I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 16

The preparations to head to the village were completed quickly.

When Evan stepped outside after getting ready, all the users capable of using magical power were mounting their horses, while Kerena and Lucia were inside the carriage.

“We’re departing right away. We can’t afford to waste a single moment to save the villagers.”

Nodding at Evan’s words, the users took off first, and he climbed into the carriage with Lucia, who was accompanied by a villager.

The moment he got in, the carriage started moving.

It sped down the dark road towards the village.

“By the way, it’s really strange. There’s never been a case of Minotaurs coming down to residential areas, especially not ten at once…”

Bephyr, who was pulling the carriage, voiced his confusion with a stern expression.

Minotaurs usually despise even the smallest hint of light, living their lives in deeply dark caves, rarely leaving except when searching for food. Moreover, they recognize any intrusion into their territory as a threat, making sightings of more than two at once, even between a mother and her young, quite rare.

‘But suddenly, ten of them appear at once? Outside of their cave?’

By any common understanding, it was utterly impossible.

Evan’s expression grew faintly anxious. A drop of blood trickled from his bitten lip.

After all, the appearance of monsters in human habitations meant there could be casualties.

“Bephyr, how far until we reach the village?”

“We’ll arrive soon.”

As Bephyr replied, the village landscape came into view through the carriage window.

People fleeing from the encroaching monsters and knights fighting to defend against them.

And the destroyed houses and scattered corpses on the ground.

Seeing the remarkably dire situation, as soon as the carriage entered the edge of the village, Evan jumped out and ran towards the direction from which the monsters were coming.

“Bephyr! Tell two other users to guard those escaping and the carriage, and you help me save the people!”

“Understood. I shall follow your command.”

As Bephyr, sword in hand, jumped down from the carriage, he followed closely behind Evan.

*

The deeper they moved toward the area where the monsters converged, the stronger the overpowering scent of blood hit their noses.

There were far more corpses than he had seen at the village’s entrance.

‘Damn it.’

As he cut down the approaching monsters, Evan’s expression turned grim.

The damage was worse than expected.

Given it was a rural village, there weren’t many knights, and their abilities were significantly less than those in a big city.

On top of that, they were constantly being swarmed by Rank 3 monsters.

Of course, a skilled knight could easily handle a Rank 3 monster…

But with this many, it was a miracle that the villagers hadn’t all perished by the time he arrived.

Slash-!

Evan continued to slice through the monsters as he advanced.

Then, suddenly—

[ROOOAAAR—!]

A roar echoed through the village as a monster entered Evan’s sight.

It had a colossal body, roughly four times the size of a human, and a bull’s head with deadly-looking horns that promised disaster.

A Rank 2 monster, Minotaur.

What came into Evan’s view was gruesomely slaughtering fleeing people with a massive axe that matched its size.

It wore a grotesque smile as if reveling in the ongoing massacre.

“Hah.”

Seeing this, Evan’s expression twisted into one of fury.

“This is quite the scene, reminding me of some unpleasant memories.”

Crack—

Evan briefly loosened his body before approaching the Minotaur.

“Hey, it’s time to stop, don’t you think?”

At the voice coming from behind, the monster turned its head to look at him.

In its yellow eyes, a single human was reflected.

A human armed only with a sword, without any armor.

Immediately, the Minotaur, completing its judgment that this was its meal, swung the axe toward him.

“It seems like you have no intention of stopping.”

Evan easily took a step back to avoid the axe.

“They say the best way to deal with disobedient beasts is to strike them.”

And then he concentrated magical power into his fist.

“Looks like you need a beating.”

BAM—!

As he finished speaking, Evan’s fist struck the Minotaur’s face, producing a thunderous noise.

It felt like being hit by a cannonball.

The shock reverberated throughout the giant’s body, causing it to stagger.

However, that was only for a moment; the Minotaur regained its balance and began wildly swinging its axe at Evan, roaring.

[WOOOAAAHHH!!]

Even a single strike from the Minotaur was a threat that would leave knights gravely injured.

Evan stood his ground, watching the assault unfold.

