Reincarnation as a Great Demon Lord - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: The Great Demon Lord Defeats the Hero

The true identity of the Hero of the Holy Sword who launched a surprise attack on the Great Demon Lord's Castle was an exhausted office worker with a death-warmed-over face. I know this sounds crazy, but since that's the simplest summary of the current situation, I can't help it.

...Is this really the Hero of the Holy Sword? Wasn't the protagonist of My Solasia 2 a man? Oh, wait, yes. You could choose the gender of the protagonist in that game. And if you chose the female protagonist, didn't she look something like this...?

Even so, the female protagonist I knew wasn't this utterly worn out...

Regardless of her appearance, this Hero is strong. She defeated Eaglet, our army's main fighting force, in a brief moment. I can't afford to be careless.

And yet, the sight of this worn-out Hero can't help but stir my sympathy. I feel like I used to see women like this on the early morning trains in my past life. I often sympathized, thinking that if I ruled the world, I could free them from pointlessly long working hours and the troublesome burdens of free will.

Wait, I have to stop. This is an enemy. She's here to kill me, so I must intercept her.

"—Hn!"

But I wasn't the only one who forgot about the fight. The Hero was also standing still, looking dazed. She clearly lost consciousness for a moment. I know the feeling. When you're into the third day of an all-nighter, that's what happens.

...Seriously, is she okay?

"Demon King, no matter how many times you revive, I will defeat you...!"

After a three-second pause, the Hero raised her sword. ...I see. Pointed at me like that, she's definitely intimidating. Her mana level is also considerable, nearly matching mine.

The remaining charging time is about thirty seconds. Her momentary pause bought me some time without any effort, but the challenge starts now.

The Hero stepped forward. In that instant, her figure vanished from my sight.

The next moment, the multi-layered defensive barrier I had pre-deployed was breached with ridiculous ease. I desperately poured mana into it, but before I knew it, the tip of the Holy Sword was right in front of my eyes.

"—Kh!"

I barely managed to hold on by maxing out the power on the final layer of the barrier, but I can only sustain it for a few more seconds.

Are you serious? This barrier withstood the breath of the giant Red-Scaled King, and she treats it like nothing?

"Hah!"

Realizing this was bad, I counterattacked with a Great Demon Lord's Thermal Flash, but she easily evaded it. I would like to create distance, but if I move from this throne now, the entire plan fails. I have no choice but to hold out for another twenty seconds.

...Seriously, how did Eaglet manage to hold out against this monster? I can't help but feel proud of my subordinate. If she could do that, I can't afford to be weak-willed either. I will hold out for twenty more seconds, no matter what.

I redeployed the defensive barrier. Simultaneously, I fired continuous Great Demon Lord's Thermal Flashes from my fingertips, determined to deny the Hero any close approach. It looked like an anti-air defense system. If the Hero paused for even a moment, she'd be hit by concentrated fire. I named it the 'Absolute Demon Lord's Sphere'—the ultimate defense that turns anything approaching into ash.

The Absolute Demon Lord's Sphere was effective. Facing a two-pronged defense of constantly assaulting heat rays and fifty layers of defensive barriers, even the mighty Hero couldn't easily force her way in.

Still, with every swing of her sword and every single step she took, my defense was whittled down. I felt like I was facing a gigantic rock-boring machine rather than a human. No matter how much effort I put in, I didn't feel like I could stop her.

But I was buying time. One second, two seconds—those brief, fleeting moments were leading to victory.

"Divine Lightning,"

Unable to press her attack, the Hero cast a spell. It was the lightning that defeated Eaglet. The focused wrath of heaven easily pierced through the fifty defensive barriers, clearing a path. The Hero charged toward the now-undefended throne.

The tip of the Holy Sword reached me. But just before it connected, I made it.

The finished Magic Stones embedded in the floor of the throne room—they absorbed the mana I poured into them, reflecting my characteristic. The characteristic imbued in the Magic Stones was the 'Seventh Sense'—the power to perceive and manipulate magnetism. I amplified that power beyond its limits using my infinite mana and the Crimson Radiant Heart.

The result was an immense magnetic force powerful enough to warp space. This magnetic force instantly seized the Hero's body and the Holy Sword in her hand.

