Chapter 228 – [Hero] Bridle
He kneels them down
Seria, Arin, and eventually even Uni kneel in front of him.
To him who wants to become a demon king… Bow his head
Will you just watch?
Will you just stare at it because you can’t move?
I don’t want to.
But what can I do?
Things that hold me back.
Something is tying me down and preventing me from moving.
When I pull out the power and wrap it around my body, I feel that the power is cut off only in that part.
But it comes right back together.
This is of no use.
If you cut it off and it sticks back together again, how can you get out of it?
“Anyway, from now on, time will become meaningless. Stop locking yourself in human time.”
“Is it.”
… You can’t just watch.
I had to do something, something.
Reattaching quickly means that you can move, even for a short while.
Then, every time, it would have to be burned anew.
“Look. Your own women who will serve you.”
Divine power… No, whatever name is fine.
Power all over the body… !
Drooling.
The bridle is back.
I wonder if this something that binds me has another function, and when I tried to put strength on my whole body, my whole body let out a scream.
Sick.
But… I’m not about to die… !
I screamed and burned all the invisible chains that bound my whole body.
Clink!
The chains all burned and disappeared.
“Whoop, whoop…”
“I hung up. Did you put strength all over your body and force it to move?”
Even seeing me like that, the Demon King was calm.
Wouldn’t this be very surprising?
I don’t know if it is.
Even if they succeeded in coming this far, they might have been stuck and despaired after that.
All I see when I look up is a broken wagon wheel.
It crumbles so much that if you hit it just a little, it looks like it will break into pieces.
If you break that… Everything is over
Shall I go there
This wagon wheel, which is the bridle itself, must have crashed through the roof of the castle.
In other words, that wagon wheel is an object that actually exists now.
If you break that… If only I could touch you…
I have a strange certainty.
Can do.
I can break that
Before I could barely take a step towards it, there was a word that passed through my head.
“That itself is a trick.”
Who was it
For some reason, my head is clouded and I can’t remember well.
But… Somehow I remember these words.
Trickery.
Trickery…
Isn’t that where I’m supposed to go?
My gaze goes the other way.
On the other side is the fallen Ertina.
She who lost all her strength… Shall I raise you up?
I’m not sure how helpful she will be right now.
But… I wanted to lift her up.
So I headed there.
Not in her bridle, but in the direction she is.
“You avoided the worst choice.”
The demon king’s words stuck behind me.
Let’s not mind.
More than that now… Her should lift her up.
And then they too.
One by one, those who bowed their heads to the Demon King… Have to stand up
“… Warrior.”
I grabbed Ertina’s hand and helped her stand up, and she struggled to open her eyes and looked at me.
“Wake up. You can’t lose again, can you?”
She collapsed once the last time too.
I was with the hero of the previous generation, but… In the end, she didn’t win and fell to her knees.
I didn’t want to make that mistake repeat again.
The light returned to Ertina’s eyes after hearing my words.
“… Yes.”
I lifted her up, and now all that’s left is…
“Wake up. And fight.”
Jeren gave orders in an arrogant voice as if he had already become a demon king.
But they stood up at his words.
On their faces… Darkness is in place.
***
They are blocking my way.
I was once a colleague… They still want to believe that.
“… I cannot send you.”
It was Uni who said this.
Uni is showing hostility toward me.
It’s not just uni.
Both Seria and Arin are preparing to fight with me.
“Really…”
Should I fight them?
To my dear colleagues?
“Arin, please tie your feet first.”
“All right.”
“Uni, you…”
“I know. You can do it.”
Seria seemed to be in charge of her, and she gave orders to Arin and Uni.
She is three
In contrast, I…
“That priest’s curse must have belonged to Sera. Sera’s curse is a reverse use of the blessing that activates the body. Just like you just broke the chain, you can move instead with holy power.”
Yes, Ertina is there.
“Yuni learned from me, so I know. She will relentlessly target your weaknesses. They’ll attack you when you’re least alert. But don’t worry too much. I will fill in your gaps.”
“… Then I will deal with Seria.”
Really, the enemies and allies have completely changed.
