〈 Chapter 62: Expedition Team 〉
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A week ago, a support request arrived at the Church Headquarters in Saint City Hailen from the Sakh government.
The content was about the emergence of the notorious Demon King known as the Hero Killer.
It stated that he had killed a Hero ranked 157th and that numerous Heroes who had gone to confront him afterwards had been murdered as well.
However, the very first action taken by the Church upon receiving the support request was suspicion.
The Demon King, previously known as the Hero Killer, had shown a very different behavior.
Until now, he had always concealed his identity, roaming around and killing powerful Heroes in one-on-one battles.
But this time, he was making his presence known and staying in one place.
With this changed demeanor, various discussions took place within the Church.
It was a rare opportunity for the Demon King to reveal himself within the barrier.
As a result, the consensus was unanimous that he must be hunted down.
Even if it was a trap, it was deemed worth the attempt.
However, it was not easy to conclude how many resources should be dispatched to defeat him.
There were two main opinions.
One argued to send an advance team led by high-ranking Heroes to prepare for a possible trap, while the other insisted on sending Saint-level Heroes all at once to minimize the chances of missing the opportunity.
Ultimately, the decision was made to send the Saint-level Heroes.
The Hero ranked 4th, Saint-level Hero Stella, accepted the mission.
Unlike the 1st and 2nd ranked Heroes, who were unreachable in the Chaos Realm, and the 3rd ranked Hero, who was on another mission, she was available.
There was a belief that with her level of skill, she would be able to handle some unexpected situations.
In the worst-case scenario, even if multiple Demon Kings showed up, she could take them down together.
Of course, Sakh would not escape unscathed in that process, but that was only in the worst-case scenario.
Thus, an expedition team composed of five Heroes was formed.
Two high-ranking Heroes acting as the frontliners, a high-ranking Hero to block the Demon King’s movements, a top-tier Hero responsible for healing, and finally the Saint-level Hero Stella, who would annihilate the Demon King with her high-power magic.
Considering it was hastily assembled in just a few days, it was quite a stable expedition team.
They departed from Hailen and set off for Sakh.
Using a specially processed wagon made with barrier stones, there was no need to pass through the gate and go through Basilium.
Inside the rattling wagon, a high-ranking warrior asked, “By the way, Stella, you’ve caught Demon Kings several times before, right?”
He was a young Hero who had recently risen to the high-ranking position.
This meant that not only was he talented and skilled, but he had only fought powerful Chaos Beasts to reach high-ranking, never having encountered a Demon King.
In his eyes, a Hero like Stella, who had captured Demon Kings multiple times, seemed to stand on a different pedestal.
“Well, yeah.”
“Could you tell me how you caught them?”
Stella answered nonchalantly, “It was simple. While a big guy and a hefty one were holding them down in front, I just went kaboom with my magic.”
“Uh?”
In fact, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded.
To overcome the Demon King’s regeneration outside of the barrier, she had to hit him with non-standard magic multiple times, which was difficult even with her magic power.
Only after clenching her mind and draining her life force to pour out her magic could she finally defeat a Demon King.
However, there was no reason to be afraid of this expedition.
Her relics were better than before compared to that time.
Moreover, her magic had advanced contrary to the aging of her body.
And…
“There’s no need to be afraid just because it’s a Demon King. Sure, they’re strong and have significant regeneration, but they’re nothing special within the barrier. That’s why humanity is still alive today.”
The Demon King they were about to hunt was, for some reason, holed up inside a building within the barrier.
Unless something unexpected happened, capturing him would likely be easier than anticipated.
Especially since the Hero Killer was known to be an earlier-stage Demon King with relatively weaker power.
“Still, don’t let your guard down. We’ll be arriving soon, so make sure to prepare.”
Ahead, a black barrier in a half-dome shape was visible.
It was the barrier of Sakh.
‘Has it been almost 8 years?’
During the past 8 years, she had dedicated herself solely to researching magic, rarely stepping into real combat.
The reason was that no significant incidents had occurred.
The Church had also refrained from involving her unless the situation reached a level where a Demon King appeared.
A long-awaited battle.
Yet her senses felt as familiar as meeting an old friend again.
She habitually took her gloves out of her robe.
The wagon immediately entered the barrier of Sakh.
The watchtower of Sakh recognized the wagon as the Church’s special vehicle and allowed them to pass.
As they entered the city of Sakh, a problematic building came into their view.
Being the tallest building in Sakh, it was impossible not to notice.
‘They said it was at the top floor, right?’
