The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 73

The demon races, caught in a frenzy of excitement, let out roaring cheers.

As they weaved discreetly through the crowd, he, cloaked in a black robe, cautiously surveyed the arena’s situation.

‘As expected, I had a feeling, but the defenses are extremely tight… There’s no way I can just walk in through the front gate.’

Compared to the Demon King’s Castle, which was usually impossible to approach, this was decent at best.

However, at that very moment, two formidable foes were glaring at the Demon King from the VIP section of the arena.

Moreover, the guards stationed around seemed anything but ordinary, making reckless approaches a recipe for disaster with high chances of being cut down before even trying.

Considering the combat power of the demon king, who had even dispatched the previous hero, Ellen, the situation felt even more grim.

And because of that…

The one in the black robe and his companions were racking their brains, cooking up a strategy to maximize their minuscule chances.

‘The situation will be more favorable after the match heats up… But still, one can never know when a variable might occur, so we must remain vigilant.’

Thus, they disguised themselves as ordinary spectators as best they could, and the figure in the black robe chose to watch the match underway in front of him.

-“The first round of the finals features none other than Nyadan, one of the Elite Guard Four Kings, versus the recently famous Black Hero!”-

The demon was introducing the fighters with a magically amplified voice.

Hearing his words, the one in the robe couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow slightly.

Before his eyes stood two fully armored warriors in the center of the arena.

One was clad in gleaming golden armor wielding a halberd, while the other was enveloped in black armor, gripping a giant great sword.

It was instantly clear who was known as the Black Hero.

However, setting aside this fact, he found himself frowning automatically at the sight of the black armor.

‘A Black Hero… Does that mean there’s one among the demon races who imitates heroes like us? Just hearing the name makes me think of a fake hero…’

As he pondered this, he began to feel that this imposter was an affront to true heroes.

In the Racial Alliance, being a hero meant taking on the Demon King to the death, while the hero party consisted of those dedicated to aiding those heroes in achieving great undertakings.

Of course, depending on the perspective, one might just consider it grandiose to call assassins aiming to simply sever a serpent’s head heroes.

But even so, the name of a hero, chosen by the gods, is never something to be taken lightly; many ordinary citizens harbor a kind of faith that the hero will cut off the Demon King’s neck and bring about peace.

‘In that sense… the hero Ellen, who nearly succeeded in slaying the Demon King, could be called the continent’s hero. Even if he failed due to those filthy betrayers…’

The Falcon Empire had officially declared that Hero Ellen’s battle against the Demon King had ended in defeat.

However, the Elf Church Country proclaimed that it was the filthy betrayal of those from the hero party that caused this failure.

And regarding these differing viewpoints between the two factions, both the one in the black robe and his companions firmly believed the Elf Church’s statement to be correct.

‘The hero Ellen losing to the Demon King? No way… Anyone who knows even a little about his strength would never dare utter such nonsense!’

Having personally experienced just how powerful Ellen was and knowing his true character, the robed figure held a firm belief that Ellen would never have fallen so miserably to the Demon King.

‘Please watch over us, Hero! We will definitely carry on your will and bring peace to the continent! Definitely, we will chop off the head of that evil Demon King…’

As he thought this, he also mused that if the opportunity arose, he would like to take the head of that fake hero as well, while deciding to quietly observe the capabilities of this counterfeit.

‘They said one of the Elite Guard Four Kings is the opponent? It doesn’t really matter who wins, but if I can, I hope they’ll stomp that guy who’s defaming the name of heroes into a pulp!’

*

Nyadan stood before the hero Ellen, weapon in hand, her cold expression steady.

Although she was up against a rather formidable opponent right from the start of the finals, Nyadan felt this was turning out to be rather favorable for her.

‘They say they have restoration magic, but still, it’d be better to fight in peak condition. To thoroughly punish the one who dares to covet my Eliza…’

She was aware that the hero possessed considerable combat power and had made significant contributions during the last war.

However, knowing that rumors often tended to exaggerate on the battlefield, she didn’t find those tales trustworthy.

Furthermore, holding superior combat power compared to her Elite Guard peers, Nyadan did not entertain thoughts of losing to any hero, no matter how accomplished.

‘A guy who couldn’t even hold his own against the Demon King… Of course, I heard he was holding back to some extent, but still, as someone who can at least face the Demon King, there’s no reason for me to lose.’

Thus, while remaining cautiously alert, she didn’t feel the need to be intimidated.

Nyadan tightened her grip on the halberd and spoke to the man pointing his weapon at her.

“Prepare yourself, Hero.”

“Bring it on.”

There was no need for lengthy exchanges between them.

With their brief words exchanged, the two began to channel their magic into their respective weapons.

And then…

-BAM!!!!

The next moment, they both charged at each other, swinging their weapons.

A colossal force met head-on, resulting in an instant surge of tremendous pressure in the center of the arena.

“This… what is this…”

“Just clashing weapons like this…”

Even the audience could sense the overwhelming clash of power.

With bizarre noises erupting, sparks flew from the weapons of the two. The tension in the arena began to thicken as they purely matched strength against strength.

At that moment…

“Look over there!”

“Nyadan is getting pushed back!”

Nyadan began to visibly falter, as it seemed the balance of power had finally tilted.

A sense of dismay began to wash over the faces of many demon races who had anticipated her victory.

At that moment…

“Fufu…”

“!”

Nyadan let out a brief chuckle.

Simultaneously, it appeared that the hero had finally caught on to something amiss and hastily tried to retreat.

However, Nyadan’s pre-prepared move was faster than his reaction.

Unbeknownst to him, this honest exchange was not her true intention from the start…

“You’re too late.”

-KABOOM!!!!

The next instant, Nyadan’s shout coincided with a sudden, catastrophic explosion.

Dust erupted in an instant from the arena’s center, enveloping the audience in bewilderment.

“Ugh!…”

“What… what’s happening?”

“An explosion?”

An unexpected turn of events emerged between the two locked in battle.

However, at that moment, Eliza, watching from the sidelines, began to smile wryly.

“Ah… I knew it was going to be like this. That guy has really poor taste.”

“That explosion… was that a Dust Explosion?”

“Hmm? How did you know?”

Amidst Eliza’s words, Samuel hesitantly questioned her.

In response, Eliza displayed mild surprise as she replied.

“It was just a guess. Just before the explosion a moment ago, I saw something powder-like swirling around Nyadan.”

“Hmm… Indeed…”

Eliza, being familiar with Nyadan’s abilities, could easily recognize it, but Samuel had perceived it solely based on his sharp keen eye.

With this, Eliza became increasingly aware that Samuel, despite her younger age, held a high-ranking position as a Demon General, recognizing that there must be good reasons for it.

The reason why this girl, Samuel, had risen to such heights wasn’t simply because of her stunning looks.

‘According to the bracket, I was supposed to fight after Mama, and I wonder if I can even make it that far… In any case, I should be cautious.’

With these thoughts in mind, Eliza shifted her gaze back toward the arena.

Just then, she began to catch sight of the hero’s figure emerging from the dust.

Though he had managed to minimize damage by dodging at the last moment, it seemed his armor had incurred some damage, suggesting he wasn’t completely unscathed.

Seeing the hero who had just started, Eliza reflexively began to think.

‘Please win… If possible, I hope you’ll take me down with your own hands, not anyone else’s.’