This World Needs a Hero

Chapter 320:

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At the Entrance of the Demon King's Castle.

Theo gazed at the man standing before him.

Covered in dark blood and sweat, he stood precariously, with steam rising from his entire body.

He looked more like a demon than a hero.

The crushing fatigue and pain weighed down on him.

At a glance, he seemed on the brink of collapse.

But the moment Theo met his gaze, he instinctively took a step back.

Srrng—

Black Hope pointed unwaveringly at Theo.

At the same time, a raspy voice echoed in his ears.

"Move."

"...It’s astonishing."

Theo reluctantly admitted the formidable presence of this doppelgänger.

The unexpected early arrival of this being forced Theo and Malekia to abandon their ritual, meeting him here instead.

It would have been interfered with if they continued the ritual, making the summoning even more incomplete.

The summoning would proceed, but their king wouldn’t manifest in a satisfactory state.

It would be a tremendous disservice and a disastrous mistake.

What had initially seemed like an overwhelming victory had spiraled out of his control.

"You’ve ruined everything."

Feigning the hero’s survival to buy time, he had dragged the frontlines all the way to the Demon King’s Castle—a place no human should have breached.

The thread of humanity, which should have been severed long ago, had somehow clung on.

"But now, this is the final act."

Theo had already assessed his opponent’s strength.

His wrinkled fingers pointed at the hero's face.

"Aren't you much weaker than before?"

The demons believed the hero to be a doppelgänger, an incarnation of a legendary hero from the First Era.

They had no idea that Zero was actually a homunculus created from that hero’s essence.

To them, remembering how he once fought on equal terms with the Demon King, the hero's current form seemed laughable.

Of course, he was strong enough to kill Yol and easily defeat the highest-ranking legion commanders...but facing the Demon King was a different matter.

"Look."

Theo turned his back to the Demon King’s Castle and gazed at the battlefield that filled his view.

Malekia, already transformed into a monstrous dragon, was fighting Cuculli in the sky.

Ban and Leciel were on her back, assisting her.

In the distance, Avalon was advancing slowly, belching black smoke, while the vanguard struggled in a desperate fight against formidable foes.

They were barely holding on now, but the situation would become increasingly dire as time passed.

"The only way they survive this is if you defeat our lord."

The hero, catching his breath, responded.

"…Then there’s no problem."

Theo let out a harsh laugh.

"You’ve truly become human, haven’t you, monster? Only humans always deceive themselves."

…And then, something unexpected happened.

As soon as Theo finished speaking, he stepped aside, not intending to fight the hero.

Thud—

Instead, he turned his attention to the three silhouettes approaching from behind.

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It was Izaro, Larze, and Yussi, all deeply hooded.

Larze waved with a broad smile.

"Hello, Theo. Long time no see?"

Despite having been soundly defeated by Theo in the Great Forest, Larze seemed completely unconcerned, exuding an air of ease.

Feeling slightly annoyed, Theo frowned and gathered his demonic energy.

"…Larze, stay focused. He’s not an easy opponent."

"Hmm, he seems easier than before, though?"

Izaro and Larze also began to draw on all their magic.

Alchemical formulas floated around Yussi, rising into the air.

Thud—

The hero glanced at his comrades and then began walking the path Theo had cleared.

The gate of the Demon King’s Castle was now just ahead.

"……."

The vast amount of demonic energy that had once surrounded the outside of the castle was now being drawn inside.

There were no other demons or monsters to sense within the castle.

It would be a battlefield between just two—himself and the soon-to-descend Demon King.

This was truly the final battle.

Theo muttered as he watched the hero move further away.

"Enter and pay your respects to our lord."

"……."

"You carry a small hope as you stand before that deep darkness. Then, you will realize what it is you are fighting against."

Before the hero could respond, Larze snidely remarked.

"Man, you sure talk a lot."

At that moment, the magic gathered in Larze’s hands exploded.

Theo hastily cast a spell to defend himself…

"Aha, you're scared, aren’t you?"

Wuuuung—

But Larze's magic wasn’t an attack.

A soft blue light began to swirl around her fingertips.

The light grew more intense and, as Larze finished her final incantation, shot up into the sky.

Wuuuuung—

The once-dark sky parted as the black clouds split.

From between them, a glowing orb emerged.

The rapidly growing orb unraveled into a gleaming thread, coloring the sky in a square shape.

"……?"

Until that moment, no one had guessed what Larze’s magic was for.

Even Theo, who had raised his hand to counterattack, and Izaro, who was on the same side, could only look up in bewilderment.

"……."

But the previously noisy battlefield fell silent when something appeared on the massive "screen" that had formed in the sky.

Thud—

The hero walked toward the Demon King’s Castle.

Only his back was visible, so his expression couldn’t be seen.

But those who knew him could easily imagine it.

Ten steps.

Five steps.

One step.

With each step, it seemed as though the darkness of the world receded.

Like a comet streaking across a lightless sky.

