The 71st Demon King
Finn was likely outside the barrier. And the moment I stepped past the boundary, that assumption became reality.
The Chaos Beasts' movements...!
Even the Woolballs, which usually remained completely stationary, were slowly migrating somewhere. This could only mean one thing.
It has begun.
But it wasn't too late yet. If I hurried, I could still stop it. Besides, I had a rough idea of his location.
He'll be at the center of where these things are swarming.
With that thought, I began to follow the trail of the Chaos Beasts.
After traveling for a short while, I felt the density of the Chaos Beasts steadily increasing. At the same time, his likely location narrowed down significantly.
Is it that cathedral-like building over there?
Most of the Chaos Beasts were gathering around the exterior of the structure, though they didn't seem to be entering the cathedral itself.
Then how do I get inside...?
No matter how capable I had become at hunting the Chaos Beasts in this area, fighting such a massive horde alone was impossible.
And I don't want to make a scene.
That left only one option. I pulled a black bead from my inventory—one of the items I had recovered from the bandits after wiping them out.
I tossed it toward the Chaos Beasts. Instantly, black particles began to disperse among them.
Confirming the distraction, I drew Amyah and swapped it with the Gravitus Replicant.
Amyah.
In that instant, an unfamiliar sensation wrapped around my body. Although I had used Amyah a few times since acquiring it, it was a feeling I still couldn't quite get used to.
Still, that very sensation assured me that its effect was working perfectly. Melted into the shadows, I slipped silently through the swarming horde of Chaos Beasts.
I can slip in through there.
A collapsed section of the cathedral wall caught my eye. It was a bit high, but nothing I couldn't scale. Deciding on my path, I carefully climbed over the rubble and stepped inside.
The interior of the cathedral, completely devoid of light, was pitch-black. It was the perfect environment to easily conceal myself using Amyah.
Where is Finn?
As I scanned the cathedral, a faint light caught my eye. It was an unsettling, dark crimson glow rising from the altar at the front of the hall. A silhouette stood before it, blocking the light.
It's Finn!
Even from behind, I recognized him instantly. Keeping myself shrouded in the darkness, I crept toward him. Since I intended to end this with a single surprise strike, I couldn't afford to make even the slightest sound.
Just a little closer...
Just as I closed the distance to within striking range of the Gravitus Replicant, Finn suddenly spun around.
"Huh? You're..."
He noticed me? There was no time to hesitate.
Absolute Obedience
I abandoned the idea of pulling the Gravitus Replicant from my inventory. Instead, I lunged forward, aiming the Amyah already in my hand straight for his throat. But Finn twisted his body with unnatural speed, narrowly dodging the blade.
"Alan? What are you doing?!"
"I'm sorry!"
Finn wasn't to blame. He had only tried to save Wyss, only to fall victim to the Demon King dwelling inside her. And...
His body has already been seized by the Demon King.
Otherwise, there was no way a normal human without a Stigma could evade my attack so effortlessly.
"Alan! Stop!"
I wouldn't be fooled. Finn looked panicked, but his movements carried a distinct, practiced ease. This was a bastard who would eventually play the role of a nation's king; putting on an act like this was child's play to him.
"If you're going to be like this, then I'll...!"
You'll what? Finally ready to show your true colors? I already knew exactly what was possessing Finn. No matter how much he struggled...
Crack! My vision blurred. I had clearly seen Finn's fist coming and tried to dodge, but a sudden headbutt caught me off guard. Through my spinning vision, I saw Finn drawing a dagger from his pack.
Damn it. I had let my guard down. Relying too heavily on my superior stats compared to an ordinary human had been my mistake. No matter how weak the host body was, my opponent was still a Demon King.
Fall back!
Absolute Obedience
Though my head was still spinning, my body moved on its own, allowing me to evade Finn's follow-up strike. I immediately leaped back to put some distance between us. Finn didn't pursue, instead shouting from where he stood.
"Why are you attacking me, Alan?!"
Why was I attacking him?
"Because there is a Demon King inside you."
"A Demon King? What are you talking about?"
"You're being controlled right now. Haven't you noticed?"
I pointed to the intricate magic circle drawn on the floor. Candles flickered at its corners, and a pig's heart rested at its center, casting an eerie, dark crimson glow.
"There's no way you prepared this magic circle yourself."
"That's..."
He couldn't deny it. Not that I had any obligation to convince him anyway. I sheathed Amyah and summoned the Gravitus Replicant from my inventory. Finn's eyes widened at the sight.
"What was that just now...?"
Instead of answering, I leveled my sword at him.
"I'm sorry. To kill the Demon King inside you, I have no choice."
From here on, I would utilize my B+-rank Swordsmanship. No matter how powerful a Demon King was, they couldn't overcome me using a mere human body. I lunged at him.
*Clang!* Our blades clashed. Finn's arm trembled violently as he barely managed to block my strike.
"So what if she's a Demon King... Wyss is Wyss!"
Shaking off his tremors, he summoned every ounce of his strength to shove my sword back.
"I promised to give her back her home!"
I shook my head.
"What nonsense... There is no way to restore the Ice Valley. It was destroyed long ago."
"There is! Wyss said it's possible if she just completes that magic circle!"
He was hopelessly naive.
"Did it never cross your mind that a Demon King might lie to you?"
"Wyss, lie? That's impossible. Wyss is always so kind and gentle!"
He was wrong. He had only seen a fraction of who Wyss really was. The Demon King Wyss inside him was the exact opposite—cunning, cold, and cruel. Because of her unique traits, the 71st Demon King had been one of the most polarizing figures in the game.
But words won't get through to him.
In that case, I had to subdue him by force. Finn's consciousness seemed to linger, but since the Demon King held actual control over his body, I had no other choice.
