Lord Demon is behind you

As soon as the words fell, the Demon King accelerated the release of the next spell.

"Gate of devouring!"

The newly emerging black hole covered the previous one that was about to disappear, and continued to control Stella steadily and continuously.

He raced against time to take out the blood bottle and gulped it down, then threw the bottle—turned around and rushed towards the brave man and the witch who were still glued to each other in the middle of the room.

"—However, I am completely different from you. Now I am also a person who can fight in a team!"

This is the real tactic: keep Stella at bay, join forces with the brave, and defeat the witch Emily first.

While running, he reached into his arms and took out a large handful of scrolls of light attribute.After all, he used to own the secret treasures of the entire Demon King City, so there is no shortage of such low-level props.

"It doesn't matter if it's 21 or [-], just eat me first! Let me see, this is... um, blue sky cracking waves!"

"Yahahahah!!"

Hit by the light magic released from behind, Emily screamed.She turned around sharply, using her wings to protect her body, barely escaped from the majesty of the Holy Sword of the Brave.

"What's going on...how are you still alive! Didn't Stella say that it only takes a few minutes to kill you—"

"That sounds like you're talking big, right?!"

The Demon King came back behind the brave man and tore open the next scroll.

"In short, she has been completely controlled by me. Let us join hands to deal with you now, and then I will use the holy light bomb!"

"Don't, don't be joking!" Emily slid back in a panic, barely avoiding the light spell, "You, why are you so disappointing, hey!"

The latter sentence was obviously addressed to Stella.

Stella didn't say anything, just lying on the ground, grasping the ground with ten fingers, resisting the attraction of the black hole.

"Obviously you are the guardian of this floor... There is no way, it seems that I can only rely on me to fight here!"

Emily flapped her wings to counteract the pull of the black hole, and rushed forward again.

"Profound Truth Blue Sky Hundred Cracks!"

This is a fighting technique with the attribute of wind attached.She was already dexterous, but with the blessing of attributes, she moved even faster, making it difficult to avoid.

The brave simply launched a defensive technique, ready to take all of them head-on.

"...Aren't you going to save her?" The brave man took the time to ask while resisting the wind fist falling like raindrops across the blade.

It is actually not difficult to fight against the spell called "Gate of Devouring".

As long as they leave a certain radius around the black hole, the mage can regain the ability to recite incantations. Although it will be affected to some extent, at least it will not lose all combat power.

With the strength of Emily's wings, it is absolutely possible to rush around the black hole and take Stella away.

"Huh?" The eldest lady made a questioning voice that was very inappropriate, "Why should I save her?"

"What are you talking about... Aren't you companions?" From the brave man's point of view, rescue is a matter of course.

"How is it possible?" Emily sneered as she released her skills heartily, "We are the BOSS now. How can there be a BOSS with companions in this world?"

The brave man was speechless.

"It's just that I have to fight against you together. In the final analysis, she and I are completely unrelated existences. It is completely different now and then, Mr. Brave. Your favorite companion game, as early as the moment we are not human It's over!"

Emily ignored the damage caused by the demon king's small light spell, and released the entire big move on her own.

For the final blow, both hands merged and hit hard——

Even though the brave man was in a defensive state, he was still forced to fly by this move.

However, the Demon King also seized the opportunity and released three magic scrolls in one breath while she was stiffening her moves, reducing her blood volume by a large amount.

"Are you okay?"

The brave supported his body with the holy sword, and stood up unsteadily: "It's okay."

Even if he activates the defense-enhancing skills in advance and adopts a defensive stance, it really doesn't feel good to forcefully swallow a secret.However, it's not a big deal.

"That's great..." Raising the sword again to get into a good posture, he suddenly said without beginning and ending, "It's great that I'm still a human being."

It's nice to have someone by your side to ask when you're hurting.

The Demon King understood without hindrance: "Don't worry, brave man! Even if you are not human, I will always be behind you!"

——This is really, I don’t know whether to count it as a reassuring or worrying statement.

But, at least at this moment, I am not alone.

After that, the devil chanted the spell of "Gate of Devouring" again and again, keeping Stella in place from beginning to end.

At the same time, the two dealt with Emily without any risk, and reduced the witch's blood volume step by step until an unknown amount of time later——

The hero finally swung his sword through her chest again.

"—"

This time she didn't scream.

Seeing that her health was approaching zero, and she didn't even raise her hand to struggle, she probably realized that the general situation was over.

She just used those eyes to keep watching the brave man who was close at hand.

"This time, I won't be soft-hearted." The brave man said quietly.Then he twisted the hilt of the sword vigorously with both hands, completely crushing the chest of the monster in front of him.

"...Ah, ah..."

The last bit of her blood volume was also cut off.The brave man drew out the holy sword, and Emily, who had turned into a witch, fell at his feet.

"Is this...the end? It's really, ugly, the end of the road..."

"...Miss Emily," the brave man knelt beside her, "...sorry."

"Don't say it. Didn't you say it, I... I just don't want to hear you say that."

The shell of the dying monster fell to the ground slightly cracked.Under the black shell, the white and tender skin belonging to a young girl was exposed again.

She let out a weak laugh from her throat.

