Volume 2 Chapter 9 The Dismissed Aide and the Foolish Four Heavenly Kings 5 [Iliga III]
While the Evil Dragon Vivre and the Hero Party were making a name for themselves in the Royal Capital, Iliga, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, was desperately fleeing in disgrace from the northern wall.
"Gah...! Haah...! I'm going to be KILLED...! I'm going to be KILLED...!"
The words tumbled from his lips as he ran, sweat pouring from his body like a leaky faucet.
"What the hell was that INHUMAN MONSTER...?!"
He was referring to the golden-haired Hero who had appeared before him.
Even a subordinate of the Demon King, reigning at the pinnacle of evil, could do nothing but call him a monster.
"This is bad, this is bad, THIS IS BAD! That's way too DANGEROUS, I'm going to DIE... my survival instinct CAN'T HANDLE THIS...!"
With his heart racing, Iliga recalled the earlier scene.
'I'm the Hero! HERO LAWRENCE!'
A single young man had approached the northern wall all alone.
Just getting through the Abyssal Forest should have been enough to send shockwaves through him.
But what rattled him the most was...
'STOP your pointless resistance and surrender immediately! I don't want to spill any unnecessary blood!'
Unbelievably, that golden Hero had urged him to surrender.
It was as if he was declaring that they had the upper hand.
The northern wall was fortified with powerful defensive magic.
A barrier of super-hard magic ice had been erected, equipped to freeze any approaching enemy in an instant.
Against the formidable fortress Iliga had built, the Hero was supposed to... be defeated.
'I have NO CHOICE! I'm coming THROUGH!'
The golden Hero drew his greatsword.
At that moment... chills ran down Iliga's spine.
He commanded his subordinates to capture the Hero, but in the blink of an eye, the northern wall vanished.
He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
All he felt was a searing light from the sun, and then, just like that, the wall shattered.
Not just a part of it, but the entire, rigid fortress stretching across the continent evaporated.
...Most of the soldiers had been sent out, leaving only a small handful of his subordinates and himself behind.
Instead of standing his ground, Iliga chose to flee.
"To face a MONSTER that's BEYOND REASON... all alone?! That's UTTER FOOLISHNESS! This is a STRATEGIC RETREAT! Not a COWARDLY ROUT! DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT!"
He's telling himself, but the feeling of defeat lingers.
Where he's running to is the Abyssal Forest.
A demon-infested forest...but...
"W-what?! There's NO SIGN of any DEMONS!? What...is going on...!"
'Ah, THERE you are!'
Whoosh!
With a flap of her wings, a black dragon descends before Iliga.
"W-what are you!?"
'VIVRE, remember me? MR. ILIGA'
"Vivre...so, it's true...The Demon King did say..."
The Demon King said it was the ultimate weapon, designed specifically for the Great Hero.
The dragon before him exudes an aura and power worthy of its name.
Iliga had wondered,
Why create such a weapon in the first place?
But after seeing the Great Hero's attack firsthand, he understood.
To defeat that entity, a weapon like the Evil Dragon was essential.
"Perfect, VIVRE! Come BACK!"
'Huh...? What's with the SUDDEN CALL?'
"I NEED your POWER right now! REJOICE, I'll reinstate you into the Demon King's army!"
He thought that with this Evil Dragon, they could defeat the approaching Great Hero.
Fortunately, this defective demon had been crying when banished.
Meaning it still harbored feelings for the Demon King's army.
In other words, it wasn't just sentimentality, it was proof that she still wanted to return to the Demon King's army.
"Come back, Vivre! I'll make you my AIDE!"
But the Evil Dragon's conclusion was...
'NO THANKS.'
"What!? What did you say!? What are you TALKING ABOUT!?"
'I just said I'm DECLINING. I have NO intention of going BACK.'
Iliga is speechless at the blunt refusal.
"W-why!? I, your LORD, am personally asking you to return!"
'You TOSS ME OUT like I'm USELESS, and now you want me BACK? Isn't that a bit TOO CONVENIENT, huh?'
"Th-that's... fine, just LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH! I NEED it NOW more than ever!"
'Hmph, WHY, though?'
"The GREAT HERO is on our TAIL! ONLY YOU can defeat him!"
Vivre widened his eyes and sighed.
'You're an IDIOT, you know that?'
"What!?"
'You really think you can BEAT that guy for REAL?'
And then, in that moment──
"[Cleave-Edge SWORD!]"
...From somewhere, the voice of the Great Hero echoed.
The deep forest of demons, the Abyssal Forest... vanished.
"...Huh?"
To be precise, every tree, every blade of grass had been cut down without a single one left standing.
Before their eyes spread a wilderness.
The vast expanse of the demonic forest had been wiped out by someone's hand.
Thump!
Thump!
His heart pounded like a bell.
'You're PITTING ME against someone who could SMASH the Northern Wall? Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND────!?"
Turning around, there was the Golden Hero, walking towards them.
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