Demon Lord's Reincarnation

The reincarnations of the Strongest Mortal Soul have been hailed as different things over the eons. They have been called heroes, murderers, tyrants, saints, and many more. They were never evil nor they were good, they simply did what felt right to them.

They never regretted an action they had taken in their entire existence, but there was one among them who regretted becoming the reincarnation of the Strongest Mortal Soul, he had regretted gaining so much power. This is the story of Lyner Mithra one of the strongest reincarnations of the Strongest Mortal Soul.

...

Lyner Mithra was what one would say was born with a golden spoon. Lyner was born as the first son of a Duke. The Noble House of Mithra is the fiercest sword of the Avalon Empire. It was said that they alongside the founding emperor conquered land after land at a time when dragons and elves were the hegemons.

Even in such an age the founding emperor and the ancestors of the Mithra family were able to create a kingdom that later became an empire.

In the current age, the dragons have fallen into deep slumber, and the elves have hidden themselves in the forest of the beginning. So now it was a world where humans have reigned supreme.

Due to that many kingdoms have risen and fallen, but the Avalon Empire which stopped conquering remained standing over the course of a millennia.

The Mithra family who were the most powerful swords of the Empire was a family of knights that destroyed those that wished to oppose the Empire. Many powerful knights have come from this family, and among them were legendary figures, but even then Lyner was something else entirely.

At the age of three, he was able to hold a sword and swing it, and at the age of four, he was able to use the family's basic sword techniques. At the age of six, he was able to defeat a full-fledged knight of another family. At the age of seven, he gained the power of aura which only knights were able to use, not only that but he also gained the power of mana which only mages have.

This was the first time that someone from Mithra had gained the power of mana. Due to Lyner's incredible talent, his father Duke Yves Mithra had asked for one of the Empire's best mages to come and teach his child.

At the age of eight Lyner was officially recognized as a knight and the Emperor himself Xandalius Avalon the Fourth had knighted him.

It was a momentous occasion, not just for the Mithra family but for the entire Avalon Empire. To be knighted at such a young age was unheard of—most knights didn't even begin their formal training until their teenage years, yet Lyner had achieved feats that surpassed even the most seasoned warriors.

The grand hall in the Imperial Palace was filled with nobles, generals, and mages—those who had come to witness the ceremony. Yet, all eyes were on the young boy standing proudly at the center of it all. His golden hair shone in the light, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to contain the weight of the world, though his expression was calm and serene, as if this was all part of his destiny.

"Lyner Mithra," Emperor Xandalius spoke with a voice that echoed through the hall, "You stand before me today, not as a child, but as a warrior worthy of the highest honor the Empire can bestow. It is rare for one so young to bear such power, and rarer still for a member of the Mithra family to be blessed with the gift of mana alongside the strength of aura. Today, you prove that you are not only the heir of the Mithra legacy but also the future of the Empire itself."

...

After Lyner was made into a knight, his mother gave birth to twins one male and the other female. After the birth of the twins Lyner who was newly knighted went around the entire Empire challenging knights of renown to a duel.

At the age of eleven Lyner had defeated most of the knights his weapon of choice was a giant mace which was three times his size and weighed two tons it was a weapon only knights who wielded aura could use but even then it would be difficult. Still, Lyner wielded it with such ease and precision that it looked like it was weightless.

Lyner's fame had spread not only in the empire but in other kingdoms as well. They had started keeping an eye on the young knight.

At the age of thirteen Lyner had defeated almost all of the knights of the empire which included his own father, but he had left one alone. Lyner left the strongest and most challenging of all the knights of the empire as his final knight to face.

The former Duke of Aubemeur, Oswalrd Aubemeur the one hailed as the strongest knight of the Empire. If the Mithras were considered the sword of the Empire, the Aubemeur were called the shield of the Empire, and Oswalrd Aubemeur had protected the empire from all invaders.

The upcoming duel between the unstoppable rising star Lyner and the legendary unbreakable shield of the Empire was the only thing people talked about.

The air around the grand arena was thick with anticipation, and the crowd's collective breath held as the battle between Lyner Mithra and Oswalrd Aubemeur drew nearer. The day had come, and it promised to be a clash unlike any the Empire had witnessed in centuries. Legends had built up around both men: Lyner, the child prodigy whose feats had shattered every expectation; and Oswalrd, the shield of the Empire, a warrior whose resolve had never wavered.

