Demon King of the Royal Class-Chapter 468 [Illustration]

There exists something called common sense—something that is generally accepted by everyone.

However, common sense was not the truth.

Sometimes, common sense was wrong, and there were exceptions.

Something that was common sense: Someone who had only achieved Mana Reinforcement could never stand up against a Master Class.

Ellen, while struggling not to be trampled by the crowd, was witnessing this common sense collapsing in real-time.

The mysterious middle-aged man wielded an imposing Aura Sword, and Reinhart blocked it with just Alsbringer.

Crack!

Not only did he block his opponent’s attack, but it even seemed like he had the upper-hand.

The magical shockwaves created by the clash of swords split and crushed the ground beneath them, but Reinhart did not just block the Aura Sword; he had deflected it, overpowering it.

An Aura Sword was not merely a sharp blade. Depending on how the mana imbued in the sword was manipulated, it could be focused to the pinnacle of sharpness or deliver immense impact using magical shockwaves.

A Master could also be considered to be wielding a massive blunt weapon.

Such a weapon would typically not only shatter any weapon it touched, but also break the arms and wrists of those who tried to withstand the impact.

That was known.

No matter how much one enhanced their physical abilities with Mana Reinforcement, a Master could manipulate mana more precisely and efficiently.

Reinhart should not have been able to face a Master.

But Ellen was watching Reinhart pushing his opponent back rather than being pushed back himself.

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

The shockwaves from the clashing swords reached Ellen’s face, even though she was quite a distance away.

A Master was being pushed back by someone who could only use Mana Reinforcement.

There was only one reason for something that should not have happened to occur—Reinhart was excessively strong.

He should not have been able to withstand it with strength alone, but he was somehow able to, overpowering his opponent’s advantage with an excessive amount of strength.

Reinhart’s aura of Mana Reinforcement was massive. He seemed to be engulfed in blue flames. From that alone, he had to have an incredible amount of mana.

While he was not using it efficiently because his application lacked precision, the sheer mana output was excessively high.

He lacked the Mana Manipulation skills of a Master, but his basic foundation was so overwhelming that he was pushing his opponent back with sheer strength, sheer reflexes, and sheer overwhelming mana.

What was she supposed to do if Reinhart was in danger?

She might have to go help Reinhart, even at the risk of misunderstanding and criticism from others.

She had been considering that, but in reality, there was no need for that.

Reinhart was too strong.

But then again, Reinhart’s opponent was not just a simple Master.

Rumble!

The mysterious man, who was being pushed back, extended his left hand, and pitch-black flames rose from the ground and engulfed Reinhart.

Reinhart was facing a monster who was both a Master and had reached the level of Archmage.

The black flames were so hot that they melted the earth beneath, but Reinhart burst out without a scratch and continued the fierce battle.

Even amidst the lightning and black flames extending from the man’s hand, and the extreme cold that froze the air around him, Reinhart pushed forward as if none of it could affect him.

Reinhart’s physical abilities seemed overwhelming, and his anti-magic capabilities had already surpassed any ordinary person’s.

The crowd, still fleeing and pushing against each other, stared at the scene in shock.

No one knew exactly who was trying to kill the Demon King, but everyone could tell from afar that he was an extraordinary fighter.

However, the Demon King was stronger.

Other assailants were also continuously attacking the Demon King, not just that one man. Yet, all the forbidden arts, magic, and curses they flung at him had no effect on the Demon King’s body.

The mountain of forbidden arts they had built up could not affect the Demon King’s body in any way.

Rumble! Rumble, rumble!

But the Demon King, with just a glance, caused fierce flames to explode wherever he looked, not just burning his enemies to death but blowing them up.

The Demon King was engulfed in blue mana and wielding the power of fire.

He could even create massive explosions by rapidly igniting infinitely condensed blue mana flames.

The crowd could only watch in terror as he single-handedly massacred a group composed of Swordmasters, archmages, and magic swordsmen.

The Demon King was too strong.

“We... We’re all going to die...”

Countless people fell to the floor, trembling and unable to move.

Who could possibly face such a Demon King?

Who could possibly wound that absolute being, impervious to magic and aura blades?

The fact that the Demon King was not yet a Master was even more terrifying.

If he was this strong now, what kind of disaster would the Demon King become if he reached the Master class?

The fear of those who saw the Demon King was amplified by the fact that he had yet to reach his full potential.

Of course, not all attacks were ineffective against the Demon King.

When the Swordmasters assailing him launched a coordinated attack, they sometimes managed to pierce through the Demon King’s flaming mana shield and wound him.

No matter how strong the Demon King was, he could not easily withstand the constant coordinated attacks of these Swordmasters.

Numerous offensive spells struck the Demon King, and Reinhart was soon cornered.

Krrk!

Ellen’s eyes widened as she saw a spear imbued with aura pierce through Reinhart’s heart.

His opponents had not missed a decisive gap in the Demon King’s defense and succeeded in inflicting a fatal wound.

“No. No... No, no, no.”

Ellen began to sob, trembling, but the crowd, pushing against each other and fleeing, stared wide-eyed.

