Ch.141141. Demon Lord

A deathly silence hung over the Demon Lord’s castle.

The Demon Lord sat alone on his dull, multicolored throne, lost in thought.

Ten years, at most.

The Demon Lord had believed that within that timeframe, he could march into the Empire’s capital.

Until quite recently, it had been a promising plan. The Empire was crumbling, consuming its own national power.

Just by listening to the reports from succubi living outside the Demonic Land (who had now become untrustworthy), he could tell how chaotic humanity’s situation was.

Of course, many demons disagreed with this view, but the Demon Lord had suppressed their complaints, repeatedly telling them to be patient a little longer.

‘It was a battle we could win just by harassing them consistently and buying time.’

The Demon Lord knew how empty it was to speak of ten years now.

In the past few months, the forces under his command had been unbelievably diminished.

It was a rapid power drain, similar perhaps to how humans who invested in “Cordana” last year felt watching the market crash.

It all began when Lich Olber, one of the Tetrad, was defeated.

That fool had led a massive undead army to attack the border and died like an idiot.

The Demon Lord had ordered, “Don’t fixate on fortresses; advance to where the farmlands are. That alone will create massive refugee problems for the Empire and burden the capital.” But that Olber stubbornly aimed for occupation.

The undead didn’t even need separate logistics, so why obsess over fortresses they couldn’t even consume? If they had just steadily advanced, even if annihilated, they would have been a disaster for the Empire.

Anyway, Olber was crushed by the Hero’s hand. His only achievement was killing less than a thousand human troops.

The misfortunes continued endlessly after that.

Iclit, whom he considered a bag of wisdom, was betrayed and killed by her subordinates, and Bynessa, who had set out to drag the gold-obsessed Hero’s reputation through the mud, also died.

The Beast King was still alive, but that was no consolation. He was the very one who had guided the Hero’s party here quickly.

He wasn’t just acting as a guide—he had become a party member and was enthusiastically killing demons. His cruelty rivaled that of the Hero.

In the end, he had lost all of the Tetrad.

The bigger problem was how they were lost.

If they had died in direct confrontation with the Hero, the Demon Lord’s army wouldn’t have wavered. Rather, many would have been eager to fight the Hero who was strong enough to kill the Tetrad. That’s just how demons were.

But Bynessa and Iclit’s ends were pathetically meaningless deaths, and because of this, the Demon Lord faced uncomfortable questions.

Demons who had already harbored doubts could no longer hold their tongues.

“Your Majesty. Bynessa clearly set out to politically corner the Hero. The same was true for that woman Iclit. In the end, both suffered pathetic deaths at the Hero’s hands. Was that really the right approach?”

“Looking back now, Iclit wasn’t Tetrad material. I know you specially favored her as clever, but can someone betrayed by their own kind really be called clever?”

“We will seek another path.”

Many high-ranking demons who had uncharacteristically spoken such frank words had deserted his forces.

They weren’t the only ones who had turned their backs. Even the races living outside the Demon Lord’s castle no longer followed his control.

It wasn’t simply fear of the Hero making them cautious—it was closer to extreme disgust with the current system. It was an impeachment against the Demon Lord who had attacked humanity with incomprehensible tactics and means far too distant from demonic nature.

The Demon Lord didn’t retaliate against the demons who left. Rather, he spent his time ruminating on the words they had left behind.

“Your Majesty. The Hero and his minions have entered the castle. The Beast King is with them, of course.”

…Even now, when he might soon face the Hero.

It was because he had an unresolved question, not because he was devising a strategy to overcome this situation.

He still couldn’t grasp how things had gone so wrong.

Thoughts crossed his mind in succession—perhaps he had been too absorbed in watching humans self-destruct and let his guard down, or maybe the Hero was simply exceptional and had succeeded in counterattacking. In a somewhat petty thought, it also seemed like it might be due to incompetent subordinates.

‘Perhaps all three are correct.’

The Demon Lord muttered dejectedly with a bitter smile.

Even as he pondered, the Hero was drawing closer by the minute, crudely clearing away resistance forces and traps that blocked his path. This was obvious even without his advisors’ reports.

The Hero was approaching.

He could delay further if he wanted, but decided against it.

Not out of resignation, but because he wanted to speak with the Hero, given how things had turned out.

The Hero, facing his destined adversary, would surely have complicated feelings too and wouldn’t refuse. He wanted to fully express his thoughts before deciding the outcome. As representatives of humanity and demonkind, it was proper to maintain formality in their battle.

‘…Very well. Come, Hero.’

A few more hours passed.

