The NTR Hero Knelt Before the Demon King – Chapter 96

Before my eyes stood one of the Empire’s Three Knights, Achilles.

With a sword shining in silver-white, he gazed at us with cold eyes. The presence of a strong warrior was palpable to the point that I could recognize it at a glance.

“That guy… he seems pretty strong.”

“You hit the nail on the head. That guy is one of the Three Knights that the Falcon Empire boasts about. In terms of pure combat power, he stands above me.”

“Hoho… So it’s the Empire’s Three Knights… I’ve heard stories, but I never thought I’d encounter one here. This situation is getting quite interesting.”

Despite standing before Achilles, a top-tier warrior even in the Empire, Samuel showed no signs of intimidation. Instead, there was a strong passion radiating from her, fueled by the expectation of battling a powerful opponent. However, Hector expressed deep concern while watching her.

“Don’t act rashly. I’ll say it again: that guy is strong. You, with skills equal to mine, won’t be able to handle him alone.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Over there is one, and we are more than two.”

“That may be true… but?”

Samuel spoke very casually, and at that moment, a question suddenly blossomed in Hector’s mind.

“Oh… wait a moment, does that mean you don’t intend to have a one-on-one duel?”

“Huh? This isn’t even a match, so why would we engage in such foolishness? In a situation like this, overwhelming him with numbers is the obvious choice.”

“Uh… if that happens, what about the pride of being a warrior…?”

“Find your pride during a match in the arena. Right now, we’re in the middle of enemy territory carrying out a infiltration mission. If you die while trying to find your pride, there won’t be a soul to praise you.”

“Ugh…”

Hector was left speechless by Samuel’s blunt and factual statements. Cold, unwavering resolve resonated in her voice as she said, “If you’re done chatting, draw your sword. You’ve asked me to save dozens of humans; this amount doesn’t even repay the principal, let alone the interest.”

“… To be the neck of one of the Empire’s Three Knights is just a malicious debt, huh?”

“Got it? You’ll be repaying it for generations to come.”

Even in such a dire situation, Samuel joked while channeling magic into her gauntlet. Watching her like that, Hector felt an unintended relaxation wash over him, and a slight smile formed on his lips.

‘Indeed… she becomes more charming the more I see her.’

With that thought, Hector fixed his gaze once again on the enemy in front of him. Meanwhile, Achilles, observing their interaction, smirked coldly and said,

“So, you’ve finished your last words. Then, as punishment for making a disturbance in the Imperial Capital, I will execute you here on the spot.”

With those words, Achilles began to exude an astonishing amount of magic from his entire body. Reacting to his stance, Samuel and Hector immediately assumed their battle readiness, preparing for his impending attack.

‘If we charge in recklessly, we might suffer a setback. Though we have the advantage in total power, we could truly be finished if we get overwhelmed…’

Honestly, having never worked together before, Hector was still filled with anxiety regarding whether they could maintain their coordination in this fight. The only consolation was that while they understood their opponent’s strength, their adversaries were likely clueless about theirs.

If they could exploit that gap, Hector thought there might be a fair chance of winning.

Just at that moment…

“!”

“Ha!”

Achilles suddenly surged toward them with incredible speed, resembling a fired arrow, and as he approached, Samuel and Hector instinctively raised their weapons to defend.

And then—

-Clang!

“Ugh…”

“Gah!”

In an instant, they felt an unbearable heaviness in their arms. Even though it was just a glancing blow, the shock was beyond what they had anticipated, forcing them to grimace.

“Oh… to think you could block that attack. You’re not your average opponents…?”

Achilles spoke with a hint of admiration, but at that moment, he felt an unexpected twinge of shock at the unfolding scenario.

-Kaboom!!!

Before he could finish his sentence, a massive gauntlet came flying at him. Achilles had no choice but to halt his words and defend.

Simultaneously, a sword strike flew in from behind him. Sensing it just in time, Achilles twisted his body and narrowly dodged the incoming attack, swiftly pushing the gauntlet away while swinging his sword with force.

