Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess

For the first time in his life, Austin regretted coming home.

He stood frozen—Valerie limp and unconscious in his arms—staring at the burning capital that once felt like the center of his world.

Demons still swarmed through the city like a black tide. Soldiers screamed, fought, or fled. Civilians lay dead across the blood-soaked streets. Flames licked the skies from shattered windows and fallen roofs. The once-bright city was drowned in a sea of ash and crimson.

Everything he loved…

Everything he swore to protect...

Gone.

He took a step forward.

The Absolute Barrier pulsed softly around him, keeping the demons at bay. Or maybe... they were just too afraid to come close. Maybe they felt it—that he had nothing left to lose.

He couldn't look up. He couldn't let his eyes wander.

Because if he did, he would break.

The screams… they never stopped.

Children calling for their parents.

Mothers sobbing for their babies.

The dying whispering last prayers to gods that had already abandoned them.

Every step felt heavier than the last. Blood clung to his boots. Smoke stung his eyes, but it wasn't the reason they watered.

All around him were memories—now turned into corpses and rubble.

His heart clenched when he saw the head of the kind old shopkeeper who used to save Austin's favorite crepes, just in case he dropped by late.

He used to greet Austin with a warm smile. That smile was gone now… ripped away and left in the dirt.

The demons hadn't spared anyone. They had stormed churches and orphanages and butchered the helpless without a thought. Tiny shoes lay scattered on the chapel steps—bloodied, empty.

And Austin?

He could do nothing but walk.

Walk and grieve.

Because of this...

This wasn't just a battle.

It was a graveyard.

And he was too late.

He soon reached the main palace.

The defenses were gone. Torn to pieces. Demons had already clawed their way through the gates like a tide of nightmares.

DHAK

His foot struck the ground.

Every demon in range collapsed. Flesh peeling, bones shattering—consumed by an unseen force.

It wasn't Scar.

It was Austin's soul.

And it was weeping.

Tearing apart with every step he took.

Wherever he walked, demons died. Some tried to flee. Some tried to fight. None survived.

He entered the palace.

Inside, it was no different—hell in motion.

Demons rampaged through the grand halls, mauling soldiers and ripping servants limb from limb. The white marbled floors were drowned in blood.

Their goal was clear: exterminate every last human.

Then he saw it.

Tears blurred his vision as he stumbled across Robert, his father's aide. Demons feasted on his guts while he still twitched—still alive.

DHAK

Austin stepped again. Another pulse. Another massacre.

The demons dropped, dead before they even realized what hit them.

He stopped beside Robert, whose pale eyes somehow still held awareness.

"Sorry… I was late..." Austin whispered.

And in that dying moment—

Robert smiled.

Gentle.

Warm.

Forgiving.

Austin's throat tightened. His legs wavered.

He nearly fell—until someone caught him.

A frail hand.

He turned to see Caroline, one of the palace maids. She was drenched in blood, her left arm missing entirely. She looked barely alive, swaying with every breath.

"Caroline..." he breathed, quickly pulling out a potion.

She stopped him.

"N-Not me..." she gasped. "The King..."

She pointed toward the gallery ahead.

Austin hesitated but pressed the bottle to her lips anyway.

She drank it, tears leaking from her eyes—not from pain, but from fear. From regret.

Then he ran.

Each step is heavier than the last.

Each breath felt like swallowing shards of glass.

His heart screamed at him to stop—to turn away.

But he couldn't.

He had to keep going.

He had to see what was left. He had to help whoever still lived.

Another demon he saw in the corridor ahead—huge, wielding a bloodied club.

Austin didn't blink.

He clenched his fist—

—and the demon exploded, stripped to the bone before it could swing.

He soon approached the person he was about to attack...and his heart stopped for a moment.

"M...aa..." His vision blurred, and his legs grew wobbly as he fell to his knees.

Valerie fell from his hands but at the moment, he could see nothing...feel nothing.

All he saw was his mother...

Her lower body...it was gone...torn away.

Blood pooled around her.

She was hugging his father with one hand and the other one was raised against her face to defend against the club.

