Chapter 264 – For the Hero (3)

A colossal pillar of golden light erupted.

Demons and humans alike stared, momentarily losing themselves, captivated by the sight.

“The Hero…”

Diana, the queen of the Unified Kingdom, murmured as she gazed at the pillar of light.

Only one person could display power so overwhelming, so brilliant.

The light seemed to declare:

The war is now over.

“Ah, I can die with no regrets now.”

The Company Man wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, a wide grin spreading across his face.

The light of salvation he had witnessed once before was being recreated here.

The sight filled him with a warmth so intense it made his chest ache.

“Captain…”

Siegfried gazed at the pillar of light, a sense of unease creeping over him.

All who saw it felt an inexplicable sense of elation.

The Demon King’s army lost morale, while the humans’ spirits soared.

But Siegfried felt only anxiety.

The man who had created the mesmerizing light, the Hero, casually flicked his holy sword through the air.

The pillar of light slowly faded and then vanished.

“Is the fireworks show over now?”

Agares jeered.

“What, you want an encore?”

The Hero leisurely flicked his holy sword again and began to walk toward Agares.

True to its name, the Flame of Covenant, a golden fire flickered along the blade.

“Don’t bluff. You might fool the others, but you can’t fool me.”

Agares continued with a sneer.

“You haven’t fully recovered from what I did to you. No, even now, at this very moment, the effect of my skill is acting like a poison.”

The data, the virus Agares had implanted in the entity known as the Hero, was eating away at his body.

It was not something that could be resolved by the convenient method of healing magic.

For it was a power created by none other than a Great Demon King.

A power that brought nothing but ruin to any who dared raise a blade against him.

It was another reason why Agares had become immortal.

“A day at most. You won’t last more than three.”

“More than enough time to finish you. Enough time to kill you, build your grave, dig you back up, and grind your bones to dust, in fact.”

The Hero laughed, easily brushing off Agares’s provocation.

“Besides, for all your talk about that fancy virus of yours, you’re seriously underestimating our Katrinne.”

Agares glanced in Katrinne’s direction.

He had thought something was strange.

After all, it was no common feat for someone to create a portal powerful enough to bring through an army of this magnitude.

“That wench won’t live long either. She overexerted herself to obtain forbidden power, and then used it.”

Agares let out a low chuckle.

Humans are so foolish.

What is gained by sacrificing oneself?

Such things are nothing but pretense. One’s self must come first, then others. Such hypocritical acts for the sake of another were merely disgusting and laughable.

The Hero looked at Katrinne.

Katrinne said nothing. She was still collapsed on the ground, unable to stand.

Seeing her fingers tremble slightly, the Hero turned his gaze back to Agares.

“Shouldn’t you be worrying about your own life first?”

“Do you think I earned the title ‘Immortal’ for nothing?”

“Shut up and raise your weapon.”

In response to the Hero’s words, Agares merely offered a relaxed sneer.

He might be on his feet again, but he was no better than a living corpse.

He was putting on a brave face, but his strength hadn’t returned. This was just his final struggle.

As proof, the spinal wings from before had not reappeared.

The only improvement from before was that he now held a proper holy sword.

“No one gives me orders.”

Agares raised his hand.

The ground where the Hero stood instantly crumbled as pillars of molten fire shot up.

*Boom, crash!*

The exploding earth surged toward the Hero.

“Mister!”

Katrinne cried out sharply.

Agares was smiling leisurely.

“What are you grinning at?”

The Hero’s voice came from behind him.

Agares spun around, swinging his arm wide.

His fingertips met only air.

*Shnk.*

Something hot seared across his chest.

Only after the pain registered did Agares realize he had been cut.

“Weapon.”

The Hero then kicked Agares squarely in the abdomen.

Sent sprawling for the first time, Agares pushed himself up from the ground.

He ground his teeth in fury at the fact that he, the Overlord, the King of Demon Kings, had been knocked to the floor.

“Raise it.”

Unfazed by Agares’s terrifying expression, the Hero raised the holy sword before him.

The blazing Flame of Covenant flickered, ready to cut and burn its foe.

Simply by wielding the perfect weapon that was the holy sword, the Hero became a completely different being.

“I see.”

Agares muttered and reached his hand toward the ground.

*Crack.*

A greatsword erupted from the cracked earth, landing in his grasp and radiating a fearsome demonic energy.

The demon sword and the holy sword clashed.

The demon sword, scorching the air black, swung for the Hero’s neck. The holy sword parried it, deflecting the blow and sliding smoothly into its own trajectory.

*Shnk!*

Blood sprayed into the air from his shoulder, sliced open by the holy sword.

“…!”

Agares ignored defense, unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks.

But the Hero deflected his blade, continuing to weave his own path.

It was the holy sword that held control of this space.

The demon sword—Agares—was being steadily carved up by the holy sword.

Agares saw that his wounds were not regenerating.

The goddess’s holy sword, forged to cut down absolute evil.

Before it, his immortal regeneration was useless.

Death.

For the first time, Agares witnessed his immortality turning to mortality.