However—

-Swish!

Despite his unanticipated counterattack, the gauntlet-wearing assailant deftly evaded it.

Achilles couldn’t help but frown at the escalating assessment of his opponents’ strength.

‘These guys… are stronger than I anticipated.’

It was rare among warriors within the Empire to withstand an attack infused with such immense magic power, let alone counterattack afterward. Nonetheless, these two were showcasing a level of strength that kept them nearly on par with him, naturally raising Achilles’s wariness of them.

As the back-and-forth combat unfolded, they showed no signs of backing down. Even though there was slight awkwardness in their teamwork, Achilles sensed that the situation was becoming quite unfavorable.

‘What exactly are they? … I vaguely remember hearing something about witches sent from the Magic Kingdom. Could it be… the Four Demon Maidens?’

The Four Demon Maidens—those were the four strongest witches the Magic Kingdom proudly claimed, believed to possess powers comparable to that of the Empire’s Three Knights.

However, the identities of these individuals remained shrouded in secrecy, and the only one known to be associated with the Hero Party was Shude.

And in this moment,

Achilles found himself facing opponents who were nearly his equals, naturally conjuring images of those formidable foes in his mind.

‘This is troublesome; if they’re two of the Four Demon Maidens, I can’t guarantee victory. At this rate…’

Expecting to face an easily defeated opponent, he encountered foes that were much stronger than he had expected.

Of course, if fortune favored him, Achilles might seize the chance to eliminate two of the Four Demon Maidens in one fell swoop.

However, if luck was against him, his life would end here, and Achilles realized he needed to make a cold, calculated decision.

Would he gamble on the slim chance of victory?


Or should he pull back to ensure his safety?

As for Achilles’s decision on the matter…

“Haah!!!”

-Bam!

In an instant, he unleashed a powerful force, pushing back the two individuals before him.

The individuals presumed to be the Four Demon Maidens distanced themselves from Achilles. Observing this, he spoke with a frigid tone.

“You’re better than I expected. I didn’t think I’d encounter such skilled fighters here.”

“…”

The two remained silent, merely scrutinizing his movements.

In response, Achilles realized they had charged at him without so much as acknowledging his words, confirming that these two were indeed incapable of conversation.

“Fine then. With things turned this way, I’ll show you my full respect. I’ll face you with everything I’ve got!”

With those words, Achilles began to unleash a golden magic aura that was unlike anything he had exhibited until now.

The two who were opposing him, Samuel and Hector, immediately raised their magic in preparation for the inevitable strike they thought would follow.

‘Is he planning to charge in with that high-speed sword like before?’

‘Or perhaps he’ll unleash sword blasts to prevent us from evading.’

Contemplating what sort of move would come next, they calculated their own counterattacks as well.

At that moment…

“!!! Watch out… danger!”

“!!”

A thought flashed through Hector’s mind in an instant.

He threw himself toward Samuel with all his strength, but something flew toward her even quicker than his movement.

It was… a golden spear shot from Achilles’s hand.

It was an attack bearing an overwhelming amount of magic—one that made Samuel feel an icy chill cover her entire body.

‘This… this is dangerous…!!’

“Damn it!”

Then—

-Kaboom!!!!

A loud explosion and a thick cloud of dust erupted.

However, in the next instant, Achilles escaped the battlefield, leaving everything behind without even looking back at the aftermath.

‘If I’m lucky, I might have taken one of them out. If not, retreating is definitely the way to go.’

Achilles, who always considered the worst outcomes and avoided reckless actions, viewed betting his life as a mismatched endeavor.

Consequently, he chose to muster everything he had to incapacitate the enemies and seize the opportunity to flee.

But even so, it was true that having unleashed such a tremendous amount of power in a single strike today left a flicker of hope in his heart about the outcome.

Given the current scenario, he didn’t have the luxury to watch and see what was happening.