Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: 57-4. The Hero Confronts the Demon King.
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Pine Granasia had perfectly replicated the Light Holy Sword.
Except for the fact that it was made of glass and slightly transparent, it was indistinguishable from the one he wielded.
Even the weight and sharpness were remarkably similar.
"..."
The moment blood touched the blade, it glowed brightly and cloaked me in armor. Just what kind of beings were these heroes, anyway?
Did they have to be chosen by the gods or by the holy sword itself?
Or were they simply fated to slay the Demon King no matter what?
"...No way that's true."
I let out a hollow laugh. The answer to that question had already come to light. To bear the name of hero, one had to act the part.
The hand gripping the sword felt heavier than ever, and I could hear the anxious breaths of the people standing behind me. I'd landed a hit on the Demon King, but the fight was far from over.
A red status window popped up before my eyes. Just like last time, it was pleading for me not to fight the Demon King.
From [Knight Heart]'s perspective, Pine was supposed to die five years from now. It was trying to prevent me from twisting that fate.
"This is starting to get annoying."
I ignored the barrage of alerts and swung my sword hard. With a sharp clang!, the status window shattered.
I'd expected some backlash from the Demon King transformation, but miraculously, my body felt perfectly fine. Maybe because the sword had been forged by none other than the prophesied hero himself.
The God of Light would probably faint if he knew what I was up to—copying his one-of-a-kind sword and even transforming into a Demon King to slay another one.
"Hey, Licht. Keep an eye on Ariel for me."
"I was planning to anyway, even without you saying it."
The moment I chanted the spell, the pristine white floor turned pitch black.
I'd shrouded the sub-space in darkness, isolating the Demon King and his group. The difference from last time? This time, I had a reliable ally with me.
"Licht. So you've fought in places like this before."
"Not exactly something worth praising."
Kainel glanced at me sidelong as he spoke from beside me. It was his first time, so he might've been startled.
"That's not praise, you idiot."
He chuckled and spoke in his usual carefree tone.
Worry etched across Kainel's face as he sighed those words.
And for good reason—I had a bad habit of treating my life too lightly when it came to anything involving Pine. I needed to fix that.
Turning my gaze, I spotted the Demon King struggling to rise.
His face was charred beyond recognition, purple hair matted amid severe burns that turned my stomach just to look at.
"Damn it, why won't you understand... our wishes...!!"
The Demon King flailed his arms like a goldfish pulled from its bowl. The fact that he could still spout nonsense like that made me grimace involuntarily.
Infinity was starting to rage like the red-haired Pine I'd seen earlier. Guess he'd dropped the theatrics.
"Everyone has someone tragic they've lost—family, friends, lovers...!!"
Staggering to his feet on shaky legs, the Demon King tried to appeal to us. His body looked like it had reached its limit.
Even the Cyclops had only two arms left; the rest had burned to ash.
"All we want is to bring the dead back to life!"
He spat his fervor with flying saliva, his bellowing so grotesque it was unsettling.
"Is that the prophecy from the Hero Cult or whatever?"
"Yes!! Magic Hat will revive them all!"
That name came up again. As I recalled, it was a man, but in this prequel, it was a female magician.
The one who kills our Pine in the sequel. Just what was that thing planning to do that everyone dead would come back?
Group necromancy? That'd just make zombies wearing human skins.
They wouldn't truly be alive.
"What about the lives you've taken?"
Kainel's sword tip trembled faintly. He bit his lower lip, suppressing his fury.
"W-We can revive them! I don't know exactly who died, but..."
His words tangled like he'd forced them out. He'd killed Kainel's brother and couldn't even remember his name.
If he truly were the all-knowing Demon King, it might've worked. Instead, it only stoked the flames of anger.
"...What a load of crap."
There was no need to hear more. It all boiled down to sacrificing others for his own satisfaction.
Not that it was even true, probably.
Not a shred of guilt or remorse showed in the Demon King's eyes.
"I'll strike first. Licht."
"Do what you want. Kainel."
I stepped aside to let Kainel unleash his rage. The hero transformed into light and charged forward.
I mirrored him with Shine Advance, diving in from the opposite side. Our two beams of light, arcing diagonally, bent at right angles and converged on a single point.
Shweeeeeek—! Kainel and I aimed for the Demon King's throat. At that instant, Infinity barely guarded it with the Cyclops's remaining arms.
Fresh gashes from our blades marred the backs of his hands, dark crimson blood trickling down.
"Grk...! Damn, damn it!!"
He lashed out with frantic punches and stomped the ground, roaring. The Cyclops's attacks tightened around us in sync with Infinity's movements.
Kainel chanted toward Infinity, who was toying with us like a human tormenting ants.
