Sacrifice and Victory
Six people stood together.
"We've finally reached the Demon King's castle!" said the mage, who still looked remarkably young.
"Aye! All that's left is to bring down the Demon King himself!" the barbarian bellowed, thrusting a greatsword taller than he was toward the sky.
"It has been a long journey," the elf said, her refreshing voice instantly soothing the tense party members.
"Bwahahaha! Just one more head to lop off, then!" the dwarf warrior roared, pulling out a tankard of ale from who-knows-where and taking a deep swig.
The elf clicked her tongue in disapproval, only to snatch the tankard from his hands and gulp down the rest of the ale herself.
"Come on, guys. This is our final battle. Can we show a little gravity?" said the man with the sharp features, short hair, and a cheerful smile. A rugged scar ran across the bridge of his nose, adding to his handsome, dashing look.
"Oh, Hero! The end is finally in sight!"
"Aye, we've paved this road with the blood of countless comrades. It's only natural to feel a bit restless." At the dwarf and elf's words, a solemn silence fell over the group.
"Oh, for fuck's sake! Stop being so damn melodramatic and let's get moving," I snapped at them.
Was this really the time to get all sentimental? We needed to get in there, tear that bastard Demon King's throat out, and get this over with.
"Saintess, please... watch your language," the mage muttered, averting her eyes.
"Whatever! We're going to blow this place sky-high before we step foot inside, got it?" I said, squeezing the mage's shoulders. She winced slightly under the pressure.
"Are you gonna do it or not?" I pressed. Seeing this, the barbarian quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Leave her be! Even without you badgering her, Liselotte will do her part!"
"Marcus..."
"Now, now. Calm down, Saintess," the Hero said, stepping in to play mediator. Out of respect for Yu Jin, I decided to let it slide for now.
I turned my gaze toward our battlefield.
The place they called the Demon King's Castle was devoid of anything resembling an actual castle. To be precise, only the ruined foundations of what once stood remained.
It was a desolate wasteland—the ruins of an entire kingdom wiped off the map by the Demon King. In the center of this eerie, windswept ruin, an ominous throne loomed, radiating a suffocating presence.
It looked nothing like a fortress, yet that single throne was the sole reason this place was feared as the Demon King's Castle.
"Ten minutes," the mage announced, stating the time she needed to prepare her spell.
"Alright. Everyone, get ready," I said.
The dwarf readied his axe, the barbarian gripped his greatsword, the elf strung her bow, and the Hero unsheathed the Holy Sword... As for me, I manifested my divine relic.
The divine relic, All Master. A weapon that could transform into any shape once infused with Holy Power.
"Whew..." A wave of tension washed over me. Ten years. A grueling ten years, and the end was finally here.
— You're really sending me back, right?
— Yes. Honestly, do you have that little trust in me?
The voice of that godforsaken Goddess echoed in my head. She was the culprit who had dragged me to this world in the first place, and she was my only ticket back home.
I tuned out the Goddess's annoying chatter and focused my mind.
Yes. This was the final battle.
"Ready, Hero?" I asked Yu Jin.
"Yeah," he replied. "Let's save the world."
A massive magic circle materialized in the sky. By now, the Demon King had undoubtedly noticed our arrival... The falling spell would be our signal.
Fierce lightning and roaring flames rained down from the heavens.
"Let's go!" I shifted All Master into a sword and charged forward.
The Demon King was monstrously strong. Even after fighting for a full day and night, we couldn't tip the scales. In fact, the tide of battle was steadily turning against us.
Despite completely exhausting her mana, the mage had pushed herself to reverse-engineer and dismantle the Demon King's spells. Pushing her brain past its absolute limits, she had suffered nosebleeds and collapsed unconscious multiple times.
Finding her interference annoying, the Demon King began to target her relentlessly.
"Marcus!" The foolish barbarian had lost both his arms trying to shield the mage.
