"Boom!" An explosion rang down the dungeon as the hero's sword finally pierced the heart of the great demon king Satan. As the demon dissolved, the lone hero collapsed onto the ground. His ambition was finally been over. The ambition humanity had continued over the past hundreds of years.
There should be cheers at times like this.
Yet, the silence continued. Slowly, the experienced warrior picked up two swords, resuming his heavy burden, and walked out the dungeon.
               The hero's name was Herculy Pendragon. Although called a "hero", he was nothing more than one of many heroes that graduated from the rumored "hero academy" a few years back. Perhaps he was a bit stronger, luckier, but it was all he was. In this fantasy-like world, demons exist for the sole perpose of harming humanity. In response, the humans built hero academies to train heroes to fight demons. Named after the legendary hero Hercules, Herculy was the descendant of the great hero Arthur Pendragon, legendary ruler of Great Britain of the 5th century. Blessed with the power and status of a king, he had the privilege to hold the Excalibur sword, making combat easier. After many years of conquest with his party, he had finally managed to gain the sacred lance, Gungnir, and became the first man to slay the demon king. However, the road ahead of him seemed . Years of conquest ha granted death to many of his dearest comrades. To him, the cost of the conquest was far too greater than the reward.
        Relieved. Yes, that's the word, relieved. That's how Herculy felt after he took the demon king down. Originally, heroes moved around in squads of five. Herculy's squad got separated about half a year ago, whilst fighting a great devil general. Yet, knowing full well his duty, he chose to continue on the journey without them. He now knew that people could mentally fall apart without support from each other, and felt regret. Defeating the demon king meant he could return to his comrades. This was what Herculy had thought. However, reality was unkind. During his quest, he was completely oblivious to the biggest threat that awaited him, even greater than his last battle with Satan.
         Approximately 1400 miles from where Herculy was, lay a village called Danafor. The village of Herculy’s origins, and the village closest to the demon king's dungeon. Normally, the village would be peaceful with strong heroes defending the city. That day, however, houses were on fire. People were either trying to fight or running for their lives. A hero had betrayed humanity. The hero called himself Herculy Pendragon, a hero native to the village. He destroyed everything and started a massacre in the village, until a hero stood equal grounds with him. The hero was called Philip Burlock. He had been one of the members of Herculy's squad.
          "Herculy, what are you doing this for?"shouted Philip as he clashed his sword with Herculy's,"Have you gone crazy?"
          "Shut up!" shouted Herculy as he blasted Philip away using Gungnir,"Shut up! Little soldier, I desire destruction! I will obliterate every obstacle standing in the way!"
          Philip fell backwards directly into a pile of burning wood. As he fall, a girl that was watching from a distance ran over to Philip and pulled him out. The girl is called Camilla Shikibu, also once a squad member of Herculy's squad. She was also the love interest of Herculy before they separated half a year ago.
         "Hype?" Camilla raised her head and called Herculy's nickname.
          Without even bothering to look back, Herculy walked away, unfazed. After that, the disaster continued the whole night. Camilla sat with an unconscious Philip the whole night, watching as the village burns, unable to do a thing.
          Two months later, the area that once stood the village of Danafor stood a new army camp. Groups of people can be seen gathering outside the army camp, training with each other as man stood at the front, patrolling the training. The man was Philip Burlock. A girl ran over to him, but Philip seemed reluctant to talk with the girl.
           "Phil, are you really going to do this? I told you the Hype that day was an imposter."called Camilla
           "This is reality, Camilla, people change."stated Philip,"I don't mind you denying it now, but you have to accept it eventually. I thank you for saving me that day, but this is all I can do."
            "I.....don't want you to fight!"shouted Camilla, as she turned and ran off.
             She ran off again, huh
             Philip continued his training with the soldiers, not minding the running Camillia.
             Camilla ran off the army camp, into the nearby woods to the North. This would be a suicide action for a normal villager, but not for Camillia. She was also a trained hero, in Herculy's squad. As she ran, she stabbed a few weak monsters for releasing her anger. Then, as she dived in for the last one, a sword parried with hers. She looked up, and there, she saw Herculy, smiling, standing in front of him.