In such a funny situation, I faced them with my sword in hand.
“… I will not kill you.”
“My master said not to kill me, so I won’t.”
Seria coldly responded to my words.
They… Are you being manipulated right now?
Regardless of their will, do they have no choice but to deal with me according to the devil’s order?
A little uneasiness settled in a corner of my heart.
Maybe, aren’t they just really trying to deal with me?
Could it be that his body and mind have already been so intoxicated by him that his loyalty takes precedence over the mission of a hero despite his attempt to become the demon king?
Did his existence, the demon king, become more precious than my existence or the existence of the hero?
The hand holding the sword trembled slightly.
Took.
Something touched my hand.
No, it didn’t reach
It was just a slight illusion that the wind blew for a while.
But for some reason, though without any basis, I suddenly had such a thought.
It seems that the wind just now felt like someone’s tail.
Thinking that, I suddenly burst into laughter.
Do you think that in a situation like this…
But is that so? For some reason, I felt as if there was another person behind us.
Three of us There are also three opponents.
Do you have to do it then?
Thanks to that, the tension was relieved a little.
Yes, it will definitely work out
Behind them… The bridle that sat behind the two of them looking at us seemed to be looking at me.
Wait.
I will soon…
“… I’ll go.”
“Let’s begin.”
And at her signal, we crossed swords against each other.
My body hardens in an instant.
Arin’s curse
Without missing that momentary gap, Seria’s heat magic poured out.
If it hits it, it will surely melt.
Was it a lie when you said you wouldn’t kill me?
I quickly put my strength into my body and forcibly led my bound body.
Cheeik!
The tiles melted behind me, which I barely avoided.
“How…”
“Hap… !”
Even though the curse hasn’t been lifted, she sees me moving and panics.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and rushed at her.
My vision narrowed after aiming for Arin.
Outside of that field of vision, a sharp stream of water soared.
Profit… !
However, they never penetrated my body.
“Kuu… !”
“Uni, clumsy!”
Ertina blocked it.
I didn’t have time to express my gratitude, but I put my thanks in my heart.
“All to you… !”
As she tried to stop her body once more, I swung her sword under her instead of over her.
It’s not about chopping.
Just… Just incapacitate it.
Stand tall!
My body stopped, but I moved again.
Fuck!
“Geuhup…”
“… I am resting for a while.”
When the handle of my sword stuck in her stomach, the shock wasn’t strong enough to cause Arin to pass out, but she collapsed.
It works too.
As she subdued her with the handle of her sword, her Arin channeled her power into her body.
Is it because the power of the demon king is also the power of the demon tribe?
As if two completely opposite forces were colliding, two forces clashed violently within her.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… !”
Arin is unable to control herself due to the shock occurring inside her body.
I put her behind her and ran into her Seria this time.
“… I’m different from Arin!”
Seria used heat magic, no, magic she had never seen before.
Not a fever
It is fire.
As she swung her staff, a screen of fire formed between her and me.
The moment I hesitated for a moment because I couldn’t penetrate the flames, the flames soared toward me beyond the curtain.
“Kuh… !”
Crooked!
“Ugh!”
All in all, my body froze while I hurriedly dodged.
Scale… !
“Lord, I cannot send you to you… !”
But as if that was her last struggle, her hand fell helplessly to the floor.
… But it was a bit fatal blow.
Cooong!
“Keugh!”
Perhaps it was because her body was strong, but it didn’t take a lot of damage, but thanks to that, she was hit by the flames and retreated.
Push!
Tiles suddenly rose from under my staggering legs.
Tuong!
At the close timing, Uni’s attack was blocked by another tile.
… I looked to the side for a moment and saw the two of them fighting fiercely while looking at me in between.
Seeing Yuni persistently targeting me like this, I was rather convinced.
They are not completely their own will now.
For sure… You are being manipulated!
“It’s really refreshing.”
“It’s a freaking hero party.”
The two of them are just looking at us from afar, like bystanders, as if they were watching us.
In the meantime, the sphere in his hand is getting smaller and smaller.
When that completely disappears, Jeren will become the Demon Lord.
