Leave a comment

“You’re so annoying. Maybe I’ll eat you too. I’m so hungry.”
“Please! Spare my little brother! If you’re going to eat someone, then eat me! Please, just spare Rowdon!”
“That so? Then I’ll eat you.”
“What?”

The Demon Lord spoke with a childlike voice. His voice was completely flat. One couldn’t discern what the Demon Lord was thinking just by his voice alone.

Demons that had grown to this point were able to understand human language, albeit in a distorted manner. This demonic being, the worst of all life forms, had managed to snatch the forbidden fruit of wisdom right out of God’s hands.

This was precisely why it was known and feared as a Demon Lord.

Wisteria had likely referred to it as strange because she simply did not have the notion of what a Demon Lord was.

The Demon Lord’s hands became bloated. He swelled, becoming bigger than the young man clinging to him, and then enveloped the man, crushing him without a moment’s hesitation.

The sound of fruit being crushed to pieces filled the area, and blood gushed out. The Demon Lord opened his mouth wide and threw the young man, now nothing more than a lump of meat, into it, savoring him.

The villagers in the area could do nothing but stifle their screams and watch. They knew that the slightest movement would make them the next victim.

The Demon Lord licked the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and smiled broadly.

“Did you see? This is what happens when you oppose me. Do not become like that idiot. I‘ll also be taking this one.”

The Demon Lord said this while slapping Rowdon’s butt.

Just as he was about to return to his shrine, a voice rang out.

“Leave the boy.”

Standing in his way was Orthus, carrying a sword. The Demon Lord’s mood quickly soured due to Orthus’ commanding tone.

“Who are you?”
“I’m Orthus. A knight.”
“What’s a knight?”
“Someone who destroys you.”
“I see. Bye, bye.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, a black ball of light shot out of the Demon Lord’s eye. It approached Orthus at a frightening speed, leaving a trail of light behind.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have even seen it coming. But Orthus easily avoided it. With a slight twist of his neck, Orthus avoided the attack. The ball missed its target and landed on a house far behind him, exploding with intense flashes and heat waves that shook the entire Hadaha Village.

The villagers, who had been watching in silence, finally screamed. The houses where the ball landed were obliterated without a trace, and the charred remains melted into a sludgy liquid.

This firepower was nothing for the Demon Lord. However, it couldn’t hide its surprise as it saw Orthus avoid the attack with a surprisingly calm demeanor.

“Hmm. You’re good. Knights are fun.”

The Demon Lord’s interest was now completely focused on Orthus. He let go of Rowdon without a second thought and faced Orthus with great enthusiasm. The way he showed his delight was like that of a child who had not received a toy in a long time.

Orthus relaxed and sank back, his breathing even and calm despite the tension.

When was the last time he had wielded a sword with his body in this state? Every gesture he made was filled with power, and with the shackles of Seletina removed, Orthus even felt a sense of almightiness.

“Hey, hey. How about this one? Can you dodge this one? Can you?”

The Demon Lord extended both of his deformed hands toward Orthus, and arrows of light suddenly shot from his palms. In the blink of an eye, a torrent of arrows stained the village of Hadaha, blasting hundreds or thousands of arrows all over the area.

It was akin to an explosion—a natural disaster. If swallowed by that stream, not a hair, not even a single cell, would be left.

The arrows were fast and covered a wide area, seemingly impossible to evade. Yet Orthus evaded them.

“HYAAAAA!!!”

Orthus swung the steel sword down vertically.

The torrent split in two without a second thought, and everything went silent. Even the floating clouds far above were caught in the aftermath, splitting to the left and right as if to give way to a king.

“What?”

Orthus’ large palm flew toward the Demon Lord’s face, who was frozen from shock.

Orthus’ craggy, rock-like hand grabbed the Demon Lord’s head without hesitation and slammed it straight down to the ground. The ground flexed and cracked into a spider web pattern from the impact, and the earth rumbled.

Despite showing inhuman strength, Orthus did not ease up on his attacks. Orthus swung his leg far back. Then, with a pendulum swing, his foot landed straight in the Demon Lord’s belly.

The Demon Lord soared through the air after being kicked out like a ball.

Orthus’ thighs swelled up as he gathered his strength in his legs and jumped. His powerful jump led him straight to the Demon Lord’s body, hanging mid-air.

