Ch.181Final Memory (3)

Caldrag devoted all his efforts to erasing the stain.

He mobilized the Golden Guard and the Royal Guard to thoroughly search the central continent, eventually finding the hero hiding in a secluded hill. Despite the gravity of the invasion incident, the conclusion was rather anticlimactic, but the Demon King was satisfied with having prevented what could have been a catastrophic situation.

“Tsk. Seems he died from severe injuries.”

The legion soldiers muttered as they looked at the lifeless human corpse. Having been attacked during the battle with the Golden Guard, he was practically butchered by halberds, leaving no part of him intact. In truth, such a military mobilization hadn’t been necessary for this.

“Your Majesty. We have discovered the hero’s corpse. What shall we do with it?”

“Behead him. The Demon King’s castle shows no mercy to intruders.”

“I will carry out your orders.”

A Royal Guard soldier received the command. Following him, a veteran soldier of the Golden Guard stepped forward.

Shing.

Drawing his sword, he looked down at the withered corpse of the hero. Cutting off the head to resolve this situation would end it as just another moment in history.

-Twitch.

At that moment, the hero’s body convulsed. Life returned to the seemingly soulless body, which began to emit an unidentifiable power.

“W-what is this?”

The Golden Guard soldier quickly swung down his sword, but a surging hand blocked the blade.

Boom!

An intense shockwave spread around them.

The energy flowing from the hero’s body was immense as he caught the strike of the Golden Guard—known as the demon realm’s elite—with his bare hand.

Clang!

The sword shattered, unable to withstand the force. The Guard soldier retreated significantly. Simultaneously, the Royal Guard moved in.

“Your Majesty!”

“I am fine. Eliminate him!”

Caldrag unleashed his golden dominion magic. The Royal Guard soldiers drew power in response to his magic, allowing them to match the hero’s strength. They instinctively sensed it.

-This is not celestial power.

Unlike the holy power that burns demons, this was pure overwhelming force. It was a moment that revealed, at least in part, why the previous Demon King had fallen to a hero.

“We must kill him to restore the demon realm to its original state.”

Caldrag shouted as he drew the King’s sword. He advanced boldly toward the hero, determined not to die weakly like the previous Demon King.

“Charge!”

“As you command!”

The shouting soldiers and the resurrected hero clashed once more.

#

“So the hero has been successfully eliminated?”

“Yes. His Majesty Caldrag personally beheaded the villain this time.”

“The hero’s resurrection power manifested right there, but it was well countered.”

Durin felt relieved upon receiving the report.

If harm had come to the Demon King, the consequences would have been unmanageable.

With celestial power weakening in the northwest, part of the Red Horn Legion from the frontier had moved toward the center, increasing their influence. The Green Horn’s mistake would mean the Red Horn’s expansion.

This resolution should be enough to silence Killahal as well.

“However, Istria must have entered into strategy meetings internally.”

“To overcome this obstacle, they need to achieve something worthy of historical record.”

The advisor Azmosa interjected. Durin glanced at her.

“It’s the burden that Istria must bear after usurping the throne from the Red Horn.”

“I achieved victory in war, and His Majesty eliminated the hero, so nominally we’re fine. But the difference in military achievements and the fact that the castle was invaded remains unchanged, so they’ll continue to be anxious.”

“There’s only one breakthrough. When the defeated celestial realm demands a rematch, the king will have no choice but to step forward himself.”

Durin remained silent.

Istria would certainly choose such a path to avoid giving the Red Horn any justification.

The problem was that the outcomes had never been favorable.

Starting with the progenitor Belial, countless kings had perished.

If Caldrag, who had finally normalized the legions and led what was called an era of revival, were to die in the whirlwind of war, the demon realm would lose any chance of recovery.

A long dark age.

The task of guarding an ember that might never reignite.

This would become Durin’s mission.

“It’s alright. We will overcome this.”

Durin and Azmosa.

No, Regent Durin and the young king Serpin could say this because they knew the future.

“As always, we’ll find a new path. Through someone’s greatness.”

