Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking

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The Raven Demon General prided itself on being smarter than its peers. Unlike its comrades, who blindly believed in the Demon King's apocalyptic vision, it was a realist.

Throughout recorded history, the Demon King had never succeeded in destroying the world, always falling to the blades of heroes.

Even now, with unprecedented forces rallying behind him, unpredictable variables like the Fairy Princess were emerging.

The Raven Demon General knew well the depth of the fairies' power. It had once dared to approach their Golden Forest capital, but even before reaching the forest's edge, a single leaf blinded it.

The leaf, no bigger than a human palm, seemed to encompass the entire world. When it finally regained its senses, it found itself in the thunderclouds of the Northern Continent, far from its original path.

If not for the corruption blessing protecting its body, it would never have made it back alive. Even so, it paid a steep price—losing its right eye, the one representing its mastery of curses.

This loss weakened its combat abilities, but the Raven Demon General deemed it acceptable.

After all, no matter how strong it became, it would never surpass its peers by much. At the pinnacle of their power, Demon Generals could destroy cities, but not entire nations. Their ceiling was immutable, as the Demon King held dominion above them all.

Unless the gods themselves dismantled the Demon King's power and distributed it among his subordinates, their strength would never surpass its current limits.

Recognizing this, the Raven Demon General relied on cunning rather than brute force. Unlike its reckless peers, it avoided revealing itself on the battlefield unnecessarily.

Otherwise, it would inevitably attract endless trouble. It had no desire to become fodder for some hero's legend, let alone sacrifice itself for the Demon King.

Most of the time, it observed from the skies, spreading corruption and pestilence along the human borders to prove it was not shirking its duties.

This cautious approach alienated it from its peers, but that was a minor concern. Demon Generals were rarely on good terms with each other anyway.

From its lofty vantage point, however, the Raven Demon General noticed several anomalies.

The Demon General responsible for the eastern front, the Sea Star, had failed to show up, leaving the eastern battlefront in a deadlock.

Meanwhile, on the other fronts, the Gargoyle Demon General and the Earth Dragon Demon General were similarly bogged down, unable to break through the dwarves and lizardfolk, who had fought them for ages.

At the same time, the western border was abuzz with tales of the Fairy Princess. At first, the Raven Demon General dismissed them as exaggerations.

After all, what could a Fairy Princess, separated from her people and lacking proper tutelage, possibly accomplish? If she managed to seal a portal, it would already be a stroke of luck. Surely, the rumors of hurricanes devastating entire armies were overblown.

But tonight, on the western battlefield, it saw her.

The Fairy Princess single-handedly tearing through the Demon King's forces, nearly crushing the Troll King herself.

Her power was far beyond what two Demon Generals could handle. Fortunately, the Troll King provided an adequate distraction, allowing the Raven Demon General to avoid her wrath.

She noticed it—of that, the Raven Demon General was certain. Yet, for some reason, she didn't pursue it. Perhaps she lacked the means for an aerial assault, or perhaps she was preoccupied.

Regardless, the general decided not to tempt fate. Transforming into a shadowy night raven, it tried to slip away unnoticed.

Direct confrontation was out of the question. Even at its peak, it wouldn't stand a chance against her. Ten lives wouldn't suffice.

Yet retreating entirely would trigger the Demon King's wrath. If deemed a deserter, its punishment would be worse than death.

The Demon King might not always win against heroes, but crushing his subordinates was as effortless as swatting a fly.

With no better option, the Raven Demon General decided to take a detour toward its designated pawn: the corrupted human knight.

The knight had already succumbed to its poison, losing his sanity and becoming a perfect puppet. The Raven Demon General planned to possess him, biding its time until it could sabotage the human forces.

By framing the knight for betrayal, the ensuing chaos would destabilize the human rear guard and the Church of the Earth Mother, diverting attention from the front lines.

And since the Fairy Princess had no reason to intervene in human politics, it could escape unscathed while achieving its objectives.

Even if traces of its involvement were uncovered later, it would be long gone, having sacrificed nothing more than an expendable puppet.

The ensuing chaos would also give those dissatisfied with the Church's rapid expansion an opportunity to strike.