"Alan... you?"
Finn seemed to read the intent in my eyes. He raised his dagger, falling into a defensive stance.
But a dagger is still just a dagger.
It was at a severe disadvantage against a longsword. I swung my blade with practiced ease, quickly overwhelming him.
"Ugh..."
Once he lost his footing, Finn was helpless. Though he barely managed to parry with the Demon King's assistance, shallow cuts began to open all over his body. Just as I was about to deliver the decisive blow, his movements abruptly changed.
Wyss is a Demon King?
She's deceiving me?
That couldn't be true. Wyss's bright, smiling face flashed through Finn's mind. Someone as kind as her would never do such a thing.
(That's right. Alan is the one lying to you.)
She agreed. And yet...
Why?
Even with Wyss helping him from within, he was being pushed back. Alan, who had seemed like a simple inn employee, was driving him into a corner with terrifyingly skilled swordsmanship.
I can't let it end like this.
He didn't want to die. He had promised to restore Wyss's home. If he could do that, surely Wyss would finally understand his feelings.
(But at this rate, we're going to lose.)
It was an undeniable truth. He had already taken several hits from Alan's relentless assault. And now, Alan's sword was thrusting straight toward his throat.
(Do you need my help?)
There was no reason to hesitate.
Help me, Wyss.
(Then surrender your body to me completely.)
The Demon King finally makes her appearance.
Until now, the Demon King hadn't fully taken over Finn's body. But that had changed. She had succeeded in seizing absolute control.
What is this?
As proof, I could no longer predict his movements. A series of erratic, completely irregular actions followed, devoid of any discernible pattern.
"Tch!"
In an instant, I took several hits. The flow of battle, which I had been dominating just moments ago, flipped entirely.
How is she this strong...?
In the game, the 71st Demon King's combat power wasn't described as particularly high. At best, she was on par with an ordinary Hero...
But she's still a handful for me.
After all, my current combat power was only around the level of a Hero Candidate. Even so, I had to come up with a plan.
What do I do...?
As I struggled to defend myself, Finn's mouth opened.
"Disappointing."
The intonation was completely different from Finn's. It was the Demon King.
"What's disappointing?"
"You showed quite an interesting swordsmanship for someone with such a pathetic presence, so I went through the trouble of fully taking over this body. But this is all you have?"
At that moment, a fist slammed into my chest. A heavy impact. The wind was knocked out of me as I was sent flying backward.
"Cough, cough!"
Finn—or rather, the Demon King—approached my fallen form and kicked me. Still paralyzed from the blow to my solar plexus, I rolled helplessly across the stone floor.
Looking down at me, the Demon King sneered.
"Oh dear. You seemed quite close with Wyss. What a pity to die here. But don't worry, I'll send Wyss to join you soon enough."
Having completely taken over Finn, she no longer bothered to hide her true nature. I looked up and asked her.
"Are you sure you're fine with that?"
"With what?"
"With killing Wyss. She was your host, your original human body. Do you really feel no attachment to her?"
The Demon King's lips curled upward.
"You certainly know a lot. That's just one more reason to kill you. To answer your question—no, I feel absolutely nothing. The Wyss you know is nothing but an empty shell."
She raised her hand and jerked her thumb backward, pointing in the direction of the Ice Valley.
"The only true Wyss is me, the one who endured the destruction of the Ice Valley. I was reborn from that ruin. That naive girl doesn't even understand why this world must perish in the first place."
Her words caught my attention.
Why this world must perish?
That was something even I, having played the game, didn't know. But I couldn't afford to dwell on it right now. For a brief moment, an opening had appeared.
He definitely flinched.
The moment the Demon King spoke the truth, Finn's body had flinched. The control over his body hadn't completely shifted yet. That meant there was still a chance.
"Then what do you think? Who do you think the real Wyss is?"
I called out his name.
"Finn?"
I sprang to my feet. Now. The Demon King's body froze. For a split second, Finn had wrested back control. I thrust the Gravitus Replicant straight through Finn's chest. Blood sprayed from his back. It was a fatal blow.
In that exact moment, Finn's body began to be enveloped in a dark crimson aura. It began to grotesquely warp and mutate his flesh.
"Y-you bastard! How dare you...!"
Until now, the Demon King had merely been fighting in a human body for her own amusement. Though the 71st Demon King was a parasitic type, she still possessed a true demonic form. And that form was about to manifest.
I would have been done for if I hadn't experienced this pattern before...
But I already knew it. That was precisely why I had saved this technique.
Gravitus Replicant.
I reduced the sword's weight to the absolute minimum.
Wind Authority.
I felt the sensation of the wind wrapping around my blade. I swung. Through my training with Wind Authority, I had reached a point where I could perfectly control the weightless Gravitus Replicant.
Accelerated by the Wind Authority, the Gravitus Replicant slashed forward. To my knowledge, there were very few strikes in the entire game faster than this. But speed wasn't the only terrifying aspect of this technique.
Maximum weight release.
Just before making contact, the Gravitus—now heavier than any other blade in existence—slammed into the Demon King with unmatched velocity. The only possible outcome was absolute destruction.
A deafening boom, like dozens of sticks of dynamite detonating at once, echoed through the cathedral. The Demon King was obliterated in an instant, leaving nothing but scattered fragments of flesh raining down around me.
You have defeated a Demon King.
You have acquired the title: [Demon King Slayer].
As a bonus for the title [Demon King Slayer], you have obtained 200 SP.
Cumulative SP has reached 500.
Your second Stigma is now being inherited.
Looking at the spot where Finn had stood, now completely devoid of any trace, I whispered, "I'm sorry."