Chapter 118 – The Immortal Lord

Gamigin leisurely planned to make all the city’s citizens her sacrifices.

Human despair was nothing less than a source of power for her.

She intended to devour all the despair on the continent and become an unprecedented Demon King.

The chance for her metamorphosis was just around the corner.

*Pshk!*

Just then, behind Gamigin, one of the fallen heroes was decapitated.

There stood Siegfried, bloodied but still fighting.

The fallen heroes were by no means weak. But Siegfried was the man who had watched the Hero from the closest vantage point, the one who resembled him most.

He would not be easily subdued.

A furrow deepened on Gamigin’s brow.

“It’s a shame, but the Hero cannot come here.”

The walls of this city, now bereft of the goddess’s protection, had already fallen under Gamigin’s control.

“Your wait is meaningless.”

Gamigin stated definitively.

“That’s what you think.”

Siegfried poured a copious amount of mana into the demonic sword, Balmung.

A gloomy black light blazed fiercely, as if possessed by a murderous intent.

“How truly adorable.”

Gamigin laughed.

Just then, the throne chair shrieked.

Gamigin looked at Queen Diana, who had just sliced off the throne’s tentacles.

As if she still hadn’t given up, she drew a dagger from her clothes, ready to fight.

“Foolish.”

Her shadow deepened.

From within it, corpses made of shadow emerged, their massive mouths agape.

*Drip, drip.*

Each time their sticky saliva dripped to the floor, sizzling smoke rose.

“Devour them all.”

“Kihehehe!”

The monsters rampaged as if thrilled by the Demon King’s command.

Their long arms and legs were reminiscent of spiders, and their large compound eyes twitched with excitement as they searched for prey.

“The Queen…!”

The knights who could still move, even a little, did so at the risk of their lives.

They couldn’t fight properly, but they could at least serve as shields.

Diana, too, seemed unwilling to give up, wrapping her dagger in aura.

Siegfried was locked in a chaotic battle against the fallen heroes.

He had already been cut and stabbed several times by the heroes’ swords, but thanks to his undead body, he could endure.

The knights were similarly burning with their last vestiges of fighting spirit.

Before them, the queen they were sworn to protect and follow was resisting alone.

If only the Hero were here at a time like this.

They quickly erased the thought that had surfaced unconsciously.

The Hero was out there, fighting a 50,000-strong army by himself.

Even for the Hero, it was too much to handle alone.

‘If only his weapon were better.’

The knights fought desperately to reach the queen.

The queen’s state looked precarious. Her once-neat hair was matted with blood, and her armor was shattered, revealing the pale skin beneath.

“Your Majesty!”

Just then, a child’s sharp voice rang out.

Diana saw what the child had thrown, swiftly twisting her body to snatch it from mid-air and draw it in a single motion.

*Pshk!*

The queen sliced through all the tentacles flying toward her.

Instead of thanking the child who had returned her beloved sword, she struck at the monsters’ necks.

Sword Master.

Her swordsmanship, personally honed by the Hero, was brilliant and overwhelming.

But before her stood the undying Demon King who was destroying the continent.

“Quite skilled. But that’s all.”

Gamigin wore a mocking smile.

No matter how strong an ant is, it’s still just an ant.

From the very beginning, a Demon King was on a different level from mere humans.

Resisting a Demon King, a being created to rule the system, was nothing but a meaningless act.

Gamigin flicked a finger.

Seeing the monsters rush toward the child, the queen moved urgently.

Watching this, Gamigin smiled.

She might hold her own alone. But what about fighting while protecting a child?

‘I should avoid injuring her if possible.’

Gamigin pressured the queen, a smile on her lips.

Compared to her own tattered body, the queen’s was pristine, strong, and beautiful.

She wanted that body.

That body, blessed by the goddess, was a fitting vessel for her, the one who would become the ruler of this dimension.

*Thump.*

Just then, Gamigin felt a strange sensation.

She turned around.

*KWWAAAAANG!*

The wall of corpses she had erected crumbled with a golden explosion.

Grand Cross.

The divine energy created by the Hero and the Holy Sword erupted in the shape of a cross.

‘My barrier… is collapsing?’

This made no sense.

Was that a level of power a mere human could display?

“What are the Legion Commanders doing!”

No one answered her call.

Centered around the foothold established on the wall, ghost knights were holding back the advancing enemy forces.

The Hero walked toward the Demon King, using the knights’ position as his anchor.

“The, the Hero…!”

Someone shouted.

“The, the Hero has come…!”

Someone exclaimed.

The Hero quickly assessed the situation inside the walls.

Knights fighting to save the queen, even as they died.

Siegfried, surrounded by fallen heroes, putting up a good fight.

And the queen, blood-soaked, protecting a child.

All around, various monsters were attacking civilians.

