Activating The Power Of The Demon Lord

“Please save us”—I had actually been asked to do that.

By people I was supposed to be fighting. Me, who was a human until just moments ago. I had been resurrected as a Demon Lord, which meant… I was now a “demon,” right?

And yet, my consciousness remained human. So did my emotions and my sense of ethics. I had spent my life fighting as a Hero to protect the world of men; being told to turn around and fight those very humans left me with nothing but bewilderment.

Yes, I am a Hero who protects the people.

—Even after they kept betraying you?

Suddenly, dark words bubbled up from deep within me.

“I am… a Hero,” I whispered, as if trying to convince myself.

—Even though you were betrayed by a fellow Hero?

Again, the voice rose from within. Dammit, what am I thinking…

“My Demon Lord, take this.”

Stella’s voice interrupted my internal conflict. She held her hand out toward me. From the empty air, a mask engraved with ominous patterns appeared. It slid through the air and fitted itself perfectly over my face.

“This is—”

“It would be best to hide the fact that your true identity is a former human. As you are now, you would be viewed as an enemy by both humans and demons alike,” Stella explained. “To the humans, you would be the ‘Hero who defected to the Demon Realm.’ To the demons, you would be the ‘Human who slew the previous Demon Lord.’”

“…I suppose that’s true.”

Me, a former Hero, wearing the mask of a Demon Lord.

“This mask cannot be removed by simple force. I have placed a spell on it so that it can only be donned or removed by your own will,” Stella added. “As of now, I am the only one who knows the truth. And of course, I shall tell no one else.”

Her almond-shaped eyes stared straight into mine.

“There you are, Demon Lord!”

At that moment, several warriors burst into the hall.

—Is Lyle with them?

I turned my gaze toward them. The man who was my beloved disciple, my best friend, my partner, and like a son to me. The man who killed me.

“I am the Hero Alec!”

“And I am Fred!”

“My name is Jeremy! Prepare yourself, Demon Lord!”

The Heroes announced themselves one by one.

“…Lyle isn’t here, huh.”

I let out a sigh beneath the mask. The desperate mission by a hundred Heroes to slay the Demon Lord—that had been carried out about three days ago. Lyle and I were both members of that party. Many of our comrades were slain by demons or became separated; by the time we reached the Demon Castle, only Lyle and I were left. We climbed to the top floor, fought the Demon Lord, and…

Now, I myself had become the Demon Lord. I wondered what had happened to Lyle after that. Was he fighting in another area? Or—

“I won’t let you lay a finger on our Demon Lord!”

This time, a group of demon soldiers arrived.

“Wh-what? You aren’t Lady Yurisha… who are you?”

The demon woman at the front looked confused. She was a young girl with red hair tied in a ponytail.

“Stand back, Captain Rilim. This individual has become our new Demon Lord in Lady Yurisha’s stead,” Stella announced solemnly.

“A new Demon Lord…!?”

“Confusion is natural, but this is an emergency. Fulfill your duty,” Stella told the shocked Rilim.

“I… I see the crest of the Demon Lord indeed… In that case, we shall protect you!”

“Hmph, we’ll kick your asses first before we get to the Demon Lord!”

The Heroes and demon soldiers faced off.

“Please, step back.”

Urged by Stella, I moved to the rear. I still hadn’t sorted out my feelings. Logically, I felt I should side with the humans as a Hero. Yet, something inside me held me back. What is this feeling? Is it because Lyle betrayed me? Have I developed some sympathy for Stella and the demons? Or—

Before my confused eyes, the battle between the Heroes and demons began. Each of the three Heroes held a spear of identical design.

Miracle Armaments. Sacred weapons bestowed upon humans by God to strike down evil. Those with the aptitude to wield them are called “Heroes.”

“Get blown away!”

One of the Heroes thrust his spear forward.

“Roar, Undine!”

“Guah!”

“Gyah!”

The torrent of water that erupted from the spearhead became sharp blades, shredding several demons.

