Because of the Hero Summoned from Another World, I Got Replaced and Made the Backup—And My Childhood Friend the Saintess… - Chapter 11: The Fake Hero

Chapter 11: The Fake Hero

“I… I will…”

My whole body went slack.

I let out a quiet breath.

“Yes… that’s right. Accept me and—”

“—LIKE HELL I WILL!”

I snapped back to full tension, putting everything I had into a single, clean slash—swinging my sword to tear through the black mist clinging to me.

“You don’t know a damn thing about me—so stop pretending you do! Don’t speak for me!”

As I shouted, I activated a protective spell.

That black haze wrapping around me—there was no way it was anything good.

If that was the case, then a barrier spell—one meant to resist curses and evil magic—should be able to push it back.

“So… that’s your choice?”

Whether it was my answer, or the moment the barrier activated—

The black mist suddenly recoiled.

It pulled away.

Gathered together.

Then compressed into a floating mass the size of a person.

A pitch-black orb, hovering silently beneath the dim forest canopy.

It didn’t reflect sunlight—it swallowed it whole, like it was devouring the light itself.

“Shame. What a shame.”

The voice that had once whispered in my ear now echoed from the floating sphere.

Faced with such an unnatural sight, my mind drifted for a moment—

How’s it even talking without a mouth?

Not exactly the most urgent thought, but I couldn’t help it.

“One last time—who are you?”

My voice was low and firm.

Gripping my sword with both hands, I planted my feet and dropped into a low stance—

The very same one that had been drilled into me through years of training.

“Yeah, I suppose… As a gift to celebrate our little encounter, I’ll answer that question for you.”

The black sphere began pulling in the surrounding magic.

The trees shook. The air shimmered.

Everything around us groaned, like the very space itself was bending out of shape.

Then—

The center of the black mass began to slowly open.

What emerged was a single, massive, pitch-black eye.

It felt like it could suck in everything—swallow it whole and drag it into pure corruption.

And that eye was staring straight into me.

“Nice to meet you, oh great Hero. I am the ruler of monsters. The master of all magic. A being born from the will of this world itself. The one you humans call… the Demon King.”

“What…!?”

“And—I’m the one who’s going to become you, Hero.”

The Demon King…?

No way.

There’s no way the Demon King could be here.

Didn’t they already defeat him?

Didn’t Kanda and the Demon King Subjugation Squad already take care of that?

We got the report.

The squad came back safely.

That should’ve meant the Demon King was defeated—

That there was no one left to fight.

“The Demon King was defeated! Don’t lie to me!!”

The words tore out of my mouth before I could stop them.

Because to me—that was the truth.

That was the only thing I could believe.

“Then tell me—who exactly defeated me?”

“Kanda and Arianna… The Hero and Saintess. They’re the ones who defeated the Demon King—that’s what the report said. There’s no reason they’d lie about something like that!”

“What a strange thing to say. Tell me—how could someone who isn’t even a real Hero possibly defeat me? Why would you ever believe I could be destroyed by someone like that, hmm? Tell me, Hero.”

“Not a Hero…? That’s ridiculous! Kanda is the Hero! He was summoned from another world, he can use the Holy Sword—of course he’s the Hero!”

He was strong.

He shined bright.

He was everything I wasn’t.

Even after being thrown into this world out of nowhere, he kept moving forward—never losing sight of himself.

Meanwhile, I’ve just been here… sulking over a role I lost.

“And what exactly is the Holy Sword? From whose point of view is it even holy? To whom does it grant its so-called sacred power? I can tell you one thing for sure—it certainly doesn’t work on me. Not on someone born in this world. Not on someone who is this world.”

“What nonsense are you spouting…?”

But still…

There was something about that voice—

Something in the way it spoke that made it hard not to believe.

That presence… it had the weight to back it up.

Kanda’s special ability was summoning the Holy Sword.

That radiant blade boosted his physical strength to absurd levels while it was active—

He became so powerful I couldn’t even come close.

But… now that I really think about it—

Who ever said that sword actually worked on the Demon King?

Who proved it?

I’d just assumed.

Everyone called Kanda the Hero, sure…

But I don’t remember anyone ever saying he was the one destined to defeat the Demon King.

“Your so-called Demon Lord Subjugation Squad may have taken down something, yes.

But that wasn’t me—not my true form. And even if it was… that cheap imitation of a Hero never could’ve killed me.”

“T-That can’t be…”

“You understand now, don’t you… Hero? I want you. If you accept me, I’ll give you the power of the Demon King. With it, you can take everything you’ve ever wanted. Rule this world. Take it all—without asking.”

Its words slipped through the cracks in my heart.

Before, it had tried to twist my inferiority. My hopelessness.

But now it was trying something else.

It called me Hero.

It denied Kanda.

Said he was the fake.

And maybe—
Just maybe—
Somewhere deep down…

I wanted to believe that.

“Even though they already had the real Hero—you—right there… They went and summoned some fake from another world. They took your title. They took your role. They even took your childhood friend, the Saintess. So tell me—why keep serving a place like that? Why stay loyal to a kingdom that threw you aside?”

“…”

“Accept me… And you’ll be free. Leave this kingdom behind. Travel the world. Bend it all to your will.”

Dozens of dark tendrils began slithering out from the black orb floating in front of me—

Squirming like they were alive, slowly creeping toward me.

And I just stood there—

Watching them draw closer.

Not saying a word.

“Accept me, Hero. Come with me—Let us rewrite everything together—”