I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 23

A moment of flickering in the group’s vision continued.

Tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu…

All the monsters in the direction of the breath had vanished.

If not for the pools of blood on the ground, one might have felt that those monsters had never existed in the first place; not a single corpse remained from those struck by the breath.

The first Dragon Lord.

Only then did Evan realize how formidable this old man truly was.

‘How could I not know?’

If one were to describe the history of the dragon race, his name would undoubtedly be mentioned first.

Sephius Leolnar.

A legendary figure among all dragon kin, strong enough that a single breath could split the nation of dragons, Aurum, which was the third largest on the continent.

The breath that had just obliterated dozens of Rank 1 Monsters without a trace proved his immense power.

“…No wonder the magical power feels exceptional; I didn’t expect you to be the first Dragon Lord.”

[Do you know my name?]

“Of course. Your name is always mentioned when we learn history.”

[Heh… It brings me joy that I am still remembered even after all this time.]

Leolnar chuckled as he stroked his beard.

However, as more monsters approached, he wiped the smile from his face and said,

[For now, you should leave. Those monsters will keep coming until they catch you.]

“Yes, Lord Leolnar. It was an honor to meet you.”

[I too was honored to see the Apostle of Destruction of this generation.]

Leolnar bowed his head to Evan.

[May the blessings of Inferna be with you.]

“Thank you.”

With those words, the group began to run back the way they came.

Leolnar watched them retreat for a moment before muttering to himself softly.

[Those whose fate the world observes…]

And then, a gentle smile appeared on his lips.

[I too am curious. How will your story unfold?]

*

The group was sprinting out of the forbidden area as quickly as they could.

Although undead continued to emerge from the surroundings, Evan and Lucia were cutting them down as they moved forward.

However, since all the emerging monsters were either Rank 1 or Rank 2, the physical exhaustion was extreme.

“Hah, hah…”

As they killed roughly twenty monsters, Lucia, who hadn’t stopped running, finally gasped and came to a halt.

“Chloe, are you alright?”

“…I’m fine. It’s just that I’ve been using magical power continuously while running and fighting monsters, so I’m a little… just a bit tired.”

The lack of magical energy due to her severed horn made it difficult for her to keep taking down Rank 1 Monsters.

“At this pace, it’ll be impossible.”

“No, the situation is urgent, and if we push just a bit more, we can reach the door, so let’s go a little further…”

“Going beyond that could lead to magical exhaustion, making things even more perilous. Do you want to be trapped here forever, unable to live or die?”

Lucia shook her head, drenched in sweat.

“That’s not what I want, but… if we stay like this, won’t the monsters swarm us?”

“I’ll manage. Thanks to you taking the lead in fighting, I still have enough magical power left.”

Evan turned his attention away from her to the approaching monsters targeting the group.

“Don’t push yourself, Chloe. We must avoid magical exhaustion at all costs.”

“…Understood. Then I’ll leave it to you for a while.”

“That’s rare, but just take care of the monsters I leave behind.”

To halt the advancing monsters, Evan took the lead, followed closely by Lucia and Helen.

[■■■■■■■■■!!!]

Monsters roared incomprehensible languages as they charged.

He defended against their attacks with his body as he pressed forward.

He didn’t care about getting hurt.

Thanks to the Power of Destruction, Rank 2 Monsters couldn’t even leave a scratch on him.

“Get out of the way. You’re in my way.”

Buddudduddang-!

With a sound like something being pulled out, Evan extracted the hearts of the monsters impaled by his two hands.

The one following close behind, Krevas, met the same fate.

Krevas, who tried to wrestle with Evan, was unable to overcome his strength and was utterly shattered.

The armor of the Abyss Knight was also reduced to fragments, rolling on the ground.

A massacre.

It was a battle fitting for the term.

The more the fight continued, the stronger the Power of Destruction became.

The more monsters he killed, the more blood he spilled, the brighter the symbol on his wrist glowed.

“Huh…”

Evan exhaled a long breath.

Though the Power of Destruction was growing stronger, he was also becoming exhausted from the relentless fights against the high-level monsters.

He had already taken down forty Rank 1 Monsters in the previous battle alone.

