Amelia the Level Zero Hero

Arthur blinked when he heard the Elder Dragon greet him as the First Lich King. That had surprised the bartender. It was not something he expected. After all, he had never met Grat-ra’zun as… Arthur.

As Ar’elith the Lich King, he had crossed paths with the Elder Dragon a handful of times. They had only clashed once, and it ended quickly with the Lich King’s hasty retreat. But beyond that, they were not antagonistic towards each other, nor were they on friendly terms. They had barely even known each other.

So they were barely acquainted as Ar’elith the Lich King, and as Arthur the bartender, they didn’t even know each other. And yet, somehow, Grat-ra’zun knew who Arthur was in his past life.

“...we could not convince Amelia to intervene to put a halt to the [Hero King]. That is why—” Jax explained as the Elder Dragon listened.

And Arthur spoke up, voicing out his confusion. “Wait, how do you know who I am?”

Blinking, Grat-ra’zun broke his gaze away from the elf to face the former Lich King. “It is simple, really. I can see the essence of your soul, and I recognize it. It has been a while. Even if your form has changed substantially since I last saw you.”

The dragon paused, tilting his head back.

“Or perhaps your form has reverted? Nevertheless, the outcome remains the same. I have known who you are since I saw you working at Amelia’s inn.”

“R-right.” Arthur hesitated, shifting his feet uncomfortably. “And you didn’t stop to question why I was there?”

“He’s got a point,” Jax added from the side.

“That’s fair enough.” Arthur took a step back as he nodded.

“Anyway, I believe we should get back to the point as to why we’re here,” the elf said, looking towards the Elder Dragon, then back at Arthur.

“Right, sorry, I got distracted.” The former Lich King nodded. “The reason we’re here is because Kallistus Kal has launched his siege of Astral. And soon, the Astrad Kingdom will fall. We cannot let that happen, so we have come to you to ask for your help to put a stop to this.”

“Well, honestly, I don’t really care about all of that,” Jax said with a shrug. “I do want to see how I fare against the [Hero King] though.”

Arthur shook his head. “Even still, we know we need your help— after all, you have faced the [Hero King] before.”

The former Lich King spoke as he held the Elder Dragon’s gaze. Grat-ra’zun considered what the two men had to say, his face being shadowed over. There was a long moment of silence as he did not respond.

Opening his mouth, Arthur stepped forward. “Please, the fate of the world is at stake—”

But before he could finish what he was saying, the Elder Dragon’s voice rumbled, shaking the cavern.

“Unfortunately, if the siege of Astral has begun, we’re already too late,” Grat-ra’zun said simply.

Arthur blinked a few times, before narrowing his eyes. He exchanged a glance with Jax who frowned.

“What does that mean?” the elf asked curiously.

“It means what it means,” the Elder Dragon explained as he lowered himself back to the ground. The proud dragon that had stood tall was now reduced to a hunched figure, clearly scared and afraid of action. “Kallistus Kal is far stronger than anyone in all of Vacuos, except for Amelia. Even a Guardian Angel was no match for him.”

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Grat-ra’zun’s eyes flickered as he spoke resignedly.

“The Astrad Kingdom will fall within the hour. Our only hope now in halting the [Hero King]’s path to world domination and the return of the Fal-Deus is waiting for Amelia to act…”

—--

And the siege of Astral began.

King Jalen watched from the tallest tower of his palace as the army amassed outside of his walls moved. It was an innumerable mass— impossible to get an accurate count on. But if he had to guess, the number of soldiers that were gathered there was equal to the total number of civilians and soldiers within the walls of Astral combined.

At the very minimum.

The King of the Astrad Kingdom sighed, before turning around.

“Rowland, my friend,” Jalen greeted the [Knight] and his old friend with sorrowful eyes. “Be honest with me, do you think that this is the end of the Astrad Kingdom?”

The Captain of the Knights of the Astral Order simply bowed his head in response. “In truth, I do not want to know the answer to that question myself. Nor do I believe you wish to know the answer to that question, my liege.”

“That’s fair enough,” Jalen chuckled as he drew back.

“But all hope is not lost,” Rowland said, looking up at the spherical barrier protecting the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom. “Perhaps the barrier will hold off the Kingdom of Kal for long enough for Edlyn to succeed.”

Jalen’s eyes flickered when he heard that. “The [Royal Chef], huh? I almost forgot I sent her on that mission…”

Certainly, if anyone could save the day, it would be Amelia. After all, she had even humbled an Elder Dragon before. And yet, Jalen remembered how adamantly against intervening she had been. Even with riches offered to her, she said no.

“Perhaps it is only a foolish optimism— or maybe it is a misplaced hope…” The King of the Astrad Kingdom raised his head, smiling weakly. “But I truly hope that Edlyn and Amelia will save us all—”

But right as the words left his mouth, there was a flash of light, followed by a deafening crack. It sounded like a thunderous clap that echoed throughout the entirety of the city. A shockwave swept over the walls, rolling into the Astra Palace and nearly knocking Jalen off his feet.

Rowland caught him, calling out, “My liege! Are you alright?”

“I-I am fine,” Jalen stammered as he steadied himself. “But what was that…?”

Looking up, he cast his gaze towards the magical dome that was encasing the city. And there, he saw a giant crack running through the middle. And slowly, a web of cracks continued to spread throughout the barrier.

The King of the Astrad Kingdom tried to process this— he tried to understand what was happening— and that was when he heard a blast coming from the walls of the city. He looked down and saw an entire section of the wall collapsing as screams and shouts echoed out from afar.

And standing there, atop the smoldering rubble, was a familiar figure. A monster that had made his name known throughout all of Vacuos.

Kallistus Kal the [Hero King] himself.

He had his broadsword raised and aimed at the Astra Palace as his army poured into the roads of Astral all around him.

And the realization settled in as to what was happening as Jalen’s eyes went wide.

“No…” he whispered. “It is over.”

Because in only a single strike, the [Hero King] had broken through the greatest barrier of the Astrad Kingdom that had protected the Capital City of Astral for over a thousand years.

—--

Kallistus Kal stormed the Capital City of Astral, determined to put an end to this war once and for all. Even as he heard the screams of terror resounding all around him. Even as his men went to cut down the fleeing civilians of the city.

None of it mattered to the [Hero King]. All he cared about was exacting his revenge. To this world that had wronged him— that had taken him from his life.

From his family.

And his hatred was fueled from afar.

The flames of revenge were fanned by the words that were spoken to his true body that was waiting beneath his palace. Of course, that was not his true self that was storming the Capital City of the Astrad Kingdom. Instead, his real self was molding a rift in space, under the instructions and the guidance of the Fal-Deus.

A pathway to the Void.

“That is right…”

The voice that had brought Kallistus Kal this far goaded him. It praised him and it told him what to do.

“Destroy.”

As it spoke, the [Hero King] continued to reshape the rift, peering further into the Void. Beyond where even the Guardian Angel had been trapped.

“Burn it all down.”

The voice rumbled, shaking the room— affecting the world of Vacuos in ways it had never done so before. Kallistus Kal’s eyes shimmered as his body moved mechanically. Almost like he was acting against his own volition.

And as the voice spoke, the [Hero King]’s clone continued to tear his way through Astral, the words of the Fal-Deus driving him forward.

“Fulfill my will and bring destruction to this wretched world!”

“Your will shall be done,” Kallistus whispered softly as he moved.

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