Ch.86The Demon Lord and Lilith (12)

# The Demon King and Lilith (12)

The Manmata clan was rare among demon tribes for having a sense of kinship.

But, as already mentioned, the Manmata clan’s kinship wasn’t about looking after their own kind, but rather thoroughly crushing anyone who dared to touch their kin.

Yes, and Belphegor was no exception.

“Pathetic lizards. And those remnants from Abaddon who’ve forgotten history and settled for the present, along with those human bastards who don’t know their place and dare to threaten to kill me.”

At the Demon King’s chilling voice that came with the blue sky, each of the beings he named trembled.

“You don’t know your place.”

Slash!

With those words, the ancient dragon Indra’s body was torn to shreds.

The ancient dragon, who had likely lived for thousands of years, died without even realizing what had hit him, unable to let out even a single scream.

Extra finally understood what Lug meant by “the heavenly energy is bad” and let out a deep sigh.

‘You bastard… Is this something that can be explained as just “bad”?’

There’s a limit, you asshole.

Extra muttered as if in despair.

He didn’t seem particularly afraid. No, it would be more accurate to say he had already accepted the outcome.

There was no way anyone could survive against such a monster.

“……”

Esmeralda lowered her head.

She couldn’t meet his eyes.

Since becoming a hero, this was the first time she had felt such terrible despair, and Esmeralda was terrified.

She had always believed everything would be fine.

She had envisioned a hopeful future.

She had met many powerful beings and suffered countless defeats.

But she had persevered, believing she would become stronger and ultimately be the victor.

But was this being in that realm?

Could she, a mere human as she had said, ever defeat an opponent who seemed to occupy a position she could never reach even if she trained for a lifetime with a hero’s power?

It was a ridiculous notion.

It was a foolish and naive conclusion, like a knight mistaking windmills for monsters.

Perhaps she had merely been dreaming of being a hero.

“They’re not even worth killing, but there’s no reason to spare those who touched Lilith.”

A death sentence delivered to Esmeralda in her weakened mental state.

Esmeralda couldn’t even think of resisting, just staring at the ground in despair.

“Your Majesty! Please listen to me for a moment…!”

Lilith, who seemed to have noticed the situation taking a strange turn, finally tried to say something, but Belphegor’s actions were faster.

Lilith’s figure disappeared as if she had never been there in the first place, and the black hole in the sky began to gradually shrink.

And simultaneously, a pressure descended upon the surroundings as if the sky itself was pressing down on the earth.

“Ah….”

Looking at the eerily beautiful blue sky, Esmeralda thought: isn’t this a miracle? Isn’t this evidence of the god that was said to have disappeared from this world?

Esmeralda could finally grasp what kind of being the Demon King was—the one who had supposedly cooperated with humans to bring down a celestial god.

‘What should I…’

Should she still raise her sword against such a monster? Would anything change if she did?

Normally, Esmeralda would have immediately thrown herself into action to save her companions, but now she seemed so shocked that she couldn’t even gather herself.

She had completely lost her will in the face of an overwhelmingly high wall of reality.

Esmeralda bowed her head deeply, trying to accept reality.

And then.

“Indeed, you were that high up. No wonder it’s difficult to meet.”

“……”

There was someone looking up at the sky, opposite to her.

[Blue Blood Lv. 2] → [Blue Blood Lv. 3]

The man who had lost his power and even his rank did not cower before such an overwhelming monster.

Despite being weakened to the point where he could be killed with just a simple press of a finger, he still looked up at the sky confidently. He gazed at what should have been insurmountable as if it were nothing.

[Comprehensive Estimate Lv. 776]

He seemed to have achieved further growth, but was still weak.

That power couldn’t possibly be the source of his confidence.

Then what made him so bold?

Even in this dire situation, Esmeralda watched Lug’s every move as if curious about this.

And the moment he spread his hands as if to catch the falling sky.

“I couldn’t speak because you didn’t give me a chance, but…”

Crack!

The blue sky shattered and seeped into his body.

“I feel like I understand you a little now.”

[Comprehensive Estimate Lv. 1034]

It was the moment when the ascetic of Capilla reclaimed part of the celestial rank overflowing from Belphegor.

***

She was alive.

Esmeralda finally realized that she had survived.

She didn’t know what Lug had done to catch the falling sky, but they were lucky. If it weren’t for Lug, probably no one here would have survived.

But most importantly, now that neither Lug nor Esmeralda had fainted.

“…Mr. Lug.”

“……”

Finally, she had a chance to talk directly with Lug’s true self.

Esmeralda staggered toward Lug and clung to him.