Despite their master’s orders, they were prioritizing their own appetites, just about to shove people into their mouths.

A frown creased the Hero’s brow.

-Setting to Phase 3.

-Entering Phase 3.

-Aureate Wings activated.

-Countdown to critical threshold initiated.

The Hero’s eyes turned golden.

Behind him, the excess mana that his body could no longer contain stretched out in a golden light, forming the Aureate Wings.

No one who witnessed the sight could move.

The Hero extended his hand.

Simultaneously, a magical pattern began to form in the air around him.

“Kill the Hero!”

The only one who moved was Gamigin.

With her shout, countless lights rained down in all directions.

*Boom, Boooom! Bang!*

The light created by the Hero shot out like missiles, shattering the heads of all the surrounding monsters.

The monster that was about to tear a resident apart and shove them in its mouth also lost its head and vanished on the spot.

Gamigin’s pupils trembled in disbelief.

She changed her mind.

It wasn’t about someone like Dantalian.

It was because he *was* Dantalian that he could face such a monster.

She split open her own stomach.

*Splsh, Ssplat!*

Viscous things poured out from her stomach all at once, soon transforming into giant creatures.

Some took the form of a massive demonic dragon, while others took the shape of a giant tiger.

The giant demonic dragon spewed a death-bringing breath in all directions.

A colossal magical beast burst from the ground, releasing its spores to capture the Hero.

Each one was a disaster-class threat, powerful enough to obliterate a kingdom with ease.

48 sec.

The Hero’s Holy Sword, engorged with mana, extended its blade to an impossible height, reaching for the sky.

The radiant golden blade burned with a magnificent flame.

45 sec.

The Hero readjusted his grip on the Holy Sword, now more than ten meters long.

43 sec.

Rephilia Resode Sword Formation.

A dazzling storm of sword light poured out in all directions.

Gamigin, who had flinched back in surprise, watched as her offspring were torn to pieces.

“Impossib—!”

Her voice wouldn’t come out properly.

Something seemed to have grazed her neck.

And her vision flipped upside down.

*Thud.*

What Gamigin saw, after her head hit the floor, was her own body standing there blankly.

‘…’

Gamigin’s fading consciousness momentarily returned.

She remembered the past.

She had watched the humans war amongst themselves, then expanded her legion and devoured everything.

Pouring a bucket of clean water into a filthy puddle doesn’t make the puddle clean.

You have to dig out the puddle itself and then fill it with water.

Gamigin had dreamed of the continent’s annihilation. And she had been on the verge of success.

‘That damn Hero.’

She had scoffed at Dantalian.

A Demon King, a being who inherited the power of gods, killed by a mere human.

‘If only I had known the Hero’s true identity sooner.’

Only after being defeated did Gamigin feel she understood the Hero’s true nature.

*Waaaaaah!*

The soldiers’ cheers could be heard.

Gamigin watched her headless body collapse limply.

“Hero…”

“It’s really strange. Why can you guys still talk even after your heads are cut off?”

The faint glow emanating from the Hero’s body could be seen fading.

That light. That radiance.

Gamigin knew its identity.

“I should have killed that brat sooner…”

If she had killed all the guides, the Hero would never have crossed over to this place.

“Hero, let me make this clear. A world with me in it and a world without me are fundamentally different.”

A being created through Origin.

The annihilation of such a being brings great change to this world.

“If I die, you too will be unable to cross over to your original world for a while. The coordinates will be distorted.”

Gamigin said, laughing.

“What’s this? I was wondering what you were getting at. Are you begging for your life?”

“Yes. I want to live.”

Gamigin spoke as if she had no pride.

She had been cut by the Holy Sword, but if she could regenerate, she could live.

She wouldn’t be able to recover her original power for a while, but it was only a matter of time.

“There is nothing to be gained from my death. By killing not only Dantalian but also me, Gamigin, you will become the public enemy of all Demon Kings.”

“Farewell.”

“W-wait. There’s no need to make this complicated, is there? I heard you’ve already formed an alliance with Dantalian. I am not the only Demon King. Nor is this the only dimension. I will not invade your world, but other Demon Kings are different. Those who are overwhelmingly stronger and more ruthless than I will come for you.”

Gamigin spoke urgently.

“Are you suggesting we weigh the pros and cons?”

“Yes, that’s right. I, Gamigin, promise. If you do not wish it, I will not covet your world.”

Gamigin saw a glimmer of hope in the Hero’s words.

The Hero smiles.

Gamigin smiled back.

***

I cut Gamigin down just like that.

It was unpleasant watching the tentacle-like things squirming and regenerating from below her neck as she spoke.

“What have you…!”

Gamigin wore a look of disbelief.

Her existence, her very life, was being erased in an instant.

-Activating Insight LV5.

-Due to your increased power, you can now assess higher-ranking opponents without conditions.

