Side Story: The Demon King and the Hero

Finally, they had made it this far.

The hero, Xian, gripped his sword tightly, his gaze locked onto the man standing before him.

Pale skin.

Chilling crimson eyes.

The one who had waged war against the entire continent and never tasted defeat.

“How surprising. You weren’t part of the plan.”

“Demon King.”

“Garen went out to stop you. How did you get through? Surely, he hasn’t fallen already.”

Among the Demon King’s subordinates, there were ten legion commanders, each more formidable than the last. 

And of them all, the strongest—the Legionless Commander, Garen.

A demon feared to be the mightiest aside from the Demon King himself, perhaps even surpassing him, if the rumors were to be believed.

Yet, despite Garen’s attempt to block their path, Xian now stood before the Demon King.

Hearing the Demon King’s question, Xian answered without hesitation.

“I am not alone.”

The Saint Ella, the divine representative of Kiriya.

The Elf Princess Seria, an archer blessed by the spirits.

Riel Fael, the youngest warrior ever to come close to achieving mastery, if only by a few years.

The Beastkin Heir Nia, a warrior who singlehandedly tore through an entire legion.

The rumored apprentice of the Tower Master, Viola, a magician of unparalleled skill.

The continent’s brightest talents, tempered by war, had now become champions in their own right. And they stood beside him.

“My comrades will soon defeat Garen and join me here.”

“Hah… Perhaps they will.”

To Xian’s surprise, the Demon King accepted his words with unexpected ease.

“What are you scheming…?”

Even with his strongest subordinate engaged in battle, the Demon King seemed unfazed, utterly indifferent.

“Scheming? Nothing of the sort.”

Was he so confident that he could kill them all himself, even if Garen fell?

It was possible. The Demon King was certainly strong enough.

But his demeanor… It wasn’t confidence. It was closer to apathy.

A complete lack of concern for the outcome.

“I was curious to see who would finally bring an end to this performance. The World Tree cannot move. Would Kiriya take action? Or perhaps the Dragon Lord? 

Neither are inclined to interfere in the affairs of the continent… Maybe the remaining dragons would gather instead.”

“What are you talking about?”

“But I never expected it to be a human.”

What was the Demon King saying?

It couldn’t be just a tactic to stall for time—if anything, delaying the fight only benefited Xian, as his allies were on their way.

As the Demon King continued to speak, the black mist surrounding him crackled with sparks.

It didn’t seem to be protecting him—rather, it was protesting against him.

“Come now, we’re almost at the final act. It’s fine to let this much slip, isn’t it?”

The Demon King soothed the mist as if calming a restless child.

The sight made Xian uneasy.

“Demon King…?”

“Ah, my apologies.”

With those words, the Demon King gathered his dark energy and shifted into a battle stance.

“Then, let’s begin.”

What had that conversation just now been about?

Xian felt a moment of confusion, but if the Demon King was preparing for battle, then so must he.

The Hero drew his sword toward the Demon King.

The great hall where the Demon King stood was now entirely engulfed in his ominous energy.

The air was so thick with dark power that Xian had to summon his aura just to breathe.

Each time Xian’s sword slashed through the air, the resulting shockwaves scattered the darkness—but it was quickly replenished.

Magic spells came flying toward him from afar, forcing Xian to constantly move, dodging them one after another.

Without drawing a single magic circle, without even casting, the Demon King simply waved his hands like a conductor, unleashing a barrage of magic.

In response, Xian cleaved through the black spears raining from above, leaped into the air to escape the cursed ground reaching for him, and ignored the weaker spells, allowing them to hit his body as he pushed forward.

—Swoosh!

Xian gathered his aura and slashed toward the Demon King.

Everything in a straight line between them was severed.

The Demon King waved his hand, conjuring nine layers of shields before him.

But they could not withstand the strike.

As the final shield shattered, the weakened remains of Xian’s attack were met with the Demon King’s hand, now wrapped in his dark energy.

—Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted as aura and dark energy collided.

The Demon King was forced back from the impact.

“…Are you sure you’re human?”

That wasn’t even an all-out strike, merely one imbued with aura.

To think it could push him back like this…

The Demon King let out a bitter chuckle of disbelief.

But Xian was just as shocked.

His attack, which had sliced through Garen like paper, had only managed to push the Demon King back?

“Was the rumor that Garen was stronger than the Demon King just nonsense…?”

Xian had already fought Garen multiple times.

And he knew—this attack would have been nearly impossible for Garen to withstand.

The Demon King snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the surrounding darkness formed into countless spears, all launching toward Xian.

There were too many to block.

Relying on the protective artifacts gifted to him by the Emperor, Xian braced himself, only deflecting the ones coming directly ahead while charging forward.

Even the Demon King wouldn’t walk away unscathed if he was struck by a direct sword blow.

Perhaps sensing the danger, the Demon King continuously shifted his position, unleashing more spells at Xian as he moved.

And so the battle dragged on.

The Demon King evaded, while Xian pursued.

Little by little, the Demon King’s magic became weaker and fewer in number, yet Xian still couldn’t reach him.

At one point, the black mist surrounding the Demon King shot toward Xian, only to be consumed by his dark energy.

“Tch. You’re still so greedy. Our pact has been honored. Stay out of this.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“Don’t mind it. Just take this.”

The Demon King clapped his hands lightly, and a massive magic circle materialized behind him.

