Edited by Kuro and Lille

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The energy in the mountain was incredibly dense to the point it made everyone’s legs feel heavy. Thankfully, it wasn’t as dry as it was outside of the mountain, so they were all able to take off their damp towels. 

As soon as they entered the cave, they were greeted with a spiral staircase. There were no demons or monsters in the mountain, steering clear from the mountain because of the intense magical energy from the Demon King. When they got to the bottom of the spiral staircase, Grey looked up and tried to see the top but the stairs seemed to go on forever. 

After walking for an hour, the stairs continued with no end in sight. 

“We have been walking for so long and we haven’t even reached the lair yet!” Faylan couldn’t help but complain. She was an elf! They could swing from vine to vine, use magic to fly, and even climb trees, but these stairs were just too much! 

“Let’s rest,” Grey suggested while sitting down on the steps. 

They all sat up against the wall because there were no railings. If they fell, who knew how far they would fall until they splatted on the ground. 

Vincent gave everyone some sandwiches that he had packed earlier for them to eat. Grey also made water out of magic and poured it into everyone’s cups. 

They decided to talk about what they observed while they walked up the stairs. 

Grey was the first to point out his observations. “Thirty minutes into our trek, I decided to scratch a part of the wall to see if we would come back to it, and we did about five times. That’s why, I’ve concluded that the stairs are looping due to magic.”

“I agree with this,” Azul backed up Grey’s statement, “It’s the only plausible reason.” 

Vincent scratched his chin. “If that is the case, there must be a way for us to break this cycle, right? Has anyone seen anything out of the ordinary that may indicate a way out?”

Evelyn and Faylan did not pay attention to something like that, but Aeneas did. 

Aeneas put his hand on the wall and closed his eyes. “If you pay attention to the wall, there’s a strange magical energy coming from it. I can’t tell where it’s coming from, but if we can find the source of the energy, we may be able to escape this loop.” 

Grey also put his hand on the wall and closed his eyes. In the group, he and Aeneas were the most proficient with magic. Grey even graduated at the top of the magic department in the Royal Academy. 

“If I can track the flow of magic, I should be able to find the source…” Grey injected a small portion of his attributeless magical energy into the wall and followed one of the flows of magic.

There were four pathways, each going in random directions, so instead of getting overwhelmed, he decided to follow one and see where it took him. 

After about 20 minutes of searching, he realized there were three magic seals. One in the wall, one on the staircase, and one floating in the center of the stairwell. 

“Well, I found them but the magic seals are pretty strong. I should be able to break them but it seems I have to break the three seals at the same time or it will not work.” 

“Do you have enough energy?” Azul asked a bit worried because Grey was the only one who used offensive magic and it would be difficult to fight the Demon King without his magic. 

Grey nodded. “I should have enough energy to break the seals and for the fight with the Demon King. The fairies haven’t been using a lot of magical energy, so I should be fine.” 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Aeneas wanted to help Grey so that he didn’t have to use as much magical energy. 

Grey thought about it before nodding. “Since you have offered, you should break the seal in the center of the stairwell as it’s the one that’s the furthest out. I can break the seal on the walls and the stairs at the same time.” 

After telling Aeneas what to do and how they could break the seals at the same time, they ran through the intricacies of the magic seal and how to break it. Once Aeneas understood the magic seals, Grey felt they were ready to tackle them.

The others were patiently sitting up against the wall, keeping quiet because they knew that Grey and Aeneas should not be distracted. They weren’t magic experts so even if they wanted to help, they couldn’t do much at all. Well, Faylan wasn’t too bad at magic but she didn’t know the technicalities around the magic she could use, it was mostly innate for her. 

Grey and Aeneas focused on the magic seals. Once they started to deconstruct the seals, they lit up at the same time. The magic seals were 5 feet in circumference, taking up a lot of space on the walls and the stairs. Even though they were all sitting and standing in the magic circles on the stairs, the circles didn’t seem bothered by them. 

“Are you ready, Aeneas?” Grey asked after about eight minutes of silence. 

“Ready,” Aeneas answered, his attention focused on the last part of the magic seal. 

“Okay, break the seal right now!” 

A bright light bursted out of the three magic seals at the same time, causing everyone to close their eyes. Even so, Grey and Aeneas didn’t stop and destroyed the last section of the seal. 

Once the magic seals disappeared, Grey and Aeneas sighed in relief. 

“It seems we did it. Good job Aeneas.” Grey opened his eyes and patted Aeneas on the shoulder. 

“It’s because I had a good teacher that I was able to get it on the first try.” 

With the magic seals out of the way, the Hero’s group was finally able to advance past this set of stairs. 

*****

It only took ten minutes to get to the entrance of the Demon King’s lair. There was a genderless being that sat on a throne at the back of the opening. 

The Demon King had long black hair, hairless dark grey skin, and symmetrical red markings of lines going from their face all the way down to their bare feet. They also had large feather black wings that almost touched the ground. Their eyes had no whites, just blood red in color and large black pupils that narrowed like a cat. 

