“Now then, what to do about the others? I have no intention of doing anything if you just see me off. Well, Green can’t move anymore either. There’s no need to be so wary of me. I don’t plan on finishing that man there.” (Yugura)

I was brought back by the words of Yugura and used detection on the surroundings of the Green Demon Lord.

The Green Demon Lord had already used his Prosperity to spread the roots. Not for the sake of battle, but to maintain the life of Arcreal.

The vines creeping out from the ground were entwining around the body of Arcreal who is not reacting anymore.

The state of Arcreal is…basically one step before death.

As expected of the Demon Lord that excels in dealing with life. He was even less hesitant than the time when he was fighting.

No, he must have been hesitating too. But he must have been woken up by the resolve to die in Arcreal. He managed to face reality faster than I did.

I made eye-contact with Arcreal when he was falling.

Even when his body was sliced in two, he still told me with his eyes: “I have done everything I can. It is your turn next, Haiya.”

I met him for the first time in this war, and I seriously only spoke to him for a brief period of time. I remember how he felt my strength with his skin and his eyes shone full of curiosity.

The verbal promise I exchanged with him was to please spar with him after this battle is over.

My feelings aren’t shaken at all even when remembering that in this situation.

We both knew that wouldn’t be possible after all.

“—Choose, Haiya. I leave it to you. I will at least entrust my life  to you.” (Green)

“…No, you take care of Arcreal. He is a man that would be a shame to lose here after all.” (Haiya)

I burn the figure of the man that rekindled my resolve for a brief period of time and face Yugura again.

There’s no technique that would allow assured victory against this man. It is a battle where you can only hold faint hopes like ‘maybe’ or ‘on the off-chance’.

I was simply absentminded because it was broken in a fashion that was far beyond what I expected and what I imagined. That’s a weird way of putting it.

“Haiya-san…!” (Wolfe)

I heard the voice of Wolfe at my back.

She doesn’t understand even 10% of what’s going on in this room with her sensations.

Even so, she must have understood what I will be doing here now.

I felt myself overlapping with her even if just a tiny bit. We were isolated by our surroundings, felt like we were the only ones in this world that felt this loneliness, and the color was lost from our world.

“I will be going now…to a life with color.” (Haiya)

Even so, Wolfe-san regained the colors.

She proved that there’s the possibility I might be able to regain the colors just like her. Just how much of a saving that realization was to me?

It is not like I don’t have regrets.

There will surely come a day when I will be able to feel color in the world. That man and His Majesty would definitely accept a monstrosity like me.

Even so, this is the conclusion that I imagined. Why should I stop my feet?

I take a step and dash towards Yugura.

There’s no response. There’s no resistance as if saying that he has already finished proving that he is above me.

That works perfectly for me.

I grab the neck of Yugura and smash him onto the wall.

“Is that your answer?” (Yugura)

“No, my answer comes now.” (Haiya)

I altered the sturdiness of the wall the moment I smashed him onto it, making it extremely brittle.

The wall broke easily and me and Yugura broke through the room without losing momentum.

2 walls, 3 walls…I continue breaking the walls, crush the floor under my feet on each step, and continue accelerating.

Yugura sighed while seemingly using some sort of spell from afar. He probably retrieved the Colorless Demon Lord that was left in the room.

I destroyed the last wall of the castle and jumped with all my strength at the same time.

What entered my vision is the expansive forest of the Taizu Nether.

Green Demon Lord, I will be roughing up your garden a bit, but please forgive me. I mutter this to myself while thinking His Majesty will most likely pay it back.

“I don’t plan on dragging the others in this though. (Yugura)

“I would end up dragging them. This is my first time fighting seriously after all.” (Haiya)

“—Hooh.” (Yugura)

Interest finally showed in the eyes of Yugura.

This man most likely has already noticed the abnormality in my body.

That’s right.

I was scared.

My humanity was being lost as I obtained each transcendental talent.

I didn’t want to let go of it and was scared of doing it.

That’s why, even if I created the talent, I stopped from having it adapt to myself. I repeated this over and over.

But I feel no hesitation now thanks to Arcreal.

“I will show you the budding of all the talents I could think of just as you wish. Not a human, and not a Demon Lord either. I shall show you the end of the monstrosity called Yugura Haiya.” (Haiya)

“Aha, I welcome you to.” (Yugura)

I imagine what I want to make possible without any noise in between. My body threw Yugura far into the ground just like I imagined.

