Long, long ago, on a blooming island, there was a little boy, a young swordsman.

He lived a carefree life, playing happily with his friends every day, using swordsmanship to drive away beasts and help people.

But one day, a red-haired man came to the island. The people warmly welcomed him, and he settled on the island.

The boy loved listening to the red-haired man's stories, hearing him speak of a time when the world had vast seas and islands connected as one. The islanders laughed at him, but only the boy was willing to listen.

The red-haired man also said that stars from the sky could fall to the earth and transform into terrifying giant beasts. Beyond the Star Dome, there were evil entities trying to invade our Nebis.

The boy asked, what should we do if we encounter these monsters?

Thus, the red-haired man taught the boy more powerful swordsmanship.

As days went by, one day, the boy noticed more and more strange occurrences on the island.

Residents went missing, and people found creatures in red armor at their homes.

A family was discovered dead together in the mountains, surrounded by strange symbols.

Someone, while searching for a missing family member, encountered a beast that could speak and even called his name, scaring him into shooting it dead.

The boy decided to uncover the truth.

Finally, he discovered that all of this was caused by the red-haired man who came to the island. He was both sad and angry. When he confronted him, the red-haired man invited him to join in conquering all of Nebis.

The boy drew his sword in defiance, but he was no match. Before he could die, he was saved by a miraculous Celestial Horse.

The Celestial Horse took the boy to an island full of dazzling minerals and turned into a man.

He told the boy that the red-haired man's true form was the Crimson Demon, and they always wanted to turn this world into their paradise.

Paradise for demons is hell, and the boy's homeland was its victim.

He didn't know how long his homeland's people could hold on, didn't know how the demons would torment his friends and villagers. He wanted to become stronger, strong enough to defeat the demons.

So, he embarked on an adventure to hone his swordsmanship.

The story above is the opening tale of the fairy tale "The Sword King's Adventure," published by the Sky Knight Guild.

It wasn't Li Ang recalling it in his heart, but Sisyphus smilingly told the story again to everyone present, like a teacher lecturing to elementary students.

Li Ang still remembered the rest of the plot, where the boy learned to forge swords from the Celestial Horse-turned-man, befriended a Dragon Blood Warrior, accidentally ventured into the Fairy Forest, became friends with the Little Witch there, and through battles with famous adventurers.

Then, he received help from the Divine Spirit beyond the Star Dome, fought the six-colored Giant Dragon, slain the great serpent wanting to turn clouds into seas... in the end, after a series of adventures, he achieved great fame and earned the title of "Sword King."

He returned to his homeland, defeated the demons, and saved the people on the island.

After establishing the guild with his companions, everyone in Nebis lived happily ever after.

After listening to the beginning, the red-haired woman among the councillors impatiently put her high-heeled long boot on the table.

"Brilliant Fist" Olivia, ranked sixth in personal merit, belonged to the Sky Cavalry "Fellowship of Fortunate Stars."

Compared to the laid-back Cloud Wanderer, the members of this troop acted even more on a whim. This woman was famous for her unparalleled combat skills, even in high heels, delivering dazzling and beautiful strikes while maneuvering gracefully.

"Hey, Xixi, we've heard this kind of story countless times since childhood." Olivia said, even giving the Speaker a nickname.

"Really? Have you all heard it?" Balbanus looked surprised: "I found it quite interesting."

Everyone looked at the strong Niu Nan.

"No way? Am I really the only one who hasn't heard it?"

The Niu Nan warrior turned to look at "Heart-slaying Swordmaster" Otto beside him, who was also from the Horned Race, though of normal stature for his kind.

Otto's horns weren't thick, but they were long, indicating his advanced age, evident too by his long, white hair draping over his shoulders.

"Elder Sword Hero, have you heard it too?"

"Hmm." Otto replied in a coarse, heavy voice.

"Damn, I'm not convinced."

"Are you a child?" The speaker was the handsome, silver-haired and lean man, "Demon Lord" Virgil.

Sisyphus laughed: "It's not shameful not to have heard it."

Just as Balbanus was about to laugh, the Speaker said: "Although it is quite strange."

"Damn it," Balbanus said: "I honed my physique to the extreme to not lose to anyone."

"Your brain's become muscle too." Elaphia reprimanded.

The young Speaker turned to Olivia and smiled: "There surely are people here who need to hear it, right?"

The red-haired woman pursed her lips.

"Alright, so what's next? What's the matter?"

Olivia rested her hands behind her head, unconcernedly displaying her agile yet graceful curves.

"The so-called Crimson Demon, it really exists."

Sisyphus got straight to the point and stepped aside, presenting the canvas behind him to everyone.

Li Ang had seen the painting before; it depicted the "Six-winged Demon" with a body encased in crimson keratin and sprouting three pairs of black wings.

"Is this the 'Alien Demon God' you're talking about? Impressive? I want to give it a go." Balbanus said, cracking his knuckles loudly.

"The fairy tale, of course, has been simplified and adapted. In reality, the ancestor Esperada's adventure was not so smooth. According to his surviving journal, he mentioned that the demon's curse seemed to always accompany him."

As the Speaker reached this point, Li Ang and his group, along with Elaphia, were attentively watching.

Sisyphus noticed their expressions and nodded in acknowledgment.

He continued, "Whether he encountered demons in his youth, or if this is just a story, I am ashamed to say, even the Extremely Secret Vault accessible only to the Speaker has no record."

