Chapter 124 - Demon Lord Kretos
While Hilda was reporting to the vice-guild leader, Valdel and the others went to another room. Lara and Nezzard were sleeping in the resting area for some of the Guild's employees. After the group had settled down, the two holy maidens decided that it was alright for Valdel and the others to know a bit about Demon Lord Kretos. Though some information cannot be divulged to other people, most of the information regarding Demon Lord Kretos wasn't really a big deal to share.
The only reason why the temples and the royals never divulged even a little information about this Demon Lord was that they feared human curiosity. Once the public knew of his existence a lot of people would become curious about the demon lord's past and they would try their hardest to find more information about said demon lord, and if they learn of a truth they shouldn't have, it would possibly lead to chaos.
...
The group was now all comfortably sitting down as Natasha began talking.
"Information about Demon Lord Kretos must be kept a secret, I hope before we begin everyone who wishes to listen should make a vow of silence."
The people in the room all nodded their heads in agreement and gave her their word that they would never tell another living soul about what they were about to hear in this room.
"Well, even if you do decide to tell another person it won't be such a big deal. Since the information, we're going to give isn't really anything important. I just hope you people will keep your word." Natasha showed a sweet smile which gave the others a slight chill.
"Very well, now that everyone has promised to not speak of this outside of this room, I will now begin explaining who Demon Lord Kretos was. First off, the old records each of the temples and the royal families have in their possession, seem to have different views of the legendary Demon Lord. So we truly do not understand what he was like when he was alive. Still, all the old records can agree with three things, Demon Lord Kretos was the strongest, he loved battle, and his death was caused by his son."
Everyone was now listening closely to every word Natasha said, as they were truly interested in the subject. Especially Valdel who loved hearing the stories of old. Though his favorite kind of story were the stories of the heroes of old. He was equally interested in the demon lords, who usually fought the valiant heroes.
"So let's begin with the records of my temple, then once I'm done Rachel here can tell you about the records of her temple."
Natasha then cleared her throat in preparation for telling her narration of the events that transpired in the past. She stood up and began he narration.
"In the age of chaos, when each race in the world was at war with each other due to their differences, a being with immense power came forth. This being was none other than Demon Lord Kretos. With his immense strength and love for battle, he had defeated all his enemies and conquered the world with ease. Making the demon race the supreme rulers of the land."
"Not even the human heroes the peak of humanity could scratch him. It was said that when a hero was born from humanity the demon lord Kretos would nurture the hero until he or she reaches the peak of their power. Once they achieved their strongest form the Demon Lord would gladly fight them. It was even claimed that the Demon Lord Kretos had created an institution that trained human heroes so that one day they could fight him in a glorious battle."
Natasha then started to explain all the things Kretos did to have a worthy foe. She kept on telling tales about how he wished for nothing more than to fight all the time.
"With all the mayhem his battles have caused, some of the demons have voiced out their complaints. They wanted a ruler that wasn't simply all brawn. So these demons sided with one of the princes and plotted against Kretos."
"Demon Lord Kretos with his overwhelming might had grown arrogant, believing nothing in the mortal world could hurt him. This might be the reason for his downfall. There are no records of how he lost against his son, all that is known was that the mighty demon lord died by the blade of his own son."
"Well, that's what the records in my temple say." After Natasha was finished talking, Rachel happily spoke after.
"Now it's my turn. Unlike the records of Natasha's temple that make Demon Lord Kretos look like a battle-hungry fool, the records in my temple are quite different."
"Demon Lord Kretos was indeed the strongest mortal to have ever existed, but he wasn't as bloodthirsty as you might've thought. In the records of the temple of war, Demon Lord Kretos only started his war against humans because they were the ones attacking him first. In retaliation of the neverending wave of heroes humanity has sent against him, Demon Lord Kretos began a counterattack. He might've loved battle but he found the neverending wave of weak heroes a bother. As he grew stronger they become nothing more than a nuisance, unable to bring him the joy of true battle."
Rachel then started to explain about Demon Lord Kretos' legendary feats. From defeating young golden dragons to wiping out a continent full of devils. His power knew no limit as he returned victorious every time.
"To the humans in the age of chaos Demon Lord Kretos might've been a murderer and a tyrant, but on the other side of the coin, the demons worshiped him as a hero. He was loved by most of the demons who worship strength above all else. It was recorded that he had reigned for a thousand years."
"Usually a new demon lord should've replaced him at that point, but that was impossible since no demon was stronger than Kretos. You see the way the age of chaos demons elect their king was through battle, and only the strongest that could vanquish the current king could replace him. Unfortunately for them even though all of Kretos' children were strong, they weren't stronger than their father, they weren't even close."
"So knowing that victory wasn't achievable in a head-on battle, one of Kretos' sons gathered a force that consisted of the strongest individuals of every race and attacked his father. There were no records of the battle, but there was a record that a fierce battle took place in the demon lord's throne room and in the end Kretos' son was the victor."
After hearing Rachel's side of the story, Valdel and the others grew confused. The first story portrayed Kretos as an evil tyrant, while the second story made him out to be a tragic hero of his race. Still, the question that each of them had was the same.
"What happened to the demon lord's son after he killed his father?" Valdel asked.
The two holy maidens looked at each other, and after a few seconds, they both spoke in unison.. "That we cannot tell."