Shujinkou Janai!

(No way! No way! I don’t understand why this is happening!)

Standing in front of the <Demon Lord>, whom we weren’t supposed to meet in a place like this, no, whom we weren’t supposed to meet at all, my mind was in chaos.

(Why!? How could this happen!? Why, of all places, would the First Demon Lord be in a place like this!?)

I had certainly been suspicious that the <First Demon Lord> hadn’t been sighted, as I had hoped that the “Encounter with a <Demon Lord>” Event would occur soon.

However, I never hoped that he would appear like this.

(Why would the <Demon Lord> appear in front of us and not the “Hero”!? This would never have happened in the game……)

I was about to assume so, when I remembered the words the <Demon Lord> said.

(No, that’s not it! I was thinking of it wrongly in the first place! Right from the start, the <Demon Lord> never appeared in front of us. He is just “on his way” to appear in front of the “Hero”.)

This <Ant Queen Subjugation Operation> is a joint operation of three major regions.

As we have already confirmed, there’s a high probability that the “Hero” is participating in this operation.

And just because it wasn’t mentioned in the game, even though he’s a <Demon Lord>, he wouldn’t have the power to accurately pinpoint the exact location of the “Hero”.

He must have gathered information in some way, and arrived at the “Hero” as a result of that search.

In that case, what if he met a Human Adventurer, a “mob character” who was not the “Hero” or anyone significant at all, on his way to the “Hero”?

The answer is simple.

—————He would crush them without hesitation.

Whether it’s the dismembered “Ant Queen”, the bleeding <Hounds>, or we, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(D*mn it! There’s no way this is happening! You’ve gotta be kidding me!!!)

Biting my lip, I tried my best to suppress these overflowing thoughts.

(If it’s just the <Hounds> or the “Ant Queen”, I could have handled them! And yet!!!)

No matter how unexpected the situation turned out to be, their strength had always been different from ours to begin with.

It’s highly possible that we could manage even by just brute force, but in the worst case scenario, we could have escaped.

However, if it’s against this guy……

Only those weren’t things we can do against a <Demon Lord>!

The <Inspect> I reflexively used, just as expected, isn’t effective at all.

(This won’t do! There’s no way we can win against that!)

In the battle with Werther, once I felt the aura of a <Demon Lord>, I realized it.

————–These beings, they’re on a different level than us.

In the game, the “Hero” and his party managed to defeat the <Demon Lords> because they had the ability as <Heroes> and the <Sword of Light>.

As proof of this, the battle with Bling in “Encounter with a <Demon Lord>” is depicted in the game as a full event battle.

Bling, the <First Demon Lord>, is the weakest of the <Demon Lords>, but <Demon Lords> themselves are powerhouses of the endgame class.

If we were to fight properly under the rules of the game, he’s an opponent that the “Hero” of the early game is no match against.

The overwhelming difference in strength was compensated by the cheat-like Anti-Demon Lord Correction ability of the <Sword of Light>, and the successful surprise attack by its sudden activation, but even so, it could only make the opponent retreat rather than defeat it.

No, even with that much of an advantage, if they had fought normally without the event activation, the “Hero” and his party would have been killed easily.

And of course, we, who aren’t “Heroes”, wouldn’t have the <Sword of Light> by our side, and its surprise attack event wouldn’t occur.

(We’re so dead!)

I bit my lip.

Even with the odds against us, we had to make it through this situation with the cards in our hands.

[……Away.]

[Eh?]

Feeling irritated at Radd who still doesn’t grasp the situation, I give the order with all my might.

[Everyone run away!]

[W- What are you talking about, Old man?]

I shouted, but my sense of urgency didn’t seem to be conveyed to Radd.

I wanted to convince him, but I don’t even have the time to catch my breath at the moment.

[Huh? Like heck I’m going to let them run away, idiot!]

[Kuh!]

I reflexively held up the Metallic King’s Sword against the oncoming being, but then I realized how pointless doing that would be.

(No, this is wrong! I shouldn’t think I can fight him properly!)

Only the <Hero> can fight the <Demon Lords> on equal terms.

That is the basic rule of this world.

In that case!

[————-<V-Slash>…… <Knife Shot>!]

Coordinating with the Art from my right hand, the Orichalcon Knife unleashed from his blind spot, released from my left hand at the best timing, captures Bling’s body as if he’s soaking it in!

……However……

[……Oi. Were you expecting such a paltry attack to do something to me?]

My most effective throws bounced off the surface of Bling’s body.

(The difference in our abilities is too much!)

My Orichalcon Knife, with the correction of the Art from my right hand, was thrown while the enemy was unguarded.

However, there was a difference between our abilities that couldn’t be surmounted even with that.

[You done? If you are, it’s now my turn.]

[Kuh!]

Still, since there was no way to win against it with a head-to-head battle, this was the only thing I can rely on now!

[<Tri-Edge V-Slash>———–]

Knowing that I wouldn’t hit the target, I weaved techniques with the sword in my right hand, but those were just preparations.

