The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 1 - Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

The Ex–Demon Lord Versus the Frenzied King of Dragons, Elzard

The Vylamd Mountain Range was a large belt of peaks that stretched along the northernmost tip of the Laville Empire of Sorcery. It was known as the domain of Elzard, the Frenzied King of Dragons, and humans dared not step foot in it. Even monsters didn’t approach its vicinity.

Since ancient times, these mountains had been the home of the white dragons. It’d once been called a paradise of dragons because they would choose to rest their wings here… That was until Elzard massacred all of her brethren, leaving her its sole resident.

There was one extraordinarily tall mountain within the home region of this blood-soaked creature, boasting a towering summit even when compared to the rest. Its crown pierced through clouds and extended into the reaches of space itself.

This peak was known as the sleeping quarters of the King of Dragons. There, the demons were proceeding with a ceremony to summon the Evil God. The faint glow of the moon and stars emerged out of the pitch darkness of space, casting an eerie luminosity on the scene.

On the extensive and flat terrain, an enormous special-class magic circle had been transposed onto the earth. And at the center of it all was Ireena, chained to an altar and soaking in sweat. She’d been completely stripped of all clothing, lying there exposed without a stitch on her as she sweated profusely, beads forming on her supple, pale skin. Her mountainous breasts rose and fell in time with her breathing.

There was an enormous monster lying in wait beside her, squirming anxiously—or in anticipation of the maiden’s body. It was known as the Orphan of Chaos. Simply put, it was a tentacle monster.

There were countless arms that thrashed and wiggled around, stretching out of a sphere in the center of the mass that housed a giant eyeball. It leered at Ireena, who was tense with fear.

The Orphan of Chaos had been stitched together from the corporeal remnants of the Evil Gods before they’d all been obliterated by the Demon Lord Varvatos.

By joining the blood and physical body of the Evil Gods together in a sacrifice, the demons could summon one of the calamities sealed in an alternate dimension. In other words, they could complete this ceremony by using Ireena, who had inherited a portion of the soul of an Evil God, and the Orphan of Chaos. Their preparations were complete.

The demons were letting their energy flow into the huge magic circle underfoot, while Elzard looked upon its dim purple glow. Then she glanced over at their faces, which were marked with anxiety. The mood was heavy. That was to be expected. After all, their dreams were about to come true before their very eyes.

And at long last, the magic circle finished charging up.

Elzard smirked and approached Ireena strapped to the altar. “Hey there, Ireena. How ya doin’?”

Ireena’s tearful eyes narrowed as she glared at her captor.

Serves you right, Elzard thought. This is for growing up in a loving environment, even though you’re a monster—just like me.

But now, Ireena had been cast into the pits of hell, which gave great pleasure to Elzard, who was spurred on by her sadistic heart.

“Turn your head up… There. Can you see? Yeah, that disgusting tentacle monster. It’s going to rape you.”

“Rape me…?” Ireena parroted, unsure of what that meant, as her eyes swam around in discomposure.

“Let me walk you through it. These tentacles are going to enter each and every orifice of your body—mouth, nose, and ears, of course…plus your ass—and here,” continued Elzard as she traced Ireena’s lower half with a finger.

When it trailed down to her private parts, Ireena went ghost white…but she managed to muster up her courage.

“I’m not scared! At all! ’Cause I know Ard’s gonna come and save me!” she shouted with an expression that displayed absolute faith in a certain boy.

Ireena seemed so certain that her friend would never betray her, absolutely sure of her convictions, which reminded Elzard of her own past…

How intolerable. I want to destroy her. The corners of Elzard’s mouth strung upward as she delivered lines certain of satisfying these desires.

“Sure, you’d be safe if Ard swooped in. For a moment. But is that what you want? Because I’d have to tell him every last one of your secrets, y’know.”

Ireena’s eyes snapped open wide and stared at Elzard without a single trace of bravery on her face. It was as if she wanted to beg Please! Anything but that, which made Elzard grin all the more.

“Ard might have superhuman strength…but he’s a human all the same. I mean, he’s a product of this era. Which means… Well, I don’t need to spell it out. He’s just the same as everyone else. If he finds out your secret, he’ll hate you—despise you as a monster.”

Ireena had no reply to this. There were things she wanted to say: He’s not that kind of person or he’s my lifelong friend or he’d never betray me.

Just like me, thought Elzard.

But Ireena couldn’t get herself to utter any of these things—even Ard wasn’t exempt from these doubts. She couldn’t place her absolute confidence in him.

It made sense. To reveal her secret was akin to dropping a bomb. That’s how serious it was, which Elzard knew all too well. She chuckled darkly—evilly.

“If he doesn’t come and save you, you’re gonna die after you’re completely violated. If he does, you’re gonna lose your one and only friend. Meaning…your life is over either way,” Elzard whispered in Ireena’s ear as her dollish features twisted wickedly. “My condolences.  ”

This might have been the point when Ireena finally realized this was checkmate. Her mask of bravado peeled away and…revealed the face of a pitiful victim—ghastly pale and shaking in fear of the fate that awaited her.

There was a part of Elzard that had her desire perfectly satisfied by this situation, but she was craving more.

“Move the Orphan of Chaos. Let’s start this ceremony.”

The demons turned their palms toward the monster to fill it with magical energy as they expressed their intentions. With that, the Orphan of Chaos wiggled its tentacles in delight and slowly made its way toward Ireena.

“No… Stop… Stay away… Stay awaaaaaaaaaaay!” she shrieked, even as she lost all hope.

Ireena desperately tried to escape her bindings at the eleventh hour, bawling and screaming, but her chains were unyielding. The repulsive monster drew closer.

“Help! Someone! Help meeeeeee!” she wailed, excreting bodily fluids out of her privates.

Elzard continued to watch the scene with a wicked smile until the Orphan of Chaos finally reached Ireena. It squirmed its tentacles. The slimy black appendages extended toward her feet, coiling around her legs, snaking along her supple, milky thighs, and tightening their grasp. They inched farther and farther upward.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Two monsters! A match made in heaven!” Elzard cackled, her raucous laughter echoing all around.

