The room was dark and messy.
Empty energy drink cans and junk-food wrappers littered the floor. The only light came from the faint glow of a monitor and the virtual reality headset covering the eyes of the teenage boy hunched in the corner.
His hands moved furiously.
The state-of-the-art controller in his grasp almost seemed to have a mind of its own as his fingers pressed buttons in a seemingly impossible combination.
"Come on! Just one more time!"
He leaned forward.
"Wait — what?!"
His eyes widened beneath the headset.
"This boss has a third phase?!"
He tightened his grip.
"Crap. Now I've gotta lock in. I've come too far to lose now."
The clicking became even faster.
On the other side of the headset, his character moved with breathtaking speed.
Elara.
A knight with short scarlet hair and pale blue eyes, her movements almost impossible to follow. She flipped over attacks, twisted through the air, and landed gracefully before immediately counterattacking.
There was a reason for her extraordinary agility. Before becoming a knight, she had been an acrobat in a traveling circus.
That life ended when monsters attacked. She would have died that day if the Hero's Party hadn't arrived in time. Saved by them, she chose to repay her debt by joining their journey.
But one by one, the members of that party had fallen.
Now she stood alone against the Demon King.
And this was the most important battle of her life.
Her health bar was almost completely empty.
HP: 10
The Demon King roared. The ground beneath him cracked. Six enormous arms emerged from his body, each gripping a different legendary weapon. Behind him, an army of demons materialized from the shadows.
Elara stared at the overwhelming enemy before her.
Elara: One health potion left...
She checked her inventory.
Elara: Three magic potions.
Her eyes narrowed.
Elara: And my trump card.
She gripped her sword.
Elara: Okay. I'll use my trump card. When it looks like I'm about to die, I'll drink the potion.
Her gaze hardened.
Elara: This won't be easy. If I get hit once, it's all over.
She lowered her stance.
Elara: Here goes.
A notification blazed across the screen.
[TRUMP CARD: LAST DANCE]
Elara's body erupted with energy. Her HP dropped dramatically.
HP: 1
But her attack power skyrocketed. The lower her HP, the stronger Last Dance made her — and now she was at its absolute limit.
One hit. That's all it would take to kill her.
Elara charged.
The Demon King swung all six weapons at once. She slipped between them. Steel clashed against steel. Sparks flew as their blades collided again and again.
But this time, the knight was overwhelming him.
She deflected one strike. Spun around another. Then—
SLASH.
Her sword carved into the Demon King's side. Two of his six arms fell to the ground. His HP plummeted.
Elara didn't give him a moment to recover. She unleashed her ultimate skill. A massive explosion erupted around her, obliterating the surrounding demons in a shockwave that tore through the battlefield. The Demon King's health dropped even further.
She pressed the attack. Dodging. Striking. Advancing.
But then—
The Demon King roared. He charged.
Elara's eyes widened. She tried to counterattack, but he overwhelmed her. She was forced onto the defensive.
Every second she spent blocking was another second wasted from Last Dance's duration.
Come on...
She searched desperately for an opening.
Just one!
The Demon King swung. She dodged. Another attack — she blocked. Another — she stumbled backward.
I don't have time!
She reached for her potion.
Too late.
The Demon King's blade struck her directly.
HP: 0
The knight collapsed.
Haru froze.
"NO!"
The screen went dark.
Then —
A flicker. So brief he almost missed it.
[CHARACTER DEFEATED]
[ERROR: ANCHOR CONDITION MET]
[INITIATING TRANSFER—]
The text glitched, fractured, and vanished before it had fully rendered.
Haru blinked.
"...What was that?"
Before he could process it, the screen flickered again.
A golden feather appeared.
[PHOENIX'S FEATHER ACTIVATED]
Elara's body glowed. Her HP returned.
HP: 35
Haru stared. Then slowly, a smile spread across his face.
"Oh..."
He leaned back.
"I forgot about the Phoenix's Feather."
Elara stood.
Elara: That was too close.
She checked her inventory.
Elara: If I remember correctly, it was supposed to save me from a single fatal attack and restore some of my HP.
She immediately drank her health potion. Her HP rose dramatically.
Elara: Okay. Now that I've gotten a second chance...
The Demon King roared. A purple aura erupted from his body.
Haru's eyes widened. "That damn cheater!"
Elara staggered backward.
Elara: Why won't you just die?!
A notification appeared.
[Demon Lord Aura inflicted.]
Her expression changed.
Elara: Wait...
Another notification.
[While within the Demon Lord Aura, HP will continuously decrease.]
Elara stared at the Demon King.
Elara: So it's a battle of endurance. Who dies first?
She tightened her grip.
Elara: Me... or you?