"...I should be the one who apologized. I have caused you a lot of trouble, right? It was just because of a momentary resignation that this happened...My appearance is really ugly. But, at first I I didn't know it would become like this... I don't know, to become a demon, you have to abandon your human heart.

"I'm very scared, very scared... I don't want to admit that I have become a monster, so together with them, I desperately... develop the power of the demon clan. Turn my parents, disciples in the dojo, and people in the city into monsters. Became my subordinates...but, as long as I disappear, the curse on them will be lifted."

Her body gradually dissipated, decomposing into the most primitive data flow.

"This is really a mistake, a complete mistake... It should have been clear a long time ago, no matter how hard you struggle, you can't belong to me. But, Mr. Brave...

"...This is just a girl's, vain dream. She dreams of being loved by you, buying a new house in the capital with you, buying furniture, decorating rooms, and moving in together. Having children with you , live life peacefully, occasionally teach children swordsmanship or fighting skills, laugh and enjoy the sunshine together as a family... She just wants to live this kind of life with you."

"What was it that bewitched her like this?... In the end, I couldn't remember it anymore. When I was still living as a 'human', what did I think..."

Leaving the last soliloquy, the witch finally completely disappeared.

Clean, no trace of existence left.

This is the end of the girl Emily who once became the Demon King.

"—Stand up, brave man!" The voice behind him brought him back to reality, "There are still enemies in front of us, and it's not time to be sentimental!"

...that's right.The brave man took a few deep breaths, temporarily suppressed the overwhelming feeling of guilt in his heart, got up and walked to the opposite side of the room.

The steps are heavy, but firm as always.

Stella was still tightly suppressed by the spell of the Devouring Gate.As the brave man approached step by step, she noticed something and raised her head slightly.

"...Master Brave," she asked softly, "do you want to... wipe me out like that?"

"Ah, that's right."

The brave man dragged his sword and took another step forward.

"……yes."

She closed her eyes.

"...I don't care. Because, Mr. Brave, if you refuse to give me no matter what...then I, there is no way to live..."

"—But, why?"

Although he had warned himself in his heart not to cause extra problems, but at this moment, the brave man still couldn't help asking.

"I always thought that, Miss Stella, you are the embodiment of calmness and wisdom. Even when you are in a desperate situation and everyone is in a mess, your emotions can remain stable—but why did you become like this?"

"...Yeah. I should have been 'caused like that' in the first place, why did it become like this..."

The girl raised the corners of her lips rarely, revealing a sad smile.

"This is your fault, Mr. Brave."

"My fault, is it?"

"Well, it's all because of you, insisting on endowing the artifact with a human heart..."

The gate of devouring gradually failed.The Demon King was struggling at the back whether to make another one, while the Brave continued to move forward without knowing anything.

"I was created for magic research." Stella slowly sat up and straightened the hem of her clothes. "Only by maintaining a state of lack of emotion can I continue to think rationally. For me, it is impossible to communicate with others." Communication is the most normal. If you hadn't brought me into the human world, I should have lived peacefully as an artificial object forever——

"However, I am also at fault," she said, "I... am very happy. Being with the Brave-sama, whether it's talking, playing games, discussing issues, or fighting side by side... I am happy no matter what I do. "Happiness" is really an addictive emotion. I know how dangerous it is, but I can't help but indulge in it. Therefore, I am getting more and more afraid, because I know that the brave man will leave one day... when……"

"I'm alone again."

She hugged her knees, resting her chin on them.

"In that case, wouldn't it be 'unhappy'?"

The pleasant emotions that are common to humans, but she can only feel it when she is with the hero.

"This is abnormal, I know. Human beings should be able to feel happiness from many places, family and friends, games and enjoyment, and so on... I try to feel the world like a human being, but, always fail, keep failing. After all I'm not human. I can't do without a hero by my side, and without a hero, I'm not happy at all..."

He can neither think like a normal person nor abandon the feelings he has experienced.In this way, she became something between human beings and dolls, "neither of the other".

"I'm terrified. When I think about my life after leaving Mr. Brave, I feel so empty that I'm going crazy. I can't think normally...so..."

There was a slight cracking sound that seemed to be heard somewhere from her body.

"Stella, miss..."

"I think it would be nice to be able to create a brave man who belongs to me. It's very simple, all you need is a tube of cells, some instruments, and a mother for gestation. At that time, I will use my own body to conceive him , and be with him forever and ever, feeling 'happy' forever and ever—”

As if begging for something, she opened her hands, "I don't want to trouble Mr. Brave, but... cells, just a few cells, can't you give me anyway? You have already given me many, many." Happy', isn't that the last bit?"

On the fingertips protruding from the wide cuffs of the mage's robe, the white skin fell off piece by piece.

"This feels bad. Desperation... Is this supposed to be despair? I have figured out a way to make myself happy forever, and the material is within reach, but you refuse to give it to me. I can only stay outside the door of hope forever Wandering around, unable to get the key to enter the door."

Stella straightened her legs, stood up, and lifted the hood of the mage's robe.

——What was exposed immediately was not the girl's face, but an empty, pure black plane.

As she got up, the broken pieces fell to the ground one after another.

"And then, as you can see, I became like this...I succumbed to my own desperation and turned into a monster who only wants to get your cells."

Behind her, a pair of black membranous wings spread out.