At that moment, the archer fixed his gaze on the building’s rooftop and exclaimed, “It’s not just one.”
Among the Heroes, the archer had developed the ability to sense the presence of opponents, a necessary skill for someone in a rear-positioned role who needed to view the battlefield at a distance.
Though she was more combat-focused than detection-oriented, she was one of the few high-ranking archers and had impeccable detection skills.
“What do you mean by that?”
“There are two Demon Kings at the top floor.”
“What?!”
Didn’t even the government of a whole country distinguish whether there was one or two Demon Kings?
Well, it seemed that no Hero had ever returned alive after reaching the top floor.
“What about the identity of the other Demon King?”
“I couldn’t tell that much…”
Given how potent the aura of a Demon King was, sensing them was already difficult, let alone distinguishing two from one.
‘Should I increase the power even further?’
Her tactic was to launch a preemptive strike with her magic on the top floor.
Her magic could deal immense damage over a wide area, and she calculated there would be little collateral damage around the top floor.
However, increasing the power more than she had initially considered would change things.
‘I might have to consider damage to Sakh as well.’
As she moved to the range where she could cast her magic, the archer’s eyes widened.
“There’s one more inside.”
At that moment, Stella almost cursed.
The archer corrected himself, “This time, it’s a human. The sensed aura is faint, but he seems to be fighting on equal terms with the Demon King.”
“A human?”
It seemed there was still a Hero in Sakh who could match a Demon King.
Given this, they couldn’t just recklessly bombard the top floor.
“Let’s go up and check it out.”
They couldn’t just wait for the battle to end above.
With two high-ranking front-liners available, they could lend a hand if need be.
Just as they reached the entrance of the building, the archer froze.
“What’s wrong?”
“The fighting has stopped.”
“Is it over? Who won?”
Depending on the result, their decision to either use magic on the top floor or continue into the building would change.
But what the archer said was unexpected.
“They both haven’t fallen.”
“What?!”
“Those who were just fighting have simply stopped.”
He couldn’t comprehend it properly.
“Those bastards fighting until a moment ago just stopped?”
Rushing into a situation without understanding it could be fatal.
“Let’s go up slowly and gauge the situation as much as we can.”
However, as they ascended, the circumstances became more and more obscure.
“The aura of the Demon Kings has vanished.”
Surely the human who had halted the fighting had killed a Demon King.
And…
“The other Demon King seems to be in combat as well, but I’m not sure if we can truly call this a fight…”
“If it’s not a fight, then what?”
“It appears closer to torture or venting frustration. The Demon King’s side has completely lost its combat capability.”
When they finally reached the top floor, the archer spoke.
“…The Demon King is dead.”
This time, it was apparent even without the archer needing to say it.
Everyone could feel that the aura of the Demon King, which had been present on the top floor, was now completely gone.
And what lay before them confirmed it.
“He looks younger than I expected.”
“Did I just get beaten by a kid who’s still got a baby face?”
In their line of sight, a boy stood up, wobbling with a sword in hand.
His frame was quite mature, but his face still bore the characteristics of a child.
Above all, he was crying.
“A kid who just killed a Demon King and is now sobbing like that…”
Thinking it was strange, they approached the boy.
But the archer sensed something.
“Hold on, that guy…”
“What’s up, Ludmilla?”
She was sure she recognized him from somewhere.
Though he looked much younger then compared to now.
“That kid was with Gwen back then…”
He was undoubtedly the boy they had seen outside the barrier in the Basilium region.
And the sword he held…
‘Relic Gravitas Replicant?’
Unbelievable.
The boy they had seen back then appeared too frail to wield a sword.
Even Gwen’s claim that he was a porter lacked credibility.
‘How could such a kid capture two Demon Kings?’
The aura he emanated told them without a doubt that he was stronger now.
But still not strong enough to have captured two Demon Kings.
How could such a kid have done that?
“Ludmilla.”
“Yes?”
“I can tell that boy isn’t ordinary.”
Stella didn’t think of the boy as simply being average either.
However, what they needed to do now was clear.
“For now, let’s escort him back to Saint City Hailen. If we leave him like this, he’ll likely become a target for the remaining Demon Kings.”
The operation to defeat the Demon King that appeared in Sakh was over.
Now it was time to carry out their new mission.
“Hey, kid.”
As Stella called out, the boy, who was fixated on the Demon King’s corpse, finally lifted his head.
“You guys are…”
“I’m Saint-level Hero Stella. From this moment, I’ll secure your safety and escort you to Saint City Hailen.”
Just to be clear, the boy had no option to refuse.
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