The Demon King was dead.

An unnatural silence descended on the chaotic grand plaza.

But then, the Demon King grabbed the spear that pierced his chest with his left hand.

Splurch!

Despite having his heart pierced, he pulled out the spear embedded in his heart with sheer strength.

Then, the Demon King raised his hand.

Whoosh!

In his other hand, the one that had been wielding Alsbringer thus far, another sword with a milky white blade was summoned.

It was the holy relic of the God of Purity, Ouen, Tiamata.

Whoosh!

Sacred white light surged around Tiamata, and the wound on the Demon King’s chest healed.

“Ah... Ugh... Ughhh...”

Those who had anticipated the Demon King’s death could only tremble in fear at the sight.

—He doesn’t... die...

It was difficult to physically penetrate that massive barrier of mana, and magic had little effect on him.

Even if they somehow managed to break through, the Demon King, who wielded the Divine Power of Ouen, would immediately heal his wounds.

—He’s immortal... The Demon King is immortal...

The Demon King was surrounded by an almost invincible barrier, possessed overwhelming brute strength that let him go toe-to-toe with Swordmasters, an endless reserve of overwhelming mana to release, and could even regenerate his body.

—It’s... It’s impossible...

Possessing an immeasurable amount of powerful mana, being able to borrow Divine Power from his holy relic to regenerate himself, and wielding the sword of the God of War that made him stronger the stronger his foes were...

Who could possibly... How could anyone kill such a Demon King?

Who could face this seemingly immortal existence, this absolute being?

It wasn’t just the crowd who were stunned by the sight of him pulling out the spear that had pierced his heart with his bare hands. Reinhart charged at the dazed middle-aged man before he could react.

Crash!

Grabbing the man’s white hair in an instant, he slammed his head into the ground.

Thud!

Reinhart drove the Alsbringer into his opponent’s head while it was buried in the ground.

Clang!

The Aura Armor did not break from the Demon King’s strike.

Clang!

But if it didn’t break in one strike, he would strike it twice.

Crack!

Three times.

Bang!

Four times.

Bang!

Five times.

Crash!

Six times.

Crack!

And on the seventh strike, the piercing sound of something breaking echoed coldly across the grand plaza.

He had shattered the Aura Armor surrounding his Master-class opponent with the sheer force of the holy relic.

It was more fitting to say that he had crushed rather than stabbed him to death.

The leader of the Demon King’s attackers had been killed without even having a chance to respond.

He had been literally crushed to death.

An Archmage and Swordmaster, the leader of the Black Order, had been killed by the Demon King in a manner so brutal that all opposition seemed almost futile.

The Demon King, the same powerful mana blazing around him, looked at the other Master-class opponents who had been coordinating their attacks against him.

Those who had stood before the Demon King began to slowly retreat.

Having failed to kill the Demon King even after all that, any further attempts would only lead to a senseless death.

The crowd fell into despair as they watched the assailants begin to flee.

They did not know who the Order was. They just knew that a group of very powerful individuals had attacked the Demon King and failed.

That was the simple truth imprinted in their minds.

Everything had happened there, in the heart of the imperial capital.

Who could possibly face the Demon King, who was basically immortal?

—Run awaaaaay!

Those who had hesitated, holding onto a sliver of hope that the Demon King might die, were again overwhelmed with panic and started to run as the assailants fled.

“Move! Get out of the way! Move!”

Countless people ran past Ellen, who stood there in a daze, bumped into her shoulders and pushed her aside, shouting to save themselves.

Thud!

Ellen, who had been staring blankly at Reinhart, was pushed and eventually fell to the ground as those fleeing ran into and past her.

In the process, the deep hood Ellen had been wearing fell back.

“Ah...”

“Oh...”

The fleeing people saw.

They saw Ellen’s face and stopped in their tracks, as if in a daze.

Hardly anyone in the imperial capital did not know Ellen’s face.

Though few had seen her in person, Ellen’s face was well-known to the masses thanks to the countless portraits and propaganda.

“The Hero...?”

People stopped, seeing Ellen sitting there in a daze.

Ellen was instantly engulfed in a feeling of foreboding.

“It’s the Hero!” someone shouted.

—The Hero?

—Ellen is here?!

—The Hero?

—The Hero is here...

Ellen felt as if all the blood in her body had turned cold.

Her fingertips trembled, and her lips quivered.

—The Hero has come to save us!

Among the fleeing crowd, cheers began to spread.

Through the gaps in the people, through the cheers, Ellen saw Reinhart standing in the distance, looking in her direction.

“Hero! Please, please defeat the Demon King!” one of the fleeing people cried and begged Ellen.

The expressions of the others around here were no different, as if they wanted to believe that the outcome would be different when it came to the Hero of humanity.

“I, I... I, I... I...”

‘What am I supposed to do? How? Why?’ Ellen thought.

Nothing else came to Ellen’s mind. It was as if her mind had stopped working.

People helped Ellen up from where she had fallen.

The fleeing people begged her to defeat the Demon King, shouting at the back of her head.

Some cried, trembling as they sat, praying. Praying for the Demon King to be defeated.

