than purifying the lands.
Arthur flew high above one such kingdom, his presence concealed as he surveyed the land below. What he saw wasn't surprising… but it was still unpleasant.
Forests that should have been lush and green were now darkened, their trees twisted and decaying under the influence of miasma. Rivers carried a faint greyish color, their waters polluted beyond normal recovery. Even from above, he could sense the corrupted energy lingering in the air.
Scattered ruins marked where villages once stood. Burned homes, collapsed structures and empty fields that would no longer yield crops.
Arthur had been constantly taking in people from these kinds of villages which had been affected by war, though this was the first time he was personally seeing it himself. His gaze lingered on one such area for a moment longer than necessary. He had seen reports of this before, the summaries of destruction caused by the war. But seeing it directly carried a different weight to it as these weren't just statistics anymore.
In a war it was inevitable for the occurrence of collateral damage, but it didn't change the fact that most were innocents who had nothing to do with the war. Most wars weren't even fought out of necessity. They were driven by ambition, greed, or power struggles hidden behind justifications.
These were people who had nothing to do with the war, yet were caught in it anyway.
He exhaled slowly, and for a brief moment, a thought surfaced in his mind.
He could end this. If he chose to, he could wipe out the demonic forces in this region. He could push the war to its conclusion in a matter of days, maybe even hours. To the people suffering below, he would become a savior.
But then what? Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly as he continued forward with this possibility.
If he intervened like that, he wouldn't just end the war. He would reshape the world's balance entirely. Power would concentrate around him, people would rely on him, depend on him. Eventually, they would worship him, regardless of whether he wanted it or not.
And when he leaves this world… The collapse could be worse than the war itself.
He had seen enough across different worlds to understand that pattern. Heroes who saved everything often became the reason everything fell apart later. It was not out of malice, but because the world stopped growing in their presence.
Arthur shook his head slightly, pushing the thought aside. And as far as he understood this war had some hidden hands playing that were controlling everything from the background and he was already saving as many people he could. So, he would help where he could. Save those he could reach, but he wouldn't become the pillar this world leaned on entirely.
That was not his role.
…
As he approached one of the larger cities, a signal caught his attention.
It was from one of his probes. He had long placed probes around each village that were close to the human border and had the possibility of being affected by the war. He did so to learn when an attack was happening.
So, he interjected the outgoing distress signal for reinforcements as he was personally present there, and he could also see someone fighting the demons and even overwhelming them.
As the village came into view, the situation became clear. Demons had broken through the outer defenses, their grotesque forms moving through the narrow pathways between houses. Fires had already started spreading, and villagers were scrambling to escape.
But something else caught his attention.
A lone figure moved through the battlefield, he was not retreating or hiding, but was actively engaging the demons.
Arthur slowed slightly, curiosity surfacing on his face as he focused on the individual.
…
Adam rolled across the ground, barely avoiding the downward swing of a massive greatsword. The blade crashed into the earth where he had stood a moment earlier, sending debris flying outward.
He didn't give himself time to breathe. Pushing himself back up, he raised his hand toward the towering demon in front of him. White lightning erupted from his palm, striking the creature repeatedly.
Crack! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The effect was immediate. The demon roared in pain, its body convulsing as the lightning burned it. Unlike ordinary attacks, this carried a holy attribute, something that directly countered demonic existence.
Adam clenched his jaw, maintaining the attack. 'This should work…'
He had copied this ability from Marcus. It wasn't as strong yet, not even close, but it was enough. Enough to hunt down these demons,enough to survive.
And survival… was all that mattered right now.
The Church had reduced the resources allocated to him after he only revealed a single ability that too a much weaker version that another otherworlder possessed. They believed that was his limit, that he was weaker than the others.
But he still had no intention of revealing everything and from the treatment he was receiving he figured the gods had not told the Church about their abilities. This was the reason he was currently outside the safety of the city and fighting by himself to improve his strength.
As the lightning subsided, the demon staggered, it was still alive but weakened. Adam glanced around quickly, confirming no one else was watching. That was all the confirmation he needed.
A silver aura flared around him. And invisible blades carved into the ground around the demon, forcing it into a defensive stance as it struggled to react. Adam drew his short sword, raising it above his head as energy gathered along its edge.
The blade shone brightly and that's when he swung.
A crescent arc of silver light cut through the air, slicing cleanly through the demon's body and it split in half.
Adam breathed sharply, lowering the now broken sword as the corpse collapsed. He had copied this ability from one of the girls from their group and it was too strong to be utilized while using a normal iron sword, but due to his constraints he had to make do with it.
…
From above, Arthur observed everything with interest.
"He must be one of them… His face matches the sketch I saw." he murmured under his breath.
Arthur saw Adam raise his sword and a sneaky demon was approaching from his back with a dagger.
Arthur raised a finger and the demon was erased from existence. Then, without revealing himself, he followed Adam through the village as he continued fighting. Each time a demon slipped past Adam's radar, Arthur removed it quietly, ensuring nothing disrupted the flow of the battle and killed any villagers.
To Adam, it felt like he was winning too easily, but he shook his head and focused on the battle.
One by one, the demons fell until the village finally fell silent.
…
As the battle came to an end, villagers slowly began gathering at the center, their expressions were uncertain, exhausted, and fearful. Their homes were damaged, some completely destroyed and the fields were unusable. Even if they survived the attack… what came next?
That question hung heavily in the air. Adam stood among them, his grip on the broken sword loosening slightly.
He had fought and protected them. But now… what?
He didn't have answers for rebuilding, for feeding them or giving them a future. For the first time since the fight ended, hesitation appeared in his eyes.
Then a sharp whistling sound cut through the air. Adam's head snapped upward instinctively and his eyes widened.
***
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