“… Okay, let’s try it again.”
He raised his hand
“Wake up. And fight!”
Then, their eyes flickered momentarily.
“Keugh…”
“Hero, be careful!”
Ertina’s warning.
That warning meant to beware of their more powerful attacks.
“… For the master.”
“For the Demon King.”
Behind me, Arin stood up again.
Cooong!
“Kyaaak!”
She turned her head at the sudden scream and saw Ertina stagger.
“As expected, you are weaker than Demon King, Master.”
“Oh…”
As if it wasn’t just cheering them up, Uni seemed to have the upper hand against Ertina.
“What will happen if the hero dies here?”
The Demon King shook his head at Jeren, who seemed relaxed.
“Do not die. Because that’s what destiny is.”
“It’s fate…”
Jeren’s expression distorted for a moment, but only for a moment.
He seemed to have decided to watch our battle some more.
“Whoa, whoa…”
It seems that this is the only way to defeat the stronger Arin and Seria.
Just like when you defeated Luella.
But how do you do that?
In fact, I was in a very urgent situation at the time, so I guess I didn’t know.
It’s so frustrating to do it consciously…
Cooong!
“Keugh!”
“Are you digging your eyes, Eric?”
I was almost hit by Seria’s fireball.
Arin’s curse continues to bind her body, and although she is forced to move, she cannot stop her body from becoming dull.
“Whoop, whoop… That’s right, the hero shouldn’t be defeated so easily…”
Damn, how did you do it?
How… Did you steal the pattern?
The heart races.
Hurry… If we don’t neutralize the three quickly…
“It’s great… !”
Ertina seems to be having her struggles against Uni.
Her uni is pushing her to the point of her hawk.
If I or Ertina succeed in subduing them, we can help each other…
Ertina’s side doesn’t seem to end anytime soon.
If so, I have no choice but to do it.
“My demon lord… For… !”
With Seria’s cry, a sphere of fire larger than before formed at the tip of her staff.
This is dangerous.
I forcibly moved her body under Arryn’s curse to avoid her massive flames.
If you dodge this way, you won’t be able to block all attacks.
Then on the other side… !
I flew in the direction where there was less fire, and belatedly noticed something strange.
A different direction than before.
And this direction… It’s the one with Yuni and Ertina.
Could it be that you were aiming for it?
“… Eric.”
“Oops!”
Embarrassed Ertina.
And a stream of water rushing towards me.
This… She can’t stop either.
Because I’m so close to Yuni, Ertina can’t be on time.
Then what about me?
Her attack was obviously quicker than my defense.
Can not be done.
That attack is unstoppable… !
I stopped and closed my eyes.
“…”
However, her attack did not reach as a result.
When I opened my eyes right away, her attacks had disappeared.
Could Ertina have done something?
No, she too has a puzzled look on her face.
“UNI! What have you done!”
She responded calmly to Seria’s annoyed voice.
“… My mind wandered for a moment.”
“You, in a situation like this…”
“Sorry.”
Uni apologized briefly and turned her head away from me.
“Uni, why are you… Wow!”
“You can’t look away, Master.”
The two went back to confrontation.
It’s not Ertina, seeing them get angry… Did you stop yourself?
But in this condition?
“… Hmm.”
Her demon lord looked at her as if he was interested.
For now… Let’s take care of other things.
If you don’t end this situation itself, it will only repeat the same situation as before.
If the same thing happens next time, you can’t expect her to stop her attack.
What just happened… Maybe it was just a coincidence.
Yes, you have to change the situation first.
Crisis… Have to overcome
“It’s okay, I almost won… !”
Seria frowned and threw a fireball at me again.
Let’s not avoid
Don’t avoid… Let’s fight head-on.
I focused my mind as I watched the fireballs flying at me.
The pattern of Seria is a pattern that I also had at one time.
By forcefully squeezing open the closed aisle… Drains the power!
Flash!
“Oh… !”
Realizing that I had succeeded, I used magic… Alas, no staff.
No, no staff needed.
All I do is just… It’s just releasing mana!
Pusseuk!