The battle became absolute chaos. The knight attacked relentlessly. She took hits. She ignored them. She dodged. She countered. She charged again.
Her HP continued dropping.
HP: 20
HP: 13
HP: 7
She kept fighting.
HP: 3
The Demon King's health was also dangerously low.
But then —
HP: 2
Elara's movements became desperate.
HP: 1
Haru's eyes widened. "Come on!"
Elara raised her sword. The Demon King prepared his final attack.
Then, suddenly, a strange golden light surrounded him.
Elara froze.
Elara: ...No way.
A notification appeared.
[Angel King's Blessing activated.]
Her eyes widened.
Elara: The Angel King's Blessing! It causes demonic creatures to die once their HP falls below ten percent!
She raised her sword.
Elara: This has to be luck!
The Demon King was suddenly surrounded by a storm of golden feathers. He roared as his body began disintegrating. Golden light consumed him.
Then —
[DEMON KING DEFEATED]
Silence.
Haru stared at the screen. For several seconds, he didn't move.
Then —
"GET WRECKED!"
He jumped out of his chair.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID IT!"
He threw his arms into the air.
"I BEAT THE GAME!"
He laughed hysterically.
"Thousands of pro gamers have failed to flawlessly beat Last Warrior!"
He pointed at himself.
"But I did it! That proves I'm built different!"
He looked back at the screen.
"Although..."
He scratched his head.
"I've gotta admit, Phoenix's Feather and Angel King's Blessing really saved me at the end."
He raised a hand.
"Shout-out to you guys. For real."
His smile softened.
"I wouldn't have made it this far without everyone in my guilds either."
He grabbed his controller.
"I need to tell everyone!"
He paused.
His eyes drifted to the corner of the room. For just a moment, his expression flickered — something quiet and far away passing behind his eyes, like he'd forgotten something. Or someone.
"...Yeah," he said, quieter now. "Everyone."
The moment passed. His grin returned.
"IT'S PARTY TIME!"
---
BANG!
His bedroom door flew open.
"HARU!"
A girl rushed inside carrying a fire extinguisher.
"HARU! TALK TO ME!"
She looked around frantically.
"Don't worry, I'm—"
She stopped.
"...Here."
Haru turned around.
"Hey, Mika."
He looked at the fire extinguisher.
"What's with that? Did you think my house was on fire?"
He laughed. "Hahaha! You're so dumb."
Mika stared at him. Her expression twitched.
"Why else would you be shouting like that at two in the morning?"
"What if I was being attacked?"
"I would've used the fire extinguisher as a weapon and beaten your attacker to death."
Haru stared. "...Wow."
Mika smiled sweetly. "Scary, right?"
"Very."
She lowered the extinguisher.
"Anyway, could you tell me why you're shouting at such an ungodly hour?"
"Oh!"
Haru suddenly became excited again.
"I just beat the final boss of Last Warrior. Flawlessly."
He grinned. "Hehe. Are you proud of me?"
Mika stared at him. Then slowly raised one finger.
"Let me get this straight."
Haru nodded.
"You interrupted my beauty sleep."
Another finger.
"You forced me to carry a fire extinguisher from my house."
Another.
"I had to use my secret key to your apartment."
Another.
"Then I broke into your room looking like some kind of action hero..."
She pointed at him.
"...all because you beat some..."
She paused.
"...game?"
Haru's expression immediately became serious.
"This isn't some game. This is Last Warrior. No professional gamer has ever—"
He suddenly stopped.
"...Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
"Did you say you have a secret key to my apartment?"
Mika folded her arms. "I'm the one asking questions."
Haru looked away. "Okay, yeah. What you said was kinda true."
Mika raised an eyebrow.
"Although I didn't ask you to come."
Silence.
Mika smiled. It was a terrifying smile.
"Oh?"
Haru took one step backward. "Why are you smiling like that?"
In one swift movement, Mika closed the distance.
BONK!
The fire extinguisher slammed into Haru's head.
"OW!"
He stumbled backward. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
Mika glared at him.
"That's what you get for being an idiotic, game-obsessed otaku who goes around shouting at two in the morning!"
She pointed toward his VR headset.
"Maybe next time you'll remember to only shout when there's an actual emergency!"
She turned toward the door.
"And if I hear one more noise coming from here..."
She looked over her shoulder.
"...your VR goggles are the next thing I'm hitting."
Haru stared at her. "You wouldn't dare."
Mika smiled. "Want to test that?"
Haru immediately sat down. "No, ma'am."
"Good."
She opened the door.
"Good night."
She paused.
"Or rather, good morning."
Haru waved. "Yeah. You too."
Mika left.
The room became quiet again.
Haru crawled into bed. Within seconds, he was asleep.
His VR goggles, however, remained beside him.
The screen displayed a single message.
