Reborn As The Strongest Demon Lord

The battle against the Demon Lord had reached its final phase.

“Die, you heroes!”

A beautiful woman clad in black robes—the Demon Lord Yurisha—swung down a pitch-black greatsword.

I parried the strike with the longsword in my right hand and aimed the pistol I had drawn with my left at the Demon Lord’s chest.

A thunderous roar.

The Demon Lord retreated, blood flowing from her chest.

“Excellent work, Master Fried!”

The boy standing beside me smiled.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a refreshing grin. At forty-two, I was old enough to be his father, but this boy, Lyle, was my partner and beloved disciple who had fought by my side all the way to the top floor of this Demon Castle.

“I’ll take the right. You take the left. Can you do it?”

“Yes, now is the time to show my power—”

“Perish by my dark magic!”

The Demon Lord shouted, cutting off our coordination.

“Ragna Bomb!”

A sphere of jet-black energy was unleashed from the tip of her thrusting sword.

“Tch, a top-tier spell without a chant—”

As expected of a Demon Lord, her magical power was monstrous.

“Miracle Armament: Gram—Maximum Output: Mana Jamming!”

Without hesitation, I raised the longsword in my hand.

Miracle Armaments. They are holy artifacts bestowed by God. My ‘Gram’ possesses the ability to interfere with and ‘jam’ any form of magic.

The black energy ball dissolved and vanished just before it reached me.

“My magic… misfired…!?”

The Demon Lord stood perplexed.

“Then I shall strike you down directly!”

She drew her sword and lunged at me. I raised Gram to meet her. Our skill was nearly equal. I continued to parry her swift, heavy slashes with my longsword.

—Now, Lyle!

I signaled with my eyes to my beloved disciple, who had circled around from the opposite direction.

“Howl, Laevateinn!”

Lyle raised a greatsword with a crimson blade and swung it down. A swirling vortex of flames erupted.

“Such flames are nothing—Rune Shield!”

A glowing blue defensive field appeared in front of the Demon Lord as she spun around.

“Maximum Output: Mana Jamming!”

However, the Miracle Armament I activated once again caused the field to dissipate into mist without a trace. I had jammed the Demon Lord’s magic effect.

“D-dammit…!”

Lyle’s flames exploded against the now-defenseless Demon Lord.

“Gua… aaaaaagh…!”

Taking the full brunt of the flames from ‘Laevateinn,’ which boasted top-class attack power, even the mighty Yurisha seemed to have taken massive damage. She staggered weakly and collapsed on the spot.

“Now—”

I immediately pressed the attack. I would take her head with my longsword and rain bullets upon the remaining torso.

“Lyle, one more strike. If we leave her alone, the Demon Lord will regenerate. Before that happens, use the flames of Laevateinn to completely incinerate—”

—Thuck.

Suddenly, a hot shock ran through my chest.

“Eh…!?”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what had happened. As I turned around, what entered my vision was a face twisted into a grin.

Lyle’s ominous, wicked smile.

“You…!?”

Lyle had thrust his greatsword through my back…!?

“See, if the war ends like this, the story will be ‘The Hero Fried and his disciple slew the Demon Lord,’ right?”

Lyle, smiling against the backdrop of the flames, looked like a demon.

“Master would be the ‘Hero among Heroes’ passed down for ages, and I’d just be the sidekick. But, I think there’s a different scenario.”

“A different… scenario…?”

As I asked, a clump of blood erupted from my mouth. My consciousness began to fade rapidly.

“The Hero Fried suffers a tragic death, and his disciple Lyle avenges him. I think the masses would enjoy that more, don’t you? It’s more dramatic.”

“Y-you… what are…?”

I couldn’t process it. He was the beloved disciple I had raised with my own hands for ten years. I wasn’t married, and I had no children. But I thought of Lyle like a biological son. And Lyle had looked up to me like a father. Or so I believed.

Why? Why did you betray me—?

“Now, blow everything away, Laevateinn. The Demon Lord, and my master.”

Lyle spoke coldly and raised the crimson sword. The flames that burst forth engulfed both me and the Demon Lord together.

In the next moment, my consciousness scattered into mist—.

My earliest memory was of a wall of fire.

It was the memory of when demons attacked my home village when I was a child. My parents and everyone close to me were killed. I barely survived thanks to a Hero who arrived just in time.

Left alone, I fought desperately to survive, and eventually, my aptitude as a Hero awakened. I learned the ways of combat at the national training facility and quickly rose to prominence. As one of the highest-ranked Heroes, I fought countless demons.

At first, I was proud. Proud to be a Hero of Justice who protected the people.

But I soon realized that was a mistake.

Among the Heroes, ugly jealousy and power struggles swirled. Heroes would pull others down if their battle records were better. Heroes colluded with the nation’s high officials and took bribes. Heroes sought only status and the fulfillment of their own desires, with saving people as a secondary concern.

Countless ugly battles between Heroes—and those around them. Countless plots and betrayals.

The sole exception was Lyle.