The sphere of fire that was flying toward me gradually got smaller and smaller, and by the time it reached me, it had become a small ember.
“This…”
“It’s over, Seria.”
If there is no staff, the magic cannot be activated.
However, that does not mean that the release of magical power itself is impossible.
Mana that did not become magic was meaninglessly wasted.
Magic fails because there are no staff, and magic is consumed as a cost of failure.
Seria’s magical power gradually decreases.
“You…”
“I am resting.”
Seria stumbled and sat down, one knee on her floor.
“Yo, warrior…”
“You also… Same thing.”
Flash!
I incapacitated her with her Arin’s Curse.
“Huh… !”
“Whoa…”
All that remains… Unida.
While fighting fiercely with Ertina, she saw the two of them collapsed and me approaching her, and gently lowered her arms.
“… Lost.”
“Huh.”
All that remains is Uni.
She can’t defeat me and Ertina alone.
Currently, two black roses have temporarily grown on my arm.
The space where the two of them once existed as red roses.
There, now, a black rose is temporarily placed.
And in Uni’s place…
He hadn’t yet forced her powers open.
You can do it whenever you need to.
If you do, a black rose will grow in her place.
Yes, instead of her rose, very finely left.
“… Choose.”
I told her
“Either you give up on yourself, or you fall down on me.”
Whether or not to make black roses bloom from my arms.
“…”
She looked at Jeren and sat down on the floor in silence.
With this, they were all subdued.
“… Ertina, please keep watching.”
“All right.”
So that you can neutralize Uni at any time.
I entrusted her to her Ertina.
“Hmm, well, this must be destiny.”
The Demon King said calmly to Jeren, who was slightly frowning.
“They are not the main actors. Those women can’t stop the hero.”
The Demon King, who had said something that seemed to calm him, now looked at me instead.
“It was a technique I had never seen before. Did you defeat Luella with that?”
“…”
The Demon King showed interest for the first time.
“Hmm… I didn’t know it could be written like this…”
Instead of responding to his words, he looked at Jeren.
The orb in his hand had shrunk by half.
It shouldn’t be too late.
Before it’s too late…
“But, it is not yet time.”
When the demon king raised his hand, my body stiffened again.
Is it the same as before?
If that’s the case…
“You look at me with scary eyes. Do you think I did something?”
“… What?”
What are you talking about all of a sudden?
“I didn’t do anything. At least I don’t have the power to block the opponent’s movements that way.”
He playfully bent his hand toward me.
“This is some kind of trick. I am nothing more than a plausible package of my dignity with more experience than you.”
“… Okay. I remember.”
Ertina looked at him and said.
“This is the power of bridle.”
“Yes.”
“Cave… Re?”
Isn’t that what the devil does?
“A similar thing happened the other day, so I was late to notice, but… The demon king just pretended to use his power and imitated the suppression of the bridle as if it were his own power.”
“What… Sound?”
Her words were not easily understood.
“Therefore… The fact that our bodies are hardened means that the bridle made them that way.”
At her words, looking back at her wheel, I could see debris continuing to trickle down through the cracks in the wheel.
Is it breaking more with force?
As if, with just a little more force, it would break…
“Would you like to break it?”
He made a sneaky offer to me.
“You look weak. It looks like its lifespan has run out.”
As the demon king said, the wheel seems to break at any moment.
“Everyone says it’s a trick, but I don’t think so. The bridle is really coming to an end.”
His tone changed.
It’s like talking to a friend of hers without hesitation… That kind of talk
“Really, just a little bit. With just a little bit of force… It will break.”
“… If that’s the case, why not do it yourself?”
He’s teasing me
To turn my attention the other way… !
“… It’s that simple.”
He laughed bitterly at my question.
“Because I can’t.”
“…”
“Me too, you too. It cannot be broken.”
He said calmly.
“If you don’t believe me, give it a try. Does that clever attack really work? Last time, the demon king gave me about 10 minutes, but he couldn’t even scratch it.”
… Could it be the last demon king’s work?
“It’s true. Warrior… So, the last hero tried to break that bridle, but no attack worked.”
It seemed to be a similar phenomenon to when I first attacked the demon lord.
