I Saved the Demon King Who Was About to Commit Suicide – Chapter 5

Following Athena, I headed towards the entrance of the castle wall, catching sight of Evan with the other Apostles and the Pope standing in front of them.

“Apostle of Destruction, Evan greets the brightest sun of the holy nation.”

Today was the official day of our journey to capture the Demon King.

Even though Evan was still not fond of the Pope, he put on his best manners since it was an important day, and many people had gathered.

“Now that Evan and Athena have arrived, all the Apostles are gathered in one place.”

The Pope looked at the Apostles and continued with his characteristic gentle smile.

“After two years of preparation, it is time to embark on your journey. Though you know it will be a difficult road ahead, may the Light of Amor shine upon you who strive to save the world from evil.”

“May the Light of Amor shine upon us!”

“May the Light of Amor shine upon us!”

With countless blessings from people and demons alike.

The nine Apostles boarded the carriage to begin their journey to subdue the Demon King.

The destination was Armageddon.

A desolate land inhabited only by demons, the Demon Realm.

“Let’s depart.”

With the sound of whinnying horses, the carriage started moving.

*

A week towards Armageddon.

Evan’s mind was filled with worry.

‘To catch the Demon King, it means we have to reach the fortress where she resides…’

The fortress was located deep within the Demon Realm, meaning we would have to face off against countless demons along the way.

Minimum tens of thousands, possibly up to hundreds of millions of demons to face with just nine Apostles.

‘No matter how much the power of the gods supports us…’

If enemies keep flooding in, the chances of returning alive were slim.

Moreover, demons, unlike other nations, were not numerous but had claimed 40% of the continent’s land purely by force.

Each one could be considered much stronger than regular soldiers.

Facing over tens of thousands of such demons…

A sigh escaped his lips.

“Stop sighing so much and try smiling instead. The atmosphere is getting heavier as it is!”

Alastor, who had approached him without him realizing, burst into a hearty laugh.

“Smiling won’t cancel the journey, right?”

“Still, the mood and feelings would improve compared to now!”

“You’re too optimistic, that’s the problem.”

“Being overly pessimistic is a big problem too, Evan. Hahaha!”

“…Let’s not talk.”

Evan pressed his palm against his forehead and kept his mouth shut.

He thought silence was the only answer when dealing with that insane Ice Giant who only knows how to fight.

‘With about two weeks until we enter the Demon Realm.’

Crunch-.

He tightened his grip on the sword in his hand.

Recalling the people who sacrificed themselves to strengthen his powers, he once more engraved the goal he had been pursuing in his heart.

He would stop the great evil threatening the world.

Thus, he would create a world where people can live peacefully, without worries or sacrifices.

To achieve that.

‘Just wait.’

I will kill the Demon King.

*

So, after about two weeks since the nine Apostles boarded the carriage.

The carriage came to a halt at the boundary just before entering Armageddon.

There were no signposts or doors, but he was sure this was the border to Armageddon because the scenery beyond it was unlike anything he had seen before.

All the trees were growing with their roots facing upwards.

Moreover, the leaves were a deep red hue, as if the trees had been fed blood instead of water.

Even though it was still daytime, it was dark beyond the boundary, like night, and the buildings barely visible were grotesquely twisted.

Finally, there was an enormous tower and fortress, clearly visible but inverted.

“…My home can also be described as odd, but this place is even stranger.”

Ophelin, the Apostle of the Undead, remarked as well.

“Let’s just go in. After all, it’s where we need to be, and the previous Apostles also walked this ground to capture the Demon King.”

Evan unsheathed his sword and crossed the boundary into the Demon Realm.

The other Apostles, seeing him cross, followed suit one by one.

“The Demon Realm isn’t anything special after all!”

Alastor swung his massive axe around carefreely, laughing loudly.

The atmosphere was surprisingly calm.

While the group felt at ease, Evan, who had crossed for the first time, sensed something off.

‘Since earlier, the sounds around me have disappeared.’

The noises that had been audible before crossing the boundary vanished as soon as all the Apostles stepped through.

The sound of water flowing, the wind blowing.

Just as Evan thought something was wrong, an arrow flew towards Alastor and pierced his chest.

“Ugh!”

An arrow that even typical soldiers would struggle to penetrate pierced Alastor’s skin.

Blue blood began to ooze from the wounded area.

