Chapter 99
"It's just a fragment," Guillotine said. " That's definitely not the real thing."
"I know that. But does it really matter if it's real or not right now?" Caron replied, his voice tense.
"It does make a difference. If you were facing the actual Demon King, you'd be out of your mind by now. Dead, probably," Guillotine pointed out.
"That's beside the point!" Caron shouted, but his words were drowned out by an explosive crash as the towering fortress began to collapse.
"Fragment or not, we're all going to die if this keeps up!" Caron yelled.
In a mere three seconds, the Demon King had unleashed a violet greatsword, slicing the massive fortress in two. As the structure crumbled beneath him, Caron found himself plunging downward with nothing to catch his fall. The ground drew closer and closer...
But with a soft whoosh, a high-level wind spirit summoned by Orion wrapped itself around Caron. It lowered him gently to the ground. Caron landed with a thud, turning to gaze at the remains of the shattered fortress. It was split cleanly in two, its cut surface eerily smooth. If that sword had touched him, he would have been sliced in half just as easily.
"Are you all right, Caron Leston?" Orion asked as he landed beside Caron.
Caron wiped the blood from his mouth and nodded, replying, "I can manage. What about you?"
"...I'm fine," Orion responded with a dark expression as he looked around the battlefield.
The elves he'd led here had turned on each other, biting and tearing at flesh in their hateful frenzy fueled by the power of the Demon King. This place had turned into a living hell. Watching his comrades lose themselves to murderous rage, Orion's hands trembled. Yet he steadied himself, forcing his voice to remain calm as he looked back at Caron.
"So, what's the plan?" Orion asked. They had to end this somehow. He couldn't abandon the people who had trusted him and followed him here. He continued, "Tell me the plan. I'll do everything I can to help."
Caron nodded slowly, reading the sincerity in Orion's eyes without needing any further words. He said, "I've got good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
"...Let's start with the good news," Orion replied.
"You're the optimistic type, huh?" Caron managed a small smile. "All right. First off, that's only a fragment of the Demon King. On top of that, it's unstable... so if we can just hold out, it'll disappear on its own in about twenty minutes."
Guillotine had passed on this critical information to him. The summoning was incomplete, merely a small piece of the Demon King, not the full entity.
"The fragment of Slaughter has used all the mana channeled through the Gate of Chaos," Guillotine added. They could win if they held on. That much was certain.
"Alright then, what's the bad news?" Orion asked.
Caron let out a bitter laugh and said, "The bad news is that we probably won't last twenty minutes."
"I agree," Orion replied, his face tense.
"How's Ifrit holding up?" Caron asked.
Right now, their strongest option was still Ifrit, the Spirit King of Fire, who had the power they desperately needed to subdue the fragment of the Demon King. Orion looked toward Ifrit, who was still bound by chains, and replied, "The chains have weakened a lot. Five minutes... In five minutes, it'll be free."
Since the Demon King had descended in person, the chains connected to his eyes had become significantly weakened, as he was drawing on nearly all the dark mana maintaining them.
"Good. So if we hold out for five minutes, things will look better," Caron said, adjusting his grip on Guillotine and nodding. But just then—
"Roarrrrr!" An enraged Utula, corrupted by the power of Slaughter, let out a blood-curdling scream as he charged at Caron, swinging an ax nearly three meters in length.
Crash!
Caron swiftly dodged Utula's blow, preparing to counterattack when suddenly—
Clang!
A blade sliced toward him from behind. It was Leon, who growled, "Die."
His comrades, twisted by killing intent, were now attacking him. Utula's ax and Leon's sword came at him with reckless abandon, and Caron grimaced as he parried their relentless strikes. But something felt off.
...One of them's missing, Caron thought. There were supposed to be three of them. Leo... Leo wasn't anywhere in sight.
Just as Caron was about to turn his head, another sharp sound cut through the air.
Clang!
Leo appeared from behind, intercepting Leon's sword with a trembling arm. He muttered, "This... This really sucks."
"What the—?" Caron exclaimed, taken aback.
Unlike the others, who were consumed by killing intent, Leo still seemed somewhat lucid. He wasn't completely unaffected, though. Leo's right eye was red, bloodshot, as if he was fighting some inner turmoil.
"Hurry up... Tell me what to do," Leo demanded, his voice tense.
"How are you still holding on?" Caron asked.
"I feel like I'm going insane even now, so just tell me already!" Leo snapped.
This wasn't a force Leo should have been able to resist, and yet here he was, enduring it. Caron had a dozen questions for him, but knew now wasn't the time.
So, he quickly directed Leo, "I just need one good strike. You distract Utula, and I'll finish this fast."
"...I'll try," Leo replied, nodding with a grim expression as he unleashed his mana and charged at Utula, giving Caron the opening he needed.
Caron turned around and faced Leon once again.
"D-Die..." Leon murmured, her voice wavering. Now that Caron looked at her closely, Leon's mind wasn't fully corrupted. She seemed hesitant, reluctant to swing her sword.
Caron looked at her and smirked bitterly, then said, "You know I don't take it personally, right?"
Whoosh.
A deep, dark blue aura gathered at the tip of Guillotine as he flashed Leon a sad smile.
