The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 45

“GRAAAAH!!!!”

“Damn it! Hold back the enemies! We cannot give an inch!”

Screams echoed from all directions.

In the battlefield where the voices of dying soldiers mingled with those of soldiers killing the enemy, Parisect and his subordinates were doing their utmost to withstand the enemies’ onslaught.

Two days had passed since the battle began.

What started at sunrise was dragging on as the sun began to set, and Parisect was slowly realizing that they were reaching their limits.

“General…The archer tower positioned at the outer castle has finally collapsed.”

“The 3rd Knight Order has been completely wiped out. With this, the last Knight Order remaining in the castle has been annihilated.”

“The enemies are nearly breaking through the inner fortress gates. We’ve sent the remaining troops to hold them back, but how long can we last…?”

A desperate situation where most of the usable troops were slaughtered.

However…

Even so, at this moment, Parisect was still maintaining his composure.

“Gather all remaining soldiers. We must do whatever it takes to prevent the enemies from breaching the inner fortress.”

“Yes, understood, General.”

“And you all, follow me. I will face the enemies myself.”

“B-b-but are you alright, General? Your injuries from the battle with the Demon King haven’t healed yet.”

“If I get hurt again…”

“What nonsense are you talking about now? If we can’t hold the enemies back, we’re all dead anyway. In a situation like this, what does a mere injury matter?”

“G-General…”

With a firm voice, Parisect spoke resolutely.

Seeing him like this, the soldiers felt once again what true military spirit meant, and their eyes began to shine with determination.

“Alright, the enemies are approaching. Who will fight alongside me?”

“I, the Commander, will go with the General.”

“I will help as well.”

“I will lend even my weak strength, General.”

Thus, the soldiers readied themselves, showing an attitude of preparing for the final stand.

But at this moment…

Contrary to his subordinates’ thoughts, Parisect didn’t have the slightest notion of glorious resolution in his mind.

He was recruiting the soldiers for battle not for sentiment or romance, but purely based on meticulous calculation.

Having retreated the front line to this point and abandoned some troops, he had gathered every last ounce of strength he could muster.

Recognizing that the optimal timing to unleash this pent-up force had finally arrived, Parisect raised his spear and began to advance forward.

-CRASH!

Finally, the demon races broke through the inner fortress gates.

Seeing them, Parisect firmly gripped his spear and raised his voice.

“For the Racial Alliance!”

With his proud declaration, the defenders of Antioch charged forward.

With the thought that this was their last stand, the momentum of their assault startled the demon races momentarily.

Embracing that atmosphere, Parisect resolutely cut down the demons at the forefront.

Like heroes from legends, his imposing figure ignited the spirits of the soldiers, prompting them to push forward.

“Yes! Though wounded, he is the Parisect General who brought even the Demon King to his knees!”

“Following him, today we shall become legends!”

Thus, fueled by the boiling blood of true warriors, the soldiers advanced steadfastly.

Though they were outnumbered, their valiant charge, resolved to face death, pushed the demon forces completely out of the inner fortress for a brief moment.

Of course, this was merely a fleeting shimmer.

Objectively speaking, it wouldn’t have a significant impact on the overall battle situation.

However…

-BOOM!!!!!

“!”

In that moment, a massive trumpet sound suddenly resounded from the north.

Simultaneously, the demons, who had been wavering at the retaliatory strike from the Antioch defenders, were engulfed in overwhelming confusion.

What began to appear before their eyes was… a massive Great Army filling the northern plains.

“That… that’s…!”

“Damn it! Why do the enemy’s reinforcements have to arrive at such a time!”

The enemy’s reinforcements had arrived at the most precarious moment.

The demons that had entered the castle were thrown into chaos,

And seeing this, a deep smile began to spread across Parisect and his subordinates’ faces.

“Great! Finally!”

“The reinforcements have arrived! We are saved!”

A staggering force filled the horizon where the sun was setting far away.

In that moment, the morale of the soldiers, who were ready to face death, soared to the heavens with the appearance of a new large army equal to the demon forces within.

