Chapter 343: The Cycle of Hero and Demon King

“…So, the Demon King was born first to kill the Hero.”

“Yes. But even then, the Demon King didn’t set foot in the Human Realm to directly kill the Hero.”

It wasn’t necessary, and it wasn’t possible.

The world, already sensitive to ‘variables’ through the Hero, excessively contained the seeds of another variable. That’s why it was created in the Abyss, not the Human Realm. And even though it opened the border, a door connecting the Human Realm and the Abyss, it chose to summon the Hero instead of sending the Demon King to the Human Realm.

That’s why even now, the Demon King can’t go to the Human Realm through the border.

‘But there’s no need to say all this.’

It’s useless rambling.

Still, he couldn’t just ignore that questioning face waiting for an answer. Kaber smiled sweetly and offered another reason.

“When the world grandly announced the Demon King’s birth, staining the Human Realm’s sky black, the humans sent the Hero on their own accord.”

Grand birth and ominous signs.

Humans, firmly believing in the birth of a powerful enemy, couldn’t overcome their anxiety and pushed the strongest of their kin, the Hero, forward. In the end, the Hero stood before him to kill the Demon King, just as the world intended.

“Thanks to that, the Demon King killed the Hero as the world intended, and now he’s perfectly isolated in the Abyss, waiting for his lifespan to run out. The border, having achieved its purpose, closed.”

With this, the Abyss and the Human Realm were disconnected again, eliminating the risk of variables reaching the Human Realm, the place that needed the most caution.

Because it created an existence comparable to the Hero to kill the Hero, the Demon King, modeled after the Hero, also had a lifespan comparable to the Hero. However, unlike the Hero, the Demon King cannot reproduce. There would be no more variables born.

From the world’s perspective, it was perfect.

“…But the border exists perfectly well now. A variable has emerged.”

“That’s right. A huge one at that.”

It was a situation where a life, a completely different new species, was hastily created. It would be stranger if errors didn’t occur.

To be so wary of variables, it’s truly laughable.

“There are countless minor variables in the Demon King personally, such as magic power and magic, which weren’t included in the calculation at birth, so let’s gloss over those and talk about the important ones… Due to being too focused on the purpose of killing the Hero, the Demon King became immortal.”

“…What?”

“To be precise, it’s conditional immortality. The original intention seems to have been to prevent the Demon King from dying until he killed the Hero, but because they focused too much on the ultimate goal, even when the purpose of existence could no longer be achieved after killing the Hero, death wasn’t allowed. Instead, he had to wait endlessly until another Hero appeared. Moreover, ‘demons’ and ‘magical beasts’ began to be born from the Demon King’s power that leaked out.”

The intention of ‘disposable’ and the central rule that ‘all life has the duty to preserve the species’ collided, and the latter, the higher rule, won.

Fortunately, the ‘normal’ demons born from these ‘errors’ were belatedly applied with the intention of ‘disposable’ and became unable to reproduce. However, the ‘erroneous’ magical beasts born from ‘errors’, true to their error nature, completely ignored the world’s intention and were able to reproduce.

“‘Immortality’ and ‘reproduction’ of a single species that wasn’t in the calculation. Just hearing it, it sounds like words that would make the world shudder, right?”

A situation where new species began to take root, contrary to intentions.

Even demons possessed ‘magic power’ that allowed them to use magic, one of the errors the Demon King possessed, so the world would be desperate to eliminate them by any means.

“So, the world created an existence that could kill the Demon King again. Since it couldn’t create another variable, it chose from an already existing species, and moreover, a species that already had a precedent comparable to the Demon King…”

“…Humans.”

“Right. That’s how the Hero was born again.”

Making something for the first time is difficult, but making it again is easy. The world chose to process existing data rather than try something new.

Thus, the world bundled the talent that the first Hero had in its entirety into the form of power and bestowed it upon the one chosen to kill the Demon King. Of course, it also didn’t forget to bind it to life itself and impose restrictions so that it would be impossible to pass it down through reproduction or directly transfer it to another person.

“For reference, it would be difficult to kill the Demon King with completely the same conditions as the first Hero, so from the second Hero onwards, who began to be directly granted power, they tweaked the bestowed power to become stronger ‘only when facing the Demon King.’”

“…Did that Hero, kill the Demon King?”

“He killed him. Killed him and inherited the world’s eyesore position.”

So, to kill the Hero again, the Demon King must have been born again.

With this, he understood how the ‘cycle’ began… but there are parts that he doesn’t understand in a different direction. Deon frowned.

“Why didn’t the world adjust the lifespans of the Hero and Demon King? In the beginning, it was understandable because they didn’t know, but from the second time onwards, they could have intervened beforehand before creating them. They imposed various restrictions and tweaked the Hero’s power a little when bestowing it, right?”

“Hmm…”

What kind of explanation would be easy to understand?

Kaber tapped his knee a few times as if organizing his thoughts, then smiled sweetly.

“If imposing restrictions and tweaking a little can be compared to polishing an apple until it’s shiny and making it look good, then tampering with talents such as lifespan is closer to improving the breed of an apple to make it bigger and sweeter.”

“Ah…”

“To improve the breed, many trials and errors are needed. The world, already suffering from headaches due to those trials and errors, wouldn’t choose such a path, would it?”

How many more variables would it have to create just to reduce that one lifespan?

“Then how about killing them directly?”

“The world can’t directly interfere with lifeforms that are already born, exist, and live. This is also a somewhat strange analogy, but… it’s easy to introduce germs into the body, but it’s difficult to chase them away again and get completely healed, right?”

