Torture the hero, why has the Demon King's castle collapsed again?

Page 101

Could it be that none of this was actually caused by the Wolf Mercenary Group, but rather—

thump—

dong dong!

A faint tremor came from the ground, which attracted the attention of the surrounding paladins. The source of the sound was not far away, just a dozen meters away from where the Wolf Mercenary Group had been unearthed.

As they cleared the area, the mound of earth was reduced considerably, and a deep darkness could be vaguely seen through the gaps in the rubble, as if something was buried deep inside.

And now, faint sounds can be heard from the cracks in the darkness.

"Hehe, my strength has finally returned..."

"It's not much, but it's enough..."

"The power hidden within me, heed my call once more, and unleash your power!"

Staring wide-eyed, the next instant, Ota felt a surge of divine power erupting from the ground, and he murmured in disbelief, "No way..."

A familiar female voice suddenly became clear in the next moment, reaching the ears of everyone present:

"Explosion——!!!"

A terrifying, solid blade of energy shot into the sky, creating a powerful shockwave that blew away the surrounding rubble. From the pit, a dirty, red-haired figure crawled out.

Amidst the swirling dust, a figure appeared, striking a solitary pose with arms crossed, muttering in a low, powerful voice:

Five hundred years have passed, a period of great change.

"Now, who can keep me in check—"

“Uh… I need to remind you, my lord, we’ve only been trapped inside for less than five hours… Hiss, this is…”

Darkfrey's interrupting voice abruptly faded from her mind after she became aware of her surroundings, as if she were quietly and urgently reminding Shana of something.

"Oh? You're here too." The red-haired, bright-eyed girl turned her head dismissively, looking at the paladin and Ota who were staring at her like they'd seen a ghost, and casually flicked her cloak.

"Don't worry about it, I just went through a battle on a level you can't even imagine."

She struggled to lift her little head, her face etched with the marks of hardship... Shana's slightly smug eyes couldn't help but scan her surroundings, taking in the dumbfounded expressions of the paladins and Prince Ota, and she secretly clenched her fist!

Although the plot was somewhat convoluted, I still managed to defeat all the evil forces that tried to seize the mountain peak contract!

With such outstanding achievements, his title based on his merits must be a sure thing!

What could it be? The Sword Hero? The Fire Hero sounds pretty good too!

Lost in thought, Prince Ota, who was not far away, seemed to be "excited" and his face was flushed. He walked to the side with stiff movements and asked, "Shana, what are you doing here?"

"Naturally, it's to prevent the contract from being broken! At the same time, it's also to protect the peace of the royal suburbs!"

Shana pressed one hand to her eyes, shifting her posture several times as she spoke: "Hehe, but during the execution, I seem to have further demonstrated my power... exceeding the plan's objectives."

"Don't be surprised. This is a miracle that you cannot understand, a miracle that belongs only to the brave."

With a soft "hmm," Prince Ota suddenly pressed hard on his philtrum, his chest heaving violently. His suspicions had been confirmed, and he seemed about to faint from excitement.

Grand Master Erwin of the Knights, standing nearby, quickly helped Prince Ota up, his eyes filled with panic.

"Something's wrong! Prince Ota has lost his mind! Someone, come quickly to Prince Ota's study..."

"I'm perfectly sober!!!" Ota suddenly roared.

Shaking off Erwin's hand, Ota took a few deep breaths, forced an awkward smile, and looked at Shana.

"Heroine Shana... let me confirm this again: was it you who secretly ran away from the palace on the day the Dragon King descended, evading the Royal Knights' search, and took the opportunity to slip out of the city gates?"

“Yes, that’s right!” Shana nodded gently. In her opinion, this little thing was nothing compared to the great feat she had accomplished.

The hearts of all the knights present skipped a beat! They seemed to hear the sound of their monthly salaries being deducted and gold coins being thrown away…

"So, it was around dawn that you confronted the Wolf Mercenary Group on the front lines of the Dragon Hidden Mountains...?" Ota asked again, looking at Shana, trying to keep his voice from trembling.

“Yes, that’s right!” Shana proudly raised her head and said with a sigh, “They were a group of formidable opponents, especially one of the powerful mercenaries who was able to fight me for hundreds of rounds… Facing them was enough to make me use all my strength.”

Behind Ota, a group of knights exchanged glances and nodded with a hint of admiration.

The hero Shana mentioned must be Wolf, the leader of the Wolf Mercenary Group. He's said to be a warrior whose strength is no less than that of Commander Erwin. I didn't expect... that Shana's strength has reached the point where she can fight him.

Otta raised his head, revealing a row of clean, even teeth, but as the muscles in his smile twitched, a faint sound of his teeth grinding could be heard:

"So... it was you who unleashed that incredibly powerful attack on the Dragon Hidden Mountains, right?"

"Oh! You all saw that move too?" Shana perked up, turning to look at the group of paladins:

"Could you take a picture of me? It's the first time I've used a special move that perfectly matched my imagination, and I haven't had a chance to commemorate it yet."

"Don't worry, Heroine Shana..." Erwin glanced around at the surrounding mountain ruins, a slight twitch of his lips:

"Your earth-shattering move has left a profound 'memorial'..."

Chapter 130 Shana's Heroic Title

The Longzang Mountains have now been almost completely leveled. This once dangerous area, which blocked several important trade routes to the capital and hindered the flow of people, has now become the smoothest and most prosperous section of the road!

"Hehehe, good... very good..." Ota finally reacted in the arena.

Looking up, Ota's smile betrayed his barely suppressed emotions. Pointing at Shana, his finger trembled as he said, "Hero Shana, you did well..."

"Prince Ota, there's no need to be so polite."

