I Got Reincarnated as the Villain and Saved the World, but After the Ending I Was Betrayed and Exiled. I Just Wanted a Peaceful Life in the Frontier, but for Some Reason My Former Companions Started Chasing Me with Yandere Eyes… - 56-57

Chapter 56: The Final Battle

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“Henrietta!? Why are you all here?”

Josef cried out in shock at the figure who appeared as the door opened, but I was just as surprised. Henrietta was standing before us, accompanied by Elena, Ceres… and Solomon.

It was like the old days when we had once formed a party together…

“Josef… No, Ose!! As a noble of the kingdom I cannot forgive you for the crime of deceiving us and trying to have us kill the demons who sought peace!!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Is this really the time to be saying such foolish things!? I am no demon… Nuoh!?”

Even as Josef spoke, a flash of light flew at him, and I saw his face contort in pain.

“My, my. That was a holy light harmful only to demons, yet it seems to have been quite effective on you. Strange, isn’t it?”

Ceres replied coolly, her face composed. Behind her, Solomon writhed, unable to endure the light directly, but I pretended not to notice that.

“Ridiculous… What are the guards even doing? To let demons in here…”

“Hmph, you underestimate us, the Demon Lord Slayers. The heroic noble Henrietta, still fighting for this kingdom even now. Ceres, the Church’s greatest healer and the gentle (haha) saintess. And me, the once-in-a-thousand-years beauty, the wise elf. When we said, ‘Make way,’ everyone gladly did so and even evacuated for us when we told them to! You misjudged the trust humans place in their heroes.”

Just as Elena boasted with her smug face, the fact that no one else appeared even though a battle was happening must have been because of what she said. As I gazed at these powerful reinforcements, my eyes met Henrietta’s. 

She twisted her expression awkwardly and I, not knowing what to do in such a sudden situation, simply nodded silently. She smiled happily in return.

“And it’s not just us. Phantom also fought for everyone, and when I told them that, everyone gladly obeyed.”

“Oh, the traitor snatched up the good part, I see.”

“Ugh…”

At Ceres’s biting remark, Henrietta clutched her chest, while Elena shook her head as if exasperated. Amid this, Solomon stepped forward.

“Ose… Your time is over. Return the power you stole from my father, and go back to the demon realm. If you do, I will at least spare your life. Let’s see… Perhaps Amon can give you a good butt spanking.”

Her words sounded childish, but the dignity in her expression radiated authority, exuding a pressure that revealed a glimpse of the Demon Lord within her. And at her feet, shadowy hands warned Ose that they were ready to seize him at any moment, making clear she wouldn’t let him go unpunished.

“Master… It looks like we won’t have to fight after all. Hurry up and let Ceres-san heal you.”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

Tia pressed her chest against my shoulder, peering at my face with concern. Embarrassed, I turned my gaze away—only to meet Ceres’s piercing stare and Henrietta’s pained expression, which made me feel like I was doing something terribly wrong.

“Fu… fuhahahahahahaha!!”

“What is so funny, Ose!?”

“Did you think I had no trump card left? Solomon! I shall steal your magic as well and become the true Demon Lord!!”

An overwhelming surge of magical power burst out from Ose’s body. That magic resembled what we had faced earlier with Glasya-Labolas, yet surpassed it… There was no doubt about it. He had unleashed the full extent of the power he had borrowed from Glasya-Labolas.

But he didn’t scare us.

Ose’s body swelled slightly larger as he released the power, but it seemed he was already nearing his limits. I could see his whole body creaking under the strain. Ose himself couldn’t endure Glasya-Labolas’s power.

And besides, now we had all the other Demon Lord Slayers except for Cain, as well as the reliable Tia and Solomon by our side. With us as we were now, we wouldn’t lose even against Glasya-Labolas’s complete form.

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Chapter 57: Ose’s Power

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“Henrietta, take defense!! Elena and Solomon, fire your magic without holding back. Ceres, I’m counting on you for that!! Tia, you and I will wait for an opening and strike!!”

When I raised my voice, we began to coordinate as smoothly as if we had gone back to the old days. And the fact that Tia and Solomon followed my orders without hesitation truly filled me with gratitude.

“What!? Magic against me as I am now!? I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I will kill you with my own hand!!”

“I won’t let you!! This time for sure… I’ll protect everyone!!”