There was so much she wanted to ask.

What was Lug’s true identity, what was his purpose. Why he had saved her then and why he had stopped Eirene Saintess’s rampage.

Whether he was truly a celestial god. And if he was, why he wasn’t revealing that fact.

Many such thoughts crossed her mind, but the one thought engraved in her mind right now was just one.

“Will I be able to defeat the Demon King?”

The words of the person who had resolved this predicament.

The assurance she wanted from him.

It was a blatant desire. She had already been frustrated but needed a reason to stand up again. Yes, just one word.

With just that one word, Esmeralda could rise again.

That’s how strong a person she was.

But…

“That’s an answer you should find yourself, Hero, not from me.”

“……”

Lug didn’t answer. No, it wasn’t even an answer. Even if it was a lie, Esmeralda would have wanted to hear “yes.”

Yet he simply ended his words plainly, without any pretense.

“One cannot live in this world alone.”

Lug caressed the cheek of Esmeralda, who was staring at him blankly.

Blue flames gently brushed her cheek, spreading warmth throughout her entire body, healing her.

The hero’s party centers around Hero Esmeralda, but it cannot exist with her alone. Yes, it’s the same with people.

One cannot live alone.

That’s why he understood her desire to cling to someone.

But…

“There are times when you must use only yourself as your guiding light.”

It’s her life.

It’s the direction she must decide.

One can show the way, but which path to take is entirely one’s own decision.

Then at this moment, facing an important choice, the conclusion she reaches should be one she has pondered and decided on her own, not an answer received from someone else.

That way, she would have no regrets.

“Of course, that might be the long way around. It might be a question you’ll carry for your entire life.”

As the warmth spread from her cheek, Esmeralda’s eyes began to close. Drowsiness overcame her. It was as if she had crawled into a warm blanket.

“But won’t there be people willing to accompany you on that journey?”

“I…”

“You seem tired. Sleep well and reconsider with a clear mind. Sometimes, worries can be resolved more easily than expected.”

The moment Lug finished speaking,

Esmeralda collapsed as if she had been reassured.

***

“Ugh…”

Tina opened her eyes in pain.

Twisting her body and barely managing to get up by pressing her hands against the ground, Tina tried to remember why she had collapsed, then suddenly turned pale and hurriedly stood up.

“Esmeralda!”

The last scene in her memory was lightning turning the sky white.

And after that.

The moment she witnessed a phenomenon like a miracle she had read about in books.

She couldn’t remember anything after that moment.

She couldn’t distinguish what was a dream and what was reality.

That’s how surreal the situation was.

And having confirmed that more than half of it wasn’t a dream, Tina first looked for Esmeralda.

It was natural. She was the one who would push herself the hardest in such a situation.

The fact that Tina was safely alive now proved it.

Rather than feeling relieved, she was worried about how much danger Esmeralda might have put herself in to ensure her safety.

“Esmeralda?”

But Tina was speechless when she saw Esmeralda looking up at the sky, seemingly unharmed.

Her intuition told her.

That Esmeralda was in despair. That she had lost her way in pain and anguish.

She didn’t know what had happened while she was unconscious.

“Tina.”

“…I’m glad. You seem to be okay.”

Tina decided to feel relieved first.

She didn’t know what had happened to Esmeralda, but as long as she was alive, they could aim for the next step.

She didn’t know what Esmeralda was worried about, but she could help her think and find answers.

“O-Of course. I’m fine.”

“Really? That’s good.”

An attitude that seemed to be trying to gloss over something.

Tina recognized that obvious reaction but chose to ignore it.

If she wanted to pretend to be strong, that was still okay. Esmeralda was wise, so if she was really struggling, she would consult with her.

And from the fact that she wanted to worry alone, it seemed like a problem she needed to solve by herself.

“Tina, you still don’t look well. Why don’t you rest a bit more?”

“Even if you tell me to rest… how am I supposed to rest here? The tent has disappeared without a trace. And it doesn’t feel right to just lie on the bare ground, does it?”

“Ah, hahaha. Y-Yes, that’s true.”

“Right.”

An unusually awkward attitude.

Tina suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if something was stuck in her throat.

Why?

The feeling that Esmeralda was hiding something. No, that was certain. She was convinced that Esmeralda was worried about something.

But her intuition told her that it might be a different concern than what she was thinking.

And trusting that intuition, Tina looked around.

She saw Eirene Saintess and Millia still collapsed. And she also noticed that something that should be visible wasn’t.

“By the way, where’s Lug?”

“……”

Beads of cold sweat trickled down Esmeralda’s forehead.