The demons watched the ceremony with bated breath.

“No! No, no, no! Stop it! Stop!” Ireena cried out, trying to resist with everything she had, but her efforts were futile, no matter how much she fought and wailed.

The Orphan of Chaos’s tentacles slithered onward, and its girthy, slimy thing was ready to penetrate the deepest parts of Ireena.

Just then, the monster’s colossal body erupted into flames.

“Djfadjfjfa?!” the monster shrieked incomprehensively as most of its tentacles were blown off, sputtering green blood everywhere.

The demons and Elzard watched in momentary shock…right as something flew in at sonic speed from their periphery, impaling the monster’s eye.

They collectively whipped around to locate the source.

Up in the sky, floating out in the dark vastness of space, was a single boy, cloaked in a jet-black overcoat and holding a spear in one hand. This sight threw the demons into an uproar, but Elzard scowled at him amid the tumult and barked a laugh.

“You’re here…! Ard Meteor…!”

He dropped to the ground with an air of composure. As he touched down, Elzard couldn’t help but think of one of the great paintings of history, The Descent of the Demon Lord.

“Good day, insects, one and all,” he said with a chuckle as immense demonic energy seeped out of his entire body.

His aura was threatening enough to make even the legendary monster Elzard grow hot under the collar. As for the demons, they wouldn’t dare lift a finger, even though they were facing but a single enemy and those present were the most elite veterans as well as survivors of the ancient world. But even they had difficulty staring back at the newcomer.

“You’ve really done it now,” he remarked slowly, as if reprimanding a naughty child, and his crimson eyes shone brightly. “I don’t intend to let a single one of you crawl away, so you’d best prepare yourselves.”

With this declaration of war, Ard let his demonic aura rise to new heights, emanating unconditional strength. From the perspective of Ireena, his presence was akin to salvation itself. As for her attackers, there was nothing more terrifying, and these hardened veterans couldn’t even move enough to tremble as they shed buckets of sweat.

Except for the elderly demon, their leader, who finally showed some dauntlessness. “Don’t lose heart! This may be an unforeseen development, but stick to the plan and move!”

His rage stirred the others, who began to set to work with looks of fearlessness, gathering into formation in the blink of an eye.

“““Transcendental Beings! May Thou Be Our Fierce Thunder! And Bring Down Ruin!””” they recited in a collective invocation.

This was a magical technique made possible from long years of group training, and its power was comparable to the collective effort required to acquire this skill.

Following these three short chants, an enormous magic circle manifested beneath the demons and…a massive pillar of light shot up from the ground.

Using the magical powers of a few dozen people, this was a special-class attack spell utilizing a language characteristic to the demons—not by using runes.

That’s some powerful stuff. It would have held up even in the ancient world, noted Elzard, admiring the skills of the demons. It was amazing that they’d managed to build their strength up to this. Under the force of such magic, even the strongest would vanish without a trace.

“D-did we do it…?!”

“We put our whole bodies and souls into that shot. There’s no way he could survive…!”

The demons were certain of their victory. Even Elzard felt a sense of finality.

But the pillar of light instantly disappeared as soon as the invocation had reached its limit.

“I’m terribly sorry, but playtime is over.”

They all froze in place.

“H-how is he unharmed…?! Impossible…!” whispered a young demon with wide eyes.

Ard Meteor stood there in all his elegance—without a single scratch in sight. Their countless hours of study hadn’t even been able to wipe the grin off his face.

“Well then… I suppose it’s my turn.”

He flashed a cold smile, and nine magic circles manifested around him, but he hadn’t invoked multiple spells at once.

“I-is this a Nine Cast?!” The elderly demon was struck with wonder as the circles unleashed their magic one after the other.

Combustion. Lightning. Ice Sword. Clod. Impact. Flash. Miasma. Steel Stake. Dark Rush.

Every single attack was a violent and atrocious force to be reckoned with.

Though the demons had honed their skills through a hundred wars and each was a fearsome monster in their own right, they were all being laid to waste.

“Kill him! Kill hiiiiiiim!”

“Aaaaaaah?!”

“M-my leg! My leeeeeeg!”

Amid the howls and screams, Ard went on exercising his power with ease, even though he was alone and surrounded by enemies in a situation that anyone else would find demoralizing. But he was as carefree as he would be strolling through a garden. A smile played on his lips as he one-sidedly defeated each and every one of the demons—all without killing them.

“Amazing…! Ard, you’re incredible…!” whispered Ireena, who was bound up beside Elzard.

Her expression was a mixture of pure hope and admiration, no longer holding any fear of the demons, just like her friend.

“…Well played, Ard.” Elzard began to sweat, crushed under the weight of reality.

Ard Meteor hadn’t even unleashed a fraction of his real power. He was going easy on them to prevent his dearest friend from being petrified. After all, he could easily take on a horde of monsters with the strength of ten thousand soldiers.

He deviated enough from the norm for the title of Irregular to suit him.

“…Are friends that important to you? Do you not want to lose them, Ard Meteor?” Elzard murmured as she came to a single realization.

He’s just how I used to be.

She’d been pathetically lonely, seeking to make friends, only to be left with a heaping pile of futile efforts. It was exactly why she understood him so well.

If he knew everything about me, I bet he’d be just as understanding.

We’d be able to support each other as like-minded individuals.

This kind of presence is what I’ve always wished for—the relationship I’ve always wanted. But that’s also why…

That was why…her hatred for him grew even stronger.

“Why couldn’t you be born sooner?”

Everything was fatally too late. Even if her wish came true, it wouldn’t do anything to ease Elzard’s heart.

“If only you’d been born sooner. If only we met earlier in life…!” she screeched, glaring at the boy as he knocked down the demons with blinding force. “Ah… It’s been so long since I had this feeling…”

The bloodthirsty dragon, the one who’d been driven into a berserk fury from loneliness, clenched her hands into fists.

“You’re driving me mad, Ard Meteor…!”