“There! Another one dead! That puts me in the lead!”

Hanging from his waist were several objects that looked like the severed heads of demons. I saw that the other two had the same.

“There’s still plenty of demons left!”

“Just watch, I’m going to take the lead now!”

The Heroes were grinning. These guys… they’re playing a “game” of hunting demons…!

It made me sick. I, too, had slain many demons. In war, the exchange of lives is a given. But enjoying it like it’s a game is different. Once you lose even the minimum level of respect for your enemy, you are no longer a Hero or a warrior. What they were doing wasn’t a battle. It was just a slaughter.

Truly, it was they who looked like devils.

“Everyone, fall back! I’ll handle this!”

Rilim stepped forward. Her body turned semi-transparent and thin, quickly softening and stretching out. Is she a member of the slime kin?

“I’ll be the shield, so everyone reorganize the—Kyaah!”

The slime girl screamed. The water torrent released by the Heroes turned into spears, piercing her gelatinous body.

“Captain Rilim!”

“It’s no use, they’re too strong—”

The demon subordinates cried out in despair and fear. Usually, slimes are resistant to physical attacks. But as expected of a Miracle Armament, that water torrent seemed capable of damaging a slime. Even so, she stood her ground desperately to protect her comrades.

“Agh… kua, a… aaaaagh…!”

Pierced all over her body and letting out cries of agony, she didn’t take a single step back.

—I fought against demons as a Hero.

The demons were enemies who threatened the human world. They were enemies that had to be defeated.

“But…”

I gritted my teeth. I watched as Rilim was pierced again and again, yet still stood to shield her allies.

“Does it even matter if they’re human or demon?”

I couldn’t stand by and watch this!

“Stop it!”

I shouted in anger and stepped forward.

“Heh, the Demon Lord is going to face us directly?”

“Sweet! If we take this guy down, we’ll be famous!”

The Heroes cheered. Three Heroes, huh? If they made it to the Demon Castle, they must be the chosen elite. In my previous life, I might have barely been able to hold my own against them. But how about the “Demon Lord version” of me?

As I turned my gaze toward them, countless characters appeared in the air.

Name: Alec

Class: Knight-type Hero

Total Level: 110

HP: 560

MP: 170

Attack: 302

Defense: 440

Evasion: 415

Accuracy: 700

Equipment: Miracle Armament ‘Undine’

Skills: - Water Spear Strike LV 7

Water Barrier LV 4

“Is this… the ‘Status Display’ Stella showed me earlier?”

Apparently, I could do the same thing. That was the display for the lead Hero, but the other two had similar numbers. My total level was 4702, while the opponents were all in the 100s. In terms of pure numbers, I overwhelmed them.

“What are you dazing off for!”

“You’re wide open!”

“Pierce the Demon Lord, Undine!”

The three spear-type Miracle Armaments simultaneously released blades of water.

—If the opponent is water, should I counter with fire?

The moment I thought that, a different display appeared before my eyes.

Fire: Lowest-tier flame magic. Low power but high activation speed.

Burst Bomb: Causes an explosion over a wide area. Range and power increase with the caster’s level.

Meteor Blade: Unleashes a flaming slash. Basic reach is approximately three meters.

Hundreds of other spell names followed in a long list. It was likely the list of magic available to me.

“I’ve never used magic before. I guess ‘Fire’ will do for now.”

For practice, I chose the lowest-tier spell.

—Flame.

A tiny fireball the size of a pea was born. It drifted slowly through the air, collided with the three water torrents, and—

Triggered a colossal explosion.

“Eh, what…?”

The three torrents evaporated in an instant, and the three Heroes vanished without even having time to scream. Furthermore, the floor and walls were melted into sludge and scorched. The fireball continued forward, flew out of the castle, reached a mountain range several kilometers away, and obliterated several mountains together.

“The spell I cast… was the lowest-tier one, right?”

It was far—absurdly far—beyond anything I had imagined.