Reward in: 06:10:03
The numbers changed.
Reward in: 06:10:02
Again.
Reward in: 06:10:01
And then —
Reward in: 06:10:00
---
A lone knight walked across a field of red spider lilies.
The flowers were said to bloom in places where great amounts of blood had been shed, and the sight of them stretched endlessly across the landscape, painting the field crimson.
The knight's scarlet hair seemed to mirror the flowers surrounding her.
She continued walking until she reached a small hill.
Five weapons had been placed there. A broad sword. A magic staff. A great sword. A pair of daggers. And finally — a gauntlet.
The gauntlet looked almost identical to the one covering her right hand. There was only one difference.
This one had seen battle. Cracks ran across its surface, scars left behind by countless fights.
The knight's gaze lingered on it.
Memories began to flood her mind.
Five children. They had once gathered together, excitedly discussing their dreams for the future. They had all shared one ultimate goal.
To live luxurious lives.
Among them was a blonde-haired boy. He had dreamed of becoming the one who would defeat the Demon King with nothing but his fists.
The memories changed.
The knight saw each of her comrades die. One after another. Until only she remained.
Then came the memory she wished she could forget.
The blonde-haired boy giving up his own life to ensure hers.
She remembered the vow she had made afterward. She would defeat the Demon King. She would avenge her comrades. And she would restore peace to the world.
But now...
What was left of that world?
Even if she succeeded, there was hardly anything left to enjoy. Her comrades were gone. The people they had fought to protect were gone. And the peaceful world she had dreamed of creating seemed almost meaningless without the people she wanted to share it with.
The knight sighed.
"It is done."
She looked toward the weapons resting upon the hill.
"Now I'll join my fallen comrades in the afterlife."
Her expression softened.
"Wait for me. I'm on my way."
She drew her blade. The knight slowly raised it toward her neck. The cold steel touched her skin.
Then —
She pushed.
The blade passed through her neck. Blood ran down the sword as her consciousness began to fade.
The gods have been cruel to me my whole life.
Her vision grew darker.
I just hope they'll give me something worthwhile in my next life.
And then —
"Rejoice, child."
A mysterious voice echoed through the darkness.
"For your prayers have been answered."
---
Meanwhile...
A teenage boy was tending to a garden.
Rows of vegetables stretched across the field. Lovely green lettuce. Large cabbages. Radishes. Spinach. Tomatoes. And many other vegetables.
The boy had a rather strange obsession with gardening. It was easily his only responsible hobby.
As he weeded a bed of cabbages, he hummed along to a song that was popular among his peers.
He was so absorbed in the music that he failed to notice the strange distortion forming in space behind him.
The distortion continued to grow.
Then —
FLASH!
A bright light erupted behind him.
"Huh?"
The boy stopped humming. He slowly turned around.
At first, there seemed to be nothing there.
"Must've been my imagination."
He shrugged and returned to his work.
But when he reached his tomato bed, he froze.
Something was lying among his precious plants.
Or rather...
Someone.
A beautiful girl with scarlet hair and fair skin lay unconscious between the tomatoes. The sunlight illuminated her face. She wore strange armor — a chest plate, chainmail extending down to her knees, and a gauntlet covering one hand.
Haru stared.
"...What?"
The sunlight slowly began to rouse the girl. She stirred. Her eyelids opened slightly, but she immediately squinted against the light.
After a few moments, her eyes adjusted.
The first thing she saw was a worried-looking boy staring down at her.
The knight blinked.
Is he an angel? Is this the afterlife?
She studied him.
He's not half bad looking.
Her eyes wandered down his body.
Although his physique would certainly benefit from proper training.
She looked back at his face.
But why does he look so worried? Is he surprised that I took my own life?
The boy suddenly spoke.
"No..."
The knight blinked.
Oh. He finally spoke.
"Are you okay?!"
The knight raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I think—"
"Not you!"
The boy suddenly reached down and grabbed her.
"Get out of here!"
In an impressive display of strength, he picked her up and tossed her aside.
The knight landed on the grass.
Before she could even process what had happened, the boy dropped to his knees.
"My babies!"
He frantically began inspecting the tomato plants.
"My poor, sweet, juicy tomatoes!"
The knight stared at him.
"You had all these options!"
The boy pointed toward the surrounding vegetables.
"Even the spinach would've made a better bed!"
He paused.
"No offense, spinach. We both know I've got beef with you."
The knight slowly sat up.
"Broke ass?"
The boy froze.
The knight continued.
"I must apologize, for I know not what my broke ass is. And I fail to grasp what you meant when you said you have beef with the spinach."
She glanced at the vegetable patch.
"For the record, spinach is rather tasty, but it cannot be compared to beef."
The boy's expression twisted.
