Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 669

Luna, who had appeared with the solar eclipse, vanished, and the world began to stir once more. The red eclipse faded away, and the clear sky was replaced by a thick blanket of clouds. The rain, which had been suspended in time, resumed its relentless descent upon the earth.

Swoosh!

Thunder clashed with the sounds of explosions, creating a chaotic symphony as battles between monsters and the Allied Forces resumed.

At the center of the storm, hidden within the downpour, lay the final battlefield. Within it, there was a presence. It was the only other presence, besides my own, that had noticed the sudden anomaly. After all, both Lament and Lapelt had vanished without a trace.

“A strange trick indeed,” it mused.

Since it had not been privy to the knowledge of the sudden pause in the world, it naturally assumed I had orchestrated some kind of stunt.

The Cloak of the Sun, and the Sword of the Moon. It seemed only natural that Luna, the embodiment of both the sun and the moon, was able to retrieve them from their appointed master. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

That was the greatest assistance she could offer without sacrificing so much that she would cease to exist. She might have had to pay some price for it regardless, but she hadn’t mentioned it, so I couldn’t be sure.

In the end, even though she had angrily wished for my demise, Luna didn’t want me dead.

‘See, Mother?’

Luna had always said I was like a child throwing a tantrum. But by doing so, I had helped her to find a way to help me without having to disappear from the world.

If I hadn’t known what was to come, I might have thrown a hissy fit, insisting that I would die and urging Mother to leave. Eventually, Luna would have yielded to my stubbornness. Then I would have died, and Ellen would have died as well.

If I had stayed quiet, Luna would have taken care of everything and vanished from the world, leaving Ellen without her mother. I could not let that happen, so I threw a tantrum.

I chose a third option. I refused the deal. I did not take Luna’s outstretched hand, and cause her to forfeit her existence. I told her to step back. That I would find a way.

Because of that, Luna’s existence did not disappear, and the two holy relics that made Ellen the strongest being in the world had been removed from this fight.

Both of my opponent’s relics were lost. The unstoppable force of the Void Sword and the ultimate protection of Lapelt were gone. Yet I still possessed two holy relics.

It was clear that the two missing relics no longer answered their former master’s call. The Hero had lost them. With that, perhaps, there was a chance for a fair fight.

Luna had made it clear she would offer no more assistance. The cost of refusing a favor from the avatar of the gods was severe. She genuinely would not offer any further help. If I failed even after all this, her advice to simply die would become a brutal reality.

Absolute attack and absolute defense. Both were gone.

The playing field wasn’t exactly level, as I still had two holy relics. In fact, I was in a much better situation than before. If I lost now, if I were defeated even now...

‘Yes, just as Luna said...’

I deserved to die.

Rumble...

Thunder echoed across the distant battlefield.

Swoosh...

We stood within the crater as rainwater collected within it.

“The disappearance of the relics means the gods have abandoned us. It means the gods wish for your victory. They want our deaths to be forgotten.”

The Ellen entity, having lost its relics, gazed at me.

“Yes... In that case, we shall reject the gods.”

It did not demand the return of the vanished relics. If the gods had abandoned it, it merely vowed never to seek their favor again.

It moved slowly.

Swish...

Rain poured down over the vast crater that housed the ruins of Diane, seeping into the crevices of the shattered buildings. Amidst the debris lay something unrecognizable, protruding from a corner of a ruined building.

The entity picked it up. It was a rusty sword, its blade broken in half, belonging to no one in particular.

It was clearly a shabby sword, even before it had accumulated the layer of rust. Perhaps it once belonged to someone who had fought long ago, when the Gate Incident first broke out in Diane.

For the first time, an expression appeared on its lips.

It was unmistakably a smile.

“Isn’t it rather... fitting?” The Ellen entity asked with a smile, holding the broken sword.

“It’s not some grand relic,” it continued. “Just a sword belonging to someone unknown, lost to your stories. This broken weapon belonged to a forgotten soul, trampled by history.”

Its eyes blazed with emotion. “And that’s precisely why it has the right to pierce your heart.”

The broken sword was the perfect weapon to kill me with. The swords, spears, and bows of those who had been trampled over and forgotten were scattered across the world. They might not have been the strongest weapons, but they were the weapons most deserved to kill me.

A gray aura started to wrap itself around the shattered sword.

Whoosh...

The sinister gray aura, the essence of death, infused the weapon, swirling about it like smoke.