"Kh...!?"

The Hero's body, which had been mid-air, was slammed against the floor of the throne room.

I'll praise her for not letting go of the Holy Sword, but it was a bad move. The strength of the magnetic force generated is equal to the mass of the entire Great Demon Lord's Castle itself. To lift the Holy Sword now would be equivalent to lifting the entire castle.

Furthermore, the Hero is wearing armor. The magnetic force also affects that. The weight she's carrying is the same as the force applied to the Holy Sword: like bearing the weight of two, or even three castles. I'm fine only because the barrier is blocking the magnetic force. Adjusting that barrier, rather than the trap itself, was what took the longest.

Also, as in the game, the Hero of the Holy Sword has resistance to various status effects, but 'Magnetism' affects her equipment, not her physical body. That's why she couldn't defend against it. If the Hero wasn't wearing armor and had thrown away the Holy Sword, she might have avoided this, but I knew she wouldn't, which is why I implemented this plan.

Thus, my plan was a direct hit. Even the Hero of the Holy Sword shouldn't be able to move an inch, let alone stand up. That's what I thought, but—

"Gah, gih-gih!"

I was astonished. She actually got to her knees. Even with her superior physical attributes, she shouldn't be able to do this.

It's the power of her will. No matter how exhausted and mentally drained she appears, something deep in her heart is unbroken. That is why she can move like this, surpassing her limits.

...I remember that feeling myself. During my election campaigns, there were times when I thought I couldn't go on, but each time, my pride as the Final Boss forced me back to my feet. Even when I thought I couldn't drink another drop, I could go to another venue to meet the demands of my supporters. Looking back now, those things seem trivial, but fundamentally, it's the same principle.

I must give credit where it's due. Whether it's belief, pride, or obsession, it's extraordinary. Otherwise, she couldn't move under this immense pressure.

But this is her limit. The power of will is great, but it has limits. No matter how much grit and determination she musters, she cannot shake off this magnetic force.

"Kh—!"

The Hero was slammed back down onto the floor. Finally, the Holy Sword slipped from her grasp. She can't counterattack with magic or any other means if she can't even move. Checkmate.

Of course, I won't let my guard down. A third-rate Final Boss would gloat at the sight of a defeated nemesis. I will simply have the Hero of the Holy Sword be crushed to death by my magnetic force.

"—I... I..."

Though she can't move, the Hero is still conscious. Her durability is terrifying. The Hero who was defending the Fortress City must have been a superhuman in his own right, but compared to her, it's like a dinosaur versus a gecko. There is no comparison.

"Ah..."

As I thought that, the Holy Sword in her hand suddenly vanished. It literally disappeared, gone without a trace.

For a moment, I thought it was an attack, but it wasn't. The look on the Hero of the Holy Sword's face made that clear. Despair. She wore the face only seen on those betrayed by everything they believed in and who have lost absolutely everything.

...This wasn't an event in the original game, but I can guess what happened. That Holy Sword was supposed to be a divine weapon granted by the 'Goddess of Creation' to the qualified. Its disappearance means the Hero of the Holy Sword has lost her qualification.

...I know the expression she's making now. In my previous life, when I was informed of my parents' deaths, the reflection in the mirror was making the same face.

My parents were good people. Boundlessly good, the kind who would travel overseas to help people in need. But they died. Easily and abruptly, caught in the crossfire of a completely unrelated conflict.

That's when I learned the truth: 'Good people are not free.' If my parents hadn't been so good, they could have chosen an option other than going to a war-torn country to help people, or they could have fled before things got dangerous. If they hadn't been so perfectly good, they could have chosen another path.

That is why I aspired to be the ultimate embodiment of evil and absolute freedom: the Final Boss.

"—Please, let it end."

Those words escaped the Hero of the Holy Sword's lips. Her spirit is completely broken. Asking for it to end, not for help or to stop, means exactly that.

Like this, she can no longer fight. Some people can fight even with broken bones, but when the heart is crushed, no warrior, no matter how strong, can continue the fight.

"Very well."

Keeping the magnetic force activated, I charged mana into my right hand. I can shoot the Hero through with a heat ray at any moment. Never letting your guard down is the mark of a true Final Boss.

I held my right hand over the Hero's head, and then—

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