The crowd slowly pushed Ellen into the plaza.

Reinhart quietly watched as Ellen Artorius was pushed forward by the crowd.

Even though they didn’t know what could be done, they pleaded for something to be done.

They pushed Ellen toward the Demon King, who had just committed a massacre, and fled.

Others still watched from afar, trying to witness the confrontation.

The Demon King and the Hero... The distance between them was vast.

Reinhart quietly looked at Ellen.

Ellen trembled, her complexion pale.

Why? Why, in this manner?

Why did they have to reunite in such a situation?

Reinhart’s face was expressionless.

‘Why is he looking at me like that? Why is he so emotionless?’ Ellen thought.

“R-Reinhart... I, I...”

‘I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to fight you. I hate neither killing nor dying.’

Ellen swallowed those words, her lips trembling.

Reinhart approached the trembling Ellen.

He closed the distance between himself and Ellen, who had not yet summoned Lapelt or Lament.

“Hey,” Reinhart said softly to Ellen. “Why don’t you...”

Ellen was dazed, and could not say anything.

“Come to your senses already!”

Reinhart leaped forward.

Whack!

“Ugh...!”

His fist struck Ellen’s abdomen.

Thud!

With a single punch to the abdomen, Ellen was sent flying into a building on the edge of the grand plaza.

Ignoring the crowd’s shock, Reinhart slowly walked toward Ellen Artorius, who was stuck in the wall of the building, filled with astonishment and fear.

“Ugh... Ugh... Ugh...”

She had been struck without proper preparation.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

She had barely managed to activate her Aura Armor in time before being hit, which saved her from death, but she coughed up bright red blood.

“Argh... Ugh...”

He probably didn’t intend to kill her.

But he showed no intention of going easy on her either.

Ellen looked up at the approaching Reinhart with a fearful expression.

More than the pain of her insides being rattled, more than the pain that made her cough up blood... At that moment, Reinhart’s emotionless face was what struck the most fear and terror in Ellen.

That gaze of his, the one that seemed like he was looking at an enemy, instilled the greatest fear in Ellen.

“Ugh... Ugh... Ugh...”

“If people realize that the Hero is afraid to fight the Demon King, what do you think would happen?” Reinhart said quietly, still approaching her with that same empty expression.

“Something I can never do, you can do,” he said.

The Demon King could never become a symbol of hope for the people.

Only the Hero could be a symbol of hope.

The sight of the Hero trembling in fear before the Demon King would only bring despair.

Those in despair would inevitably envision a future where humanity is destroyed by the Demon King.

A world without hope was destined to collapse.

Therefore, she had to fight.

Even if it was a false hope, it had to exist.

People had to believe in that false hope to somehow hold onto reality.

People had to believe that things would be okay because there was a Hero, even if the Demon King still lived, and they had to believe that the Hero would defeat the Demon King someday.

They had to be given that belief in order for a world that was on the brink of collapse to survive.

The Demon King looked down at the Hero, who was filled with fear and terror. “So pull yourself together and get up. If you don’t want to die.”

The Demon King, Baalier raised his foot.

Bang!

The Demon King’s mana-infused foot slammed down where Ellen’s head had been, causing the building to start collapsing.

Ellen, who had quickly rolled to the side to avoid it, looked up at Reinhart.

Ellen’s eyes were filled with fear, despair, and terror.

‘Why me? Why you?’

Ellen thought.

“R-Reinhart... I... I...”

Baalier stared down at Ellen with a cold gaze. “Shut up. Don’t call me that.”

This was not the right place for an emotional reunion. Too many were watching.

Despite knowing why, Ellen, filled with fear and terror, continued to look up at Reinhart, who was gazing at her with the eyes of an enemy.

Ellen realized that while Charlotte could be taken away by the Demon King, she, who was humanity’s hope, could not allow herself to be taken away by him.

She knew that the rest of humanity had projected their hope onto her, and for the sake of that hope, he would never take her away with him.

Ellen could see that harsh reality in Reinhart’s gaze.

It felt like tears would fall from her eyes at any moment.

But she couldn’t cry.

A Hero who was fated to face the Demon King could not cry while the Demon King was in front of her. She absolutely could not.

The solemn-faced Demon King approached her.

“You do what you have to do.”

“...”

“And I’ll do what I have to do.”

She wanted to sit down.

She wanted to collapse and cry.

She would have welcomed death.

But the fleeing people were looking back at the standoff even as they fled.

Ellen staggered to her feet.

Although her expression was still filled with fear and the harsh reality was right in front of her, just as Reinhart had to bear what he had to bear, Ellen also had to carry her own burden.

The two of them could not escape the roles of Hero and Demon King.

Thus, while the Demon King could take the hated princess away, he would never take the Hero with him.

No matter what, from this moment on, they could never be together.

In Ellen’s hand was the Sword of the Moon. On Ellen’s shoulders was draped the Cloak of the Sun.

With her gaze still quivering, the Hero stared at the Demon King.

Reinhart—no, the Demon King, Baalier—approached the Hero, Ellen Artorius.