A weapon of emptiness...

It was just a battered sword, one that looked like it might shatter at the slightest touch. Yet something sinister was infused into that sword.

It wasn’t mana, nor was it divinity. It was a culmination of hatred, anger, and despair.

It was, unmistakably, pure resentment.

“Behold, Demon King. We wonder if our resentment can truly touch your heart. We’re curious as well.”

Could that really be considered a weak weapon?

In truth, it was the weakest weapon in the world.

And because of that, it was the most dangerous.

It was the saddest weapon of all.

Was it not?

***

Countless people had perished since the triggering of the Gate Incident, and those who had died had had to face monsters armed with nothing but swords and spears.

There were as many shattered weapons as there were fallen warriors. How many times had the powerless been forced to fight with ineffective arms? How many had perished without even a weapon in hand?

It was as if all those broken weapons had been forged into one—the Sword of Resentment, which radiated a menacing aura.

The instant that sword collided with Alsbringer...

Clang!

“Ugh...!”

I was overwhelmed by an indescribable pain. Not in my body, but deep within my soul. It was the same agony I had felt when those vengeful spirits attempted to consume my very essence. A single clash of swords brought with it a spiritual pain and a fear that made it feel as if my mind was being torn apart.

As I broke out in a cold sweat and retreated, the Ellen entity smiled at me.

Unlike the Void Sword, this was not a weapon that would take my life if I made a mistake. Yet the strange power within that sword had somehow inflicted a chilling pain without even touching my body.

It was the same kind of pain I had felt while my soul was on the brink of being devoured. A fear and pain I never wanted to remember.

All of that had come rushing back in from just a single exchange.

I stood there panting, trying to get my breath back under control.

Physical wounds could be healed with Tiamata’s Divine Power. But the pain that weighed on my soul kept building up. It was a wound that refused to heal.

If the Void Sword was a weapon that could end my life in an instant, this sword was one that slowly wore me down. It wasn’t sharp, but it attacked me in a different way.

The previous time the entity had taken control of my body, I had fallen into several comas.

Though it was not as powerful as the Void Sword, just that single dizzying moment had opened a vast chasm within me.

Bang!

Screech!

The broken sword couldn’t pierce my Aura Armor, but the force of the impact felt like it was tearing my soul apart, and sent a ghostly wail echoing through my mind.

Slash!

“Ugh...!”

Ellen herself was deadly, even without a weapon in hand. She could tear apart monsters with just her bare hands. She was not at a disadvantage; in fact, her new weapon allowed her to launch both physical and spiritual attacks.

If her relics had not disappeared, would she have uncovered this even more dangerous weapon?

There was no point in making excuses. The future had already shifted. Luna had offered all the help she could. What mattered was that while it had found another weapon, it hadn’t found another shield.

That was the crucial part.

“Flame,” I declared.

Rumble!

I channeled a powerful incantation through the Flame of Tuesday, and a massive shockwave of fire erupted beneath Ellen’s feet as she charged toward me.

But it was as if she anticipated the flames before they even appeared. She dodged them effortlessly and lunged at me just as I was thrown back.

I had tried to obscure her vision with steam from the explosively evaporating water, but her lightning-fast reflexes remained. As if guided by instinct, she charged through the steam directly at me.

Clang!

“Ugh...!”

The mere clash of our swords caused my mind to feel like it was being torn apart.

Just for a moment, my once steadfast heart faltered, and the mana infused into Tiamata and the protective Aura Armor around me flickered.

It was just for a moment...

“...!”

Slash!

But in that fleeting instant, my sword was forced back, and the shattered blade sliced its way halfway through my neck.

The only mercy was that my resolve had only wavered for a split second.

Bang!

As Ellen moved in for the final strike, I managed to kick her away, creating a narrow gap between us.

The power of Tiamata mended my bleeding neck. If the wound had been any deeper, I would have died. The cut was already deep enough to sever an artery.

That sword had disrupted my resolve. It had just been for a moment, but it was enough to incapacitate me.

Without the special training I’d received in Rijaiera, I might have been dazed the instant I crossed blades with that sword. No, I wouldn’t have even made it so far; I would have been devoured by those vengeful spirits.

My fingertips trembled.

