The Demon King's Subjugation
Three years had passed since the Hero was summoned. Through the tireless exploits of the Hero Party, the war between the Demon King and humanity was racing toward its end.
Elysia, Knight Commander of the Tower Sword Empire; Erwen, High Elf Royal Divine Archer; Rene, the last witch and Magic Tower Master; Mary, Saint and Agent of the Goddess; and Kanna, the Hero summoned from another world. This party of five beauties was advancing on the Demon King's stronghold with unstoppable momentum.
The Four Heavenly Kings who once guarded the Demon King's Castle had long since been annihilated by the Hero Party's efforts. Three had fallen to their blades and magic; the last had fled the battlefield with nothing but her life. By the time the party reached the castle, virtually no fighting force remained save the Demon King herself. Steeling their resolve, the five climbed at last to the throne where the Demon King reigned.
Contrary to every legend, the Demon King was a voluptuous beauty in a black dress, her presence darkly alluring. Seated upon her throne, she fixed the party with purple eyes and spoke.
"So you finally arrive. Slower than the last Hero Party."
"Everyone, form up. She's at least twice as strong as the Bone Dragon we took down last time."
"Who would've thought the Demon King was a woman~ This might be worth researching~"
Elysia, clad in heavy plate, raised her sword and shield. Rene had already unfurled a dense lattice of magic circles, drawing every scrap of mana within the castle into her grasp.
"I'm ready! Mary, buffs!"
"Don't worry. Kanna — the Goddess has already answered."
The Hero swung her greatsword, and a trail of sacred light scoured the ground around her, illuminating the Demon King. Cloaking herself in her own shadow, the Demon King charged. But while she was occupied countering the holy magic, silent arrows streaked toward her again and again.
"This Hero Party may have come late, but they've grown all the more for it."
A black veil of shadow wrapped the Demon King once more. From the shadows she had summoned earlier, a three-headed dragon erupted and lunged straight at Rene.
"Not a chance!"
Clang! Elysia smashed one of the three heads with her shield and locked blades with the other two. Even after the blow, the shadow dragon pressed her hard — until Rene finished her chant, and the tide of battle turned in an instant.
"Eternal Storm."
"Call Lightning."
"Lightning Spear."
KRA-KOOM!!!
A storm erupted at point-blank range, slamming into the Demon King as bolts of lightning and spheres of crackling electricity detonated again and again. The sheer destructive force staggered her; the three-headed dragon took heavy damage as well. In the brief flicker of her shadow as it struggled to regenerate, the Hero seized the opening and charged.
"Haaaaah!"
Crash! Crash!
A furious barrage of blows, wreathed in sacred light, made the Demon King's veil shudder. In the instant it wavered, several green-glowing arrows buried themselves in her shoulder.
"…Got her."
"Hmph!"
At Erwen's single word the arrows sprouted vines, trying to bind the Demon King — only to be annihilated in a heartbeat by black flame erupting from her hand.
"…Monster."
"Hah. As always, the most irritating one is that long-eared brat."
The black flame that had swallowed the vines swelled, devouring even the Demon King's own veil before surging outward. Faced with that terrifying firepower, the Hero had no choice but to fall back. Free of interference, the Demon King detonated the burning veil and targeted Erwen, who still lurked in the darkness.
Moments later the veil exploded, spraying countless shards of shadow — but Erwen had already vanished into the dark.
Fully merged with the gloom, Erwen regarded the Demon King and spoke.
"…Slow."
"Erwen!! That magic is still active~!!"
Thwip!!!
Erwen thought she had escaped the blast radius, but the shattered fragments of the veil transformed into shadow arrows and streaked for her back. Even the swiftest member of the party could not dodge every one of the countless projectiles.
"Kh…"
Struck in the right arm, Erwen dropped her bow and retreated toward the Saint.
Meanwhile the Hero had recovered her stance, and Elysia — having finished off the three-headed dragon — charged the Demon King at her side.
"Eyes on me, Demon King!"
"Erwen, focus on healing."
"Don't worry about Lady Erwen. May the Goddess be with you."
"You think you have leisure to rest?"
The Demon King unfurled her veil again, shoving the warriors back, and yanked Erwen's arrow free from her shoulder.
"Always so many of you. Every time, such a nuisance."
Black chains and a scroll materialized in her hand, linked themselves to the extracted arrow, and shot toward Elysia as she assailed the veil.
