__Prologue__
The Desolate Desert Netherworld is inhabitable for ordinary demons. Only those with strength can survive its extreme environment, but even then they’ll struggle to survive. On the bright side, those who manage to live long enough can gain strength equal or greater to the overlords. And among those who succeeded, one was able to reach the realm of the ‘Tyrant Overlord’.
Xenohart, a native of the Desolate Desert Netherworld, started from scratch and fought his way to the top. With his spear he brought down overlord-class demons. In time he became the sole ruler of the land and he ventured other worlds to exhibit his power, soon earning him the title ‘Lord of Darkness’.
While his rule came to an end when he came across the ‘Lord of Terror’, his followers didn’t stop searching for a way to bring him back. And now after countless generations have passed, a solution has been found. A way to resurrect the ‘Lord of Darkness’ is at hand. The empire that has regressed into a cult is one step closer to meeting their god. Unfortunately, the universe knows of their plan and has sent ‘The Strongest Hero’ and his sidekick to deprave them of their life long goal.
The gate separating the altar from the rest of the world burst open, and from it a girl with a handgun on each hand came through. “Stop whatever you’re doing scum, for Super Hero Asagi has come!”
A young man followed shortly, hitting the self-proclaimed hero on the head with a sword of light. “Don’t go off on your own.” He hastily stood in front of the girl, staring warily at the robed figures forming a circle around the pitch black altar of their god. “Please stop what you’re doing demons, I don’t want to use force,” he pleaded but the cult of Xenohart simply ignored his words.
Seeing that, the hero gritted his teeth and ordered “Asagi, knock them down.” He then rushed forth and hit the robed figures with the hilt of his weapon. Clearly against the command, the sidekick smashed her handguns onto the demons’ heads while muttering “we should kill them”, but none of them died.
The cultists fell down one by one and the ritual was never completed.
“So what do we do with them, boss? Take them to prison with those we knocked down outside? Don’t you think the prison will go bankrupt with all the criminals they have to feed? We should-”
“Asagi, not all demons are bad and even those who have fallen to darkness can come back to the side of light. As the ones vying for peace, we have to give them a chance.”
“A chance to rot in a cell,” Asagi murmured. The hero heard her but didn’t bother explaining himself any further. He walked towards the altar, frowning at the cause of the problem – the Lord of Darkness.
The hero detests Xenohart’s influence over his cult. And if the stories about him were to be believed, his conquest was another thing to dislike. The hero doesn’t wish to judge people by their first impression, but Xenohart was an exception. He abhors the former king of the Desolate Desert Netherworld and he’d do anything to get rid of all the traces left by his most hated demon.
Shaking his head, his sword blurred, slicing the altar into pieces. To his surprise, a massive amount of dark energy surged out of the devastated altar, filling the room with a suffocating aura. The hero quickly looked at the unconscious demons, and then to his sidekick who was wheezing on the floor.
He cast a wind spell to carry everyone out and a light spell to seal him and the energy inside the room. Tightening the grip on his sword, he prepared for the worst.
He watched as the energy gathered into one place, forming a pitch black cocoon. He tried to slice it in half only to be pushed away by an invisible force. All his other attempts failed like the first.
“If you are who I think you are, you definitely deserve your title.”
What came next was an explosion of energy, dwarfing the pressure the hero felt earlier. In a blink of an eye, the cocoon was gone, replaced by a black figure... one that was way smaller than he expected.
‘That’s the Lord of Darkness?’ the hero thought as he stared at the silver-haired demon in a shadow-like suit, that looked no older than thirteen. The demon was also a ‘she’, not a ‘he’, unless those things on her chest were hidden weapons of sorts instead of a budding chest.
The newly emerged demon revealed a pair of scarlet eyes. She gazed at the hero with the same level of curiosity, and then turned to her body, her eyes widening at the sight as she yelled “the hell!”
After god knows how long, she stomped her way towards the hero, grabbed him by the collar and asked “what did you do to my body, human?! Why am I a girl?! Tell me!”
Heaving a sigh, he returned “I’ll tell you if you tell me who you are. Are you Tyrant Overlord Xenohart? Are you the king of the Desolate Desert Netherworld? Are you the Lord of Darkness? Did you kill-”
“No, now stop spewing nonsense! I’m Xion, not this Vibrant Ovenlord Xeno-something. And who’d want to rule over a pile of worthless sand?! If I do become king it’ll be on a solid ground, not a god forsaken world with nothing but glorified dust! And that’ll never happen because I hate responsibilities! I’d rather be an ordinary traveler than deal with poverty and politics!”
