“…Hehe, how impressive. Bleeding so much and yet still trying to fight.”
“I am a Black Knight.”
With a spit, I expelled the pooled blood from my mouth in Magic Hat’s direction. Watching her extend her tongue toward it, she really looked insane. Then again, she’s a woman, so maybe “crazy bastard” isn’t quite accurate.
Kainel, you fled back then, so I’m not sure if this will work.
There’s one absurdly powerful skill that makes use of light. It’s another reason why I told that mutt to focus on speed. An advanced version of Shine Strike.
It was a skill the hero had developed on his own while striving to become stronger after being inspired by Ariel, the Magician of Blazing Flame.
“Oh my, are you even using the powers of the Light Hero now? How very Demon Lord-like of you, my dear!”
This ability allowed momentary movement at the speed of light.
「Shine Advance.」
With a flash, light flooded the space that had previously been engulfed in darkness.
While Shine Strike condensed light into a slash of sword energy, this technique channeled all of the Holy Sword’s power into the body to achieve incredible speed. A skill like this was an enormous strain on me, as someone unchosen by the sword, and I could only use it once.
In Kainel’s Fallen Route, he rejected all of his powers as the Light Hero after losing Ariel to despair. But I wasn’t Kainel.
The status window is still up, which means there’s hope. This isn’t a guaranteed failure.
I’ll use every option I have. If killing this Demon Lord changes the future, there’s a chance our saintess will live again.
I’d seen it happen with Nex and Sharitines. Kainel and Ariel had been evacuated this time. There was still a chance to rewrite the ending.
I shoved the negativity aside. The first step was to cut off her head.
“…Just die.”
I felt as though every muscle in my body would tear apart as I charged toward Magic Hat at blinding speed. I slashed through her clones, stepping on their heads to leap forward.
“Oh my, my dea—”
In the blink of an eye—less than a second—I pressed my sword to the Demon Lord’s neck.
Slash.
A circular arc traced her throat, severing her head from her body. I followed up with a powerful downward slash, splitting her lifeless torso further. The Demon Lord collapsed, losing strength.
Thud. Roll.
“Heehee… Hahahaha!!”
Of course, this wouldn’t kill her. From the severed head came the mad laughter of a lunatic. No blood flowed from her remains, and…
“My dear!! Amazing!! Spectacular!! You truly are my one and only love…!!”
“Shut up.”
When she opened her arms as if to embrace me, I stomped on her, stopping her in her tracks. This wasn’t even her real body.
“…How unfortunate. I was so close to hugging you!”
Her detached headless body grabbed her rolling head, fitting it back together like blocks. A sickening crack sound accompanied her reattachment, seamlessly merging her neck with her body.
“I said no. My hugs are already taken.”
I’d underestimated this Demon Lord. Her difficulty level had been absurd in the game, and it was just as bad now. My lungs burned as I struggled for air, clutching my chest.
“Heehee, then I’ll just… use the truth, shall I, my dear?”
Magic Hat pulled out her trump cards again, humming cheerfully as her fingers twirled them playfully.
Her ability allowed her to weaponize the truths others spoke—combining people, transforming them into cards aligned with her suits, and so on.
I swallowed hard. There was no card that could affect me—
“Perhaps the Ace of Spades? No, the Jack of Spades feels better! My dear!”
Never mind. She has one. If that card hits, it’s over. I’d become nothing more than a butterfly pinned in a display case. I couldn’t afford to be complacent, even with Kainel and Ariel out of harm’s way.
“…”
The spade suit. A fitting emblem for the Black Knight.
If the Jack of Hearts had hit the Glass Knight instead of me earlier, it would’ve been dangerous. My intervention had been pure luck.
“Let’s stop resisting and make this easier. You’ll love it, I promise…!”
“I hate people like you, Magic Hat.”
The kind of person who falls for someone and charges at them without a second thought.
Someone who’s unworthy of pure love, who relies on looks or cheat-like abilities to manipulate the feelings of others—those are the things I detest the most.
That isn’t true love. The bitter taste of blood lingered in my mouth.
“I can be any woman you desire! What do you like? White hair?”
“…You’re really good at spewing nonsense, huh?”
Blood continued to pour from my wounds, and a numbing sensation spread across my skin. My life’s flame was dying out—likely the price for wielding someone else’s Holy Sword.
I need to hit her, hard, before I go down.
It’s the only way to keep our saintess safe. When I severed Magic Hat’s neck earlier, the darkness in the Holy Sword weakened.
The condition tied to “the loss of a loved one” was dissipating. Loss didn’t have to mean death.
Even Dennis had a Fallen Route in which he turned into a Demon Lord after his lover was cursed, though she hadn’t died.
Thank goodness. She might still be alive.
I needed a breakthrough. This was only phase two, and the road ahead promised more challenges.
“I have no choice.”
Drake’s ultimate skill: Dragon Slayer.
I could only use a crude version of it, so its original power wouldn’t manifest. Still, it was the only card I had left to play.
I readied my stance, steadying my breath.
“Those eyes… I want them to look only at me! You’re so captivating!”
I needed to throw everything I had into this strike. I couldn’t let the five years I’d spent training go to waste.
“You’re not getting it.”
“You’re so mean, my dear! Then who do those eyes belong to? There’s no one left to interfere!”
I raised my sword, steeling my resolve to protect our Nameless Saintess.
Even if this ultimate move killed me, that’s what it meant to be a Black Knight. A Black Knight is someone who takes on the misfortune meant for their beloved.
“…”
In truth, I might have accepted this fate 15 years ago.
When I was reincarnated into this game world, I had a feeling. Without my sacrifice, her happiness wouldn’t be possible.
“There is someone.”
This time, I’d save her. I’d bring her happiness, even if it cost my life.
This life was a gift—one I intended to repay.
“I hate that it’s come to this. She’s going to cry a lot, isn’t she, our saintess?”
I steeled my resolve and stared at the dimming Holy Sword. The Fallen Route was unraveling, and I had to see it through.
“My life… no longer matters.”
I exhaled sharply and raised the sword high. Sending surging blood through every part of my body, I prepared to end it all with this one strike.
“I am the Pure Love Dark Knight.”
Even if it was an imperfect version of Dragon Slayer, I was ready to unleash it as Demon Lord Slayer.