[It seems Iâm the main character thatâll move onto the next stage!]
As expected, Artpe had guessed correctly on what the Demon King had wanted to do. The Demon King was trying to get rid of the collar around his neck. He was trying to use Artpeâs Reclamation magic for his own end. He was trying to shed the body of a Demon! After he shed his Demonhood, he planned on defeating Artpeâs party and the previous Demon King. He probably wanted to become the ruler of the new world.
âNo. Iâm sending you off from this place.â
Of course, Artpe didnât care what the Demon King intended to do. He just shut his eyes as he swung his staff.
Mana rose from Artpe, and he used the magic tome to complete a massive spell. The Reclamation magic was turning the Demonic energy within the Demon King into Mana! The spell was drawn deep within the Demon Kingâs body, and Artpe instantly took ahold of the spell. He used the Materialization magic on top of the Reclamation spell.
[¡¡¡¡¡¡koohk!?]
The Reclamation magic had already been completed, but it started to change. The spell, which had been changing the Demon Kingâs soul and Mana, stopped in its progress. It started to let out a light so bright that it could be described as being harsh. The light started to resonate with Artpe.
This was none other than the light spell called Heroâs Flash! It was a spell that only the hero was allowed to use!
[Koo-ha-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
It was akin to being poisoned after taking a potion. The Demon King took on the attack head on as he coughed out black blood from his mouth. Up until now, the Demon King hadnât shown any outward sign of pain when he was attacked. This was the first time he had received a critical wound.
[Kuhk, kuh-hoohk¡¡¡¡¡¡!]
It was to be expected. The Demon King had willingly accepted the Mana into his body, and at that moment, the Mana had turned against him. How could one prepare for such an eventuality? How was he supposed to heal from this? The Demon King realized that what he had aimed for had turned out to be the ultimate trap. For the first time, the Demon King had to admit that he had lost in a battle of wits and craftiness.
[Artpe, are you perhaps¡¡¡¡¡¡!]
[Ah. You donât have to go through the trouble of finishing that sentence. You probably want to say, âAre you perhaps able to change the nature of the spell on top of changing its structure?â and âWhat do you gain by taking control of a magic that Iâve already absorbed into my body?â Iâm fed up with you speaking.]
The Demon King didnât even have the time to point out anything since Artpe had already said everything the Demon King wanted to say. Artpe twisted his hand, and the power of the Heroâs Flash condensed within the Demon Kingâs body. The staff let out a fierce light as it heightened the energy of the spell.
In laymanâs terms, the Demon King was an ice that had been swallowed up by fire.
[You acquired¡¡¡¡¡ A very dangerous power¡¡¡¡¡¡!]
The Demon King spoke as he tried to expel the fatal and poisonous energy through his mouth. This was not the Reclamation magic where the Demonic energy was purified into Mana. The Demonic energy was treated as an absolute evil, and the Heroâs Flash started extinguishing it in its entirety. The quality of his Demonic energy degraded significantly.
Moreover, the Reclamation magic was stopped in mid-process. The Demonic energy, which was in the midst of being purified into Mana, was torn between becoming Demonic energy and Mana. It started to eat away at its owner from the inside. The Demon King was being destroyed so suddenly and thoroughly that he almost laughed.
According to the knowledge and the power he possessed, he had no idea how to recover from this wound.
Artpe continued to look at the Demon King.
The Demon King spoke.
[Magic is nature. You guys tried to change magic at a fundamental level. You changed a blooming flower into a rock, and a cloud into a volcano. Soon, you will realize this. You started walking down the road traversed by godsâŚ. Are you able to handle that truth?]
[That is none of my business.]
[You still donât realize the weight of the power you have gained. If I had such powerâŚ.. Ha ha. I was always prideful of the fact that I was the strongest. Iâve fallen so far, and it happened when the new world is about to arrive. If I told this to my past self, he would have burst out laughing!]
The Demon King was still verbose. Artpe and Etna knew what that meant.
The Demon King still had something up his sleeve.
[All the Demonic energy⌠Obey me.]