The attack went in, but no damage was done.
“Yes, pointless.”
Both Jeren and I looked at the demon king for a moment at his words.
“We are nothing more than puppets anyway. Have you ever seen a doll attack its owner? What is the owner afraid of the doll’s counterattack? We are only that much.”
It’s not just words.
This is the truth he has lived for many years and realized and felt with his body.
“The demon king and the hero… In the end, it’s just part of a puppet show without a master.”
“You’re good at getting over such a spot.”
“I can’t come back now.”
He grinned at Jeren.
It was a smile more suited to a human than a demon king.
“I’m so sorry for you guys, but there is only one set ending anyway.”
His conclusion is,
“Repeat.”
Of course.
“Repeat one more time. Maybe next time, next time if unlucky. Or maybe even later.”
As he said that, he turned around and looked at the wheels of his cart.
“But one day it will run out and collapse.”
He is… Are they hoping that the bridle will disappear naturally?
Wheels all crumbling.
He looked at it and seemed to conclude that time was the only answer.
We cannot break it with our hands.
So wait.
Until I do my best and completely break down.
“You got more gold than last time. In particular, the rift on the right must have already reached the center. If cracks build up like this, they will break someday.”
He continued talking as if analyzing this cartwheel, then looked at us again.
“You see? It’s just a matter of time. The end will come naturally someday… Unfortunately, it just wasn’t your turn.”
I had a sudden thought.
If Jeren’s obtaining the power of the Demon King is not what he originally wanted,
I’m not sure, but if the bondage is affecting our feelings or thoughts,
Can I really say that what the demon king is saying is true?
Sarah told me not to be fooled.
Yes, my head was blocked for a while as if who said it, but now I remember.
The demon king is being deceived.
You can’t break it that way.
It just maintains its state before breaking.
To break the bondage,
It takes a final blow to break the cart.
I see
I guess now
“So there is no need to despair too much, champion. Your sacrifice was not in vain. It will come to fruition someday.”
He said that and looked at Jeren.
“You too… Be proud. You who became the Demon King are contributing to the ruin of the bridle just by being alive.”
“You are fucking.”
“What?”
He frowned.
“Keuhehe, what is pride? I’m just receiving it because I’m tired, but don’t give it any weird meaning.”
“You cheeky bastard. Well, good In my experience, those feelings tend to subside on their own after about 100 years.”
He didn’t seem to care about his rudeness when he spat out curses right away.
Yes, he is detached
He lost interest in everything and seemed to be thinking only of the end of the bondage.
“You absorbed a lot. When it’s over, champion, you’ll kill me. It doesn’t matter what happens after that.”
Do you think that once the demon king is decided, that is the end of the role?
After that, I might kill Jeren or something, but he didn’t seem to worry about that.
Maybe it’s because he knows fate won’t let him do that.
No, that’s definitely the case.
“While we wait, if there is anything you want to ask, ask.”
Is it now?
I prepared myself inwardly.
“How much do you know about glyph magic?”
“Pattern? Ah, the magic created by the unknown demon lord? He was a great wizard, I never thought there would be a creature that could intervene in the bondage.”
His interest in this seemed to be all there was to it.
“Do you know what purpose it was made for?”
“Purpose? It felt like a device to help the demon lord. It’s as if you’ve all been deprived of women.”
He laughed lowly.
Are you thinking of mocking?
But this is what I want to laugh at.
“… According to Ruella, this magic is divine power… They say they settled down in a parasitic way.”
“Divine power? I see you call it that. Well, I like the name anyway. So?”
Jeren seemed to be watching for a moment to see what I was saying.
“And I also found out not too long ago, but I can draw power from a rose pattern that has nothing to do with me.”
“Yeah, that was a bit strange. How did you do it?”
He still didn’t notice.
“Can’t you see?”
“… What?”
“Look behind you.”
As he turned around, his gestures stiffened.
“… Hmm?”
“Oh…”
He, who followed the demon king and turned around, also uttered a surprised voice.
Felt at the same time
That even the incapacitated girls are following their gaze.
Yes, everyone will be watching now.
