Chapter 220 : The Final Battle
The heart responded to the demonic energy spreading throughout his entire body. The resisting demonic energy was swallowed by his heat.
Crunch—
A part of his flesh underwent a change. It was the evolution of a Demon Dragon that grew stronger by devouring its own kind.
“Good.”
Haaa—
After moderately reining in the remaining energy, Berje let out an excited breath.
Dense demonic energy was expelled.
“Are you finished?”
“More or less.”
“You suddenly did that, so it startled me.”
“Demons grow stronger by killing their own kind in the first place.”
“I understand.”
“Did you put up this barrier?”
“Well, your appearance shouldn’t be exposed to the outside, right? The demonic energy was too dense.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
At the moment Berje devoured Dorche’s heart, a dome of water created by Ernan surrounded the area to avoid the gaze of others.
- Such devotion.
- Was it Berje, you said? For a Demon King like you to come into such fortune, truly.
“I don’t want to hear that from a Spirit King.”
“What should we do about those demons?”
Inside the dome, it wasn’t only Berje and Ernan. Demons. Dorche’s close aides who had served him at his side were still standing blankly, unable to overcome the shock of their lord’s demise.
“The Demon King is dead, but I don’t feel particularly weakened.”
Since Dorche had been Jason’s subordinate, it seemed his subordinates had automatically been transferred to Jason.
That meant they couldn’t be taken in as subordinates until Jason was killed, and in a situation like this, it was impossible to keep high-ranking demons docile.
There was only one conclusion.
“Remove the barrier.”
“Yes.”
The water vanished. The obstructed view opened wide.
“Are you alright?”
The heroes, who had remained calm knowing it was Ernan’s power, asked.
“What an obvious question.”
Berje snorted.
“Hillan Cargill.”
“Yes.”
“Devour them.”
All of them.
Permission was given.
No matter that the contract of subordination had transferred, their original master was dead. Mentally and spiritually shattered, the demons standing like petrified statues were the easiest of prey.
“They’re mine!”
“Get out of the way!”
The heroes’ eyes flipped with frenzy.
* * *
Master and subordinate were connected by the soul.
Thus, the master could sense the subordinate’s death, and the subordinate the master’s.
“...Lord Dorche has died.”
Jason, who had just been opening the tower’s door, tilted his head.
“You mean Lord Dorche?”
“This is strange.”
Even if Dorche was a foolish Demon Dragon, the power he possessed could not be ignored. He was a seasoned Demon Dragon who had conquered no fewer than five dimensions.
“Of course, I didn’t think he would succeed.”
A contractor of the Spirit King, Lavinia Arkan, and how many Stars were there?
But Dorche was also a powerhouse.
His subordinates were likewise exceptional.
At the very least, Jason thought he would be able to extract everything from Ernan Hilderan.
“But if it was this short, then he probably couldn’t even fight properly. Hillan Cargill, and the other heroes, seem stronger than I thought.”
And that was likely Berje’s doing.
The one who most wished for Jason’s subjugation was not the humans. It was a fellow Demon King—Berje Deias.
The tower’s door opened.
Jason and the several hundred high-ranking demons who followed him finally revealed themselves on the battlefield.
“As expected, seeing it inside the tower and seeing it directly are completely different.”
The pure white path he had created for Dorche was visible. Now, it was a red path stained with the blood and corpses of monsters and demons.
At its end, the presence of the Spirit King was felt.
As well as abhorrent beings imbued with dimensional power were detected.
“This is not good.”
From where the heroes were, the cheers of humans rang out.
The demons who had been advancing while massacring humans were being slaughtered, and were in the process of being slaughtered. Because Dorche was dead.
The tide was turning.
Morale was rising due to the heroes.
“That foolish Demon Dragon couldn’t even properly carry out the one task he was given.”
Thinking back, it was his own mistake to have held even a slight expectation toward a Demon Dragon.
“Then, the atmosphere.”
It would need to be changed.
Jason chanted a spell. Demonic energy surged. The sky split. A black meteor fell.
...Insane.
What is that?!
Some mana cannons turned toward the sky. The simultaneous bombardment shaved off part of the meteor’s power.
Mana surged violently. The mages’ defensive barriers layered over and over.
────!
Collision.
An explosion occurred.
The meteor shattered all the barriers, but at the same time exhausted its power and vanished.
Th-they blocked it!
Waaaaaah!
The cheers grew even louder.
Jason expressionlessly extended his hand once more. Even more demonic energy seeped into the air.
The sky darkened. Meteors identical to before began to fall again.
However.
There wasn’t just one.
The cheers vanished.
Even the noise itself disappeared.
“Now this is a bit to my liking.”
What was required for a Demon King’s appearance was not hope and courage.
It was despair and screams.
* * *
“...My god.”
As dozens of chilling black spheres began to fall simultaneously, soldiers were consumed by fear.
“We were all mistaken.”
Duke Olten let out a hollow laugh.
“We thought we were superior to the Demon King. That we were winning against the Demon King.”
They were not.
The Demon King simply had not revealed his power.
Whatever humans said, he merely ignored it.
“Yet because of that, you will die here today, False One.”
He could never be allowed to live.
His gaze turned far away, toward the island. The countless demons pouring out from the opened tower gate, and the one standing at their forefront.
That one was the falsehood.
