The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 75

Nyadan, showing a look of bewilderment from my strike filled with true heart.

Watching this, I couldn’t help but let a faint smile form at the edge of my lips, hidden by my helmet.

“Unfortunately, even though I may look like this, I’m strong enough to defeat even the Demon King. I’ll take some damage, but there’s no way I’ll be defeated.”

Her magic using the Dust Explosion was indeed impressive.

The fact that she could deliver a surprise strike without the opponent noticing was no small feat.

If well concentrated, its power could easily turn dozens of people to dust in an instant.

From a strategic perspective, it was a skill with considerable utility in many ways.

However,

Separating her incredible power from the situation, I noticed one crucial fact:

For me, whose defense was practically at its peak, Nyadan’s attacks were at a level I could easily take a hit or two.

In reality, even after getting hit by an attack that held more power than her first strike, I wasn’t significantly harmed aside from some damage to my armor.

Of course, her strike could definitely not be taken lightly, given the level of damage it dealt to the top-tier armor provided by the Demon King.

“Just two hits and my armor is already this worn down. If I let her keep hitting me carelessly, I’d sustain quite a bit of damage. But of course, I have no intention of doing that.”

Honestly, from the moment our swords clashed, I could have taken Nyadan down if I wanted to.

Sure, landing a single hit would be challenging, but if I focused and relentlessly attacked, victory would have been easily attainable.

Yet, deliberately allowing her attacks was part of my plan to gauge the power and weaknesses of her magic.

Moreover, I thought showcasing overwhelming strength while attaining victory would be much better.

“But even considering that, she’s no ordinary opponent. I thought I could finish her with that last strike, yet she managed to block it…”

Although defeating me was nearly impossible, Nyadan’s combat power was certainly not to be underestimated.

The fact that she pushed me this hard and managed to defend against that previous strike was proof enough of her remarkable capability.

Right now, without a doubt, my combat power could wipe out 200 lesser foes with a single swing of my sword.

The mere fact that she withstood an attack powered by such overwhelming strength was enough to earn Nyadan’s combat prowess my respect.

The only issue was simply that I was too strong compared to her.

“She doesn’t have any special attacks like her Dust Explosion, but even without that, her base stats are absurdly high… Anyway, should I wrap this up slowly now?”

Taking more explosion attacks would be reckless, so I decided to end it without holding back my mercy.

*

The hero, wielding his sword with devastating power, focused on attacking while Nyadan had to concentrate fully on evading his strikes.

-KABOOM!!!

“Ugh!!!”

With every swing of the sword, the ground erupted, and even being grazed by the shockwaves sent jolts of pain throughout Nyadan’s entire body.

Moreover, what was even more astonishing was that, even while unleashing such ruthless attacks, the hero’s speed was still above Nyadan’s.

“Damn it! What kind of monster is this… Does he never tire? I’ve heard rumors, but this is beyond that!”

As she began to deeply regret having underestimated her opponent, Nyadan, despite her emotions, continued to fight without giving up.

The hero’s relentless onslaught was fierce.

Even now, she was barely dodging his attacks or, if unavoidable, absorbing the blows with her halberd.

With each encounter, she felt the excruciating pain and the state of her increasingly broken arms.

Her muscles had already ripped, and her right arm, bearing the most burden, had even sustained cracks in the bone.

If she tried to block his blade once or twice more, her arm would surely break first.

However,

Despite this, she recognized through the damaged armor of her opponent that if she could land an explosion on him in the current situation, an opportunity would surely arise for her.

Yet, dealing a blow to him, who was now moving at a fearsome speed, was a considerable challenge.

The Dust Explosion required preparation due to its nature, meaning she needed to bind her opponent first; otherwise, conventional attacks wouldn’t hit him.

“But… it’s not like there’s absolutely no way, even if it might drag me down with it.”

In certain scenarios, she was even willing to consider a mutual perish.

But despite that…

At this moment, Nyadan had made up her mind.

If it were simply an enemy, it would be one thing, but the being before her was an abhorrent existence that was swaying the heart of her beloved Eliza.

If she could deal a blow to such a being, it wouldn’t be a bad way to express her love.

And then, just when she believed everything was ready…

-Swish!

In the next instant, the hero’s sword came crashing down toward Nyadan.

Summoning all her remaining strength, she swung her halberd to twist his blade.

In that fraction of a moment, a wave of unimaginable pain surged through her.

Simultaneously,

Nyadan let go of the halberd she held in hand.

“Huh?”

The moment the hero lost his balance due to the sudden change in direction, Nyadan seized the opportunity.

“Gotcha…!”

With all her might, she embraced the hero.

In that moment, a look of sheer bewilderment crossed the hero’s face, while a deep smile began to form on Nyadan’s lips.

“And for Eliza…”

-BOOM!!!!!

Another explosion erupted around her.

The force surpassed all previous blasts, enveloping the arena in a thick cloud of dust.

*

“Cough…”

“Ugh…”

The vision clouded by the sudden explosion.

Eliza and Samuel, watching the match, instinctively frowned slightly.

“Is Nyadan alright…?”

“I’m unsure.”

Amidst the thick haze and the lingering heat of the explosion,

Eliza began to feel concern that her friend might be in trouble.

Of course, there was some worry for the hero as well, but honestly, that worry was far from excessive.

That was simply because Eliza understood better than anyone just how ludicrously powerful the hero was.

Moments later…

A scene unfolded before Eliza that didn’t stray from her expectations.

“Ugh… urgh…”

“Ha.”

After the smoke cleared, there stood the hero, armor nearly in tatters except for the helmet.

And beneath him lay Nyadan’s prostrate form.

“How… could this happen…”

“To survive such an explosion… I heard rumors, but to be this strong…”

Beneath still smoldering flames, the hero stood, radiating an overpowering presence akin to an immortal.

Witnessing this, the demon races felt a heavy resonance beyond merely seeing a victor of a duel.

“The winner is the Black Hero!”

With the announcer’s declaration of victory, the hero left the arena.

Immediately, Eliza dashed from her seat to Nyadan’s side, who lay on the floor.

“Ar… Are you okay, Nyadan?”

“…cough.. ugh… Eliz…a..”

With great difficulty, Nyadan opened her eyes and looked over, acknowledging her friend’s presence.

Eliza sighed softly in relief, realizing that while her friend was gravely injured, her life was not in danger.

“Thank goodness… I was worried something might happen.”

“Y-You worried… about me?”

Hearing Eliza’s words, Nyadan’s face began to flush, likely due to the lingering effects of her injuries.

As Eliza observed her friend, she smiled warmly, thinking how she couldn’t let Nyadan look after herself.

*

Having briefly stepped away to help her friend, Eliza returned.

Meanwhile, Samuel, who had been sitting next to her, jumped up and quickly used magic to restore the arena.

With her trusty gauntlet equipped, Samuel’s gaze soon fell on the newcomer clad in a Dark Red Robe who had just passed the preliminaries…

Simultaneously, as always, she pondered to herself with a blank expression.

“That’s… a human?”