“On wheels… Rose…”
“It seems to be covering…”
The vines and roses were entangled in the crumbling bridle, so many that it was impossible to count them.
Fragments of the bridle that were broken and flowed down.
It was a mark made by the rose bush crushing the bridle.
The huge crack on the right that the demon king pointed at.
It was also a huge crack formed as the vine gradually tightened.
“Oh… Oh oh?”
He made such a grotesque sound that he was surprised and at the same time didn’t understand what was going on.
“… What?”
“It’s simple.”
I raised my left arm.
On my left arm, countless vines and also countless roses grew.
White, orange, blue, purple, yellow, black.
And a pink one.
Roses that have lost their place to go, and vines that have fulfilled their role.
All of these were the thoughts that were strangling the bridle.
They have only one wish.
To finish.
“I am just bringing the power of the rose.”
I accepted all their requests and wishes.
And, all the roses shone brightly.
***
Crunchy!
The vines tightened the wheel even more.
The speed of the wheel gradually slows down.
The more power I use, the slower the wheel gets.
And, as if the vines had been waiting for it, they began to tighten the slowed-down wheel.
More shards pouring down, more cracks.
Like that, while repeating slowing down and tightening,
Finally, part of the wheel collapsed.
Kurleung!
“Oh… Oh oh…”
He couldn’t take his eyes off his bridle, as if he had seen something amazing.
“The bridle… Will it collapse?”
He muttered to himself.
“Me too… Can we see a world without bridle?”
“Devil.”
I was standing in front of him
“You killed a lot of people. Even the demons.”
“… It did.”
“Was all of that just to follow fate?”
Only when the demon king revives can a warrior arise.
Did he kill so many people just to call the hero?
Like one of the many victims of the bridle?
“… I have a reason to live.”
“Answer.”
At my words, he looked at me again.
“No.”
And he shook his head.
“I just did it because I was bored.”
That was his answer.
“Okay.”
He did not deny his guilt.
“Then do not resist.”
“I thought so, but… I’m sorry. You have changed your mind.”
He said and stretched out his hand.
“I want to live in a free world too.”
His hand moved toward the sphere Jeren was holding.
Again, to try to get it back.
Own strength.
“… No. You don’t deserve that.”
But I cut
I cut his body longing for freedom with an unbridled trajectory.
Splitting at an angle, he approached Jeren, wriggling his face and arms.
“… Again… To me…”
“Power?”
What he was trying to say, Jeren laughed and spit it out instead.
Jeren kicked the nodding demon king.
“I do not give back what is taken.”
I slashed the fragments of the demon king that had been pushed towards me with my sword.
Knock!
“… Is it… He’s also a demon king…”
The Demon King fell into the hands of the hero just like that.
“Is it my turn now?”
“You know that.”
He looked at the fallen demon king and at me holding the sword alternately.
Cooong!
Another huge piece of debris fell down again.
Now we don’t see any wheels in our field of vision.
But there will still be half a wheel above us.
It wasn’t long before they all fell apart.
As I approached him, there was a response behind me.
They are
The girls who gave their bodies and minds to Jeren.
How are they looking at him now?
“… A lot has changed.”
He looked at me and said so.
“Are you saying that now?”
“I just said honestly what came to mind.”
He seemed aloof.
Is it really unconcerned, or is he pretending to be like that?
“Warrior.”
Ertina said.
“Do whatever you want.”
Okay.
As I want.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
“Hmm…”
He thought for a moment about my words.
Then, he looked at me and grinned.
“Your girls are very nice.”
Bawk!
I punched him for the first and last time.
“Geuhup…”
“… Thank them.”
And I stepped on the orb that fell from his hand with his foot.
Kwajik!
As futile as it was, the sphere was easily shattered.
Squeak.
Black smoke escaped from his body.
It was probably the demon king’s power absorbed by him.
“Kuhhh… At least I’m not going to die like a dick…”
I turned away from him.
In front of me, I see the faces of three women sitting on the floor.
Seria, Arin, and Uni.
I said to the girls who looked at me with bewildered eyes.
“… The party is now disbanded.”
And our journey is over.
