Chapter 322 - Kretos and the hero of Vengeance

The humans felt an enormous heavy pressure descend upon them. It was bloodl.u.s.t, unfiltered, unnerving, overwhelming, bloodl.u.s.t. The humans started to tremble in fear as they felt their hearts being gripped by the grim reaper. It was a horrifying feeling of inevitable death. The humans couldn't understand why there were feeling this way, but every fiber of their being was telling them to run. Some of them started weeping while others wanted to run but couldn't move a muscle. Even the undead were feeling something as they stopped moving. 

"RETREAT! RETREAT BACK TO TOUMA CITY! I WILL HOLD HIM DOWN!" The humans heard the screams of their hero and saw that he was facing death himself. They all couldn't help but see the image of death when they looked at the single demon standing in front of Jun. It was like staring at the deep abyss. 

"I ORDER YOU TO RETREAT!" Jun once again shouted at the others, this time he added a bit of a buffing spell using the rain as a medium. The army of humans finally broke free from their fear and started retreating. The undead didn't pursue them nor did the terrifying demon. 

...

Seeing his men were able to flee successfully Jun was now finally able to fully focus on the enemy before him. 

"Why didn't you chase them?" Jun asked as he gripped his ax tighter than before. 

"Huh, why should I chase the weaklings, when the one I want is right in front of me? It's nice to meet you, o hero. I am the Demon Lord Kretos." Kretos smiled his vicious smile as he felt his blood boiling in anticipation of the battle to come. He could tell at one glance that the hero in front of him was stronger than the first hero he faced.

"You're Demon, Lord, KRETOS!" Jun spoke each word with extreme malice, his body seething with rage and hatred. He looked at the demon in front of him in anger. 

"The one and only... Hmm, what's this, you seem to know me. Have we met before?" 

"Why?" Jun asked as he looked at Kretos wanting to strike but holding himself back. His expression, the pain, the sorrow, the anger he felt all mixed deep within. 

"Why, what?" 

"Why did you let them leave?" 

"You mean the others, didn't I answer this question already?" 

"Why did you let them leave but not my brother?!" Jun roared at Kretos, he wanted to attack but he also wanted to hear Kretos's answer. At the mention of his brother Jun also was about ready to shed tears, but he held back as he didn't want to show such a face to his sworn enemy. 

"Oh, I see... Your brother must've been part of the first wave of humans to invade. Is that why you're angry at me, for killing invaders?" Kretos didn't bother to tell Jun that it wasn't him that annihilated that army. He wanted all the hatred to himself, it was he who ordered it anyway.

When Jun heard Kretos's answer he gnashed his teeth in anger, he already found out the truth of the invasion long ago, but the hatred still remained. How would one feel if he said that his brother's death was just a misunderstanding?

"Not that I care, since you hating me and wanting to fight me is to my liking, but shouldn't you find the real conspirators and make them pay? You know the ones who set off all of this into motion." 

"I already dealt with them." 

...

A few weeks ago when Jun had just received his powers from the Temple of the Water God, he used the Temple's information network to learn the truth of the failed attack on the demon lands. When he received the report he found out that it wasn't the demons who initiated the war, it was actually the king of his own kingdom. The King and his advisors made all of this happen because of their greed. 

When Jun learned the truth, the anger he had for the demons was shifted momentarily to the king and his advisors. He quickly headed to the capital of the Sliral Kingdom. 

He stormed the castle, as they had lost a lot of men in the last battle the defense of the castle was laughable. Jun didn't kill the guards or the soldiers that faced him as they were like his brother, ignorant of the truth, as they were nothing more than puppets on strings. 

Jun burst into the throne room, where the royal family was at. Beside them were the remaining generals of the kingdom. 

"Who are you?!" The Generals stood in front of the royal family blocking them from Jun. 

"I am one who seeks justice for those who died!" Jun moved and within a blink of an eye, the three generals became meat paste as blood splattered everywhere. Watching the horrifying scene the Princess screamed and fainted on the spot, on the other hand, the young ten-year-old prince backed away in fear. The King stood up from his throne and took his sword. He knew that he wasn't a match for Jun, but he needed to protect his children. 

"Why are you doing this? What is it you want?"

"I want justice for those who died! I want justice for my brother!" Jun shouted as he pointed his finger at the king. 

"I don't understand, what have we done to your brother? What has the royal family done to you?" 

"Because of your greed, you sent my brother and thousands of fathers, brothers, sons to their deaths. I the hero of the Temple of the Water God have come to judge you! I the brother of Marlo have come to judge you!" Jun roared at the King. 

Hearing what Jun said, the king finally understood who this man was. Even though he didn't know who Marlo was personally, it was obvious that he was one of the soldiers that died in the canyon of death. The King threw his sword away and instead knelt in front of Jun. 

"I know that I can never be forgiven for what I have done. I know that I need to pay for my sins, but please spare my children they are innocent. Only I should be punished, please o hero, please show mercy."

"You ask for mercy? You who have taken everything from me, ask for leniency when I had none!" Jun shouted at the King as he lifted his hand to strike him down. The moment his hands were about to strike the king someone came in between them. Jun quickly stopped his hand almost killing the child before him. 

"Don't hurt father!" The young child, the prince spoke his voice quivering. He looked at Jun eye to eye his body was afraid but his eyes shown his resolve.

"George what are you doing?! Move aside now!" The King pulled his son to the side.

"I apologize he's just a child." The King bowed his head until it hit the floor. 

"... Fine, I will spare your children, but I want you to end your own life. Take responsibility and kill yourself." 

"NO! Father you can't do that!" George screamed at his father. The King didn't bother with his son at the moment, instead, he looked Jun in the eye and nodded his head. The King then looked at his panicking son and whispered something in his ear. The boy kept shaking his head as tears fell down his face. After whispering what needed to be done, the King then separated from his son and smiled gently as he said his final words to his son. 

"You must do what must be done. Do not let hatred fill you or you will come to regret it." After telling his son those final words the King knocked George unconscious. The King then picked up his blade looked at Jun and stabbed himself.

...

"I already took my revenge on the person who led my brother to his death. Now I'm about to get revenge on the borrowed knife that stabbed him to death."

Hearing Jun's answer made Kretos chuckle. 

"You're pretty selfish for a hero." 

"Heroes are already selfish by nature. They save and help people out of their own selfishness, even those that do not want to be saved are still saved because of their vanity, their egos. I too am a hero and I shall avenge those that need to be avenged not out of justice but out of my own selfishness. Besides, before I am a hero, I am a brother." Jun looked at Kretos's eyes as he spoke his mind.

"Heh HAHAHA! Well-spoken hero, I like you. You're just like me, you do things that you want to do. You do not mask it with good or evil, it's just you. Who would've thought the supposed opposites the hero and the demon lord are just the same... Well if you look at it in my perspective you are the evil that has invaded my lands, and I am the hero of my people that protects them. You, on the other hand, see the same thing. You are simply protecting your people and want to vanquish me the evil that needs to be eliminated."

"I didn't know the demon lord was such a chatty person. It doesn't matter who is in the right or who is in the wrong. I came to fulfill my selfish desires and at the same time fulfill my role as the hero of the Temple of the God of Water." 

"Very well then, no more talk, come at me!" Kretos gestured at Jun to come and Jun responded by throwing his ax at Kretos.