The former Heroes were interrupted mid celebration during my birthday by the arrival of Beelzebub, the so called King of Flies—a hideous demon who was likely once one of the Demon King's generals.
The power radiating from his grotesque body was nothing short of chaotic. Compared to the red dragon my father had defeated earlier, this thing was on another level entirely—perhaps several levels above, even. And surrounding him were a dozen or so other massive flies, each of them emanating an aura just as vile and dangerous, if not even stronger than that dragon.
As I stared through the window, I felt my tiny hands clenching into fists. My instincts—once honed in a past life—kicked in. I couldn't stop thinking…
So this was what my parents had fought against before I was born?
What kind of horrors had they faced to protect people like me?
And after all that, they just wanted to retire, live in peace. But here we were again—the past refusing to let go. Beelzebub and the other remnants of the Demon King's army had clearly survived the final battle, hiding and training for six years. Now, they had returned for revenge.
And of all things… they said they wanted to devour us to gain power.
Seriously, are we that delicious?
CLASH! BOOM! CRASH!
The battle began instantly. Father led the charge, his blazing sword clashing against a grotesque dark scythe wielded by one of Beelzebub's underlings. His flames roared with each swing.
SLAAASH!
"GRRYYEEEGGH…!"
One of the giant flies was sliced in half and incinerated in mere seconds.
Dad wasn't playing around.
FLASH!
A huge surge of energy blasted into my body, nearly knocking me backward. I stumbled, barely maintaining my balance.
Wait… was that EXP?
Even from here? Just from watching?
So as long as I'm technically "in the party" and can see the battle, I receive a fraction of the EXP?
It was enormous, even if it was just a trickle. The energy slammed into my soul like a battering ram.
And even more wild—the demon that Dad killed left behind a dark crystal, which crumbled as he launched himself like a meteor toward the next opponent.
Beelzebub's smug expression faltered. Did he actually think we'd go soft in six years?
"Fight harder!" Beelzebub screamed, unleashing a dark command that saturated the sky in evil mana. His aura pulsed like a heartbeat of madness.
"BBZZZZ!"
The giant flies around him doubled in size, surging with twisted power. Three of them broke formation and rushed Dad from every angle, attacking with clouds of poison and beams of dark magic.
"Nggh…!"
Father's flames sputtered for a moment, the venomous darkness pushing him back.
But just for a moment.
With a defiant roar, he erupted in a nova of fire—FLAAAASSSH!
A scorching shockwave burst forth from his body, torching the incoming flies instantly. He spun and bisected one of them with a single slash, its body reduced to glowing ash.
"I've got your back!"
Shade dove from above like a bird of prey, intercepting a fly with his twin daggers of darkness. He spun midair, slicing through the creature's thick body. His blades weren't just sharp—they were infectious. Each cut spread shadows that corroded the monster from within.
"GRYEEAAGH…!"
BOOM!
The fly exploded, swallowed by the darkness Shade had embedded into it.
Meanwhile, Nepheline was slugging it out with another one. The fly tried to crush her under its bloated weight, spraying venom from its fanged maw.
But she didn't budge.
Her earth armored body absorbed the blows effortlessly. She responded by slamming her gemstone hammer into the fly with terrifying force—once to stagger it, and again to reduce it to pulp.
"Heh. Feeble as a fly," she muttered with a grin.
Her body gleamed with magical ore, nigh unbreakable. Then she took point ahead of the others, becoming the group's tank. Poison spells, claw strikes, acid beams—nothing fazed her. Mom's floating familiar continued healing her in the background like a divine medic.
Father and Shade danced at her sides. Dad cleaved through demons like a wildfire—powerful and direct. Shade flitted like a shadow, striking multiple times in seconds, whittling down opponents with precision.
Their synergy was incredible.
Nepheline was slower, yes, but her defense and power were unmatched. When speed was needed, she summoned boulders and blade like ores to snipe at wings and eyes. And when the enemy turned on her, she cast a spell that forced them to attack her instead—a provocation type skill.
Dad, meanwhile, took advantage of her defense to land his finishing blows. Shade filled in the gaps, weakening foes and leaving them exposed.
It was a legendary tag team.
And every time a fly died—another EXP wave hit me.
Like a jackpot payout, again and again.
It felt like cheating.
Too bad my stats were frozen. I couldn't grow stronger from it… but the System could. All that energy was getting stored in her core, helping her slowly repair her corrupted functions.
Aquarina, always more sensitive than he looked, noticed the glow around me.
He stared curiously, his nervousness replaced with mild awe.
CLASH! BOOM! CRASH!
Another wave of destruction ripped through the sky. With the last of the giant flies falling, only Beelzebub remained.
And he wasn't done.
"Kukuku… I've been waiting for this moment! Now come forth—the souls of my servants!"
FLAAASH!
A brilliant yet twisted light erupted from his grotesque body.
Now what the hell was this guy doing?