"It's nothing personal," the Hero said.
He slowly walked in a semi-circle, careful to maintain his distance. There were still thick clouds of dust in the air, which dramatically reduced the visibility in the dimly lit underground crypt. The Hero was clearly being cautious, as the Demon Lord could be hiding an untold number of nasty surprises.
"I'm just doing my job. Don't hold it against me."
There was no response from the indistinct crumple of bodies on the ground.
Kotori couldn't speak, but her chains rattled in the silence of the stone chamber.
The Hero raised one eyebrow as the fog slowly started to clear. He could vaguely make out the outlines of two individuals amidst a puddle of blood, although he could only sense one other presence in this room. This was unexpected. Running was cowardly, and he hadn't expected the Demon Lord to succumb to his injuries so quickly. At the very least, the Hero had prepared for at least one more grueling battle.
"The Demon Lord's unconscious?" He spoke slowly, his stance apprehensive. "And who are you?"
The man in shining armor lacked a legitimate weapon, but he looked menacing nonetheless. He exuded an aura of invincibility. Sharp blades were mounted on his gauntlets, and he was carrying a large wooden club that was cracked down the midline. The Hero seemed completely unbothered by the fact the club was about to snap in half. Although he was cautious, his posture was so relaxed and flexible, like someone who was taking a casual afternoon stroll in the park.
He looked confident.
Kotori moved her arms in front of her, desperate to signal something. The chains clattered as she waved her hands around. But then it occurred to her that it was unlikely for the people of this world to know sign language. She must have looked stupid flailing her arms, and the Hero showed no sign of comprehension.
She needed to figure out some way to express that she was siding with the Hero.
The Demon Lord had run out of time. She felt slightly sorry for him, but he was basically the same as dead now. The Hero who had inflicted his initial injuries had successfully managed to track him down, and he was here to finish the job. Winston Churchill was often credited with saying, "History is written by the victors," and Kotori knew the ramifications of that quote.
She wasn't going to die trying to defend a near-dead corpse.
Even with that creepy warm sensation that she had felt with Mephistos, Kotori judged that fighting the Hero was impossible.
It was better to get on the Hero's good side, and perhaps he would free her from these shackles. Maybe he would even take her along in his party. In either case, she would have accomplished her original objectives. Kotori was no longer trapped inside a bottle, and she had a body of her own to figure things out with. Frankly, she didn't need the Demon Lord anymore.
Kotori judged that it was better for her to take her chances with the human. Even if he wasn't the friendliest man, Kotori knew humans better and she felt that they were easier to manipulate. As long as she could rack up some brownie points, perhaps he could get the man to drop his guard. Demon Lord Mephistos's excessive paranoia had been inconvenient for her, and Kotori believed that she could do better with a change of pace.
Just then, an agile figure dropped down from the hole in the ceiling and landed in a three-point crouch beside the Hero.
"Need backup?" The newcomer asked.
He appeared to be some kind of rogue or assassin, dressed entirely in dark tightly-fitting fabrics.
"Not needed," the Hero responded. "I'll be finished up here in a couple minutes."
"Okay. The final phase of the invasion of the Demon Continent is about to begin. We just need the barrier down, and then the fleet can move in. The General wanted me to check in on your status."
The Hero tilted his head sideways in temporary confusion.
Moments later, he tapped his helmet on the side as if he remembered something.
"Oh, right! I almost forgot. The Demon Lord's barrier. Give me a moment."
He stepped forward leisurely, but his motion transformed into a blur. Suddenly, the golden man was looming above the Demon Lord's limp body. Kotori practically jumped. It was almost like the man had teleported.
The Hero reached down and grabbed the hilt of the sword that was impaled in Mephistos's chest, and he yanked it out, causing more blood to splatter across Kotori's lap. With a single fluid motion, he swung the blade around and lopped off the Demon Lord's head.
The severed head hit the ground, bounced, and tumbled several feet away. Eventually, it rolled to a stop.
The Demon Lord had been beheaded in a single stroke.
The rest of Mephistos's body spouted blood like a fountain, spurting like an uncontrolled garden hose.
Kotori was frozen still.
She had barely registered what had happened.
The gruesome reality of the scene paralyzed her, and it had happened so quickly. She had never witnessed such brutality right in front of her eyes, and it made her sick to her stomach. The scene was horrifying. She didn't consider herself the Demon Lord's friend by any means, but it was deeply unsettling to see someone she knew killed without the slightest hesitation.
Mephistos hadn't entirely been a bad person. Kotori spent nine months watching him in his office, and the man had good days just as he had bad ones. He could be angry at times, but at other moments he was gentle and kind. While she didn't know exactly what had done to the humans to anger them so much, Kotori felt a sinking feeling of sadness.
"There you go, barrier's down now," the Hero's voice was carefree and informal as he turned to face his companion.
"Thanks. How long before you cast Solar Armageddon? Like you know, obliterating all life on the blighted continent."
The two men continued to chat leisurely in the background.
"Mhm? Maybe a few hours? I could actually do it right now, since fighting the Demon Lord took less energy than I thought. But I think the General might not be happy with me if I did that. He was itching to get some action. It probably looks bad for the army's reputation if they sailed this entire way and didn't spill a single drop of blood. They're looking to loot some spoils too."
