chapter_0174

“How could a mere human… I… I’m supposed to become the Demon King…”

“That’s a load of bullsh*t.”

Eternity slashed the man’s neck and moved on. The headless body fell limply to the ground. Blood gushed from the wound, forming a red puddle almost as big as the body.

He surveyed the surroundings. Dead bodies lay everywhere. There were no survivors among the demons who had attacked from this direction. Usually, they would have started retreating when half of them were dead.

“How’s it going over there, Elysier?”

“I can’t say it’s going well, even as a figure of speech.”

A deep voice came from the necklace.

“I knew that some demons coveted the Demon King’s position, but I never imagined their greed would be this immense. They’re not just reckless with their lives; they’re acting as if they want to die, throwing themselves at us.”

“It’s the same here. They just keep coming, one after another. They seem to have gone completely insane. Are you guys alright? Any injuries?”

“Who do you think we are? Aside from Rosalia, none of us would be hurt by these lowly demons. Rest assured, not a single one of us has been scratched. How about you? Are you alright?”

“You forgot who I am?”

“I know. I was just asking.”

After briefly checking in with the other three, he took off the necklace. Aside from Rosalia, who had suddenly become humanity’s last hope, the others were holding their own just fine.

Rosalia, on the other hand, was pouting, complaining about why these kinds of incidents always seemed to happen when she was playing the role of the Saint.

“I’m back, Master,” Nika said, landing at just the right moment. Her wings, which had been fluttering near her waist, folded up, and her breasts, larger than her head, jiggled from the impact of the landing.

“How was it?”

“We’re fine. As a race that instinctively obeys the Queen, as long as I serve you, Master, we won’t covet the Demon King’s position. But the other demons don’t seem to be doing so well. I sent out scouts, and they reported that the demons are obsessed with killing as many humans as possible. They’re swarming in from the edges of the Demon World.”

It was a sigh-inducing situation. In a way, it was even worse than when the undead had attacked due to the Elder Lich. This time, he would have to lend his power directly.

Most of all, the fact that the Sword Saint had become incapacitated was a huge blow.

After hearing that the Demon King had died, the Sword Saint had stopped showing any signs of madness and had stopped eating or drinking, choosing instead to lie quietly in bed. If only the Sword Saint were here, things would be much easier.

In his stead, Karna and the Royal Guards were running themselves ragged, but even with Karna and all the Royal Guards combined, they couldn’t match the power of a single Sword Saint.

‘This won’t do.’

As time passed, the situation would only become more unfavorable for them. He had to find a way to turn things around.

The only option, for now, was to meet the being whose voice had resounded in the demons’ heads.

“Nika, just in case, go back to your domain. Try to get rid of some of the demons without provoking them too much. If you feel like you can’t hold out, call for help. I’ll come to you.”

“Yes. Be careful, Master.”

Nika, who had received his life force up to the limit as a precaution, disappeared while stroking the mark of submission on her lower abdomen. After making sure she was completely gone, he looked into the air.

“I know you’re nearby, so come out quietly. I won’t ask twice.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a black silhouette appeared in front of him. The wavering silhouette soon took on a human form.

It was the avatar of the Demon God, wearing a robe that covered her head, her face hidden in unnatural shadows, her body shapeless due to the loose-fitting robe.

“How did you know? I thought I was incredibly well hidden.”

He didn’t know. Just like the first time it appeared, he hadn’t known she was there until it chose to reveal herself. He had simply assumed that she was watching him and decided to test his assumption.

It wasn’t a completely baseless guess, but it wasn’t a sure thing either.

“I figured you wouldn’t be able to resist keeping an eye on me after pulling a stunt like this.”

“Hehehe, you know me too well. We really do have a lot in common, don’t we?”

“What are you doing here?”

“What?”

Ignoring the nonsense about how they had a lot in common, he snapped back. The figure responded with the same nonchalant tone.

“There’s no point in pretending you don’t know. Are you telling me you don’t understand what I’m saying, a Demon God like yourself?”

“Hehehe, that’s true.”

A giggle emanated from the shadows covering the figure’s face.

“What are you doing here? I’m helping you make a decision. I’ve waited long enough, haven’t I? I did say that my offer would be valid until either you or the hero destroyed my main body, but waiting idly isn’t really my style. This has gone on for too long. I want an answer now.”

“Helping me make a decision? By doing this?”

“Of course. Because if you become the Demon King, all these problems will be solved.”

The figure spread its arms wide.

“Do you know why all the demons have gone crazy? It’s because they want to become the Demon King. I told them that since the Demon King is dead, I would give the Demon Sword to the strongest demon, just like it’s always been. But this time, instead of proving themselves by fighting each other, they have to kill humans. With the Demon King’s position at stake, do you think it will end halfway? No way. It’s a fight to the death for both humans and demons.”

