Ch.13The End of Rebellion (1)

The hero raised his head.

His blood-stained face was filled with despair. He was broken before the overwhelming difference in power. Yet he wasn’t the type to yield after witnessing Durin’s strength.

“Ah, with demons… there’s no future to build…”

He worried about the human realm that would lose its hero. His love for the world where he was born and raised was great. That’s why he couldn’t accept his own defeat. He tried to struggle even a little more.

“I am a guardian. I… I absolutely won’t die here like this.”

Even though his shattered body was screaming in pain, his eyes remained alive. He growled as if ready to swing his sword at any moment, but there was no real threat. His missing arm and broken sword weren’t sacred items that would return through the hero’s will alone. Moreover, the heavenly voice that had supported him couldn’t properly reach this demon realm.

“Even betrayed by the Demon King and abandoned by the heavens, you still refuse to let go until the end.”

It wasn’t mockery. Durin was genuinely impressed. This was truly befitting of humanity’s strongest warrior. His sense of duty as a guardian somehow resembled Durin’s own burden of carrying the demon realm.

“I’ll be honest. I won’t let you die.”

“*cough!* W-what do you mean…?”

“It means I’ve found a use for you. Become a cornerstone for the demon realm.”

“Nonsense.”

Kael cut off Durin’s words sharply. He burned his last reserves. Squeezing out what little holy power remained, he generated a battle aura. Flames flickered from his broken body, using the hero’s flesh as kindling.

“I will never surrender anything! Not a single thing!”

He gritted his teeth as if determined to prevent his body from being handed over to the demon realm. Even as his entire body burned, he glared properly at Durin. Despite death clouding his vision, Kael’s will shone even brighter. His broken body was actually regenerating through holy power, restoring his fractured voice.

Kael’s end would at least allow him to maintain his body as a warrior, not a corpse.

“Are you saying this while abandoning your comrades who could be saved?”

Had it not been for Durin’s casually uttered words, he would have honorably turned to ashes.

Comrades. That single word shook Kael’s heart. Beneath the noble beliefs of being humanity’s guardian and the duty he shouldered as a hero, a hidden feeling bloomed in his heart. Eilie’s final moments flashed before him like a dying man’s vision.

Rage welled up inside him. He couldn’t contain his anger at hearing such words from the very one who had destroyed his party. The moment he keenly felt his own inadequacy in failing to punish Durin, his self-loathing twisted and erupted.

“You’d better shut your mouth. Those names aren’t for you to speak so casually.”

“Still spirited, I see. You’ll be recorded as the bravest among the defeated.”

“Durin!”

“Death in battle is inevitable. It was a predetermined outcome the moment you failed to defeat me. However, as the victor, I’m giving you an opportunity, Hero.”

“Opportunity?”

“Yes. An opportunity. The only chance to turn everything back to how it was before you encountered me.”

“……”

“If you’re thinking of preserving your life here, I’ll tell you how to save all your comrades. I’ll help you regain your honor that would otherwise be forgotten in the human realm.”

A terrible sound like scraping metal emanated from the black armor. What would normally have been a despised demonic whisper now approached like sweet fruit.

“You can save them?”

“That woman can return to you in human form without any tricks. As a Grand Demon, I guarantee this.”

As his flame-touched body gradually disappeared, his mind grew increasingly confused. Memories long hidden somewhere in his past began to surface.

-Kael. We’re going on a journey together.

He recalled the mage who died with a broken neck. A companion born in the same village who had set out on a journey with him. He had promised her a beautiful end as a member of the hero’s party. He had never imagined such a miserable fate as this.

“Don’t make me laugh. I won’t be deceived by a demon.”

A black shadow passes by, followed by a blue world tree. An elf he met there smiles.

Her name… yes, Eliya. A noble bloodline who abandoned the elven laurel crown to venture outside. Though not exceptionally skilled in individual combat, she always spread bright energy and was responsible for the party’s atmosphere…

“I will never… to a demon…”

In his fading consciousness, he heard the hearty laughter of a dwarf warrior. He was extending his hand to the hero. He had boasted that he would stay by his side no matter what happened. That was the way of brotherhood…

“Ne…ver.”

His eyes closed. His body, pushed to its limits, could no longer endure. The holy power that had flashed for an instant was also at its end. The hero finally lowered his head. The burning power also diminished. Though still emitting a faint heat, it was merely dying embers that wouldn’t last long.

“A hero consumed by simple illusion… This too would be worth recording in history.”

Durin, who had been quietly observing Kael, rose to his feet.

“You never had a choice to begin with. Whether you like it or not, you will participate in my plan.”

The demon smiled. Red demonic energy rose around him like a mirage. The weakened hero’s body was a tempting prey. There was no holy power left in Kael’s body after he had exhausted everything to the very end. When Durin placed his hand on the body, there was no resistance.

*Crackle-*

Red magical power flowed into the hero. The body, barely alive with squeezed-out holy power, greedily devoured the new energy. In his unconscious state, the instinct to survive was writhing. Durin gave it all without restraint.

He had opened a new possibility for the hero in the demon realm.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

“Your Excellency.”

As he finished his work, the Golden Guard, who had approached unnoticed, saluted him. They had been guarding the area around the destroyed sanctuary, awaiting Durin’s orders.

“The Demon King has left. Your mission is indefinitely suspended for now.”

“Then we shall follow you, Regent.”

“Instead of wasting time with unnecessary formalities, gather the hero’s party immediately. Both the living and the dead, it doesn’t matter.”