The hero was taken aback by the demon’s rant, but he had to be sure “so you’re not Xenohart?”
“Fuck, you’re deaf and useless! I’m done talking to you!” Visibly irritated, the demon released him and stomped her way out of the room. “Tsk, what a waste of time!”
Shocked, yet somewhat amused by the young lady’s antics, the hero ran after her. “Wait for me!”
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__Chapter 1__
Xion finds joy in eating, and that remains true even in the form she currently has. Her preference changed quite a bit though. Millions of years ago she loved meat, now she was obsessed with sweets. Was it a side effect of having a child-like body or something else entirely?
It was hard to tell, but the person herself didn’t really care. She was satisfied as long as she could get her hands on what she wants to eat. And at present, she was far from lacking in that department.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Here’s your strawberry bubble tea, dood,” said a prinny carrying a tray with the said desert. It was like any other prinny. It resembles a penguin with small bat wings and two peg legs. Instead of a waist pouch however, it has a frilly pink apron covering most of its tummy.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile as she received her order, a gesture she copied from others, mostly the customers of establishments she has visited over the past few months. She was aware she couldn’t keep acting like she did in the past, especially since her past was most likely considered ancient or even prehistoric by modern society. She has to adapt. She has to be like the demons of the new era.
“The pleasure is mine, dood,” the prinny replied cheerfully.
It went back to its duties afterward, leaving Xion to her unhealthy breakfast. Not that it mattered. She could always consume her own magical energy to balance the nutrients in her body, an ability she developed while living in a world void of anything but sand and combat. She might’ve found something to eat if she tried, but she didn’t have the patience during those times. She’d rather cannibalize her opponents than search for food.
Her face darkened and she quickly banished the thought. She left her home world so she could forget the horrible things she did. In the end her plan to start anew never came, but now she has the chance to escape from her past and it would be for the best if she did.
“Hey, have you heard? The humans took down another netherworld. And it’s a well-known netherworld too. They’re really going in with their plan to get rid of all evil,” a female archer said sourly.
“If we’re evil then what are they for killing the innocents? Haaa, I thought the hero association will be a neutral group working for everyone’s sake. Turns out they’re like the angels. They’ll kill anyone that’s not a part of their damn race. Stupid humans,” a witch replied.
“I just hope they are dealt with before they reach our netherworld,” their cleric friend said.
“Agreed,” was the response of both the archer and the witch.
‘Heroes... didn't the blond guy who gave me money say he's a hero? He didn’t seem hostile to me. Then again, his female companion was very eager to start a fight.’ Xion took a sip of her drink. ‘Well it doesn’t matter. I’ll leave them be if they don’t do anything stupid. I’ll kill them if they attack. It's that simple.’
She ordered an assortment of cupcakes after drinking her tea and left for her apartment, wondering what to eat for dinner. She also scheduled her next ‘bandit hunting’ session since she was starting to run out of funds. Maybe she should search for a stable job next.
An image of her baking cakes popped up in her mind, making her giggle, and then pale once she realized what she just did. She, the monster feared by all living things except for the blue menace that killed her, giggled? There was no way, she must’ve imagined it. But if it did happen, she must take it to her grave or burn everything that might leak her deepest darkest secret. ‘If only there’s a way to fix my body.’
Despite all the strength she has, turning herself back into a man was impossible for her. The blond hero said something about a medical operation, but her constitution and natural regeneration would make it impossible to work unless there’s a dedicated team working on her case. Even then, it might take years to decades, or even centuries, and she would lose her newly found freedom. Knowing that, she decided to put it at the back of her mind and just focus on other things.
Still, she wouldn’t accept acting like a girl. The customs of the present were fine, feminine traits weren’t. Her pride as a man would never allow that. She’d die first before she succumbs to her womanhood!
Heaving a sigh, she continued walking back to her home-
“A human, a human has been spotted in the Gray Wood Forest!” a young warrior stated, causing uproar in the streets. In no time, an army of angry citizens gathered and matched towards the forest.
Xion watched as the group disappeared. More followed in time, and she just stood there until a certain prinny saw her. The prinny in question stored the toothed knives it was holding into its pouch and approached her. “Are you okay, Miss Xion? You were spacing out, dood.”