The Hero’s group felt a menacing and murderous aura coming from the Demon King. Even Grey felt a bit pressured by the intense amounts of magical energy the Demon King was giving off. 

“I’ve been waiting, Hero and companions,” The androgynous voice echoed throughout the room. “You have worked hard to get here, but today will be the day that I will kill you and end this world for the Fallen God!” 

The Demon King stood up and a large great sword materialized in their hands. The sword was black with red and gold markings. They could not see what was on it, but the demon language was written on it. 

Everyone readied their weapons, Azul stepping to the front of the group to make sure he got the brunt of the hits. Aeneas cast a light attribute buff on Azul that increased his defensive capabilities and his speed. Afterwards, he put an attack buff on Evelyn and Vincent who were the vanguards. 

Grey and Faylan stayed behind to not only protect Aeneas but also provide long-range attacks. Grey’s fairy familiars showed up to support him. Each fairy was genderless and their hairs and clothes were the same color as the elements they could control. Having contracts with a fairy would decrease the magic consumption of the person and strengthen their damage.

The Demon King attacked first, trying to catch the Hero’s group off guard. They tried to attack Evelyn first, but Azul was faster and was able to parry their attack. The impact of the heavy sword caused sharp wind damage, creating shallow cuts on Azul’s armor. 

However, this did not deter Azul and he stood his guard while he knocked the Demon King’s sword back. This wasn’t his first epic battle with powerful beings, so he was not scared at all. Actually, he felt this burning adrenaline in his body that made him want to keep fighting. 

Evelyn was a little surprised about being targeted but she knew she could not back down. Especially because she was the only one who could kill the Demon King. She coated her Holy Sword with holy magic and tried to flank them with Vincent on the other side. 

The Demon King did not care about Vincent and continuously aimed at Evelyn. Even when Vincent slashed at their side, they didn’t flinch from the pain. Their focus was on Evelyn, making sure to guard attacks from her. 

As for Faylan, she did her best to aim at the wings with her arrows, but they only bounced off, causing no damage. She then switched to attacking the Demon King’s hands and feet to prevent fatal attacks on Evelyn or Azul. Her arrows didn’t do a lot of damage, but they annoyed the Demon King every time they tried to attack Evelyn. 

Grey also participated in attacking the Demon King’s hands and legs after seeing Faylan’s arrows bouncing off their wings. He mostly used ice and earth magic because of the enclosed space they were in. Plus, if he could freeze or restrict the Demon King’s movements for even a second, it could help Azul and Evelyn dodge or parry attacks. 

Evelyn felt her hands and arms aching. This fight was different and more intense than any battle she had ever faced. Even with her battles with other demons, she didn’t feel this much pressure. 

She was just a farmer girl who had held a sword for only a few months. She had the stamina and the strength, but she knew her skills weren’t the best. 

All of the teachings from her tutors and Grey were drilled into her mind, but she felt her body was not the same. 

Evelyn hesitated for a moment after trying to attack the Demon King and she was flung back by the impact of the giant sword. Even though Azul took most of the attack, she lost her footing and fell. 

“Evelyn!” Grey shouted in concern and ran over to her. He helped her up, but she was shaking and could barely keep herself up. 

Aeneas also moved closer to heal her but that only healed her physical wounds, not the psychological damage that she’s been enduring this entire time. 

The weight of the title caught up to her. At that moment, Evelyn felt that she was inadequate to be a Hero. How could someone like her, a farmer, be a hero? What were the gods thinking when they made her the Hero? 

Seeing her current mental state, the Demon King couldn’t help but grin. They stopped avoiding the attacks of Vincent, Azul, and Faylan, but that didn’t matter. All of their attacks were just surface-level wounds, nothing that could stop them in their tracks. 

“Oh, Hero, have you finally realized? Your resistance is futile.” A powerful surge of magical energy began to swirl around the Demon King, causing Azul and Vincent to fly back. 

Aeneas quickly healed their wounds, but flying and landing on the ground still caused them pain. Azul was able to get up, but Vincent staggered and struggled to get up. He didn’t protect himself in time and took a lot of damage. The pain from breaking a couple of ribs lingered and breathing became difficult. 

Grey saw the Demon King walking towards them, so he handed Evelyn to Aeneas and stepped in front of them. He held out his staff, ready to engage in close combat. 

[Grey, the Gods said you can call upon the heavenly power for this battle, but you won’t be able to kill the Demon King with it. Their heavenly power is unable to alter the plot directions of this world. The Hero must kill the Demon King and that’s the only way the plot will allow him to die.] 

He was not surprised by what System 225 said. S-ranked worlds had many restrictions and were the strictest about following the plot. Even allowing him and Vincent to join the Hero’s team was already pushing against the boundaries that the world plot had. 

‘I understand.’ He wasn’t planning on trying to kill the Demon King himself. All he wanted to do was use the heavenly power to protect Evelyn and give her the courage to continue battling. 

“Heh, what a familiar power brewing around you.” The Demon King sneered while looking at Grey. “It’s different from the divine power given to the Hero but it’s something similar but you can’t kill me.”