The broken sword was dangerous in a different way from the Void Sword. Its attacks were vicious. The longer the battle dragged on, the more it would deteriorate my mind. The moment I fainted, it would all be over.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With each strike, a soul-tearing pain surged through my entire body. Despite the broken sword’s limitations, it somehow managed to deflect and counter every one of my attacks.

I panted hard, trying to catch my breath.

After dozens of exchanges, I finally understood.

The Void Sword wasn’t the issue. The Cloak of the Sun wasn’t the issue. The broken sword wasn’t the issue.

I had crossed swords with Ellen countless times. For days, for months. There had even been nights where we stayed up until dawn. Even if the vengeful spirit entity was controlling Ellen’s body, I was still facing Ellen. Although Ellen’s conscious will was not controlling her, she still fought in Ellen’s style. That was the real issue.

The battle from my dreams was playing out again. I had learned the art of the sword from Ellen. That was why she not only understood everything about my technique, but was always a step ahead of me.

How to slash. How to stab. How to gauge distance. And how to close it.

How to exploit blind spots. How to apply joint locks. How to counter. And how to counter the counter.

I had learned everything from Ellen.

Of course, Ellen was far superior in every way.

I was facing the very person who had taught me all I knew. I had to fight my master, even though I hadn’t surpassed her.

Even though she wielded a broken sword. Even with my relics, I couldn’t win.

Clang!

Before I realized it, Ellen was upon me, swinging her sword down from above.

I tried to deflect it by angling my sword diagonally.

Clang!

“Ugh...!”

I was hit by a rising knee that was propelled by the force of her charge, and not by the sword, and it sent me flying.

I rolled several times across the ground, feeling the pain of my shattered insides. I crashed into a puddle, rolled a few more times, and barely managed to get up.

She had drawn my gaze upward with her feint, but hadn’t put any strength into her swing at all.

She could read me like an open book. She knew exactly what my weaknesses were. Ellen had taught me everything, and she couldn’t lose to me even if she tried.

Ellen Artorius was my nemesis.

Learning the sword from Ellen had allowed me to grow quickly. I had trained hard to become a skilled fighter, and now my abilities were on par with the best. Yet, despite this, Ellen remained the one opponent I couldn’t defeat.

It reminded me of the old days. I kept getting hit, knocked down, and tossed around. But there was no nostalgia in this battle.

The only reason I was still alive was Tiamata’s Divine Power. I should have already died several times. I had only managed to recover because wounds she’d inflicted had not been completely fatal. And now, the mental and spiritual anguish that could not be healed was piling up.

My vision was blurry, and I felt on the brink of losing consciousness.

Was I still going to lose? Even after everything that had happened, even after she had been stripped of Lament and Lapelt?

‘Can’t I win? Even after all this? Am I just not strong enough? How? What should I have done differently?’

I believed I had done all I could.

The mental and spiritual pain that had been building up was wearing me down, and my mind was clouded with negative and self-destructive thoughts. Even though I knew that these thoughts were being forcefully dredged up by the whispers of the vengeful spirits, the urge to give up everything and let go rose within me.

‘If not for that broken sword...’

But then what? Would things really get better if she didn’t have that cursed sword? If she did not have that bizarre sword but wielded just an ordinary one, would anything change?

No. In fact, would it make a difference even if she were without a weapon?

I was up against someone who knew everything about me. Even if she discarded her weapon and fought barehanded, I felt as though I would still lose. In fact, without the penalty of a broken weapon, I feared I would be defeated even more overwhelmingly.

A loser’s mindset was creeping in, and there was no reason for my opponent to just look on.

With a gentle push off the ground, Ellen leaped at me. I raised my sword to block her attack, although I already knew that I wouldn’t be able to stop it this time either.

My spirit was shattered.

Confidence in victory could not ensure a win. But confidence in defeat... That would surely lead to failure.

Ellen’s strike crashed against my feeble sword, and once again, soul-crushing pain washed over me.

As Tiamata slipped from my grasp, Ellen lunged at me, her footsteps splashing in the puddles and sending water in all directions.

‘Am I going to die?’

Without my sword, I was defenseless.

Ellen tackled me, pinning me to the ground. My entire body was trapped beneath her, leaving no room for escape.

I understood what was happening.

It was perfectly obvious.

This wasn’t the first time she’d caught me like this.

She had a knack for deflecting my sword and then using her whole body to immobilize me.

She would always stand over me, her sword poised at my neck, and would say the words, “You’re dead.”

Yes.

It was always like this.