270 That's why I'm discouraged.




 My king was a solitary man.
 From a young age he was wiser than all adults and his vision was far-reaching. All of his supporters believed in him.
 But too few understood his genius properly. Our war-torn vision was so focused on the immediate that we could not share the vision of our king.
 As a result, our king was assassinated by his sister, who was carried away by fools as an arrogant evil who did not understand the hearts of the weak.
 We were saddened. We thought that she could have led this country, this world. I gave up on the world and tried to end his life.
 But my king rose from the dead as a man. He appeared before us to bid us farewell.

Do what you must as a man. I will do what I must as a non-human.

 He's going to go further. Then we, too, have renounced our humanity and sworn to walk with our king. We have chosen to live as demons for eternity.
 It was only then that our king looked at us with sad eyes.

"Why, my king? Why must we, the chosen ones, disappear from the sight of men?

 Who was the first one to break? If I try to live as a demon, my human heart will collapse. The first time we became demons, our minds were slowly being corrupted by a nameless disease.

"I'm sorry, ......, my king, ........ I can no longer walk with you .......

 Some have challenged my king, others have begged for death. No matter how they were broken, my king just solemnly ended their lives.

"I'm sorry, Nektohar. It seems I'm done here. ......

 My best friend, who had vowed to support my king with me, muttered to me with a face devoid of emotion. He had already lost his human form and had been swallowed by the power of the demon race. I couldn't say a word to him, and before I knew it, the only two people left beside my king were me and Neil Ryates.
 I began to feel disgusted with myself for not being able to even picture in my mind the ideal country that my king had aimed for.

"Nektokhar, you're holding on too much. You'll end up like them.

 I'm going the same way they are. I was sure of that and I refused to accept it.
 I swore to stand on the same peak as my king and walk with him. I don't want to give up everything and end up not being able to fulfill the promise I made when I can't even see where I'm going.
 But being a demon has taken a toll on my heart more than I could have imagined. I knew that it would be too late for me to do anything about it.
 As I continued to compare my king, who had lived unchanged for a long time, with myself, whose mind was being corrupted year by year, I came to a conclusion. I thought that I could get rid of this disease by becoming not a demon but a higher being, a Demon Lord.
 But when my king heard those words, he gave me only one word of rejection.

"Nektohar. I forbid you to have anything to do with resurrection magic from now on.

 If I don't become the Demon King, my heart will eventually break completely. If that happens, I won't be able to fulfill my former vow. I'll end up the same as my brethren who gave up halfway.
 That's why I have to become the Demon King. In order to continue to stand next to my king, I must do their will.

I told you, Nektohar. I told you, Nektohar. Do you think you're a king if you have to carry the burden of those who gave up their lives in the past? You're just one of my followers.
"Neillertes.

 You've been dreaming. The last frothy dream of the dying. Yes, I was aiming for the same heights as my king. So why am I coming to this end?
 Was it because my king rejected me and I thought he didn't want me to reach the same heights? Or was it because he didn't want me to think that I didn't have the power, that I was just like that?
 I can't even think of the answer now. Already my core has been destroyed and my body has begun to disintegrate.

"I have no words to offer you, my king. Just like everyone else.
"The resurrection spell is complete. But in a demon body, resurrection magic is...
I know. No, I should say I knew. If becoming the Demon Lord will stop the collapse of his mind, then there's no reason for my king to forbid it.

 Was that the reason why you kept me away from resurrection magic? If I had found out right there that a demon could not become a demon lord, my heart would have been completely broken right there.

I wonder what I should have done.
"You told me that in the beginning, didn't you? You told me in the beginning to do what a man should do. If we could have lived like our king, he would have reached out to us from the beginning.
So you're saying that wanting to become a demon was ...... a mistake.

 That's right. That's why our king was looking at us with those eyes. I'm sure you're not the only one.

"Oh, forgive me, my king. Forgive me, my king, for I was a fool to destroy your life and cause you so much grief.

 "◇



 A humanoid form of Nektohar appears from the mass of flesh that has begun to disintegrate due to the destruction of the core. Neillertes is muttering something to the dying Nektohar. Are they words from Blue, or parting words as a fellow follower? I'm not interested either way.

