Will had defeated Zaliban Dophette, the strongest of the Four Heavenly Kings serving True Curse King Balkan. The aftershock of his sword gouged the ground, creating something like a long crater.
Despite having defeated a powerful enemy, Will’s face wasn’t clear. That was because of the danger signals ringing in his head as if a speaker was being hammered directly into his brain at full volume—his intuitive alarm.
Responding to that, a black mantle fluttered, and a certain demon flew down from the sky. Blue hair, dark skin, two horns growing from his head. His belligerent expression overflowing with confidence was clearly that of a strong person.
“Hohoho, to think you would defeat my subordinate—you’re quite something.”
“You are… Balkan…”
“Indeed… should I say ‘nice to meet you’? Hero Dan.”
“…? I’m not Hero Dan.”
“Oh? That ancient magic, Lord of Light – Pillar of Babel, I recall had only Hero Dan as its user.”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to claim you inherited it? If so, that’s impossible. I was watching from afar, but it was truly something that could be called Hero Dan’s beautiful swordsmanship.”
“…I’m not happy being praised by a Demon King. But I can say this much. I am not Hero Dan.”
“Well, that’s fine. I’m convinced you are Hero Dan. Since no one knows your true face, you can deceive as much as you like. However, to think there was such a child under that iron mask.”
“…I’ll say it again, I’m not Hero Dan. And I’m not a child either, though I’m told I have a youthful face.”
“Hohoho, I don’t know what the difference is, but… let’s begin soon. The battle that will determine the world’s fate.”
The Demon King spread both hands. At that moment, ominous magical power shook the atmosphere. Magical power, aura—truly the pinnacle of despair, the existence that was the polar opposite of a hero was painfully conveyed.
“…So this is True Curse King Balkan.”
“Hohoho, I’m stronger than Curse King Daedalus whom you defeated before.”
“…I wasn’t the one who defeated him… did you invade again for revenge?”
“I have no interest in revenge. I barely talked to my father anyway, and I don’t care about other demons dying.”
“…”
“The same goes for the Four Heavenly Kings you defeated. They were merely pawns.”
“…Pawns.”
“Yes, pawns. With just me alone, I could destroy or rule this world…”
“Playing… because if you came out it would end… so you were just watching from behind to enjoy it…”
“You understood well. That’s why I’m very excited now. To see how far that hero will fight.”
He slowly approached. Each step that despair took brought death closer, and he felt like he could see hell. For just a moment, a time shorter than a second, an instant—if he let his guard down even for a moment, he understood he would die.
A battle against a superior opponent.
He had fought such battles many times. Even so…
(First, I’ll observe and figure out the movement patterns──)
“──I don’t think you have time to observe.”
“!”
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An arm swung horizontally from behind. It was a simple attack, but Will hurriedly ducked his head. When he turned around, he was astonished.
A crater had formed as if his own ancient magic had been used. An existence that deviated so far from common sense it was transcendent.
“Oh my, anxiety is showing on your face. Is that really acceptable for a hero?”
“Not at all, I’ve just seen much more impressive things before, so I’m actually relieved this isn’t a big deal.”
(This is… I can’t win… Ha, it’s almost laughable… Even after receiving teachings from such a strong person… this is… impossible!)
He realizes his defeat but still swings his sword. The light sword cuts through empty air, and he uses ultra-high-speed reading to see through the future, but…
“Even if you see the future, you cannot capture me.”
Lightly, the back of a hand touches Will’s back. A shock like being struck by a giant lead weight runs through him, and his bones shatter.
“—Aguh!”
Will is blown away as if thrown by a giant. While crashing into the ground, the impact doesn’t fade and his momentum doesn’t stop for several kilometers.
Finally, when the momentum stops and he manages to stand… his body feels incredibly heavy. His bones are shattered—this is beyond the level of simply taking damage.
“This is even more than I heard… That person said it wouldn’t be much… but this is totally amazing.”