-Gamigin’s Status: Deceit, Anxiety, Impatience, Rage, Fear.

Dantalian and Gamigin are different.

Just as Dantalian’s ambitions and Gamigin’s ambitions are different.

I stored Gamigin’s head away.

It’s not that I have some weird hobby. From my experience with Kaldoma, I realized I have a really good ability.

-Extracting Gamigin’s abilities.

-Commencing farming.

…

-Acquired Gamigin’s Necromancy.

-Commencing farming.

…

I’ve acquired Necromancy.

It’s always cool when a hunter-class protagonist learns something like necromancy.

Arise.

I’ve always wanted to try saying that.

“Waaaaaah!”

The people’s cheers erupted once more.

The undead army that had surrounded the city was slowly crumbling into ash, one by one.

My Ghost Knight legion, their duty done, also began to disappear one by one with satisfied smiles.

Uh, ghost…?

I almost burst into song without realizing it.

Beings born from the undying Demon King. With the demise of the Demon King who controlled them, the undead could no longer receive energy.

You know how in childhood stories, when you defeat the villain, the frozen fields melt in the sun and become a bright, warm place?

It feels just like that.

Nice, I like this.

“For the Hero!”

“For the Hero!”

I really wish they wouldn’t do that.

I extinguished the flames of the Holy Sword and put it back in my inventory.

“Hero! Hero! Hero!”

“Hero! Hero! Hero!”

Was the way I just put away the Holy Sword kind of cool?

“Wow, what a show-off.”

Olivier, who had appeared on my shoulder at some point, whispered just loud enough for me to hear.

This brat?

“Hoo… He said he was just going to find the Holy Sword, but he went and defeated a Demon King…”

I could hear Olivier muttering bitterly, his PTSD kicking in.

To be honest, I didn’t expect her to show up so brazenly either.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Siegfried stood before me.

Behind him was Diana. Wow, she’s really grown up.

She doesn’t look like she’s over thirty.

Should I call her noona?

Diana, on the verge of tears, hesitated, not daring to approach me.

Many knights had died, but thankfully, many had also survived.

There was a flurry of activity to tend to the wounded.

“It was an honor to be your sword once more.”

Why’s he suddenly acting like this? It’s giving me goosebumps.

“If I am reborn in my next life, I wish to be your sword again.”

Whoa…

Did he eat something weird? He’s being so cheesy it makes me want to split him in half.

It sounds like he’s preparing for the end.

The end?

Aha.

The undying Demon King is dead, and the undead army is disappearing.

Siegfried is also one of the dead, a being revived through the undying Demon King.

In other words, this guy is about to vanish too.

“Then and now, my first knight will always be you, Sieg.”

“Thank you. I will return the sword I received from you.”

Siegfried respectfully presented his beloved sword, Balmung, with both hands.

Honestly, now that I have the Holy Sword, I don’t really need it.

I took it anyway.

Sieg looked at me with a satisfied expression.

As if he, who was about to disappear, had no more regrets.

The surrounding undead monsters had all vanished. As had the masterless Death Knights.

Sieg now awaited his fate.

-By absorbing the Demon King, the achievement ‘Undying Monarch’ has been added.

-Currently linked summons

-Ghoul Knight: Siegfried von Freydig Eyl.

“Th-this is…?”

Don’t be so surprised.

I decided to leave the awkwardly standing Siegfried to himself for a moment.

The cheers of the people chanting my name subsided.

Instead, they began to have their own moments.

Mothers and daughters embraced, thankful to be alive.

A soldier, overwhelmed with emotion, finally shed tears.

The nightmare that had lasted for decades had come to an end.

But it couldn’t erase the pain of those who remained.

They would probably need a long time.

“Hero!”

It was the boy I’d seen before.

The boy waved, smiling brightly.

His image overlapped with someone else’s.

‘Hero!’

‘Not bad, Hero.’

‘Thank you, Hero.’

They all died.

That’s why I became strong. So that I would never experience this again.

But those I couldn’t protect still remained like shackles, tormenting me.

Weakness.

I couldn’t accept that the Hero, who had to be strong, could have such feelings.

I couldn’t feel it before.

Trapped in my inventory… no, that’s not right.

It feels like I can hear the laughter of the knights who are with me in my space.

The old me might not have been able to feel it.

The people who died for my ideals.

I always felt guilty about their deaths.

Wondering if I could have protected them all, if only I had been a little stronger.

“Hero, you always… come at the most important times.”

Diana’s eyes, as she approached me supported by others, were brimming with tears.

What I protected is here.

“I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”

A smile came to me for the first time in a long while.

I finally realized what I have to do, what I’ve been doing all this time.

My comrades’ deaths were not in vain.

From now on, I will not look away from death.

The cheers of the people, signaling the end of the war, filled the city until late into the night.