Chapter 1: The Final Stand and a Fateful Rebirth

“Yaa-hoo! Take this!”

A brilliant flash illuminated the sky, which was already stained a horrific crimson.

Outside the dilapidated temple, the Over-tier Magic, ‘Ultimate Flash,’ surged directly towards Alexius, the Demon King, who stood but a single step away from conquering the world.

The immense magical power it unleashed even twisted the space-time around the entire temple.

Darkness was dispelled by light, vengeful spirits purified by the sheer energy.

With a colossal roar like rushing thunder, the flash arrived before Alexius in an instant, moving at the speed of light.

However, in the next second, the Demon King merely extended a hand.

The sharp edge of the flash dissipated at his fingertips, dissolving into a wisp of smoke.

“H-how… how could this be?!”

The last remaining Saintess, Luxstina, guarding the temple entrance, watched the scene unfold with utter astonishment.

She shook her head repeatedly, disbelief etched across her features.

Had the Demon King’s power grown so immense, truly mirroring the world’s downfall?

She had unleashed her highest-tier magic, yet it failed to inflict even the slightest damage upon him.

Thus… perhaps the world’s fate was already sealed.

Luxstina lowered her head in despair, unable to stop herself from clenching her fists.

“Damn it all!”

Just a few years prior, she had painstakingly transmigrated to this other world.

Even though she had transformed from an ordinary male high school student into a strange, white-haired beautiful girl, she had been full of anticipation for this new life, even fantasizing about building a harem, however absurd the idea seemed.

Yet, only a few years after arriving, just as the girl had struggled to become a high-ranking magic Saintess of the Church, this world was plunged into a Demon King invasion!

The script had abruptly shifted to an endless battle against the Demon King. How was anyone supposed to enjoy their new life in another world like this?

‘She hadn’t even gotten the protagonist’s script!’

‘That damn Demon King…’

Lulu, a hint of resentment in her gaze, slowly lifted her head and stared intently at him.

Despite her nervousness, she reminded herself that as the last Saintess still fighting, she couldn’t afford to lose her composure.

Thus, she challenged him, “Hmph, you repulsive Demon King! I am Luxstina, the Final Saintess, guardian of this temple! With me here, your ambition to rule the world will never succeed! You shall not take another step into these sacred halls!”

“Oh?” Alexius scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips as he regarded the young woman before him.

He spoke with audacious arrogance, “Lady Luxstina, what if I insist on entering? You cannot stop me. What’s more, I shall have you, the Saintess under my control, personally present the divine artifact you guard to me!”

A shiver ran down Lulu’s spine at the Demon King’s perverse declaration.

‘Th-this… this Demon King is truly terrifying!’

‘What should I do? What should I do?’

‘I definitely can’t defeat him now; his power is too horrifying. Will I unlock a defeat CG soon?’

‘No, no, no… that’s definitely not ideal, is it? I haven’t forgotten that I’m actually a man!’

Lulu gritted her teeth and retreated a step, hoping to buy some time.

Then, she spoke softly:

“Hmph, that’s quite presumptuous, Alexius. This is our first meeting, isn’t it? Don’t you find such words rather rude?”

‘Whether it was rude or not, Lulu wasn’t entirely sure herself. *Cough, cough*… But judging by the Demon King’s somewhat helpless gaze, right… he, he, he… he was the villain, after all. Politeness probably wasn’t high on his list of concerns.’

“Hmph, Lady Luxstina truly is amusing. However… perhaps this isn’t our first meeting. You may have forgotten, but we have met once before.”

“Met once before? Hiss—don’t spout nonsense! I’ve never colluded with your Demon King’s Army!”

As Lulu spoke, she subtly shifted her feet.

“Hmph… it wasn’t like that! It was when I was a child, fifteen years old, in the Elf Forest.

We met there. My parents had just been murdered, and I was being hunted, chased all the way to the lakeside, where I encountered you, still so young.”

The Demon King seemed to be lost in his memories.

It appeared quite normal for him to reflect on his past just before achieving victory.

Lulu listened to Alexius’s words, pondering them briefly.

‘Come to think of it, a little boy by a lake… she did seem to recall something like that.’

‘Could it have been… the very day she first transmigrated to this world?!’

“Lady Luxstina’s silver hair has always remained vivid in my memory. It’s a pity you didn’t intervene then.

Not long after you left, I was rescued by the Demon King’s Army and discovered the secret of my true identity: a reincarnation of the Demon King.”

‘Holy sh*t?!’

With the Demon King’s words, Lulu remembered everything.

‘Wasn’t that indeed her very first day after transmigrating to this world?’

Back then, she hadn’t yet grasped her situation, her mind a chaotic mess.

It took her a long time to understand that she had transmigrated into a white-haired magic user named Luxstina.

She had indeed encountered a small boy surrounded by black-clad figures by a lake.

However, at the time, she was completely bewildered, utterly clueless about what was happening. She merely observed from a distance for a while, and upon seeing someone rescue the boy, she had simply fled.

‘To think she’d met the final boss on her very first day in this world!’

‘Oh, this…’

‘Why hadn’t she just kicked that kid into the lake back then?!’

“After that, to become the true Demon King and realize my dream of world domination, I toiled for another five years. It was truly an arduous journey, but finally, this day has arrived.

Hmph, in short, Lady Luxstina, you can no longer obstruct my dream of ruling the world! Farewell!”

Alexius abruptly cut short his reminiscence.

Perhaps he felt there was truly nothing more to discuss with the person before him; only after conquering the world would he need to consider what he truly sought.

The Demon King’s golden eyes suddenly blazed with fierce magical power.

A swirling mass of black mist on his left hand rapidly transformed into a sharp greatsword.

A moment later, Alexius swung the greatsword and charged directly at Lulu, rushing towards the young woman with terrifying speed.

“It’s over—!”

“It’s not over yet!”

Suddenly, Alexius’s pupils contracted sharply.

Lulu had abruptly pulled a blade of light from her hand.

Beneath her feet, the magic circle the young woman had secretly drawn while Alexius was reminiscing now pulsed with a dazzling violet glow.

This was the power of a divine artifact, designed to unleash immense magical energy by sacrificing the wielder’s own life force.

Once activated, an area the size of an entire city would be utterly annihilated.

This was the ultimate weapon, only to be activated in the most desperate moment, when the entire city had fallen under control.

Lulu feared death, yet if her demise could end the catastrophe brought by Alexius and save the corners of this world not yet enslaved by the Demon King, then perhaps it would be her last, meager contribution as a transmigrator to this other world!

“Die, Alexius—!”

With a thunderous roar.

The heavens fractured, and the earth split asunder.

****

‘Wake up, wake up…’

Her vision had been plunged into darkness with the artifact’s explosion, and even her soul seemed to have been extinguished.

Yet, after a brief moment of silence, the crisp chirping of birds reached her ears.

Lulu felt a sense of bewilderment as she opened her eyes.

The sky was no longer stained crimson, but a clear expanse of blue with white clouds.

Birds sang, flowers bloomed, and the shimmering surface of a pond before her sparkled with light.

Among the grasses, plump sunflowers unfurled their petals.

The young woman remained silent for a moment, then immediately scrambled to her feet from the muddy ground.

‘This… this is… the very first day she transmigrated to this world?!’

‘She… had been reborn?’

Lulu instantly turned her head, looking around.

Not far away, she saw a small boy surrounded by a group of people by the lake, trembling uncontrollably…