Upon leaving the capital, I followed a trail of magical residue to find Elzard, formerly known as Jessica. She’d taken measures to cover her tracks to make sure she couldn’t be tailed, and it was all starting to make sense how she’d survived from the ancient world…but she couldn’t fool these eyes.

I followed them all the way to her location and promptly dealt with the disgusting clump of tentacles. It was payback time for trying to deflower my Ireena. And then I continued with wiping out the demons—well, in a manner of speaking.

“Gwah…!”

“My eyes… My eyes…!”

I didn’t kill a single one. It wasn’t worth taking a worthless life. That would go against my style…

Plus, it would scare Ireena if she saw me totally massacre everyone. That meant I left a handful of demons with enough strength to move around, but they didn’t need to be dealt with right now. After all, I’d rendered them physically and mentally powerless.

“Well, then…,” I said as I went to check on Ireena.

She was chained to a pedestal at the top of a mountain and naked from every angle.

Absolutely shameless. How dare they disgrace her in this way…! I thought to myself, brimming with pure, unbridled rage.

I stepped up to Ireena and cast a spell with a snap of my fingers, calling forth magic circles around the chains, which froze in an instant and crumbled apart with a crack seconds later.

“Aaaaaaaah! Aaaaaaard!” she screamed.

She must have been completely petrified, seeing as her usual bravado was nowhere to be found. Ireena sprinted over to me, letting her melon-size breasts swish back and forth as tears gushed out of her eyes like waterfalls.

“I was so scaaaaaaaaared!” she yelled, leaping into my arms.

The ends of her long silver strands of hair wagged left and right, looking like the tail of a happy puppy reuniting with its master.

…Yes, Ireena was my friend, beloved daughter, and like my little puppy.

There were two soft mounds being pressed against my chest, and her plump booty was in full view. Any normal person would have been overcome by desire, but I felt nothing of the sort. Yep. Absolutely nothing at all.

I gently held her trembling body and softly stroked her head. “It seems I was a bit late. To allow a lady to be exposed this way… I still have a long way to go,” I noted with a heavy sigh.

I covered Ireena with my black overcoat, though I knew it would suck her magical powers out of her for as long as she was cloaked in it. In exchange, it would nullify attacks at a base level, and she really needed that right now.

Ireena shook her head frantically. “Th-that’s not true! A-and I wasn’t embarrassed at all when they saw me naked! If I’m telling you the truth…my crotch was, like, throbbing? And it kind of felt good, almost—”

“…Let us discuss the matter at length when we’re home. For now—,” I started to say, but I was cut off by a torrent of sharp magical energy that came flying toward us.

I reflexively tried to deflect it with my right hand, which had been fortified with defense spells, and it sent a jolt through my palm that traveled down the rest of my body.

An elementary-level spell, Lightning Shot, huh, I thought to myself.

It wasn’t an attack meant to stop me. It was just to get my attention.

I spun around and made eye contact with my foe, Elzard. Something must have happened to her without my noticing, since her long platinum hair was slightly dingy, and her clothes were torn to shreds.

“Oh dear. How embarrassing. I bet I look a little worse for wear. I don’t even have any makeup on. All my fake eyelashes and stuff flew off when I soared through the sky, you know.”

“Worry about your public image, first. I can’t believe you’d kidnap a sweet young maiden. Your mother in the heavens will weep if she catches wind of this.”

“I dunno about that. My mother was a huge bitch.”

The conversation itself was easygoing enough, but we were both wound tight.

I readied myself to go full throttle on her, and she transformed again with an aura thick with bloodlust as the skin on her hands erupted with scales. Talons extended out of her fingers, and the corners of her dainty mouth ripped all the way up to her ears, framed by two horns that sprouted from either side of her head. Elzard was emanating an extraordinarily suffocating vibe, making the air around us undulate and the earth quiver.

Her power was…equal in every way to the great ancient warriors.

“Oh…! What presence…!”

“We’ve been defeated, but she still stands…!”

“He may be the son of the Great Mages, but he can’t possibly win against a monster of legend…!”

The light had returned to the demons’ eyes, full and round with hope. On the other hand, gloom once again settled on Ireena’s face.

“A-Ard…” She gripped me tighter.

I stroked her hair before I slipped my arm around her waist.

“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “A lizard is no challenge for me. It won’t take me long to clean this up. In the meantime, think about dinner, Ireena. We’ve prepared your favorite curry dish tonight. I hope you’re looking forward to it.”

I grinned at her, which made Ireena’s fear dissolve somewhat.

“Okay!” she replied and attempted to give me a weak smile, which was seriously supercute.

“Hey, hey, stop with the PDA. You really like her? Even though she’s a monster?” Elzard asked, giving Ireena a once-over with a wicked smile.

…At the mention of the word monster, Ireena’s smile disappeared completely as uneasiness came rushing back in full force.

“Y’know, that girl ain’t as pretty as you think. She’s actually—”

“Stop it! No more!” Ireena screamed as her blue eyes welled up with tears.

But that only seemed to rile up Elzard’s sadistic nature. A devious smile stretched from ear to ear, and she looked expectant, almost, in a twisted way.

“She carries the blood of the Evil Gods. It’s the truth. No mistaking it. That’s why Lars al Ghoul targeted her.”

Ireena’s gaze pierced into me—in panic, fear, anxiety, and…despair, absolutely convinced that this revelation would obliterate our relationship. And Elzard seemed to think she’d be able to see a tragic end unfold in front of her.

I was ready to give a bold proclamation.

“That’s perfectly fine.”

“…What did you say?” Elzard’s eyes widened, appearing surprised by my response.

Ireena’s eyes just about popped out of her head, too, and I could see her expression change dramatically. To put the last bit of Elzard’s scheme to rest and my friend at ease, I didn’t stop there.

“If I were a normal human, my reaction would have played out as you’d expected. But I’m lacking in common sense, unfortunately. I wouldn’t care if she was an Evil God or carried their blood. What matters—”

I stopped and cast my eyes on her face. I smiled down at Ireena, whose expression was marked with concern and trepidation, as I lightly stroked her trembling head.

