The Former Hero and Traitorous Princess
The Hero Who Seeks Revenge Shall Exterminate With Darkness (The Strongest Brave who craves for Revenge, Extinguish with the Power of Darkness; The Dark Massacre of the Vengeful Hero; Fukushuu O Koinegau Saikyou Yuusha Wa, Yami No Chikara De Senmetsu Musou Suru; 復讐を希う最強勇者は、闇の力で殲滅無双する) is an ongoing Japanese Light Novel series written by Ononata Manimani with illustrations by Araya publish on Feb 8, 2019, and is based on the Web Novel of the same name. It was adapted into a Manga series in 2019 with illustrations by Akira and serialized by Suiyoubi wa Mattari Dash X Comic Sakamoto.The Hero, Raul Evans, is not having a good day. He defeated the Demon King as and was set to become the Savior of the World. Instead, he was arrested under false accusations made by the Princess. His former comrades have betrayed him and killed everybody he cared about before capturing, torturing, and eventually executing him. With his dying breath, he swears vengeance against those who wronged him.
Shortly before his life collapsed, his heart finally sank into darkness. In the afterlife, he encounters the Goddess of Love, who offers him a chance at happiness, spending an eternity in paradise with her. Instead, he asks to be resurrected with his power unsealed. Having received the power of darkness, Raul was reborn. For every inch of suffering inflicted on him and his loved ones, Raul will make them suffer tenfold. No matter what it takes, he will have his revenge.
Beware of unmarked spoilers.
Provides examples of:
- Anti-Villain: Raul after his resurrection. He avenges innocent lives and helps vengeful people get their revenge.
- And I Must Scream: Victoria is subjected to this. During Christiana's trial, Raul retrieves Victoria, who has been devoured by giant insects and other creatures, but is being kept alive through his powers.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Everyone that betrayed Raul. They act like righteous heroes, but in reality, they're nothing but evil scumbags.
- Asshole Victim: Pretty much everyone that Raul takes revenge on.
- Crapsack World: Demons are indeed amoral murderous monsters, but the kingdom fighting against them is filled with people who are arguably even worse.
- Dirty Coward: Princess Victoria has Raul's family and village slaughtered then puts Raul through hell before having him executed, but the very second she's in danger, she begs for help when she's about to get retribution.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Christiana is introduced as a fairly minor character. It's later revealed that she attempted to "save" everyone with salvation, which involves them giving in to whatever they desired. Her victims includes Victoria, Wendell, Sandra, and many others, which led them to turn against Raul and set the story's events in motion.
- Easily Forgiven: Taken out back and shot multiple times for the smallest thing.
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: Victoria may have a lovely look, but behind it all is a cruel, petty, and narcissistic monster.
- Fan Disservice: Practically every named character is as physically attractive as they are evil, and will often sport distorted expressions, not to mention the Body Horror mutilations they bestow and eventually suffer from.
- For the Evulz: Victoria betrayed Raul and had his family murdered just because she enjoyed doing it. Wendell literally plans to betray Raul from the moment they were kids, despite Raul being nothing but loyal and helpful to him. Pretty much every antagonist is devoid of empathy and needlessly wicked.
- Hate Sink: Nothing is likable about Princess Victoria. Not even her family likes her.
- Heroic BSoD: The day before his execution when Wendell came down to his cell to tell him how their entire friendship was a lie and that he betrayed him. Then rubbed in his face how his sister was violated before she was killed.
- Hypocrite: Victoria attempts to call Raul evil for getting retribution on her when she commits unspeakable atrocities for her own sick amusement and believes that she can do no wrong and doesn't deserve the punishment she gets from Raul when she was the one who caused Raul to seek revenge in the first place.
- It's All About Me: Victoria only loves herself. That's pretty much all you can say about her.
- It's Personal: Good lord, where do we start? Aside from torturing and killing Raul, he was framed for the massacre of his home village, his female comrades were raped and killed, and his family (including his pregnant sister) was murdered just to torment him further. Thus his revenge is extremely personal for him.
- Just Following Orders: A common excuse by the evildoers begging Raul to spare them, usually after they were shown happily indulging in evil deeds.
- Karma Houdini: Thanks to Christiana's holy magic (stemming from her faith and how she truly believed her horrible acts allowed people to achieve "salvation" in death), her pain turns to pleasure, causing her torture and execution to be total ecstasy for her. Raul literally let's himself be killed and goes to hell just to make Christiana "properly face her crimes". He manages to shatter her sanity and faith by showing her how many of those she "saved" were burning in hell and leaves her to suffer for eternity in a pool of boiling blood with her victims. Not 5 minutes later, during Raul's meeting with the god of hell, the god summons all the main targets of Raul's revenge who died and asks them if they want him to "free" them. Christiana jumps at the chance and the god of hell destroys her soul to spite Raul who wanted them to suffer for eternity. Compared to all the other characters who had to suffer horrible tortures, humiliations, deaths (Wendell's died over 2600 times due to illusion magic, Victoria had an immortality spell cast on her so she can't die even though she's been crucified and has animals eating her alive), and the others have been in hell far longer. Christiana's torture didn't last an hour and she already escaped eternal damnation, which is objectively better than suffering forever.
- Lack of Empathy: Victoria is a complete psychopath as she massacres Raul's family and town for fun and rapes her subordinates, even Sandra, for petty reasons and felt no remorse for any of her despicable crimes.
- Light Is Not Good: Christiana Alcott, the Saintess. Not that Dark is much better.
- Manipulative Bitch: There's nothing Victoria likes more than to make herself look innocent while others suffer or die around her.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Victoria was such a bad boss most of her servants do not come to her aid when she screams for help.
- Narcissist: All of the revenge targets. Victoria in particular believes she's unstoppable and thinks she can do whatever she wants just because she's the princess, and if someone rants at her for the atrocities she committed, she wouldn't give a damn, as long as she's okay, then that's all that matters to her.
- Reincarnate in Another World: When someone dies, they get three options in their choice of afterlife: Hell, Land of the Gods, and Reincarnation.
- Stupid Evil: Many of those that Raul winds up taking his revenge on could have likely gotten away with everything had they simply shown some basic restraint with their depravity, not given in to the urge to gloat, or just plain stayed out of the Hero's business and let him live his life.
- A Taste of Their Own Medicine: Raul is extremely fond of making his victims undergo the same torments they inflicted upon others.
- Wicked Cultured: Raul may have justifiably gone off the deep end in his pursuit of revenge, but he definitely knows how to put on one hell of a show with it.
- World of Jerkass: Bloody everyone, from the arch-villains and their direct associates to the normal everyday civilians, is involved in some form of torture, rape and murder. Anyone that tries to be good quickly ceases to be in this world.
- Would Hurt a Child: Hurt, kill, enslave; it makes no difference. Even Raul engages in this, but only if they're related to his revenge targets.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The moment that Raul defeated the Demon King. Arguably before that, when he rejected Victoria's offer. Not that it would've made a difference.
