The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody - Volume 7 - Chapter 93

CHAPTER 93

The Ex–Demon Lord and Where Love Leads

—It is far better to die never gaining what you wished for.

Up in the blue sky, the deformed monster looked down at the world below as it unleashed its wrath. Its savagery was its lamentations made material.

There was rage. Dejection. Sorrow. Agony.

Something that had filled the void within him had been lost for good, which was why Lizer Bellphoenix was afflicted by such grief.

By having it once, he had discovered what it felt to be content.

Losing it had taught him the pain of deficiency.

It was for this reason he told himself that he never wanted to lose it again, but…

“Not much you can do, honestly. Feelings are doomed to fade over time.”

The devil’s voice echoed in his mind. It felt extremely unpleasant at first, but he’d grown used to it. In fact, he now found it comforting.

“Do you know what humanity’s favorite words are? Love and hate.

“Both are intense, difficult to suppress…and guaranteed to disappear someday. When you kill someone, they can’t keep screaming forever. When you love someone, you can’t keep whispering sweet nothings to them for the rest of time.

“Either emotion can vanish at the slightest provocation…and open a hole in your heart. The pain of losing love is especially harsh. It makes you want to curse the god who invented such an emotion in the first place.”

There was a ring of authenticity in the devil’s voice. That mad creature must have experienced love and lost it as well.

—Just like him.

“It hurts, doesn’t it? You’re sad, aren’t you? It’s such a letdown. And more than anything else—irritating.

“This world is all wrong. Lizer. You have the right to relieve your pain. Go on—destroy everything.

“That’s the only way to heal your heart. Return all to nothing, including your own heart, and then…

“…you will be saved—at last.”

Just as the devil said, Lizer sought salvation in nihilism. So he would lay waste to everything—use this omnipotent strength to sow destruction.

“Come, come, destruction. Come, come, salvation, come.”

The six arms growing from his back squirmed, and beams of light burned the earth.

And in the midst of this…

“Stop, Lizer!” called out someone in the sky.

An instant later—a tangle of chains zipped through the air to restrain the titan. Sensing his peril, Lizer used teleportation to avoid the onslaught. Then he spotted the face of his foe.

Ard Meteor.

Not Ard the villager. Ard with Stage III of his Brave Demon Full Body transformation. The Demon Lord reborn.

Raven garments draped over his slender shoulders. Glossy silver hair flowed down to his waist. Face like a collection of all things beautiful. In his right hand was a black blade, and Divine Chains snaked around his arm. In his left was the Supreme Sword and the Mirror Shield.

When Lizer sighted that figure, the beams of light—fired randomly until then—found a target. Bent on destroying him, the heat rays zoomed straight for his odious enemy.

“You’re virtually the same person. You both felt like your hearts were lacking and desperately struggled to fill the void.

“But…your paths and destinations were polar opposites.

“He gained all kinds of treasures. Even after he lost them, he kept finding more…and he’s found happiness now.

“You, on the other hand? …You keep losing. You haven’t gained anything. Your life is one big failure. Isn’t it maddening? Aren’t you jealous? It’s horrible, isn’t it?

“—You want to destroy him, don’t you?”

Ahhh.

I do. I do. I do. I do. I do.

I do want to annihilate that privileged man, that detestable existence. I’ll shatter every fragment of him.

“A-a-a…aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Agony. Sorrow. Dejection. Rage. The four expressions were united by one will. A will called murder. In Lizer’s current state, he had the power to accomplish that. All opponents could be taken down.

Or so he’d thought.

—So why was this man still alive? Why couldn’t he kill him?

Every beam missed its target. His murderous attacks bore no results.

—Why?

—Why?

Why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why-why—?

“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!”

The atmosphere trembled with his screams. Ard Meteor answered this explosive display of emotions with a certain coolness.

“Right now, you have no heart. There isn’t even a glimmer of your former beliefs in you.”

He kept dodging the lights, evidently unbothered.

“You hoped to guarantee a good future for the children. I never thought your resolve, ideas, or beliefs were correct…but they were radiant. Your clarity was brilliant. That’s why I saw you as a threat. However—”

His silvery hair rustled in the wind, and the distance between them shrank.

“You could have all the power in the world, but without any beliefs, you’re just an empty threat. You cannot lay a finger on me.”

The man was calling him harmless, a weakling. This filled him with uncontrollable rage.

“Disappear, disappear, disappear, disappear, disappear, disappear…! Disappeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!”

Fire raced through his heart. Any remaining iota of composure was gone. It was a desperate act of aggression. Light beams scattered as he tried to shoot down the enemy who buzzed about like an irritating fly. The tiniest scratch would spell Ard’s end. Lizer’s power could do that easily.

