Lord Demon is behind you

Stella, who turned into a monster, stood quietly at the same spot, showing no intention of launching an attack.

Her profile is even a little lower than the figure of the human form.There are no protruding claws at the ends of the limbs, and it seems to be non-aggressive; the face is flat, and even the eyes are not reserved.

Like an unfinished doll.

"Miss Stella—"

The brave man felt short of breath for a while.

Is it really a creature in front of you?Is she really alive?Under such a lifeless appearance, is there still the beating of the heart and the flow of blood?

Thinking of this, he involuntarily took another step forward, wanting to get closer to confirm whether the monster had body temperature.

"Don't move, brave man!" The demon king who was chasing after him pulled him back, "Don't go there, she is now—"

Just when the brave man stopped in a hurry, a series of large fireballs suddenly appeared out of thin air, hitting him within three feet one after another, stirring up a large cloud of sparks and smoke.

If they hadn't been caught in time, these fireballs must have fallen on the brave man.

"Is this her attack...?"

"Ah, it should be."

The devil looked solemn, and after a little thought, he took an empty bottle and threw it over.

The empty bottle was still in mid-air when it was chopped into pieces by a series of wind blades and ice thorns.And Stella remained motionless, neither chanting mantras nor making mudras.

"It seems that after she transformed into a demon king, she became a defensive and counterattack boss," said the demon king, "as long as someone invades her defense area, she will attack indiscriminately - equivalent to a mobile turret."

According to common sense, demons need to chant spells to cast spells, but this type of boss doesn't need it.All her attack spells are instant, and there is no cooling time; although it seems that only some low-level elemental magic can be used, but even so, it is enough to keep the two of them out of the line of defense.

"..." The brave man was silent.

"This is troublesome..." The Demon King secretly observed the brave man's expression, "I have seen that her magic resistance is very high, and long-range magic basically has no effect on her. Melee combat...even if you use magic resistance-enhanced Defensive spells are temporarily resisted. Considering the stiffness when being attacked, it is difficult for us to cause enough damage to her before the blood volume is too low. Her life value is considered low among bosses, but it is still much thicker than ordinary monsters That's it. How about we try to attack for a round first?"

"Well," the brave man didn't know what he was thinking, and he responded after a few seconds, "I'll go."

He took out a talisman that reduced the damage of all attribute magic attacks by 20% and hung it on his waist, and drank several potions that temporarily enhanced magic resistance.

"Ah, I'll go with you too," said the Demon King. "If there are two of you, at least we can share the firepower... right?"

After the preparations were in place, the two separated a certain distance and stepped into Stella's protection range from different directions.

Almost immediately, different spells slammed down on the two of them.

"Why is it Thunder and Fire again?!" The Demon King let out a very unreserved exclamation, "She is definitely still targeting me on purpose! Although she has been completely demonized, she is still thinking, this guy!"

On the brave side are sharp ground thorns and icicles.He smashed part of it with his sword, and used his body to forcefully carry the other part that could not be avoided. After all, he made a way out, insisted on walking to Stella, and raised the holy sword.

"—do you want me to disappear?"

Just like Emily at that time, a voice came out of nowhere, without warning.

Pieces of ice picks fell one after another, piercing through the brave man's armor and piercing into his back.The blood volume decreased at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The brave man completely ignored the opponent's magic attack, and swung the sword in his hand self-consciously. The blade landed on the puppet-like black body, and cut through it without any hindrance.It feels like cutting into black mud, soft and sticky, very uncomfortable.

"As long as you affirm this, I will take the initiative to die. I will definitely meet your expectations, because you, Mr. Brave, are the full meaning of my being a 'human'."

The brave man activated his skills, and the holy sword slashed down in a Z-shape, and at the same time his calf was pierced by the vines that emerged.

The two sides continued this slick mutual attack.

The brave man's attack is undoubtedly effective, and Stella's blood volume has indeed been reduced.But she didn't have any reaction to being hit, she just stood there without moving.

"I want to give birth to a child of 'you' for you - to give birth to another 'brave' for myself. I want to continue my meaning, that's all. You must do this and deny me all Is it? Rather than that... it is better to just call me dead. That way I can still deceive myself, at least I have fulfilled your wish in the end."

"No... I never want—that kind of thing..."

He never expected anyone's demise.

The next skill was activated, and the sword energy enveloped the blade, piercing the monster's skin.

"I was originally an artifact that didn't need the meaning of life, but I got the meaning of living from the brave man. But after that, you will abandon me... You have already abandoned me. Ahh... If you start , I’m just an ordinary man-made thing. If I haven’t felt human emotions, I won’t be in pain. Why do you have to take it back after giving it? You are a cruel person.”

Her voice lacked undulations as usual, and her face was completely smoothed out.Even this kind of rhetoric that should contain resentment can't read any emotional elements.

"--It was my fault……"

……?

Large pieces of falling rock fell on top of his head and body, and then shattered and splashed.

The brave man's HP was only about [-] points left, but he had no intention of backing down, and he clenched the hilt of his sword without stopping.

"Abstruse Truth Splitting the Sky——"

"Brave! Stop for a while, brave!"

The sound of stopping seemed to come from far away, and it became weaker and fainter.

"—Enough is enough, stop!"

A figure suddenly rushed over from the side and hit him.The brave man who was unprepared for this suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards on the ground, extinguishing the esoteric technique that had not yet been released.