“Still alive, are you? Most impressive indeed, for a hero…”
“Haa haa… well, I have been training.”
“Hmm, even though I touched you… you can still stand.”
True Curse King Balkan possesses top-class physical abilities among all the demon kings that Hero Dan has fought throughout history. Pure physical prowess alone is tremendous, but his strength doesn’t end there.
Twelve Steps, Otherworld Magic, Buff/Debuff Enhancement. This was Balkan’s trump card.
This magic has two characteristics combined. One is Addition Buff—from the moment the magic activates, physical abilities improve every second. The other is Subtraction Debuff—each touch can lower the opponent’s physical abilities and magical power.
He uses only this magic. He could use others, but this is his best combat style.
The range of Subtraction Debuff effects varies by person, but it’s so powerful that even the Four Heavenly Kings become unable to move with a single touch. That’s why there was surprise. That Will was still standing…
“Well, just being able to stand doesn’t mean much… does it?”
While saying this, he tries to place his hand on Will’s forehead. Will dodges it, but with his pitifully reduced physical abilities, he falls on his rear from the motion of dodging.
“I do think it’s impressive that you can move your body even after receiving Subtraction Debuff, but is this all the legend amounts to… I wonder?”
Having seemingly given up on Will’s strength, he lightly kicks him with his right foot. Once again, Will flies away like a pebble.
With his reduced physical abilities, the damage is even greater, and he faints while being blown away. As he falls into darkness, his hair color returns from silver to black.
Balkan walks over to where Will was blown away again. He’s no longer interested in this legend, but the sudden change in hair color caught his attention.
“The legend was smaller than I imagined. If this is what the hero amounts to, the world is already mine… Once you realize it’s in your grasp, it becomes boring… If it weren’t for Daedalus’s curse, I might have enjoyed this a bit more, but there’s no point dwelling on what can’t be changed.”
Still mistaking Will for Hero Dan, he rises into the sky. Spreading his wings and looking down at him from heaven, he raises his right arm.
Crack! Lightning generates from dozens of locations everywhere, converging as if descending from heaven and rising from earth, dropping a massive plasma orb to the ground.
“Farewell… Hero.”
A thunderous roar like a giant bomb explosion, and the resulting shockwave blows away the trees growing near the Elf Kingdom.
“Now then, my pawn seems about to die as well, so I shall personally visit the Elf Kingdom and—”
“—You should take better care of nature, don’t you think?”
In the wasteland turned barren by the explosion, one man stood. A young man in a tuxedo with spiky hair. He’s carrying the battered Will on his back.
“You’re the demon king, right?”
“Oh my, and you are?”
“I’m… no, there’s no need to play Ban when it’s just me and the demon king. I’m… well, let’s say I came to defeat you because there was a demon king here.”
“I see…”
“It would be troublesome if the Adventurer mixer got canceled because of you.”
“Hmm??”
“Well, that’s half a joke… but you’ve caused quite a ruckus in Rin’s country… I’ll at least listen to your last words, so what do you say?”
The man looking up at him from below… For some reason, the demon king descended from the sky to the ground. Perhaps unconsciously, there was something unsettling about the composition of him looking down at this man…
“Hohoho, how you bark. Last words, directed at me… However, you do seem to be a practitioner of some skill.”
“I’m… reasonably strong.”
“You saved him from my finishing blow to Hero Dan just now, that speed… it was clearly not ordinary, so your confidence is understandable.”
“…?”
(What does he mean by finishing blow to Hero Dan? What’s he talking about… Well, demons often don’t make sense anyway, so there’s no point worrying about it.)
“However, that speed truly was remarkable. You must have undergone extraordinary training… Could it be… are you Hero Dan’s disciple or something? …Did Hero Dan create a new hero to replace himself because his cursed life was being shortened?”
“Huh? I have no idea what you’re talking about… Whatever.”
“Hohoho, indeed, such things don’t matter. Now then, come at me with desperate resolve.”
“…Ah, I forgot my sword.”
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