"You're not in a hurry to cast it?"
"I'll delay as much as I can. Honestly, I think it's a pity that High Command wants total annihilation. There's a lot of profit to be had on the Demon Continent. This is the last refuge in the world where you can find real wild monsters. If you can get your hands on some Exotics, they'll sell for a nice price on the black market."
"Exotics." The rogue rolled his eyes. "They're an ugly eyesore. I think it'd be better for humanity if you just killed them all. How much is the Smuggler's Guild paying you to conveniently delay your mission?"
"Hey, be open-minded. Have you ever fucked a mermaid? A spider girl?"
"I'd rather not," he answered dryly. "I don't have that kind of hobby."
The Hero shrugged and took off his golden helmet, revealing a scraggly mess of silver hair and emerald green eyes.
"Well, you're missing out. What's the point of joining a mercenary company if you're not going to enjoy yourself?"
The Rogue kept a tight and polite smile on his face as he ignored the personal question. Instead, he brought the conversation back to their official business.
"I'll let the General know that you'll be preoccupied for a while."
"Hm?"
He gestured at Kotori, who was stiff and tense on the side.
She had been biting her lip uncomfortably as she listened to their entire conversation.
"You'll be keeping that one, I'm assuming?"
∎
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All humans are fundamentally good Votes: 4 6.2%
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Most humans are fundamentally good Votes: 3 4.6%
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A majority of humans are fundamentally good Votes: 11 16.9%
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Half of of humans are fundamentally good and evil Votes: 12 18.5%
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A majority of humans are fundamentally evil Votes: 9 13.8%
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Most humans are fundamentally evil Votes: 6 9.2%
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All humans are fundamentally evil Votes: 4 6.2%
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I prefer not to answer this question Votes: 16 24.6%
For this poll, my response was that most humans are fundamentally good. It may be kind of strange given the type of darker material that I often write, but believing that most people are good is quite a core part of my personal beliefs.
For most people, I think "bad" things stem from a lapse of empathy — or simply not viewing some other person as part of your "tribe". Most people are conditioned to see people either as part of their "tribe" or outsiders, and there is a certain degree of dehumanization that occurs when we reject someone as part of our group.
Dehumanization, in turn, can be a scary thing, right?
Nah sorry to say that, but...when push comes to shove everybody is themself the best friend...had to many occasions where that rule applied...humans are very selfish scum and parents will under pressure kill their kids to survive themself...
Well, this was a short story and the demon lord was really fleshed out as a character, his head now resting with the perverted racist hero.
I give this story 9/10 nachos, but onlx 0/5 fluff, need more fluff in any future story. (This was entirely sarcastic I know this'll continue, even tho' I meant the nachos and fluff seriously.)
Thank you for your comment! I'm really missing the fluff too, and I'm hoping it'll start to pick up after this short introductory arc. I actually surprised myself with the amount of action that I wrote in these first couple chapters, because I definitely wasn't planning for the story to turn out this way!
I don't think human are fundamentally good or evil, I just think that human search in their environnement the best way to survive and sometime they becames evil,good,gray-(representing the middle of evil and good for me) I don't say everything is defynable by that but the majority maybe is ?)
Not everyone is forcibly evil or good their some that steal for survive and some that don't do it for survival I don't says their all good people
But some are evil for a reason and some are just evil this thing apply for the two face of the same coin.
I don't have all answer or ever will be but I just wanted to say my opinion,(and sorry for the fault)
so thank's for the chapter.
Thanks for your comments! And yes, I agree with you too! I think many of us and looking for the best things for ourselves, but who knows what those best things are?
I hope,I made some sense
I'm grey. I don't go out of my way to hurt anyone who didn't hurt me. And if you go out of your way to help me, then i'll go out of my way to help you.
He is gonna pull an Alucard i hope
I had to google this because I wasn't familiar with Alucard (except from Castlevania, actually) xD Perhaps you are onto something!
This war seems to have started only by racism and human greed. The true face of said hero is nothing more than a greedy and hedonistic mercenary huh. Normally I would say that any pervert who likes monster girls is a man of culture, but if they use force to obtain them, they are nothing but damned sexual predators.
Thanks for the chapter
Thank you for the comment!
Uhmm, it due to the english isn't my first language, i prefer to explain in spanish (sorry for my english), so if you can use a translator:
Personalmente, creo que los humanos no son ni buenos ni malos. Según la filosofía, hay 3 factores que determinan la personalidad, y estos son el entorno, la familia y la época en la que se vive. Ser bueno o ser malo es fruto de la personalidad, por ello creo que no hay algo como 'los humanos son fundamentalmente [...]'. Naturalmente, esta es solo mi humilde opinión.
And now, i write again in english. Don't worry about the chapter extension ;)
Thank you for your comment! And I agree with you! I find it very difficult to think of someone as good or bad, and there are a lot of factors that go into a person!
That gore warning is odd. Brutality, I'd understand, but last chapter was the gory one, with entrails pouring out and her sticking hands into it all. Chopping the head and a barely described fountain of blood is nowhere near that.