"That man is 'Demon King Slayer'..."
Luciana glanced at Henry with an indescribable expression.
A complex set of feelings lay beneath.
Perhaps, given his position as a former Four Heavenly Kings executive, there were certain matters on her mind.
"Can you accept it?"
"So-so."
Luciana nodded.
Having witnessed the series of battles firsthand, she seemed unable to deny it.
Henry Blarkin, stripped of exaggeration, was this small nation's ultimate weapon.
His primary arsenal was his innate physique and battle instincts.
He possessed no particular special abilities and could not use magic.
Despite this, Henry boasted an extraordinary strength.
His fighting style was exceedingly simple.
He would withstand enemy attacks with exceptional resilience, then overwhelm them with brute force honed to its limits.
Even when faced with surprise attacks, he would respond with pure intuition.
He was a man with no discernible weaknesses.
A temperamental and brutish Henry seemed to take pleasure in defying discipline.
Personality-wise, he was undoubtedly a dangerous individual.
He could even be labeled antisocial.
However, it was also understandable why the former Kingdom had sought his cooperation during the subjugation of the Demon King.
If Henry had joined the campaign to slay the Demon King, the war would surely have gone far more in our favor.
I was shocked when I heard of his imprisonment back then.
The impression remains so vivid I can still recall it clearly now.
"Stand back. It seems they're getting impatient."
Henry began to approach, so I used the wind to push Luciana aside.
Caught by the sudden gust, Luciana stumbled and took flight.
"W-w-whoa!"
Just as Luciana left my field of view, I launched my blades of wind.
A triple shot with enhanced cutting power.
Enough force to effortlessly bisect even metal.
"Oh."
Facing an invisible attack, Henry charged forward as a matter of course.
He deftly dodged the wind blades with light, agile movements.
Could he be sensing the slightest tremors in the air?
His precision was almost absurd.
"Hahaha! You're gonna need more than that if you wanna kill me!"
Laughing, Henry closed the distance and launched a flying kick at me.
I ducked to avoid it.
Immediately after, a leg passed through the air with the force of a gale.
"...!"
A shattering sound echoed from the crown of my head.
It seemed the tips of its claws had grazed me.
There was a sensation of my skull being shaved.
However, it was not enough to incapacitate this body.
In other words, the damage was not significant.
I reinforced my own hand with magical power, bringing my fingers together into the shape of a finger thrust.
Breaking the floor as I stepped forward, I thrust forward in the shortest distance.
"Oh!"
Henry let out a pleased sound, and he grabbed my wrist to stop me.
His reaction speed was tremendous.
He countered as if he had known it was coming.
Henry used my own strength to fling me aside.
(Maybe ordinary sorcery won't settle this...)
I generated a force field in midair, then kicked off it to rebound.
Closing in on Henry, I fired a rapid volley of black fireballs mixed with miasma.
He crossed both arms to block the fireballs, then retreated when he saw an opening.
His sleeves burned instantly, but there was no major injury to his arms.
The fireballs I'd used just now still seemed to lack sufficient power.
"...Damn, this air is foul. Isn't it way too stagnant?"
Henry coughed while grumbling.
The tainted mist drifting through the air seemed to displease him. Yet there was no sign of him turning undead. He was merely somewhat irritated by it. An ordinary person would have long since transformed into a ghoul by now. It wasn’t that my authority was failing. Most likely, the vital energy of his flesh was resisting the corruption. I had been expecting the miasma’s pollution to take effect over time, but this was a troublesome constitution. He was far too exceptional to be just a human.
"…………"
I calmed myself and observed Henry. If I were serious, I could kill him. I could unleash large-scale magic repeatedly, using my near-infinite magical power to reshape the terrain. If I attacked with enough force to annihilate the capital itself, even the formidable Henry wouldn’t escape unscathed. That was possible for me now. Furthermore, Henry possessed no means to kill me. No matter how skilled he was in physical combat, he couldn’t truly destroy me. Even if this body were obliterated, I would simply resurrect by using my subordinate undead as a vessel. In a prolonged battle, my victory was inevitable. Yet I was beginning to find this human, Henry, intriguing. He was certainly a resource too valuable to kill here.
Fortunately, he is extremely moody by nature.
Given his character is closer to a villain's, there's a premonition that he could be persuaded to join the Demon Lord's Army depending on the negotiation.
Thinking this, I decided to make a proposal to the wary Henry.
"Henry Blarkin. How about a wager with me?"
"...What did you just say?"
Henry relaxes his stance and looks at me askance.
That was apparently unexpected.
At the very least, he seems interested.
The fact that he doesn't attack me while I'm wide open is a good sign.
He adopts a posture of listening for the time being.
"Let's place a prize on the winner of our duel. If I win, I want you to join the Demon Lord's Army. If I lose, I'll grant your wish to the best of my ability."
"W-wait, Demon Lord?!"
This time, it's Luciana who is surprised.
She starts to rush towards me, so I stop her with my gaze.
This is a critical moment.
I understand her feelings, but I can't have interruptions.
Luciana nods with a solemn expression and returns to observing quietly.
For now, she trusts me.
If she judged the situation was truly dangerous, she would have forced her way into the conversation regardless.
Henry, meanwhile, was lost in thought.
He is seriously considering my proposal.
After pondering for a while, he showed a ferocious grin.
"--When I beat you, hand over the Demon Lord Army to me. My days as a prisoner are over, and I was wondering what to do next. Fighting a war against the whole world sounds like fun."
"..."
I freeze at Henry's words.
This was not the answer I had anticipated.
I knew he was antisocial and temperamental, but I never imagined he would go this far.
Suppressing my surge of emotion, I address Henry in what I hope is an even, detached tone.
"...The role of the Demon Lord is not something one can take on with half-hearted resolve. I don't think you're suited for it."
"And you have that resolve?"
"Of course."
I answer without hesitation.
At the bottom of the Valley of the Dead, I decided to bear everything.
There is no one who can take my place.
It was certainly not a role one could take on lightly.
"..."
Henry stares intently at me.
What is he thinking?
For now, I cannot tell.
Uncharacteristically for someone as temperamental as him, his expression remains serious.
"Will you take the bet or not? Let me hear your answer."
"Hmm..."
When I pressed him, Henry crossed his arms and pondered further.
In those eyes, I saw a different emotion than before.
Not hostility or fighting spirit, but something else.
Almost a hint of familiarity.
Before I could grasp its true nature, Henry gave his answer.
"Of course I'll take it. I wouldn't dare miss such an amusing turn of events. Let's settle this quickly, shall we?"
Henry declared this with glee, his fists raised and a grin on his face.
And then, he sprinted toward me.