Zing! Clack.
"Hmph. Mental magic doesn't work on me."
"Is that so? [Attack the Hero]"
With a grotesque sound, Elysia's blade whipped toward the Hero in an instant.
"Wha—?! My body—!"
"What kind of mental magic is this~? To think it could control even Elysia, who has the strongest will of us all~"
The mage marveled at a spell worth studying — but the situation was deteriorating far faster than her curiosity could keep pace. With Elysia blocking the Hero, both front-liners were neutralized. While the Divine Archer and the Saint poured everything into healing, the Demon King was free once more to choose her targets at will.
Kill the long-eared brat first, then take the Saint. This time I might actually unravel them without anyone suiciding.
Leisurely preparing the same magic that had snared Erwen, the Demon King fixed her gaze on the rear guard. In that moment Elysia, still driving the Hero back, shouted urgently:
"Kh— I'll force an opening somehow. When the chance comes, forget about me and go for the Demon King!"
"Don't worry~ Even if you die, I'll put your body to good use as research material~ Every scrap of mana in this place except the Demon King's shadow is already in my hands~"
⟨ Circle Overload: Explosion ⟩
At the mage's signal, Elysia steeled herself with grim resolve and locked eyes with the Hero. Pouring even more strength into her uncontrolled body, she hurled the Hero backward with tremendous force. The Hero flew past the rear guard; Elysia, pursuing her, ended up standing level with the Demon King, who had stepped forward to target the back line.
In that instant every one of Rene's magic circles but one streaked toward Elysia and detonated. The colossal mana explosion engulfed both Elysia and the Demon King, blasting them apart. The Hero recovered her footing at once, raced to protect the Saint, and began driving the Demon King back. Elysia collapsed, every last ounce of strength spent — but the time she had bought allowed Mary to finish healing Erwen.
"…I'm fine now."
"…I'll cover you."
Having absorbed the full force of the mage's power and the Hero's relentless assault, the Demon King was in poor shape. With Erwen rejoining the fray, she was no longer a match for the Hero Party. Spell after spell shattered against their combined assault until, tattered and broken, the Demon King pressed a blade of shadow to her own throat.
"I will rise again."
"I have no chance this time — but next time will be different."
Even in death, so long as the Demon God's power remained, the Demon King would resurrect in the next age. Dying quickly to conserve that power was itself a viable strategy. But in this age, there was one other who had mastered magic to a degree rivaling the Demon King herself.
"Not while I'm here~"
⟨ Perfect Binding ⟩
Whirr, whirr, whirr—
In that instant the mage's final magic circle transformed into chains of light, coiling around the Demon King and her shadow alike. An ordinary mage could not have bound so much as the Demon King's toe with a mere restraint spell — but this woman was a monster who, even now, was devouring every last drop of mana within the castle.
"Kh— You think this will—!!!"
The Demon King raged, swinging her arms in a desperate physical assault to shatter the magic. But there was still one among them who had held back her greatest techniques throughout the entire battle. Starlight gleaming in her eyes, the Saint fixed the Demon King with her gaze and spoke.
"There is no next time. Demon King — in this age, we will bind you properly and take your head with a holy relic."
Over the Demon King's voluptuous body — already tightly bound in chains of light — a shimmering cloth of radiance appeared and began to wind around her. Starting from her feet and climbing to her chest, her entire form was wrapped until she could not so much as twitch.
"A sealing spell? There are still those who can use such things?"
"But you think this will stop me from dying!!!"
Black mana roiled unstably within the Demon King's body, preparing to detonate.
"Ah-ah, no you don't~ I'm here this time too~"
At a flick of the mage's fingers, the mana that had been about to explode stabilized at once — and instead tightened the sealing magic's hold even further.
"Kh— Just kill me already."
"We will. After we transport you to the Empire — with the First Emperor's sword, bestowed by the Goddess herself."
Even the Demon King's face, the last part left free, was wound several times in the cloth of light. As the quieted Demon King was drawn into a magic circle by a few final incantations from Rene, she vanished — teleported straight to the Empire.
"It's over~ Though using even my last magic circle on the Demon King means we'll have to walk back~"
"Is Elysia dead~? If so, per our original contract, she's mine for experiments~"
The mage's gaze drifted toward Elysia's body, of which barely the outline remained.
