Reincarnated Devil's Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~ - Chapter 134

Reincarnated Devil’s Strongest Hero Training Plan ~The baby he picked up has grown up so well that his father is confused~

Chapter 134   True Hero

The final strike.

Hero Ars slowly raised his golden sword, and as if in response, the Demon King’s arms condensed with his overwhelming magical power.

Then, without exchanging any words, the fated clash began.

On one side, the hopes, wishes, and prayers of the people converged into a river of rainbow light. On the other side, the crimson light of a man bearing all the sins of the Demon World and the responsibilities of a king.

Rainbow-colored radiance and crimson radiance.

The two immense forces collided, piercing through the Demon King’s castle, distorting dimensions with their sheer destructive power.

However, the stalemate was brief.

Gradually, the crimson radiance was pushed back, and the Demon King’s arms began to rupture, blood spurting from the strain.

“…Indeed, I have reached my limit. You truly are a remarkable man, Hero Ars. And Kakyu, your son is truly worthy of being called the greatest.”

The rainbow radiance unleashed by the hero.

Its power was no longer something that could be contained within a human form; it was akin to a fundamental concept rooted in humanity.

To explain it, it could be said that this is the will of the world itself.

Hero Ars is the embodiment of the concept of “courage” within humanity.

The path they walked.

The light of courage they kindled.

The voices of the people who wished for them.

All these elements resonated with and were acknowledged by the world’s will, culminating in this miraculous union of power.

This is the true magic that only a hero can wield.

It is a concept of courage, a form of magic that a ruler who governs everything by force, such as the Demon King, could never attain.

“I acknowledge it…”

The Demon King thought.

Now, it felt like an eternity ago.

A distant event that had become a legend in the human world.

Back then, the previous Demon King, who was defeated by a hero, his own father…

Perhaps, he felt the same way as I do now.

And at the same time, he realized.

The bloody history of hatred between humans and demons, repeated countless times, would end with this.

This battle’s conclusion would mark the beginning of a new era.

“I acknowledge you, Hero Ars.”

Muttering so softly that no one could hear, the Demon King unleashed even more power.

If magic was insufficient, he would use the power of his life force.

Determined to stand firm, the Demon King used a forbidden technique that consumed his own life force to push back the rainbow light.

Yet, even with this, his power likely wouldn’t match Hero Ars’s.

But still, he would resist until his last moment, collapsing on the soil of the Demon World.

Because that was his responsibility as the King of the Demon World, who initiated this war.

By sacrificing his life and fighting the strongest hero who surpassed even the mightiest Demon King, the story would conclude.

This would shatter the malice of the Demon World, lead demons to recognize humanity, and open the path to reconciliation.

Of course, there would still be exceptional demons who wouldn’t comply.

But what of it?

Before this man, who wouldn’t even acknowledge the supreme effort of the ultimate Demon King, no open defiance could arise.

For his son in law, who could overcome any trial and eliminate all obstacles, such barriers were insignificant.

…Therefore.

“I acknowledge it! Hero Ars! You truly are the one who has defeated I the Demon King! And listen well, all demons of this world! From this moment forward, the Demon World will seek harmony with humanity! This is the final decree from the pinnacle of our kind, the strongest Demon King in history!”

With the last of his life force, he roared his will to the world.

“I will not hear objections! If you have complaints, then challenge Hero Ars right now! Of course, you’ll be turned to ash in an instant! Hahaha!”

Even in his final moments, knowing he would die after such a struggle, the Demon King expressed boundless joy.

The demons were certain. His beaming expression was free of sorrow, filled with hope for the future. They realized this was what their king had wished for all along.

So they decided to follow. If this was what he commanded, they would obey, engraving his words into their souls.

“Ah, how delightful. Truly delightful, heroes of mankind! And Hero Ars, I entrust this to you! My daughter, Hades Lucifer. No, just Hades. Take her away with you immediately! From this moment, I, the Demon King, grant my permission!”

As he declared this, the Demon King’s arms finally disintegrated, his body engulfed in the rainbow light.

At that same moment, as the hero unleashed his power to the limit, he briefly glimpsed a figure with black wings passing by. But who was it…?