If Rank 2 Monsters were added to that, the number would double.

While he had faced such a number of enemies before, he had allies back then.

They had roles they could divide among each other in the past.

But not now.

He had to confront the enemies all by himself with no assistance.

“Ugh…”

The fatigue from the battle weighed heavily on him, making it hard to move his body freely.

Even though the Power of Destruction was blocking the attacks, it didn’t alleviate his fatigue.

Yet, Evan continued to kill the approaching monsters.

If he were to fall here, Lucia, whose magical power had not yet recovered, would have to fight, risking magical exhaustion and possibly death.

If that happened, any revenge or quest for truth he sought would be meaningless, so he fought on despite his fatigue.

As he engaged in battle with his weary body, suddenly—

Whoosh!

Evan, unable to react to Krevas’s attack from the side, felt a sharp pain in his side.

“Huh…!”

His posture faltered as pain overwhelmed him.

In that moment, the next attack came.

Krevas’s other claw was aimed at his neck, but he could not defend due to his unsteady stance.

Just before the claws pierced Evan’s neck—

Kraaang-!

Something flew in and blocked Krevas’s attack.

It was Lucia’s sword.

She had thrown her sword to counter Krevas’s claw.

“I told you not to push yourself.”

“Seems like it’s you who’s pushing yourself.”

“This much is fine.”

“Do you realize that saying that with such a weary expression makes it hard to believe, Evan?”

He couldn’t deny his exhaustion, so Evan sealed his lips.

Seeing this, Lucia picked up the fallen sword and cut down Krevas.

Swish-!

Krevas’s head was cleanly severed by the blade.

“I’ve regained a bit of magical power, and we’re now so close to the exit, so I’ll handle the rest of the monsters.”

Lucia stepped forward, releasing all the remaining magical energy.

A massive, blood-colored circular ring floated behind her.

The red magic surged in sync with the ring.

“…Hold on, Chloe. Are you trying to risk magical exhaustion?”

Just as she was about to unleash her technique, Evan grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“Yes. I plan to use my remaining power to eliminate the monsters near the entrance.”

“If you get magical exhaustion now, you could die. Are you still going to do it?”

“I have you, don’t I?”

Lucia gave a faint smile.

It wasn’t her usual sly smile.

“In order to fulfill your revenge, I need to be here. So I’ll do whatever it takes to hang onto my life.”

“And what if you really die?”

“If I had made that decision, I would have killed myself long ago. I wouldn’t have fought the monsters so recklessly.”

The magic around her was deepening even more.

It was maintaining a sharp form as if it would be released at any moment.

In that state, she continued to speak.

“So I trust you. Even if I suffer magical exhaustion, I believe you will save my life.”

“…To think I’d have to save the life of my enemy.”

Evan chuckled hollowly.

Seeing that, Lucia asked him,

“Then, will you not save me?”

“Of course I will. I will definitely ensure your survival.”

Evan sheathed the sword he had drawn before and spoke.

“Until I’ve completed my comrades’ revenge, I’ll keep you alive, no matter what it takes.”

“Alright.”

Hearing his response, Lucia turned her gaze toward the exit.

“Then I’ll trust you with this, Evan.”

The magic maintaining a sharp form soon transformed into a sword.

Hundreds of swords floated behind Lucia.

These swords shot toward the monsters surrounding the exit.

Kwang kwang kwang kwang!

The swords rained down like arrows, piercing the monsters.

The swords were aimed precisely at their vital points.

The monsters with pierced hearts collapsed, spewing blood.

At the same time, Lucia, who had exhausted all her magical energy, began to lose her balance and fall.

Thud-.

Evan caught her as she was about to collapse.

“…You’ve drawn your magic to the very end.”

Lucia, who had suffered magical exhaustion, was in poor condition.

Sweat poured down her body, and her breath was uneven.

If she wasn’t replenished with mana soon, she could die within an hour.

“Since I entrusted you with everything, it’s only right that I repay you.”

It was a moment when they had agreed to trust each other as much as they could.

Evan started running toward the door, holding her in his arms.

His steps were heavy due to fatigue, but he ran with only the thought of saving Lucia in his mind.