The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 367

To understand where it began, we need to go back a long time ago.

It all started with a rumour.

People said that when Valhalla’s Emperors died, they were buried in the Southern Tomb. It was believed that the tomb held the wisdom of the greatest warriors, the ones who made Valhalla famous. The rumour was that anyone who passed the Warrior’s Trial could learn these amazing secrets.

No one knew where the rumour started. But soon, everyone was talking about it. It became clear that the Warrior’s Trial was real, and that the Emperors were buried in the Southern Tomb with incredible treasures and secrets.

Famous warriors from everywhere rushed to the Southern Jungle.

They declared they would bravely face the Warrior’s Trial and enter the Southern Tomb.

But what happened?

Most of them died.

The first test was called the ‘First Gate,’ a week-long challenge. Warriors had to fight others who also wanted to pass, warriors just as strong and determined as themselves. Many were defeated by these endless fights.

It didn’t matter how powerful they were; no one was safe.

On the first day, they seemed strong, full of energy, winning their fights. But from the second day, they started to weaken quickly.

It was a crazy fight.

Fighting challenge after challenge for a whole week? It was almost like the trial was designed to stop anyone from passing.

Sometimes, someone would actually last a whole week.

Just when they thought they had finally succeeded and could enter the Southern Tomb, the Dark Elves appeared. These mysterious people lived in the Southern Jungle.

They were the guardians of the tomb.

They explained that they had made a promise with the first Emperor who built the Southern Tomb. Because of this promise, they could only allow the new Emperor to enter, and even then, only once.

So, everyone failed.

Those who gave up and begged to stop were called ‘cowards’ forever. Those who fought to the very end, trying to keep their warrior pride, still died.

Slowly, people lost interest.

It seemed impossible to pass the trial, so no one else even tried.

Then, about a hundred years later, something amazing happened.

A warrior named Carlos appeared, and he actually passed the trial! Carlos, known as the Great Swordsman of Valhalla, even got past the Dark Elves at the final gate.

Chaos erupted!

The whole world was watching.

Everyone wanted to know what treasures Carlos would bring back. But when Carlos returned, he was like a ghost. He looked empty, as if something inside him had died.

The strong, confident warrior who had entered the tomb was gone.

Carlos stood before the crowd, his face pale and thin.

He spoke in a hollow voice, “The wisdom you seek is not here. The Southern Tomb only holds Valhalla’s dark secrets.”

After that day, no one cared about the Southern Tomb anymore.

There seemed to be no point in going there. Years passed, and the Warrior’s Trial was almost forgotten. Then, Roman Dmitry came, and suddenly, everyone was talking about it again.

Years later… Then, Roman Dmitry announced he would attempt the Warrior’s Trial. It was scheduled for ten days later. In that time, Roman Dmitry went back to his kingdom to make plans, and Duke Vieto officially became the new Emperor of Valhalla.

Everything was changing in Valhalla.

At first, people were excited about their new Emperor and the future. But as the day of the trial got closer, all anyone could talk about was Roman Dmitry.

In every pub in Valhalla, you could hear the same conversation. People huddled in small groups, talking excitedly about Roman Dmitry.

“Do you think Roman Dmitry will really pass the Warrior’s Trial?” asked a man with a mug in his hand.

“Pass? Of course, he will!” replied another, banging his fist on the table. “Roman Dmitry is the strongest swordsman alive! Even Castro of Chronos can’t beat him, they say. Who else could possibly pass if not him?”

“Yeah,” nodded a third man. “Remember what he did to the capital? He took on the whole army! No one can doubt his power after that.”

“He’s changing everything,” said the first man, shaking his head in amazement. “They say he’s even changed what it means to be an aura swordsman. Like Alexandre did, years ago, when he changed swordsmanship forever. If it wasn’t for Dmitry, I don’t think any of the swordsmen we know today could even dream of passing the trial.”

But not everyone was convinced.

“He’s strong, I agree,” said a woman with a skeptical look. “But the Dark Elves… they’re different. Just being strong might not be enough against them. We’ll have to wait and see if Roman Dmitry makes history, or if he just becomes another forgotten name.”

Some were just curious about the trial itself.

But others were starting to get angry.

“Look,” said a gruff voice, “I know Dmitry is a great warrior. He beat Barbosa, wrecked Marin, helped Vieto… he’s done a lot for Valhalla. But he’s not *from* Valhalla. He’s an outsider. I don’t like him coming here and changing our history.”

“Exactly!” another voice chimed in. “Carlos warned us about the ugly history in that tomb. Why should an outsider be the one to uncover it? And if Dmitry passes… then everyone will forget Carlos! Roman Dmitry will be the last great warrior of Valhalla, not Carlos!”

It wasn’t about whether he was strong or not. It was about him being an outsider. He wasn’t Valhallan. As the days went by, more and more people felt this way. Soon, you could hear it everywhere: ‘We can’t let Roman Dmitry pass!’ It became a matter of Valhalla’s pride. Valhalla, the land of warriors, with its long and proud history.

The day of the trial arrived.

Deep in the Southern Jungle, hidden among thick trees, was a large clearing. It wasn’t made by people cutting down trees. It was as if nature itself had created this space, a perfect stage for the ancient Warrior’s Trial of Valhalla.

This was the place.

Word had spread that the Warrior’s Trial was happening again, and people came from every corner of Valhalla. The clearing was packed, shoulder to shoulder, with excited faces. Everyone was eager to see what would happen.

Emperor Vieto, looking at the massive crowd, felt a surge of something he hadn’t felt in years. ‘They’ve been waiting for this,’ he thought. Valhalla had become dull lately. Warriors were laughed at for taking risks, and old traditions like the Warrior’s Trial were just stories from the past.

