The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 42

The scene unfolding before my eyes

The first emotion that Parisect felt was confusion.

The Demon King, pierced by the spear he had launched with the last of his strength.

That strike, which he thought would merely bounce off…

Surprisingly, it had managed to stab directly into the side of the Demon King, shattering Parisect’s expectations.

“Guh! You… how dare you…!”

The Demon King spoke in a voice filled with pain.

As soon as he heard that voice, Parisect shook off his confusion and began to be engulfed by a deep sense of joy.

‘C-Could it be? Did I really do it? My strike… actually wounded the Demon King?’

Even now, he could hardly believe the situation he found himself in.

Yet, despite that, Parisect, swept up in the overwhelming joy, unconsciously started to raise his voice.

“The… the Demon King has been wounded!!! I, Parisect, have pierced the Demon King’s body with my spear!!!”

Having just made that strike, Parisect had no energy left to lift even a finger.

However, the overwhelming joy was enough to give him the loudest battle cry he had ever shouted.

Right after hearing his triumphant shout, the soldiers present felt a surge of emotion and urgently began to rise from their spots.

“P-Parisect General has wounded the Demon King?”

“Now’s our chance! Kill that guy!”

The moment of weakness displayed by the Demon King, who had been exuding overwhelming power.

With that, the soldiers, their eyes wide with excitement, drew their swords and charged toward the Demon King.

Thinking that they could claim the Demon King’s neck for themselves.

If they succeeded, they believed they could grasp everything they had ever dreamed of.

But then…

“Haah!!!”

“!!”

In the next moment, a sharp roar erupted from the mouth of the Demon King.

Simultaneously, the wave of power that exploded from his body halted the soldiers who had charged at the Demon King.

“Gah!”

“Damn!!”

Even so, the soldiers, burning with desire, tried to attack the Demon King.

Fortunately, it seemed that the Demon King could not fully block their movements due to the decline in his combat power from his injury.

So the soldiers reached the Demon King’s position, swinging their swords within striking distance.

At the same time, a look of intense greed began to fill their faces,

And they tried to swing their swords at the Demon King before them, fueled by that fierce desire.

But then…

“Kugh!”

“Gahhh!”

From behind came the sudden, pain-filled screams.

The soldiers’ gazes immediately shifted in that direction, their faces beginning to harden.

“How… how did the demon race get here?!”

“Guh! Are they the Demon King’s Guards? These guys are pretty strong!”

A sudden ambush from a group of demon race soldiers.

Though their numbers were only around a hundred,

In an instant, the soldiers, previously absorbed in their thoughts of the Demon King, were caught off guard and began to suffer significant losses.

Just as the soldiers’ attention shifted to the attacking demon race…

“Kugh!”

“!! The… the Demon King is escaping!”

The Demon King, with a spear lodged in his side, violently swung his sword.

He mercilessly cut down the soldiers blocking his path, then swiftly regrouped with his guards who had rushed to save him and started to flee the scene.

“W-Wait!!”

“Stop him! Shoot arrows or cast spells! Just stop him!”

In a moment of panic, the soldiers and Parisect shouted.

Yet before they could take any action, the Demon King and his subordinates quickly slipped away over the castle walls like a receding tide.

Though arrows and spells flew toward him belatedly, it was futile to catch them now that they had already escaped the castle.

In the end, the Demon King and his subordinates vanished from Parisect’s view, leaving him and the soldiers feeling a deep sense of regret, as if they had let slip a prize catch right in front of them.

But then…

“G-GET BACK, GENERAL! Look over there!”

“! W-What?!”

In that instant,

Parisect and his subordinates were seized by a deep shock upon realizing a fact they had just discovered.

A scene that delivered a heavy blow that overshadowed their regret at missing the Demon King.

There, right before them, was an entire Demon Race Legion, advancing on the castle walls from all directions.

While Parisect and the commanders were distracted by the appearance of the Demon King, the Demon Race had rapidly closed the distance.