A herd of pristine white lions materialized before us, illusions swarming to block the crushing hands and feet bearing down.
That was an Imperial Knight Captain technique. How was the current Kainel even using it?
"How the hell do you know that move...?"
"Oh, this? Learned it from Leon a few days ago."
He answered readily to my puzzled question.
Leon—the guy I'd beaten senseless during the grade exam to knock some sense into him. Who'd have thought it'd pay off here?
"...I worked hard because I wanted to protect Ariel."
Kainel now resembled the [Knight Heart] version I remembered. He'd fully shaken off his trauma with the Demon King.
No more hesitation. No more running.
Or maybe his feelings for Ariel had finally borne fruit. Or it could be thanks to the elixir of calamity.
Either way, I believed he'd grown stronger with the resolve to protect Ariel.
"..."
That was the hero in my eyes.
Time for me to step up. Right now, the Demon King was blocking our assaults with his knuckles.
Clang—! Clang—! The holy swords clashed against them with metallic rings.
Knuckles and swords made for an odd matchup, but punches and kicks alone couldn't fend off our relentless speed.
Not against a coordinated assault from two people.
I knew how Kainel handled his blade, and he'd memorized my techniques through our spars.
It was synergy worthy of long-time friends.
"Then let's all just die together, you trash!!"
Realizing he couldn't hold out, the Demon King clasped his hands in a mudra, attempting something desperate.
Infinity grinned through the blood pouring from him, a sinister chuckle escaping his lips.
"Licht. This is..."
"...Insane."
The Cyclops's massive eye fixed on us. Its maw gaped wide, pristine white fangs and jaws lunging like it meant to devour us whole.
There was no escaping it. Our feet sank like into quicksand, the floor swirling into an antlion pit.
Was he planning to swallow the entire space? Even if it killed him too.
At this rate, Pine outside might get caught up. The darkness was dispersing, the spatial rift unraveling.
To eliminate the prophesied hero, no sacrifice was too great—that attitude ground my teeth.
"..."
Was the problem that she was the Hero of Affection? Even as the Nameless Saintess, only death awaited Pine.
Was escaping such a cruel fate truly impossible?
"Licht. He's hiding in the Cyclops's hands...!"
Infinity had shielded himself with the remaining arms to unleash his ultimate. An attack that wide would hurt him too.
"Obsession. Mutual Love."
I gripped the hilt tight and overlaid my colors onto the transparent glass sword. The Light Holy Sword now gleamed pitch black.
If Pine being the Hero of Affection was the issue, then I'd become something similar. Prophecies and fates? Nonsense in this world.
"...Not that you'd understand."
I stared slowly at the Demon King huddled in the Cyclops's palm. Purple hair peeked through the finger gaps.
"These two swords are one and the same. Same creator."
As I spoke, I drew a heart sword from my chest. This one pure white, opposite the one in my hand.
Thus, the two swords Pine had made for me began to merge.
Mutual Longing.
The sword born from Pine's thoughts of me, and the one I'd forged thinking of her, fused into a single weapon and dropped into my grasp.
Black and ebony intertwined without invading each other's domains, forming a wavy pattern.
"This sword's power..."
I continued toward the hand sheltering Infinity. Black glass shards formed around me, illuminating my form.
"Hey, Licht, you..."
"...creates clones identical to me."
Now voices overlapped. Kainel scanned our surroundings warily as multiple Black Knights appeared.
Clones with wolf ears and tails manifesting as black smoke atop helmets and armor. Whose kink was this, anyway?
The Demon Slayer I'd used before had lacked one crucial motion.
"This time, I'll mix in White Mountain for the perfect Demon Slayer."
I began the Demon Slayer with my clones. Countless strikes hammered the massive hand like a skyscraper.
Clear Stream and Wing Flow to block the warping space.
Red Eye and Reverse Scale Thrust to target the giant's weak points.
Void Slash and One Sword Falling Blossom to whittle down its stubborn defenses.
"H-How...? Infinite power can't be resisted!!"
The Cyclops was reduced to mere bones. The Demon King hiding within was exposed.
Infinite power? Did he think endless addition and subtraction equaled infinity?
I prepared the final motion—reversed from before.
Right hand clenched on the sword, left foot forward. Behind me rose a snowy mountain and a massive black wolf contrasting the backdrop.
"Demon Slayer. Fang Wolf."
White Mountain fused with Shadow Slash.
Now her shadow concealed her, my true form forward. Gazing at the rippling white wolf shadow, I kicked off the ground.
Awooooooo—!!
A tremendous howl erupted from behind. The black wolf lunged at Infinity with savage breaths.
"Impossible. This can't be—!!"
My sword severed the Demon King's head alongside it.