In the middle of the battlefield, the blood-red flames danced.
It took the shape of a three-headed serpent, each head stretching out, greedily devouring the Imperial soldiers.
Amidst the chaos, human bodies were being reduced to dust as screams and wails filled the air.
The soldiers, already in a state of complete disarray, began to throw down their weapons and flee in terror.
“I… I don’t want to die!”
“Run! The demon’s flames are coming for us!”
In their panic, the Imperial soldiers screamed and ran for their lives.
Their commanders, Iskal and Brutus, desperately tried to maintain formation, shouting commands with urgent voices.
“Where are you going?!”
“Don’t run! Stand and fight!”
Iskal and Brutus were forced to kill their own men to enforce their orders, but despite their efforts, the Imperial Army had already become uncontrollable, scattering in all directions.
And then.
“Ugh!”
“This… Damn it…”
The blood-red flames reached them.
Brutus’s face grew even paler, a look of intense discomfort spreading across his features.
This was a magic he hated more than anything.
It was the same magic as his former master, Mari, whose flames had been his signature spell.
He didn’t know how the demons had acquired her magic, but seeing it used again.
Especially after he had betrayed her and ended her life—filled him with a deep sense of discomfort and unsettling guilt.
“This… what do we do now, Brutus?”
The few remaining soldiers had scattered in all directions.
Those still standing were either too afraid to run or had missed their chance to escape.
In this situation, where the demon forces had effectively surrounded them, despair began to settle on Brutus and Iskal’s faces.
“Ugh…”
Yet, despite the hopelessness, they knew they couldn’t simply sit back and die.
Brutus lifted the staff in his hand, channeling his mana.
And then.
“Huh?”
“Ugh…”
Amidst the blazing flames, something slowly began to emerge.
Brutus and Iskal tensed up immediately, their hands gripping their weapons tightly as they watched the figure.
Anyone who could wield such powerful magic had to be at least a demon general, or perhaps even a Demon Lord.
And if their opponent was truly a Demon Lord…
‘The battle may already be lost, but… if I can take the Demon Lord’s head… Maybe… just maybe…’
If they could kill the serpent-headed demon, even if its body rampaged wildly, it would eventually fall.
Though they were being completely overwhelmed at the moment, if they managed to defeat the demon lord, they might just turn the tide.
“This… I never thought I’d encounter someone like you in a place like this.”
“…Huh?”
“?! T-This voice…”
At that moment, a familiar yet cold voice rang in their ears.
It was the kind of voice that seemed to pierce into their minds, sending chills down their spines.
The one voice they never wanted to hear again.
And then, their eyes slowly began to focus.
Through the flames, they saw a figure emerge.
A Demon Lord with horns on their forehead and huge wings on their back…
But still…
They recognized her.
The figure standing before them was someone they never thought they would see again.
Someone they never should have seen again.
“Mari… Master?”
“Th… That can’t be… You… You should have been dead… How…?”
Brutus and Iskal whispered her name in a trembling voice, their faces pale with disbelief.
As they gazed at her, Mari smiled coldly, her eyes gleaming with icy intent.
She raised her hand in a simple, almost casual gesture.
“Tch.”
Instantly, spears and swords aimed at them from all directions.
Brutus and Iskal, already half out of their minds in shock, couldn’t even resist.
They fell to their knees, helpless.
“I never expected you to say the same thing… It’s honestly quite surprising.”
As she spoke, Mari approached the two kneeling before her.
Then, slowly, she used her staff to lift Brutus’s face, making him look up at her.
“I’ve always told you, haven’t I? That for every crime, the price will be paid…”
“Ma… Master…”
“I hoped you would at least remember that… It seems I raised my disciples all wrong.”
With those words, Mari slowly began to move the serpent behind her.
The clear anger in her actions was easy for the two men to understand.
“Well then… I shall give you an education. The price of tuition will be your destruction.”
“!”
Hero Anor let out a heavy breath, struggling for air.
The continuous backlash had left his hands in tatters, and even holding Brynac now caused him excruciating pain.
It wasn’t just his hands that had been injured.
His upper body, from his arms to his chest, was already in a state of ruin.
His body was burned black, as though it had been scorched by fire.
Bones, muscles, nerves.
Even his lungs and internal organs.
But despite the extreme injuries, it wasn’t his physical wounds that truly tormented him at this moment.
“How… How could this happen? I… I, Hero Anor, the great hero… Being defeated like this by someone who isn’t even making a proper attack!”
If he had been gravely wounded after a fierce battle, he wouldn’t feel this disgust.
If the enemy had equal strength to his own, he might have even enjoyed the challenge, as a warrior.
But…
This wasn’t a battle.
It felt like violation.
The deception from his opponent—someone who didn’t even need to swing a sword against him.
To break that foul feeling, Anor poured every last ounce of strength into his attack.
But despite his relentless assault, the waves of blows he unleashed resulted in no danger for his opponent.
—CLANG!
“Ughhh!!”
Once again, his strike was easily deflected.
Despite pouring every ounce of his strength into the attack, it disintegrated without leaving a mark, just like all the others before it.
And then…
-Bang!
The backlash from Brynac’s power surged once again.
Anor’s arm, already at its limit, was shredded from the force.
“H… Hahaha…”
He no longer felt the pain.
The mental shock he was enduring was so overwhelming that the pain of his arm being torn apart barely registered.
All that came out of him was an empty, hollow laugh.
It was a complete defeat.
Even after giving everything he had, even after wielding an unimaginable force that he could never have dreamed of in his prime.
In front of him, the demon.
This demon lord…
He couldn’t even scratch them.
The situation was so unbelievable, he couldn’t comprehend it.
It was as though it was all a dream.
A completely absurd and shocking situation.
At that moment, with his body already falling apart, Anor could do nothing but laugh like someone who had lost their mind.
“Khh… Heh… Who… who are you? How… how could you so easily… defeat someone wielding Brynac?”
A question filled with helplessness.
In response, the demon lord lowered the shield he had been holding and spoke in a calm voice.
“Kesar.”
“!”
At the unexpected yet familiar name, Anor’s eyes widened slightly.
Well, thinking about it—there was no way an ordinary demon soldier could accomplish such a feat.
Still, he hadn’t expected to feel such a wall and collapse in the presence of a mere Demon Lord, not even the Great Demon King.
But the fact that his opponent was not just some commoner was…
A small consolation to Anor.
“So… you are the famous Demon Lord.”
“I never imagined you would have this much power… I truly didn’t expect this…”
Anor’s words were tinged with resignation.
In response, Kesar said nothing. He simply aimed his sword at Anor’s head.
The meaning of this action was clear, and there was no need for further explanation.
As he realized that his life was coming to an end here, Anor exhaled deeply, drowning in disillusionment.
‘Is this how it ends…? I thought I held the greatest power… I thought I could control this world… with my own hands…’
At that moment, a scene began to form before his eyes.
Behind Kesar, something appeared.
And it was a sight that was far too familiar to Anor.
“What… what is that…?”
A blood-red serpent made of flames.
And standing before it was a person.
Though the figure was shaped like a demon, Anor recognized her instantly.
It was her.
The woman who had once been his lover.
The one he had abandoned with his own hands.
“Ma… Mari…!”
-Bang!!!
But even as his shock grew, Anor’s mind could no longer process anything.
Before he could even finish his sentence.
Kesar’s sword fell, severing his head from his body.
And then.
-Bang!!!
His headless body was trampled mercilessly by passing soldiers.
The Hero, who had taken the lives of tens of thousands.
Was not even left with a whole corpse as he met his end in the depths of despair.
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