As a result of the brief paralysis in command, the demon races, having arrived at the walls without suffering any significant damage, began to leap over the walls with terrifying momentum and launch their attacks.

“Damn! That filthy Demon King! To think he would pull such a trick!”

Not climbing ladders, but instead flapping their hidden wings to fly short distances, the demon races began invading from all over.

Seeing the demon races climbing over the walls, Parisect, though a step behind, began issuing urgent commands.

“Activate the Fire Wall magic prepared by the wizards immediately! We need to block their offensive, even if just for a moment!”

“Yes, General!”

“You all, go bring out every available backup! We can’t waste time on anything else right now! We must hold off the enemy by any means necessary, even if it’s just for today!”

“U-Understood, General!”

Despite extreme fatigue, Parisect did his utmost to command.

Though he was forced to reveal his trump cards due to the Demon King’s scheming, he still refused to give up on the situation.

Because he hadn’t acquired the important outpost of Antioch as a gamble, he calculated the battle situation in his mind while issuing orders without stop.

Even though the previous battle had left him in no position to engage directly, let alone keep a clear head, he still carried out the duties of a leader to the best of his ability.

Deploying support where necessary and activating prepared spells to block the enemy’s entry.

While he was indeed fueled by greed, his abilities were genuine, and that immense willpower arising from that greed was by no means to be underestimated.

Struggling to reestablish the disordered battle lines, Parisect and his soldiers continued their fierce exchanges.

Yet at that moment,

Parisect’s mind was racing to calculate not only the battle’s current situation but also what would follow after today’s conflict.

‘Though we were caught off guard by the enemy’s scheme, hope is not completely lost. We suffered damage, but I still managed to inflict serious injury on the Demon King, forcing him to retreat. That means… even if Antioch falls by tomorrow, there’s surely something I can do to reverse the situation!’

The most critical force of the enemy was the Demon King.

If news of his appearance and injury spread, many would surely move to take advantage of the situation.

With this understanding, even amidst the ongoing battle, Parisect sent several of his subordinates outside the castle to spread the news.

Using the injured Demon King, an irresistible bait, to lure as many hunters as possible.

*

“Make way! We have an injured person here!”

The Hero and his direct subordinates returned to the ranks with the spear still lodged in his side.

Leading the charge was Rebecca, urgently calling for a medic while supporting the Hero who had lost consciousness.

The Hero, who had single-handedly defended against the enemy’s advances and jumped right into the thick of things to create considerable chaos.

As a result of the Hero handling both defense and aggro, the vanguard, including Rebecca, was able to easily scale the castle walls and ambush the enemy without any casualties.

However, this reckless behavior resulted in the Hero sustaining such severe injuries from the enemy’s attacks.

The Hero, who had burned himself to protect his subordinates, giving them the chance to achieve victory.

This selfless act, coming from someone who had once been met with doubts and fears, left a significant shock on Rebecca and the soldiers.

This made them, without anyone commanding them, urgently carry the injured Hero to the infirmary and look for the medic.

And moments later,

The hurriedly arrived medic began examining the Hero’s condition.

He removed the spear embedded in the side and began healing the wound with magic.

Seeing the medic work with a serious expression, Rebecca could only anxiously watch the situation unfold.

Contrary to her initial suspicions,

The Hero had displayed true leadership qualities, fully dedicating himself for their sake.

The thought of possibly having to say goodbye to someone they hadn’t even been able to apologize to filled her heart with dread.

‘Absolutely… absolutely, he must not go back like this. We doubted you all along… and if you were to collapse like this without even a chance to apologize…’

In her anxious state, Rebecca and the demon race soldiers sincerely hoped for their leader to awaken.

Meanwhile,

At that very moment…

While receiving treatment from the medic, the Hero, who had been keeping his eyes closed,

Wasn’t really injured that severely, and he hadn’t lost consciousness either.

He was instead feeling an awkward sort of embarrassment, sweating slightly.

‘Damn… what should I do? I meant to fake an injury and slip away from the enemy, but I missed my chance to get up.’