Lord Demon is behind you

A cold, dull pain came from the brave man's back.When he just fell, he landed on his back, as if he had just hit a sharp corner of some metal object.

There was pure darkness all around.In the absence of any light, the human eye loses the ability to see; now he has absolutely no way of judging his surroundings by sight.

What kind of place he is, what kind of things are around him - he doesn't know any of these key information.Using my arms to touch the objects around me, I can only touch cold metal surfaces and sharp edges; the air is filled with the dull smell of deja vu.The only thing that is certain is that he is now leaning on the surface of a certain metal object.

——At least this must be the seventh floor.The location of the hole opened by the Demon King was correct, it was accurately hit on the node connecting the seventh floor and the eighth floor; however, it was not like the scene on the seventh floor he had seen before.

A small thing fell into the arms of the brave man, a small humanoid amulet.

Talisman "Stand-In Doll" - It emits a soft white light, momentarily illuminating the large, grotesque machines around it.

The white light amplifies slowly, forming the shape of a human body.When the light went out, a warm body fell down with a plop, and landed on the brave man.

"—Ah, the brave..."

It was the voice of the Demon King that sounded close at hand.

He stood up somewhat flusteredly.Because of the sequelae of the death just now, his hands and feet seem to be not very obedient, and he can't coordinate well.Originally trying to support the ground, he slipped instead, causing him to fall head-on into the arms of the brave man again.

The Demon King's head hit the brave man's chest hard.He gasped, and waved his arms more frantically, trying to grab something to support himself, but in the end he only grabbed the brave man's shoulder.

After a moment of stiffness, the brave man held him down hesitantly, and said softly: "...You better not move yet."

"……sorry."

The devil fell down on him in frustration, apologized obediently, and reached out to rub the place where his chest was knocked.

"Does it hurt...? Sorry, I'm a little, that, just... I can't... get used to it for now."

His voice gradually diminished, and finally disappeared completely.In the darkness, I couldn't see the other person's expression clearly, I only knew that he was moving his body uneasily.

Brave is well aware of his condition. No matter how many times one experiences "death", it is impossible for anyone to get used to it; it's just that the loss of limbs is enough to adapt quickly.

He wanted to tell the other party that there is no need to force him, but he couldn't make a sound smoothly.

The devil happened to touch the bloody hole in his chest that had been pierced by a gun before.This kind of penetrating injury with tearing damage cannot be healed all at once. Even if the loss of health has been made up, the bleeding state caused by it has naturally disappeared, and the wound will temporarily exist for a period of time.

After such a long time, the wound has almost healed, but the traces that cannot be eliminated can still be felt when touched.

"It hurts...?"

The Demon King asked softly again.He hadn't completely shaken off the impact of the death just now, and his fingers were still trembling; but at this moment, he was just brushing the penetrating wound with his cold, trembling fingers very gently, completely prioritizing his own discomfort.

"Sorry, I'm too slow. I said I'd be there soon, but in the end I let you support it alone for so long. Brave, how did you get from the ninth floor..."

"—Why are you apologizing to me?"

The brave man couldn't hold back for a moment and blurted out.

"……Hey?"

In the darkness, no one could see the other's face clearly.

"Why... because I didn't do what I promised? As a companion, I should face the enemy with the brave man, but the brave man had to persevere alone—"

"But this is my own responsibility!"

The brave man grabbed his shoulders firmly.

The devil suddenly stopped talking.Even if the other party's face could not be seen, the other party's bewildered emotions were clearly conveyed.

"It was my responsibility to defeat the witch, and this was my battle. It was I who got you involved...and made you pay a painful price more than once. Why do you have to apologize to me in the end! Obviously it should be I--"

The brave man covered his forehead with his hand.

Why... it feels like something bad is scrambling to push the envelope.The eye sockets are sore like never before.The last time I felt this way, it seemed to be in my teenage years.

"It's me who should apologize...Although, apologizing doesn't help—"

As the witch on the eighth floor said, the hero himself is the one who started everything.And this instigator hasn't realized anything yet... After causing such a serious situation, he can still come here with peace of mind and continue to defeat his former companions, do things that hurt others in the name of the righteous, and further hurt the new companion...

And it failed to protect anything the whole time.After all, he was just a loser.

"Eh, eh...? But I—wait a minute, brave..." The Demon King stammered, "Didn't we agree from the beginning? Support each other as companions, move forward together, and then...why You suddenly—”

"Because...you don't need to do these things."

Originally, he didn't need to work so hard, fight or be killed by an inexplicable witch, or encounter various tragic deeds and leave painful memories.

The Demon Lord seemed at a loss for what to do with his sudden emotion.This is normal; the brave himself has a hard time understanding what he wants, but only vaguely realizes that if he doesn't say it, he may really lose the will to persevere.