Ose, whose physical abilities had increased, transformed his right arm into a greatsword and swung it down, but Henrietta’s holy barrier blocked the attack. The barrier cracked with an earsplitting sound, but at the same time Ose’s greatsword began to smoke, accompanied by the acrid scent of burning.

Touched by the purifying holy power, he was taking damage.

“Henrietta, are you sure about this? In the end you’ll never be with Phantom. But if you lend me your power—”

“Shut up!! I already know that!! Now, Elena!!”

The moment the barrier burst apart like an explosion, Elena’s flames and Solomon’s shadows assaulted Ose. But as if he had been waiting for it, Ose’s eyes flew wide open…

“Hmph, you were waiting for me to overload? Don’t lump me in with fragile humans!! Ughwaaa!?”

“Fool. You didn’t realize I mixed divine blessing into the spell. Did you really think I’d give you a power-up?”

As Ose tried to consume the magic, but as he did so, he also swallowed the divine power entwined within and cried out in pain. Ceres mocked him as he writhed. In that opening, Tia and I struck him.

“Sorry, but I can’t afford to lose after what you had said about the Evil Eyes.”

“This is payback for hurting my Master. Suffer as much as you can!!”

“Grrr! How!? How are you adapting to my power so quickly!?”

Even as Ose turned his entire body into metal, the weapons blessed by Ceres that Tia and I wielded burned and charred his flesh. He was surprised, but of course, this wasn’t improvised. 

I had originally planned for this strategy way before this fight. Originally, we were supposed to march into the Demon Realm and defeat Glasya-Labolas after the victory parade ended. This was merely the strategy I had prepared for that. And besides…

“Compared to Glasya-Labolas, you’re just a small fry!! In how you wield the Evil Eyes!! In your movements!! Above all, in speed!!”

“Don’t underestimate me!! I have magic he never had!! Do you think you can defy a demon and walk away alive!?”

Ose stretched his fingers like metallic branches. I parried three with my sword and narrowly dodged the remaining two as I closed the distance. Blood sprayed as one grazed my cheek, but I didn’t care.

“Save the acrobatics for the circus!!”

“Even if you can dodge, what about that little girl?”

I understood exactly what the coward meant. But I didn’t look back. Because I wasn’t fighting alone.

“You’re interested in humans, right? Then I’ll show you what humans are capable of.”

“You bastard!!”

My thrust grazed his right eye, sending blood spraying. I had missed a direct hit, but I raised my sword again to finish him when—

“Uwooooah!?”

“Phantom-sama!! Purification!!”

Ose’s body seemed to explode, and part of it turned into slime that tried to engulf me. I felt searing pain like burns spreading across my whole body, but the holy light healed me. Even so, Ose turned his back in disgrace and fled.

“After all those cool words, he turns tail and runs at full speed? No shame, no pride!! That’s not cute at all!!”

“Well, Ose was never good at straightforward fights. Gaining power far beyond his station must have made him overconfident. I can sympathize with that feeling…”

“This is no time to sympathize!! He can change his form!! If he gets away, it’ll be trouble!!”

Just as Elena pointed out to Tia and Solomon, if we let him escape and disguise himself again, things would get messy. I, Ceres, and Henrietta—the fastest among us—broke into a sprint to give chase.

“Ceres and I will restrict his escape routes with barriers!! Phantom, chase him down!!”

“Yeah, leave it to me!!”

“Hey… I wanted to say that line… How cruel…”

I was a little surprised that we could converse so naturally in the middle of battle, but I chased after Ose. He tried to transform into a bat and take flight, but a barrier appeared midair and smacked him down.

Ahahaha! Serves you right!!

“This pathetic escape… What is he, Kibutsuji Muzan!?”

“I don’t quite understand the reference, but watching him run like that is less Muzan and more disgraceful.”

Ceres spat venom at my side. I thought to myself. 

Was she always this sharp-tongued? 

But then, I suddenly noticed a figure ahead of Ose. All soldiers and servants had already been evacuated… Could it be…?

“Oh, Cain-sama!! Please help me. Phantom is holding a grudge against me!!”

“Hm…? I see… So that’s how it is.”

If he’s here, then what about Amon…? 

A bad feeling swept over me. Cain wore a frivolous smile, but the weapon in his hand was not the cursed sword from earlier. It was an ordinary steel blade. And then—

“Wha—Cain-sama, what are you—!?”

Ose’s right arm was severed and sent flying, blood spraying into the air.

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