And yet, he couldn’t achieve what he wanted.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!”

He was like a child throwing a tantrum. This allowed his foe to draw close and—

“Aaaah. He’s got us,” Mephisto said.

Just then, the Divine Chains wrapped on Ard’s right arm snapped around him, and he skillfully moved in, avoiding the beams.

Lizer had nowhere to run. The Divine Chains multiplied, shackling the titan. Writhe as he might, they would not yield. In fact, the chains only grew tighter.

“Graaaaaaaagh…!”

He couldn’t produce more light beams. He could no longer fight.

Is this how it ends?

Even as the vessel of his heart flooded over with regret and immeasurable anger, Lizer was consigned to death. Even so—

“Listen, Lizer Bellphoenix. I didn’t come here to get rid of you.”

His enemy wasn’t making any sense.

“I’m going to save that heart of yours by letting you know the truth. That’s why I’m here.”

In that moment—an image flashed in Lizer’s mind.

“Heh-heh-heh, did I do a good job?

“I think I’m pretty good at magic!”

…It was Maria. These were her memories.

“U-ughhhhh…! S-stop…! No moooooooooooore!”

It hurt. It hurt too much. His heart felt like it would split apart. Why was he showing him this?

“To correct the misunderstandings between you two. First, you should know exactly what went wrong.”

More of Maria’s recollections played out in Lizer’s mind’s eye.

To her, their days were happiness exemplified. She used to think he was a strange old man…but she saw the darkness that haunted his heart and couldn’t leave him alone. When he saw her self-sacrifice, Lizer responded in kind. It didn’t take long before he learned to smile and felt warmth in his heart. Within a year of their meeting, Lizer became a large part of Maria’s life. And that was why she wanted him to stay with her.

However…because he was so important to her, Maria had told herself that she had to respect his wishes.

…This was a huge misstep.

Her memories from a certain day started to play. Several days before Lizer lost everything, he had made a sudden announcement.

“I’m considering joining Varvatos’s army. Then I can turn this world into a paradise.”

From Lizer’s perspective, this would allow him to fulfill Maria’s dream. Maria did lament their cruel world and wished that everyone could live happily.

But…Maria was aware these dreams were found only in fairy tales. She never expected it to come true. Her real wish…was for Lizer to stay with her at the orphanage forever.

But because Maria loved Lizer, she thought it was only right that she hold back her tears and see him off.

“…I know you’ll be like a Champion, Lizer. I’m rooting for you.”

Maria regretted those words. She wished she’d never said them. She was certain this was where they had gone wrong, and this miscommunication tormented her.

—Lizer was shocked by this revelation.

Maria thought she was the one who made a mistake? No. That’s wrong. I’m to blame. I assumed she was being supportive. I believed my choice would make her happy.

…Lizer couldn’t help but feel disgusted by his past wrongs. Everything that Mephisto had said was true.

“It’s always been one-sided—you only care about yourself. And the fact of the matter is that you don’t understand her at all. You don’t love Maria. You just love loving her—”

…He was right. Lizer didn’t see Maria for who she was. He knew nothing about her. If only he’d realized her true wish…then maybe he wouldn’t have lost everything.

If he had chosen to stay by Maria’s side, perhaps she wouldn’t have died.

Then her friends, the children at the orphanage who had become family to him, wouldn’t have burned to the ground. This was all his fault. Every mistake was his own.

—There was no way that she could love someone like him. Despite thinking the world of Maria, Lizer had misunderstood her, never realizing her true feelings… This was why he had spilled a sea of blood. If no one had expressed any skepticism, he wouldn’t have even noticed his own sin. Who could love a man too hideous for words?

“What I should destroy…”

…It isn’t the world. The real threat is the existence of this stupid old man.

The weight of his transgressions weighed heavy on Lizer. He realized he would atone in hell, and he was about to take his own life, when—

“That’s exactly why you’re an idiot, Lizer Bellphoenix.”

Lizer was baffled. Wasn’t he going to say, You must realize your crimes and pay the price?

“My aim is to correct this misunderstanding and convey the truth… Open your heart and hear Maria’s true feelings.”

A moment later, the memories and emotions came flowing into him once again. These were from a short while before. She was in tears after rejecting him.

“Why is he doing such awful things? …Why didn’t I stop him?”

Lizer wasn’t the only one she blamed.

“This started with my mistake.

“If I had told the truth and said I wanted him to stay, I’m sure Lizer never would have done this.

“…It’s all my fault.”

