Demon King

...What the hell is this?

A flood of messages suddenly rang out inside my head, and a sensation of sheer omnipotence poured through every inch of my body. I stood there in a daze, turning the contents of those messages over in my mind as I tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Something similar had occurred before, when I'd told Raphaela I intended to found a new nation — but this time was different. The evolution of a trait. Authorities. A message wishing me luck. Cryptic, all of it.

I was still sinking into thought when that same voice continued inside my head.

Ohh.

Authorities handed out as generously as a deluxe holiday gift set. Even at a glance, every last one of them boasted absurd, broken performance.

I was still pondering how to put them to use when Luke, having realized my identity, came forward to greet me.

"...I'd had my suspicions, but I never imagined I'd run into you in a place like this. Luke Stareil, eldest son of Baron Stareil, presents his respects to His Grace, the Grand Duke of Di Rebellion."

A noble scion offering proper courtesy to a grand duke. I gave the boy of the stars a casual little wave.

"Raise your head. More importantly — what brings you all the way out here?"

"Well, the truth is..."

Luke hemmed and hawed. It didn't look like an easy question to answer. Fair enough. Who would believe you if you said the stars had guided you here to save people in danger?

I swept my hair back and spoke in a careless tone.

"Out with it."

"Well... this may be hard to believe, but sometimes the stars guide me to a particular place. That's how I ended up coming all the way to a forest this far from the Imperial Academy... but thanks to that, I was able to save those young girls, so I suppose it was a blessing."

Luke glanced toward the room where the girls were staying and smiled softly. He'd come all this way from the Academy, hadn't found any great treasure, and was simply happy that he'd saved someone. One way or another, he really was a good-hearted kid.

Still, it bothers me that I stole his growth events...

Come to think of it — first Eustia's kidnapping, and now the elf-hunting incident. I had personally erased the very catalysts that were supposed to drive Luke's growth. Of course, I'd done it for the heroines, so I didn't regret it in the slightest. But I still needed a plan for his development.

Watching Luke's eyes gleam as he gazed up at the darkening sky, an idea struck me. Why not spar with him right here and test out my newly acquired Authorities while I was at it?

Luke needed a catalyst for growth. If he could learn even a little from sparring with me, it would help him break through his current wall. I was, after all, a fan of the original novel — I knew every last thing he needed to grow, inside and out. I knew exactly what the current him was lacking. And I, too, would get a chance to test the Authorities I'd gained today. Two birds with one stone.

I slipped on the mask I'd been holding in one hand and spoke at a leisurely pace.

"Luke Stareil. How about a spar with me?"

"A spar, Your Grace?"

"That's right. The desire to help others isn't as easy to come by as people think. I like that about you. I thought I might give you a special lesson."

With a smooth rasp of steel, a longsword slid free of its scabbard. I let the pure-white blade catch the light as I continued.

"Or do you lack the confidence to cross blades with me?"

Scared? If you don't want to, that's fine.

But there was no way he would refuse. A spar with a Sword Master was, in terms of the world I'd come from, like getting to practice with a Challenger-rank player in League of Legends. For a first-year Knight Department student at the Academy to turn down an opportunity like that was unthinkable.

"Then I humbly accept."

Just as I thought. Luke's starlit eyes filled with resolve. He drew a longsword that held a light as beautiful as the Milky Way itself, and we took our positions in the courtyard, a proper distance apart.

"What's this, a duel?"

"Come on. Does that look like a duel to you? From the atmosphere, I'd say they're sparring."

"Judging by the quality of their clothes and gear, they look like young noblemen. Curious how strong they are."

Two swordsmen facing off with longswords was enough to make passersby glance over, wondering what was going on. It was a little annoying, but them watching wasn't a real problem. Once the spar started, they wouldn't be able to understand what they were seeing anyway.

I let my sword hang in a low guard and spoke.

"I'll yield the first move. For the record, I won't be using aura."

"Understood. Then, Grand—"

"Call me Licht."

"...Sir Licht. I look forward to learning from you."

"Even if you give it everything you have, you'll find it difficult to so much as reach me."

Arrogant, provocative words if there ever were any. But perhaps because the speaker was one of only three Sword Masters in the entire empire, the boy of the stars simply set his face and steeled himself for victory.

"I'd recommend you not let your guard down."

Luke raised his longsword in a peculiar stance, preparing to charge. It was a single-point breakthrough posture, as if he were wielding a spear rather than a sword.