The Demon King had realized that his plan had gone awry. He spoke those words quietly, and the entire Dungeon started to shake. Artpeâs party tried to regain their balance, so they lost sight of the Demon King for a brief moment. The Demon King took out an Artifact from a pocket, and he stabbed it into his heart. It was an Artifact that changed Mana into Demonic energy.
The Artifact quickly stuck to his heart as it sucked in all the Demon Kingâs Demonic energy. A dark light was emitted each time his heart beat, and it was a frightening sight.
[However, it isnât enough, Artpe. You were found lacking. You werenât able to optimize the use of your ability, and itâll be the reason for your loss. Itâll be an albatross thatâll hang around your neck.]
Overwhelming Demonic energy kept overlapping each other! Heroâs Flash and the Reclamation magic needed Mana as a foundation for it to work. As the Demon King synced with the Artifact, everything became dyed with Demonic energy. In the end, Artpeâs spells lost their power.
If the Demon Kingâs power took shape again, this might really be the end. Artpe firmly bit his lips as he had this thought. It seemed he couldnât overcome the Demon King by himself. Of course, Artpe couldnât hide his disgust at this fact.
[HoweverâŚ.]
In the end, a cool smile appeared on his lips.
[When are you going to realize that this isnât a one on one fight between the two of us?]
[What¡¡¡¡¡¡?]
The Demon King was speaking when he staggered on his feet. The Demonic energy had been under his control as it swelled up, yet it suddenly withered away. Even his consciousness was turning dim.
[You bastardâŚ..]
âGoodbye.â
Someone was behind the Demon King. He had stabbed his dual daggers into the Demon Kingâs chest from the back. In one fell swoop, the Demon Kingâs heart and the Artifact fused to it was destroyed. The young man moved his daggers back and forth as he destroyed the Demon Kingâs internal organs.
He was decisive and merciless. It was to be expected of someone that had stabbed Artpe to death in his past life. However, Silpennonâs cold-blooded daggers were on Artpeâs side now.
âAs expected, you still didnât notice me. That is why you are a loser, you son of a bitch.â
Technically, it was all thanks to Silpennonâs Innate ability called Plunder. For a short amount of time, he had stolen Ariaâs Assimilation ability. He had been completely hidden, and he had ambushed the Demon King at the perfect moment. Silpennon unloaded the words he had wanted to drop on the Demon King. He was similar to Artpe in that aspect. He was a vicious person that wanted his enemies to feel bad.
[You were able to hide even from from my eyes. You are merely a minor character, yetâŚ. Koohk, koo-koohk. Koo-ha-ha-ha-ha!]
In the midst of his speech, the Demon King fell to ground. There was laughter on his lips as he rolled around on the ground.
[AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.]
This made him feel much better. Their attacks hadnât been flashy, but it had been very effective. In the end, the Demon King accepted the result. When he accepted this fact, he could accept someone else being the main character of this stage.
He raised his head with difficulty. He met Artpeâs challenging gaze.
Ah ah. It seemed being a Demon had been a shackle in itself. Artpe had shed this shackle, and he was glowing brighter than ever. He opened his mouth to speak.
[This was truly fun. Iâm satisfied.]
At this moment, Artpe sensed that something was wrong. The Demon Kingâs body was a mess, yet a hidden reservoir of Demonic energy arose from within him. It quickly started to rev up.
âYou fight dirty until the end!â
âNo, Silpennon! Damn it¡¡¡¡¡¡ Come back! Hurry!â
âWhat!?â
Silpennon had been trying to apply additional attacks to the Demon King. Artpe desperately called him back with a sharp voice.
[You are the Demon King, yet you are thinking about blowing yourself up!?]
[Iâm not going to do that. Both of us didnât subject ourselves to the restriction of time. Either you or I have to advance from this place.]
The Demon King had been hit with the Heroâs Flash, Reclamation spell and Silpennonâs strike. The Demon Kingâs Demonic energy had been extinguished. He had suffered a critical wound where he could no longer maintain his body and soul. Either he had to choose to accept his death or he had to consume the rest of his Demonic energy to attack Artpeâs party.
He chose to do neither. He expelled both Demonic energy and Mana from his body. He pushed out the Heroâs Flash, and the Artifact piercing his heart. Blood poured out from his body. His blood started to create symbols. He was trying to activate a spell by using his body as a magic circle!
