[ POV of Hero Party! ]
The tyrannical winds swept through the Cursed Beast Forest. The trees were towering, piercing into the skies, yet instead of green leaves, they were black, the color of death.
The roots and vines on the ground were a deathly black as well, and a vicious fog occasionally blew through the forest, applying a deadly poison that only the strongest could overcome.
Thankfully, for the Hero Party, with their enhanced abilities, they were able to easily move through the forest without being bothered by the fog, or other obstacles that would stop others.
Touka, the Paladin, was walking at the front of the party, protecting them from any surprise attacks, her Shield and Sword already in her hands as she looked around tensely.
However, while she remained intensely serious, the others walked cheerily, chatting on the way with a mixture of eagerness and excitement as they approached the Demon Stronghold.
"We're finally close," Touka murmured, her soft voice was filled with determination as the edge of the forest neared, and the next Demon Town could be seen in the distance.
"Yep, the info said that after Vyxfold Town, is the Stronghold of StyxHaven, that's what we're here to destroy, and then we'll be done with this exhaustion mission," Killian said in a playful voice, but the rest of the girls weren't exactly believing what he was saying, their faces filled with the look of playful disbelief.
"Stop lying, you're definitely enjoying what has been going on." Touka immediately rebutted and Killian just laughed at her claim, not bothering to deny it.
It wasn't just Killian, all of the girls aside from Touka had massively enjoyed this experience, and weren't particularly elated to be heading back to their home world after the mission was completed.
They had been summoned to this world around half a year prior, by a magnificently beautiful woman called Kayle, who called herself the Goddess of Light.
Kayle explained that their was an ancient war between her people and Demons, and due to the Divine Covenant, she and the other good gods couldn't intervene, allowing the Demons to run riot.
She tasked them with defeating the Demons, cutting off their connection to the Demon Goddesses, and saving the world. It was completely reminiscent of popular Isekai Japanese manga.
At the start, all of them were anxious. After all, they had never had any real fights before in their lives, and now were tasked with defeating Demons who could crush buildings with one hand and probably crush their bodies with their toenails.
But thankfully, as summoned Heroes, they were given power. Firstly, their physical strengths had been risen to an incredible level.
Even the weakest physically of them could crush metal without breaking a sweat, and could easily defeat multiple relatively strong Demons with just their fists.
That wasn't even counting magic. Most humans in this world couldn't use magic, and even the skilled ones needed years of training to be excellent at it.
But as Summoned Heroes, they could all use Magic, and they were all amazing at it, easily learning any spell they were taught, and even able to use the Legendary Tier 0 Magic or Divine Magic as the Humans called it that only DemiGods or Gods could.
Another thing that changed was their looks, it seemed like their roles as Heroes influenced their looks. For example, Killian became more athletic and handsome, and his hair and eye color changed to gold.
Alexi's hair became bright red, and her body was constantly growing, becoming taller, more curvaceous and voluptuous. It was the same for all of the other girls, who became more 'mature' bodied as they stayed longer in the world.
When they asked why it was happening, the Goddess simply explained their power was perfecting their body, which had the effect of making them more 'mature' and sexy.
Due to this, most of the girls wanted to stay in this world even after defeating the Demons, since they looked so attractive, and had so much influence in this world.
Princes were constantly asking the female Heroes for their hands in marriage, and they could basically get anything they want for free.
~CAW~CAW!~
As they were walking, a Magical Bird flew through the sky, carrying a rolled up letter as it landed in Killian's hand, before dissipating into dust.
Killian immediately unrolled the letter and then read it, "The Knights of the Holy Order are almost done with VyxFold Town. They'll meet us at StyxHaven once they're done,"
"We'll probably be all done with StyxHaven by time they arrive. Not like there's ever been a Demon to give us trouble, they're just disgusting evil pests," Lizzy, the Hero Party's Saintess said.
"Yeah, I've lost count of how many Strongholds we've destroyed," Alexi, the Party's Mage said.
Speaking of that, they finally reached the edge of the forest, and the Demon Stronghold could be seen in the distance.
They stepped into an open field that stretched out before the Demon Stronghold in the distance. The ground was cracked and barren, the once fertile soil turned lifeless under the oppressive aura emanating from the fortress in the distance.
Alexi adjusted the grip on her staff, her red hair catching the dull light of the clouded sky, "Something feels... off," she muttered, her emerald eyes scanning the horizon.
"Relax," Killian said, flashing his trademark grin as his golden armor shimmered faintly. "We've made it this far without breaking a sweat. A few demons aren't going to change that now."
"You shouldn't be so cocky," Touka chided as she lead them, "Who knows what disgusting trap the Demons have prepared for us. Even if we defeated their strongest soldiers, attacking a fortress is much different.