"The fairy tale was overseen and published by Lichman Cha'Ain. As the Speaker, when learning about the Crimson Demon, the first thing known was that this fairy tale was deliberate. It was meant to instill a sense of vigilance against the Crimson Demon in the hearts of the Nebis people."

"The founders have always been preparing, ready to face the day they descend once more."

"Every generation of Speakers has been busy ensuring people are prepared to respond."

Virgil sat up straight: "So, the previous Speakers never mentioned this, has it changed now?"

Otto said in a low voice, "It's not an isolated case."

Sisyphus nodded: "That's right."

He used a Golden Staff to unveil another scroll, the very one Elaphia received in the Flashing Field.

The Six-armed Demon that once confronted the Star Flower Travel Corps was displayed on the paper.

Olivia sat up: "Its form has changed greatly."

Balbanus punched the air, lost in thought, as if imagining how to battle such an enemy with six detached arms.

"This demon is the reason for holding this Knight Resolution Council. The Six-winged Demon was eliminated by the Sword King, while this time, it was defeated by Mr. Li Ang leading the 'Star Flower Travel Corps,' mercenary Mr. Mort, and Ms. Farina from the 'Banquet of the Gods.'

The council members had long noticed Li Ang and Zoe sitting near Sisyphus, although there was no interaction between the two sides. Some had met but were not familiar.

Upon hearing this, their gazes at Li Ang changed.

"Amazing!"

Balbanus excitedly said to Li Ang, "Come spar with me, let's see what level these demons are at."

Olivia clapped: "Yes, a duel, a duel!"

Li Ang restrained the eager Zoe and said, "This battle is not all my credit; defeating a demon is no easy task."

Dorothy mumbled quietly, "This Ox Race is just too terrifying; I really dislike this type."

Andasu asked, "Do you need me to try the paralyzing scent?"

"And then there's Farina, right?" Balbanus said, "Her projection is indeed powerful, but she refuses to summon it to spar with me."

"That is her faith, the Dragon God, how could she summon it for such things," Alulu said.

"You young girl," the leader of the Banquet of the Gods looked at Alulu, "I just noticed, your power seems not bad either."

"Could you not bring up unrelated topics?" Olivia rolled her eyes beside them.

Alulu paused, carefully tugging on Li Ang's sleeve: "Brother, how did he notice?"

Li Ang pointed to a few council members: "Apart from Virgil and Elaphia, they are all martial artists who have cultivated to the extreme. Just from your posture and movement, they can tell roughly how strong you are."

Sisyphus took over the conversation: "In any case, I also learned from Elaphia's report that it was one fierce battle."

The blond Speaker lightly tapped the Golden Staff, unveiling a third scroll.

"This one is also the Crimson Demon."

Not only the council members but even Li Ang and others examined it closely.

It turned out the guild knew more about the demons?

The demon depiction on the third scroll was not complete, more like a design draft than a portrait.

On the paper, the demon's limbs were drawn from multiple angles.

"This is something I've temporarily borrowed from a scholar in Thousand Tower City. The task I previously commissioned her to trace the origins of demon legends and folklore is still ongoing."

Sisyphus pointed at the demon's limbs on the paper: "What sets this demon apart from the Six-winged and Six-armed demons is that the red spines on its body surface resemble teeth, equating to a body covered with a giant mouth full of sharp teeth."

"That scholar suggested naming it the 'Thousand-Voiced Demon.' It's the demon in Wotam Sect legend slain by the Goddess of Kindness."

Li Ang and Elaphia exchanged a glance, then looked at Zoe and them. Speaking of which, there might be no one here who understands this better than them.

"The scholar discovered in her research that in the regions where Wotam Sect is prevalent, churches commonly feature stained glass windows depicting the goddess slaying the demon, which has almost become a model. Behind this model lies a kind of commonality, she explained.

"From her visits to various places, comparing the stained glass depictions misidentified due to transmission, accentuated by speculation, she deduced that this demon is covered with giant mouths. She also speculated that the Goddess of Kindness is faith transformed from respect to a certain female leader, but that's just a side note."

Sisyphus said, "Looking at the timeline, the formation of the Wotam Sect two thousand years ago, three hundred years ago, now, demons have appeared consistently."

"The Sword King's journal mentioned that demons will increasingly frequently visit and harass Nebis."

Sisyphus sighed softly: "Although he didn't state the reason, I believe what he said should be true."

For some reason, although the Sword King seemed to understand demons better than anyone present, he didn't fully pass down the information.

"Based on these three demon accounts, I can make two hypotheses: one is rather positive, suggesting that this world has always hidden many demons; we've just never encountered them. These three cases are merely reports of direct encounters.

"The other is that demons indeed visit more frequently now. Given this ratio, perhaps the next demon appearance will come in the near future."

A Xiang sighed: "Do you even distinguish between optimistic and pessimistic? Neither is good news, really troublesome."

"What impact do demons have on the world? Do they deserve such attention?" Olivia's question came.

Elaphia said: "Aren't the examples from fairy tales enough?"

The Blondie Douding made a valid point.

When Li Ang first read "The Sword King's Adventure," he could never have imagined that the terrifying scenes mentioned in the opening could really appear.

Now, he himself might be one of the examples.

"Senior Esperada's record is somewhat blurred. From the guild's inherited responsibilities and the warnings left among the notes, I suspect there could be serious consequences."

"I feel like I have the right to speak." Li Ang raised his hand and said.

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