Four days had passed since Luo Feng rode out of Eden Village.
The village had tried to return to its peaceful rhythm. Miya spent her days resting and helping with light chores, one hand often resting protectively on her belly. Kael and the other armed villagers kept extra watch at the gates. Everyone missed Luo Feng, but they trusted he would return soon.
On the morning of the fifth day, a thunderous noise shattered the quiet dawn — the sound of running feet, clashing metal, and monstrous roars.
Everyone rushed out of their huts and gathered in the square, eyes wide with fear. From the north road, a small group of battered figures came sprinting toward the village: the five summoned heroes, still in their gleaming blessed armor, along with a handful of wounded royal soldiers. They were covered in blood and dirt, clearly exhausted and losing the fight.
Right behind them, a towering Demon General — massive, horned, and radiating dark power — led a horde of demons and monsters. Black wolves, flame-scaled lizards, and winged horrors howled as they chased the fleeing humans.
The heroes and soldiers burst through the village gates without slowing down.
"Out of the way!" one of the heroes shouted. "They're right behind us!"
Instead of fighting to protect the villagers, the heroes and soldiers deliberately pushed through the crowd, using the bodies of the Eden villagers as living shields. They shoved men, women, and children aside, forcing the pursuing demons to crash straight into the helpless people while the heroes escaped through the other side of the village.
Screams filled the air.
Miya's heart seized with terror. She saw the monsters tearing into her people. Without hesitation she ran to the stable, grabbed the fastest horse they owned, and lifted her nine-year-old sister Suki onto its back.
She tied Suki tightly to the saddle with strong ropes so the little girl would not fall, no matter how fast the horse ran.
"Suki, listen to me," Miya said urgently, her voice shaking but firm. She placed her hands on her sister's cheeks. "Follow Feng. Run as fast as you can without any restriction. You will be safe if you reach him. Go!"
She slapped the horse's flank hard.
The horse neighed and bolted forward like lightning, carrying little Suki away from the village and toward the distant road Luo Feng had taken days earlier.
Miya stood there for one heartbeat, watching her sister disappear over the hill. Then the monsters reached the square.
Chaos exploded.
Demons and monsters tore into the villagers with claws and fangs. Houses collapsed as fire magic and dark spells rained down, crushing people beneath burning beams. Screams turned into silence as men, women, and children were brutally slaughtered — some ripped apart, some burned alive, some buried under the wreckage of their own homes.
Kael fought desperately with his Mithril sword, trying to protect as many as he could, but he was quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
In minutes, Eden Village — the once peaceful home that Luo Feng had helped rebuild — was turned into a blood-soaked ruin.
Miya was among the last to fall, still trying to shield a group of children until a demon's claw ended her struggle.
Meanwhile, far away on a quiet hillside campsite, Luo Feng sat peacefully by a small fire. He had just finished roasting a rabbit for breakfast and was sharpening his Adamantite dagger, completely unaware of the horror that had just destroyed everything he loved.
The morning sun rose gently over him. Birds sang in the trees. The Cosmic Trident Spear remained safely stored in his Storage Bag, and his heart was calm, thinking only of returning soon to his pregnant wife and the village that waited for him.
He had no idea that Eden Village was gone… and that his pregnant wife and almost everyone he cared about had been massacred while he camped in peaceful ignorance.