"—"

The back of his head hit the ground with a thud.In terms of pain, it was not as severe as those caused by the previous magic attacks, but when the mind was shaken, it finally became a little clearer.

Of course, the only one who rushed out to stop him at this time was the Demon King.The latter scrambled to his feet and stretched out his hands hurriedly to drag him back.

"With our current blood volume, we can't last long. In short, retreat here first!"

■

Facing the slanted thunder and fire rain in a daze, the two almost scrambled and escaped from Stella's attack range, and fell to the ground panting.

"This guy is really not good..." Demon King rubbed his forehead and sighed, "The firepower is stronger than imagined. You have to attack carefully here, otherwise you will be killed if you are not careful. You are listening to me. huh, brave?"

The brave man looked over there, was silent for a moment, then got up again and picked up the sword.

"...Well, I'll try again. I'll be more careful this time."

Looking at his profile, the Demon King sighed.

"No, let's take a rest first. Your current state is not very suitable for challenging the boss."

He took the brave man's hand, half-forced his fingers, and took his sword.

"but……"

"No but. You are too affected by the guilt in your heart, and you can't fight like this. Before you defeat the enemy, you will not be able to persist."

——No, how could I fall down in such a place.The target that must be defeated is right in front of him - he instinctively wanted to refute like this.But a certain place in my heart is indeed constantly sending out signals of exhaustion.

Finally, he staggered and sat down again, burying his face deeply in his palm.

Guilt...?Maybe it is.However, it is more about self-questioning.

That was my own fault... right?

Regardless of Stella in front of him, Emily who just disappeared, or other companions who have fallen into demons, they all set foot on the road of no return because of his mistakes.

If I could do better, maybe things wouldn't be like this.

"You are such a cruel person" - Facing such flimsy accusations, he couldn't think of any reason to deny it.Because it was he himself who gave her hope but turned hope into despair.

Even though he is a brave man, he can't even save his most important companions. He even wants to give them an end with his own hands, paying for his mistakes with their lives.

Although it is impossible not to do this, although I know it must be so——but...

The emotions that had been suppressed in my heart since the incident started a few weeks ago finally broke out.It wasn't that there was no anxiety and guilt before, but it was just forcibly ignored all the time, and the immediate goal was the first; but now it has reached its limit.

"—— Brave."

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, wrapping him in a warm embrace.

It was a hug that was purely reassuring, without any impurities.

The Demon King said softly: "You push yourself too hard, Brave. It is your strength to never evade responsibility, but human beings are a kind of creature that can only live well if they blame each other. Blindly take all responsibilities, It's so heavy. You'll be overwhelmed by morality and guilt."

He folded his hands on the back of the brave man's.

"Do you still remember? I was the one responsible for the incident. It was I who angered them and led to the current situation, so you just have to blame me as much as you want, and you don't have to blame yourself like this anymore. This will make it easier ?...Don't worry, the demons don't have the moral values ​​of human beings, and it's not easy to feel guilty. No matter how much you complain, I won't repent."

"Do not……"

When he spoke again, his voice was so hoarse that the brave man himself was startled.

"It's none of your business."

Don't talk about anything else, just talk about Stella in front of you.Even without the appearance of the Demon King, as long as the hero continues to reject her request for "cells", it will only be a matter of time before she falls into the current situation.

This is one's own responsibility and must not be evaded.If I escape here, I'm afraid... I won't be able to stand up again.

"—Okay, then let's think about it in a different direction," the Demon King unconsciously rested his chin on the shoulder of the brave man while maintaining his arms crossed, "Let's start from the source of the incident—why did you reject her at that time request?"

"Hey? Tell me why..."

"She is your important companion, I think, according to your character, even if she asks you to cut off an arm, you will agree without hesitation," said the devil, "but you didn't agree to her. What is your reason? What reason did you reject her?"

"The reason... I haven't thought about it."

It was only then that the brave man realized that he had rejected it almost subconsciously at that time, without thinking much at all.

"I think, this is too absurd... How can I agree to implant my cells into the body and give birth to a child exactly like me..."

"Hey——" the Demon King made a specious voice, "But it's not bad for you, is it?"

"You only need to pay a little bit of cells, and then she will live in seclusion with this little hope. Even if she really cultivates a creature exactly like you, it has nothing to do with you-you and 'him' will never be in the same life." Just met, didn't you? And it would make her happy. What a lucrative offer, why would you say no?"

"Just, even if you say that...but if you do this, she...I..."

"If you think about it in a more understandable way," the demon king stared at him from a very close position, "a woman begged you to give her a child, and promised to take the child away from home and never bother you. At this time, why do you How about rejecting her request?"

"—Only a scum would agree to such a thing!"

The brave finally realized the source of the sense of disobedience.

"However, firstly, if you don't have a lover, this is not a betrayal of your lover; secondly, she is extremely looking forward to your answer, which is completely voluntary; thirdly, this matter will not be known by others, and no one will condemn you, and it is also true for you. Completely harmless."

"But in this way, what do I think of that girl! How can she treat others like this? Wouldn't her mood be—"

Stopped abruptly.

The Demon King and the brave man looked at each other silently, and after a while, the Demon King suddenly showed a satisfied smile.

"That's probably the problem!" He let go of his arms, stood up and announced loudly, "Hero, do you understand? This is the real reason! The reason why you have to reject her is precisely because you have always put She respects her as a 'person'!"