Shana waved her hand, a hint of pride in her voice: "I merely did what my brother Mino failed to do: I don't need any special reward, or perhaps just a cool, awesome title would suffice..."

As the words of blatant suggestion were uttered, Shana discreetly observed Ota's expression. The other man seemed even more emotional and nodded.

"You want your account banned, huh? So what? I'll ban it for you right now—"

This king, who was rumored to be Mino's close friend, now had eyes filled with kindness, magnanimity, admiration, hatred, and even rage... wait, rage? Shana was slightly taken aback and before she could react, several paladins had already approached.

Click.

The cold handcuffs suddenly snapped onto my wrists.

"Hero Shana!"

His voice suddenly turned serious, and the next moment, Otta's face darkened with an icy expression.

"Now, based on your achievements in the Dragon Hidden Mountains, I hereby bestow upon you the title of Hero!"

"Huh?" Shana blinked, looking down at the handcuffs she had just received, lost in thought... Is this also part of the Hero's Title Conferment Ceremony?

During the match, Otto said in a deep voice:

"Hero Shana, at dawn today, on the western outskirts of the royal capital, atop the once-hidden Dragon Mountain Range."

"Your actions have been verified by all the paladins present, the noble royals, and your own testimony; they are accurate and without error! Your deeds will be publicized throughout the entire nation through the Contract Technique, and you will be awarded a corresponding title of Hero for this..."

Ota stared intently at Shana, knowing that every word he was about to say would be recorded in the public contract:

"Because of your involvement, the Wolf Mercenary Group, which had been poisoning the outskirts of the capital for a long time, was wiped out in one fell swoop, and countless civilians in the entire outskirts of the capital were saved. However, at the same time, the precious contract between the Ice and Fire Dragon King and you was also broken, which nearly brought countless people in the capital and its outskirts to face the terrifying punishment of the dragon race!!!"

"You both thwarted the plot and brought about destruction; the heinousness of your actions is enough to draw worldwide attention."

Otta's stern gaze fell upon him:

"He broke the rules and escaped during the chaos in the palace, deliberately evading the search of the Holy Knights and disrupting the kingdom's order!"

"Knowing the movements of the Wolf Mercenary Group but failing to report it, and instead rushing to the Dragon Hidden Mountains to confront the enemy alone, has further worsened the situation!"

"By failing to restrain their power, they caused destructive fluctuations in the Dragon Hidden Mountains, resulting in the destruction of the contract!"

"It has damaged the precious relationship between dragons and humans, causing even the Frost Dragon King Callest to weep and fall into dire straits!"

"You possess the power of a hero, yet you use that power to wreak havoc on all sides! Based on all these actions, I hereby pronounce:" Ota said in a deep voice after surveying the surroundings.

"You are a brave person who has broken through many worldly shackles and acts without any scruples!"

"Oh oh oh!"

In the pit, Shana's eyes gradually lit up: "Sounds pretty cool..."

At his waist, the blade of Darkfrey trembled so violently it seemed to weep, as if it were about to cry for its master, who had yet to realize the gravity of the situation.

Otto lowered his head and pronounced the sentence as if examining a criminal:

"Hero Shana, you possess the power of a hero, but lack the heart of a hero. Therefore, your title is—'Evil'!"

"From this day forward, you are the source of all evil, the hero of evil—Shana!"

"Your merits and demerits do not offset each other. To ensure your power does not fall into darkness, and to punish your reckless actions, the Holy Knights will imprison you and prohibit you from all personal freedom until the blessing ceremony!!!"

As her excitement faded, the full verdict reached her ears, catching Shana completely off guard:

"Solitary confinement?"

No, no way... Shana's face turned deathly pale, and she froze on the spot: She only slashed once on the mountain, how could it have such a big impact?

"My lord, didn't you hear me? You've destroyed that dragon's contract! It's all your fault!!!"

Darkfrey lamented that the relic was guilty of the same sin as its master. It never imagined that after finally having the chance to leave the dark and gloomy underground of the Holy Church, it would end up in a pitch-black prison again.

Even more unexpectedly, Shana's title was... Hero of Evil! The hero who represents chaos and disorder among all heroes.

This title was specifically created for warriors who, after awakening, become incredibly powerful but lack the concept of controlling their power and frequently make mistakes. However, this also indirectly reflects the hero's strength, so it is actually considered a relatively powerful title for a hero.

But... Darkfrey couldn't help but shudder. Only it knew that its master didn't possess such power all the time!

Why did they choose to give this Prince Ota such a title?

In the end, would his master also follow the path of those other evil heroes, his title gradually becoming darker and more cruel...? As far as he knew, the only thing these heroes had in common was: they loved to court death! In other words, they were short-lived!

No way! The title of the hero you've followed is a badge of honor for the sacred artifact! Heroes of all generations have a certain degree of autonomy in summoning sacred artifacts. Except for a few popular ones, if you don't properly package your resume, you'll never have a chance to get a job... Not to mention, once your resume has a black mark on it, you're completely doomed!

Darkfrey began to regret it more and more.

If the title of Hero of Evil is truly settled, then I will become the lowest of the low among fire-type sacred artifacts.

At the very least, the ban must not be allowed to worsen further... Darkfrey, who had always been timid and hesitant, gradually became determined: he must find an opportunity to clear his master's name!

"A contract? What contract?" Shana was a little dazed. She looked around and realized that the environment around her had changed dramatically.

The entire mountain range caved in deeply, the towering peaks disappeared from sight, leaving only rubble, neatly arranged corpses not far away, and the strange gazes of the surrounding paladins.

Did you make all of these yourself?

Shana was initially confused, then her body began to tremble slightly, and an unprecedented light gradually appeared in her eyes.