             Back in the army camp, people seemed to be in a panic. Philip stood in the middle, giving orders to people running around, trying to prepare. Herculy had been spotted near the southern entrance of the camp. Philip smiled, taking out a dark, glittering sword.
            "This cursed blade shall be my revenge for the village!"whispered Philip to himself.
            Then, in an instant, an explosion shook the whole camp.
            What! The camp centre?
            Utilizing his greatest speed, Philip arrived at the center of the camp in mere seconds. There, he saw an incredible scene. He first saw Camilla standing beside Herculy, win a smile on her face. Philip felt his heart rages with anger, seemingly reacting to his rage, his sword pulsates. Then, he saw another Herculy, lying on the ground, as his body began to scatter into shadow.
            "Philip, I heard this from Camilla."The standing Herculy asked,"Did you seriously think I would still be this weak after defeating Satan?"
            Crack!Psssssssst!
            Suddenly, immediately after Herculy finishes his sentence, The sword Philip was holding explodes with darkness. Herculy watches as Philip gets engulf in darkness.
            "Wait, Philip! Where did you get the sword?" shouted Herculy in panic "it's a cursed sword!"
            Too late. Where Philip had once stood was taken place by the demon king Satan. Air hissed and howled, as if thousands of demons are laughing simultaneously. Then, as Satan waved his hand to cast magic, Herculy jumped forward to encounter using Gungnir's "absorb".
           "You still wish to defy me? You slayed me last time in a weakened state. You don't have a chance against me right now."hissed Satan
            "That may be true, but I've realized the importance of cooperation during my journey."replied Herculy,"This time, I have comrades! We will not lose to the likes of you!"
             Meanwhile, Camillia starts casting supporting magic to Herculy. Seeing the situation, the army behind starts to support Herculy as well. With humanity's cheering him on, Herculy was as fierce as he had ever been. He shouted as he sliced Excaliber through the air, parrying Satan attacks with Gungnir.......
            Two days after the battle, villagers had started to rebuild the village. Herculy had explained the situation to everyone. It seemed that the imposter Herculy was the leftover power of Satan, trying to cause chaos in humanity. Coincidentally, Philip's cursed blade resonated with his hatred, so Satan used the chance to take over Philip and revive. After humanity worked together to defeat Satan, the devil had disappeared, along with Philip's body.
            "Philip.......I could've saved him" Camilla said as she walks along the rebuilding houses with Herculy,"all this happened because I'm incapable......"
            "No, it's not your fault."replied Herculy"I could've gotten back earlier.....I could've stopped his hatred.....we don't know the reason for his hatred. Maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was the greed for power. Nothing will change now. Instead, use Philip's death as a lesson for us. Always believe in each other, and when people starts to hate, turn them back to the right way. Let us continue our journey, this time cooperating with each other!"
             "Yes!" Replied Camilia,"Let the journey continue!"
Naming references:(not part of the essay, just interesting facts)
Arthur Pendragon--name of King of Camelot, King Arthur
Hercules--Greek demigod hero(Son of Zeus) who slain 90% of mythological monsters
Gungnir--The lance of Odin, from Norse Mythology
Excalibur--Sword of King Arthur, called "sword of the Kings"
Satan--Devils who bring evil and temptation from Abrahamic religions
Philip "Borlock"-- Borlock came from the stubborn main character of the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, the original name was Leo Borlock. Here, an impression is meant to be made that he is a stubborn person.
Camilla Shikibu--"Camilla" came from the Roman brave women warrior in Roman mythology, "Shikibu" comes from a Japanese women emperor who is a novelist.(Murasaki Shikibu) Here, an impression is meant to be made that Camilla is a foreigner to Danafor, and she is good at both fighting and thinking.
Tyrfing--the cursed sword of Odin in Norse mythology
Danafor--The city destroyed 10 years ago that Meliodas lives in, from the anime Nanatsu no Taizai