Hero Hack: Reversing Heroes and Raising Harem

Zain continued leading the girls deeper into the territory.

After showing them the extreme training areas, they moved toward the outer sections of the sect's core grounds.

"This place…" Zain said as he gestured to the land around them, "used to be our food supply."

The girls looked around and saw large, overgrown fields.

The soil was dark and cracked, with wild plants and weeds twisting in all directions.

The wooden fences had long since rotted away.

"There were farms here," Zain explained.

"We grew our own foods, rice, herbs, vegetables. Everything we needed to survive."

Velra kicked a collapsed fence post with her boot. "Looks like it's been dead for a long time."

Zain nodded. "A Thousand years at least. Maybe more."

They moved further and came across another ruined area.

Large stone pens and broken cages stood half-buried in moss.

Rusted chains hung from wooden posts, and the bones of long-dead creatures were scattered across the ground.

"This," Zain said, stepping over a fallen beam, "was the beast-rearing area."

"We raised powerful spirit beasts here. Some for battle. Some for transportation. And some… for food."

Savra smirked. "Sounds like you had everything."

Zain's eyes swept the ruins. "We did. The Heavenly Demon Sect was self-sufficient. We relied on no one."

After walking for some time, the ruins gave way to a wide stone road, still intact despite the years.

At the end of it stood a massive structure.

The girls stopped in their tracks.

It wasn't a tall castle like the Hero Association's fortresses.

Instead, it was a sprawling mansion, low in height but vast in width.

The style was unmistakably eastern, with curved tiled roofs, large wooden gates, and long corridors connecting multiple wings.

But now… it was broken.

The paint had faded. The wooden beams were split. Moss crawled up the stone walls.

Entire sections of the roof had collapsed, leaving holes where sunlight streamed in.

Yet even in ruin, the mansion carried an air of power.

Zain stood still for a long moment, staring at it.

His eyes were calm, but inside, memories from his past life rushed through him.

Disciples bowing in the courtyard, the sound of training weapons, the smell of incense drifting through the halls.

"This…" he said softly, "was the heart of the Heavenly Demon Sect. My home. My throne."

The girls stayed silent, letting him have the moment.

Finally, Zain smiled faintly, almost to himself. "Even after all this time… it still stands. The glory may be gone, but the bones remain."

He turned to the others, his tone firmer now.

"Let's go inside," he said. "Maybe… there's something left worth taking."

The group walked slowly toward the massive wooden gates.

The doors were weathered and cracked, but still stood strong.

With a push, the gates creaked open, revealing the inside.

They stepped through and were greeted by a vast, echoing hall.

The air inside was dry and heavy with dust.

Faded banners hung from the high beams, their colors long gone.

Broken tiles littered the floor. Every step they took stirred tiny clouds of dirt.

At the far end of the hall stood a single throne.

It was large, carved from dark stone, and still carried a faint, oppressive presence. But what made them stop was what sat on it.

A skeleton.

Its bones were cracked and dry, still slumped in the seat as if it had never moved.

Dozens of weapons pierced through the body.

Swords driven through the chest, spears lodged in the ribs, axes buried in the arms and legs.

Velra's eyes narrowed. "That's… brutal."

Zain's gaze locked on the sight, and his chest tightened.

He didn't need anyone to tell him who that skeleton was.

Memories came flooding back mainly about his final battle in his past life.

Standing on that very throne. Surrounded by countless enemies. Bleeding, broken, but refusing to fall.

Weapon after weapon striking him, the world blurring in red.

And then, with his last strength, unleashing a final attack that shook the hall.

He stared at the skeleton for a long time. In his mind, the question rose.

Did they survive that last strike?

For a moment, he almost wanted to know… but then he pushed the thought away. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Zelia walked up beside him, her eyes soft. "This is your body… from your past life, isn't it, Zain?"

Zain nodded slowly. "Yes."

Zelia stepped closer to the throne, her fingers brushing against one of the broken spear shafts.

She didn't speak, but her expression was unreadable.

Savra, still standing back, spoke in a low tone. "If this is truly your body… then I think it's fair to say it now."

"This world and your past world… they might be the same. Just… a different time."

Zain glanced at her and gave a short nod. "I've thought the same."

Savra and Velra moved forward, circling the skeleton.

They studied the armor fragments still clinging to the bones and the weapons.

Their age should have been over a century.

Velra tilted her head. "Whoever did this… they wanted to make sure you'd never rise again."

Zain said nothing.

His eyes stayed on the throne, his mind caught between the past and the present.

The hall was silent, the only sound the faint creak of old wood shifting above them.

The three girls stood near him, their eyes shifting between Zain and the skeleton on the throne.

Savra finally asked, "So… what do you want to do with it?"

Zain didn't answer right away.

His gaze still stayed on the throne specifically on his weathered bones.

There was no doubt in his mind. This was him. This was how he had died.

"It's strange," he said at last.

"Looking at… myself. It feels like I'm staring at someone else, and yet… I can still remember every wound."

Velra tilted her head. "Do you want to keep it? Or—"

Zain shook his head slowly. "No. The past… should stay in the past."

He stepped forward until he was at the base of the throne, looking up at the lifeless remains.

His voice was calm, but firm. "Let's burn it. End it here. No more looking back."

Zelia gave a small nod. "Alright. We'll help."

Zain clenched his fist, gathering [Heavenly Demon Flame].

This time, it wasn't for battle... But for an end.