“What matters is that she’s someone worthy of my respect and affection. That’s all. Ireena is more courageous and generous than anyone. I find her blinding, brilliant… Someone as bright as the sun itself. That’s why I admire her—and why I can’t forgive you for referring to her as a monster.”

I looked from Ireena to Elzard with a cold ruthlessness and red-hot fury.

“Don’t you dare insult my friend,” I spat, speaking straight from the heart, as Ireena’s sobs rang out.

But I didn’t glance down at her. She probably wouldn’t have wanted that.

From her trembling body, I could sense that she was no longer in a state of fear or panic—but rather one of joyous relief. And that alone was enough for me.

“…Hmph. Well, this was all in the realm of possibility. Whatever. I’ve still got lots planned ahead.”

“I see. In that case, allow me to crush each one head-on.” I released the arm holding Ireena. “Please stand back. Things are going to get unsafe, even with the overcoat on.”

“R-right! Go show her who’s boss!”

“Yes, my lady,” I said, offering her a smile, and Ireena retreated farther back.

“Well. You’ve kidnapped my friend, stripped her, and put her through extraordinary disgrace, then sent her into the utmost limits of fear and, to top it all off, verbally assaulted her… If I take into account that your power is comparable to the ancient heroes…,” I trailed off.

It was like my heart had frosted over, taking control of my lips and spilling these lines out of their own accord. It’d been ages since I felt so intoxicated. I would fight with the full force of my strength and…

“It seems you’re worth killing.”

Take her shameless heart. When I let myself think that, I became keenly aware of a wave of acute pleasure washing across my entire body in an unconscious release of my dark thirst for battle. It must have put Elzard on edge.

Her face gleamed with sweat. “…Geez, you’re a pain in the ass to the very end,” she mumbled as she readied herself. “I can’t wait to see your look of total despair!” shouted Elzard, thrusting out her left hand toward me to manifest golden magic circles.

Eight of them in total. She’d activated this spell using the language of dragons, which was said to be the first vernacular used for spells.

The circles raged menacingly, launching pure-white light from each of them in the next moment and kicking up a thick cloud of dust with each direct hit. Elzard released attacks one after the other without mercy.

“Wh-what a fierce attack…!”

“As expected of the legendary white dragon…! She’s on a completely different level…!”

The voices of the demons trembled with fear.

“A-Ard?!” Ireena’s cry sliced through the air, presumably worried for my safety, which brought a smile to my lips.

“There’s no cause for alarm. As I mentioned before…a lizard of this level is no match for me,” I replied calmly.

It must have struck Elzard as a warning, because her attacks halted. The dust cleared, and I was visible for all to see.

“Wha…?!”

“H-her attack did nothing…?!”

The demons weren’t the only ones who were completely confused.

Elzard frowned. “…Weird. I didn’t see you cast any defense spells.”

“I have nothing to hide. Allow me to enlighten you: It’s all thanks to this spear—which has been imbued with the power to nullify any lightning attacks.”

“Huh. So that’s why my magic did nothing.”

We both exchanged smiles and pleasantries.

“Did you honestly think something like that would dishearten me?!” Elzard screeched, unleashing another onslaught of lightning. “If that’s a magic item, it has a limit to how much it can absorb, right?! I’ll just beat the crap out of it until it breaks! Go ahead! Savor it!”

She was right. Even the Armor of the Demon Lord would break upon reaching its absorption point. Since it was facing lightning attacks cast by one of the fiercest warriors of the ancient world, it could withstand a maximum of a hundred spells, give or take.

That said, even if she managed to break the spear, it wasn’t as if she could win against me.

Elzard continued to hurl her attacks. I flicked some flames in her direction to edge her closer to the end of her magical powers, but she must have taken my behavior as pessimism, because she sneered at me.

“Ha! C’mon, what’s wrong?! You’ve gotta go on the offensive if you wanna win!” She rained down more bolts with a victorious look on her face.

Her idiocy made me loose-lipped. “Heh-heh… Elzard… For someone your age, you fight like a child,” I mocked, chuckling to myself.

She was looking to issue some sort of rebuttal…

“Shouldn’t you watch your step?” I suggested.

Elzard leaped to the side, landing on ground that erupted into a scorching firestorm. It was a combination of earth and fire magic known as Ground Bomb. I’d been steering her whereabouts for some time, and it had all been leading up to this.

“U-uuuuuurg?!” Elzard’s screams rang out in the center of the scorching burst, and I sent an icy smile in her direction.

“You fight in the same manner as those who wield absolute power. There is a major drawback characteristic of those warriors, you know, which is that those who have never experienced difficult battles will only employ simple strategies on the battlefield. That makes you susceptible to falling for easy tricks. It seems like you learned nothing from when you had the rug pulled out from under you thousands of years ago.”

The Ground Bomb disappeared as it reached its limit, but the single attack seemed to do significant damage. I glanced at her body, which was completely scorched and giving off smoke, as I held my spear at the ready.

“In my opinion, the strongest warriors don’t employ enough caution. It must stem from the foolish delusion that there’s no way they’ll die or that victory is as good as theirs… And it seems to me that you’re still convinced you’re going to win, even now. Let me tell you something.”

I focused my strength into the spear in my hand.

“There is nothing in this world that cannot be destroyed.”

I aimed the crimson spear at Elzard, propelling it through space before it pierced my target straight through her chest. Its momentum yanked her entire body backward, drawing her toward the edge of the summit. Her gash spewed fresh blood until she finally plummeted into the sea of clouds spread out below us.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaardddddddddd!” shouted Ireena as she jumped on me. “I—I knew you’d win! But still! I was so worried! I’m so happy you won! Thank goodness you’re not hurt! I’m so relieeeeeeeeeved!”

I guessed this battle had made it hard for even Ireena to have absolute faith in me.

As enormous globs of tears fell from her eyes, she celebrated my victory, and I held on to her tightly, stroking her head.

Whew, Ireena was the best of the best.

“Th-this is a dream…! It’s a nightmare! That must be it…!”

“Really? The King of Dragons fell…just like that…?!”

The demons were crestfallen, not that there was any need to consider their feelings.

