Demon King Zoga.
He was classified as a mutated species of Ogre. A master of the greatsword, his strength was legendary—capable of bisecting a dragon in a single swing.
His rank was Master. He held the 5th Seat.
During the conflict known as the Battle of Arianne, he led the Demon King Army but suffered a devastating defeat. Forced into a shameful retreat, he fled and went to ground within the Kataroff Dungeon.
This was the intelligence Hero Eligion had shared regarding the Demon King.
And now, the Hero and the Demon King had finally engaged one another.
The Hero and the Demon King.
This conflict had been played out countless times since antiquity. Of course, the individuals holding these titles changed with the eras. In my own time, a hundred years into the future, the war involving the Hero and Demon King of this period was recorded as the Seventh Hero-Demon War.
Indeed, any war between a Hero and a Demon King was invariably titled a Hero-Demon War; this was simply the seventh iteration of that cycle.
"Well then, let’s begin," Hero Eligion said, drawing his greatsword.
It was no ordinary blade. The sword the Hero wielded was a legendary weapon said to be usable only by one who held his title.
A sharp clang echoed through the air as steel met steel.
Looking on, I saw the Demon King and the Hero trading blows.
"Eh?"
I was struck by a sense of vertigo. Only a moment ago, a significant distance had separated them. Had they really crossed that gap and entered each other's striking range in a single heartbeat?
"I can't even track them with my eyes."
The Hero and the Demon King continued to clash. Their movements were so blindingly fast that my vision failed to keep pace.
It had been hubris to think I could offer even a shred of assistance to the Hero. It was impossible for someone like me to intervene in a battle of this caliber.
"Good. It seems your wounds from the previous battle have healed. I'm relieved. I was worried it would be a hollow victory if I defeated a Demon King who wasn't at his best."
"Don't be impudent, whelp. The only reason I tasted defeat in the last battle was because I wasn't being serious."
"Hmm, I see. Well then, I suppose we can end the warm-up here. I'm going to start trying now, so do your best to keep up."
"I don't need you to tell me that! You piece of shit!"
What? They weren't even serious yet?
I couldn't hide my astonishment at their exchange.
"Ah, Kiska-kun. It's dangerous there. If you value your life, get further back."
"Y-Yes."
I retreated as fast as I could. The next instant, I was nearly knocked off my feet by a sheer wall of wind. The source was the shockwaves from their swordplay. How could the mere clashing of blades generate that much atmospheric pressure?
Even as I retreated, the deathmatch between the Hero and the Demon King intensified.
◆
Hero Eligion.
The First Prince of the Kingdom of Lastana.
Blessed with natural talent from birth, he had overwhelmed those around him in both the arts and the way of the sword. Five years prior, Eligion had obtained the skill <Hero>—the very essence of his title. For five long years, he had fought through the Seventh Hero-Demon War.
And now, he was fighting to bring the Demon King’s reign to an end.
Both the Hero and the Demon King were Master rank. In terms of standing, the Demon King held the 5th Seat while the Hero held the 7th. Despite the lower rank, the advantage remained with our side. This was because a Hero was an existence fundamentally destined to defeat a Demon King.
"Take this!" Eligion roared, swinging the <Holy Sword Hagentia>.
Hero Eligion possessed a skill called <Expert Greatsword User>, a powerful evolution created by synthesizing <Swordsmanship> with <Monstrous Strength>, which allowed him to wield a massive greatsword with a single hand.
Furthermore, he possessed a Hero's ultimate trump card: a skill called <Physical Ability Doubling>, which doubled his physical capabilities for a set duration.
The strike unleashed by Hero Eligion, bolstered by these factors, carried immense weight.
"Impertinent!"
Zoga brushed aside the full-power blow with his own greatsword.
However, the Hero didn't look surprised. If a Demon King couldn't block a strike of that caliber, the fight would have been far too boring.
"Then how about this?"
The Hero sharpened his focus for the next blow.
"Holy Path-Style Sword Technique: Cross Pierce!!"
Hero Eligion unleashed his sword technique.
In this world, there are items known as technique-bearing weapons. By forming a contract with such a weapon, one can master techniques unique to that blade. The <Holy Sword Hagentia> was one such weapon.
As the technique was unleashed, a cross-shaped radiance burst from Eligion. It was a cruel light that would eradicate any life form it touched—a truly transcendent ability.
But the Demon King was an equally transcendent existence.
"Heretical Path-Style Sword Technique: Broken Precepts."
The technique unleashed from Zoga’s weapon, the <Evil Sword Nidhogg>, met Eligion's strike head-on. It was an abyssal darkness that seemed to swallow all light.
Zoga did not relent in his onslaught.
"Hero! Taste this!"
Having parried Eligion's attack, Zoga raised his greatsword to deliver a killing blow.
"Heretical Path-Style Sword Technique: Ethereal Slash."
The <Evil Sword Nidhogg> was swathed in a black shroud, transforming into a gargantuan blade of darkness. The strike was so massive it carved into the dungeon walls as it descended toward Eligion.
In contrast, the Hero seemed slow to react, perhaps hampered by the recoil of his previous technique. At this rate, the Hero would be cut down. At least, that was how it looked to Kiska, watching from a distance.
"<Save>."
The Hero whispered the word. It was so soft that even the Demon King standing right in front of him couldn't have heard it.
However, by watching the Hero's lips, Kiska was certain—or at least reasonably sure—of what he had said.
In the next moment, an impossible phenomenon occurred.
"Wha...?"
Kiska stood frozen in disbelief. The most concise way to describe it was that Hero Eligion appeared to have split into several distinct entities.
But Kiska quickly realized the truth of the situation was far deeper.
"He’s repeating time over and over."
That was the conclusion Kiska reached. He was only able to deduce this because he himself possessed the <Save & Reset> skill—a skill he had received from Ageha, who had also claimed to be a Hero.
If that was the case, it wasn't strange for Eligion to possess a similar power.
Hero Eligion was repeating time again and again, searching for a path to victory. To Kiska's eyes, the Hero appeared to be splitting because the afterimages of Eligion from other timelines were lingering in the air.
Presumably, the Demon King was completely unaware that time was looping. Kiska only noticed because he shared a similar ability.
Hero Eligion continued to repeat the moment until he achieved success. After hundreds of loops, Eligion finally drove his greatsword deep into Demon King Zoga’s chest.
"Impossible..."
Those were the Demon King’s final words. It was clear to any observer that the Demon King had finally been slain by the Hero.