"But if it's between this or letting you drown in that killing urge... This is better. I hope you understand, all right? I'll make it quick," Caron said. He hated having to drive his sword into her, but with no other choice, he lifted his blade and murmured quietly, "This'll only sting a little."
Without hesitation, Caron lunged straight at Leon.
***
After receiving treatment from a skilled healer, Leon and Utula's conditions improved remarkably.
"I'm sorry, Caron," Utula muttered.
"I feel ashamed," Leon added. Each of them had a knife still embedded in their thigh.
Caron waved their apologies off dismissively and said, "It was fine, since you both went down easily."
At those words, the two fell silent, gazing at Caron intently. Ignoring their stares, he turned to Leo. "You're up next, Leo. You'll need a stab too."
"I'm fine! I don't—"
Smack.
Guillotine grazed Leo's thigh, and as if on cue, the murderous intent in his right eye faded quickly. Now, all of Caron's comrades had returned to their senses.
Caron let out a quiet sigh, turning his attention back to the task. There was no time to explain everything. He said, "Listen up. I'll keep it short, so pay attention."
Ahead of them, the demon lord watched them with an amused look and crossed arms, as if daring them to try anything.
"Twenty minutes left... Well, it's been two minutes, so now it's just eighteen more. Just eighteen minutes," Caron said.
They didn't need to defeat him outright. They just had to endure, although surviving the moment itself wouldn't be easy.
"Got it?" Caron asked. His comrades nodded with firm expressions.
"Alright, let's go," he ordered, leading the charge.
Whoosh.
A rush of Azure Mana surged through Caron, swirling around him like ocean waves. His comrades followed without hesitation. But the situation had worsened; alongside the rampaging beasts, elves corrupted by murderous intent also blocked their path.
"Just keep running, Caron Leston," Orion called from behind, clearing the way for them. The fire spirits he'd summoned raised walls of flame along either side of their path, keeping them safe as they pushed forward.
At the end of the path, the Demon King awaited them, arms still crossed.
—Watching you struggle, in every life, has always been my pleasure.
The Demon King's voice echoed in Caron's ears.
Moments later, the soft hum of summoned weapons filled the air. Dozens of weapons, each forged from pure dark mana, materialized behind him and flew toward Caron and his group. The weapons moved unpredictably, weaving erratic, dizzying patterns as they closed in.
And yet Caron didn't let the dazzling display distract him. In the end, he knew where the weapons would strike—straight for their throats. The solution, then, was simple. Caron and the others had to intercept them all the moment they got close.
Boom!
Six vortexes shot up from the ground in an instant. Thanks to the lich, Caron's mana was at full capacity, and he used it without reservation.
Craassshhhh!
Leon also summoned three vortexes, nearly matching Caron's effort. Not to be outdone, Leo drew up the rest of his mana as well. A once-still sea now churned beneath them, and Utula let out a fierce howl, hurling his ax with all his strength.
Boom!
Utula's red-tinged ax collided with a purple one, creating a massive explosion. And with that, another battle had begun.
Craaaash!
Clashing with the vortexes, the Demon King's weapons began to explode in rapid succession. A violet storm unfurled, its force lashing relentlessly at Caron and his comrades.
"A warrior's spirit cannot be broken by any storm!" Utula roared, moving to the front line, braving the blade-like winds with his hardened body. His toughened skin bore dozens of new wounds in moments. And yet the giant forged ahead through the storm without so much as a groan.
—Such magnificent murderous intent.
The Demon King mused, summoning another round of weapons and sending them toward Caron's group.
Caron narrowed his eyes, calculating the distance between himself and the Demon King. Fifty steps. He could close that gap in an instant if he gave it his all.
Swoosh!
A burst of energy shot from Guillotine, the waves from its aura concealing Caron's advance, just as an imperial blade hid beneath moonlight. Within a heartbeat, Caron closed in, thrusting Guillotine straight at the Demon King's chest.
The moment the aura emerging from the tip of the sword was about to pierce through the Demon King, something unexpected happened.
—Every weapon in this world exists to kill, and therefore, they are all mine.
Thud!
A purple spear materialized from thin air, impaling Caron's arm. His body froze, stiff as a statue. It was as if time itself had stopped.
And yet in that suspended moment, the Demon King moved freely. A harsh, discordant sound emanated from his body as he slowly reached out with his right hand, grabbing Caron's chin. Purple smoke drifted from his fingertips.
—Give your hatred to me, and I will grant your deepest desire.
His voice echoed, filling Caron's mind.
The dark rage Caron had barely restrained began to surge once more, poisoning his veins, pulling up memories he had buried. The intangible venom poured through him, dredging up fragments of pain and fury.
—Accept that pure bloodlust. Submit to your desire.
Caron looked down at the Demon King, his bloodstruck eyes red with the murderous intent that had overtaken him.
"Desire...?" Caron sneered, lips curling. "Yes, this is my desire."
Thud.
Guillotine pierced the Demon King's chest.
—...
The Demon King looked down at the sword embedded in him, then in an unperturbed voice, he continued speaking.
—Then, die.
Another violet spear hurtled toward Caron.