Julius

Julius Zagan Analeit was the second prince of the Kingdom of Analeit and the previous Hero, until he was killed by a mysterious white girl during the The Great Human-Demon War, after that his younger brother, Schlain, inherited the title.

Appearance
Julius is characterised by his dark blue hair, and blue eyes. His often seen wearing a light suit of armour and his signature white muffler scarf that was made by his late mother from a high quality spider thread which was shortly knitted just before Schlain was born.

Character Page
The second prince of the Analeit Kingdom, he received the title of Hero at a very young age. Older brother to Shun, a reincarnation. His mother died giving birth to Shun, whom the kindhearted Julius strives to protect as his family and as his mother's parting gift.

Though he is still young, he constantly tries to act based on what he feels he should do as a hero, a prince, and an older brother. Because of his kindness and strong sense of duty, he comes to doubt whether what he did in the battle between Sariella and Ohts was right. As a result, he becomes determined to act based on what he believes is right, not just what others want him to do.

Personality
"Nice to meet you. I’m your big brother Julius. I might not look it, but I’m the hero."

- Julius to Shun

Julius was afraid of spiders due to an event that occurred when he was younger. He is motivated by his younger brother Schlain, who highly respects him.

He is seen as someone who is very level headed, thoughtful and well-liked by his peers. Despite being the hero, Julius often display a very humble demeanor to others and never abuse his title. Even in battle, he treats his enemies with respect, this was seen when he tried to negotiate with the defeated demon general, Bloe, to surrender and retreat his forces to spare the lives of his surviving soldiers.

Julius had a bad habit of being unable to abandon those in need, often placing both himself and his teammates in harm's way. While he was aware of the his habit, he simply found himself unable not to give help to those who needed it even if it meant being taken advantage of. This selflessness was noted to be one of his most noteworthy personality traits and was shown to have been both his most positive and negative trait as a person.

Despite being described as a "pure" individual, Julius did have a slightly perverted side to him, however. In particular, he couldn't help but take notice of women with large chests. Julius himself saw it as "his weakness" and felt embarrassed about it.

Background
Julius is the second prince of the Kingdom of Analeit, born to the king's third princess consort. Growing up, he had always admired the legends of previous Heroes and wanted to be one of them, though he never actually suspected it to happen. However, he ended up being granted the Hero title and at a very young age at that. While Julius was nervous at now having to bear such a responsibility, his mother assured him that he "just [needed] to be [himself]". Unfortunately, Julius' mother died shortly afterward after giving birth of his younger brother, Schlain, her only momento being a scarf made of Spiders silk that he would always wear henceforth.

The War in Sariella
After becoming the Hero, Julius became affiliated with pontiff Dustin of the Word of God religion. When he was 8 years old, the pontiff recommended the boy join the alliance of Alleius, Renxandt, and Ohts in their war against Sariella, arguing it would allow him to gain battle experience. Not doubting the words of his elder, Julius accepted the offer. In reality, though, the pontiff was using the Hero to increase morale among the alliance.

Despite predictions of an easy victory, the tide of battle turned in Sariella's favor when the monster known as the "Nightmare of the Labyrinth" interfered and wiped out a large portion of the alliance. The situation then descended into chaos as the Demon Lord appeared and fought the Nightmare, resulting in mass casualties on both sides. This caused Julius to see death for the first time and prompted him to confront the Nightmare. However, he was too scared to do anything due to seeing the immense power of both the Nightmare and the Demon Lord. Still, this caused a momentary break in the fighting that gave both the alliance and the Demon Lord an opening to each cast a large spell at the Nightmare, seemingly killing it. Just before the spells hit, though, Julius was dragged out of the effect radius by the alliance's commander, Tiva. Following the battle, the alliance soldiers believed Julius defeated the Nightmare and showered him with praise, though the young boy was painfully aware that he did not do anything and felt the massive difference in strength between himself and the Nightmare and Demon Lord.