But today, for the first time in ages, there was a feeling of excitement in the air, a warrior spirit returning to Valhalla. People had left their farms, their shops, everything, and traveled miles to be here, eager to witness what was about to happen. Vieto knew this was important.

With Valhalla’s old spirit returning, Emperor Vieto knew he had to seize this moment. ‘Roman Dmitry has helped Valhalla greatly,’ he thought. ‘But I can’t let him just walk over our traditions. Even if Roman Dmitry fails the trial, even if he is defeated by Valhalla’s past, it will remind everyone of what Valhalla stands for, and maybe, just maybe, bring back the glory days.’

Valhalla had been struggling lately.

The proud warriors had lost their confidence, their reputation tarnished. It would take years to rebuild what they had lost. But what if, right now, at this very moment…

What would happen if Roman Dmitry were defeated?

No one in Valhalla had ever defeated Roman Dmitry. If someone could do it, it would show everyone how strong Valhalla truly was.

It was truly the best-case scenario.

The rebellion happened because people wanted things to be better. If Roman Dmitry was defeated, it could quickly make Valhalla strong again.

Roman Dmitry said,

“Thank you. That’s all I need.”

Roman Dmitry said. “Our agreement is finished, and I don’t need to be nice to anyone now.”

Of course.

He didn’t have time to be nice.

Defeating Roman Dmitry was something Valhalla had to put its full strength into.

The time had come.

As everyone watched, the Emperor of Valhalla shouted as Roman Dmitry ascended the stage.

“The rules of the trial are simple. For the next week, Roman Dmitry, who has applied for the trial, will accept all of Valhalla’s challenges. Whether individual or group, challenges will be freely made for a single week, and if he passes all those trials, we will confirm whether the Dark Elves are finally qualified to enter the ‘Southern Tomb’.”

The midday sun beat down on the arena, making the air shimmer with heat.

The people’s eyes flickered with desire.

Finally.

“Those who wish to challenge, come forward and identify yourselves.”

The stage for the trial had begun.

From the first day, there were no group challenges.

Valhalla was a nation of warriors.

The unspoken rule was to fight one person at a time, if they could, and with the declaration of the Emperor of Valhalla, one person boldly stepped onto the stage.

A wave of excited whispers rippled through the crowd. People leaned forward, their eyes shining with anticipation. He was a well-known figure, and no one expected someone of this caliber to step forward from the start.

Valhalla Ranking 10th.

It was Valderas.

As the Emperor of Valhalla’s closest aide, he was a top-tier powerhouse who had participated in the rebellion from the process of overthrowing Hernard.

He looked at Roman Dmitry and said,

“Roman Dmitry-nim,” Valderas said, stepping onto the stage, “It’s truly an honor to fight you. I mean that sincerely.”

It wasn’t just lip service.

Valderas respected Roman Dmitry.

Being in the position of the rebels who were driven to the edge of a cliff, he knew well how unbelievable Roman Dmitry’s achievements were.

Even now, he was willing to listen to anything Roman Dmitry asked.

However.

This matter was different.

He hadn’t been directly asked, and like the others, he couldn’t let Valhalla’s traditions collapse.

Chuck.

Instead of answering,

Roman Dmitry drew his sword.

At the action of drawing a perfect line, Valderas took a stance with a tense face.

‘It is impossible to defeat Roman Dmitry with my skills.’

He faced reality.

If he aimed for victory with skills that even Ares couldn’t defeat, he would probably tarnish Valhalla’s honor with a miserable defeat.

Knowing that fact, he volunteered to be the vanguard.

As Roman Dmitry expressed his intention to take the warrior’s test, he organized in his head what role he should play.

‘Roman Dmitry is an overwhelmingly skilled person. Looking at his past actions, and according to the skills of Roman Dmitry that I have directly experienced, he will have more than enough time to endure for a week. Therefore, I will not aim for victory. My goal is to wear down the opponent’s stamina as much as possible so that later skilled individuals can defeat Roman Dmitry.’

Grip.

He gripped his sword tightly.

It wasn’t a far-fetched plan.

He analyzed Roman Dmitry.

For the past ten days, he had been undergoing secluded training, devising a strategy to endure even one more minute.

I can do it.

Even though he couldn’t compare to his opponent, Valderas was also a great powerhouse shining in 10th place in Valhalla.

The Emperor of Valhalla himself was in charge of the judgment.

The moment he sent the signal.

Flutter.

Tat.

Rumble!

He exploded his aura.

First, he was going to quickly back away and induce Roman Dmitry to come in first.

But.

Whoosh.

“…?!”

Right in front of him.

Roman Dmitry had already charged in.

The judgment was quick.

Roman Dmitry usually preferred to charge straight in with his attacks, so he gritted his teeth and blocked the expected direction of the attack.

No, he thought he blocked it.

Wham!

Valderas staggered.

By the time he realized the reality, he had already been hit in the back of the neck and was face-planting on the floor.

There was no cheering.

Everyone was speechless.

10 seconds?

No.

It didn’t even take 5 seconds.

In the time it took for the Emperor of Valhalla to send the signal and blink once, Valderas was knocked out on the floor, motionless.

His mind was a tangled mess.

How could something like this happen?

No one in this place doubted Roman Dmitry’s skills.

Everyone acknowledged that he was strong, but even so, they didn’t think that someone like Valderas wouldn’t be able to last even a few seconds.

Moreover, Valderas was openly showing a defensive stance.

The movement of trying to back away instead of rushing in proved that he stood at the forefront for the greater good.

And.

He was defeated.

He didn’t even kill him on purpose. It showed he was even stronger than they thought, like he wasn’t even trying hard.

It was then.

After a long time, Roman Dmitry uttered a familiar word.

“Next.”

That word.

Touched Valhalla’s pride.