"She's right," Lizzy added softly, clutching her staff close, "This is the final stretch. We need to be cautious, we've destroyed so many strongholds the Demons might get desperate, who knows, maybe they might suicide bomb us,"
Killian wanted to speak but didn't know what to say, and the party eventually fell into a tense silence as they moved further into the open field, the Stronghold looming ever closer as the ominous spires reached into the darkened sky like claws.
However, their eyes naturally shifted away from the fortress to a figure standing in front of them. The figure emitted a vast demonic energy, more powerful than any being they had met before.
He stood tall and imposing, much taller than any of them at leas 6'7, and he was clad in a black, gold and red armor that shimmered dangerously. His helmet was sleek and ornate, with glowing golden eyes that pierced through.
"Who is that?" Alicia asked, her frame trembling slightly as she clutched her bow, taking a step back,"
"I don't know," Killian said, narrowing his eyes, "Our intel mentioned nothing about someone like this. A secret weapon, maybe?"
"Possibly," Natasha whispered, her shadowy form flickering as she melted into the background, "He's powerful. I can feel it. Compared to the other demons we faced, this guy's energy is much more overwhelming."
"Are we sure we want to attack now? We can always go back to the Kingdom and have a talk with Goddess Kayle, ask her about who this is." Touka immediately suggested, not wanting to run in blind.
"NO WAY!" Killian immediately rebutted, "If we turn back now, without even fighting, we'll be embarrassed. Don't worry, I'll lead us into battle." Killian said confidently, grasping his sword tightly and flashing his signature smile.
The others immediately felt safer due to his confidence, and ignored Touka's worries, deciding to move forward. As they stepped closer and closer, the figure in front of them raised his head.
Those dangerous golden eyes locked onto the Hero Party like a predator looking at prey. His voice was deep yet arrogant, and although he spoke softly, it seemed to boom into their ears from every direction.
"You've finally arrived," he said, his words laced with a dangerous excitement, "I hope you won't disappoint me, I haven't been this excited in years."
As the last word left his lips, the ground beneath them began to glow. A massive magic array, intricate and pulsing with raw energy, spread across the open field.
"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Touka shouted, her sharp instincts honed from the many battles in this world kicking in. She darted to the side, narrowly avoiding a blazing pillar of fire that erupted from the ground where she had been standing.
The rest of the party scattered as the magic array activated. Killian immediately moved to Alexi, taking her into his arms and dodging to the side with a roll.
Alicia used her nature magic to create a make-shift shield, protecting herself and Lizzy as the array activated, unleashing a storm of vicious elemental fury that ravaged the lands.
~BOOM~BOOM~BOOM!~
Bursts of deadly, black flames of death raged across the land, spears of necromantic ice rained down from the skies, destructive lightning crackled in blinding ferocious arcs and the earth itself shook venomously, jagged spikes shooting upwards.
The Hero Party landed on their feet, split from one another but at least dodging the initial attacks, surveilling the situation, "This is no ordinary magic." Alexi immediately shouted, beads of sweat dripping down her brow, having spent a vast amount of time studying magic in this world.
"Watch out!" Lizzy cried, casting a divine barrier just in time to block a devastating bolt of lightning aimed at Killian and Alexi who was in his arms, being protected by him. As a glass-cannon Elemental Mage, Alexi really wasn't the best at defense.
"Thanks!" Killian called out, gripping his sword tightly and resting Alexi back on the ground. His golden aura flared to life as he deflected an incoming wave of shadowy energy with a sweep of his blade, "We need to find a way to break that array!"
"Easier said than done!" Alicia yelled, her voice high with tension as she shot off a barrage of arrows to deflect the earth spikes surging toward her.
Natasha appeared behind Touka, her movements swift and silent, "I'll find the source of the array. You all need to keep him occupied,"
Touka nodded, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the figure in the distance. Despite the chaos raging around him, the demon, if he truly was one, stood motionless, as if observing their struggle with detached amusement.
"Let's see what you're made of!" Killian roared, his luxurious golden armor shining brightly as he charged forward with his blade glowing like the sun. The earth cracked beneath his feet as he leaped toward the figure.
He looked like the ideal fantasy hero, shining brightly like the sun whilst in battle. But unlike those mangas and animes, this was the real world, and the hero doesn't always win.
Jax raised a single hand, the air around him distorting with a pulse of raw magic. A barrier materialized, effortlessly deflecting Killian's strike and sending the Hero flying backward.
"Disappointing, is this the strength of the hero?," Jax mused, his voice calm but laced with mockery, "Can you at least try to not embarrass yourself hero?"
Killian regained his balance and landed on the ground, the Hero party regrouping in tactical positions around him while they looked towards Jax.
"Nobody panic." Touka, the backbone of the hero party immediately said, "Stay calm, and we'll win just like before." She spoke in a confident tone, hoping to inspire her teammates, who all nodded.
Jax however, just chuckled, his tone eerie as he spoke,
"Humor me!"