And if all else failed… it could even sell out the Demon King's location to the Fairy Princess, feigning a change of heart to secure its own survival.

These thoughts gave the Raven Demon General a sense of relief, but its musings were interrupted when it encountered two unexpected figures.

The first was a woman, a merchant who had entered the city earlier that day. The second, a man clad in armor radiating a nauseating aura of righteousness—a Purging Knight from the High Temple.

Either of them would make excellent pawns.

But as the general prepared to eavesdrop on their conversation, the knight struck first.

Using what it considered "underhanded" methods, the knight obliterated a third of the general's internal organs with a single blow.

Falling from the skies under the eerie twin moons, the Raven Demon General seethed with both fear and rage.

Losing on the main battlefield was one thing. Losing its carefully laid plans was another. And now, this knight had the audacity to strike first?

Fine, it thought, I'll deal with the woman later—maybe trade her to the Demon King or offer her as a sacrifice. But the knight? He dies now.

The Raven Demon General shed its shadowy disguise mid-fall, its body expanding grotesquely. Its true form emerged—a hulking, burnt, misshapen creature with a hideous, oversized head that crashed through the shrine's roof.

Its massive single eye glared hatefully at the crimson-haired knight.

Its cracked beak opened wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth and a dark red tongue. With a guttural sound, it launched a spray of corrosive bile, laced with the stench of decay and plague, directly at him.

The knight didn't flinch.

Instead, he stepped forward, his polished silver boots striking the ground with a sharp, decisive sound.

Where his foot landed, the earth cracked. From the fissures, enormous thorned vines erupted, forming a protective barrier between him and the bile.

—Hisssss!

The sickening sound of acid corrosion echoed as the corrosive bile splashed against the vine wall.

If the vines had been ordinary plants, they would have withered instantly. Instead, the massive, grotesque growths continued to thrive. From their thorny branches bloomed rotting red roses, exuding a surreal beauty that enhanced the saintly aura of the crimson-haired knight standing at the ruined temple's center.

This isn't a Purging Knight of the Supreme God!

The Raven Demon General's internal alarms blared. It realized the truth just as the knight leapt effortlessly into the air, appearing before it in an instant. His strikingly handsome face radiated a divine pity, like that of a god looking down on a pitiful creature.

"Ah, such a repugnant abomination. Your body reeks of sin and decay, your grotesque existence beyond salvation. I must... end you."

With movements as smooth as a heated knife slicing through butter, his blade-like hand cleaved through half of the Demon General's face, exposing its brain.

"Screeeaaagh!"

The Raven Demon General howled in pain, its single eye flooding with blood as the stench of corruption thickened in the air. Tumorous growths began to swell across its already malformed body. Driven mad, it lunged at the knight, aiming its sharp beak directly at his skull with terrifying speed and force.

The sheer size and velocity of the attack were enough to overwhelm anyone caught unprepared. The temple's roof collapsed entirely under the force, sending clouds of dust and debris raining down.

The enraged Demon General rampaged, obliterating everything in sight. When it finally paused, its body towering amidst the ruins, it scanned the surroundings.

There was no blood.

It hadn't felt the satisfying splatter of viscera or the crunch of bone.

Where were those damned humans?

The Demon General's remaining feathers began falling out, replaced by pulsating red tumors that covered its bloated form. Its head, already grotesquely swollen from the earlier attack, throbbed as its lone eye narrowed in rage and paranoia.

A faint buzzing, like the wings of an insect, sounded from behind. Reacting instinctively, the Demon General lashed out, snapping its beak toward the noise—but struck only empty air.

What's happening...

The Demon General's pride as a hunter faltered. It was supposed to be the predator, yet now it was the one being toyed with like a brainless bird.

The humiliation was unbearable. Worse than the fear it felt upon glimpsing the Fairy Princess from afar.

Flapping its patchy wings, the Demon General stirred up turbulent winds, clearing the dust around it. The knight reappeared, standing tall amidst the ruins.

The crimson-haired knight cradled the fallen body of a deceased comrade. With a mournful expression, he gently laid the body at the base of the armless goddess statue, placing a single blood-red rose on its chest.

"Screeeaaagh!"

