Standing in mid-air, I looked down at Dorda.
Tension hung thick in the air, heavy and suffocating. I remained mindful of my every movement. My opponent was a man who commanded that level of caution.
"Dorda of the Roaring Thunder" was a pirate who had been in his prime back when I was still human. He was a powerhouse who had rampaged across the world's oceans; it was said that his personal hoard of treasure alone was enough to build a nation. Even the demons serving the previous Demon King gave the waters Dorda controlled a wide berth. That alone spoke volumes of the man's influence.
The reason Dorda had been named as a Hero Candidate stemmed from the time he had rejected the mission for the Demon King's Subjugation. A country—not the fallen Kingdom, but another—had reached out to him, despite his reputation as a treacherous and villainous pirate.
The only thing they received in return was the severed head of their messenger. Gold coins had been stuffed into the corpse's mouth—Dorda’s own brand of dark irony.
Generally speaking, he possessed a wild and dangerous personality, but as long as one stayed away from his territory, they remained safe. For that reason, the various nations had tacitly ignored Dorda's Pirate Crew. On the rare occasion someone attempted to assassinate him, they were invariably slaughtered instead; it had become something of a recurring tradition. Until the previous Demon King was finally destroyed, Dorda had reigned as a world-renowned villain.
To think such a pirate would be here in the Imperial Capital ten years later...
It was truly beyond calculation. The Empire should have been a place with no connection to a man like him. While reports from my spies had mentioned a knight who utilized Lightning Magic as a person of interest, they hadn't uncovered his true identity. This, too, must have been classified information.
It was a truly strange encounter.
"I had heard the Demon King was a cowardly Necromancer, but it seems I was misinformed. You are capable of a heart-pounding battle as well, it seems," Dorda said, sounding genuinely delighted.
Even facing the Demon King, he showed not a flicker of fear. To a man who had spent decades battling sea monsters, a Lich likely seemed like a trivial opponent.
"Heart-pounding, is it? 'Roaring Thunder'... you aren't so bad yourself."
"Hoh, it has been quite some time since I heard that name. I am honored that the Demon King knows of me."
Dorda looked surprised, though his expression suggested the part about being "honored" was a joke.
"You were a pirate. Why are you in the Imperial Capital?"
"Hah! How many years ago was that? I retired from piracy the day my beloved ship sank. Currently, I am but a hired General."
Dorda let out a boisterous laugh and placed a hand over his chest. I found it genuinely surprising that he had abandoned the sea to become a General of the Empire.
"Have you sworn loyalty to the Empire?"
"Hardly. I simply sought an endless struggle. Whether on sea or land, it makes no difference to me. The Empire was merely the most convenient tool to satisfy my cravings."
It was an answer typical of Dorda. Rare was the man to whom the word "loyalty" was so ill-suited. As he described himself as "hired," his affiliation was likely only temporary. For Dorda, this was probably nothing more than a way to pass his leisure time.
"Well, enough idle chatter. I have been ordered to repel the Demon King. Once I have exterminated you, I must set about cleaning up the undead within the city."
Dorda glanced down at the devastated cityscape, exhaled slowly, and raised his battle-axe. The Purple Lightning that had momentarily settled began to surge and crackle once more. Through the synergistic effects of Physical Enhancement Magic, he was exerting a level of physical strength that had long since surpassed human limits.
"—Here I come."
Dorda dropped into a low stance, and in the next instant, his form blurred. He raced through the air, trailing afterimages as he lunged forward to cleave me with his battle-axe.
I noted his incredible speed. During our brief conversation, I had used magic to enhance my visual acuity. Though I lacked physical eyes, the sensory enhancement worked perfectly. Dorda’s movements no longer appeared as flickering blurs.
"Hmph!"
Dorda swung his battle-axe downward in a vertical split. It was an extremely simple attack, but the sheer power and speed made it almost impossible to defend against. It was a more than sufficient threat.
I twisted my body just before the blade connected. I felt the shock of the strike grazing my shoulder. Ignoring the sensation, I extended a hand wreathed in Miasma toward Dorda's face.
"Gnu...!"
Grimacing, Dorda pulled back his battle-axe and retreated. Even he recognized that a direct hit from my Miasma was something to be avoided. While the output of his Lightning Magic could offset the Miasma to a degree, he clearly had his limits.
If I can touch him, I can finish this.
I manifested Forbidden Magic Vines from my palm, sending them lashing out to entangle him. No matter how great his strength, he would not be able to resist Undeadification.
"Nuo!?"
Dorda let out a startled cry but immediately began hacking through the approaching vines with his battle-axe. His reaction speed was extraordinary; dozens of vines were severed in the blink of an eye.
Regardless, I continued to generate more.
He possesses fearsome ability. However, it is not enough.
Through this series of exchanges, I reached a conclusion. "Dorda of the Roaring Thunder" was not a threat capable of killing a Demon King. He remained within the confines of human strength. At the very least, he was not an existence capable of halting my progress. If this encounter was meant to be an obstacle placed by the will of the world, then I was being severely underestimated.
While Dorda was occupied with the vines, I directed my consciousness elsewhere—to the nearest Artillery Battery mounted on the Outer Wall. I had previously secured it with vines. I cancelled the spell, releasing the restraint. Then, using the undead former operator still inside the battery, I had the gun barrel rotate.
I aimed the barrel directly at Dorda’s back.
The shell was already loaded. I could fire whenever I chose.
Once I confirmed the targeting, I gave the order to fire. Dorda, having just cleared the last of the vines, reacted instantly to the projectile launched from behind.
"G-ooooooooh!?"
He slammed his battle-axe against the incoming shell, forcing it off-course amidst a shower of sparks. There was a deafening roar accompanied by a shockwave and a burst of lightning. The shell, its tip mangled, whistled past Dorda and me.
To think he could repel a point-blank bombardment...
I revised my evaluation of Dorda upward. He possessed truly extraordinary technique and physical strength. He was a man undoubtedly worthy of being called a hero. Had his personality and conduct been better, he might have truly become the world's Hero. He possessed an aura of command that made me believe it.
"...Ugh."
Dorda let out a soft groan. The price for parrying the shell had been high; his battle-axe was shattered, and blood poured from both his arms. His overworked muscles had reached their breaking point. His bones were likely fractured as well. He looked as if he might drop his weapon at any moment.
I closed the distance, approaching him from behind. I wrapped his limbs in vines, sealing any chance of a counterattack. Through his helmet, Dorda turned a gaze of pure ecstasy toward me. His blue eyes burned with a feverish intensity.
"M-magnificent—"
Ignoring his murmur, I aligned the fingers of my hand and swung them in a horizontal arc.
Dorda's head took flight.
His head, still encased in his helmet, was consumed by Black Flame and vanished into ash. I cast his body, still bound by the vines, down toward the city. Spouting blood from the jagged neck, Dorda’s remains disappeared into the streets of the Imperial Capital.
After watching him fall, I landed on the Outer Wall.
The Empire is desperate to bolster its military might. Were they truly plotting a Continental Conquest?
Though I didn't know exactly when they had recruited him, they had gone so far as to hire Dorda as a General. Their ambition to invade other nations was genuine. Had I left them to their own devices, they likely would have continued their shadowy machinations. It seems intervening at this stage was the correct decision.
A slight distraction, but my schedule remains unchanged. I will proceed to seize the Empire's classified documents. I intend to finish everything by sunset and depart this place.