“I’m fine,” she reassured. “What about you? You look like you’re prepared for an all-out war.”
The prinny meekly scratched the back of its bald head. “I am, if that’s what the human wants, dood. But I doubt I’ll be of help, I’m not strong after all. I’m just a prinny, dood.”
“Nah, I’m sure you can do something.” After all, even a seemingly insignificant feat can change the tides of war – it’s a lesson she learned the hard way. “Anyway, want to go to the forest with me?”
The prinny stepped back in disbelief, a reaction Xion understood despite the lack of expression on its face. “I-I’d love to! T-That is, if you’re okay with me, dood!”
She found it cute and almost giggled, but she hastily brushed the feeling off. The prinny was a funny guy. It would be a waste to end its life simply because it saw what it shouldn’t. “Would I ask if I wasn’t?”
“N-No, you wouldn’t, ahahaha! L-Let’s go, dood!”
‘Cute,’ was a word that didn’t exist in Xion's vocabulary. She rejects the idea of ever thinking that.
Xion began walking with the prinny without the least bit concern about time. She would run if it looked like her companion wanted to, but that didn’t seem to be the case. “So I guess you’re on our side if you were ready to fight the human. Strange, weren’t you a human too?”
The prinny suddenly stopped in its tracks and she didn’t know why. “Did I say something wrong?”
It looked at her for a while then shook its head, “No, I just spaced out a bit, dood. About my reason, I don’t have fond memories of my time as a human. To be honest, I like my time as a prinny more, dood. I’m supposed to be punished, yet my only complaint is my low salary. One sardine a day is too little, dood!” It twitched at its own words. “P-Please don’t tell my boss, dood!” It continued upon seeing Xion nod. “A-As I was saying. I like the netherworld more, dood.”
“While bastards exist, there are nice demons here, dood. It also feels like I’m finally useful. And most of all, I met the-” it gazed at Xion then started shaking its head. “N-Nothing, dood! It’s nothing!”
Xion was confused but didn’t pursue the topic. “It sounds like you went through a lot. Now I’m curious. How old were you when you died? Thirty? Forty?”
The prinny froze again but moved before Xion could ask why. “I was fourteen when I died, dood.”
This time it was Xion who stopped. “Aren’t humans under the age of fifteen considered children? Or was it sixteen?” Did it changed with time as well.
“It’s eighteen, actually. But yeah, I was still a child back then, dood. I didn’t feel like one though, lost the right to call myself a child when I turned eight, dood. And please, don’t ask why, dood.”
For the first time in her life, Xion realized there were questions better left unasked. Were the questions she asked before like that? Was that why the prinny froze?
She wasn’t the brightest when it comes to socialization. She could share her thoughts without fear, but she didn’t know how to go beyond being acquaintances. In fact, she shouldn’t be talking to the guy. In the past she wouldn’t start a conversation unless the other party has what she needs. And as far as she was concerned, the prinny doesn’t. She has no reason whatsoever to be with it so why was she with-
She perceived an incoming threat way before the prinny pushed her to the ground, “look out, dood!” As she fell, she locked onto the one who attacked her.
“Oho, is that a monster in child’s clothing I see?” A middle-aged man in white and gold suit showed himself, a sword of light in his right hand and a gun in his left. “The new recruits would have a problem dealing with you. It’s always hard to stomach killing the young. Good thing I came here instead. I’m Ryan by the way, Ryan Flores, and I’ll be the one who’ll bring judgment to your abominable race.”
Wearing a creepy grin, the man pointed his gun at Xion’s head and fired. The attack barely surprised her. What did was her companion’s reaction. The prinny pulled out a toothed knife faster than... an ordinary prinny’s capabilities and deflected the bullet with relative ease.
It stood up, pulling another toothed knife as it glared at the human. “Run back to the city, Miss Xion. I’m not sure if I can defeat him, dood. I can hold him back though. And I’ll do so even if I die, dood.”
The man fired again, this time at the prinny’s head. “I didn’t expect a mass-produced doll with a rotten soul to be competent, nor did I expect you to play the hero.” The prinny deflected a bullet again and the man’s grin twisted into a scowl. “You’re not a hero!”
“And I never will be. I know, dood, I know. But that doesn’t mean I won’t protect what I want to protect.” The prinny entered a fighting stance. “Why else would I kill, dood?”