How many times had I sliced Aldebaran apart by now? Each time, his entire body would erupt into flames, tearing a scream from his throat.
At first, he had hurled furious curses at me with a demonic look on his face, but he no longer screamed so clamorously. Then, having witnessed Urokoonu and Fuguo fall in defeat to Somni and Tetor, he finally reverted from his crocodilian visage back to the humanoid form he had held before transforming. Sinking to both knees, he merely muttered in a daze.
Seeing him in such a frail state, stripped of even the will to fight, the fierce rage that had consumed me moments ago subsided.
Likewise, Aldebaran's subordinate demons, who had been humming that annoying, unpleasant song until just a while ago, lost all expression and silently watched over us.
"Why... is this happening...?"
To Aldebaran's question, repeated who knew how many times now,
"Who knows. But I think you're just like me."
I gave that reply.
"What do you... mean by that...?"
Looking up at me, Aldebaran asked, and I continued.
"You're the end I would have met if I hadn't encountered the Great One. Nothing more than a miserable, weak, tiny nobody swallowed up by a raging torrent."
That was right. Aldebaran was surely who I used to be in the past. If I hadn't met the Great One, I would undoubtedly be the one kneeling on the ground like this right now.
A ridiculous clown who blindly believed himself to be a supremely talented being blessed by God. That was who I was in the past, and that was the Aldebaran before my eyes.
"I-I am a true Demon King—"
Aldebaran looked up at me, trying to shout with a desperate look on his face, but I cut him off with my right hand.
"No. There is always someone greater in this world. Superficial things like that don't prove strength."
I shook my head firmly in denial.
Throughout this long journey of mine, I had come to understand it clearly. Authority, bloodline, wealth, and even martial prowess—all the things I believed were symbols of strength in the past—were nothing more than worthless junk in the eyes of the truly strong.
And that didn't just apply to Aldebaran. It was the same for supernatural entities like the Forneus he had summoned.
To an absolute powerhouse like Lord Kai, the ostensible strength they put their faith in probably didn't hold a shred of value.
Strength is shattered by an even greater strength. Perhaps that was something akin to a truth that Lord Kai himself believed in.
"Then what do you call strength, huh?"
"Surely, it is conviction."
"Conviction?"
Frowning at my words, Aldebaran questioned me, and I gave a firm nod.
"Yeah. Because I believe that is the one thing no one in this world can ever shatter."
Even against absolute might, there are things that cannot be broken. I had seen plenty of them throughout this journey.
Kiji's desire to protect the New City of Ket Nya.
Tama's kindness.
The bond of friendship with Chato that transcended races.
Bū's care for his comrades.
And my feelings for Char. No matter how many defeats we suffered, that was the one thing they could never steal from us in the end.
There were certainly a few strokes of luck and irregular factors along the way, but because of those feelings, I had managed to reach Lord Kai and corner Aldebaran like this.
Something that no mighty being can ever strip away. That is conviction. I'm certain Lord Kai hosted this series of games because he wanted me to realize that.
"..."
Aldebaran's eyes widened for a moment, and then he burst into laughter as if a dam had broken. And then—
"Conviction... That is certainly something the current me lacks..."
After muttering that forlornly, his face transformed into that of a glaring beast.
"I am Aldebaran, one of the Four Great Demon Kings! Let me hear your name once more!"
He raised his voice.
"I am Gilbert Loto Amelia—a human!"
"Gilbert Loto Amelia... I've heard rumors about you. So you're that rumored idiot prince of the Holy Amelia Kingdom. Good grief, fate truly is a fickle thing. To think that I, a Demon King, would be cornered this far not by a legendary Hero, but by someone who is the very definition of a fool among humans..."
With a self-deprecating smirk, Aldebaran braced himself.
"I agree with that."
I, too, raised Flame in a high stance and lowered my center of gravity.
In an instant, we clashed.