With the Nightmare's defeat, the remainder of Sariella's army was routed and the alliance took the County of Keren. Upon witnessing the war-torn town, however, Julius became aware of what his side was actually doing. Even worse, the inhabitants blamed him for them being occupied and the death of the Nightmare, which they worshipped as a Divine Beast. Realizing he had sullied the reputation of the Hero, Julius did nothing as the people vented their anger on him. On one occasion, a retainer from the alliance named Aurel came to his aid, but he told her she need not interfere. To regain the people's trust, Julius began hunting local monsters to help the town. He had also become disillusioned with the war and refused to continue marching with the alliance in favor of staying in the town to help rebuild.

When Keren County was suddenly attacked by a spider army, Julius ignored orders to flee and engaged the horde. However, he was overpowered by one and about to be killed when he was saved by the Imperial Court Mage, Ronandt, who assured him to leave the rest of him. Julius then lost consciousness and by the time he woke Ronandt had defeated the spiders. Learning that Aurel was Ronandt's retainer, he requested she bring him to him. During their meeting, Julius requested Ronandt to make him his disciple, now understanding that he needs to get stronger, which the mage accepted.

Unfortunately, Julius' time as Ronandt's student did not last long, as the old mage's training methods proved too dangerous. During one session, Julius was at death's door after being attacked with magic to build up his resistances. Luckily, though, Aurel managed to heal him. Since Julius is the Hero and a prince of Analeit, a formal complaint was made and the two were separated. Still, Julius learned a lot of Ronandt and continued to call upon his teachings afterwards.

Growth and Conviction
Six years after the War in Sariella, Julius was requested by Pope Dustin LXI to lead a group of elite warriors from around the world to investigate and dismantle a human-trafficking organization. Julius was 12 at the time, but was still skeptical of Pope Dustin's motives due to how Dustin manipulated him during the conflict in Sariella, but his friend Hyrince convinced him that there was nothing wrong with this request. Hyrince also joined Julius as his attendant at this time, and Pope Dustin assigned Yaana to be the Saintess for Julius. Tiva was also signed on as the vice-deputy commander of the operation.

Due to Julius's youth, the other members of the operation attempted to shelter, protect, and dismiss him from operations, but Julius's powerful convictions and surprising wisdom won Tiva's loyalty, and in a domino effect, the other commanders eventually fall in line due to Tiva's support of Julius's quality as a Hero. The operation continues for a few years, during which Julius also meets Jeskan and Hawkin, who eventually become permanent members of his party after joining the operation. Although they are largely successful in dismantling the human-traffickers, they are never able to figure out exactly who is behind hiring the brigands to kidnap the children, nor are they able to recover many of the kidnapped children.

The Great Human-Demon War
One day, Schlain is informed by the Divine voice that he had inherited the Hero title. Since there can only be one Hero at a time, Schlain instantly knew that this meant that Julius had died. His death was later confirmed by Hyrince, revealing that he was killed by a mysterious white girl during The Great Human-Demon War.

Julius' death is detailed in Kumoko's point-of-view. When the Human-Demon War broke out, he defended a fort against the Seventh Demon Army. The Demon Commander, Bloe, challenged him to a one-versus-one duel, which the Hero accepted. Julius ended up easily overwhelming Bloe and even gave him multiple chances to surrender, which he stubornly refused. When Bloe revealed that the demons were only fighting because they were being forced by the Demon Lord, Julius then declared his intention to kill her, hoping that this would put an end to the war.

Their duel was interrupted when a rampaging Queen Taratect appeared on the battlefield and destroyed Fort Kusorion with a breath attack. Julius went to challenge the giant monster, but all of his attacks proved to be ineffective. Hyrince intervened to block the beast's attacks and buy Julius and Yaana enough time for them to escape. However, this turned out to be for naught as the Queen Taratect quickly caught up to them and prepared to strike the two of them with its leg. In a last-ditch attempt to save Julius, Yaana pushed him out of the way and sacrificed herself to save him. Devastated by her death, Julius returned to avenge her and kill the Queen, despite how hopeless it seemed. While attacking her, he realized that the Queen's eyes were her weak point. With the support of Hyrince and their allies, Julius reached the Queen's eyes, drew out an explosive sword given to him by Ronandt, and combined it with his Holy Light Beam to shoot it inside the spider and blow it up, successfully killing it. Right after that, Bloe showed up again with his men to kill Julius, as he was firmly convinced that the hero was still no match for the Demon Lord, meaning that killing him was the demon race's best hope for survival.