The speed was faster than sound, and mowing down the giant trees that were bigger than your regular mountain.

The talents were giving me a feeling of omnipotence, clearing up my heart as the price.

My mind that had already reached the realm of a master martial artist broke through several walls and doors, and I could feel how I sublimated myself into a being further beyond that.

Aah, I can’t go back anymore.

Returning to the plane of a human as I am now would be equivalent to slicing off my limbs and pouring dirty mud into my brain.

I can create an infinite amount of mana.

I can utilize the laws as my will.

If I were the only one here, I would have mistaken myself as a god.

“It seems like you are the type that grows impudent, but I guess you have become stronger than Black.” (Yugura)

Yugura is still above me even after going this far.

Even though I should have closed the gap, I am now even more aware of that gap after becoming stronger.

There’s way too much of a gap no matter how much resolve I put into it because of the time spent.

Even if I were to become infinitely stronger, I would still need a massive amount of years in order to catch up to the strength of Yugura.

Even so, I can’t stop. There’s no point in stopping now that I have thrown it away.

The sword I was holding broke.

The matter in this world can’t endure my strength anymore. I have no choice but to fight directly then.

I erase my distance between Yugura and create the result of my punch landing.

And then, I destroy as many factors as possible…

“—?!”

“When you step into this plane, you think of a stupid amount of tools first, right? Well, it is not like they will catch up to your own growth even if you were to prepare them.” (Yugura)

The sword Yugura was holding stopped my punch.

I analyze the elements that are imbued in the sword. It is impossible to analyze. It surpasses the capacity of what I can recognize in my current state by a great deal.

The only thing I could grasp from this was that this sword is a sword made for the sake of the hero.

“Want it? I don’t mind giving it to you. It is just on the level of being convenient for not breaking even if I used it a bit. Aah, but you are the spare of the hero. Then, that works perfectly for you.” (Yugura)

“Yu…gura!” (Haiya)

“You are also Yugura though. Call me Nariya there. Ah, you can also call me Papa. Ahaha!” (Yugura)

Yugura threw away the sword without missing it one bit and grabbed my neck and shoulder. And then, I was held down on the ground the next instant.

The talents that should have reacted are not working.

Every single one of the talents I created to deal with Yugura are being blocked by the talents of Yugura.

“Haiya, your name is associated with mine. Uuh, let’s tinker with the language recognition… Nariya is written this way in kanji.” (Yugura)

An unknown language poured into my mind with the words of Yugura.

The laws of the world were trying to take away that information from me, but it seems like Yugura is holding that back.

“Your name is Yugura Haiya <湯倉敗也>. Hai <敗> comes from Punishment <成敗>. Do you get it? That’s right. You were named as a failed product from the very beginning.” (Yugura)

“…I don’t know the words, but I did understand the emotions you directed towards me.” (Haiya)

I place influence in my emotions and undo the restraint of Yugura with brute force.

I am constantly getting stronger, and Yugura isn’t being serious here. He most likely doesn’t even feel the need to.

My mind has already concluded that I have lost, and my logical thoughts have decided that this fight should be stopped.

Even so, I won’t stop. I don’t want to.

My body is still stumbling forward. I don’t want to forget the sensation of my remaining humanity pushing my back.

“You are challenging me despite that? You have placed your hopes in him? I have already read his mind and memories. It is not like he is scheming something through this war, you know? He is simply granting an opportunity here. I will return this world to how it was once this war is over. That conclusion won’t change.” (Yugura)

“…Fufu, I see. So this is how it feels.” (Haiya)

Even when I am losing my humanity, I could understand the reason why Yugura was laughing.

He couldn’t help but find it comical how misguided my actions are compared to the absolute knowledge he has.

“What’s so funny?” (Yugura)

“No, it seems like you don’t understand him well. Even if he is not plotting anything as of present, there’s definitely something that will connect. This war will definitely be a necessary factor he will use.” (Haiya)

“Hmm, maybe. I haven’t been peeking at his mind lately, but it is certain that he is thinking of something. But why are you trying to die here when there’s someone who you trust so much?” (Yugura)

Yugura was holding the hero sword at some point in time.

I create a sword, imagining something that would match it. I created a weapon that should have fulfilled the conditions in my logic, but it was turned to dust with just one clash.