"Ugh! A spinach lover..."
He shook his head.
"Wait, that's not the issue here!"
He pointed at her.
"Quit messing with me and tell me what you're doing here!"
"I died."
The boy blinked. "...Okay."
He pointed around them.
"Well, you seem pretty alive to me."
The knight frowned.
The boy nodded seriously. "Okay. Here's what we'll do."
He cracked his knuckles.
"You'll die again."
The knight's eyes widened.
"Except this time, I'll help."
"This is making no sense."
"Tell me about it."
The knight looked around.
"Is this not the afterlife?"
She pointed at him.
"Are you not an angel?"
The boy stared at her.
"If you came here to flirt with me, there would've been better ways of doing so that don't involve wrecking my garden!"
"Flirt?"
The knight scoffed.
"Please get over yourself."
She looked him over again.
"Although I must admit, you are not half bad in looks."
The boy's eye twitched.
"I'm not here to court angels. I want to find my comrades."
"Again with this angel thing! Why do you keep calling me one—"
"Morning, Haru."
The boy froze.
"That's quite the interesting conversation you're having."
A chill ran down Haru's spine.
He knew that voice.
And more importantly...
He knew that tone.
He slowly turned around.
"Morning, Mika."
A girl stood behind him. She had a sweet smile on her face.
Unfortunately, the malice radiating from her was anything but sweet.
The knight instinctively reached for her sword.
This malice...
It is like nothing I have ever felt.
It is comparable to that of a warrior who has spent their entire life hating you.
This other angel must be dangerous.
Haru smiled nervously. "Lovely morning, don't you think?"
Mika's smile widened. "Sure."
She looked toward the knight.
"I see you're also using this lovely morning to hide and flirt with a beautiful girl."
"What?!"
"No, it's not what it looks like!"
Haru pointed toward the tomato bed.
"I just found her sleeping in my tomato garden!"
He paused.
"Wait."
His expression changed.
"Why am I defending myself?"
He looked at Mika.
"Why do you even care?"
Mika's smile disappeared.
"I'm the one asking questions here. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Haru immediately straightened.
"But I assure you, I wasn't flirting with her."
Mika crossed her arms. "Sure you weren't."
Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.
"I must admit, you've really grown a pair, Haru."
She glanced toward the knight.
"I understand she's good-looking."
Her eyes narrowed.
"And on top of that, she's dressed like one of those waifus you like so much."
The knight glanced between the two.
Haru could practically feel the murderous aura coming from Mika.
"No, Mika, it's not like that!"
He waved his hands.
"Besides, you're also good-looking."
The murderous aura vanished instantly.
"But when have I ever used my garden to start flirting?"
Mika's cheeks turned crimson.
"So..."
She looked away.
"You really think I'm good-looking?"
Haru stared at her.
"That's what you're worried about?"
"Just answer the question, dummy."
Haru sighed.
"I mean... yeah."
He smiled.
"You are good-looking."
Mika's face became even redder.
"For that, I forgive you."
She looked at him.
"But you'd better not cheat on me again."
"Cheat?"
Haru raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not cheating on anyone."
He gestured toward the garden.
"I still love my radishes."
Mika rolled her eyes. "No one is changing that."
She placed a hand on her hip.
"Well, I'm better looking than any radish in your garden."
"True."
Haru nodded.
"But let's not forget..."
He pointed toward the garden.
"Unlike you, radishes can be eaten."
Mika's eyes narrowed mischievously.
"Are you sure you wouldn't want to eat me, naughty boy?"
Haru froze.
"I'm sure you've thought about it at least once."
She struck a pose, deliberately showing off her figure.
"Just look at me."
Haru immediately turned away. His face was bright red.
Unfortunately, when he turned around, he saw the knight staring at him.
She had one hand on her head. Her expression was one of genuine pain.
"Are you okay?"
Before Haru could say anything else —
The knight suddenly collapsed.
Right on top of him.
---
The knight found herself standing in a large hallway.
Her memories immediately recognized it. The Demon King's castle.
She looked around. Her old comrades stood beside her. The blonde-haired boy wearing gauntlets stood at the front.
They were charging toward the throne room.
"No!"
The knight tried to shout.
"Stop!"
But nobody could hear her.
The doors opened. The Demon King appeared.
And then —
Blood.
Her comrades were slaughtered one after another. She watched helplessly as each of them fell.
Then came the blonde-haired boy. He charged forward. A fatal blow was coming.
He moved in front of her.
The attack struck him instead.
"No!"
The knight screamed.
"Kazuki!"
---
"Yes?"
Haru's voice suddenly echoed through the vision.
The knight's eyes snapped open.
"Wait."
Haru stared at her.
"How do you know my game name?"
---
End of Chapter 1