Ultimately, Julius killed Bloe and, believing he was their strongest fighter, demanded the remaining demons surrender. However, the white girl then stepped forward and Julius instantly recognized her as being the same Divine Beast he fought in The War in Sariella years prior. The girl then instantly killed Julius along with his entire party (except Hyrince who survived thanks to his Phoenix feather) using a Rot attack.

Legacy
To prevent civil unrest, the human nations kept Julius' death a secret until Shun was ready to be publicly unveiled as the new Hero. However, this would never happen, as Hugo used his Lust skill to brainwash the higher-ups of the Word of God Religion and falsely declare himself the Hero instead.

His death would also have a profound effect on his younger brother and successor, Shun, who himself would try to emulate Julius and base his actions on how he thinks Julius would do in that situation he was in. A thought pattern that would place himself and his companions in danger repeatedly due to him also copying Julius's tendency of always trying to help others regardless of the level danger of the situation he finds himself in or how powerful the opponents he is facing is in comparison to him. Ironically, however, Shun is not actually emulating the real Julius but rather his idea of Julius that only exists inside the boy's own mind.

Relationships

 * Unnamed Mother
 * Since he was young, Julius has had a very close relationship with his mother. She always supported him and was ultimately the one who calmed him after he became the Hero, assuring he "just [needed] to be himself". Unfortunately, she passed away after giving birth to Shun, which left Julius heartbroken. Before she died, though, she skinned him a scarf that he constantly wore until his death and he would regularly touch when feeling nervous.


 * Meiges Derra Analeit
 * Despite the limited time together due to Julius's busy schedule and Meiges's workload of being the monarch, they are observed to be on close terms. Julius has shared his thoughts and the remarkable potential of both Shun and Sue with his father, believing one day Shun will overtake him in combat ability.


 * Schlain "Shun" Zagan Analeit
 * In spite of his busy schedule as the Hero of the world, Julius would try to make time for Shun, trying to catch up and also conduct friendly sparring session with him. Shun is one of the few family members he is close with due to his schedule and status as a royal. He strongly admires Shun and believes one day Shun would suppress him in terms of combat ability.


 * Ronandt Orozoi
 * After the war in Sariella, he was made into Ronandt's apprentice. Despite Ronandt's harsh training methods, Julius still displays a respectable attitude towards him years later.
 * As shown in their interactions, Ronandt does indeed possess a genuine bond with Julius as his student and desired for him to reach the zenith of his strength, with Julius respecting Rondant as his teacher and was shown to take all of his lessons and advice to heart. However, despite their relatively good relationship, Ronandt has shown to have a particular dislike for Julius' increasingly reckless selflessness that began bordering on suicidal and caused Ronandt to try and discourage Julius from continuously putting himself in needless danger and tried teaching him that as a human being, there were limits to what he could do even if he did possess the [Hero] Title.


 * Yaana
 * Saint of Word of God in his party. While he is aware of Yaana's feelings towards him, he avoids reciprocating her feelings knowing the life of a hero is never stable. However, when she sacrificed herself to save him from a Queen Taratect during The Great Human-Demon War, he flew into a rage and later avenged her by slaying the beast.


 * Hyrince
 * Julius' best friend and the shield bearer in his party. Though close companions who ofen joke around, they also disagree at times, especially regarding Julius' bad habit of placing himself in harm's way for the sake of others.


 * Jeskan
 * A former adventurer and a member of his party. Julius looks up to Jeskan as an elder and often relies on his wisdom.


 * Hawkin
 * A honorable rogue and a member of his party. However, they did not interact much, with Hawkin joining the party seemingly only for his master, Jeskan.


