The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 109

Eliza, drawing magical power towards the enemy in front of her, began to meld into the black shadows as if her body was melting away.

And then…

“What… what is this?”

With that final sight, Eliza vanished cleanly, completely disappearing before Antonius.

Antonius, momentarily stiffened in expression, heightened his vigilance of his surroundings.

‘Given the situation, that girl is a guard for Octavia. There’s no way she would flee, leaving her charge behind. That means… she must be hiding somewhere in this room.’

With that thought, Antonius focused his senses, prepared for an attack from somewhere.

At that moment…

“Is that you?!”

— *Whack!*

Sensing a presence from behind, Antonius swung his sword without hesitation.

But…

“Gah… Guh—!”

“!”

In the next instant, he saw one of his subordinates dying with his heart pierced on the blade.

“What… what is happening? Why are you here…?”

Clearly, he had given orders to attack Octavia and the Dark Elf, yet here was a subordinate approaching him armed.

As Antonius felt bewildered by his subordinate’s incomprehensible actions, chaos ensued.

“Uwaaaaaaa!!!”

“Damn it!”

From his side, another subordinate charged at him with a sword.

Reacting instinctively, Antonius kicked the subordinate down and stomped on him to immobilize him.

The subordinate now lay limp, as if he had lost consciousness.

However…

“Uwaah…”

“! This guy… he should be dead?!”

The same subordinate, who had moments ago been pierced through the heart, rushed at Antonius, bleeding profusely as if nothing had happened.

— *Whack!*

Antonius severed the head of that monster.

But even with the head severed, the creature didn’t relent; it swung its sword at Antonius.

Urgently, he had no other option but to slice the waist, preventing any further action.

“Aaah…”

The body, now completely in two, thrashed around before finally stilling.

Watching this, Antonius began to realize the true nature of the situation he was in.

‘Damn it… Are they being controlled? By that girl?’

Amidst his confusion, he saw the faces of his subordinates attacking him.

And the corpse of the deceased subordinate, who had attacked despite his vital points being struck, his breath stifled.

Realizing fully that his subordinates were acting under the influence of the Demon Race Girl’s magic made Antonius acutely aware of the danger he faced.

‘What terrifying magic… It seems unable to affect someone of my skill directly, but if she can use her comrades to launch attacks, then it’s practically impossible for me to counter in this chaotic situation.’

It clearly appeared that the shadows were being manipulated by the Demon Race Girl’s magic.

However, most of the mechanics behind her actions remained unclear, so Antonius decided to move as defensively as possible while beginning to analyze her capabilities.

‘For now, it seems she can control two targets at once… It’s highly probable she’s hiding in one of those two shadows. Moreover, I tried attacking the shadows directly, but it was futile. So…’

Just as he reached that conclusion, a faint smile crept onto Antonius’s lips.

He drew on his Divine Power, looking at the subordinates charging at him.

And…

— *Boom!*

“!”

In an instant, a brilliant light erupted from Antonius.

It engulfed everyone in the room and obliterated all the shadows present.

Simultaneously, the subordinates collapsed, motionless on the floor.

Watching this, Antonius realized that he had, as expected, nullified the magic of the Demon Race Girl.

‘In the face of such intense light, shadows cannot hold their ground. With this, her magic is…’

At that moment…

“Ghuh!”

“Indeed, the upper defenses were weak.”

*

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Eliza appeared from above, thrusting a knife into the neck of what appeared to be the leader of the assassins.

Watching this scene unfold, Octavia felt a sense of admiration and a slight joy she couldn’t help but recognize.

‘Incredible, someone who can emanate such Divine Power is rare even in the Church Country, and she dealt with him so easily…’

Eliza’s prowess, taking down a being who handled opposing powers without a scratch, left an indelible impression on Octavia’s heart, despite her being an enemy.

‘What’s going on… Why is my heart racing like this? I’ve never felt like this before…’

Caught in a strange emotion she couldn’t understand, Octavia stared blankly at Eliza, who was gracefully brushing her hair aside in front of the fallen assassin.

Meanwhile, unaware of her state, Eliza was secretly cheering for the excellent results of a newly developed technique despite her calm exterior.

‘Alright! I knew it would be useful after struggling to create it, but this is exceeding my expectations!’

With genuine joy over her achievements, Eliza retrieved her dagger from the fallen assassin before aiming to deal with the remaining minions.

But then…

“! Huh?”

In the next moment, Eliza’s face hardened, feeling a sudden sense of hollowness.

And critically, despite the blood she had shed, her dagger was completely devoid of any blood.

At that realization, Eliza hurriedly turned around.

However.

“Just as I thought, the source of your magic is shadows… That’s your limit.”

“Guhhh!!!”

In the next moment, Eliza was severely slashed across the chest by Antonius’s sword.

In a state without armor or any meaningful defense, that strike was exceptionally fatal.

“E-Eliza!”

“My Lord!”

“Cough! Guh…”

Although she narrowly avoided death due to her desperate evasion at the last moment, Eliza fell gravely injured, unable to continue fighting.

As she approached, Antonius spoke to her with a chilling tone.

“I had already anticipated your attack before I removed the shadows. I knew you would strike once the magic was undone. So I prepared as well, using the moment the flash obscured my sight to conjure an illusion with my light powers.”

“Cough… Damn….!”

“Your persistence in cornering me is commendable, but this is the end. Farewell.”

With those words, Antonius raised his sword to strike down Eliza.

“Ah… No!”

Seeing that, Octavia dashed forward, determined to save her, but her efforts were blocked by Amelda.

“Hah!”

— *Whack!*

With a shout, Antonius swung his sword, and vivid splashes of blood began to fly.

Yet…

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, shock washed over Antonius’s face.

Conversely, there was astonishment painted across Eliza’s previously despairing expression.

“What… what is happening…?”

In that moment, Antonius saw the bloodied Great Sword in his hands.

And the horrifying pain that began to envelop him a moment too late.

At that instant, he realized his abdomen had been pierced by that Giant Great Sword.

And then…

“I can’t believe, something like this was happening in here.”

He heard a male voice whispering in his ear.

With that, Antonius lost consciousness, and simultaneously, Eliza gazed at the man before her, her expression one of profound surprise.

“Y-You… Hero? How… how are you here?”

The Hero, who had defeated Antonius while in a light robe rather than his usual armor, now turned to face Eliza and rummaged through his garments.

“I came to check on the commotion I heard passing by, and it seems I came at the right time. I never expected you, Eliza, to find yourself in such a predicament…”

“Uh… yeah… I got a little careless…”

Eliza, feeling a flush of embarrassment despite the situation, avoided his gaze.

Watching her, the Hero pulled out a potion he had on hand and poured it over Eliza’s body.

Immediately, Eliza’s wounds began to heal slowly due to the potion’s effects.

While her injuries were too severe for this to be anything more than first aid, it would suffice until she could seek a healer later.

“Thank you… for coming to save me like this.”

“I was just doing my duty. I’m more sorry for not catching onto the danger to my comrade sooner.”

With those words, the Hero gave Eliza a gentle smile and extended his hand to her.

As she witnessed his gesture, Eliza felt her heart race again, carefully accepting his hand as she rose from her place.

Then…

“It seems… there was quite a stir after all.”

“!”

In that moment, a familiar voice rang in Eliza’s ears.

She and Amelda, observing the situation, turned to face the only remaining presence—the one who had swiftly dispatched the remaining assassins.

“Y-Y-Your Majesty, the Demon King…”

“Your Majesty. How did you get here…?”