“Tristan, barrier!”

“I got it.”

First things first, since it was an urgent injury, Tristan raised his shield and simultaneously cast a barrier with his magical power to buy healing time.

The Saintess, who was checking his injury, looked tense. It could be described as a sign of anxiety.

The position of the arrow was just a bit away from the heart.

If it had been off by just a little, it could have been a fatal attack.

Even so, seeing that the attack was not imbued with magical power, it was merely the act of a regular demon soldier.

Evan, who checked the injury alongside the Saintess, had a slightly stiff expression as well.

“…It seems the fights ahead won’t be easy.”

If even a regular demon soldier had this level of power, there was no guarantee of safety, even with the power of the gods.

“As recorded by the previous Apostles, this journey may take a long time as well.”

Evan pointed towards the approaching enemy soldiers in the distance.

There were at least a thousand demon soldiers, if not more.

Gripping his sword firmly, Evan asked the Saintess, as the markings on his wrist began to glow.

“Saintess, how long will it take to heal Alastor’s wound?”

“It’ll be done soon!”

“Then we’re good.”

Evan took a deep breath slowly, alternating his gaze between the approaching demon soldiers and Alastor, who was being healed.

‘Not yet.’

Just a little more.

Just a bit more…

“Healed! All good, little one.”

With the Saintess’s help, Alastor had been restored without a scar.

“Let’s give it a go.”

And right as his wound was healed.

“Release the barrier!”

With Evan’s shout, Tristan lowered the barrier.

Simultaneously, the Apostles unleashed their powers and began to fight the demons.

Athena’s spear signaled the start of the attack.

The spear streaked across the sky like a meteor towards the demons.

KABOOM!

With a thunderous explosion, demons struck by the spear were swept away.

Blood and flesh of the swept-away demons sprayed up like a fountain.

The next attack unleashed was a tidal wave larger than a mountain.

Sio called upon the Power of the Sea, engulfing the demons with seawater.

“Well done, fish girl!”

Seeing this, Alastor beamed with laughter as he slammed his axe down.

A chilling aura emanated from the ground, freezing the enemies engulfed in water.

“Little one!”

At Alastor’s signal, Evan soared into the air.

Then, cloaked in the Power of Destruction, he slashed at the frozen demons.

BOOM-!

The frozen demons shattered like glass, fragments bursting into the air.

Simultaneously, the splattered blood doused Evan’s face, but he didn’t stop swinging his sword.

To annihilate the evil race threatening the world.

‘A little more.’

Evan swung his sword.

With each swipe tainted by blood, his power glowed a brighter red.

“…Evan.”

Before long, Ophelin called out to him, seeing the situation nearly resolved.

However, Evan didn’t hear, continuing to swing his sword.

“Evan.”

A second call.

Once again, he didn’t hear and kept slaying the fleeing demons.

“Evan!!!”

Finally, after a shout that shook the battlefield, Evan snapped back to reality.

“Yes, yes?”

“What were you thinking to have such a scary face while slaughtering the enemy? I called but you didn’t respond.”

“I’m sorry. I must have gotten lost in thought.”

“Well, it’s fine now, but be careful moving forward. You could end up making mistakes.”

“Yes, understood. By the way, did you call me for a reason…?”

At Evan’s question, Ophelin glanced subtly at the remains of the demons beneath him.

“No. Originally, I was going to turn any corpses into Undead for our side, but they’ve been too mangled to be useful.”

“…I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful when fighting next time.”

“It’s alright. Things like that happen often during battles. There’s no need to apologize.”

Ophelin smiled, attempting to offer consolation despite the fibers remaining on the bones.

“Still, it’s fortunate we salvaged a few.”

“Thanks to the Saintess, it seems no one was hurt.”

“That’s a relief. Still, everyone seems tired, so let’s take a short break and then set off again.”

The Demon King must definitely be within that fortress visible in the distance.

To face so many demons while maintaining stamina was crucial, so the Apostles agreed to rest a bit before departing.

As they sat down at that moment.

Suddenly a monstrous roar echoed, and the earth trembled.

In the aftermath, even more demons than before charged towards them.

“…Hah.”

Slink-.

Evan drew out his sword again, letting out a deep sigh.

“They don’t even give us time to rest.”

The Apostles stood up again.

And soon crashed into the demons, splattering red blood across the battlefield once more.