"This is the end!"
The hero's sword pierced through the heart of the evil Demon Lord, bringing his eternal life to a final halt.
"So this... this feeling... is fear..."
With those words, the Demon Lord's body disintegrated into ashes, scattering on the gentle breeze.
Facing his victory, the hero felt no elation or joy, perhaps only a sense of relief after a heavy burden was lifted from his heart, followed by a weary emptiness.
"This goddamn journey is finally over."
The hero sighed, slumping down amidst a battlefield piled high with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. Although victorious, he was not lightly wounded himself, his entire body covered in horrifying injuries. He had only managed to persevere until this moment thanks to his immense, unyielding spirit. His hand unconsciously reached through his half-shattered breastplate from the battle, pulling out a thin, rectangular object from inside his tunic, slightly larger than an adult's hand.
Behind a yellowed and cracked transparent plastic layer was a picture: an image of a young man surrounded by several girls, set against the backdrop of an academy shaded by cherry blossoms, with the stylized words "Academy Legacy II" prominently printed on it. Though somewhat distorted by time, it was clearly identifiable as a game disc.
"Ha..."
The hero gave a bitter laugh, a hint of bitterness appearing on his haggard and weary face as his hand gently caressed the plastic casing of the disc. Ten years ago, while on his way home after queuing to buy the sequel to his favorite game, the hero was abducted and brought to this world.
This game disc was the last relic reminding him of his old world.
Suddenly, a gentle flapping of wings came from above the hero's head. A few pure white feathers floated down, momentarily obscuring his vision, accompanied by a pleasant, light scent and atmosphere, even amidst the sea of corpses.
"Is that you?"
Without even bothering to look up, the hero mumbled in a despondent tone.
Descending from the sky, a young woman bathed in dazzling divine light, her features obscured. She paused slightly at his empty question.
"Yes, my hero."
It was a voice as clear as a ringing bell, as warm as the sunlight finally breaking through after a long, cold winter – a voice enough to captivate any young man. However, to the current hero, that voice only evoked negative emotions.
"Ah... Ah..."
He groaned.
"What is it this time, Goddess? The Demon Lord has been defeated, aren't you satisfied yet?"
Without even bothering to hide his disgust, the hero looked up, his tired eyes searching for an expression on the face of the girl he called the Goddess. Unfortunately, due to the divine light enveloping her entire body, all he saw were faint, vague outlines of her exquisite features.
Ten years ago, the one standing before him was the culprit who had brought him to this rotten, cursed world.
The hero still remembered his previous world, the blue planet called Earth. There, he was just an ordinary child living an ordinary life. While he couldn't say he was always happy, as joy and sorrow sometimes intertwined, he could affirm one thing: Earth was a hundred times better and more peaceful than this world.
Deceit, envy, hatred, evil... If forced to describe it, this place was certainly a cursed dark fantasy world, where the worst aspects of society were laid bare.
While he couldn't deny that besides all that ugliness, there were still lives worth saving—which was one of the reasons the hero gritted his teeth and pressed on—throughout his ten-year journey, besides staining his hands with blood, he didn't truly save anyone. There were some things that even a hero couldn't save.
At some point, the only thing the hero did was swing his sword on battlefields where the stench of blood permeated every corner. Slaying demons, destroying monsters, and even at times fighting against angels and humans.
The world had already driven him mad, and his companions were all crazy, bizarre individuals.
A sorcerer obsessed with immortality, unafraid to conduct morbid experiments. An arrogant elven scout and archer afflicted with racism, despising all creatures not of her own kind. And finally, a priestess with a pure, saintly appearance, but whose true nature was that of a harlot who enjoyed watching others writhe in pain until she was satisfied before offering help.
The hero was long since exhausted, not physically, but mentally. He had simply gone too far to stop, eventually reaching this arena, the final battle with the Demon Lord.
"No..." the Goddess spoke.
"How could I ask for anything more from the hero who has flawlessly completed the mission of saving the world bestowed upon him?"
Mission?
Saving?
The hero didn't bother to retort, but he couldn't help but let out a cynical laugh.
"So what's your purpose in being here?" he asked.
"Of course, it's to congratulate and reward you for your glorious achievement."
The Goddess descended as she spoke, extending her slender, soft hands to cup the hero's face, making him look directly at her.
"Tell me, what kind of reward do you desire? Whether it's to become the king of an empire or a life of endless luxury, I can grant your wish."
Hearing those words, the hero's tired eyes flickered for a moment.
"Any wish?" he asked again.
"A deity does not lie, as long as what you desire is within my capabilities."
Hearing the Goddess's affirmation, the hero let out a breath.
"I only want one thing..."
"I'm listening."
"Take me back to my old world."
When the hero's wish was spoken, for the first time, the Goddess's vague expression in the light twisted momentarily. Her lips moved as if to say something, but no words came out.
"...What?"
It was almost a minute later before she could utter a single word.
"..."
Aware of her impropriety, the Goddess adjusted her tone and posture. She removed her hands from the hero's face and stepped back a few paces, oblivious to her pristine white feet treading on the blood-stained ground, indicating that she had not fully calmed down.
