The Demon King Overrun by Heroes

Chapter 131: The Time of the Four Heavenly Kings

Martin forced his blurred vision open.

Sir Kawell, the escort knight who had been captured together with him by the Demon King, looked at him with concern.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

“Of course.”

He was not all right. He had gone through far too much in too short a time.

His head was muddled, his feet sank deep with every step, and the blizzard tore at his body.

Fortunately, no monsters had appeared, but even that alone gnawed away at his mind and flesh.

‘The Demon King of Dark Flame.’

Berje Deias. Martin rolled the Demon King’s name over in his mind.

‘At first, I thought he was just a high-ranking demon. But he was a Demon King.’

He had been so flustered at first that he had not properly recognized it, but he soon caught on.

‘A Demon King left the tower and kidnapped me.’

Up to that point, it was conceivable. A Demon King personally abducting royalty or imperial blood was not all that surprising.

But.

‘Shouldn’t a Demon King be waiting for the heroes at the top of the tower?’

That was the rule of the Demon Kings. What they boasted as The Demon King’s Standard.

Of course, there was room for compromise. The search party was not the hero party.

‘I don’t know whether that allows some leeway within the standard that Demon Kings are supposed to uphold, or if it’s simply the Demon King’s whim.’

The difference was significant. The existence of a Demon King who did not abide by the standard meant the negation of everything so far.

That was not his only concern.

‘Kaede.’

She had said she had made a contract with the Demon King. In exchange for becoming the Demon King’s vassal for five years, her freedom would be guaranteed afterward.

For now, it seemed fine. But the other party was a Demon King. Would that truly be honored in full?

‘If you kill Kaede, I will never forgive you.’

When he was young, his mother, the Third Empress, had died of illness. And under his father’s indifference, he had been forced to compete with his siblings.

In that situation, she was the only blood relative he could trust. She was more than just family.

‘He said he swore on The Demon King’s Standard and the First Demon Emperor....’

For now, there was nothing to do but believe.

To Demon Kings and demons, those two things were no different from the World Tree to the elves.

Unlike the World Tree, he did not know whether they carried binding force, but at least in terms of symbolism.

‘I must become Emperor.’

But he could not simply sit back and trust. To settle this ill-fated relationship that had begun at a disadvantage, he needed to stand on equal footing. He had to become Emperor.

‘And until then.’

He had to act as much as possible for the Demon King. He had to prevent the subjugation of the Demon King.

For his own sake.

And for Kaede’s sake as well.

That way, the Demon King would help him and would not harm Kaede.

‘What kind of butterfly effect giving him that card will have, I don’t know....’

It truly felt like he had given up everything, but he did not regret it. If he had not, he would not have gained this other opportunity.

‘Unless the Demon King is a fool, he won’t rashly reveal the card I gave him.’

And Sir Kawell had been unconscious, so he had not seen the negotiation between himself and the Demon King.

This secret only needed to be guarded well by himself.

“Your Highness, footprints.”

The falling blizzard had partially covered them, but their scale was such that it was not complete. They were unmistakably human footprints.

“The search party can’t be far...!”

At that moment, the snow surged upward. A shadow fell.

A massive drake that had been hiding its body in the snow revealed itself. Cold breath gathered between its gaping jaws.

“Your Highness!”

Kawell shoved the prince aside and wrapped aura around his body.

Thud—

But the expected impact did not come. There was only the drake’s corpse, split cleanly in half, collapsing to the ground.

“Your Highness!”

Beyond it, the great hero who had slain two Demon Kings shouted.

“I have been desperately searching for Your Highness!”

He extended his hand. The Third Prince took it.

“Lord Hillan! Thanks to you, I lived!”

“I scoured the entire mountain to find Your Highness. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Hillan Cargill, the man who became the Third Prince’s savior, beamed with a broad smile.

* * *

Desire was the most fundamental driving force that moved humans.

Desire for power, desire for honour, longing for strength, greed for money, the survival instinct of wanting to live.

What moved Daphne Phillian was honour.

The fame of having found a tower that no one else had been able to discover. Along with it came honor and power.

But now, the desire to survive took precedence over everything else.

Only by living could he gain fame, only by living could he enjoy power. Only by living could he even spend money.

Fwoosh—

Black flames spewed black light. The raging firestorm swallowed the surroundings.

Daphne fired his arrows. Five arrows flew in an instant, stirring the wind and pushing the flames aside. The small opening allowed him to pull his body out.

But that opening did not last long.

From the sky, flames rained down once more.

The moment Daphne encountered a high-ranking demon, he turned his back and fled. He could not guarantee victory in a head-on fight, but he was confident in his speed.

But that, too, was only for a moment.

The demon spread its wings, and escape was no longer as easy as before.

Flames fell ceaselessly from the sky, and if he slowed even slightly, the presence of the orcs drew closer.

His legs felt heavy, and the heat burnt his skin. Even so, he did not abandon hope.

