"Demon King Valier, this is the END!!!"
In the ruined throne room, Demon King Valier, a figure with massive horns and bat-like wings, was locked in a brutal exchange with the Hero, whose Holy Sword shattered the air with every strike. The Hero pressed his advantage, forcing the Demon King back. Just the sounds coming from the battle were terrifying.
Bang!
Bang!
Clash!
And soon, the Demon King was pushed back by the Hero.
The Hero then stepped back.
In the background,
A legendary archer, a high-level mage, a tank warrior-dwarf with a large axe and hammer on each hand shattered the ground. Mana-imbued arrows, magic spells and all kinds of attacks converged on Valier like homing missiles.
Kaboom!
The Demon King Valier's robes had been torn to shreds, his hair disheveled and his entire body was covered in blood. He looked around, but before he could recover, the hero attacked again, and while he could see the attack, his body no longer couldn't.
Clash! Clash!
All he could do was parry until he couldn't.
Angrily, Valier amassed his remaining demonic energy for one last, desperate strike.
He was angry. At the hero and his party, yes. But also to someone else.
A huge percentage of his remaining mana was frantically dedicated to an internal connection, trying to reach a certain subordinate who refused to reply.
'Ard, where are you? Have you betrayed me, the Demon King?!'
The silence sickened him.
Bang!
Fresh blood sprayed as another barrage from the Hero Party landed.
Valier tried to attack back as he swung his blade, but it only hit air. It looked weak and unbefitting of a demon king. It was like that of a mere old man who could no longer control his breathing.
Just by standing there for a short while, Demon King Valier had already accumulated a large pool of blood beneath his feet.
The party surrounded him from various places.
The Hero, handsome and dignified, swung his Holy Sword again.
Shing! A blinding ray of light emanated from the blade crushing the ground and the air, and striking Valier.
Crash!
He finally collapsed and his wings and horns were damaged.
It was the final attack.
Weakly, Valier gritted his teeth. He was losing. It was the fitting end he had always expected.
"Demon King Valier," the Hero spoke, his voice ringing with passionate conviction, "you have committed numerous crimes over your long life, but now it's over. Pay for those sins! I hope in your next life, you find a better path!"
But at that moment, Valier, with his pointy horns now cut off, shook his head internally. Killing intent burned within his irises.
"Demon King Valier," the Hero spoke, as dignified as ever, "you have committed numerous crimes over your lifetime, but now its over! But now, it is time to pay for those sins! I hope in your next life, you become someone better!"
Slash!
In due time, Valier's head was lopped off and rolled to the ground. Slash! Valier's head was lopped off and rolled to the ground. In his last moment, his mind screamed one name:
'Ard!!!' the face of an expressionless handsome young man appeared in his mind. Just remembering his face, Valier screamed, 'You traitor! If I can, I will make sure to be the one to kill you!'
***
The destruction in the background roared like a chaotic symphony—humans and demons tearing each other apart.
The Demon King is dead…
I felt it the moment Valier's life force snapped, fading like a candle crushed under a boot. His final mental scream echoed in my mind before dissolving into nothing.
I never thought he'd be slain. Not in this lifetime. The party of heroes must have been far more troublesome than we assumed.
Who am I?
I'm not the Demon King.
I'm not his right hand, nor his left.
I am Ard—the strongest demon in the realm after Valier himself. Leader of the Shadow Legion, the invisible special forces even most demons don't know exist. I live in the dark, move in the dark, and vanish in it. Only the highest few ever knew of my existence. Not even the Demon King's family.
And now, our castle—my prison for the last decade—was collapsing around me.
Rumble.
Rumble.
Stone shattered. Towers fell. Screams—human and demon alike—mixed into an ugly chorus. Even with the Demon King dead, remnants of his army still fought. His generals, his high officers, and the last loyalists were trying to hold the humans back.
Pathetic. Futile. Pointless.
I wove through the chaos silently, slipping past clashing swords, falling bodies, collapsing stone.
One benefit to being my kind of demon: no horns, no wings, no tail. No external demonic traits. Ironically, the stronger I became, the more flawlessly human I appeared.
Of course, I still had to kill anyone who saw me.
If a human spotted me, a silent shadow blade through the heart ended them. If a demon mistook me for an enemy, I cut them down with equal indifference. Loyalty, mercy—those were luxuries for people who felt something.
I felt nothing.
I had only come for one thing.
A simple silver ring from the treasury:
The Ring of Suppression.
It was a legendary artifact that erases demonic presence and turns a demon into a human.
It was exactly what I needed.
Rumble!
A sudden scream cut through the din.
"Ahhh!"
A boy—no older than twelve—stumbled down a ruined hallway, clutching a bleeding side, chased by human knights. Small horns and nascent wings. A young demon.
I stopped—more out of boredom than compassion—and stepped into the light.
"A human?" one knight blurted.
"No, that's a demon!" another snapped, lifting a small, palm-sized device glowing bright crimson.
I clicked my tongue.
The Demon-Detecting Device.
That infernal invention was the reason humanity suddenly started winning. The reason I'd been stuck on this continent for ten years.
"That thing again," I muttered. "Because of that device, I couldn't step outside for a decade. But now…"
I slipped the stolen ring onto my index finger. The moment it touched skin, my demonic energy vanished. The knights froze, staring at their device as the glow died.
"It's not showing anything. Is it broken?"
"Hmph." I went smug.
"It must be the ring! He's using an artifact—"
I raised my hand.
Shadows erupted from the ground, spearing every knight in the room in an instant. Their bodies hit the floor before they even realized they were dead.
"Sorry," I said, stepping past them. "Even you guys can't know my secret."
Then I stared at the demon boy. Naturally, I knew who he was. The boy was one of the heirs of Valier. I could feel it from his energy. But the boy did not know who I am. I turned to leave the injured demon boy behind. But he grabbed my coat, trembling.
"He—help. P-Please take me with you, Lord Ard!"
I stiffened.
Lord Ard?
Yes, the boy wasn't just anyone. This was Prince Zayn, seventh son of the now-dead Demon King Valier. However, still, it was shocking to know he knew me.
I cursed Valier.
"I'm afraid I'm done being a servant," I told him flatly.
But Zayn shook his head, desperate. "Please! I know you want to go to the outside world too. I know you stole that ring to leave. I thought the same. And… I also have one."
He slipped a ring onto his finger—identical to mine.
His horns vanished. His wings vanished. His wolf-like irises became that of a humans. He now looked like a normal human boy in an instant.
I stared. Indeed, that was the effect of the Ring.
"The Ring of Suppression is unique," I said slowly. "There was only one."
"It's my ability," Zayn whispered. "Copy ability. I can copy any non-living object I touch… even its magical effects."
I actually blinked.
Not often does something new appear after a thousand years of monotony. For the heir of the Demon King to have such an ability, however, I wouldn't be surprised.
The castle shook violently again, KABOOM, half the ceiling collapsing behind us.
I looked at Zayn, at the copied ring and at his frightened but determined face.
Interesting, I thought.
A child with a power I've never heard of. He might actually be… entertaining.
And he had heard it too. The boy wanted to go to the human realm like him.
I don't know why he made that claim, but it seemed like he already knew who he was. It was entertaining.
However, at the same time, Ard shocked himself. He was normally uncaring and unapologetic, yet, now he actually felt something he could not grasp when the boy asked to be helped.
"Fine," I said at last. "You may come with me—"
And what I didn't say was:
—as long as you keep me interested.