Maria blamed herself more than anyone else, and her heart had never cast Lizer aside. No matter his sins, no matter how deeply he despaired, no matter how much he changed for the worse…

“Lizer is my Champion.

“He was always with me.

“He gave me strength when I was hurting.

“He made me laugh when I was sad.

“He was the first to bring me happiness. That’s why…

“I could never hate him.”

…Ah. So I’m a fool. I’ve been wrong about everything. I didn’t understand Maria’s feelings. I haven’t lost her love.

There was no void. Now I’m just embarrassed that I couldn’t see it sooner—

“Oh dear. What are you getting so choked up about?”

It was the devil.

“This is your only chance. The time is now. I can’t say what might happen later. There’s no guarantee your love will last after this. In fact, it’s doomed to fall apart. After all, no matter how you try, people—”

Ard Meteor cut Mephisto off. “You’re right. People’s hearts are fickle. All emotions disappear at some point. But…who cares if love isn’t forever? Any nihilist who insists that love has no value because it’s fleeting is a fool,” he proclaimed, thoroughly crushing the devil’s plan to change Lizer’s heart. “Even if a catastrophic future is to follow, the glimmer of love is no less beautiful. Wouldn’t you say that love’s transience makes it more precious and irreplaceable?”

Ard Meteor pointed at the monster within the titan. “You excel at reading people’s true nature. Your skill in infiltrating Lizer’s heart and using him for your machinations was impressive…but your words are mere sophistry. Fools are easy to deceive, but know that there are no fools here now.”

Ard’s gaze was elsewhere. He spoke to the second heart within the titan, now free of its wicked assassin.

“The darkness in your heart is gone.”

“—Don’t make any more mistakes, Lizer Bellphoenix.”

The strange colossus before me was now perfectly silent. Its body, bound by the Divine Chains, lost all strength and its intimidating look.

This is the finale, I realized.

“It’s not enough.”

His voice sounded from the disfigured leviathan. Mephisto had likely gained full control of its body. The titan surged with power as he tried to cast off the Divine Chains.

“…This isn’t like you,” I said. “The story is over. Are you still going?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s not like me at all. After your words touched Lizer, I was ready to accept a pathetic defeat. I figured losing to you would make me happy enough… But…”

Mephisto now had full control of the giant. He sounded like a petulant child.

“It’s not enough. Not even close. I want more. I want to have even more fun. I want to play with my beloved honey forever. It sucked to be locked away for thousands of years. The prison was torture—so boring to me.”

He must have thought to himself that he needed to create more surprises, more pleasure.

I shrugged and shot right back at him. “I will say one thing. You can’t concoct the unexpected on your own. It always comes out of nowhere… Just like right now.”

No sooner had the words left my lips than Mephisto froze.

“O-ohhh? This is…”

The devil looked confused and agitated—two emotions that had never crossed his face before.

“I have done some reflection.”

Lizer Bellphoenix. His drive allowed him to wrest control from the Evil God.

“I have made countless mistakes. But never again. I will not fail twice…!”

Now that Lizer’s heart was far beyond Mephisto’s wicked reach…

“Do it…! Ard Meteor…!”

He was free.

I readied the Mirror Shield on my left arm…and activated it.

Almost instantly, it forcefully ripped apart the evil spirit that clung to Lizer’s heart, Mephisto Yuu Phegor’s astral spirit.

The titan’s body crumbled into clods of dirt, plunging into the ground. He was right there before my eyes, and I refused to let him get away. I wove between the chunks of raining mud—and flew straight toward my greatest foe.

“My, this is a surprise.”

He looked elated—thrilled. Like he was having the time of his life. Mephisto Yuu Phegor gave a splendid smile, as bright as any angel’s. Then—

I thrust my weapon—the Supreme Sword in my left hand—stabbing my longtime enemy.

“It’s over,” I declared in a curt, definitive tone.

Anything pierced by the Supreme Sword was doomed to disappear. There was no escape. I was certain Mephisto was no exception.

Sure enough, his body began turning to particles and dissolving from the feet up. He was vanishing forever from this world.

And yet…the devil was smiling. He placed his pale hand to my cheek.

“It’s not over yet. So long as you’re around, I’m immortal.”

Then…

“Let’s play again, honey.”

“I’ll pass.”

I wrenched the blade lodged in Mephisto upward. His body was split in two, dissolving instantly. The motes were uncomfortably brilliant, and remnants of him showered down on me. I brushed them away with my hand and groaned.

“‘Immortal,’ huh? There’s no such thing.”

I directly challenged his claim.

“—I’ll end you someday. I swear it.”