“Fire the mana cannons to neutralize them! Mages, prepare defensive magic—”
At that moment, a dark shadow covered them.
It was lake water. A gigantic wall of water. It covered the sky and blocked the black spheres.
“...Adjust the angle of the mana cannons. Target is the False Demon King. Relay to all ships.”
“Yes!”
The wall of water collided with the black spheres. The world shook with a deafening roar. The wall of water vanished. But in its place, the spheres were also gone.
The moment the clear sky once again illuminated the world, thousands of mana cannons simultaneously spewed flames.
───!
────!
Explosions erupted. They did not stop at one.
Mana and magic triggered chain reactions. Flames erupted as space itself was shattered.
The aftermath was vast enough to cover the entire island and most of the lake. Ships rocked with the spreading waves.
But.
“D-did we get him?”
That premature cry from a soldier rang hollow.
The Demon King remained unharmed.
There was damage, of course. With thousands of bombardments, most of the island was scorched earth. Monsters and demons failed to leave even corpses behind. But not even a small wound was left on the Demon King himself.
“...If the dwarves had seen this, they would have doubted their own abilities.”
“It’s not that the mana cannons are weak. Everything except the area centered on the Demon King has been annihilated.”
Yes, that was what mattered. The mana cannons were not meaningless.
“Keep firing. There’s no need to invite disadvantage when we have the advantage.”
Even if they couldn’t deal significant damage to the Demon King, it was different for other demons and monsters. And merely forcing him to block would steadily drain his power. If they could wear him down, they had to wear him down as much as possible.
“And inform the heroes. Tell them to prepare to move.”
Now that the Demon King had stepped forward, it was only natural that his nemeses should do the same.
* * *
- That is the Demon King?
- No, that is not something a mere Demon King can be.
Naias was horrified.
The Spirit King’s eyes pierced through the essence of the grotesque Demon King.
That thing was an utterly hideous, repulsive, and profound abyss.
It was something beyond a Demon King.
- Ernan Hilderan.
“Yes.”
- Run away.
- That is something you cannot handle.
Perhaps it might be possible for a while. But for her, who would burn all her vitality, what would remain would not be a glorious victory, but a miserable death.
“Don’t jinx it, Spirit King. That thing dies today.”
But the heroes understood the Spirit King’s words with absolute clarity.
The power they possessed—dimensional interference—was precisely that kind of thing.
It constrained the archenemy that invaded dimensions, gave them an advantage in facing it, and allowed them to grasp it more thoroughly.
The heroes who glimpsed the inner nature of the False One, beyond even a Demon King, trembled.
They shook with fear.
At that moment, a flag was raised and a signal came.
“So it’s time for the heroes to step up. Hillan Cargill, are you confident?”
“...Even if I’m not confident, it’s something a hero must do. However.”
His gaze turned toward the sword in Berje’s hand.
“It’s obvious.”
Berje tossed the sword back.
“Aren’t you going to fight?”
“The situation has changed, Rozel.”
“What is it?”
“Do you think you can fight?”
“What an obvious question. I’m very curious to see whether that thing can withstand my magic.”
“Ralph. How many times can your shield endure?”
“I can’t guarantee it, but if it’s at the same level as before, I can block until my last breath.”
“Anyone can say that.”
“....”
Berje’s gaze turned to another.
“...I think I’m lacking in ability....”
“Pablo Barkat, you don’t have a choice.”
“....”
“Won’t Lord Pale step in....”
“Who said I wouldn’t?”
Berje cut off Aina’s words.
“Hillan Cargill, Rozel Charnte, Aina Diaphrin, Ralph Schmitz, Pablo Barkat, Watton Colo, and Lavinia Arkan.”
Berje called six Stars and one princess.
“What you need to do is stall that thing.”
“Stall for how long?”
“Long enough for me to completely absorb Dorche’s power.”
Dorche had died relatively easily, but he was a great Demon Dragon. The demonic energy of the hearts of one who had conquered five dimensions was not something that could be absorbed in an instant.
For now, it had merely been suppressed; it had not fully become Berje’s.
If Jason had been at the level Berje expected, the current state would have been sufficient. But the situation had changed.
“Understood. But the Demon King won’t need to do that.”
“Because you’ll kill it?”
“Of course! There are six Stars! Six Stars!”
Rozel showed her confidence.
“It would be nice if it turns out that way.”
“I am Hillan Cargill.”
Hillan gripped his sword and began to run.
“Let’s go together!”
“There’s no answer alone. We have to attack together!”
Rozel and Aina flew through the sky while chanting spells.
Ralph gripping his shield, and Watton filled with resolve, followed behind.
“Why are you still here?”
“...Ahem.”
Hesitating, Pablo moved his feet in the end.
“What about me?”
“Yes, you go too.”
“That thing is mine?”
“If possible.”
“It’s mine!”
“Be careful.”
“Yeah!”
Lavinia, mounted atop Cher, vanished.
“Uh, Lord Pale, what about us....”
“Prepare to retreat quietly. You’ll only get in the way.”
“...Yes.”
The heroes wore expressions half resentment, half relief.
“What should I do?”
“I’d like you to deploy that barrier again from earlier.”
To absorb power, demonic energy would inevitably be exposed. Revealing that in a place filled with humans would be foolish.
“Alright.”
Opaque streams of water enveloped Berje.
At the same time, the battle between the heroes and the Demon King began.