Everything had finally come to a close. We’ll return to the capital and enjoy a nice meal together, I thought when I saw something squirming below the summit in the sea of clouds in the distance.

In the next instant, milky-white clouds grew dark as thunder boomed through the sky.

A bright flash shot up toward outer space.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh! Aaaaaaaaard! Meteooooooooor!” it roared with enough force to shake the earth before it finally made its appearance, piercing through the clouds and flying through the air.

It was a gigantic three-winged white dragon—a majestic sight deserving of the title of the Frenzied King of Dragons.

“Not yet! This isn’t oveeeeeeeeeer yet!” she shrieked furiously just as a golden magic circle burst out in front of the true form of Elzard.

“Well, well… Don’t you know that no one likes persistent women?” I asked, knitting my eyebrows together as I used every ounce of power to mentally construct a special-class defense spell.

It was complete within seconds, and I cast this spell even as it was still consuming my magical energy, covering Ireena and me in a thick golden membrane with a radius of about fifty merel.

I set a seven-circle defense spell of the highest caliber, Ultima Wall, in place—just in the nick of time.

“Disappeaaaaaaaaaar!” Elzard roared, launching off another spell and shooting a thick beam of blue light with enough strength to knock down a castle or two.

But my defensive barrier wasn’t some ordinary spell, either. It was steely enough that your run-of-the-mill dragon wouldn’t manage to lay a scratch on it. That said, it seemed Elzard wasn’t your average beast, since the first of my seven layers was pulverized upon her attack’s impact.

A horde of demons stood within the trajectory of her assault.

“Eeeeeeeeeek?!” one of them shrieked.

But I didn’t have enough mental capacity to deal with them. I observed the demons get swallowed up by the beams and disappear as I thought to myself:

…After this damn lizard was defeated a thousand years ago, I bet she holed up on this summit for a millennium. And since mana, or magical energy, concentrates heavily in areas closer to outer space, I guess the magical density on this mountain wouldn’t be too different from my time. If she spent her years here, that means…

“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!”

That meant Elzard’s magic had been spared any and all deterioration through the eras.

The second beam came whizzing toward us and took more than one demon with it before it chewed through another one of my defensive barriers. Five layers left.

…I guess I expected it would come down to this. I swear I have the shittiest luck.

“Ireena,” I said in a tone of resignation as I peered into her face.

It displayed a look of worry—and fear. But I could see there was also trust: Ard will think of something. And that had given her hope.

Ireena, I’ll protect you no matter what.

It didn’t matter what would happen as a result. As long as she was alive, that was enough.

I believed this from the bottom of my heart…but I still couldn’t stop my heart from overflowing with emotion and spilling out some words of its own.

“I implore you not to watch this upcoming battle.”

I could tell she noticed that my heart was shattering based on my tone of voice, and she looked at me quizzically. But there was nothing more I could say.

I was going to throw off my mask, my identity as Ard Meteor, to become the Demon Lord Varvatos once more.

All roads lead to despair.

That is the way of life for a pitiful man.

I began the incantation of my greatest and strongest magic made exclusively for my personal use, an Original.

In complete solitude is he.

For there are those who follow his lead

But none to rule together with him.

Two of the remaining five layers were ground down.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Suffer! Ard Meteooooooor!” bellowed Elzard, causing Ireena’s face to cloud over in intense fear.

I gripped Ireena tightly in my arms as reassurance, continuing with my chanting.

There is not one who understands.

All are eager to leave his side.

One layer remaining. And I was this close to finishing my incantation.

Cast away by his one and only friend,

He sinks into a sea of madness and isolation.

The final layer was crushed under the weight of her attack. Elzard was raring to deliver her finishing blow, summoning another magic circle.

Rest without peace.

Drown in anguish and despair.

That which guides this tale.

Private Kingdom—the story of a lonely king.

As the chant came to a close, it invoked the appearance of a certain figure. We were surrounded by countless magic circles that flashed in and out of existence until they finally revealed one woman.

She was stunning—drop-dead gorgeous. With long silver hair that brushed past her hips and pointed ears, she exhibited a mature loveliness. Her beauty was timeless.

Her entire body was bound in a pitch-black straitjacket…

THREAT DETECTED: LEVEL III.

RELEASING CONSTRAINTS BY 15 PERCENT.

INITIATING DEFENSE MANEUVERS.

A robotic voice echoed out of her as she ripped off the bonds on her right hand, her facade as emotionless as a puppet. In the next moment, Elzard shot out another blast of light in our direction, and the summoned held out her palm in the face of the oncoming deluge.

A direct hit.

But when her attack made contact with the woman’s fingertips, it completely absorbed its power.

“What is she…?!”

I had no obligation to answer that question.

I was ready to take it to the next level.

As I drew near the woman, her face twitched slightly, turning to look at me. There was something about her face that reminded me a little of Ireena, but those blue eyes held no emotion in them at all.

Well, she was nothing but a doll—nothing but a pitiful puppet my soul had captured.

I called out to her. “…It’s been a while. Shall we dance, Lydia?”

YES, MY LORD, she replied, bursting through all her restraints and embracing my body.

In the next moment, Lydia was enveloped in a blinding glow as she shape-shifted into a glistening liquid form. She coiled around the entire length of my right arm and transformed into a chain as black as midnight, which wound down to my fingertips where a giant sword of the same color appeared before me.

I softly stroked the woman-turned-weapon and fixed my eyes on Elzard to deliver a fierce glare.

I made a declaration. “I’ll fight in your arena. Come, you lowly fool,” I spat as I composed and activated a spell to float through the air.

Moments later, I was soaring high through the sky.

“Really? You’re challenging a dragon to a battle in the air? I’ll have you repent for your arrogance—with death! Recognize your powerlessness and despair!” Elzard boomed, expanding and beating her three enormous wings to hunt me down.

We faced each other on the threshold between earth and space.

“You keep yapping on about ‘despair this’ and ‘despair that’…but I’m guessing you don’t have a clue as to what you’re saying. You know, you’re a thousand years too young to be talking to me like that.”

Looking down at my enemy, I spoke with icy indifference.