Ten years ago—Lyle, who was only six at the time, became my disciple, saying he wanted to learn how to fight as a Hero. Honest and dedicated, Lyle slowly, gradually melted my heart, which had been on the verge of misanthropy.

He was my friend, my partner, my beloved disciple, and I thought of him as a son.

But in the end, Lyle betrayed me. Is there no one left in this world to trust? Filled with regret, my life ended—.

“…Where is this?”

When I opened my eyes, I was in a large hall. Rows of plush red carpets and various luxurious furnishings. It seemed I was inside a castle. But was it somewhere in the Demon Castle? It looked different from where I was fighting just moments ago.

“Why am I in a place like this…?”

A sharp pain throbbed in my chest.

“Right, Lyle… he…”

“Are you awake, my Demon Lord?”

I turned around to find a young girl standing there. She wore a black, military-like outfit on her slender frame. Flowing silver hair reached down to her waist. Purple eyes held a mysterious glow. She was an exquisitely beautiful girl—enough to take one’s breath away.

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Stella di Arselvain.”

She knelt at my feet.

“Please call me Stella. I am your loyal servant, ready to obey any command from the Demon Lord.”

“You’ve been calling me ‘Demon Lord’ for a while now, but what are you talking about?”

Confused, I looked down at my own body. I should have been engulfed in Lyle’s flames, yet there wasn’t a single wound. Moreover, my clothes had changed. Instead of leather armor, I was clad in a jet-black robe with gaudy decorations. Beside me, a long purple staff was leaning against the wall.

“You still have the lingering sensations of when you were human. It’s only natural, since it hasn’t been long since your resurrection.”

Stella smiled. Being stared at head-on by such a beautiful girl made my heart skip a beat. Damn it, what am I getting flustered for at my age? Besides, she isn’t human. She’s a demon.

“In time, you will grow accustomed to your power as the Demon Lord.”

“I’m not following. What have you been talking about?”

I stood there, bewildered.

“The previous Demon Lord—Lady Yurisha—possessed the power of resurrection.”

Resurrection power—meaning she could come back to life even if she died. As expected of the Demon Lord, she had terrifying power.

“It appears that your Miracle Armament interfered with Lady Yurisha’s power, causing a malfunction.”

“…Gram’s magic jamming ability?”

“As a result, the power of the Demon Lord dwelled within you instead of Lady Yurisha, and you were resurrected.”

“The power of the Demon Lord… in me…?”

Suddenly, my right hand felt hot. Looking down, a red crest resembling a hexagram had appeared on the back of my hand.

“That crest is the proof of the Demon Lord.”

Stella declared. So, instead of Yurisha being resurrected, I came back in her place? And with the power of the Demon Lord to boot—.

“Do you still find it hard to believe? Then, please look at this—‘Status Display’.”

Along with Stella’s incantation, a series of glowing characters and numbers floated in the air.

Name: Fried

Class: Demon Lord

Total Level: 4702

HP: 35566

MP: 91005

Attack: 70330

Defense: 45200

Evasion: 31785

Accuracy: 55539

Equipment: - Robe of the Overlord

Staff of the Demon Lord

Skills: - Intimidation (LV 250)

Miasma Wave (LV 536)

Demon Army Obedience (LV 1)

A long list of strings followed.

“Th-this is—incredible.”

Stella looked astonished. I assumed this represented my stats as a Demon Lord.

“The level of a general demon is around 50, we executive classes are around 200, and the past Demon Lords were roughly between 500 and 700. However, your level far exceeds 4000…!”

It was literally in a different league.

“Please, use that power to save us, my Demon Lord.”

“Save you?”

“The Demon Realm is currently on the brink of destruction. The Demon Commanders, our executives, are countering the Great Offensive of the Heroes, but they are being pushed back. Even our stronghold, the Demon Castle, is in a situation where it could be overrun at any moment.”

I see, the Heroes who invaded the Demon Realm were each making their mark.

“I am a Hero. I have no reason to save demons.”

“My Demon Lord…”

“Don’t call me the Demon Lord. I am a Hero. I am Fried, the Hero, who saves the human world from demons.”

I declared firmly.

Rumble…!

Suddenly, a distant explosion echoed.

“What was that…?”

“—It seems to be an attack from the humans.”

Stella’s expression stiffened.

“The humans?”

“I will confirm the battle situation with Clairvoyance.”

As she spoke, an eye—a third eye—appeared on Stella’s forehead.

“They likely believe they slew the Demon Lord in the previous battle. The remaining forces seem to have advanced near the Demon Castle.”

Apparently, Stella could perceive the situation outside the castle.

“The barrier of the Demon Castle is no longer functioning. The castle guards are fighting back, but there’s no telling how long they can hold out. I also exhausted my mana to its limit in the previous battle and haven’t recovered enough to fight.”

She looked me straight in the eye and said:

“The only one who can stand against the humans right now is you—I ask you once more. Please save us, Demon Lord Fried.”

“I told you already. I have no intention of saving demons—”

“At this rate, everyone will be slaughtered. Please—”

I was lost for words. The eyes filled with tears were so sorrowful, so pained, so ephemeral—.

For a moment, I was captivated.