It was almost like the Demon King knew about Grey’s limitations. 

“I know. I’m not the one who will kill you, but I will be sure to protect her and all of my comrades.” He responded, determined to fight one-on-one until Evelyn came back to her senses. 

His staff began to glow gold and his eyes turned a similar color. This was the side effect of using the power of the gods in this world. 

“Evelyn, just remember, even if you aren’t the strongest right now, you are not the only one here. We are here to help you, even if you feel weak and unworthy. We will be here to pick you back up again. You are the Hero and a student that I am proud of.” 

After giving his quick pep talk, Grey dashed toward the Demon King with his staff. He could turn anything into a weapon and he made sure to keep up with his physical fitness. He was no worse than Vincent or Azul when it came to close combat.

Azul also came over to back up Grey and help protect Evelyn and Aeneas. Vincent, who felt the pain die down, began an onslaught of attacks from behind. Even if he couldn’t hit the Demon King, if he could disturb the magical energy around them, it would make the battle easier. Faylan also had that same thought and put away her bow and brought out her twin daggers to assist Vincent.

Seeing everyone fight, Evelyn was speechless. Grey’s words echoed in her mind. She was not alone. He was proud of her. Everyone was there to help her, so why did she give up so soon?

Evelyn felt a lump in her throat. She didn’t know what to say, but she knew that she couldn’t let Grey down. He was her teacher, and her first friend from the Capital. He was strict but he always acknowledged her efforts and made sure that she knew that he was proud of her, especially with how far she had come these past few months. 

Grey believed her, so even if she didn’t really believe in herself… Yes, she would fight too, because Grey believed in her. Everyone, all of her comrades believed in her too, that’s why they were still fighting even when she was knocked down. 

“Thank you, Ren. I won’t back down, not now!” She stopped leaning against Aeneas, thanked him, and then caught up to Grey.

Every time Grey hit the swirling magic around the Demon King, the more disrupted it got. They had a hard time maintaining it because their magical powers were not compatible with the heavenly power. 

Even if Grey could not kill him with this power, it still caused him immense amounts of pain, more so than the cuts and stab marks given to him by Evelyn’s other comrades.

“You are nothing but insects buzzing around me! Die!” The Demon King swung their sword at Grey, ignoring the others as best they could. They were tired of them buzzing around like mosquitoes, but Grey was the worst of them all!

Grey was able to destroy the Demon King’s protective magical shield, but that didn’t stop the Demon King from trying to kill him. He didn’t care about Evelyn at the moment. Grey was a nuisance to him and should be the first to die! 

Azul saw that the Demon King was going berserk and was dead set on killing Grey, and felt his blood run cold. He refused to allow anyone to kill Grey again! Even if it meant having to sacrifice his own life!

He stepped in front of Grey, blocking a deadly overhead attack. He felt the powerful weight of the giant sword pushing him into the ground, trying to make him crumble, but he gritted his teeth and pushed upward, refusing to back down. 

Grey and Evelyn took this opportunity to blindside the Demon King and attack at the same time. Grey quickly moved behind the Demon King, bashing them in the back with a full force of heavenly power. This caused the Demon King to stumble forward, loosening their grip on their sword. 

As for Evelyn, she dashed past the sword, imbued her sword with holy magic, and slashed at the Demon King’s neck. This caught the Demon King off guard.

The Demon King tried to step back while fixing their grip, but Azul did his best to knock the sword out of their hands. 

“Die Demon King!” Evelyn shouted her attack like she was the main character of a novel. Even if it was cliche, it gave her the strength and courage to continue with her attack. 

She felt her sword coming in contact with the Demon King’s neck, but steeled herself and powered through. 

She yelled, putting all of her strength into this one move. Her face was a bit distorted, but how could she care? Everyone’s life was on her shoulders! 

In the end, her sword went through the Demon King’s neck and their head fell to the ground. 

There were no last words for the Demon King. There wasn’t even a sound from them. 

It took a second for the Demon King’s body to register that their head was gone. Their body slumped forward, and their hands loosened their grip on the sword, dropping it onto the ground. 

Everyone was silent and didn’t move. They waited a moment, waiting to see if the Demon King would move somehow, but they didn’t. 

Grey knew it was over because System 225 congratulated him. [Congratulations for completing the Side Mission: Help the Hero defeat the Demon King. Good luck on completing the main mission, Grey.] 

Finally, finally, they killed the Demon King! Evelyn was able to slay the Demon King!

With their victory, Evelyn would become the last Hero who created a new era of peace for everyone in this world.

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kuro_kama: I was so into reading, I forgot to edit the later part. Had to go again. My breath was caught up in my throat as I was reading. That was intense.

Grandpa Marky: Hello everyoneeee. I'm so tired. I'm exhausted. I've been trying to write and then do my coursework at the same time and just T_T my brain is tired someone help me. If only my stories could be written without typing LOL.  Anyway, that's it from me. I will see y'all next week. Have a lovely day/night my beautiful grandchildren! <3