Lyner who had recently learned that he loved battle was getting excited at the thought of a battle that was challenging. A vicious-looking smile appeared on Lyner's face as he looked at the elderly knight before him. The elderly knight had never been defeated, a mountain of strength and honor, the embodiment of the Avalon Empire's unwavering defense. His once-vibrant armor now carried the marks of countless battles dents, scratches, and the subtle signs of age but none of it seemed to dull the intense, intimidating aura he radiated.

Oswalrd used a longsword and a kite shield as his main equipment these two things were all he needed as he stood his ground and never retreated.

"Old man, I hope that you're body can still fight. I want to experience the full might of the so-called strongest knight of the empire."

"Very well young one, I shall obliged."

...

The duel they had on that day was the stuff of legends. The victor of that duel was a surprise, as it was the thirteen-year-old Lyner who won. The story of the fierce clash that took two whole days to finish was retold by bards in every inn and tavern.

In Avalon's grand arena, the mighty shields did clash,

A boy of thirteen, bold and wild, against the Empire's last.

Oswalrd stood, his armor worn, but still a titan's frame,

Lyner, the prodigy, with fire burning in his name.

Two days of battle, fierce and long,

The earth trembled with their song.

The boy of light, the knight of steel,

Who'd stand victorious—who would kneel?

Oswalrd's shield, unbroken still, defied the sky and stone,

His sword a guardian of the Empire, in battles fought alone.

But Lyner, young and fierce of heart, with mace in hand did strike,

Each blow a thunder, every step a storm, each breath a battle cry.

At last the dust had settled, and the silence filled the air,

Oswalrd knelt, the shield of Empire, no longer standing there.

The young knight Lyner Mithra, his glory etched in blood.

It was a slightly exaggerated bard song with some variances, especially the ending Oswarld did not die but they sang as if he did. Still, there were other variances of the bard song but that was the one most famous outside of the empire.

...

The stories of Lyner continued to spread far and wide, and he gained more fans but his greatest fans were right at home. Lyner's younger siblings the twins Conrad and Erika loved the stories of their older brother.

After he had gained fame as a knight, the next thing Lyner did was surprise. After defeating all the renowned knights of the empire, Lyner did the same thing with the mages. At the age of fifteen Lyner not only defeated the strongest knight of the empire but even the archmage of the empire lost in a magic battle against the child.

Lyner was no longer the young prodigy, but the strongest person in the empire. His strength alone could challenge a kingdom. It was at this point that Lyner found that everything was becoming boring. He wanted to fight stronger opponents, he wanted to feel the thrill of battle once more, but he could no longer find it in the empire.

Lyner, once filled with the joy of victory, now found himself yearning for something he could no longer find a worthy opponent. The joy he once found in battle had faded, and with it, his connection to the world around him. The thrill of combat, once his driving force, had slipped from his grasp like sand through his fingers.

It was at this time due to Lyner's fame spreading the fear of the Avalon Empire grew even more. The neighboring kingdoms allied with the Avalon Empire's long-standing rival the Sluven Empire to attack the Avalon Empire.

...

A war like no other started and in the center of it all was Lyner Mithra. This war just showcased more of the Lyner's abilities as he mowed down enemy soldiers. No army could stand against him. No knight, no mage, no warlord could rival his might. And with every foe he felled, with every fortress he reduced to rubble, the more his soul felt distant from the world he once knew.

The fields where Lyner fought were vast, stretching for miles, littered with the broken remains of soldiers who had once hoped to defend their homelands. The war was a massacre, not a battle, and Lyner was its embodiment. His mace larger than a war horse and as heavy as the mountains themselves, became an unstoppable force.

In the midst of it, Lyner's face remained unchanged, his eyes cold and distant. He cut through enemies as if they were mere wheat before a scythe his swings were effortless; his strikes precise. Aura and mana flowed from him in torrents, obliterating entire battalions in the blink of an eye. He no longer felt the rush of victory. He had crossed a line where even the greatest enemies could no longer awaken his fighting spirit.

The generals of the Sluven Empire began to fear his presence. They learned quickly that no strategy, no ambush, and no number of soldiers could stand against Lyner's absolute strength.

In the enemies side the name Lyner Mithra became a terrifying legend, one spoken in hushed whispers, a name synonymous with doom.