However, when the magical cage suspended from the ceiling shattered and Princess Hades gently fell into Hero Ars’s arms, he realized who that black figure was.

A magical cage that should not have broken by the death of the Demon King, and a body that vanished without a trace in the rainbow light. These pointed to one fact.

Realizing this truth, Hero Ars expressed his gratitude to the one who was no longer there.

— Thank you, my father in-law.

— And, thank you, father.

◇

“Owwwwww! It hurts! It hurts so bad!”

Yes!

Hello, everyone!

I’m Kakyu, a low-class demon who got called out from Hell and took quite a beating from my son’s ultimate attack!

Seriously, Ars is way too strong!

I was in Devil Mode, ready to act in case something went wrong and to ensure the Demon King wouldn’t be left behind, but to think he could inflict such serious wounds on me!

It’s like a case of a child you adopted growing up to be so impressive that it leaves the dad utterly bewildered.

Anyway, that rainbow beam was insane.

If I’d been even a second slower in rescuing the old man, whose body I had infused with demon essence to ensure resurrection in case of instant death, his body would have been blown to smithereens, turned to mere dust!

If that had happened, it would have truly been The End.

I wouldn’t have been able to bring the old man back to life.

“But seriously, for Ars to inflict this much damage on me even when I’m at full power… I mean, sure, he had the combined strength of humanity, but still. The growth of my son is truly astounding… Don’t you agree, old man?”

By the way, the extent of the damage was such that the rainbow light directly hit me and gouged out my side, leaving a big, breezy hole.

Of course, I could heal it quickly with recovery magic, just like that.

But still, if it had hit a worse spot, it would have taken a lot longer to recover. It was an unbelievably powerful blow.

There’s no way the old man, who hasn’t fully adapted to the demon essence yet, could have withstood that.

In fact, just managing to hold out for that long, even at the cost of his life, was impressive. That’s befitting of this world’s Demon King.

“Haa… Haa…!! Haa… There’s no way I have the luxury to chat nonchalantly, Kakyu! I almost really died! Actually, I did die once!”

“Now, now. Don’t say that. I brought you back with almost no death penalty, didn’t I?”

“De-Death… Death penalty? What’s that?”

A death penalty is a death penalty.

Normally, demons who resurrect from death suffer a halving of their power, but I had hypothesized through my years in Hell that if the resurrection occurs from a death with minimal damage and receives meticulous resurrection techniques from another, this drawback can be somewhat avoided.

This time, that hypothesis has been proven.

But, well.

“So, we should head back soon before Hades-chan starts crying for real. Let’s go, old man Demon King.”

Apparently, Ars, who has long surpassed the limits of human capability, had been keeping an eye on me the whole time while hiding. But Hades-chan, who is still far from mastering her skills, is different. Right now, she probably believes she’s lost her real father and is overwhelmed with sorrow.

If we don’t get back to her quickly, another tragedy might occur.

“What?! That cannot be! Take me to my daughter immediately! This is urgent, Kakyu!”

“Yeah, but… if you go back in that form, you’re going to get laughed at. Are you okay with that?”

The thing is, the old man isn’t in his usual imposing form. Instead, he’s in a chibi, mini-Kakyu form, dangling from my hand. As I mentioned earlier, the drawback of dying can be avoided “to some extent.”

While the permanent halving of his power was prevented, he didn’t achieve a full recovery. As a result, he turned into a chibi-mini character version of the Demon King, though his abilities haven’t changed much.

He’s lost about ten percent of his full strength. How long it will take to regain his original power is unknown, but it’s a matter of time. Considering the power boost from the demon essence, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

Still, if that tomboyish daughter of his sees him like this, she’ll definitely burst out laughing.

“You’ll get laughed at, you know? Are you okay with that?”

“Ugh?! Well, but…!!”

Ah, the struggles of fatherhood. I get it since I’m also Ars’ dad.

Alright, let’s wait until the old man’s internal struggle is resolved. It would be troublesome if the demons or humans of the demon realm found out the old man is alive, and when we return to Ars and Hades-chan, we’ll need to do so discreetly.

Watching how they handle the aftermath will be quite interesting as well.