The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 16

“You… you…!”

The unexpected hand of salvation appeared.

Feeling instinctual relief and surprise, Eliza stared wide-eyed.

The warrior wielding the black armor and great sword, granted by the Demon King, spoke to Eliza in a slightly exhilarated voice.

“I’ll handle this. You should escape in the meantime.”

“But…”

“Being injured will only hinder us. I cleared a path to the east on the way here, so you can easily get away that way.”

“…”

The warrior’s words, boasting of having already secured an escape route, left Eliza momentarily speechless.

And then…

“Th-thank you… um…”

Eliza stammered, attempting to say something but cutting herself off, fleeing in the direction the warrior indicated.

As she hurriedly left, her expression concealed by the violet helmet, the warrior…

Just weeks ago, known as the human hero, looked around at those gathered.

“So now… who would be my opponent?”

*

Cassandra Inklement.

One of the top three generals of the Falcon Empire, she had hardly ever felt fear in her life.

Even when she had once fought a battle with a Demon King’s aide, she only felt the thrill of being a warrior as she swung her spear and shield, completely devoid of fear.

But now…

For the first time since receiving the title of general and wielding a sword…

Cassandra began to feel a gripping fear.

“W-what is that…?”

Before her stood the black-clad warrior wielding a black great sword.

An entity exuding a disturbing, fiery presence, as if it crawled out of the abyss.

When she saw its form blocking the way just before striking down the demon aides…

Cassandra instinctively felt her body freeze in place, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

The aura of overwhelming power.

Just looking at it gripped her heart with dread…

It clearly communicated to Cassandra’s instincts one solid truth.

You will die…

If you try to face that…

You will definitely die.

Not some theoretical notion, but a raw instinct for survival informing her of the hard truth.

Seeing this being, a figure capable of overwhelming even her, made Cassandra’s mind automatically recall one particular entity.

‘C-could it be… that is the Demon King?’

It looked a bit different from what she had heard, but in this moment, that was the only possible being that came to Cassandra’s mind.

An absolute powerhouse with the power to crush even her.

The strongest force of the demon races, ensuring this war, which she expected to end in victory, continued to drag on.

Cassandra realized that the strongest monster had appeared right before her.

She began to muster all her strength to regain her composure.

‘C-calm down… It’s definitely a strong opponent in front of me. But… if that’s the Demon King, maybe this could be a good opportunity…’

The enemy’s leader and the strongest force was right before her.

Despite feeling intensely suppressed by the aura of power, in this moment of fortune…

Cassandra thought she might just end this long-lasting war by her own hands.

‘Surely… I can’t hope to win solo against that guy. But… with the Beastman warrior’s strength, there might be a chance.’

The Beastman female warrior had just demonstrated her power by pushing back the demon attackers in an instant.

Of course, she was a fighter using fists and claws, while Cassandra wielded a sword and shield using the light’s power, so a direct comparison was a bit unfair, but…

Overall, Cassandra judged that she and the Beastman female warrior were roughly on the same level of skill.

Yet, the Demon King’s power was terrifyingly overwhelming. But with the enemy’s leader right in front of her, capturing him might be a worthwhile gamble, Cassandra thought.

As a warrior…

And as a general of the Empire.

She was about to engage in a life-or-death gamble.

‘Alright… then…’

Having made her mental decision, Cassandra began to infuse magic into the ring on her finger.

Suddenly, a bright green light burst forth from her ring.

Simultaneously, the shackles around the Beastman warrior’s neck, hesitant as it watched the Demon King, began to glow, and the tension and fear on the Beastman’s face morphed into hostility and anger toward the Demon King.

‘It’s only natural for her to feel fear, given that he’s the one who defeated the hero and caused their defeat… But with this Zokse of Domination, such emotions can easily be cast aside.’

The Zokse of Domination, which strips slaves of their reason and turns them into berserk fighters acting solely on commands.

This precious item, of which Cassandra had only obtained one, was clearly powerful.

“You all maintain a perimeter while drawing distance. This guy is mine to handle with my slave.”

“Yes, General Cassandra!”

Against someone of that level, just swinging a sword would send normal soldiers flying.

Thus, having prepared her “gamble” while minimizing damage, Cassandra readied herself.

At that moment, the Demon King, grasping his great sword glowing with violet energy, regarded Cassandra and took a battle stance.

And with that, a heavy silence began to blanket the area…

In the midst of it, Cassandra, with a cold expression, raised her shield.

‘The longer the fight drags on, the more unfavorable it becomes. Besides, right now, he knows full well that he is overwhelmingly stronger than me. No matter how cautious he is, he has to let his guard down to some extent. That’s where I’ll find my chance.’

Then…

“Hahhhhh!!!!”

Shouting her battle cry, Cassandra charged forward with her shield raised.

The Demon King prepared to absorb her direct attack with his great sword.

‘Shield of God! No one has emerged unscathed after taking this hit. No matter how great the Demon King may be…!’

And then…

-BOOM!!!!!

A tremendous explosion resounded for a moment.

Like the blast of a grand sorcerer’s attack, the shockwaves shook the area, causing soldiers comprising the perimeter to lose their balance and tumble to the ground.

“W-what…”

“Just the shockwave alone…”

“W-where’s the General? How’s General Cassandra doing…?”

Soldiers, unable to regain their senses in the dust that enveloped the area.

However, at this moment, Cassandra, the very one who unleashed this explosion, was even less collected.

“Guh!…”

Her ultimate strike, the Shield of God!

With the power of the divine infused in it, her attack had sent countless demons to their doom in the past, and even the demon aide she had once faced retreated severely wounded after this attack.

Yet, from the very first strike, Cassandra poured all her aspirations and pride into this, her most powerful initiative.

But…

The expectations and confidence she had placed on this strike swiftly transformed into despair and shock.

-CREEEAAK…

With a dreadful crunch of metal clashing, what unfolded before her eyes was…

The Demon King blocking her all-out attack with just one hand gripping his great sword.

Like a father stopping his child’s mischief…

It illustrated the overwhelming disparity in strength.

However, the despair on Cassandra’s face wasn’t caused solely by this sight.

Simultaneously unleashing her strongest attack, Cassandra initiated another maneuver.

“G-get off…”

It was the sight of the Beastman warrior, who had attempted to ambush the Demon King while he was distracted, now held by the neck in the Demon King’s firm grip, letting out pitiful sounds of pain.

The scenario where their combined surprise attack had been thwarted left them feeling hopeless.

Seeing this spectacle highlighted the fact that the Demon King was far more formidable than they imagined, Cassandra immediately began to regret her reckless gamble.

And then…

Observing her from a distance,

The Demon King spoke to them with a calm yet chilling voice.

“I’ve got you.”