"Ugh..." The dwarf, who had stepped in to take the brunt of the Demon King's attacks in Marcus's stead, had his weapon shattered, his armor shredded, and his entire body covered in deep, bloody gashes.
"I... I don't think I can draw any more..." The elf, whose face was usually so gentle and warm, was now pale with exhaustion. Her fingers were raw and blistered to the bone. If she drew her bow one more time without healing, her fingers would literally snap off...
"This is rough..." Even the Hero, Yu Jin, was visibly flagging. It was only natural; we had been fighting for over twenty-four hours straight without a single bite of food or a moment of rest.
His body was covered in countless wounds, and his left arm was completely gone. To make matters worse, the legendary Holy Sword—a weapon that was supposed to be indestructible—was badly chipped.
I wasn't in any better shape. Even though my body automatically regenerated thanks to the Holy Power flowing through me, I was still riddled with minor injuries. Was there really no other way?
If the Demon King had been on his last legs, I might have held onto hope. But he was in far better shape than any of us. I was the only one left who could still move properly. I had to step up.
"All of you, fall back and rest. Fuck, I'll handle this somehow."
I had to buy them time to recover, even if it was just a fraction of their strength. Squeezing out every last drop of my remaining Holy Power, I cast Sanctuary.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Yu Jin gasped in horror. I was telling him that I would face an entity we couldn't defeat even together, completely alone.
"You need to heal your wounds and recover your stamina! Do you want us to lose here?" I shoved Yu Jin, who was biting his lip in frustration, backward into the boundary of the Sanctuary.
Once everyone was safely inside, I erected a powerful barrier over the top of the Sanctuary. Then, I whispered a quiet apology.
"Sorry."
— What are you planning to do?
The Goddess's voice echoed. Setting up this barrier and Sanctuary had required not just my own power, but a massive amount of divine assistance from her. If she was right, it would take an hour for them to fully recover.
"I just have to hold out for an hour." Buying time for everyone to heal was our only path to victory.
The Demon King glared at me in silence. Fortunately, his gaze remained fixed on me, ignoring my companions behind the barrier.
"Come on! Bring it, you bastard!" I screamed. I was terrified. I had spent ten years surviving on battlefields, but I had never been this scared.
When I stood before the Four Heavenly Kings who led the demonic hordes? I had swung my weapon with a grin. When I was deployed to a battlefield with a survival rate of less than ten percent? I had charged at the very front, leading the soldiers.
We had fought countless battles just to reach this castle. Yet, in all that time, we had never faced a situation this desperate.
There had been grueling trials and agonizing battles, but we had always found a way to turn the tables and win. Now, however, there was no path to victory in sight.
I had stepped forward solely to prevent our defeat. Not to win, but simply to keep us from losing...
"Shit..." Seeing the wave of dark mana unleashed by the Demon King, I shifted All Master into a shield to block it, but the sheer force sent me sliding backward. Gritting my teeth, I dug my heels in and forced myself forward.
I couldn't retreat. I couldn't let the Demon King get anywhere near my friends.
"Sfwlqgkqyopewp," an incomprehensible string of sounds slipped from the Demon King's mouth.
Even his Four Heavenly Kings and the lesser demons could speak our language. Why couldn't this guy say anything coherent?
I transformed All Master into a greatsword and swung, but the blade clanged uselessly against the barrier surrounding his body. Still, I didn't stop. Even if it was just to buy a few more seconds, I had to keep him pinned down.
"Die! Just die already!" I screamed, swinging wildly. If a greatsword didn't work, how about a halberd? A mace? A warhammer? An axe? I constantly shifted the weapon's form, striking again and again. Yet, the Demon King stood completely unfazed.
"Qrqwtuosaguo."
"What the fuck are you even saying?" I spat. The Demon King's face was shrouded in shifting shadows, making his expression impossible to read. Not that I cared. I tried to press my attack, but—
Fuck...! A blast of raw mana from the Demon King slammed into me. It felt like being hit by a flying boulder.
"Cough...!" The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. It didn't matter; my body would heal itself soon enough...