“Do you intend to take them to the castle?”

The veteran soldier asked. Along with his aversion to the hero, he seemed concerned about the resistance and confusion that would erupt if they were brought to the central area.

“I will make a contract with the hero. Since I haven’t worked out the details yet, have him stay in my quarters until his body recovers.”

“What should we do with the rest of the party members?”

“Likewise, put them all in the same room as the hero. If managed separately, they’ll die at the gesture of a blind demon.”

“We will follow your orders.”

Though doubtful, they answered with action. The Golden Guard silently carried out the orders.

The broken mage, the split elf, the unconscious hero, the fallen dwarf.

All pieces of the party were carried away by demon soldiers. They would wait for the next opportunity.

“Your Excellency. We will depart as soon as preparations are complete.”

Now only one thing remained. Settling matters in the southern region.

It was time to return to his legion guarding the path to the Rocky Mountains.

#

“…Just now, it was definitely His Excellency.”

The aftermath of the battle swept through the southern region. Though they had set up camp about three days’ walk from the Rocky Mountains, they could feel the magnificent vibrations on their skin.

The power of the true king ruling the demon realm.

The battle aura emitted by the strongest demon facing him.

The unpleasant energy of the hero mixed in between.

Berdia, who had grown up in the south and prided herself on being destined to become a great warrior, found herself breathless for the first time. It wasn’t like this even when she had competed with her father, the great chieftain. It wasn’t just simple pressure, but a force that drew out an innate sense of submission from within.

Some were already pressing their heads to the ground in excitement. The soldiers’ fighting spirit pierced the sky. Even the late night couldn’t stop them.

The king had left. The long remnants of the warp trail in the sky mocked them, but it didn’t matter.

They already had a new demon filling their hearts. Their departed loyalty had found the right direction.

They envisioned the Regent fighting without retreating an inch against the Demon King and the hero.

Though they hadn’t seen it directly, this powerful red energy told them who had been standing on the final battlefield.

The one who fled would no longer lead them.

“General! I want to go out now! Let us break formation and cut off the head of that traitor!”

“The Regent will return soon, how can we just stand here like this!”

“Woah! Woaaah! I’ll kill them all!”

The Durahans protested, banging on their armor. Gripping their heated halberds, they looked ready to rush to the battlefield at any moment.

“Just wait. It won’t be long. Wait.”

But Berdia was a commander. Though her entire body was itching to swing her axe, her position restrained her instincts. The duty that Durin repeatedly emphasized kept her head cool.

“We’re talking about 8,000 in number. We can’t just charge in recklessly.”

“So you do make judgments, barbarian Berdia.”

“At least I’m not just standing by like you, coward Aurelia.”

Berdia glared at the governor who was waiting quietly. While everyone was calling for war, she alone remained composed. Though Berdia couldn’t understand how she could remain calm amid such powerful energy, one thing was certain: she was in a more rational state than Berdia.

That’s why, despite her sharp words, Berdia didn’t cross the line further. She didn’t want to create unnecessary discord until the next order came. Sensing her thoughts, the governor chuckled.

“Standing by? I’m just holding the reins for a moment.”

“Reins? I’m the one calming the soldiers down.”

“My goodness, are soldiers all that exist in the world? I’m handling all the southern nobles and commander-level warriors. Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

“……”

The truth was, I wasn’t in my right mind and forgot for a moment. But Berdia didn’t want to admit this aloud, so she responded with silence. Aurelia rose from her seat with her characteristic composure.

“But now it seems the time has come. We should prepare.”

“Prepare?”

“Yes. We can’t just leave this fervor untapped.”

“B-but until His Excellency arrives…”

“That’s precisely why we need to open the path more grandly. We came here to conquer the southern region, not to watch the Regent.”

Saying this, the governor went outside the tent. Hundreds of troops were already gathered there.

Soldiers who had inscribed a name other than the lost king in their hearts. A mixture of tension and excitement made the spear tips tremble. Aurelia raised her voice before them.

“Brothers and sisters of the castle! The time has finally come! The moment to crush those who try to take everything from us!”

As the commander of the expeditionary force, she shouted while looking at the soldiers.

“Legion! What do we fight for?”

“Honor!!”

“What honor! We’ve lost our king. Who are we preserving honor for?”

“Durin! For our new master!”

“Yes! Let’s fight for His Excellency! We must cut off the heads of our enemies!”

“Kill them!! Kill them!! Kill them all!!”

The soldiers’ response grew louder. Demonic instinct had completely consumed them. Warriors of all races and origins banged their weapons.

“Yes! Shout louder. That’s exactly what the great warrior watching over us wants! Trample them!”

Kill them!!

At the governor’s cry, the legion roared, banging their shields. With golden eyes gleaming, they unleashed their battle spirit like rising flames. Revealing their true demonic nature, they burned away all memories of previous humiliation.

Aurelia glanced up at the sky. Sensing the time had come, the governor drew her sword.

“The Regent is with us!”

The moment she cried out as if in agony, a chilling demonic energy spread across the land, creating an intense shock. It was a resonance. Their hearts pounded to follow their new conqueror who would restore honor to the legion.

In the dark night. Feeling Durin’s power. The southern rebel army waiting for death on the other side. With all this as a backdrop, a voice emerged that awakened everyone.

“All troops to positions.”

“Charge!!”

With Aurelia’s lead cry, the expeditionary force rushed toward the enemy in unison.

“Du-rin!! My sovereign!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaah!!”