With a powerful swing, he brought his sword down towards the Demon Lord’s head, attempting to smash it with the sword’s tip.

The speed with which the sword moved caused sparks to fly from the blade and the wind to part ways. The bold blow, which seemed to leave even the light behind, struck the Demon Lord’s head, blasting him to the ground.

The impact formed a crater in the earth, leaving the Demon Lord seemingly incapacitated.

As Orthus descended, he thrust his sword into the belly of the demon sprawled out on the ground.

(There was a bit of resistance… Still…)

The Demon Lord’s eyes gleamed.

“!?”

Sensing the danger, Orthus tried to retreat but was grabbed by his right leg.

“No!”
“Ahahahaha!”

The Demon Lord laughed.

Looking as if he’d suffered no damage from the previous onslaught, the Demon Lord got up and began dragging Orthus around, slamming him left and right, battering him as if he were a rag doll.

The world, the ground, and everything else spun. Eventually, Orthus’ vision blurred. His skull crashed against the edge of a fountain, his body smashed against the wooden houses, and he was tossed around uncontrollably.

Orthus couldn’t resist the Demon Lord’s overwhelming strength.

“Ahahahaha!”

The Demon Lord swung with all his might and hurled Orthus away powerfully. Orthus’ body was flung out of the village so swiftly that it vanished from sight, crashing into the forest and smashing through several huge tree trunks in its path.

“Big bro!”

Wisteria exclaimed in anguish. Her body moved instinctively, without a shred of hesitation. Before she knew it, she was already running.

“Who are you?”

The Demon King asked without a shred of interest. The toy that had provided him entertainment was now broken. And he held no interest in the girl who’d suddenly appeared before him.

“Ya killed Sir Orthus!”
“I guess I did. It was fun, but it broke.”
“Ya also killed Rowdon’s brother, and now you’re going to eat Rowdon too!”
“And?”

Wisteria’s body suddenly broke down as the Demon Lord’s eye fell on her. However, she didn’t shrink back. Her face was filled with tears and determination, and she drew her sword with trembling hands.

“Ya’ve taken too much from this village! Ya’ve had yar fun! Ya’ve had enough! I won’t let ya get away with this any longer!”
“Wis! Stop this!”

The Hadaha Village’s chief appeared before Wisteria, stopping her fiery charge. His wrinkled hand firmly grasped Wisteria’s arm, which trembled with anger and fear.

“Don’t stop me, Chief!”
“You fool! What do you think you’ll achieve by opposing Lord Kuro?! Do you want us to die as well?!”
“…!”

Wisteria hesitated upon hearing his words. Glancing around, all she could see were the villagers’ glares. All of them were afraid of what would happen if she continued to displease Lord Kuro any longer.

They were indifferent to Wisteria’s plight. And knew that if she continued to disrespect Lord Kuro, it would only cause problems.

“Urgh…!”

Wisteria couldn’t help but lower her sword. Her hands trembled with frustration and sorrow.

“Are you finished?”

The Demon Lord shrugged and lifted the unconscious Rawdon. He did not say anything more and left, walking with unusually quiet footsteps for someone his size, leaving one to wonder if he was simply bored or exhausted.

There was no stopping him. Faced with this overwhelming power, one had no choice but to fall silent.

◇◇◇

“Damn it…”

Orthus stood up, cursing.

After being sent flying by the Demon Lord, his body crashed through several huge trees, skimmed across the river, and finally came to a stop after smashing into a solid rock.

Such an impact would’ve left any ordinary person’s body a pile of flesh and bone with no clear form. But Orthus quickly rose to his feet, brushing the dirt off the custom-made clothes gifted by Wisteria.

“I’m shocked at how resilient I am. Had this been Seletina’s body, I’d already be dead. Still, just what is happening.”

Orthus was inwardly consumed by overwhelming frustration. It was an undeniable fact that the Demon Lord was far stronger than he’d expected.

If he had the Sacred Sword that the King had given him in the past, then he likely would be able to slay the Demon Lord, but sadly, he didn’t have it. And there was nothing in Hadaha Village that he could use as a substitute.

It was likely that any future encounter would end in a desperate struggle.

“Though I guess I must go…”

Taking a firm hold of his sword, Orthus quickly started returning to the place he’d been thrown from.