"Gah!" Before I could even register his movement, the Demon King closed the distance and struck me down. I was slammed violently into the dirt.
I tried to push myself up to dodge, but a relentless barrage of blows rained down on me. Giving up on trying to counter, I reshaped All Master into massive gauntlets and raised my arms to guard my head.
Even with the heavy metal gauntlets absorbing the brunt of the strikes, the sheer kinetic force rattled my bones.
— You can't keep this up!
My ears rang, and my arms went completely numb.
"Ugh..." I spat out a mouthful of blood, turning my head slightly, and cautiously lowered my arms to assess the situation. The Demon King was...
My vision was blurry and failing, but I could still feel the suffocating pressure of his dark energy.
"Son of a... bitch..." Believing he had neutralized me, the Demon King was already turning back toward my companions. Gritting my teeth against the agonizing pain, I forced my broken body up. I ran. Every joint and limb screamed in protest, but I couldn't stop.
"Get the fuck away from them!" I roared, throwing my entire weight into a tackle. I locked my arms around the Demon King, dragging him as far away from the recovery barrier as possible. I had no idea how far we went, but I desperately clawed for every single inch of distance.
"Qripqwtipagjkls."
"Shut up!" I snarled. I couldn't understand his gibberish, but it felt as if he were mocking me, telling me my efforts were futile. I clung to him with everything I had. But my body was reaching its absolute limit...
My left arm was severed. My right breast was sliced clean off. Well, those things were always in the way anyway, so good riddance! My balance faltered, but I bit my lip until it bled and held my ground.
A heavy blow caught me square in the face. I felt the bridge of my nose shatter. My face went numb, and I could no longer move my jaw. The Goddess seemed to be screaming something in my head, but the high-pitched ringing in my ears drowned her out. Through the haze, I saw the Demon King turning away from me once more.
"Wh-where do you think... you're going?" I slurred, throwing my body forward to deliver a desperate kick. My right leg exploded under the counterforce. Blood, flesh, and bone fragments sprayed into the air. Unable to keep my balance, I collapsed heavily onto the ground.
I tried to gather my remaining Holy Power to heal, but I couldn't focus my mind. Was regenerating my limbs out of the question now? Dragging myself forward with one arm and one leg, I crawled after the departing Demon King. When would the hour be up? How many minutes had actually passed? Ironically, the excruciating pain was keeping my fading consciousness sharp.
"Heh... haha..." What a pathetic sight I must be.
— At this rate, the barrier is going to shatter...!
Of all the times for a Goddess to panic...! Pushing off with my sole remaining left leg, I launched myself forward. "Demon King!" I roared. I reshaped All Master into a spear and thrust it forward. Wait... did I actually manage to pierce his back?
The Demon King's sinister energy surged violently, and his massive hand clamped down on me, pinning me in place.
— Two minutes! Just hold on for two more minutes!
The Goddess's voice rang out. Already? Heh, haha...! If I could just hold out a little longer, I would achieve my goal.
My eyes were completely useless now; everything was pitch black. I turned my head toward where my companions were. I couldn't hear their voices anymore. They were probably worried sick. I never intended to sacrifice myself like this... I felt a little guilty.
— One minute!
Thud! A sickening sensation of my chest being pierced ran through me.
"Urgh, cough..." My lungs must have been punctured; no sound would come out.
"Wqroiwutslafjlgwqipitjglsjgl."
What the hell was this bastard babbling about? I prepared my final, trump card. I had deliberately held back on healing myself and abandoned my lost limbs just for this moment. A single strike, fueled by every last shred of my remaining Holy Power.
The forbidden self-sacrifice spell: Sacrifice. A taboo magic that inflicted fatal damage on enemies while granting absolute blessings and healing to allies. My voice wouldn't work, but...
"Grrr..." This was it. Every ounce of Holy Power left in my body flared to life. Eat shit, Demon King!
— No! You can't!
I ignored the Goddess's desperate, pleading voice. Sacrifice!