"…Is Elysia dead?"
"I'm sorry, Hero. I just exhausted every last drop of my holy power on the seal…"
"Lady Elysia's injuries are beyond what I can heal in my current state."
The Saint shook her head, looking at the Hero with pitying eyes.
"No — don't worry. Thanks to the Demon King suddenly trying to kill herself, I've got enough mana left for one cast."
⟨ Perfect Restore ⟩
The ultimate recovery magic — capable of curing every status ailment and injury — unfurled from the Hero's hands, and Elysia's body began returning to its original form.
"…Thank goodness."
"Tch. So all we salvaged in the end was the Four Heavenly Kings' corpses~"
While Elysia regained consciousness, Erwen quickly moved to support her. Rene opened and closed her personal subspace with a look of regret, sneaking glances at Elysia all the while. Once Elysia had come to and the Hero had checked on everyone's condition, she spoke.
"Thank you, all of you. We caught the Demon King because of you."
"I'll wish upon the Goddess to return to my world — but I'll never forget any of you."
Elysia, now fully awake, flushed pink across her cheeks. Beside her, Erwen tugged her hood lower over a chest that looked ready to burst free; Rene was still glancing back and forth between the Hero and Elysia, as if she couldn't quite let go of her disappointment.
After confirming Elysia's health one last time, the Saint beamed and said:
"Don't worry, Hero. Once the Demon King is dead, the Goddess will come — you'll have plenty of time for farewells."
"Everyone, to the Empire first! I can give you a proper reception there! And we can watch the Demon King's execution while we're at it!"
"Tch. I'm buried in research, but… just this once~"
"…Somewhere with fewer people."
And so the Hero Party's journey came to a close.
Afterward the Demon King was executed. Following a grand victory celebration with everyone in the Empire's banquet hall, the members of the Hero Party exchanged their farewells.
One week after the farewells—
A full week had passed, and still the Hero had not met the Goddess.
When nothing continued to happen no matter how much time went by, the Hero finally lost patience and set out herself, hunting down every member of the party. From the public figure Elysia to Erwen, who had been hiding somewhere asleep, she tracked down every last one of them enjoying their ordinary lives and gathered them at an Imperial inn. The Hero Party, forcibly reassembled, busied themselves trying to soothe their visibly agitated leader.
"WHY!!! Can I STILL!!!!!! not use my smartphone?!"
"Calm down, Hero. Life here's not so bad."
"What's a 'smartphone'? Care to explain properly~?"
"…zzz"
"I'll go to the Holy Kingdom and communicate with the Goddess myself. Please wait just a little longer."
Elysia, harboring a faint hope; Rene, burning with scholarly curiosity; Erwen, still lost in dreamland; and Mary, unsettled and unable to fathom the Goddess's will. Each was sorting through her own thoughts when the Hero suddenly cried out:
"Could it be because of that Succubus Queen bitch?"
"Do we have to kill all the Four Heavenly Kings and the Demon King for true peace?!"
At the Hero's speculation, everyone but the dozing Erwen tilted their heads.
"She'd already lost most of her power and fled, right?"
"How many times do I have to say it~ Dream demons are non-corporeal beings. As long as people dream, complete extermination is impossible~"
"No — I think she has a point."
"..zz..!"
"The condition for wishing upon the Goddess is 'to bring true peace to this world.' If that's the case… it may be because we still haven't dealt with Lilith, who remains a threat."
At those words, life returned to the Hero's eyes. It felt as though the purpose that had vanished with the Demon King's defeat had been restored.
"Then I'll go looking for traces of Lilith. You'll all help me again, right?"
Kanna looked around at them with eyes full of expectation, already imagining the Hero Party's reformation — but everyone averted their gaze.
"I've just been appointed Commander of the Imperial Palace Guard… I'll need about a year to stabilize the Empire."
"I'm drowning in overdue research~"
"…Have to go back to the forest."
"I want to help! But rather than following you alone right now, I'll stop by the Holy Kingdom, secure support, and come back."
"Mm… Then for now I'll track the trail on my own. If I don't find anything, I'll join up with Elysia in a year and head for the Holy Kingdom. Thank you, everyone."
"Rene, Erwen — see you next time."
And so, carrying a quiet disappointment in her heart and a promise for one year hence, the Hero watched as the party disbanded for the time being.