‘It’s not far...!’

He found traces of the search party.

‘In the search party are Hillan Cargill and the alliance’s elites. If I join forces with them, we can kill those Four Heavenly Kings bastards.’

The orcs driving him were even easier. To begin with, if not for the Four Heavenly Kings, orcs like these—though it would take some time—he could slaughter thousands of them alone.

Daphne fired arrows toward the sky and hastened his heavy steps.

‘If this keeps up....’

I’ll lose them.

Berje knocked aside the arrows and ground his teeth. The sharply piercing interference power gnawed away at his demonic energy.

‘I didn’t think I could catch him easily, but to think he’d scurry around like such a rat.’

He spread his wings. He flew into the sky.

Even so, catching up to Daphne was not easy.

Among all heroes, he was the most outstanding scout. That did not merely mean that he was fast.

The man was fast and agile, adept at hiding his presence and using terrain to his advantage.

He hid his body in rock crevices, in the snow, between trees, disrupting Berje, and maintained a perilously close distance at a speed faster than anyone else.

The orcs could not keep up even while riding Frost Wolves, and it had long since turned into a pursuit between just the two of them.

The problem was that Daphne, one of the ten great heroes, was never someone Berje could take lightly.

Even facing him head-on would not be easy, yet now he was determinedly fleeing, and Berje grew increasingly impatient.

And that unease soon became reality.

In the distance, a group came into view.

Unmistakably familiar—ones he had already encountered once before.

Berje’s face twisted.

‘...Already?’

They had fled and chased with murderous desperation, paying no heed to what lay ahead or behind. In that process, night and day had even swapped places.

But even so, no matter what, he should have led Hillan in a direction different from the tower.

‘I realized it too late.’

From the start, he had fastened the first button wrong. He should have caught him before he found the tower. If not that, he should have killed him the moment he discovered it.

But because he was paying attention to the Third Prince, he let Daphne slip away, allowed him to find the tower, and even gave him ample time to escape at leisure afterward.

He wasted time once more searching for him, and that led to this result.

If there was any consolation, it was that they had not yet discovered Daphne and Berje.

‘Once.’

He glanced back. The orcs had fallen far behind, but Ernan was still chasing with all her might.

That would do.

‘Once.’

There was only one chance.

Even if there was nothing after that, at least that one.

Berje stopped. Floating in midair, he drew in a breath.

Air was sucked in. His heart thundered. Demonic energy gathered and compressed.

A massive dragon’s breath began.

The mountain shook. The artificial flow of energy he created was soon detected by the humans as well.

“Such enormous demonic energy....”

“What is that?”

“It’s a demon!”

“A demon has appeared!”

At the same time.

“Please help!”

Daphne’s desperate cry echoed across the snow-covered mountains.

“It’s Hero Daphne!”

“It’s Daphne!”

“He’s being chased by demons!”

The search party discovered him belatedly.

“Send the knights!”

“Mages, block that bastard!”

“Rangers, snipe the demon!”

Urgent shouts crossed one another. Martin shouted at Hillan.

“Lord Hillan! Help Lord Daphne immediately!”

But Hillan could not help but hesitate.

It was because he had recognized the identity of the demon in the sky.

Because he felt the rage the demon spewed forth, the demonic energy gathering around him.

‘The Demon King himself has stepped in.’

There had never been a case like this until now.

The Demon King, he knew preferred to hide himself and manipulate things from the shadows. That he had broken the method he had maintained ever since his descent meant only one thing—he was that desperate.

Why?

Just because of a single hero?

‘He found the tower...?’

If so, everything was explained.

Berje chasing with clenched teeth.

The thick killing intent and demonic energy he was revealing, and his rage as well.

The problem was that Hillan now stood on the opposite side of that Berje.

From behind, he felt the urging of the Prince and the Crown Prince. Ahead, the knights began to run.

The demonic energy centered around Berje grew even denser.

Everything pressed down on him.

‘Do I step in...?’

If he stepped in to save Daphne, Berje would grow furious.

Berje did not tolerate betrayal. Betrayal was punishment, and punishment was death.

If he helped Daphne, Hillan would die.

“Lord Hillan! What are you doing! Block the demon at once!”

But if he did not step in, the Prince and the Crown Prince would grow furious.

There was a demon right before their eyes, and a hero. A hero being attacked by a demon. Everyone had moved to help Daphne, and there was no way they would not sense something was wrong.

Questions would turn into suspicion after the situation ended, and the more serious the situation became, the suspicion would change into anger directed at Hillan.

Why, at that moment, had he not helped Daphne? Why had he not actively assisted him or driven back the demon?

An imperial Prince and a royal Prince, the elites of every nation.

‘....’

Hillan bit his lip.

Help, don’t help, help, don’t help, help, don’t help, help, don’t help, help, don’t help.

His head felt like it was about to burst.

“Lord Hillan!”

“Help Lord Daphne at once!”

“Please help!”