"You could have lived as a human being, even if you were a demon. Even I could have. They're really hard-headed, aren't they?

 Eventually, Nektokhar's body completely collapsed into dust. I knew that the body of a demon was more similar to that of a demon than a human, but seeing it like this made me want to think about it. If I make him a demon, when he dies, will I be staring at the dust like this?

"My Lord, Nektokhar's magic is completely gone.
You'll see. Why don't you go fix your arm?
What?

 I look at Duvraeori, who is repairing his shredded arm. He was born as a demon, has an ego, and has grown to this point. But his way of life is becoming more human. In the past, Duvraeori was like a tool who fought without a care in the world, no matter who he was fighting with. However, the face of Duvraeori, who was praising Wulfe's achievements and throwing out passionate words, could be said to be unmistakably human.

"Well, it's not so bad when you consider that this is also his influence, is it?
What can I do for you, sir?
Who said you could join me in my ramblings? Why don't you put the effort of running your mouth into fixing it?
...... I'm sorry.

 It would be easy for me to say 'I'm better,' but that would carry a lot of weight with Duvraeus. You have to think about where you give the candy, right?

"But you've done well, haven't you, Wolfe? You deserve a lot of credit, don't you?
But it was Duvvléoli who put in the most work. ......
It's my job, you know? If you were the first to put your body on the line, you'd be using it to clean the mud off your shoes right now.
Duvvreoli......

 I'm not sure what to make of that. The only thing that has changed is the way she approaches combat, and the deliberateness with which she continues to think and act under all circumstances.
 What Wolfe lacked was the number of actual battle experiences, but now he has completely overcome even that. I doubt he can beat Duvvlleoli.

I'll contact him and the rest of the team. I'll contact him and the rest of the team, and you guys check this room and the surrounding area, okay?

 He said that in order for Nektokhar to use the resurrection spell on himself, he would need to leave some way of constructing it with Rahite and Ritual. From what I've heard so far, it seems that Nektohar has been attempting to use Resurrection Magic on himself, and it's safe to assume that he already has a way to acquire the method of constructing Resurrection Magic.
 I think that both of these obstacles have been removed because other teams have broken through the middle layer. ...... But we have to be careful because of what we are dealing with.

 I'm not a fan.

 For me, the battle was a dull one. When I saw an enemy attack, I knew how to cut him back to kill him. Even the master who taught me to swordfight was no exception.

"What a sad talent. You have nothing more to gain.

 At first I thought Master's last words to me were a sour note or something. But like a stain on a bed that can't be removed, those words have made me feel uncomfortable over and over again.
 No matter how much I fought, nothing satisfied me. No matter how much I fought, nothing satisfied me. Even when I fought world-famous opponents, I could only feel my body move a little more than usual.
 But now it's different. That word is choking me in a different way than the emptiness I've felt up until now.

"Whew ...... whew ...... whew .......

 I've never sweated so much in a fight before. I've never felt so heavy in the grip of my sword. I've never felt so itchy about an enemy right in front of me.

You look like you're breathing heavily, Arcreal.
Shut up, ......!

 And I've never felt so uncomfortable being watched by a bunch of creepy eyes! d*mn, those dead fish eyes are still dreaming of the future!
 It's obvious that the man has given the Iliad some instructions. But what has he done to me? Why is my body so tired?

You shouldn't be wondering. You've been winning unilaterally with your one talent. That means you've hardly ever experienced a prolonged battle.
".......
And if you keep hitting hard objects, your arms will get tired too. I'm sure you'll agree that it's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're doing.

 So that's what the discomfort was. Ilias is still only catching my attacks, but the impact is still resonating in my arm. I'm not sure what to make of that.

The greatness of the knights of the TARDIS is not limited to their high level of swordsmanship. It's the stamina to keep fighting without eating, drinking, or sleeping. This battle isn't about comparing physical abilities and skills anymore, it's about comparing roots.