There was no need to avoid it.

Crack!

The axe that collided with Evan shattered into pieces, sending fragments flying.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have dodged from the start.”

Conversely, despite being hit by the axe, Evan remained unscathed.

The Power of Destruction.

His body, writhing with crimson magical power, was exhibiting the ability optimized purely for killing his opponent.

[U, WOOOAH??]

The Minotaur, surprised that its axe had broken, was in shock.

The human in front of it was clearly its prey…

But it suddenly felt as though this was a predator, not prey.

For the first time, the Minotaur felt instinctive fear.

Sensing this, it began to retreat, turning to flee.

But…

It wouldn’t escape for long.

Before the Minotaur had any time to register what was happening, Evan swiftly grabbed its heart and yanked it out.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?”

As the heart crushed in his grip, the Minotaur collapsed.

Wiping the blood splattered on himself with a cloth, Evan turned to face the other monsters that had been watching him.

Fear flickered in the eyes of the beasts staring back at him.

It was the instinctual terror that all beings feel when facing death.

And that included even beasts devoid of intellect.

“Impressive, master. Even the monsters are too frightened to attack. Is this what they call the Apostle of Destruction?”

At that moment, Bephyr, dragging along the head of the Minotaur, appeared covered in the blood of monsters, his body marred with numerous injuries.

“Bephyr. You seem to have some serious wounds. Are you sure you don’t need treatment?”

“I can still endure it. It hurts a bit, though.”

“You don’t need to force yourself to take on the monsters. It’s good to hunt them down, but focus first on saving the villagers.”

“Understood. So you’ll take care of the remaining monsters then?”

“Yeah. I’ll handle those here.”

His response was filled with conviction.

If someone else had claimed they could fight off all those monsters, Bephyr would have called it foolish, but he nodded, trusting his master.

“Then I will search for the remaining survivors.”

“Got it. But in your condition, it might be tough, so first go get treatment from Kerena.”

“I will do that.”

Finishing that exchange, Bephyr headed out of the village.

Evan briefly watched him leave before turning his gaze back toward the monsters.

‘…?’

But there was something odd.

The monsters were trembling and facing away from Evan, instead staring in another direction where the Minotaur was charging.

The direction Evan had come from.

It was headed toward the entrance of the village where the carriage was.

The villagers fled in that direction, and if the monsters ended up there, it could lead to even more casualties.

As Evan hurried to escape the village, he suddenly felt an enormous surge of magical power from outside the village.

This wasn’t the sort of magical energy one would expect from a mere Rank 2 monster.

No, it was a magnitude of magical power that would not be felt even if a whole horde of Rank 2 monsters gathered.

At least Rank 1.

Or perhaps an even higher-level monster had appeared outside the village.

*

At the same time, the entrance of the village was in chaos.

Before the Minotaur, a monster was advancing toward them.

This one was clad in a mystical blue armor that looked like a universe, gripping a sword adorned with a black hole design at the hilt.

A Rank 1 upper-tier monster, Abyss Knight.

The villagers confronted with its presence screamed and fled.

Its size was slightly larger than an average human, yet the killing intent and intimidation radiating from it made the Minotaur seem like a mere calf.

As all the people were fleeing from the Abyss Knight, a child wailed, clinging to their father.

“Mooooommm!!!”

The child’s mother had stumbled over a rock while escaping, and the Abyss Knight was closing in, ready to strike down the fleeing crowds.

The child’s cry was so desperate it prompted the knights to consider intervening, but they knew any misstep could lead to total annihilation.

Ultimately, they had no choice but to look away.

[■■■■■■■■■■■■!!]

The Abyss Knight spoke in an incomprehensible tongue as it marched toward the mother.

And just as it was about to raise its sword to stab her—

“No, mommmm!!!”

As the child felt their mother’s impending doom, their scream rang out as the sword fell toward the woman.

Clang—!

Someone deflected the Abyss Knight’s sword.

“That’s enough.”

It was Lucia.

Having leaped from the carriage, she now aimed her sword at the Abyss Knight.