After the Fall of the Demon Race, Reincarnated as a Demon Girl - Chapter 3

Whenever the mortal world descends into unsolvable despair, it seems there is always an invisible hand above the heavens, gently plucking the threads of fate to cast a faint glimmer of light upon this crumbling world.

This light comes from those revered by mortals as “Transcenders” or the “Chosen Ones”—travelers who cross time and space, bearing the wisdom and power of unknown worlds. They descend in times of crisis, delivering salvation from suffering.

Historical records and ancient texts contain only sparse mentions of these Transcenders.

The footprints of the first Transcender have long been lost to the tides of time, their deeds blurred beyond recognition, impossible to verify.

The second Transcender appeared during an era of racial warfare, roughly 3,000 years ago. With unmatched power, they halted the conflicts between the Drow, Orcs, Humans, and Goblins, driving the mindless monsters into uninhabited wastelands. To this day, they are still celebrated in Drow ballads.

The third Transcender was the hero Hertis, whose legendary tale began in the year 767 of the Chaos Calendar.

On that day, an exquisitely intricate magic circle unfurled across the sky, suspended at the zenith of the blue heavens with a beauty that defied mortal comprehension. Even the greatest archmages, wielding all the wisdom and power of the world, could not hope to replicate such a creation, let alone craft it themselves.

Hertis descended from that magic circle.

The moment he arrived, the entire imperial capital erupted in cheers, for every person knew the Drow ballad:

“The brave one descends from the heavens.”
“Unshakable conviction.”
“Power to sweep away all.”
“Quenching the flames of war, ushering in the future.”

And just as the ballad foretold—

Though his legendary power seemed somewhat unrefined at first, even that initial display of light was enough to awe all who witnessed it.

The people understood: given time to grow, the latent strength within Hertis would eventually burst forth like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, shining bright enough to defeat the Demon King and lead the continent into an era of long-lost peace and prosperity.

In just one year, he evolved from a “newborn” unable to control his own power into a valiant warrior, unstoppable on the battlefield between humans and demons.

By the year 769 of the Chaos Calendar, Hertis realized that passive defense against the ever-strengthening Demon King and his minions would only erode the morale of humanity and other races, leading to their eventual annihilation by darkness. Thus, he resolved to take the offensive—not only to shatter the enemy’s psychological grip but to deal them a decisive blow.

This plan faced fierce resistance from the nobility of the imperial capital, but Hertis overruled them with sheer strength. To achieve this grand ambition, he gathered talents from across the land, regardless of race or origin—so long as they had skill and conviction, they could stand beside him in the crusade against the tyrannical Demon King.

In the end, the party that marched against the Demon King consisted of three:

• Hertis, the Hero

• Alegria, the Divine Maiden

• Nameless, the Sage

The events that followed are so well-known that even a child plucked from the streets of the capital could recount them.

By the year 799 of the Chaos Calendar, the Demon King was defeated. Alegria, blessed by the heavens, ascended as one of the few deities in the world.

With that, the Age of Chaos came to an end. Scholars marked the day of Alegria’s apotheosis as the “Day of the Divine Maiden,” and that year became the first of the Divine Maiden Calendar. The previous era was erased, rebranded simply as “Chaos.”

Yet from the very first year of the Divine Maiden Calendar, something seemed amiss with the heavens.

Transcenders, once rare occurrences separated by millennia, began appearing with increasing frequency. Unlike Hertis’s earth-shaking descent, these new arrivals either blended silently into society or influenced the world in subtler ways.

At first, their presence seemed a boon—bringing advancements akin to humanity’s discovery of fire in an age of raw survival. They introduced railways, steam engines, urban planning…

It was undeniably progress.

Fifty years of development saw steam engines powering trains across the continent, charcoal fires replaced by synthesized gunpowder, bows and arrows supplanted by flintlock rifles… The backward era was gone, and people everywhere sang praises of the Transcenders’ greatness.

But few noticed the darker side: Transcenders seizing village lands and displacing their inhabitants; reckless mining of iron and coal leading to landslides and countless deaths; factories spewing toxic fumes, rendering surrounding lands uninhabitable.

During her travels across the continent, Renith (then known as Alrund) also believed these Transcenders had brought positive change. Their technology and wisdom intertwined with the world’s magic, spurring its evolution and broadening her own understanding.

Yet decades of wandering left Renith increasingly uneasy—the number of Transcenders was not dwindling but multiplying at an alarming, uncontrollable rate.

