Chapter 72: Fated One

Smack—!!!

The moment my hand made contact, a sharp, explosive sound rang out.

And at the same time.

“GRAAAAAH!!”

A horrifying scream tore through the air.

The Demon King’s agonized cry shook the atmosphere as if it could rip through reality itself.

I froze in shock.

It was just a slap—so why was he reacting like this?

But even more shocking was what happened next.

The part of his face where my hand had touched.

It was burning.

“Ugh… Kugh…!!”

The Demon King clutched his face in pain.

Dark red magic flickered wildly around him, thick smoke rising from the seared skin where my hand had struck.

“Y-You…!! What the hell…?!”

His crimson eyes trembled, filled with disbelief and shock.

He staggered, stepping back as if his strength was slipping away against his will.

I swallowed hard, staring at him.

A faint glow still flickered at my fingertips.

And then.

“My lord!!”

A group of demons in black armor rushed toward us.

Their faces were filled with alarm as they hurriedly supported the Demon King.

“My lord, what happened?!”

“Did that damn human do something to you?!”

But the Demon King remained silent.

Even as he held his wounded face, his gaze remained locked onto me.

In those crimson eyes.

There was confusion, wonder, and…

Fear.

The Demon King—an overwhelming force even Hero Sua couldn’t stand against—was afraid.

Afraid of my touch.

Slowly, I lowered my hand, staring at it in disbelief.

I stared at the strange light still flickering at my fingertips.

“…What…”

The Demon King let out a rough, uneven breath and spoke.

“Y-You… what are you…?”

His voice carried pure fear and confusion, the tone of someone facing something they couldn’t comprehend.

I couldn’t answer.

Because—I didn’t know either.

“You… you… just what are you…?”

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

He staggered, stepping back—one step, then another.

And then, his body began to fade.

Like space itself was forcibly twisting around him, the overwhelming sensation of a powerful teleportation spell filled the air.

“Damn it… You… a mere human…!”

Even as he vanished, his burning red eyes locked onto me, filled with undeniable emotion.

The Demon King—was trying to escape.

At that moment, my body moved on instinct.

I didn’t know why, but I refused to let him go just like this.

I wasn’t about to let him leave so easily.

Lowering my stance, I dashed forward with all my strength.

“Wha—?!”

The Demon King finally seemed to notice my charge, but it was too late.

I threw my entire weight behind my fist, channeling all my strength into it.

And then.

“Haaah—!!”

BAM!

My powerful uppercut struck the Demon King square in the jaw.

“Wha—?!”

BOOM!

His body was launched into the air.

And at that very moment.

The space-distorting teleportation spell collapsed, forcibly canceled.

BOOOOM—!!!

The Demon King’s body plummeted to the ground like a crumpled piece of paper, completely at the mercy of gravity.

His crimson eyes widened in shock.

Fear.

A childlike, terrified expression.

The once-dignified, commanding presence was nowhere to be seen.

“Guh… Kugh… Y-You…!”

His lips trembled as he looked at me.

His face was filled with disbelief.

He tried to lift himself up, but his body refused to cooperate.

His fingertips still trembled.

It was an unconscious reaction—his body had frozen stiff.

Like a child encountering an overwhelming threat for the first time.

“M-My lord?!”

“W-What in the world just happened?!”

The surrounding demons, shocked, hurried to support him.

But.

“Stay back.”

The Demon King, gasping for breath, raised his hand.

At his command, the demons instantly halted and took a step back.

I slowly walked toward him.

He was still staring at me with that same fearful expression.

As if he had just realized—he should not lay another hand on me.

His gaze was a mix of wariness and terror.

I met his eyes directly.

And then, I clenched my fist again.

“…!!”

The Demon King flinched.

He instinctively recoiled, his body shrinking back.

He took a step backward, feet firmly planted, arms raised defensively.

No—it wasn’t a battle stance.

It was the reaction of a frightened child.

He was genuinely afraid of me.

I stood still for a moment, simply watching him.

This—this was nothing like the overwhelming figure from moments ago.

The mighty, towering Demon King.

Now, he was looking up at me with wide eyes, his lips pressed tightly together as if trying to hold something back.

He still couldn’t speak.

He only gasped for breath, staring at me in silence.

And then.

His cloak slipped slightly from his shoulders.

And beneath it.

I widened my eyes.

His body was shrinking.

Smaller than when I first saw him.

His shoulders hunched, his hands grew smaller.

And…

Even his face.

It was growing younger, softer, more delicate.

…What?

I stared at him in confusion.

He sat there, curled up, still glaring at me.

But there was no longer any hostility in his gaze.

Instead.

It was filled with frustration, resentment…

As if he were hiding something.

“…You…”

He muttered under his breath.

And I noticed it immediately.

His voice.

It was higher than before.

And in that moment.

I realized.

“…Wait. You’re… a woman?!”

The instant I said it.

The Demon King’s eyes widened in shock.

Her lips snapped shut.

Her crimson eyes grew round with disbelief.

And.

Her face turned completely red.

I stood there, momentarily stunned.

I couldn’t comprehend what I had just witnessed.

The Demon King was a woman.

And not only that—she looked small, almost like a child.

But.

I quickly shook off my shock.

I couldn’t forget who she really was.

She was the Demon King.

She had attacked our camp.

She had hurt my kids.

She had taken down Sua, Harp, Liel, and Alex in an instant.

She was a threat.

I clenched my fist again.