In the mythic age, the First Demon King accomplished it.

In the revival era, Caldrag and several great demons worked together.

At the end of these memories conveyed by the Golden Milky Way, Durin would conclude the final war that awaited.

“So tell mother the final message. This is truly the end, isn’t it?”

Durin turned his head.

Azmosa, inhabited by Serpin’s consciousness, was looking at him.

“You’ll see in Caldrag’s desperate resistance after eliminating the hero. How much he fought to prevent decline.”

“I’m afraid, Azmosa. I don’t want to see a mother silently weeping as she watches her child die.”

“You must face the pain to heal it. Though deep scars will remain, they will become lessons for future generations.”

The Golden Milky Way, which had preserved the king’s memories for centuries, spoke:

“Please bring this long story to its conclusion.”

Golden magic spread.

His mother’s warm voice seeped through.

-My son. I will remember your pain.

Hearing the goddess’s voice after so long, Durin, who had been buried in the past and unable to distinguish reality, finally made his decision.

“I will go to the castle.”

The stage moved toward its final act.

#

The sky remained dark.

The Demon King’s castle was in disarray after various incidents, but it still maintained its core.

Caldrag, looking noticeably older, held his position.

“We continue to achieve great victories in the northwest, but we have failed to reclaim the occupied territories.”

Breaking through land filled with holy power was no easy task.

Moreover, there was the troublesome matter of intruders attacking the Demon King’s castle whenever Caldrag led troops away.

“I will continue to fend off the heroes. Please remain steadfast and persevere.”

This was when Durin served as the defense captain of the Demon King’s castle.

While Caldrag continued the struggle against the celestial realm, Durin steadfastly remained in place, preventing civil war and maintaining stability.

“Steadfastness, is it.”

Caldrag smiled bitterly.

“Clearly the demon realm has developed and stabilized compared to before. Yet I myself cannot enjoy peace.”

They called it an era of revival. The continents no longer waged civil war against each other, each keeping to their boundaries. Naturally, the warriors’ strength extended toward the celestial realm, forming solid bonds.

At the center of it all should have been the Demon King, but someone else had taken that position.

Durin. His most trusted warrior and the strongest in the demon realm.

He had now reached beyond the level of an archangel, approaching the realm of a Demon King.

“I always feel sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you.”

What Caldrag felt was shame.

Durin was sacrificing himself for the castle’s authority. If it had been devotion for the demon realm, he would have gladly accepted it, but it was purely for Istria, which made him unable to hold his head high.

In his youth, he would have spoken of it as a matter of course, but as he aged and gained perspective, he confessed everything to Durin.

“Someday I will ensure that you can enjoy life.”

“Your Majesty. My life exists within struggle.”

Durin, as always, gave the king the same answer.

“I will devote myself to the demon realm, so please take care of yourself first.”

For a warrior, war was life, so he didn’t mind.

The problem lay with Caldrag himself. Through long wars, holy power had accumulated in his body like poison.

Though he went to the battlefield and inspired troops with his demonic energy, the price was enduring holy power bombardments.

The original bloodline was robust enough to resist holy power.

But Istria could not. Unlike previous Demon Kings, even a strong one would eventually fall.

“I too will fulfill my duty on the battlefield. I will reclaim the northwest, so watch me.”

The Demon King’s will was strong.

Even facing death, he accepted it calmly.

This was possible because he considered it fate.

“So I must ask a favor of you.”

Caldrag looked back.

The view from the highest tower of the Demon King’s castle was always similar. The Demon King, sensing the end of his life, spoke his final wishes for future generations.

“Save my young daughter from the Red Horn.”

After his death, he worried about Killahal, who would aim for the throne.

If his succession were secure, it wouldn’t matter. But she was still too young.

Compared to the lifespan the Demon King was estimating, there was far too little time to prepare.

“I will do as you command.”

Durin also felt it.

That the demon realm was still lacking against the celestial realm.

Therefore, the will needed to be passed to the next generation, but the situation was not favorable.

In the end, everything rested on his shoulders.