Chapter 32: To Me, You Were Like the Sun (2)

–Why… why do you have that?–

The Demon King watched the flames consume the space, then abruptly recognized their nature. Her eyes went wide.

This is…

No good.

Cariel.

Your journey ends here.

To face this absurdity at the very start… such terrible luck.

–Unbelievable.–

Mid-realmers had strange quirks. Most were utterly ordinary, mundane in talent and ability.

But sometimes… anomalies appeared.

–You should have just sweet-talked her, played the lover card.–

The Demon King tsked, shaking her head.

The flames raged, but they consumed nothing, devoured nothing. They simply surged.

Pure, unadulterated terror. One of the seven absolute forces, wielded by the so-called omnipotent being who once held the world in its grasp.

====

In that place…

A child sought to inherit your will.

Another sought to inherit mine.

“Which comes first, knight or hero?”

“What about champion?”

“Can’t you be all of them?”

Many voices murmured. Not illusions, not delusions.

On a green field, a girl sat beneath a large tree. Calmly, she asked:

“Does that mean I can’t be a hero?”

A boy offered her the branch he held.

“Then take this.”

“……?”

She took it, wide blue eyes questioning.

“Now you’re a hero!”

Wood loses to fire. A simple matter of opposition.

But stone? Even stone melts under extreme heat. Water and wind become dust. Everything learned becomes meaningless. How can a fire that burns twigs compare to one that freezes lakes and rivers? Cultivated resolve becomes irrelevant.

No, not meaningless. Rendered meaningless.

But who decides that?

I do.

An egg against a rock shatters. An undeniable truth. Hundreds, thousands, millions thrown—the rock remains.

So, throw millions more?

There isn’t enough time, will, or opportunity. The world doesn’t offer endless chances.

“Whatever you’ve gained, this is your limit.”

If you can’t overcome even this… how can you glimpse the world I fear?

You may not aspire to such heights yet.

“But you might. And then, some unknown malice will consume you like a nightmare.”

Even if a new Demon King invaded, I could protect you, if I were there.

But if not… a common bandit, a lowly monster could end you.

And even if you survived, what about the next trial? What if malice rained down like a storm, a death sentence?

“That’s why I can’t let you go.”

The girl, now fire incarnate, held a single, unburnt blue flower within the blaze.

Her somber words melted into the flames. The red fire turned blue, then vanished, sublimating into pure white.

The world became encased in a wall of white fire.

But this wasn’t the end. He felt the leather-wrapped hilt of his simple sword in his hand. Thick gloves would have lessened the strain, the jarring impacts.

Even holding the sword seemed precarious now.

She could destroy him, but she knew that wouldn’t break his will.

She aimed to crush his spirit, extinguish his resolve.

See this? The walls of the world, vast and towering. Can you, little one, bear this?

“……”

He stepped forward.

The unbearable wasn’t a reason to stop. Surrender was a choice, not a command.

“…Alright.”

He needed to see, not his own pathetic state, not the miraculous disaster she’d unleashed, but her.

How much pain had she endured? What sacrifices had she made? How much devotion, patience, suffering had it taken to become this?

He hadn’t meant to think about it, but the realization hit him. The wall wasn’t fearsome, or terrifying, or even astonishing.

It was sorrowful. Pitiful. Heartbreaking.

He knew. He understood.

“How much did you…”

The pain of growing stronger is reserved for those with the will to endure it. Or, lacking that will, those who pour in years, a lifetime’s weight. And even then, a single step, half a step, can be the difference between heaven and the abyss.

He’d died a hundred times. By the ninety-ninth, he’d learned to fear death. To show sincerity, to bare one’s heart… he still didn’t understand. How could he make it more desperate, more earnest? He felt it, but he didn’t understand it.

And that terrified him. Everything he’d built felt like froth, like bubbles. If only it had been as fleeting as dew, then it wouldn’t be so bitter, so full of regret.

“Stop.”

El.

She spoke. The heat intensified with each step. He couldn’t breathe. The air in his lungs burned. His skin prickled with needles of heat.

Pain is eternal. Until you escape it. He knew.