"It seems I misheard. Could you please repeat your request?"
Still staring at the Goddess, the hero patiently repeated his wish.
"Take me back to my old world, please."
Before the hero's voice, trembling more than usual due to his suppressed emotions, the Goddess hesitated for a moment.
"Do you truly want to go back? What about the people of this world? Your friends, your comrades..." she continued to ask.
The hero did not answer the Goddess's question. He stood up, turning to face the distant horizon. Finally, he said:
"I hate this world."
A statement clearly reflecting his deep weariness.
The Goddess understood that the hero thoroughly detested her world. From the beginning, she was at fault for pulling an outsider like him into this world's problems. If there was anyone or anything the hero hated most, it must be the Goddess. She had no right to keep him here. Unable to hold the hero back, the Goddess could only respect his wish.
"I understand. I will grant your wish. When do you plan to leave?"
"As soon as possible! Immediately, if I can."
The hero stated decisively.
"..."
The Goddess hadn't expected the hero to despise her world to this extent. She asked:
"Don't you want to spend some time saying goodbye to them?"
Although she knew she shouldn't and couldn't hold the hero back, she still wished to keep him a little longer.
The hero pondered. He knew "them" the Goddess referred to were his three comrades from the Demon Lord subjugation party. Before the battle began, the four of them had been separated to face individual opponents: the hero confronted the Demon Lord, while the other three faced the three demon generals serving under the Demon Lord.
While their personalities were problematic, their strength was undeniable. The Demon Lord had been defeated by him here, so it was highly likely that the other three had also won.
"No thanks." However, after a moment of silence, the hero's answer was still firm, almost unintentionally so.
"Understood." The Goddess sighed, feeling a little disappointed.
"I will perform the spatiotemporal transfer ritual for you. Please relax your body and do not resist."
Disappointed or not, as a deity, she had a responsibility to fulfill the wish of the hero who had defeated the Demon Lord.
"I'm starting now."
With that, the Goddess flapped her wings and ascended. Pure white feathers rained down around the hero until her wings completely vanished. They began to glow, forming a magic circle with the hero at its center.
"Your wings..."
The hero frowned, not realizing the cost of sending him back was so great that the Goddess had to sacrifice a part of her own body.
"It's alright, they'll grow back. I don't know how long it will take, but it's nothing compared to what you've done for this world."
The Goddess shook her head in response, her hands dancing as she performed some kind of ritual that the hero couldn't comprehend.
The magic circle beneath his feet shone brighter and brighter. The hero felt his body and consciousness gradually disperse.
"Just relax, the transfer is in progress. You'll be back in your world soon."
In his fading consciousness, the hero could still hear the Goddess's clear voice, tinged with a subtle sadness.
"What are you doing?!"
"Wait!"
"Stop!"
Suddenly, three loud shouts echoed from a distance. The hero could see small figures rapidly approaching. Before he could clearly discern their faces, his eyelids drooped and then fully closed.
"Never again... Goodbye, you crazy bitches."
He muttered this to himself.
"Wait... You... Don't disrupt the ritual!"
The Goddess's panicked voice and a terrible pain, as if his body were being torn into a thousand pieces, assailed him the moment the hero's consciousness completely vanished.
He didn't know how much time had passed. His body seemed to have become a cage for his soul, his consciousness slowly reassembling itself bit by bit.
The hero woke with a start. Before his eyes was an unfamiliar ceiling. His eyelids were heavy and his head throbbed, and even the soft feeling of the mattress beneath him couldn't make him comfortable.
Cupping his head with his right hand, the hero sat up with difficulty, rubbing his forehead, hoping the pain would subside. He glanced around the room.
It was a large room filled with luxurious decorations, looking exactly like the noble bedrooms he used to frequent when he first became a hero.
"..."
Feeling that something was wrong, he suppressed the intense headache, jumped out of bed, ran to the nearest window, threw it open, and looked outside.
What met his eyes was a vast, green, airy, and pleasant garden. He seemed to be in a luxurious dormitory room, because besides his own window, the hero saw at least a few more similar windows on the elegant yellow wall stretching out on either side.
"Ha... Dammit! This isn't Earth!"
The hero could confirm that because he had just seen a pair of mesmerizing purple crystal butterflies fly past him. He angrily slammed the window shut, turned, and stepped back towards the bed, but what was before him made him stop dead in his tracks.
A large mirror attached to the wardrobe door.
Reflected in it was the image of a young man not yet twenty, his handsome face still a bit immature, revealing a cold arrogance. It was the reflection of the hero himself, now.
"What?"
After performing a few actions to confirm that the person in the mirror was indeed him and no one else, he exclaimed in astonishment.
There were quite a few issues that led to the hero's improper behavior, but the most striking was the outfit he was wearing: a modernistic uniform designed like a suit, with a long black jacket and a dark blue tie.
The hero recognized this uniform design.
It was exactly like the outfit the protagonist wore on the cover of the "Academy Legacy II" game disc, which he had always treasured.
"That damn Goddess!"