"You should...after finishing your mission in the Human World, go back to the Demon World and continue to live the same life as before—"

——He should have lived a life full of stars, carefree, and standing at the top of the world. He shouldn't be with such a boring brave, fighting desperately for a moment, for the sake of others. Goal and pay the price again and again.

He shouldn't have done this kind of thing for this kind of person in this kind of place.

Precisely because he puts the opponent in an important position in his heart, when he sees that the opponent is injured or even died due to his own fault, the brave man will hate himself especially.

"What are you talking about, brave man!"

The demon king grabbed him with his backhand, and his tone was a little flustered, "Why do you say such things suddenly? What's wrong with you? I've been wondering since just now, when I was still on the eighth floor... What did those witches say to you? Or what did they do?"

What did you do...?

The row of blue negative states still hangs on his body, flickering and taking effect all the time, showing that they are always affecting him; but the brave man doesn't care much anymore.

In fact, it's not that he never encountered the "mental state down" buff during his previous adventures, but he was always able to easily overcome it with his own will before, and was never seriously affected.

——That must be because the previous self had a strong enough belief, but now this belief can no longer support it.

He is no longer completely sure of the justification of his actions.

"It's not because of other people's words, it's just that I realized my own fallacy." If it wasn't for my own confusion, no matter how eloquent others are, it is impossible to shake my determination.

"No, there is definitely something wrong," the Demon King insisted, "This is not something a brave man in a normal state can say—"

"—What's really wrong is the me in your head."

"—" The Demon King was stunned, "The Brave——"

"You have never understood me," the brave man gritted his teeth, and said slowly, "What you have known has always been the perfect person you imagined...that is me that only exists in your imagination. But The real me also has bad parts, I have many, many shortcomings, I have made too many serious mistakes, I am not what you think at all, and..."

It doesn't deserve to be loved so deeply.

"Why do you like me after all?"

And I also like it to the point where I can devote myself to fighting for this relationship.

"I'm just an ordinary human being, and my lifespan and ability limit are far lower than your demons. Even as a human being, I'm not good enough: I don't have the strength to conquer the world, or the appearance that makes me fall in love at first sight, or the wealth that rivals my country." Money; being able to get the title of 'brave' is just out of good luck, and occasionally you can persist more than others, but this persistence eventually brings disaster to others... There is no place worthy of recognition by others."

The uneasiness that had been accumulated for a long time burst out in one breath.

It wasn't until he finished speaking that the brave man realized what he had just said.But it doesn't matter anymore; this kind of question has been held in my heart for too long, but when I really ask it, it is surprisingly easy.

The demon king kept pressing on his lap, and he didn't move at all or make any movements when he spoke.It wasn't until the brave man began to feel uneasy about the other party's silence, wondering if he had asked a question that made him uncomfortable, that he sighed slowly, and stretched out his hand in the darkness.

"Okay, brave man," he said softly with his hands on the brave man's eyes, "I probably understand. What you need now is to close your eyes and sleep. After this time passes, your mental state will The falling negative buffs cleared out...and that's it."

"you--"

How did he realize the existence of those negative buffs?No, more than that, "What I said has nothing to do with—"

"Of course it is," the devil interrupted him unquestionably, "brave man, you put too much pressure on yourself. There is an upper limit to human mental endurance. Once you break through the upper limit, you will have a mental breakdown. No matter how strong you are, human beings are no exception."

"You must have been corroded by that witch's mental attack before, right? Now you are in a vulnerable period... No wonder the iron can on the eighth floor has been saying some specious things. She probably wants to use words to further stimulate you. It’s best to let you completely destroy yourself. If you lose the will to fight as a hero, then humanity will be completely finished.”

"Come on, listen to me," he further softened his voice, "believe me, at least for now, don't think about anything, don't say anything. Go to sleep. When you wake up again, you can find The original self."

The more firmly he spoke, the more uncomfortable it made the brave man.

Although I also have a guilty conscience that I am making trouble for no reason, but...

Can't feel at ease.Totally restless.

Since it has already been raised, why not take this opportunity to get an answer?With a mentality that was almost broken, the brave man asked again.

"So, why on earth do you like me?"

——In other words, is he really in love with himself?What is there to like about this mediocre ordinary soldier?

He is a powerful demon king, the lord of the demon clan.There is no reason to look at humans.If none of them are enough to convince anyone—

The brave felt that it was impossible for him to believe in the authenticity of this love; at least not now.

He would only feel that what the Demon King loves is indeed an illusory image that only exists in his brain—an image that is perfect at all times, not the real Arthur Crane himself who exists here.

This is a question that he would not dare to ask under normal circumstances, because at least at this stage, he cannot bear the consequences of losing his companions—it is impossible for him to conquer the Demon King City by himself.But now he couldn't think normally; he couldn't think of things that far back.