“Who says so?”

His voice was dry, thin.

But whether he stopped or went on… that was his choice.

“I said stop! Is this a game to you?! Are you mocking my resolve?!”

“…Not really.”

A young girl stood on a small hill. Anger and despair warred on her face. Tears streamed down, but she refused to collapse.

[I, I!]

A single person, deciding to change the world.

[I declare!]

Facing the world’s weight.

[I, Elhermina Berke Enjul! I vow: I will make our empire the strongest in the world. Peaceful, merciful, where all are happy…]

Beneath this vast, ugly, glittering world…

[Because only then… can we avoid such misery.]

Understanding the powerlessness of one person.

[I will never again accept an ending where someone sacrifices themselves for me!]

Understanding the insignificance of individual strength.

“You… truly… to the very end!”

As if waking from a dream. Reality, narrow and confined, like the edge of hell.

She was angry.

Why doesn’t he understand? Why doesn’t he see? I’m doing this for him!

He felt her desperation. It made it all the more absurd.

This clumsy girl, she didn’t know how else to do it. So she ran, desperately, in the only direction she knew. Because she knew the world’s terrors. To protect. But time was short. She couldn’t stop.

He stepped forward.

The march of the sun. He’d thought of her as the sun, but even that was an understatement.

“You said, show you, right? Miraculous… something?”

The unfamiliar words tripped him up.

“Cariel. I’ve figured out your trick. It won’t work on my flames.”

“El. Who said anything about stopping them?”

He understood. Her flames were her defiance against the world’s malice. He understood that.

So, what was his defiance?

Hero of heroes. Radiant knight. Beloved by gods. Pinnacle of warriors. Demonslayer. Vanquisher of the Demon King. Greatest knight. Strongest in the land.

So many titles.

But ultimately…

My father.

The world’s savior, the object of his deepest resentment. He wouldn’t deny it anymore.

But this was different.

“El. Give me everything you’ve got.”

He wouldn’t offer excuses.

“I don’t know… but…”

He’d face her distrust head-on. With simple will. Simple conviction. No matter how short the time.

He would show her his sincerity.

====

–Are they all… crazy?–

Even after the blue flames turned pure white, the Demon King had given up.

–Cariel should just settle down and be a househusband.–

If that power had existed during my invasion… disastrous. Better to ask the princess to deal with her father. Wait, what about the contract?

Then, the madman walked toward the flames.

–Is he begging for mercy?–

The question was whether she would relent. This wasn’t something Cariel could control.

It wasn’t even a contest. It was impossible. A venomous ant might kill a person, especially with allergies. But there are limits. Even a deadly ant… could it kill a dragon?

–You underestimate them.–

Huh?

–Of all the ancient spirits, why you…–

Even now, the absurdities piled up.

The crowned figure, though faint, was clearer now. Not that anyone was watching. A boy trudged through white flames, agonizingly slow, stumbling, scorching, the smell of burning flesh filling the air, consumed by fire. Normally, not even ash would remain. Was she unskilled, or holding back?

Who cares?

–Underestimate them?–

The golden Demon King questioned the faint figure.

–The system was both shackle and shelter for that child.–

What?

–The child who left the shelter has now broken free.–

Watch.

–You gave him the opportunity.–

The black-haired boy reached the princess. He forced his heavy eyelids open, took a ragged breath, and gripped his sword.

In a flash, pure white and jet black crossed.

The Demon King’s jaw dropped.

–He’s… crossing the line.–

–Without an Elbart, how is he using that?–

It wasn’t teachable.

A vivid black light sliced through the white, cleaving the world. The vertical white ascended. The horizontal black cut a luminous, inverse cross through the night.

A path of darkness, devouring radiance. The Defiant Black Star. A technique of a former comrade, a one-time vassal. Seen only four times in life. Now, after death…

–This world is truly messed up.–

The mid-realm, clearly favored by the gods. Their protective barrier, their pet project.

–This is why Demon Kings keep losing.–

My invasion method was correct. The Great Demon King was right.

The Demon King smiled, a wide, satisfied smile.