Yugura is matching the increase of my strength.

If I slow down my evolution even one bit, that will spell my end.

“…It is obvious. I am achieving the meaning of my birth.” (Haiya)

But what of it? Life has worth only when you fulfill your own goal.

I create the next sword and clash blades.

“Your meaning as a hero spare? It is true that I am a hero who held a hero’s sword, but I am also the White Demon Lord. There’s no doubt the duty of a hero is to face a Demon Lord.” (Yugura)

“I don’t care about the title you called yourself with for your own convenience.” (Haiya)

A being created as a substitute of the hero.

Just how many times have I faced those words?

I have already gone beyond the boundaries of a human a long time ago.

I could have stopped the aging of my body if I wanted to, and I would have also been able to live an eternity like the Demon Lords.

Thus, no matter how much I live as a human, there continues to be a hole in me that couldn’t be filled up my whole life as a human.

Is there a point in living while continuing to deceive myself? Is it okay to invalidate the point of me reaching this place?

This is greed.

The human emotions that still remain in me, the greed that I continued holding until the very end. I wanted to have a meaning for the life I led.

I wanted to prove with my own hands the worth that I myself created.

I have been pondering since that man appeared. My heart was shaken greatly after seeing the people he guided like Wolfe-san and Ekdoik-san.

I watched that man by the side of His Majesty, and I thought that if it were him, he would surely be able to find a way to fill up the hole in me. That he would bring color to my life.

That desire that was spreading like a virus was extremely gentle…and tempting.

I began desiring to live safely just like everyone else did.

“Really? Well, I honestly hate titles too. Your own meaning of being born that was not set by someone else; don’t you think it is foolish to get adhered to that and throw away a peaceful end?” (Yugura)

“I am impressed you have the gall to say that as the one who is trying to turn all of that into nothing.” (Haiya)

I don’t know how many swords I have created from nothing now.

Every time my sword broke, I could tell something important inside of me was lost.

Even so, I held my sword again and increased my strength more and more.

The world will be rewound if Yugura uses space-time magic. When that happens, I am most likely not going to be born.

My existence will disappear without even having a meaning of being born. Is there something more empty than that?

Even if that man were to stop Yugura, there will most likely not be a role for me to fulfill ahead of that.

The adversities that appear in front of them must be overcome by them.

Then, I would like to face the adversities that I should break through myself. Even if it is something impossible for me to achieve.

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. Even the point of your creation would be gone completely. Aah, sorry, sorry.” (Yugura)

“I am surprised you felt like apologizing.” (Haiya)

“I can at least understand that I did something bad. I don’t feel bad, have no intention of stopping, and don’t have any intention of saving you.” (Yugura)

“Yeah, thanks.” (Haiya)

Really, thanks, Yugura.

With this, I can bring out everything without hesitation.

You have my gratitude for being so thoroughly hateful and a despair that I can continue challenging.

The moment my last sword broke, the sword Yugura was holding flew in the sky.

I may not be able to surpass the sword of the hero, but it seems like I managed to push through my will.

I stab the broken sword onto the chest of Yugura and concentrate all of my consciousness into the tip.

There’s no need to think about detailed stuff like constructions, laws, and concepts.

I will just pour everything I have.

“—You plan on self-destructing? Well, it is not a bad way to perish, huh… This may be boorish, but let’s ask, I guess. Haiya, what’s your definition of a hero?” (Yugura)

“Someone who is brave…and can show it in their actions… Thank you for letting me face a bigger adversity than me.” (Haiya)

“You’re welcome. I won’t save you, but I will at least offer some flowers as your dad when you depart.” (Yugura)

“Ah, I am fine with just your acknowledgement. I personally feel it weird that my dad is a Demon Lord and the Hero. And most of all, having a dad like you is just…” (Haiya)

“I can’t even argue that. Congratulations, you one-upped me there.” (Yugura)

I unleash the power that I was concentrating at the tip of my sword.

I am feeling fulfilled right now after using everything I had. Even so, I remembered the face of that man.

——-

Author: He wasn’t a human despite having the appearance of one, and didn’t have a time when he was a human like the Demon Lords and demons.

Even so, the heart he had was that of a human, he believed that fulfilling the greed in his heart was proof that he was a human.

It is pretty much the fault of Yugura.

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