Accelerating my speed, in the blink of an eye, I thrust not my right-hand sword, but my left-hand knife at Bling, who had closed the distance between us in an instant.

[—————<Final Break>!!!]

In exchange for destroying the equipment, I’m able to unleash a one-time special attack, a trump card among trump cards.

As the shockwave generated from my hand……

[Tsh!]

Barely making through Bling’s defenses, his body is flung slightly backward.

(Alright!)

Even though it was only slight, I was still able to deal damage!

""

I had involuntarily clenched my fists, but the glimpse of hope produced a momentary opening in my guard.

[You’re so annoying!!!]

The enraged Bling held out his right hand to me.

As soon as my brain realized that this was the same action I had once seen in the game, I leaped sideways.

[Gah!?]

The impact grazed my left side, and a sharp pain shot through me.

(Such power even though I was only grazed……)

A shudder crawled up to my mind, but this isn’t the time to be frightened.

[Watch out!]

Hearing that cry, I looked up and saw Bling, who had closed the distance, swinging his repulsive ornate knife at me.

There was no time for me to evade.

[Kuh! <Final Break>!!!]

I’m anxious about the remaining amount of knives I have on hand.

Even so, I used my <Final Break> to knock Bling away and buy myself a few moments of respite.

[Nii-san!]

[Rex-san, we’ll back you up!]

Hearing the voices shouting from behind me, I involuntarily turned around and shouted back.

[Don’t! All of you escape right now————]

However……

[————–Don’t take your eyes off your opponent, weakling.]

That moment was too big of an opening in a battle against a <Demon Lord>.

[……Ah, eh?]

I felt a burning sensation in the pit of my stomach.

Looking back to the front, I saw the <Demon Lord>’s face right in front of me.

With his dirty dark-green skin and his wildly ragged teeth sticking out of his mouth, he smiled seemingly as if he was finding the situation truly amusing.

[With this, that’s a game over.]

His vicious smile shifts upward.

No, that’s not it.

It was my body tumbling forward.

[……Nii…… -san?]

I heard Resilia’s voice from behind me.

I should have responded to that voice, but my legs felt as if they held no strength.

I was on my knees, holding my bleeding abdomen……

[I- I’ll heal you!!!]

I heard Mana’s flustered voice, and for a moment, a warm glow enveloped my wounds.

[W- Why!? Healing Magic doesn’t work!?]

The <Demon Lord> laughed at the sound of Mana’s shaken voice, as if he was enjoying himself from the bottom of his heart.

[Ahahahaha, of course it doesn’t! My knives are chock full of “curses”. You’ll never be able to heal that wound with such weak magic.]

[No…… way……]

Opposite Mana, who lost strength on her knees, her voice trembling……

[Unforgivable!]

[You b*stard! How dare you do that to Master!]

From behind, I can feel the presence of the trembling Resilia and the others rushing forward.

[Stop……]

However, even when I tried stopping them……

[D*mned gnats. You’re annoying.]

They were suppressed by one casual swing of the <Demon Lord>’s hand.

A shock blasted out from the swung arm, he blew Radd and the others over my head.

(What…… is this? What…… the heck is this?)

It was only a few dozen seconds.

In a battle that lasted less than a minute, we were trampled by a single monster.

[—————–Frustrated? However, this is “reality”.]

As if he had read my thoughts, the <Demon Lord> laughed.

[No matter how much you small fries struggle, the status of our existence are just too different. After all, you weaklings only exist merely to be trampled underfoot by us, the powerful.]

I had heard this cheap line back then, but hearing it this time seeped into my brain with definite reality.

And then, with the austereness of an executioner, he slowly spreads his hands in front of my face.

[Nii-san! Stop! Nii-san!]

[No! Rex-san! Stoooooooooooop!!!]

Resistance was futile.

The desperate cries coming from behind me wouldn’t have any effect on the inhumane <Demon Lord>.

Holding up his hand, the <Demon Lord> gathered more than enough magic power to kill me……

[————-With this, it’s time to say goodbye.]

Just before the fatal blow was finally dealt to me though……

[W- What is that!?]

A light that covered my entire field of vision separated Bling from me.

(Warm……?)

As if the suffocating feeling I had been having was a lie, it had been mitigated.

My limbs, which had lost their strength, regained their vitality, and my blurry vision could once again gleam the images around me.

And when my vision finally cleared, what I saw in front of me……

[……A sword?]

I heard someone muttering nearby.

Whose voice could that be?

""

However, that no longer mattered.

[……Haha…… Hahahaha!]

A laugh naturally escapes from my mouth.

[Y- You b*stard! What are you laughing about!?]

Even though I heard Bling’s agitated voice, I still couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

After all, what’s floating in front of me is the Sword of Fate that has saved me many times in numerous events, the sword I’ve seen the most in B&B.

————–<Sword of Light>.

The Sword of the Chosen One, made to purge darkness and defeat evil.

It was shining above my head as if waiting for me to take it in my hand.