 Your breathing is too shallow. You know you need to breathe in more deeply, but your body is rushing your breathing. You know you need to breathe deeper, but your body is rushing you.
 Not only my arms but also my legs are starting to shake. I want to sit and lie down. I want to take a bath and let my voice come out of my throat. ......!

I want to sit down and lie down.
......!

 Ilias doesn't reply, but keeps his focus on my sword. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
 I've long since abandoned the naive notion that if I'm tired, he's probably just as tired as I am. The sweat that Ilias shed and the breathing that I heard have not changed a bit since the fight.

"d*mn it!



 I must have been over the edge, because my knees collapsed. My posture was not pretty. I fell down, so shamefully that I wanted to laugh at myself.
 The sword overflowed from his hand. I hurriedly grabbed the sword back and pulled myself up--

"What?

 The fall was a completely unintentional mistake. The people of the planet Yugra should have been able to see that this was not an act. And yet, Ilias kept his sword at the ready and kept looking at me.
 This guy doesn't want to attack no matter how much of an opening I make. He's thoroughly following that man's orders. ......!

You're throwing away a golden opportunity like that,......!
"Arcreal, I'm not going to let the Iliad attack you even if you lose your mind. I'm not going to let Ilias attack you, even if you lose your mind.

 You're being too thorough. These two don't have the slightest intention of taking me down if they have to. All they care about is buying time until the very end. Can you call this a battle? No, this is just work. ......!
 Stand up, using your sword as a staff. I'm not even sure I can swing my sword without catching my breath a bit.

I'm not sure what to say, but I'll say I'm glad you asked. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that the protection skills you've learned from the other knights are making it difficult for you to compete with the legendary heroes.
I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
As a knight of Tarz, I naturally have that desire. But now I'm his sword, and I'm only here to get the results he wants. He trusts me to do this for him. There's nothing I want more than to live up to that!
"......!

 No matter what I say or do, I can't sway this woman's mind. There is only one way ...... to make this woman wield a weapon!

Aaah!

 I regripped my sword and kicked the earth. You can't just kill the target. You'll be able to get a lot more than that if you just want to kill your target. It's the people of the planet Yugra that I'm aiming at now, after all!
 I've already admitted that my offense won't be able to break the Iliad's defenses head-on. But I'm not going to admit defeat. This way, Ilias will have to swing his sword for sure. Because if he doesn't, this man will die. ......!
 Now, swing your sword at me to protect this man! Give me a crass victory!

"What?

 I didn't mean to stop the sword. I was slashing with all my might, intending to kill this man. But even so, I still stopped the sword. Because Ilias hadn't moved an inch from the spot where I had slashed at the people of the planet Yugra.
 Blood dripped down from the tip of the sword. Even though he stopped his sword, he could not stop the attack with all his might, and the sword still had enough momentum to bite into his shoulder.
 I looked at Ilias again, but just like when I fell, he continued to stare at me silently. However, blood was flowing from his mouth, as if he had bitten off his lip.

"Arcreal. I'm not going to hand over victory to you in any way. Even if you try to kill the helpless me, even if you do something as cowardly as forcing the Iliad to wield a sword.
"...... You, you ordered that! I'm not sure if I'm a threat or not.

 This man should be no threat. If I put even a little weight on this sword that's holding me up, I could kill him.
 Killing this guy won't change the fact that he can't defeat the Iliad, who is still protecting him. But in other words, he's irrelevant whether you kill him or not.
 Killing him won't have any significant effect on me. At most, I'll lose a little pride...

Yeah. I'll throw away my life if you throw away the cheap pride you've been clinging to. And I'll carve it into your soul that what you throw away can never be regained.
"Hey, hey, I said cheap pride. For the sake of that...
That's what you wanted to protect until you fell in a heap. At least it's the most valuable thing you've got.
...... You're out of your mind, man.

 No, I'm the one who's out of my mind. I've been swinging this sword and killing people even though I have nothing to gain. I've been swinging this sword and killing people even though I've got nothing to gain from it, and now I'm stopping because I'm going to lose my one cheap pride. Oh, shit. ......! This is the worst depression I've ever felt!