“Allow me to show you true despair (as the Demon Lord).”

I let my lips rise up into a snarl, causing Elzard to jump out of her skin, but she managed to recover immediately, regaining her spirit.

“Teach me if you can!” she yelled, unleashing the full range of her raging emotions.

We were about to begin our battle in the air—fighting it out in the dragon’s home field.

The number of demons had greatly dwindled at the hands of Elzard, the white dragon. But they hadn’t been completely eliminated, since they were able to recover with healing capabilities unique to demonkind. They’d even managed to heal from the injuries inflicted by Ard Meteor.

What was their next move?

The answer was obvious. They needed to fulfill their mission. If they swooped down on their sacrifice—Ireena, who was defenseless and exposed—they could dip out of this place and move forward with the ceremony.

All surviving demons knew this. But they couldn’t move an inch.

Even though they perfectly understood what they needed to do, they couldn’t actually carry it out—thanks to the scene before them.

“What is that…?!”

“I-is this real life…?!”

“To think we’d be fighting against that thing…!”

The ancient legends were being reenacted in front of them, in this very world.

Under a darkened sky, two combatants in black and white clashed violently against each other. Just as the demons thought a flash of red sliced through the air, a blue undulation would fill the sky—back and forth, colors streaked through space without end. In the midst of these bursts of red and blue, there were flares of black and white that zigzagged through the sky.

The demons had no idea what the two were doing out there.

This entire battle was beyond their understanding, even though they were known as the scourge of society.

But they were certain about one thing: They were puny compared to the two figures in the sky. It was the one thing of which everyone was painfully aware.

The demons noticed that they’d fallen to their knees, clasping their hands.

“Ah…! Ah…!”

“Please forgive us…! Oh, please…!”

They begged through rattling teeth and full-body convulsions. Their hearts had been seized by absolute awe and terror. This was how anyone would react in the face of near-omnipotent beings and an incomprehensible situation.

The demons shed themselves of all other thought as they focused on offering their prayers, no longer strapped to a sense of duty or loyalty toward their master.

Their hearts had been completely pulverized by the sight of these two monsters and the pure terror they’d inflicted on each and every one of them.

Next to the demons panicking to raise their prayers in despair was Ireena, the elf, who was trembling uncontrollably. The shock waves of the monstrous blows from up above washed over her as she mumbled to herself.

“This is what it looks like for Ard to go all out…!”

Calling him phenomenal or irregular wasn’t nearly enough: He was moving at a speed almost as fast as light. Any one of his attacks could level an entire city in one critical hit.

But he acted as if he’d done it his whole life. He was in the realm of the gods. The world of mortals was far below him.

This was why Ireena couldn’t help thinking, He scares me.

…It meant she hadn’t known anything about Ard; she’d only thought she knew him. But now, Ireena had figured out his true identity—all too well.

In truth, it made her want to draw a line between them—with her as a god-fearing worshipper and him as a deity. Ireena was at a crossroads: She was beginning to find it difficult to see the two of them as equals. She was about to join the demons in clasping her hands in prayer. Her heart creaked under the weight of her distress.

But she caught herself in the nick of time. “What am I thinking?!”

Ireena puffed out both her cheeks and returned to her senses.

Ard’s parting words came to mind: He’d implored her not to watch their duel. He must have been afraid Ireena would distance herself if she saw his true powers. Which meant they were one and the same.

“When Ard found out my secret…he said we were still friends…!”

I need to follow suit and think of our friendship as a lifelong one.

Making him sad was the last thing she wanted.

Ireena glared at the sky above her, where the battle was playing out in the heavens, clenching her fists tightly. She was going to etch this moment into her mind as her goal—her destination and desire.

“I’ll stand there someday, too…and we’ll walk as equals, shoulder to shoulder. And then,” she said, stopping for a moment.

And then, I’ll stop being scared of you. I’ll dispel these newly formed thoughts, and then we finally can be true friends.

“Just you wait, Ard…!” Ireena shouted, full of determination, as she continued gazing up at her precious friend.

MAGICAL ENERGY DETECTED FROM BELOW.

POSSIBILITY OF MAGIC CIRLE FORMING IN 0.2 SECONDS: VERY HIGH.

As soon as the robotic voice emitted out of my dark sword, I turned my focus to what was underneath me, and true to her word, a golden circle appeared two-tenths of a second later, emitting a wide beam of blue light.

It would have been a direct hit if my battle support unit hadn’t given me an advance warning. But thanks to her insight, I was able to deal with it accordingly, swinging down my sword at the heat rays emanating unparalleled evil. The tip of the violent torrent made contact with my blade, which absorbed Elzard’s magic until the light disappeared. I felt my magical energy replenishing.

This was just one of the many abilities of my exclusive spell: Soak up my opponent’s attacks and transfuse their power into me. That meant I wouldn’t run out of energy as long as I wasn’t casting some gigantic spell that could consume all my magical power.

I raced through the darkness with Elzard.

ELEVATED HEAT DETECTED FROM THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES.

ANTICIPATE DIRECT IMPACT IN 3 SECONDS ON CURRENT TRAJECTORY.

“Construct a magical formula to accelerate. Plan for a counterattack after our escape,” I ordered.

YES, MY LORD.

LOADING TECHNIQUE FOR ACCELERATION. PLEASE STAND BY…

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE. ACCELERATING.

I could feel an immense force being pressed on my entire body a moment later, pushing me forward at the speed of light.

Three seconds passed before two rays seemed to collide behind me, assailing me with a heat wave—super far from hitting its target, me. As I experienced the scorching blaze surrounding my whole body, I constructed another technique together with Lydia.

“Lydia. Code Alpha. Ready.”

UNDERSTOOD.

LOADING EXECUTIONER RAY. PLEASE STAND BY…

COMPLETE. READY TO FIRE.

As soon as my magical energy combusted, it manifested a bunch of magic circles before me—666, to be exact.

Each enormous circle blasted bloodred flashes of light, which accumulated into thousands of beams that hounded Elzard. But she moved with a litheness that belied her size.