...

Lyner who had nearly won the war singlehandedly felt no pleasure from it, as his strength grew stronger every single day. He didn't want to get even more strength than he already possessed but even without doing anything, his strength grew by the day.

He wished that he would return to the days when getting stronger meant being able to face stronger opponents, the thrill in the challenge, but done were those days as it seemed that no one could be his match.

...

The twins had been only infants when Lyner's legendary rise began, but now, at the age of nine, they had grown into curious, sharp-minded children, often seeking their brother's guidance. While Lyner no longer found joy in the battles he fought, the innocent admiration in their eyes was one of the few things that still reached through his hardened exterior.

Yet, as Lyner's power grew without limit, so too did the fear surrounding him. His abilities were unparalleled, his strength untouchable, and the very idea of confronting him seemed impossible. This left his enemies with no other recourse but to find a way to weaken him, to find a chink in his seemingly impenetrable armor.

And they found it.

The Sluven Empire, with its vast network of spies and assassins, had begun to turn their gaze toward Lyner's family. They knew that, while Lyner's strength was a force of nature, his one weakness the one thing that had always kept him anchored to his humanity was his love for his siblings. The bond he had with Conrad and Erika was as deep as it was undeniable. It was the last vestige of warmth in his soul.

...

Assassins had taken Erika and Conrad, and they demanded an audience with Lyner. Their message was clear: "Come alone, or your siblings will perish."

Lyner's mind raced. The thought of his younger siblings in danger tore through him like a wild storm. For the first time in years, he felt a spark of something familiar—fear, guilt, and rage all at once. The helplessness he had long buried inside him surged to the surface, and at that moment, Lyner realized just how deeply he had neglected the only thing that had ever truly mattered to him, family, or to put more accurately his siblings.

He was so lost in the thrill of battle that when he lost it he wished to find it no more, and he was unable to see that even with that he still had his family. Lyner who had arrived in an abandoned building, saw his siblings were on the ground unconscious. Seeing that Lyner's body trembled in anger as his killing intent spread out.

The assassins who were trained to face any danger almost knelt at the extreme pressure of Lyner's killing intent.

"If you dare touch my siblings more than that then I will personally end all of your lives in extreme pain, and I will make sure that all your kin die in the same way."

The leader of the assassin group spoke up.

"Useless threats, you know what we want, kill yourself, or your siblings will die instead."

"Who do you think will be faster, you killing my siblings or me killing all of you before you even touch them."

"We already know of your strength Lyner Mithra and of course, we prepared in advance for this. Even if you kill all of us here your siblings will still die. We have made the two ingest a rare poison that has a specific antidote. If they are not given this antidote within a day they will surely die."

When Lyner heard those words his anger erupted and his mana and aura burst out making the very ground shake.

"So you truly wish to die!"

"If you kill us now then you won't be able to save your siblings!"

Lyner gnashed his teeth as he stopped moving.

"If you wish for them to live, then kill yourself once we have confirmed your death then we will give them the antidote."

"Why should I believe you?! How can I be sure that you will truly give my siblings the antidote once I'm dead?"

"You have no choice do you?"

Lyner roared and in the blink of an eye all the assassins except for the leader died their bodies smashed into meatpaste.

"You really want to see your siblings die!" The leader shouted.

"Hmph, only one of you guys needs to be alive to give them the antidote and bring them back home. If you dare go back on your word then I will rise from the dead and kill you."

After he was done speaking Lyner removed his armor took one of the swords of the dead assassins and pierced his heart. There was no hesitation in Lyner's movement he did not even scream as he pierced his body and heart. Lyner the legend of the Avalon Empire had died on that day.

The assassin overwhelmed by the scene before him became extremely afraid, and despite knowing that Lyner was dead, he felt like Lyner would wake up and crush him and his entire bloodline if he did not do as he promised.

The assassin leader followed through and gave Conrad and Erika the antidote, he even brought them home safe and sound.

Later even without Lyner the Avalon Empire enraged by the loss of their great hero was able to defeat the Sluven Empire and its allies.

That was how the story of the legendary Lyner Mithra ended in that world. Of course, Lyner's true end came at the final battle against the ORIGIN. It was in that battle the thrill he so wished was once again rediscovered, but even then he still regretted the actions he took when he was alive and ended his existence with relief.