Manadeshi ni Uragirarete Shinda Ossan Yūsha, Shijō Saikyō no Maō toshite Ikikaeru

C2: Activation, Power of the Demon Lord

I’ve been asked to save them…

I was a human until just a few moments ago but I’ve been revived as a demon king, which means that……I’m a demon now, right? Nevertheless, my mind remains that of a human.

I had fought as a hero to protect the world of humans, and now I was being asked to fight those humans, I was at a loss.

Yes, I’m a hero who protects people even though I’ve been betrayed but suddenly, gloomy words welled up from within.

“I’m a hero.”

I mumbled to myself.

The same hero as the one who had betrayed me?

Also, words spring up from within my mind. Damn, what was I thinking…….

“My Lord, take this.”

It was Stella’s voice that interrupted my inner conflict. She held out her hand toward me. From the emptiness, a mask with an evil pattern appeared. It glided through the air and landed squarely on my face.

“This is…”

“It is better to hide the fact that you are a former human. As it is, you’ll be considered an enemy by both humans and demons.”

Stella said.

“For the humans ‘the hero who turned to the demon world’ and for the demon tribe, ‘the human who defeated the previous demon king’.”

“……That may be true.”

I was a hero, but now I’m wearing the mask of a demon king.

“This mask can never be removed by simple force. It has been enchanted so that it can only be removed by your will.”

Stella continued,

“So far, I’m the only one who knows about this. Of course, I will not tell anyone else.”

Her slit eyes were staring straight at me.

“There you are, Demon Lord!”

At that moment, several warriors came into the hall. I wondered if Lyle was there as well.

I turned my gaze to them. The man who was my student, my best friend, my partner, and my son. The man who killed me.

“I’m Alec the Brave!”

“And I’m Fred!”

“My name is Jeremy! Prepare yourself, Demon Lord!”

The heroes identify themselves in order.

“No……Lyle, huh?”

I sighed under my mask.

A decisive attack by a hundred heroes to defeat the Demon King…Was done about three days ago. Lyle and I were a part of it.

Many of my friends were killed or separated by the demon tribe, and by the time we reached the Demon Lord’s castle, it was just me and Lyle. Then I proceeded to the top floor and fought the Demon King… Now, like this, I myself have become the Demon King.

I wonder what happened to Lyle after that. Is he fighting somewhere else? Or….

“I won’t let you touch the Demon Lord!”

This time, the soldiers of the demon tribe came.

“What? That’s not Yulisha-sama…….Who are you?”

The first female demoness in the group looked confused. She is a young girl with red hair tied up in a ponytail.

“Silence, Captain Lilim. This one has replaced Yulisha as the new Demon Lord.”

Stella announces solemnly.

“The New Demon Lord……!”

“I know you’re confused, but this is an emergency. Do what you have to do.”

Stella tells the surprised Lilim.

“Yes, that’s the Demon Lord’s crest…….Then we will protect him.”

”Hmph, let’s take them out first before we deal with the Demon Lord.”

The heroes and the demon soldiers face each other.

“Now, please step back.”

At Stella’s urging, I stepped back. I’m still trying to sort out my feelings. In theory, as a hero, I should be on the side of the humans. And yet, something in me holds it back. What is this feeling…..? Is it because Lyle betrayed me?

Have I fallen in love with Stella and the demons? Or….

In the face of my confusion, the battle between the heroes and the demons began.

The three heroes each held a spear of the same design.

Miracle Armament, it is a sacred armor given to humans by God to defeat evil. Those who have the aptitude to handle it are called Heroes.

“Blast them!”

One of the heroes thrusts out his spear.

“Go, Undine!”

“Ggh!”

“Aah!”

The stream of water that shot out from the tip of the ear became a sharp blade that sliced through several demons.

“There they go, dead again! I guess I’m on top now.”

There were a number of what looked like demon heads hanging from his waist. If I look closely, I can see that the other two are the same.

“There are still plenty of demons out there.”

“We’ll turn this around!”

The heroes were grinning and laughing. These guys are playing the “game” of hunting demons…….!

I was in a bad mood. I’ve defeated many demons myself. It is natural to exchange lives in battle. But it’s not the same as enjoying it like a game. If you forget even the minimum respect for your enemy, you are no longer a hero or a warrior. What they’re doing is not fighting, it’s just killing. It’s as if they’re the demons themselves.

“Everybody, get back! I got this!”

Lilim stepped forward. Her body faded and became translucent, it instantly became soft and spread out. Is she a member of the slime family?

“I’ll be your shield, you guys get back in formation…ouch!”

The slime woman screamed. The water stream released by the heroes turned into a spear and pierced her body.

“Captain Lilim!”

“No, it’s too strong…”

The demon tribesmen under her command shouted in despair and fear. Normally, physical attacks are ineffective against slimes. However, as expected of a miracle armament, that stream of water seems to be able to damage slimes as well. Still, she stood her ground, trying her best to protect her friends.

“Oh……oh…..oh……!”

Her whole body was pierced, and she was screaming in pain, but she didn’t take a step back.

I’ve been fighting against the demons as one of the heroes. The demon race that threatened the human world, they were an enemy to be defeated.

“But……”

I grit my teeth tightly and look at Lilim, who had been pierced many times and still stood there defending her friends.

“I don’t care if it’s a human or a demon…….”

I can’t ignore a scene like this.

“Stop!”

I shouted in anger and advanced.

“Huh, the Demon Lord is going to deal with us in person?”

“Yeah, if we can beat this guy, we’ll become major players.”

The heroes cheered.

My opponents were three heroes. If they came to the castle of the Demon Lord, they must be elites. I’m not sure if I’d be able to compete with them in my previous lifetime, but what about “me as the Demon Lord”?

As I looked at them, countless letters appeared in the air.

Name: Alec

Class: Knight-type hero

Total LV: 110

HP: 560

MP: 170

Attack: 302

Defense: 440

Evasion: 415

Hit: 700

Equipment: Miracle Armament “Undine”

Skills: Water flow spear attack LV7, Water Barrier LV4

“Is this the ‘status display’ that Stella showed me earlier……?”

Apparently, I can do the same thing.

That was the display of the first hero, but the other two had similar numbers. My overall level is 4702, and my opponents are all in the 100 level range. In simple numerical terms, I’m way ahead.

“What are you waiting for?”

“There are so many openings!”

“Pierce the Demon Lord, Undine!”

The three spear-shaped miracle weapons all unleashed a stream of water blades at once. If the opponent is using water, should I counter it with fire? As soon as I thought about it, another display appeared in front of me.

Fire: The lowest level of fire magic, less powerful, but faster to activate.

Burst Bomb: Causes an explosion over a wide area. The range and power increase with the level of the magician.

Meteor Blades: A slash of flame. Basic reach is about three meters.

There are hundreds of other spell names on the list. It was probably a list of spells I could use.

“I’ve never used magic before. I’ll just use ‘Fire’ for now.”

I chose the lowest level of magic, just for practice. It’s a flame, a small fireball about the size of a pea was born. Slowly moving through the air, the fireball collided with three streams of water…

It caused a tremendous explosion.

“What is that……?”

The three streams of water evaporated in an instant, and the three heroes disappeared without even being able to scream. In addition, the floor, the walls, melted into mush and burned away. The ball of fire continued on its way and flew out of the castle, reaching a mountain range a few kilometers away and wiping out several mountains at once.

“I used the lowest level of magic……didn’t I?”

It’s a little more than I imagined, far more powerful – a hell of a lot more powerful.