 * Pontiff Dustin LXI
 * A begrudging ally; they are associates as the Word of God has always backed the Hero. However, Julius grew to dislike Dustin after he tricked him into participating in The War in Sariella. Despite this, though, the Hero and Pontiff often cooperated due to their mutual desire to protect humanity. While Julius still did not agree with Dustin's extreme methods, he ultimately lacked a means of opposing him.


 * Potimas Harrifenas
 * An associate of his father and brother; for reasons even he himself does not understand, Julius has always disliked Potimus and been wary of him.


 * Bloe
 * Julius dueled Bloe during The Great Human-Demon War. Surprised at how he did not fit the image of an evil Demon, he questioned why they were attacking and, upon learning that the Demon Lord forced them to, attempted to forge an alliance. However, after the Demon Lord responced by attacking them with a Queen Taratect, Bloe lost his spirit and restarted their duel, forcing Julius to kill him.


 * Demon Lord
 * Julius crossed paths with Ariel during the War in Sariella, when he interfered in her fight with the "Nightmare of the Labyrinth". However, he was too focussed on the Nightmare to notice her, nor was he aware she was the Demon Lord. After learning that some demons were fleeing their lands to escape her horrible policies, he came to view her as a tyrant. Julius' dislike toward the Demon Lord finally turned to hatred when, during the Great Human-Demon War, she attacked the fortress he was stationed at with a Queen Taratect, which resulted in the death of Yaana, causing him to vow to kill her with the Hero Sword.


 * Nightmare of the Labyrinth
 * Julius encountered the monster known as the "Nightmare of the Labyrinth" during the War in Sariella. As it was causing mass casualties, the Hero confronted the beast but found himself too scared of it to do anything. While initially seeing the Nightmare as evil, Julius' opinion changed after realizing it was only defending it's home, causing him to question who of them was the real monster. Years later, Julius was killed by a mysterious white girl who reminded him of the Nightmare in his final moment.

Powers & Abilities
Being the Hero, Julius possessed abilities on-par, if not superior to those of Reincarnations. Overall, he was an all-rounder, specializing in magic but boasting above-average swordplay as well. However, while proclaimed as humanity's strongest, both Dustin and Ronandt noted that he would never be able to reach the level of beings that transcend humans, like the Demon Lord and the "Nightmare of the Labyrinth".

Equipment

 * Sword: An ordinary magic sword Julius wields in normal combat.
 * Hero Sword: A one-time-use weapon crafted by D herself that possesses enough power to kill even a god and can only be wielded by the Hero. It was stored inside a hidden chamber within Analeit Castle and guarded by Light Dragon Byaku, until Julius retrieved it after being tipped-off about it by Potimas.
 * Exploding Sword: A one-time-use weapon with a self-destruct effect gifted to Julius by Ronandt, who apparently retrieved it following a battle with a certain Ogre. It was powerful enough to kill even a Queen Taratect by detonating it after stabbing it into the monster's weak point: the eyes.

Titles & Skills

 * Physical Stats: Despite being stated to specialize in magic, he also possessed great physical stats.
 * Swordmanship: While his true talents lay with magic, he was also a prodigy with the sword, never losing a mock duel with Hyrince even once, though he claims this to mostly come from his superior stats.
 * Battle Divinity: A skill that increases one's motor functions and reflexes; often viewed as essential for combat.
 * Light Magic: Gained with the Hero Title; allows him to summon and manipulate light that can burn, pierce, and even vaporize targets.
 * Light Field: An AOE spell that that burns everything in it's radius.
 * Holy Light Beam: A spell that fires a ray of light that can pierce or even vaporize it's target. A direct hit could even kill a "Nightmare's Vestige".
 * Magic Power Manipulation: An outside-system skill taught to him by Ronandt; by manipulating his magic power himself instead of relying on skills, he can strengthen his magic so even low-ranking spells can be just as powerful as high-ranked ones. However, doing so takes a lot of concentration.