A Demon Sword identical to the one Elysier had appeared in the figure’s right hand.

“You don’t like that, do you? You can’t just let the demons kill humans, but if you try to stop them, the casualties will be too high. You’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. But look, take this sword, and you can become the new Demon King. As the new Demon King, you can order all the demons to stop invading the human world.”

The Demon Sword glowed red.

“That’s it. No one else has to die, neither human nor demon. The two worlds will be at peace again. What do you say? It’s a good solution, isn’t it?”

“I told you I’m not interested in becoming the Demon King. And is this really a good solution? Are you serious?”

“Of course I am. You don’t have a choice anyway, do you? With the Goddess dead, what can you possibly do?”

The figure’s face, hidden in the shadows, seemed to be grinning. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his mind went blank. How did this figure know what had happened in the heavenly realm? Surely, divine power had returned.

“You’re wondering how I know, aren’t you? Well, I’ll tell you since there’s no harm in it. Because I like you. Think about it. I’m a Demon God, and she’s a Goddess. How could we not know about each other?”

‘How could we not know about each other?’

How much of what this figure was saying could he trust? If it was true that they couldn’t help but know about each other, then it would also know that the Goddess had been covered in blood and bound in chains, and that the one acting in the outside world was her avatar.

‘…Avatar?’

Suddenly, another possibility occurred to him. Hadn’t the figure in front of him also introduced herself as an avatar of the Demon God?

Perhaps the Demon God was in a similar situation as the Goddess.

The Goddess’s avatar had been emotional because it took on all the emotions so that the main body could make rational decisions. And the avatar in front of him was also unusually emotional for a Demon God.

‘It might not be completely ridiculous.’

“Here, take my hand.”

As if reading his thoughts, the figure held out its left hand, the one without the sword. He looked at the outstretched hand, and the figure explained, noticing his questioning expression.

“It means we’re on the same side, so you don’t need to look so suspicious. I told you, I won’t do anything to you. Just take the sword, become the new Demon King, and send the demons back. That’s it! After that, you’re free to do as you please. No other human will ever know that you’re the Demon King, not even the hero. I guarantee it.”

“… ”

“The longer you wait, the more casualties there will be. It’s only to your detriment. Come on, take my hand and become the new Demon King. Then, you can just say the word, and everything will be resolved.”

He stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before reaching out his own.

.

.

.

Slash!

The severed arm flew through the air. Eternity was now in my hand, seemingly appearing out of thin air.

The avatar, alternatingly looking at the arm on the ground and the stump where it had been severed, spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“What are you doing? This is a bit too extreme for a joke. If I weren’t an avatar, I’d be writhing in pain on the ground right now.”

“What makes you so confident? What makes you think I would accept your proposal?”

From the start, the proposal itself was untrustworthy, with the claim that it would do nothing to me once I became the Demon King.

How could I trust it when it was entirely up to the figure whether it kept its word, told a blatant lie, or changed its mind along the way?

“……Hehehe. So that’s your answer. I understand.”

The figure retracted its hand, and a new arm grew back in place of the severed one. The arm on the ground crumbled into dust and disappeared.

“It’s fine. I expected as much. This is more like the man I’ve set my sights on. If you had accepted, I would have been sorely disappointed. Well, I still would have given you the Demon Sword, though.”

A giggle escaped from the shadows covering her face. It was an untrustworthy creature, laughing about how it would have been disappointed if I had accepted.

“Alright, I’ll back off again. But I’m the one who’s disappointed, so if you change your mind, feel free to let me know. Next time, though, instead of me coming to you, you’ll have to come to me.”

Something fell from its hand.

“You want me to use that to find you?”

“You’re as sharp as ever. Yes, that’s right. I’ll be waiting in my domain. You’re always welcome, whether you’re coming to accept the proposal or to kill my main body. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“You’re confident.”

“I know you won’t be able to do it anyway.”

“You must be up to something suspicious. Are you setting a trap for me or something?”

“Hehehe, I don’t stop to such petty tricks. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you come and see for yourself? Then you’ll know for sure.”

The figure turned away and began to fade from its current position. I threw a question at the silhouette as it was about to disappear.

“If you wanted to convince me, you should have shown up in person. You’re just making excuses, saying you’re holding back to prevent the surroundings from being destroyed. Or is it that your main body is trapped somewhere?”

“……”

At those words, the silhouette, which had been slowly dissipating, thickened again. The head turned creakily toward me. A voice, unlike any it had used before, as if it were being wrung out from the depths of an abyss, emerged from its lips.

“Did you just……?”

The ground began to turn black, spreading outward from where the figure stood.