Chapter 161 - Volume 8 (1/2)

Volume 8, Chapter 19: Demon Lord, Part 2

The battlefield fell into chaos.

The general soldiery, who had been uneasy over the missing [Saint] began to despair and flee in terror.

Riding atop of the behemoth, the Black Saint had black, velvety hair, and had an escort of Demons that numbered in the thousands.

The natural enemy of all living things.

They were an existence that lived only to destroy the world, not even bothering to conquer or rob, nor creating anything at all.

The “souls” of the people instinctively understood that this was a being that was fundamentally incompatible with the world.

That which would bring the Apocalypse…… the true [Demon Lord] had descended upon them.

As the cold, emotionless beauty gently raised her hands toward the sky, dark clouds gathered, turning the bright day into an overcast night.

As the uneasy people stared towards the sky, *drip*… *drip*, a bone-chilling “black rain” began to fall. (TL Note: The reference here is too important to miss: black rain in Japanese refers to nuclear fallout rain, where the rain is turned black because of the radioactive ash thrown up into the air by the force of a thermonuclear weapon. It’s a horrific cultural memory.)

“Hya, ah…… hurgk”

“Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“T-Toxic rain ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The black rain began to paint the battlefield. The soldiers who were struck by it all began to shiver and turn blue, faces contorting in anguish.

It wasn’t unbearably painful. It wasn’t a pain that would break minds.

And so they all thought it was some sort of poison, and recognized it as a clear act of malice, and their despair seeped through the pain.

“All forces, retreat!!!”

The Hero Kyoji shouted out the command, and the officers and soldiers who heard him began to withdraw as quickly as they could, whilst those who didn’t began to rush to flee anyway.

Command had collapsed. It was an ugly rout where every man fled for himself, completely unbefitting professional soldiers – and yet, it saved their lives.

The Demons did not pursue them despite the wonderful opportunity.

“What’s going on……kuh!”

Kyoji glared at the Demonic host that was tormenting him in irritation.

The Demons who hadn’t moved an inch up until this point suddenly parted to two sides, and turned their heads to roar at the heavens like beasts.

“Run, you fools! Hurry!”

From elsewhere, the panicked voice of the Hero of Earth, Kanzo.

As the Hero-class and several warriors who hadn’t lost heart looked back, the behemoth that carried the Black Saint opened its mouth, erupting with a roar that shook the very atmosphere.

[GUUUUUUROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!]

In that instant, a huge shockwave overturned the ground itself, the earth erupting in clouds of dust and clods of dirt, blowing away everyone from the blast.

In that dusty haze, some of those who had been blown away and buried halfway into the earth staggered to stand and help their fellows.

“…… oi, what’s that”

“Wha-what in the world……”

The battlefield upon which they had been fighting on had vanished, leaving only a crater.

Is this what a [Demon Lord] was……?

Up until now, there had been many self-proclaimed Demon Lords, and some who had been named as Demon Lords because of their heinous acts.

But everyone could feel that this thing was a fundamentally different thing.

Could humans even resist such a foe……?

Was there no hope for this world?

There was the Hero, who was supposed to be humanity’s hope and its [Sword]. But…… at the very least …… if the Saint that had fallen to darkness was here……

“……That’s…”

Someone was muttering.

In the midst of the battlefield where all of human despair was on show, there were still those whose hearts had not yet broken, who were trying to figure out what was happening.

Toward that terrible scene of destruction that lay before her, they could see that the eyes of the expressionlessly cold and doll-like Black Saint were shimmering slightly as if she was grieving……

As they withdrew from the battlefield, talk from those who had seen it began to spread, and rumors abounded that the Saint had not completely fallen to the darkness. People began to speculate and grieve for the Saint that had been kidnapped by the Demons and then forcibly turned into a vessel for the Demon Lord, and a small hope began to bloom in their hearts.

* * *

“Thank you for all the good work, everyone!”

After confirming that all of the troops that could see me had withdrawn, I returned to [Lost Eden] and took a breather, taking off the black wig.

“It must have been hard on you, Lady Yurushia. Fannie is preparing your tea over there.”

“Thank you, Tina.”

I handed the wig off to Tina with my thanks while I walked over to the table where the I could smell the aroma of tea being prepared.

“It’s well done, but a bit too warm.”

“It can’t be helped. Because it’s prepared with the heat of my love”

“Ah…… I see.”

I don’t get it.

The long black hair was a wig made from Tina’s hair. When I took hold of it at first, it was a small blonde wig, but the moment I shifted roles into being a villain, it suddenly turned into that body-length black hair and surprised me.

Tina had prepared a towel for me, so as I wiped my eyes free of the dust, Tina spoke to me.