Letting my guard down, huh. It was something I'd come to understand through actual combat and training since arriving in this world: Behirith's body was genuinely, ridiculously overpowered. I had a newfound respect for the Luke of the original novel's ending — how on earth had he managed to kill this? Which meant that at his current level, Luke couldn't land a single valid hit on me. The goal of today's spar was to help him grow enough to land even one.

Looking around, dusk had already settled over the inn, and cheap lamps were casting a gentle glow across the courtyard.

A brief silence filled the space between us. The moment I blinked, Luke kicked off the ground and lunged, thrusting his sword with overwhelming force.

A longsword came driving in, straight and honest, toward a vital point. That's a feint. I'd wanted to play along a bit and see how he reacted — but I had something I wanted to test as well.

Right. So if I do it like this...

As Luke's blade came rushing in, I lifted my right foot, laden with mana, ever so slightly. And the instant only a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠single step remained between us, I slammed that raised foot down into the earth with force.

A massive tremor roared through the ground. At the same time, blood-red mana spread outward in a circle — and Luke, who'd been charging straight at me, dropped to one knee on the spot.

"Ghk...! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠What in the world...?"

"That's one death."

I rested my blade lightly against the throat of Luke, who was desperately trying to force strength back into his legs, and spoke. The performance checked out. For a fighter of Luke's caliber to show a clear opening in the middle of combat... whether it would work on someone at a knight-commander's level was still unknown, but even this much was more than useful enough.

"Hey... what did I just see?"

"That boy was definitely charging in with his sword, and then he just dropped to his knees."

"Was he a mage, not a swordsman?"

"I've never seen or even heard of magic like that."

The onlookers murmured among themselves at the sight of my Authority. I looked down at Luke and asked, provocatively,

"Giving up?"

"...Please. Another round."

The boy of the stars rose, biting his lip. I glanced up for a moment — the sky had already turned to night, filled with stars. This was his time.

After catching his breath, he reset his stance and charged at me once more.

"Hup!"

A burst of metallic noise as longsword met longsword. Wave after wave of fierce sword strikes followed, as if he refused to give me even a moment's opening. A downward slash aimed at my left shoulder. A thrust boring in toward my heart. Sharp attacks stacked systematically, each one trying to create an opening.

Sparring with Luke was a valuable lesson for me as well. Amid sword strikes that poured down like starlight, I grew more completely accustomed to this body. Luke, too, seemed to be grasping something. I parried and deflected his attacks one by one, pointing out each thing he needed — exactly as I knew them, as a fan of the original.

"Don't lose your own tempo. Pouring on attacks as fast as you can isn't everything."

"U-understood...!"

"Precision overwhelms power, and timing outstrips speed. Don't forget that."

"Yes!"

Luke answered vigorously without slowing his assault. The moment he opened some distance and swung his sword again, I leapt high and planted my foot in midair. I wanted to test another Authority.

Will this actually work?

I hesitated for a moment. But the doubt was brief.

With the faint sensation of mana draining from my body, an invisible foothold formed beneath my feet. I stepped lightly across the night air, the cool evening breeze on my face. High places really did have the better view.

"Wha—"

Luke's face went blank with disbelief. Looking down at him, I opened my palm.

As if I'd become that famous British economist, an invisible hand stretched toward Luke, seized the guard of his longsword's hilt, and with a single burst of force yanked it free as easily as pulling a radish from the ground.

"Ah! W-what is this?!"

Luke's face was so stunned he could barely speak. Ridiculous, right? Yeah. I feel the same way. I never thought I'd get broken abilities like these.

"Well? Want to keep going?"

I landed on the ground with a flourish, and holding both swords — one in each hand — I asked Luke. He clenched his fists and trembled. Well. I felt a little bad, but the Authority tests had been thoroughly conclusive.

Still, there was something oddly familiar about all this. These... hadn't I seen abilities like these somewhere before?

Heavenly Demon Reign Step — incapacitating enemies with nothing but a footstep. Void Walking — a martial artist of the highest realm strolling through the sky. Dragon-Capturing Hand — freely manipulating even distant objects with one's own energy. They were the kind of abilities an absolute being from a wuxia novel would have.

...So does that make me the Heavenly Demon?

No. To put it in terms that fit this world—

The Demon King...?

"...It seems my skill is still sorely lacking."

The original novel's protagonist hung his head, grinding his teeth in frustration. And standing before him, I had — absurdly enough — gone from former final boss to currently serving Demon King.