âArtpe, we have to attack now!â
âNo. Heâll really blow up if you disturb him. That magic is something we canât interrupt until it is finished. You guys should retreat for now! Recover your health!â
A bigger mess would be created if the spell was intentionally shut down! This was a spell that couldnât be disturbed! As expected of the Demon King, he used a spell that was befitting his station. Artpe firmly bit into his lips as he gripped his magic tome.
The Demon King continued to speak.
[Listen to me, Artpe. You were one of my Four Heavenly Kings. You succeeded in being a traitor. You are the new god chosen by this era.]
[I wonât go easy on you, because you are suddenly talking about me in such high terms.]
[It is time for me to go, yet I am like a bug that refuses to get off stage. I acknowledge my defeat.]
[What¡¡¡¡¡¡?]
When Artpe heard those words, he felt a truly odd feeling.
How should he describe what he was feeling?
Was it a sense of accomplishment he was feeling? Or was it a an empty feeling?
For most of his life, Artpe had been beneath the Demon King. Now he was truly free from the Demon Kingâs shadow. This might be a feeling of freedom.
[However, you cannot properly fight them in your current state.]
[What?]
The Demon King immediately poured cold water over the feeling of freedom he was feeling.
[The magic you showcased against me wonât work too well against them. Above all else, the level difference is too large. That is why you have to become much stronger.]
[Are you perhaps trying to give me advice?]
The Demon King was giving advice to a hero? It was truly ironic. Artpe just laughed.
Artpe thought he had known everything there was to know about the Demon King, but he had to admit it now. The Demon King was a psycho that no one could understand!
[I love seeing good fall in front of evil. They want to get rid of the distinction between good and evil. I cannot allow that. There is no evil unless there is good. Good without evil isnât good at all. The humans donât need Demons, but Demons need humans. That is why you have to stop them. Then we will be blessed with the birth of a new evil!]
In that moment, he truly was the Demon King. He was trying to help the hero for such a baffling reason. It was unpleasant, but Artpe couldnât reject the help.
At this point, Artpe was flustered, yet the Demon King threw in another shocking piece of information towards him.
[You should be aware of this, Artpe. The Demonic god exists.]
âWhat¡¡¡¡¡¡?â
[Do you know about the source that changes Mana into Demonic energy? Humans are not capable of creating such an item. They donât have the required ability. They were only successful in summoning it.]
It felt as if Artpe had take a huge blow to his head.
Thatâs right.
Why hadnât he figured this out?
How did the humans create a rare item like the Evil Heart? Why hadnât he focused on this line of inquiry? Artpe was at a loss for words at his own actions. He kept his mouth shut. The Demon King continued his explanation.
[There is a source that changes Mana into Demonic energy. It is a monster called the Demonic god. Everything in regards to the Demonic race arose from the Demonic god. Your goal isnât to overcome the Demons and humans that returned through time. You have to overcome the god that have always existed.]
It would be easy to call this a tactic used by the Demon King to confuse Artpe. However, Artpe couldnât easily dismiss the Demon Kingâs words.
He thought about what had occurred in the holy nation of Paladia.
He thought about the horrors created by the Demon Jeriet.
Was Jeriet so weak that he preemptively joined the previous Demon Kingâs faction? Why did he make the humans believe in the Demonic god? Was it a ploy to shake the faith of the humans?
Or maybe¡¡¡¡¡¡?
What if the Demonic god really existed, and the previous Demonic King had a specific goal in mind in regards to PaladiaâŚ.?
[You have enough power to contend with them. However, the quality of your power is still low. That is why you should see it and experience it. Then you have to overcome it.]
The Demon Kingâs body swelled. Artpe was finally able to discern the identity of the magic circle using his Read All Creation ability.
âSummoning circle¡¡¡¡¡¡?â
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[You have to overcome a part of the Demonic god.]
Afterward, the Demon Kingâs body exploded. The world acknowledged that the Demon King had fallen. The Demon Kingâs Record and Mana was assigned to Artpeâs party. Artpe felt his level explode upwards, yet he couldnât smile.
The flesh, blood and bones of the Demon King created an enormous circle in the air.