That strange light flickered once more at my fingertips.

“She hurt my kids. She deserves to be punished.”

Tightening my grip, I took a step toward her.

“Hiiik—”

The Demon King—no, she—flinched, stumbling backward.

For a moment, her crimson eyes were filled with undeniable fear.

The arrogance, the overpowering presence she had just moments ago.

Gone.

But I didn’t stop.

I raised my fist high—

And.

Thwack!!

“Gaaaah—!!”

The battlefield fell silent.

No—it had to be silent.

Because no one.

Not the demons, not the soldiers, not anyone here.

Could comprehend what they had just witnessed.

Sua swallowed hard.

Her entire body trembled.

All she could do was watch.

There, gasping for breath, collapsed on the ground.

Was the Demon King.

And standing over the trembling Demon King.

Was Miss Eve.

The being no one had ever dared to challenge.

The one who had led countless to their deaths.

The one who had bathed battlefields in blood.

The one so powerful that even the Hero had fallen instantly before her.

And yet.

“You… Y-You monster…!!”

The Demon King curled up, trembling.

Sua blinked.

This felt unreal.

Who was calling who a monster?

Miss Eve?

Miss Eve was the monster?

The real monster was her.

The Demon King.

The one who had slaughtered without mercy.

The one responsible for the countless injured people they had seen on the way here.

The one who had left the battlefield littered with corpses.

The one who had drowned this place in despair and tears.

She had done all that.

And yet, now.

The ruthless Demon King was cowering like a frightened child.

Sua’s hands trembled as she gripped her sword.

But she didn’t move.

She didn’t need to.

Because.

Standing before her, more reliable than anyone.

The one she respected more than anyone.

Was Miss Eve.

Her expression was firm.

Her hand still bore the mark of striking the Demon King.

And for some reason.

A faint light still flickered at her fingertips.

“What did you just call me?”

Miss Eve spoke.

Her voice was calm.

But beneath that calm.

There was undeniable rage.

The one who acted like a monster… was you.”

At that moment, the Demon King’s face turned pale.

Sua instinctively realized.

Miss Eve was angry.

She had always been a gentle person.

She had protected the children, healed the wounded, and always put others before herself.

But now.

For the first time.

She was truly furious.

Watching her, Sua unconsciously held her breath.

“Uh…”

Alex finally managed to speak.

Still sitting on the ground, he muttered,

“…That’s kinda terrifying.”

Sua nodded.

She thought the same.

She never imagined Miss Eve could be this scary.

But at the same time.

“She’s amazing.”

Liel whispered in awe, her eyes shining with admiration.

Yeah.

Sua clenched her fists tightly.

She was amazing.

She couldn’t look away—not even for a second.

Miss Eve’s presence was overwhelming.

Thump…!

The Demon King trembled.

Then, gritting her teeth, she struggled to stand once more.

But.

Thwack!

Miss Eve’s fist struck once more.

“Ugh—?! GAAAAH!!”

The Demon King screamed as she was sent flying back to the ground.

“T-This… This can’t be…”

She stared at her hands in disbelief, her crimson eyes wide with confusion.

Faint smoke rose from her body.

As if her very existence was being denied.

Sua slowly began to understand.

Miss Eve wasn’t just hitting the Demon King.

She was nullifying her very power.

Sua’s eyes widened.

This was.

“A miracle.”

Liel whispered again, her hands trembling against her chest.

But this time, she wasn’t trembling from fear.

It was awe.

Miss Eve was fighting for them.

To end this war.

To protect them.

Quietly, Sua bit her lip.

She burned this moment into her memory.

She would never forget it.

She finally understood.

Why she had become a Hero.

Having great power wasn’t what truly mattered.

True courage.

Was fighting for the ones you needed to protect.

And the person who had shown that most clearly, most perfectly.

Was standing right before her.

For a brief moment, the scene overlapped.

The Demon King, defeated.

And Miss Eve, standing tall.

That powerful scene.

Suddenly overlapped with a memory buried deep within her.

“Ah.”

Sua inhaled sharply.

The world before her blurred.

This wasn’t reality anymore—it felt distant, like a dream.

She stood in a place she recognized.

Before her, a hazy figure stood.

That dream.

She remembered this place.

The dream she had seen since childhood.

Time and time again, a faint presence stood beside her.

And every time, she recalled one thing—

“Fated One.”

A Hero must always be with their Fated One.

That presence was an inseparable part of destiny.

Only together could they become whole.

That was what the prophecy had said.

In the dream, she had always been with that figure.

Laughing together, spending time together,

Protecting one another.

Or so she had thought.

But now.

As the vision sharpened.

“No.”

She finally understood.

In that dream.

She hadn’t been playing with them.

She hadn’t been protecting them.

She had only ever been.

The one being protected.

It wasn’t she who had been protecting the other.

It was the other who had been protecting her.

Sua felt her heart pounding.

And at last, the memory surfaced clearly.

In that hazy space.

When the darkness had crept toward her.

Someone had stepped in front of her.

That figure.

Small, yet unwavering.

A gentle hand had reached out, grasping hers.

A warmth had surrounded her.

That presence had always been there.

Whenever the darkness approached.

It had shielded her, fought for her, and stood in her place.

That presence was.

Sua finally understood.

The figure from her dreams.

It had been Miss Eve.

She had always been there.

Protecting her.

Shielding her.

Keeping her safe.

That was.

Her Fated One.