For the first time, his life was threatened.

Agares ground his teeth.

It was him again, the one who posed such a threat.

*Slice!*

Agares retreated.

His left arm was severed.

The pain from his iron-like arm, and the sensation of it not regenerating.

The Hero raised the holy sword, aiming it at him with a merciless gaze.

Seeing this, a harsh laugh escaped the Demon King Agares’s lips.

The second-ranked Demon King, Agares.

Among the 72 Demon Kings, he was the one and only who had never been succeeded.

Having lived for thousands of years, he was a living history, a benchmark for all other Demon Kings.

*Slice!*

A sharp sound of something cutting through the air jolted Agares back to his senses.

Having lost so much blood for the first time in ages, he felt his consciousness waver for a moment.

He felt the dazzling trajectory of the flashing holy sword rake across his body.

*Shnk!*

Agares stumbled back involuntarily.

The Hero stepped forward again, bringing the holy sword down in a sweeping slash.

Agares raised his demon sword to block the Hero’s holy sword.

*Crack!*

In that instant, he saw the holy sword shatter his demon sword and slice into him.

Blood gushed out like a fountain.

With every cut from the holy sword, his very existence seemed to fade.

Immortality becomes mortality.

Before the Hero’s holy sword.

“The world you delude yourself into thinking you protected.”

A vicious demonic energy began to pour from Agares’s body.

“I wanted to destroy that entire world.”

Seeing the ominous energy flowing from Agares’s body, the Hero swung the holy sword wide.

*Shnk!*

Flesh was torn, bones were shattered, and his neck was severed, yet Agares was smiling.

“My path of conquest lies here.”

Only the law of the jungle is the truth of this world.

“Where does your path of conquest lie?”

Agares asked.

“A king is not one who forces sacrifice for his own goals, but one who gives meaning to the fallen.”

Im Jae-joon spoke to the staggering Agares.

Agares looked at Im Jae-joon, at Dantalian, whom he had considered insignificant.

Then he saw the white-haired woman, Katrinne.

He saw the weak humans who had come this far, knowing they might not survive.

And at the center of it all was the Hero.

“I have lost.”

Agares spoke.

“So it is meaningful.”

Agares smiled. His body was already torn to shreds; it wouldn’t be surprising if he drew his last breath at any moment.

“To take your path of conquest…”

Agares’s shredded body began to swell as light poured from it.

“At the very least, I will not die alone.”

Grand Cross!

The Hero poured a massive amount of magic into the holy sword and unleashed a cross-shaped barrage.

*KWWAAAAAA!*

A vast, earth-shattering explosion erupted.

-Destruction at 94.4 / 100%

The countdown to destruction had not yet stopped.

*Ruuuuuumble-!*

The soul of Agares, once called immortal, was now exploding as it dissipated.

Watching this, the Hero looked back.

Im Jae-joon’s pupils were dilated. Katrinne’s expression had hardened.

A black flame, like a nuclear explosion, was swallowing everything.

This flame did not distinguish between friend and foe; it was a conflagration consuming all.

I store Agares’s corpse in the inventory.

This is impossible. I can’t store magic that is already exploding.

There are people here, people who came to help me.

People I know, and people who know me.

It’s impossible to move everyone at once through Katrinne’s portal. It’s already too late.

“Inventory Open.”

I focused my mind.

Fortunately, my domain had expanded significantly since coming to the Demon Realm.

To the point where, if needed, I could extend it over the entirety of Korea.

“Expand Domain.”

I objectify the data of all things. Then, I break down the value of these objects with algorithms and quantify them.

I calculated the mass of every quantified person.

It’s possible.

“Mister…!”

-Mister…!

Katrinne, who is like family to me, is looking at me.

“Declare Domain.”

Im Jae-joon stares at me, his eyes filled with agitation.

His gaze holds a multitude of meanings.

That guy has his own sense of justice. He’ll be fine on his own.

My eyes met Olivier’s.

I can also see the Vice-Demon King residing in Olivier’s body.

Kim Tae-yang, Kim In-ho, Seo Hyun-ji.

My teammates stand there, covered in wounds, and I can also see Seol Ji-hoon, who became a Special Guarder after me.

“Store.”

I uttered the activation word.

The domain centered on me began to forcibly store the data-converted people into the inventory, scattering light like a dense network.

There is no right to refuse.

Those who are friendly to me, those connected to me. Those I wish to store.

Everyone is being stored in the inventory.

“*Gasp!*”

My body is being crushed.

Countless masses are piling onto my back, one after another.

Tens of thousands of thoughts invade my mind, and I can hear their voices.

It’s not enough.

The explosion is closing in fast, and I still haven’t stored everyone.

Did I attempt too much?

Storing tens of thousands of people in my inventory is utterly exhausting.

No matter how good my Inventory skill is, I can’t store tens of thousands of people all at once.

There is a clear limit.

Then I should give up.

I should save those I can right now and give up on those I can’t. That is the correct choice.

I gritted my teeth.

Giving up isn’t in my vocabulary.