The man blessed with nothing and the demon lord blessed with everything. Their fated confrontation that began twenty-five years ago will be settled now!
✦ ✦ ✦
The first strike between Alan Granger the Champion of Light and Demon Lord Beelzebub caused such immense shock waves that countless trees in the area fell. Despite that, there were few injuries among the animals and monsters inhabiting these mountains. The creatures had sensed that both combatants possessed unimaginable power, and they had mostly abandoned their dwellings and escaped as soon as Alan and Beelzebub had approached.
But how were the fighters themselves affected by this exchange of blows?
“Looks like old age is really wearing me down,” Alan said as a line of blood trickled down his brow. He’d also been pushed back a little from his original position.
Across from him, Beelzebub was unscathed and hadn’t yielded an inch. From an objective standpoint, he was clearly the victor of this skirmish. 999 out of 1,000 spectators would come to that conclusion, but things weren’t that simple.
“No. While you may be physically weaker, your attack still resonates with me. Well done, Champion.” Beelzebub had nothing but praise for Alan.
“I think you’re giving me too much credit, demon lord.”
“I’m just speaking my mind. I haven’t experienced such fierce resistance from anyone in the underworld. You humans are truly magnificent.” This time, Beelzebub’s praise was for humanity as a whole. “Your bodies are frail, your mana is low, and your lives are fragile and fleeting, yet you snap at our heels before we know it. It was the same during the previous invasion. When I first came to the human world and saw your people, I thought it would all be over within three years, but you held out for over a century. You’re truly creatures of mystery.”
Beelzebub turned his gaze to the distance, looking in the direction of his forces fighting elsewhere. “Over and over, I tried to hammer that fact into the heads of the other New Seven Black Stars, but in the end, not a single one of them understood my words. If they are defeated, their conceit will likely be the reason.” He didn’t hesitate to point out the direct path to defeat for the demons who believed their strength was unimpeachable. Conversely, since Beelzebub lacked the contempt for humans so common in his kind, the path to victory was not so clear in his case.
He always spells trouble for me, Alan thought as he used his sleeve to wipe the blood from his face. If he fell here, the seal stone in the First Kingdom’s castle would be reduced to smithereens. Worse, Beelzebub would then be free to go assist the invasion of any other kingdom. If a second stone were destroyed after that, everything would be over. Humanity had no means to deal with that worst-case scenario. Alan had no choice but to fight.
“Well, time to stand my ground,” Alan said. He tightened his grip on his sword and charged right at Beelzebub.