Hearing his voice, Sophie flinched.

With every ounce of energy she had, she looked at him.

"A-Austin..." She called out, her eyes suddenly turning watery and relief washing over her face.

Why was she relieved and not in pain...why was she...forcing herself like this?

"Austin...my child...c-can you come closer?" She requested, her face paler than a sheet.

Austin was weeping, tears continued to flow continuously down his eyes.

"Not fair...you...cannot leave me like this..."

He slowly approached her, his face full of tears.

"I-I am sorry...I can't protect your father..." She said, her voice laced with grief.

Austin looked at his lifeless father...no longer breathing, no longer smiling...just lying there.

"D-Dad...I am back..." He called out, his voice hoarse, "...won't you pat my back...won't you hug your son? I am back...p-please talk to me..just once..."

His voice was desperate...begging.

But he didn't wake up.

He didn't say a word.

He was angry at him. Upset that despite he trusted his son so much...Austin failed him.

"Child," Sophie called out, somehow clarity returning to her voice, "...can you do us a favor?"

Austin couldn't look at his mother. His eyes closed, and tears continued to flow down.

He couldn't breathe...couldn't think. He was mad at himself.

Sophie didn't have much time, so she extended her request, "Can you rest our bodies in the same coffin-"

"No, please!" Austin shouted, "...don't say it as if you are leaving me...abandoning him!" He can't live without them. He had finally got a family...and now they are leaving him again.

Turning towards her, he helplessly said, "...I still haven't forgiven you...how can you...leave me? Please don't go, ma..." He held her hand, tenderly.

It had been so long since he held her hand...the warmth...the comfort...he wanted to feel it again.

"I am S-Sorry *cough*" she coughed blood which Austin caught in his hand, hoping that it might change something. But it was nothing but a hopeless prayer.

Sophie looked at him tenderly, "...sorry, Austin...Mother will go ahead...but maybe...someday...visit my grave if you have forgiven me."

Austin's chest welled with emotions as he clenched his fist.

Just then, the shade of blood reminded him of something.

The Elixir!

He instantly took out the Elixir from his inventory and just as he took out the lid,

"It won't work. I am prolonging her life through my magic." Selner called out.

Austin gritted his teeth and shook his head.

He brought the vial to his mother's lips and softly said, "Drink it, ma...please..."

Sophie could feel the desperation in his voice...and even though she knew it wouldn't make a difference she drank it.

Austin waited...and waited.

And then, he turned towards Selner. His eyes pleading, begging her to say what he wanted to hear.

But all Selner could do was shake her head.

Austin's shoulders slumped, his face turning pale...all hope vanishing from his eyes.

Selner couldn't bear to look at him.

This was the second time she had seen him like this, and the second time as well; she felt...all her life would have been worthless if she couldn't help the man she loved.

Austin was held by his mother. Her warmth was slowly fading.

He knew...it was not going to change.

His parents...they are leaving him after all.

At that moment, he stopped crying or moving.

He refused to look at her.

He just sat there, lifelessly.

Sophie gently relayed, her voice barely above a whisper, "Austin...can you promise me something?"

He didn't say anything. Just sat there.

He refused to face reality.

However, Sophie knew she had only a few seconds left.

Despite how much she wanted to hug her son...to comfort him, she couldn't.

So, she slowly relayed, "A-After...w-we die...d-don't live for revenge...l-live for yourself....you have...your sister...and Val. So please promise..."

And her voice trailed off.

The small flickering light in her eyes vanished.

There was a smile on her face, relieved that she passed away while looking at her child.

Austin didn't move from there for a long time.

Selner stood beside him silently, her eyes moist but there was nothing she could do.

The only person who could have comforted him was unconscious.

But at the moment, not even Valerie could have stopped the flame arising in his chest.

His soul was enraged...eager to burn something.

'System...take me to the dungeon...'

He was wrong all along.

Planning... teamwork...that no longer matters.

He has to do it alone.

Astaroth needs to die.

And he would die the same day his parents left him.

°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. A few more chaotic chapters before peace returns. Be patient, we are nearing the end.