Imperial blood, royal blood, knights, mages, and even Daphne’s desperate cries. Everything pressed down on him.

Blood trickled from his clenched fist.

And in the end, he chose.

‘Please.’

Simply hoping that the other party would recognize his desperation, his signal.

He drew his sword.

* * *

Flash—

Lightning struck down.

The disgusting interference power disrupted Berje’s breathing.

‘You son of a bitch...!’

The writhing emotions made the flames tremble even more.

‘You dare betray me?’

No, it was a signal. Like an empty wagon making noise, the lightning was all show—big, but hollow.

It was Hillan Cargill’s struggle to survive.

He had no choice, so he would only pretend, so please, spare him.

‘Fine, I’ll let it slide once.’

Hillan was important. He did not wish for Hillan to be branded by the Zespine Empire and the kingdoms as a traitor to humanity.

So you too.

Dodge it properly on your own.

Berje released the breath he had been holding.

Toward Daphne’s back as he rapidly pulled away. Toward the search party rushing in to save him.

Black breath.

He spewed it forth.

The dragon’s rage erupted.

The world was dyed black.

* * *

The blizzard split apart under the searing heat.

The horses screamed.

“Block it!”

The mages deployed a combined spell. A massive shield intercepted the black flames.

───!

The shield shook violently. The unresolved impact erased the blizzard. In an instant, a vacuum formed.

Crack—

The shields shattered. The mages spat blood.

Flames forced their way through the gaps. The knights swung their aura.

They shaved away the flames. Their aura was shaved away as well.

The knights screamed. They burned away without even leaving behind corpses.

Pajijijik—

Brilliant blue lightning tangled with the black flames. For a very brief moment, it halted the advance of the fire.

In that fleeting opening, Daphne released the bowstring he had drawn.

Ten arrows merged into one. A massive wind pressure sucked everything in.

Shweeeeeek—

In the blink of an eye, it met the flames. It pierced through the fire and charged straight ahead.

Or so it seemed.

But it was the opposite. The wind was swallowed by the flames. It made the fire even larger and more vicious.

A black storm erupted.

The search party screamed.

* * *

The enormous steam created by the collision of snow and flames covered the surroundings.

“....”

A deep sense of exhaustion spread through him.

Since his regression, this was the first time he had gone all out.

He squeezed out all of his demonic energy and expelled his breath.

To kill Daphne Phillian.

‘Did I kill him...?’

He could not be sure. He did not even have the leeway to check.

His fingertips trembled. He did not have the strength to move even a single finger.

Even so, he forced himself to feign composure. His sole target was Daphne Phillian, and the power of the breath had been focused on him.

The power contained within it was so immense that its aftereffects swept everything around, but the alliance’s search party was not so weak as to be annihilated by mere aftershock alone.

Berje slowly descended to the ground. No—he almost fell. Ernan, who had rushed over in haste, caught him.

“Are you all right?”

“...Yes.”

He was not all right. His heart was screaming as if it were about to burst.

Breath was not mere magic but authority. It was only natural to suffer backlash after forcing the use of authority.

“...What about Daphne Phillian?”

“I can’t see him well because of the steam.”

“The orcs?”

“They’re coming. They’ll arrive soon.”

“If Daphne is alive, find him without fail and kill him.”

“Demon King....”

“I need a short rest.”

“Shall I sing you a lullaby?”

“...Do you want to die?”

“Don’t worry. Leave the rest to me.”

I’ll show you what it means to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

“It’s Daphne Phillian. He must be killed.”

“Yes. Just trust me.”

“...I’ll leave it to you.”

For a brief moment, concern about betrayal surfaced, but he soon shook his head. If Ernan had intended to betray him, she would have had countless chances already.

‘Right. So the possibility of betray—’

His consciousness faded. Ernan carefully closed his eyes.

-Are you really going to kill Daphne Phillian?

“I’m one of the Four Heavenly Kings now.”

-You sound quite serious.

“At least more serious than Nairuniel going on about love. Bury the Demon King in the snow. Make sure he isn’t discovered.”

Ernan laid Berje down. The snow swallowed him.

“I owe the Demon King quite a large debt.”

The Demon King called it a transaction, but to her, it was a grace. She had escaped a place like a prison, and thanks to coming to the tower, she had achieved great progress in spirit sorcery.

And she had rescued her younger sibling who had been kidnapped by the Demon King. Because of the Demon King, she had begun learning magic, and her once-weak body was gradually returning to a normal state.

She had received far more than what she had given.

“Repaying a favor is only proper.”

-If you say so, then so be it.

“Still, I won’t touch the others.”

She was not a blood-crazed killer.

“Keep the steam as it is so it doesn’t dissipate. And find Hero Hillan as well.”

-Confirmed.

“From now on.”

She fixed her mask.

“One of the Four Heavenly Kings.”

A fishy smile hung on her lips.

“It’s the time of the Spirit Sorceress of Darkness.”