He felt the Hero’s overwhelming energy. He also sensed the Beast King, who once frequently visited demanding all-out war.

Soon after, the Hero and his companions appeared, exuding ferocious fighting spirit.

Seeing fewer numbers than initially reported, it seemed they had removed weaker members in preparation for the fierce battle. Of course, the Beast King remained by the Hero’s side.

A catastrophic situation where an active Tetrad member had become a guest member of the Hero’s party—yet the Demon Lord’s attention was focused solely on the Hero.

It was the Hero who had bloodied his hands with thousands of demons to reach this place. While from the demons’ perspective they were being invaded, it must have been an arduous journey for the Hero as well.

Perhaps because of this, the Hero’s expression was wrapped in a strange emotion. Despite his hideous appearance covered in blood, it was clearly discernible.

The Demon Lord looked down at him and slowly opened his mouth.

“Hero. This far…”

“Enough.”

What?

At the Hero’s brusque words, the Demon Lord was momentarily taken aback. Regardless, the Hero was merely discussing something with the Beast King, preparing for the upcoming battle.

***

I knew how the previous Demon Lord had fallen.

Not because I witnessed it directly, but because I had encountered the exploits of the Hero before him in various forms.

When I lived in the countryside, I blindly supported the Hero (who had already returned to Earth), but after I started living in the capital, I could access more credible historical materials. Back then, nothing was more interesting than the stories of the Hero’s party.

The previous Demon Lord’s end seemed truly solemn, befitting the title of Demon Lord.

The Hero’s party, after experiencing all kinds of crises during their not-short expedition to the Demonic Land, entered the Demon Lord’s castle.

The Demon Lord, as if sensing something, was guarding the massive castle alone when he welcomed the Hero.

They say he revealed his true name and engaged in a brief conversation with the Hero before entering combat.

It wasn’t strange that the Demon Lord welcomed the Hero alone in a situation where the tide had already turned, nor that he attempted to exchange names before battle. Rather, it was the natural course.

It wasn’t strange for the Hero facing the final confrontation to respond to this. Rather, it was the proper sequence.

However, I decided not to listen to the Demon Lord’s words.

It wasn’t simply because I was obsessed with taking the Demon Lord’s head—I had another purpose.

It was to make an example of this Demon Lord, who looked down at me in astonishment—the first Demon Lord in history to attempt an economic attack on humanity.

“…What are you thinking, Hero. No, Erick Wellesley.”

I decided to satisfy at least this curiosity.

“Demon Lord. You will be recorded as an incompetent ruler who cowered for ages out of fear of war, only to die meaninglessly. I’ll even add that you tried to compromise with me to save your life until the end, and only entered battle when rejected.”

“Who would believe such flimsy lies?”

“They’re not flimsy. The evidence is sufficient. It’s true that you avoided direct confrontation. You even forcibly elevated low-level succubi to positions unworthy of the Tetrad. Even demons probably won’t doubt it.”

“……”

“Future Demon Lords, whoever they may be, will consider you a disgrace to demonkind. I’ll make sure of that by using the succubi.”

A Demon Lord who timidly avoided battle throughout his reign and was pathetic to the end.

That’s how much I planned to degrade the Demon Lord. I believed this would prevent whoever seized power in the Demonic Land later from doing something foolish.

I wanted to prevent the emergence of another demon who could manipulate humanity without effort. The Empire was enough of a mess without demons adding to it.

“You intend to make an example of me?”

“Exactly that.”

The Demon Lord’s army of the past had limited themselves to assassination attempts, or at most, corrupting a few key figures by exploiting primal desires like longevity or lust.

My goal was to return the Demon Lord’s army to that kind, innocent state. Humans were already too far gone, but demons could still return.

The Demon Lord seemed to read my intention.

His response was…

“Cunning bastard.”

Naturally, intense anger.

It was normal for him to be furious when a human who came to take his head showed no respect and even declared he would tarnish his honor after death.

He would also know that the only way to prevent this was to defeat me in battle.

The Demon Lord spat out the typical phrase, “It won’t go as you wish,” and immediately began emitting massive fighting spirit.

Simultaneously, I felt pressure as if the air around me was distorting.

The Beast King hadn’t been submissive for nothing. Even without exchanging blows, it wasn’t difficult to sense that overwhelming power.

However, it wasn’t enough to make me despair. Perhaps because I had been fighting seemingly unwinnable battles for so long, I felt my mind becoming calmer instead.

Yes. Let’s go.

Immediately after, I charged toward the Demon Lord, enveloped in brilliant light.