The Second Hero walked resolutely past the gates of the Demon King’s Castle.

The image was large and clear enough for everyone to see.

For Euphemia, who was giving orders on the deck of Avalon.

For Mother Ghost and Nyhill, who stood by her side.

For Noubelmag and the engineers running around with hammers inside the heated hull.

For the warriors desperately swinging their swords to protect their fallen comrades.

For the lovers facing the mad scholar.

For the only celestial being allied with the hero.

For Cuculli, entangled with Malekia as they flew through the sky, and for Ban and Leciel with him.

For the two heroes who had just barely defeated a colossal mutant and were climbing out of the 47th sector.

…And perhaps even for those watching from above—the deceased.

"Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"

Finally, a tremendous roar echoed through the demonic realm.

It wasn't just any roar.

It was a collective wish and power, condensed with humanity's dreams and hopes.

"..."

In the last moment, the hero looked back.

A deep smile crossed his lips.

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* * *

Thud-

The sound of boots hitting the cold floor echoed loudly.

The chilly air penetrated to the bone, the endless corridors and stairs with stone walls and black-and-white floors.

The interior of the Demon King's castle differed greatly from what Zero had seen.

Except that the upper part, which was blown away by the explosion back then, had been neatly restored.

[Hmm, it's been a while.]

'...Did you fight the Demon King at the top of this place?'

[Yes. We fought for days.]

The exterior of the Demon King's castle was a tower shape, not much different from the other stakes.

But the inside was not the simple cylindrical structure that was always seen; it was really built as a "castle," complex in its design.

However, contrary to popular belief, there were no mountains of gold and silver treasures, no terrifying traps, no ominous sacrifices or altars.

...Yes.

The Demon King's castle, several times larger than any other stake, was completely empty.

There wasn't even any lighting, so it had to be illuminated by magic.

He looked at the dark spaces the light could not reach and then turned away.

It wasn't ordinary darkness.

The moment you stared at it, it felt as if your consciousness was scattering, being drawn into the endless shadows.

Thud-

He started walking again.

'This feels like... being left alone in the world?'

[It's not entirely wrong. You could say that this place is partly within the demon realm.]

'What about the descent?'

[It seems to be in the final stage. No more than 30 minutes before it manifests.]

Thirty minutes.

Perhaps because it was in the final stages of the descent, the overwhelming and intense presence of demonic energy that had been felt earlier was no longer there.

Instead, it felt like the space itself was sinking, heavy and cold.

[Where do you plan to face it? I hope you're not thinking of waiting quietly in this narrow corridor.]

'I'll head to where it will descend.'

[The deepest part... I once fell there while fighting that bastard.]

The moment ??? finished speaking, a series of images flashed before his eyes.

A massive space surrounded by pitch-black walls.

A large throne placed on one side.

The throne, made of solid black stone, had no decorations.

It seemed to be the Demon King's chamber.

[I'll guide you.]

'Please do.'

As they headed toward the place of descent, ??? and he had a few conversations.

For example, something like this:

[Do you think you can defeat that thing? I think it's impossible.]

'It depends on the state in which it descends.'

[Ted couldn't do it perfectly either. That's a bit disappointing.]

'But I have your power now, so it should be fine.'

[You're quick to acknowledge my greatness.]

...Or something like that.

[It would've been interesting if you'd sided with the demons. After all, Polymorph is a catastrophic ability from a human's perspective.]

'Zero would have cried in his grave.'

[Haha, just imagining it feels good. Maybe I should have joined hands with the Demon King?]

He also asked a question.

'Come to think of it, you said Zero was your first playmate. What kind of relationship did you have? Why did you spare him and let him live?'

[That's... I'll tell you if we survive this battle.]

'You're dodging the question.'

The closer they got to the place of descent, the fewer words were spoken.

'Do you have any regrets in your life?'

[Wouldn't I?]

'That was a stupid question. I admit it.'

And so, just before our destination.

He suddenly thought that it might have been a little lonely without ???.

An existence that was his origin but lived a completely opposite life.

It was then that ??? unexpectedly brought up something else.

[I still don't think your way of life is right.]

'Really?'

[...But I don't think it's entirely wrong anymore, either.]

I chuckled.

'Is that so? I think your life was wrong, though.'

[...You bastard, always so smug.]

'I'm not saying I'm great. It was just a bit unfair, that's all.'

Five minutes before the descent.

Standing in front of the door leading to the deepest part of the Demon King's castle, he reflected on the past years.

...No, 'years' is an inaccurate expression.

He reflected on the 'humans' he had passed by.

'I was just a bit lucky, that's all.'

Then he pushed open the final door.

But the plan to calmly prepare for the showdown over the next five minutes did not come to fruition.

The moment he stepped forward.

Clink-!

The Iris of Laplace, which had been sitting in front of my left eye, shattered.

'...!?'

[What the!]

It was at the same time.

The voice he thought he'd never hear again pierced his ears.

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