“Slow, slow, way too slow!” she mocked, beating her gigantic wings.

Elzard sailed through the sky, evading a few beams, neutralizing some others, and knocking them away one by one. But she couldn’t handle them all, and a hundred torrents of light hit her directly.

And the damage wasn’t negligible: She’d lost two of her three wings. Her left arm was torn to shreds, and all that was left was a stump. There was a hole in her ribs that whistled when the wind rushed through it.

That said, these wounds were nothing for someone from ancient times. In fact, Elzard regenerated her entire body in the blink of an eye, fully recovering in no time at all.

“Ha-ha! I was wondering what might happen when we started …but it turns out this is no biggie! Your exclusive spells are nothing but weak copies of the species-specific abilities of white dragons!” she noted triumphantly.

Elzard must have already assumed she’d won this one.

“We can heal our injuries by taking in the magical energy in the atmosphere. But you, on the other hand, need to absorb it from your enemy. Your healing method is second-rate, obviously. Well, it seems to strengthen your baseline abilities, which isn’t too shabby…but it lacks the firepower to take down this form.”

She was right. As things were, it just wasn’t enough, which meant I couldn’t defeat Elzard.

There were a few moments at the outset when she’d been cornered into dangerous situations, which had contributed to her nerves at the very beginning of the fight. But now that she was secure in her victory, she was intoxicated with relief. That’s why she could talk as if everything had already been decided.

“You’ll be much happier dying here, y’know? …It seems like you’re hoping for Ireena to do something down there, but that’s all moot. Sure, she’s a monster, too, but she’s leagues below you. Just because you’re cut from the same cloth doesn’t guarantee you’ll stay friends. Once she knows the unabridged truth, she’ll grow to fear…and betray you,” Elzard continued. “There’s no place for friendship or love in this world.”

I felt a heaviness weigh me down when she delivered that last line. It was true.

Ireena is going to be horrified. I bet our relationship is already done for, I thought, causing my heart to cloud over and go dark.

Elzard snorted mockingly. “Solitude is your burden to carry. Perish with it in your arms. That’s the perfect ending for someone like—”

Her hateful tirade was cut off by a voice that reached my ears.

“You can do itttttttt! Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd!” cheered Ireena.

She did sound a bit frightened, but her words were filled with platonic love.

“Go get ’er! You’re not allowed to loooooooooose!”

Come back. Come back to me in one piece. It was as if I could hear her thoughts…and I felt my own eyes grow misty with tears.

I shifted my attention to Elzard floating across from me, flashing her a placid smile. “You’ve got one thing wrong… I’m not alone anymore.”

She expressed her displeasure. “Is that so?! Lemme tell you: There’s no point to any of this if you’re dead!” she spewed, manifesting five enormous magic circles in front of her.

I glared her down. “Well. The preparations are done. Guess we can start,” I said before I turned to give Lydia an order—one that would offer this stupid, cocky dragon in front of me a true taste of despair.

“Lydia. Phase II. Ready.”

UNDERSTOOD.

SWITCHING TO STAGE II OF FULL-BODY TRANSFORMATION.

ACTIVATING BRAVE DEMON.

In perfect synchronicity with this reply, the chain on my right arm started to release a black aura, seeping out and cloaking my entire body to begin the transformation. The clothes on my back turned into a pitch-black costume, and my hair drained of all color into a sinister, pure white.

“Ha! You just look a li’l different is all! What is that gonna do?!” Elzard yelled back in her ever-confident tone as she cast another spell.

Five golden circles emanated a blinding glow as they appeared in front of Elzard’s eyes.

ANALYSIS COMPLETE.

INITIATING MAGIC CANCELER.

A mechanical voice came out from the sword…and the five circles crumbled, scattering their contents everywhere.

“What?!” Elzard shrieked, appearing totally at a loss as to what had just happened.

That said, her usual fervor immediately came back, and she managed to manifest another set of magic circles.

“It’s over, Ard Meteor!” she shouted as if issuing a command, unleashing another spell on me.

But her azure pillars of light didn’t go off in my direction—but in hers.

“—Ngh!”

A surprise attack within a surprise attack. This was something even Elzard couldn’t dodge—resulting in multiple direct hits and leaving her with five wide gashes.

“Wh-what is this…? What’s going on…?!” she asked, completely bewildered.

I revealed a few of my secrets. “You spoke disparagingly about my exclusive spells, but you should know that absorbing magical energy is a small part of a bigger story. The main capacity of this form of magic is in…analysis and control.”

“Analysis and control…?!” parroted Elzard as she healed herself.

I nodded at my enemy. “Aye. In this form, I can analyze my enemy’s moves. And when that’s complete, it’s possible for me to take over. But it’s not just about letting your spells run amok. I can unlock any and all methods you’ve employed to conceal your magical techniques. Once I take a look at your arsenal of secret skills in there, I can copy and make them mine. That is to say—” I paused, swinging my black sword to point its tip at her and smiling assuredly. “All your attacks are mine. You cannot win.”

Elzard’s entire body jolted, even though her expression hadn’t changed. But I could tell despair was beginning to take root in her heart.

Not that it hurt to be sure.

“These Originals will continue to metamorphose as I fuse more and more of my body with the soul of my dear friend. And I’ve got two more forms left. I’m assuming you know what this all means, right?”

At that, Elzard’s body began to tremble all over. “G-graaaaaaaaaagh!” she howled as seven magic circles spread out before her, set to release more torrents of light.

“I told you that wouldn’t work,” I warned calmly, taking control of her spell to pierce her with her own attacks once again.

“Graaaaaaaaaagh! Th-this……this can’t be happening…!” she screeched, riddled with seven enormous holes that rained down profuse amounts of fresh blood.

She cried out in anguish.

I smiled twistedly. “What do you think? This is what you’d call ‘true despair’—the moment a certain victory is completely flipped on its head. It’s when you experience the most extreme shift in emotions, from astronomical relief to absolute misery. I wish I could spend more time teaching you about yourself…but this all ends here,” I lamented, thrusting the tip of my sword before her.

“To the King of Dragons and the frenzied madman. May you die in despair.”