Meanwhile, acknowledging that everything was unfolding exactly as he had calculated, an uncontrollable smile began to form on Parisect’s face.

“Good, thank goodness they showed up right on time as expected. Now that the reinforcements have arrived, all that’s left is to eliminate the demons that have infiltrated here with them. And in that process, if only we can take down the Demon King…”

Emerging with the conviction of the brilliant future laid out before him, Parisect began to feel the joy lifting him higher.

At that moment.

“Oh dear… don’t get so happy so soon.”

“!!!!!”

The next moment, an ominous voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

Having heard it just once, that voice, embedded deeply in his mind, caused Parisect’s expression to freeze as he turned to the side.

At that instant, a familiar presence materialized before his eyes.

A figure clad in black armor wielding a black great sword.

As soon as he recognized who it was,

Cold shivers ran down Parisect’s spine.

“Y-you… you’re the… Demon King? N-no, you must’ve sustained grave injuries back then…”

The Demon King, who had not been seen since retreating, reappeared.

As chaos engulfed Parisect and the soldiers following him, Parisect swiftly regained his composure and shouted with a firm voice.

“D-don’t be afraid! After all, that guy is injured! If we fight together we can definitely capture him!”

Recalling the moment he had narrowly missed capturing the Demon King before, Parisect urged his soldiers.

The soldiers, briefly shaken by the Demon King’s presence, quickly regained their focus and began to ignite their fighting spirit.

“Y-yeah! That guy has already lost to us once!”

“This time, I’ll finish you off, Demon King!”

“Now that the reinforcements have arrived, your end is here! Die by our hands here!”

Displaying an air of confidence, the soldiers charged toward the Demon King’s neck.

As the atmosphere shifted in their favor, Parisect issued a firm command to his soldiers.

“I command all troops! Cut off the Demon King’s neck right now!”

“UOOOHHH!!!”

As his orders fell, the soldiers rushed forward, weapons drawn, toward the Demon King.

Normally, he would have preferred to lead the charge himself, but due to exhaustion from his still unhealed injuries, Parisect needed a moment to catch his breath.

‘No matter how injured he is, the chances of those guys being able to capture the Demon King are slim. I can just hold him off until they exhaust him.’

With that judgment, Parisect began to prepare for an attack after steadying himself.

But then…

-SWISH!

“!?”

“Huh?”

With a light swing of the sword, the Demon King struck towards the soldiers charging at him.

Simultaneously, a black flash unlike before flickered from the Demon King’s sword, and Parisect was seized by an intense chill in that moment.

And shortly after…

As the black light that had been blocking his vision dissipated,

Parisect felt a searing pain engulf his entire body.

Simultaneously, he found himself paralyzed, unable to think at all as he processed the scene unfolding before him.

“W-what… what is… this…?”

The soldiers who had just charged towards the Demon King.

Numbering over 200 when including those surrounding Parisect,

This was a force even mightier than the one that had cornered the Demon King during his previous incursion.

Yet, at this moment,

No living soldier was visible to Parisect.

Just once.

With a single swing of his sword, the Demon King had slaughtered all 200 of the soldiers under Parisect’s command.

Thanks to the other soldiers acting as a shield and using mana for defense in the last moment, Parisect still clung to life.

However, even so, his condition had deteriorated beyond the point where he could engage in any further combat.

“How… how could… this be happening…”

The Demon King’s strike was on an entirely different level.

It was utterly incomprehensible to Parisect that the Demon King, who should have been gravely injured and at death’s door, could unleash such an attack.

But the next moment,

In the midst of this unfathomable, horrifying situation,

Parisect suddenly grasped one horrifying fact that flitted across his mind.

‘Non… non… This… is… all…?’

The excruciatingly late realization of a dreadful reality.

At that, Parisect’s face became a mask of horror and despair…

As he looked up, the Demon King coldly spoke as if delivering a casual remark.

“Thank you for your service. Now, go well.”

A harsh line that couldn’t confirm Parisect’s worst fears any more accurately.

Feeling that sentence pierce into his heart like a dagger,

Parisect turned his gaze upward as the Demon King’s great sword fell upon him.

“You bastard…”

-THWACK!