Encounter

"My liege."

"What is it."

"……."

"Ah, what! If you're gonna call me, then say something."

"Kuhuhu! It is you, my Demon King! You've survived!"

"Of course."

"Aah! What a relief!"

Baldr kept shedding tears like molten chicken shit the whole way as I flew with him gripped by the scruff of his neck, and my irritation was steadily building.

"This isn't working. Just fly ahead on your own."

"What? My Lieeeeege!"

I hurled Baldr toward the Demon King Castle, and he shot off into the distance in an instant.

I'd brought him along because he knew I was the Hero and I worried he might accidentally spill my secret, but the entire trip had turned into a needless lava tear-flood.

He'd been spouting nonsense like I'd jumped in to save him or whatever misunderstanding that was, but I also tossed him ahead so he could reach the castle first and disable the defensive magic circle.

Having ruled the entire demon realm for 998 loops, I knew the path to the Demon King Castle like the back of my hand—no guide needed.

But what the hell was this?

"Where the hell am I?"

I'd somehow gotten lost.

The direction was right, but the terrain wasn't what I remembered.

Is it because this loop is five years earlier than the timeline I knew?

Baldr bringing me to the Demon King Castle happened even later than the awakening five years from now, so the paths might have changed even more.

The demon realm had collapsed far more without the Demon King than it was now, and I'd only known the state after the aghulma that devoured Barbatoss had wrecked even more of the terrain.

For now, the key was to keep flying straight without losing the overall direction.

The big picture was right, so if I just kept going like this...

That was when several poison arrows flew up from below.

I could hear the lowest-class black goblins screeching.

"It's the Hero! That bastard's after the Demon King!"

"We have to bring him down somehow!"

"Shoot! Fire!"

For some reason, these filthy, vicious scum were brimming with fanatical loyalty.

Despite being lower level than me, who had only awakened recently, the foolish idiots kept firing arrows that had no chance of hitting.

They weren't this loyal before...

I glanced down at the morons attacking me to protect me, then a chill ran down my spine. I scanned the demon realm I'd ruled as Demon King for 998 loops once more.

To get a better look at the whole thing, I flew higher.

Way higher.

And when I finally looked down from on high, the demon realm was utterly unlike anything I'd known or seen.

That's the real... demon realm?!

From that impossible height, the demon realm looked less like a planet or continent and more like a massive cave.

A deep, dark abyss with no visible end, sprawling out in vast width.

The "land" that I—no, all the demons—thought was the demon realm was just pus-filled blisters clinging to one wall of that cavern.

As I involuntarily sucked in a breath at its mind-boggling vastness, which dwarfed human comprehension, a massive shock hit me like a lightning bolt.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

My Hero armor's golden wings crumpled and folded from the impact, snuffing out the divine power they emitted.

"Hngh...!"

Just like Icarus whose wings melted in some ancient myth, I plummeted helplessly toward what I'd thought was demon realm soil.

Get it together...

If I hit like this, even I wouldn't walk away without broken bones.

A Demon King of the demon realm dying from a fall into the demon realm? Absurd.

Defying the shadow of an unacceptable death, I flailed my wings desperately, but for some reason, they wouldn't respond.

Am I really going to die like this?

It was the 999th death I'd face, but the 998th I'd experienced. As the familiar life-flashing montage played, something impossibly soft and cushy caught me.

"?!"

Before I could even register what it was...

Goosebumps erupted from head to toe.

Because in the far reaches of that vast, endless cavern, a crimson eye—vaster than the cavern itself, like a sun—glared right at me.

That voice was so immense it slammed into my body and soul with vibrations too vast for a mere Demon King like me to comprehend.

Urk!

Hearing that roar not just in my ears but reverberating through my entire mind made dark red blood surge up from my gut, and my consciousness faded once more.

No... if I pass out now, it's dangerous...

I fought desperately to stay awake, but in the end, I blacked out.

* * *

The ancient primordial dragon, 2nd Legion Commander of the demon realm Baldr, was thrilled beyond measure.

After a whopping 300 years, the Demon King was finally returning to the Demon King Castle!

Balpador had trashed the place while he was away in the human realm, but magic could fix that in no time.

He rebuilt the crumbled castle, whipped his subordinates into shape, and had the succubi deck it out with lavish decorations.

In the midst of all that frantic preparation, he suddenly remembered the magic defensive arrays.

Balpador wrecked the defensive arrays, so they shouldn't activate. Should be fine. Probably...?