Unlike his previous brute-force attacks, this spell was meticulously crafted.

Though Xian had never formally studied magic, his countless battles against demons and his time fighting alongside talented magic-wielding allies had granted him a decent understanding of magic circles.

Yet, the one before him now was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Instead of using ordinary mana, this vast magic circle was fueled by pure dark energy, radiating an ominous light.

“Look upon your servant with favor.”

The Demon King uttered a short incantation, and the spell immediately activated.

Xian felt his body grow heavier.

This was no mere debuff.

Something had changed in the Demon King.

The earlier apathy was gone—what remained was a man truly befitting the title of “King.”

Fire, lightning, ice.

Spears of every element formed, all aimed at Xian.

His body grew heavier while the Demon King only seemed to grow stronger.

Sorcery, divine arts, magic.

In modern classification, these were considered separate disciplines.

But the Demon King’s magic ignored such divisions, seamlessly weaving all three together.

“You may not know this, but ‘Demon King’ and ‘High Priest of the Demons’ mean the same thing.”

The Demon King spoke in a gentle tone, like a teacher lecturing a student.

Xian advanced, deflecting the incoming spears one by one.

“The Demon God has foretold my end. So, I will die today. It pains me that my death is not for your sake, but if it is His will, then so be it.”

Suddenly, the spears aiming for Xian vanished.

His body felt lighter, and the oppressive dark energy around him significantly weakened.

Without even turning around, he knew—his comrades had defeated Garen and had arrived.

Riel and Nia charged at the Demon King, but with a simple wave of his hand, he sent them flying backward.

“Kiriya, hear me!”

The Saint Ella offered a prayer to her god.

The benevolent god of light responded, and the dark energy suffocating the hall began to wane, replaced by Kiriya’s divine power.

“Oh, Kiriya. You are as radiant as ever. I am glad to see you again, even like this.”

Though surrounded by divine power, the Demon King showed no signs of distress.

Instead, his expression was soft, as if recalling an old memory.

What was the Demon King?

Watching him, Xian realized how little they truly knew about him.

Where had he come from?

Why had he waged war against the entire continent?

Even those who fought him the most fiercely did not know.

But two things were certain:

If the Demon King died, this war would end.

And Xian knew he could kill him.

Xian had always grown quickly.

The first time he held a sword, he had lost to a goblin and fled. The next day, he singlehandedly annihilated an entire goblin nest.

The first time he faced a demon legion commander, he barely escaped with his life. A month later, he fought that same commander to a draw. Another month later, it was the commander who fled.

Today was no different.

Since stepping into this hall, he had adapted to the Demon King’s magic, growing stronger with each exchange.

Even while cursed and surrounded by dark energy, he had not faltered.

Now, in a space filled with divine protection, Xian was certain—he would not lose to anyone.

Unraveling the Demon King’s origins and motives was not his concern.

His mission was singular.

‘Xian, kill the Demon King. Then the war will end.’

Killing the Demon King and ending the war.

Xian advanced.

This time, the Demon King did not retreat.

Instead, he condensed his dark energy into the shape of a sword and grasped it in one hand.

“I am Xian, the Hero.”

Now standing within striking distance, Xian declared his name.

The Demon King responded.

“I am the Demon King. That is all you need to know.”

Xian nodded in agreement.

Then, he swung his sword, imbued with transparent aura.

The Demon King swung his own blade of dark energy.

There was no clash.

And so, the Demon King died.

“It’s over!”

The Elf Princess Seria cried out.

Though she had exhausted herself clearing a path to the Demon King’s stronghold, none of her companions would deny her contribution.

“Yes, it’s truly over,” Saint Ella said with a relieved expression.

She was utterly drained after unleashing a divine power beyond even her own expectations, but her heart had never felt lighter.

Nia and Riel nodded in joyful agreement, and even the normally emotionless Viola wore a faint smile.

But Xian stood in silence, lost in thought.

“Xian, what’s with that face? Smile a little,” Riel teased.

Xian gave a sheepish grin.

“Ah… it’s just, some of the things the Demon King said are bothering me.”

“The things he said…?”

“Yeah. He talked about ‘this being a performance’ and ‘the final act.’ And he mentioned that the Demon King is the High Priest of the Demon God.”

“The Demon God? Is that even a real god?”

Even Saint Ella, deeply versed in theology, had never heard of such a deity.

“Well, let’s think about the complicated stuff later.”

Seria dismissed the Demon King’s words as irrelevant.

“For now, let’s just rest! The Demon King is dead. We deserve a break. Xian, remember what we talked about?”

“Huh? Oh, the trip?”

“Yeah! I’ll show you how beautiful the Great Forest is.”

“Xian, the Empire comes first. You know that, right?”

“After the Empire, the Holy Kingdomis the closest. We should stop there next.”

“The Beastkin lands are closer to the Holy Kingdom than the Great Forest.”

Seria was quickly interrupted by Riel, followed by Ella and Nia.

Watching them, Viola finally spoke.

“…End your journey at the Magic Tower. I have something to tell you.”

“Alright! Then it’s decided. A quick stop at the Empire, then the Holy Kingdom, the Beastkin lands, the Great Forest, and finally, the Magic Tower.”

And so, the hero’s party rested, chatting about their upcoming journey.

Soon after, word of the Demon King’s death spread across the continent.