Elzard unleashed the full extent of her wrath on me as she continued to regenerate her body. “Don’t screw with meeeeeeeee! The only one dying here is youuuuu!”

At the eleventh hour, she began a truly useless struggle.

“Fourme. Evisa. Gwyneth… Analyze these if you can!” she challenged, chanting three incantations in the language of dragons.

They called forward a ginormous magic circle more than a hundred merel in diameter.

…Huh. This technique is too high-level for me to analyze at my current stage.

“I have no need to analyze it. I’ll just crush it head-on,” I remarked, face plastered with an unchanging grin. I gave Lydia an order. “Code Sigma. Ready.”

UNDERSTOOD.

ULTIMATUM ZERO. PLEASE STAND BY.

With that, seven titanic magic circles manifested and overlapped before me.

CHARGING MAGICAL ENERGY. 30 PERCENT… 40 PERCENT… 50 PERCENT…

They began to spin around, reverberating a dull sound similar to the chimes of a large bell.

“Evsim, Lufasa, Urvis, Azura…,” chanted Elzard, creating and rotating magic circles of her own.

A high-pitched shillling resounded through the air.

CHARGING MAGICAL ENERGY. EXCEEDING 70 PERCENT.

As our circles made a series of cacophonous noises, we stared each other down.

80 PERCENT… 90 PERCENT… MAGICAL ENERGY HAS ACHIEVED 100 PERCENT.

The dragon had spewed out the last of her chant at the exact same time.

“Disappear! ELDER BREATH!” she shrieked as the giant golden circle sparkled with a conspicuously strong light—

READY TO FIRE AT ANY TIME. HOW SHALL I PROCEED?

“Guess it’s go time. Ultimatum Zero, fire.”

A wave of blue light cascaded over the edges of the golden magic circle as a red luminescence gushed out of the black ones—unleashing their glowing floods in an explosive power akin to a bomb detonation. The two streams of light collided between us, fiercely pushing each other forward and back and unleashing a blinding flash and shock wave upon impact.

They contained enough kinetic force to make a few laps around the planet, causing my silver hair to whip back violently. The struggle lasted for a full thirty seconds before finally beginning to break down.

My crimson beam began overwhelming the blue lights.

“R-ridiculous! Are you freaking kidding meeeeeee?!”

The body of the colossal dragon vanished as it screeched in total anguish.

The red torrent would shoot through space, reaching its limit and gradually growing narrower—until the very last red particle was finally extinguished, leaving behind nothing at all.

Or so I’d thought.

“…Oh my. That was unexpected.”

I was the tiniest bit surprised by the sight before me.

I’d had no intention of making any allowances, casting my Ultimatum Zero in full force.

But even after my target had been fully immersed in my attack, Elzard was still alive. I guess I should’ve expected that from a dragon from the legends. No one else had ever survived this before. Even if my trump card was weaker than it had been in my heyday, the fact that she’d lived through it was worthy of praise.

“Ggh… U-ugh…,” she stammered, body covered in wounds.

Elzard had lost 60 percent of her body, which she couldn’t regenerate. I assumed she’d used up most of her magical energy with that last bold move, and she was barely hanging on to her life, which was as capricious as flickering candlelight in the wind.

I reached out to reap it.

“Am I going to die…? Will I die as alone…as I was in life…?” she whispered frailly.

My final blow wavered upon hearing her dying words, which revealed her truest self—bottomless sorrow and loneliness. My resolve dulled for an instant.

“No…! I won’t die, damn it…! I’ll kill you…! Kill you till you’re worse than dead…!” howled the white dragon, overflowing with a thirst for blood.

I finally snapped back to my senses.

But it was already too late. Before the knockout blow could land, the enemy made her move.

Elzard’s body grew transparent. Had she cast…a reincarnation spell?

To test out this theory, I cast Flare, but the flames passed right through her body without any effect whatsoever.

“Ard Meteor…! To me, you’re—”

But she completely disappeared before she could finish.

“…As if a child on the verge of tears,” I noted upon seeing the grief and desolation in those golden eyes as she took her leave.

Elzard had been historically known as a fearsome monster who’d annihilated the country and betrayed the woman who’d become her friend. But I had a hard time seeing her as just a beast, and somewhere deep down, I had a feeling we were very much alike.

…Welp, thinking about it now isn’t gonna change anything.

I glanced at the black sword gripped in my right hand. “Lydia. You served admirably. You may return inside my soul.”

YES, MY LORD.

The dark sword and chain on my arm dissolved into smoke, coiling in the air and vanishing as my body assumed its original appearance—my guise as Ard Meteor. I descended to the summit below, where I spotted Ireena.

When she saw me, her body jerked.

…Ah, I knew it would turn out like this. She must have seen that last attack, Ultimatum Zero, and changed her mind about the whole thing. Her heart must be broken, which meant the girl who’d been cheering me on was nowhere to be seen.

Whatever. I was used to being alone. And I’d been able to protect her—unlike Lydia.

That was enough—

“W-wowie, I knew you were amazing, Ard!” Ireena chirped, slicing through all my thoughts.

She locked eyes with me, and I could see fear…and determination behind her gaze.

“Just as I’d expect from my friend! But don’t think I’m always gonna be weaker than you! I’ll get lots stronger, then…” She collected her thoughts.

“I’ll be a girl you can depend on. No question.”

The corners of my eyes grew hot.

Ha-ha. I’m so stupid. How could I think Ireena would ever abandon me?

After all, this girl was kinder than anyone.

I swiped at the tears pooling in the outer edges of my eyes. “Ireena…will you continue to be my friend?”

“Duh! I can’t wait to spend more time with you going forward, Ard!”

We shook hands, just like when we first met.

I smiled shyly at her, and Ireena flashed the pure, innocent grin of a child.

I’d finally escaped from loneliness, thousands of years in the future.

“—By the way, Ireena. You held out your left hand again, didn’t you?”

“Ah! S-sorry! I—I didn’t mean anything by iiiiiiit!”

There was a lot that happened, but for now, I’ll close with this: Ireena is seriously the cutest!