Better safe than sorry.

As he rushed to check the arrays in the castle garden amid the welcome party prep, Baldr's face paled to the color of white-hot lava.

"Oh no! Not good for my liege!"

The array Balpador had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠disabled was only the one against high demons. The one against Heroes and divine power intruders was intact.

Balpador was a demon, so the divine array wouldn't affect him, and there'd been no need to disable it.

"It let demons through but blocked Heroes..."

Who could've guessed the Demon King would show up cosplaying as one?

The Demon King he'd met in the human realm had cleverly disguised himself as a Hero to deceive the humans—truly fitting for a Demon King!

No scheme, however cunning, could stand before him!

Baldr chuckled to himself, then snapped to and hurriedly disabled the divine power array in the garden too.

A bit late, but it'll be fine. He's the Demon King, after all.

As he glossed over the belated fix, something crashed into the garden beside him with a massive boom.

Shwoooooom—

Boom!

"Cough cough... What's with all this dust...? Hm?!"

Baldr waved his hand to clear the air, thinking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he'd need to clean the garden again, when his eyes went wide.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

With the array disabled, the unconscious Demon King—still in Hero form atop the now-inert magic circle—had fallen right down.

"What happened, Lord Baldr? Hey, that's a He—!"

Slash!

He slit the throats of the guards who'd rushed over at the noise in an instant, then whipped off his cloak to wrap the Demon King's body before anyone could see, scanning the area.

Thankfully, no one else but the dead guards.

Can't let them know the Hero is the Demon King. It'd cause chaos in the demon realm.

Decision made, Baldr hoisted the Demon King over his shoulder and slipped into a secret passage from the garden.

Oblivious to someone watching him and the Demon King...

* * *

Her again.

This woman who'd been appearing in my dreams every night since the night I awakened as the Hero, screaming unintelligible words.

But this dream, she just silently watched me.

Who the hell are you?

I wanted to see her face, but only a pitch-black silhouette like the night sky flickered—frustratingly anonymous.

What? I don't understand.

I leaned toward her mumbling voice, but my body was stuck to the ground like it was glued.

Invisible, she just stared at me.

As we gazed at each other in silence, a burning ache spread through my chest like it was pressed to a flame.

Is she... crying?

She'd been so noisy before, but never on the verge of tears.

I don't know why I suddenly wanted to rush to her and tell her not to cry, but it felt right, so I struggled to lift my waterlogged, cotton-heavy body.

Ugh...!

It was a dream, so straining wouldn't help, but I gritted my teeth and tried anyway.

Then.

The massive voice from before blackout slammed my mind, sending me plummeting endlessly.

"Gah!!"

I bolted upright with a strangled gasp.

"Your Majesty! Are you alright?!"

Clutching my pounding forehead, I looked around—the basement of the Demon King Castle.

"Forgive me for bringing you here. Your... Hero form hasn't worn off."

"I see."

I nodded vaguely at fidgety Baldr helping me up and checked my quest.

Damn, woke up too late.

Two days had passed since I blacked out, judging by the remaining time.

Piles of low demons who'd invaded the basement while I was out were stacked in one corner—Baldr must've had his hands full guarding me.

"I need to head to the human realm."

"Pardon? We prepared an inauguration ceremony and banquet for once you awoke, my liege..."

Baldr's sulky lava lips nearly made me chuckle, but time was short.

"What if Balpador attacks while I'm gone...?"

"Worry not, Your Majesty! That traitorous scum—I'll stake everything on it...!"

Steam billowed from Baldr's nostrils.

"Hand over the throne."

"I'll smash him... Pardon?!"

"Give it to him. The throne."

Baldr leaped back in horror. The excited lava dragon's thrashing shook the ceiling, raining debris.

"That won't do, Your Majesty! How can you utter such a tragedy?!"

"Don't worry. I'll come back and deal with it."

"Eh?"

"Once I'm back from the human realm, I'll have a surefire way to make him submit. So relax, don't wear yourself out—just hand it over."

"R-Right! As expected...! You always have a plan, my liege!"

Baldr calmed instantly, beaming lava-hot smiles at me.

"Then, shall we head to the human realm?"

"Yes! As you will, Your Majesty."

With Baldr's support, I inserted the key into the lock of the demon realm dimension gate at the far end of the basement corridor and turned it.

Rumble rumble rumble!

The dimension gate—studded with unknown bones and teeth—creaked open on its own.

"I'll be back, Baldr."

I stepped into the rippling portal.