So, in the year 224 of the Divine Maiden Calendar, Renith journeyed to the imperial capital. By chance, she entered a church devoted to Alegria, the Divine Maiden. Through the power of “faith” lingering above the chapel, Renith made contact with Alegria herself.

Though their exchange was brief, it confirmed Renith’s suspicions: the exponential rise of Transcenders was no accident.

From Alegria’s words, Renith gleaned the true purpose behind it all—to destabilize the native world.

If an old train has every part replaced with new ones, is it still the same train?
And if those new parts are not just replacements but entirely different components, would its original owner even recognize it as theirs?

The same logic applied here.

Would the world’s true master still recognize it, once reshaped and overtaken by Transcenders?

Excessive external interference erodes intrinsic nature.

People change under outside forces. Objects change. The world changes.

Renith knew little of the state beyond, but instinct told her it was grim.

…..

The sun climbed to its zenith in the azure sky. After nearly three hours of traversing the vast, deserted outer walls of the Demon King’s fortress, Renith and Philof finally came to a halt before a towering rampart.

Hertis paused at the gates of the Demon King’s castle.

“Well, we’re about to face the final battle, and it’s been a while since we rested. Let’s take a break here… and maybe let me sort through my inventory.”

Andrew and Alegria agreed. After clearing a spot by the wall and setting up two layers of barriers, Alegria went to rest while Andrew approached Hertis.

“Tinkering with that strange space of yours again?”

Over a decade of travel had turned the once-silent trio into inseparable friends with few secrets between them.

Andrew’s past as a fugitive from the Mage Tower, Alegria’s mysterious bloodline, Hertis’s “Golden Finger”—all were known.

Hertis had tried explaining the “System” to them, but Andrew and Alegria could only grasp it as “a divine artifact that grants rapid growth and miracles at critical moments.”

Admittedly, while not entirely accurate, it was close enough.

Most “Systems” worked that way.

“Yeah, too much junk in the inventory affects weight capacity… Like these Basic Speed Potions. They were great early on, but now they’re practically useless. Bought way too many back then, and now I can’t even finish them.”

“And this Heroic Greatsword—love the design, but compared to the Holy Sword of the Hero, its stats and effects are outdated.”

“Then there’s these mid-to-low-tier scrolls, mana potions, magic crystals… Completely useless to us now.”

As he spoke, Hertis pulled out a rainbow array of items, soon piling them into a small hill. If displayed publicly, it would’ve caused quite a stir.

“Didn’t you say the System can recycle these?”

Andrew recalled Hertis trading loot through the System before, exchanging it for gear and supplies. Thanks to this, they’d never had to worry about logistics, charging straight to the Demon King’s gates unimpeded.

“True, but the System won’t recycle its own products. Hey, remember two years ago, just before we left the last border city? I went to see the garrison commander?”

“I’d already stocked up, expecting him to beg for aid like the others. But that guy was stubborn as a mule. Ended up forcing him to take seventy percent of my stuff.”

“You mean Balubalun?”

Andrew immediately pictured a one-eyed, dark-skinned egg of a man.

“Him! After that, every time we ran into victims of misfortune, I’d dump potions and scrolls on them. And yet, even now, I’ve still got leftovers.”

“These potions are too low-tier for us, but since I paid good money for them, tossing them feels wasteful. Now, on the eve of the final battle, I’m still stuck with them…”

“To fight at my best, I need to declutter. So, I’ll leave these here for fate to decide!”

Andrew glanced at his holy tome. The spell to create a System-like inventory was still in development—no way he could take this haul.

“Then let’s bury them here.”

Alegria, overhearing, joined them.

“But if it’s too easy to dig up, it’ll cause trouble. These might be junk to us, but to others, it’s a fortune.”

“How about a magic barrier? Only those who pass the trial can claim the treasure?”

Andrew pointed his staff at a nearby clearing—a perfect spot for an array.

“If we’re burying things, I’ll toss in some of mine too. Otherwise, history will only remember Hertis leaving behind relics.”

“No objections here.”

Alegoria handed Hertis an old longsword, while Andrew, after some thought, buried his short staff—he no longer needed its aid.

“Hey, no need for gloom! Once we beat the Demon King, everyone will remember us—not because of some buried treasure!”

Hertis gave Alegria an encouraging pat on the shoulder, ever the optimist.

“You’re right.”