“…Interesting.”

Even so, continuing a meaningless cycle would be a loss for the world as well. Did it just watch because it was afraid of increasing variables by intervening again?

It was interesting information, and a story from the distant past that lacked a sense of reality. If the Demon King hadn’t reminded him that this was a real story, he would have accepted it as fictional folklore.

However.

“What’s the reason for telling me these stories now?”

It was a story that started as a casual conversation before his breath was cut off, but he didn’t think it was just meaningless words.

Red pupils, filled with suspicion, scanned the Demon King.

Even though undisguised suspicion would be clearly visible, Kaber just folded his eyes into an unreadable smile.

“Just, I wanted to tell you that for Heroes and Demon Kings, the modifier ‘last’ is truly useless.”

Because future Heroes and Demon Kings will emerge according to the cycle anyway.

Towards Deon, who frowned as if the answer was unsatisfactory, a different story, completely unrelated to his question, poured out.

“…Heroes usually have a strong desire for survival. This is partly the Hero’s instinct to not die before meeting the Demon King, and partly the compensation mentality for the hardships they’ve endured after killing the Demon King.”

“……”

“Actually, although I said ‘usually,’ all Heroes who have existed so far have been like that. They possessed a tenacity that never gave up on life.”

Red eyes and red pupils met in the air.

“I wonder, what about you, Deon?”

He wouldn’t muster the last bit of conscience to say thank you. Hearing words of gratitude from an enemy he killed for revenge would only make him burst with anger.

Instead, making eye contact, he spoke.

“For the Demon King, victory was always another beginning. I wonder what it will be like for the Hero.”

“……”

“…I told you, for Heroes and Demon Kings, the modifier ‘last’ is useless.”

Kaber, having said that far, tilted his head slightly.

Instead of trying to support his weakened body, he met the eyes of Deon, who was still frowning, and smiled faintly.

“Congratulations on killing the last Demon King, last Hero.”

“…!”

It was a refreshing fight after a long time. His body warmed up a bit late, but anyway, it was enjoyable and he achieved his goal, so there were no regrets.

His breathing slows. He clearly feels death encroaching on his body, and Kaber lowered his eyelids.

In the fading world, he faintly heard a voice.

“Your grave will be decorated very lavishly.”

The corpse of his enemy would be satisfying, right?

That was an answer implying affirmation to Kaber’s last remark.

***

Victory and defeat were decided. It was Lord Demon King’s defeat.

Ben, who had been holding down Ed who flinched when the long sword pierced the Demon King’s chest, told Hien to hold on tight as well and focused on the situation unfolding.

The Demon King sitting on the floor points to his opposite side. Deon Hart, ignoring him lightly, seems to raise his dagger, but then pauses as if he heard something from the Demon King—he retracts the dagger and sits down in his seat.

A fairly long conversation seemed to follow, though it couldn’t be heard.

Then, just when they were about to tilt their heads wondering how long they were going to talk, the Demon King’s movements stopped.

…He died. They could instinctively tell.

Deon Hart, who stood up from his seat, quietly looked at the Demon King and then took out his dagger again. Wondering if he was going to harm the corpse, the three demons watched with bated breath, and flinched when they saw the sharp blade facing inwards, not outwards.

Deon Hart was trying to die.

“Th-th-that…!!”

“Shhh.”

“You bastard…! Let me go! Sir Deon, what are you doing!!”

The roles reversed.

Ed, holding down Ben who was rampaging as if about to rush out, told Hien to hold on tight as well and glared at the flock of crows that had been gathering in seriously large numbers since a little while ago.

A sight too unsettling to be seen as a natural phenomenon.

“Wait a moment. Something’s strange.”

Following that, as if to show that his suspicion was not a delusion, an existence walked out from the place where the flock of crows was gathered.

“That is…”

A foreboding that was too familiar to demons who constantly fight and kill, engulfed the space. All living things around the place where it existed, regardless of whether they were plants or animals, held their breath for fear of even catching its eye.

Finally, when that existence stood in front of Deon Hart, Ed let go of Ben and ran towards Deon.

“Sir Deon!”

The energy it exuded resembled ‘death’ itself.

***

[Congratulations on killing the last Demon King, last Hero.]

The Demon King knew how I would act afterward.

He always acted as if he knew everything, and he actually did, so there was nothing new about it. Deon let out a bitter laugh.

“…It’s really over.”

As soon as the Demon King’s death was confirmed, the blood level rose.

Deon watched it rise past his neck, up to just below his chin, and finally chuckled aloud. This was clearly supposed to be his guilt, but the blood rising even after the Demon King’s death was honestly laughable.

His breath was choked by the liquid pressing on his neck and chest, but he didn’t care.

‘Because I’m going to die anyway.’

That’s what he had vowed when he learned the truth and awakened as a Hero.

That after killing the Demon King, he would kill himself. At the end of this long revenge, Deon Hart would be there.

So, the world, wanting to break this meaningless cycle, must be angry at my actions, but still couldn’t take away its blessing.

“Now… is it time for the last revenge?”

He had lived without regret as he was told to, having carried out a revenge without regrets, so now it was time to die without regrets.

Even if Cruel Hart didn’t want his death, he was also in a situation where he chose to die as he pleased, and unless he directly said something against it, there was no reason for him not to do it.

The three moons haven’t completely overlapped yet, so a day hasn’t passed.

“I’m so glad I can end my revenge before the anniversary.”

Right, hyung?