The Raven Demon General screeched in fury, lowering its body and charging like a rampaging tank. In the blink of an eye, it was upon him, its massive beak descending like a sledgehammer.

But the knight caught the attack.

With both hands, he clamped the Demon General's beak shut, holding it effortlessly in place.

It was like watching a man pinch an elephant's trunk.

The Demon General thrashed violently, trying to free itself, but the knight's grip didn't falter. Instead, with a smooth twist, the knight flipped the colossal creature onto its back like an unruly dog.

The Demon General flailed, revealing the massive wound on its underbelly where the knight's silver cross-shaped lance remained embedded. Blood oozed from the gaping injury.

The knight extended his hand, and the lance flew into his grasp like a loyal steed returning to its rider.

Its tip shimmered with a radiant, multifaceted design—six sharp edges forming a deadly crystalline shape.

"Creature of darkness, enslaved by vile desires, your tale ends here."

The knight raised his lance high before striking decisively at the Demon General's neck.

If destroying its head hadn't killed it earlier, perhaps severing it would.

The lance sliced through the neck like a blade through paper, cleanly decapitating the monstrous bird. Its massive body convulsed once before going still, the light in its single eye fading into nothingness.

Black-red blood poured from the wound as the knight stood, watching the life seep out of the carcass.

But then... he noticed something.

The blood seemed alive, writhing unnaturally as it pooled. Pieces of malformed flesh began to twitch and shift, as if drawn toward a singular purpose.

A deep crimson glow pulsed beneath the Demon General's skin.

"You dare!"

The knight's voice thundered as realization struck.

The Demon General, even in death, was attempting a desperate gambit. Its body swelled grotesquely, veins and sinews straining against the skin.

It planned to self-destruct, unleashing a wave of corruption and plague to take everything with it.

The knight cursed under his breath. His weakness—his unyielding adherence to ideals of beauty and order—compelled him to protect the goddess statue and the fallen comrade at any cost.

If he retreated, the explosion would destroy the relics and taint the land. If he stayed, he might not survive.

The explosion erupted, a scarlet inferno consuming the temple.

When the dust settled, the Demon General's remains began to reconstitute into a smaller, frailer version of itself. Barely clinging to life, it let out a triumphant, piercing cry, believing itself victorious.

But the cry abruptly cut off.

The Raven Demon General stared in horror at a floating alchemical mechanism hovering nearby.

Next to it stood a woman in a pristine white dress, holding a small case as casually as though she were on her way to tea.

The Demon General tried to speak, but blood gurgled in its throat.

A thin red line appeared across its neck, and its deformed head finally rolled from its shoulders, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

Its body collapsed moments later, lifeless.

The crimson-haired knight, his armor dusted and stained from the explosion, looked sheepishly at the elegant woman.

He dusted himself off, the bloodstains fading as his magical aura reasserted itself. Stepping forward, he inclined his head.

"Despite my earlier boasts, it seems you were forced to witness my disgrace. I am deeply embarrassed."

"Silver Branch, I wouldn't dream of blaming you for my inaction," the woman replied with a slight bow, her tone tinged with faint apology.

"No, this was my error entirely. I humbly request a chance to redeem myself."

Silver Branch bowed deeply, his discomfort evident.

The woman chuckled softly and changed the subject, mentioning the presence of another Demon General.

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The once-mighty Troll King lay sprawled on the ground, his left arm encased in impenetrable ice and his right arm limp against his chest. Two deep lance wounds had rendered him nearly helpless, the frost from the strikes preventing his body from regenerating.

The once-proud totems of the four beasts on his body had dimmed, leaving only the elephant's faint glow.

But even this offered no reprieve. It granted resilience and immunity to poison but was no trump card.

What crushed him wasn't a trick or an ambush—it was a relentless, humiliating beating.

"Owww—my toe! My toe!"

The gray-haired woman he had earlier swatted away was now ruthlessly stomping on his toes.

Especially his little toe.

"Stop it! Stop it!"

The Troll King hopped around in agony, clutching his foot.

How could such a petty, vengeful woman exist in this world?

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T/N: sorry if the translations arent up to par as usual im really trying to rush through this part of the story.... :( but if you do see mistakes let me know!!! I'll fix it

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