Chapter 1: Contaminated Planet
Prologue 1/3: Two Outdated Figures
Across the wilderness extending to the horizon, a vast expanse of red-rust colored desert sprawls.
Scattered throughout the wilderness are ruins of dwellings from ancient times, standing like gravestones.
In a corner of this desert, shrouded in darkness as night falls, two figures sit back to back atop a red-rusted sand dune.
One is a Demon Lord ── a young man with an unmistakably villainous attire, clad in a black military-style jacket suit adorned with a cape and coat.
The other is a Hero ── a petite girl in armor trimmed with gold and green on a white base, wielding a majestic sword with a design that screams "holy sword!"
"Hey, what do we do?"
The Demon Lord gazes up at the night sky, speaking in a tone tinged with bewilderment.
"Human casualties have surpassed 150,000. The Demon Lord's status will be enhanced."
"Ah... More deaths mean I get stronger. Aren't you going to stop me, Hero-sama?"
"Impossible. No matter how hard I try, it's impossible. Because───"
The Hero too gazes up at the starry sky. Beyond it───
In the depths of space, colossal artifacts ── spaceships larger than the stars themselves ── float visibly to the naked eye.
Beams, missiles, and explosions fill the night sky. Struck ships explode in flashes, and amidst the fiery trails, small combat aircraft weave through, exchanging fire with lasers and beams, while formations head towards large vessels, engulfed in anti-aircraft fire.
Beams, missiles, explosions, and fireworks made from human lives fill the entire night sky.
"Even a Hero with a holy sword can't stop those fighting wars in space."
Sitting cross-legged, the Hero speaks with a petulant tone.
The young man summoned as the Demon Lord from Earth mutters wearily.
"Clearly, this isn't a fantasy but an SF world. Thanks a lot."
"Bravely fighting, casualties among humans have exceeded 8,000. The Hero's skills will be unlocked."
"Hey. Aren't we a bit out of place, being Demon Lord and Hero in a world like this?"
"Don't say that. I'm kind of regretting it too."
The people who were supposed to be terrified by the Demon Lord flourish freely in space, engaging in lively wars over territories or resources, and the world that was supposed to be destroyed is already in ruins.
The people the Hero should protect have forsaken this world and gone into space.
The humans living now thrive on killing each other in space.
"What should we do..."
Feeling hopelessly left behind by the times, the Demon Lord and the Hero could only be at a loss.
