I Stayed Loyal When My Teacher Was Betrayed

29 – The Fall of the Alliance 4

A horrifying sensation.

As if her entire body was being sliced by a blade,

Beolph slowly raised his head with a horrified expression.

A vivid black hole clearly visible in the black sky.

An entity slowly descending from there towards this direction.

As Beovolf looked at the terrifying creature emanating a horrifying aura, he instantly realized.

No… He came to realize it.

“The… Demon King…”

A terrible being that literally tore through the sky and appeared.

Clad in black wings and black armor, wielding a hammer with crackling black lightning in one hand, this figure possessed immense power different from the Odin seen before but no less formidable.

It slowly approached, appearing before Beovolf who was barely maintaining a magical barrier.

“Hehehe… Indeed, my Lord’s plan is truly magnificent… I never expected to dispose of those grand sorcerers so easily.”

“Th-That hammer… You… You wouldn’t be…”

Judia spoke with a trembling voice.

In response, the Demon King released his malevolent laughter along with his oppressive aura.

“Hehehe, I suppose you know who I am. Yes, I am none other than Torukhan, one of the three Demon Kings. Vile bastards of the wretched race! Now, repay me for avenging my brother Odin!”

Torukhan spoke with a chilling voice.

Both Judia and Beovolf were well aware of his infamous reputation.

Of the three Demon Kings, Torukhan possessed the most aggressive temperament, a merciless tyrant devoid of mercy and forgiveness.

The number of cities destroyed by his hands was countless, and the death toll alone could build a small nation. He was known as a monster of unimaginable cruelty.

As they witnessed the arrival of this terrifying presence, Beovolf’s already despairing heart sank further into the abyss.

He couldn’t win.

It was impossible.

If only their master were present, then maybe there would be a chance. But to confront such a monster with his own power was absolutely impossible.

Furthermore, due to the earlier curse, Brutal had already met his demise and Judia’s condition was not great either.

Though Loki still remained, placing any hope on her seemed utterly impossible.

The Demon King approached him, his enormous power felt in the hand holding the black hammer. With a cold voice, he spoke.

“What are you doing? Come at me! I shall use your head as an offering to my deceased brother Odin!”

“Ah… Aaaah…”

Torukhan’s words as he prepared for battle.

However, Beovolf had no strength left, not even to pick up a weapon, let alone engage in combat.

Surrounded by fallen soldiers, he wondered if he could even make a single strike against this foe, given his depleted energy.

And at that moment, there was only one choice Beowulf could make.

Thunk!

“…? What?”

Beowulf suddenly dropped to his knees.

Looking at him, the Demon Lord showed doubt…

Beowulf desperately wrung his head and shouted towards the demon king.

“Sa… save me! Ple… Please, please just let me live!”

“…”

The only option left to him: begging for his life.

In this situation where an unbeatable enemy is right in front of him and running away is not even a dream, all Beowulf can do is plead with the monster in front of him to spare him.

However…

“What a contemptible fellow…”

“!”

Thorcan began pouring even more intense magical power into the hammer he was holding as he spoke.

Consumed already by rage, he expressed even greater fury.

“‘My brother died at the hands of such a guy?’ To someone like this? Begging for mercy instead of fighting for your life and abandoning your weapon? This is disrespect toward my brother as well as toward me! Even though I tried to end things with honor as a warrior, I can’t just leave it alone! Warriors, listen up!”

As if on fire, as soon as this ended, Thorcan swung the hammer through the air.

At that moment, a group of demons revealed themselves behind him.

Gazing at the queasy, muscular Black bodies near them, Thorcan shouted in a chill voice.

“Take this disgusting human away right now! Make sure he suffers every pain humans can feel! Even if he begs to be killed, we must manage him so he will never die completely!”

“We understand, Lord Demon King.”

“Wai-wait…wait just a minute! Please, just once. Please show mercy! Ai…I will serve you with loyalty from now on, Demon King, so…so, please, just…”

“You’re noisy! A warrior who pathetically begs for his life to throw away his life’s purpose cannot simply be let go! What are you doing?! Begin immediately! Drag him to the depths of hell and make him experience eternal agony!”

“Yes, Sir!”

With the declaration of Demon King Torukan, and as commanded, the demons started dragging away Beowolf.

There were no longer any barriers to the magic shield that had already gained momentum.

“This…let go of me! Demon…Demon King! Just once…just once, please spare me! Please…Demon King!!!”

Beowulf was taken away like a dog, disappearing from sight.

Then, the Demon Lord’s gaze rested solely on the last remaining person.

I headed towards Judith.

“Well, then, it’s your turn next. Are you prepared?”

At that moment,

“W-wait! If… If you kill me like this, you will surely regret it! I… I possess a secret plan that can completely destroy the Alliance of Races!”

“What?”

Judith uttered unexpected words.

However, even though the Demon King felt doubtful for a moment about this, he still raised his hammer towards her.

“Don’t try to trick me! Instead of bravely facing death, you are shamelessly begging for your life! You have also suffered in hell beneath the underworld for insulting me and my brother!”

“That… That’s not true! Th-there seems to be some misunderstanding… W-we… we didn’t kill Lord Odin!”

“What?”

Judith brought up an unexpected story.

The Demon King expressed slight surprise, and taking advantage of that opening, Judith cried out urgently.

“L-Lord Odin was killed by my master! The Grand Witch Rosemary! She is the real culprit who killed Lord Odin! All we did was take advantage of her absence and claim the credit!”

“Rose… mary? Where… where is she? I’ll tear her head off right now!”

“S-She is currently in the Mausoleum! If you save me, I will guide you safely to the Mausoleum! Please don’t waste your strength for true revenge!”

“Hmm…”

Odin began to ponder upon her words.

Observing this, Judith couldn’t help but feel intense relief mixed with restlessness.

‘Ho… how… should I proceed? I blurted out something in haste, but my Master is already…’

Her master’s corpse had either been buried somewhere in the Demon King’s castle or had long since decayed and disappeared.

However, even in this situation, Judith desperately wanted to survive.

Even if it was only a temporary solution to postpone death.

Even if she had to sacrifice countless comrades in the process.

Judith was determined to do whatever it took to survive.

‘First… I need to buy some time somehow. Then, I can find an opportunity to escape…’

Reaching this conclusion, Judith discreetly checked the Demon King’s reactions.

And then…

“I must say… why are you paying so much attention to such nonsense…”

“!!”

“My Lord?”

The next moment, a chilling presence arrived from right beside.

Covered partially by a black robe, it possessed a power not inferior to Torghan.

In the situation, probably… the likelihood of it being the Demon King Lorquina itself was high, as she gazed at Judia with a cold smile.

“Sister, what does that mean? Nonsense… Are you saying this is all a lie… that Izha dared to speak out falsehoods?”

“Half of it is true. Because that person named Rosemary is already dead and gone, as per what Beowolf, who was taken earlier, and his companions claim. They say that she betrayed the free race and tried to side with us.”

“! Th-that’s…”

The story that Beowolf had spun to absolve their sins.

At the moment when that false statement came back to haunt them, Judia’s face began to pale.

“Dare to deceive me, this wretch will be thrown into the depths of hell as well!”

“No, maybe we should hold off on that for now.”

“Hm?”

Lorquina calmly intervened, speaking her mind to Torghan.

Then, with a chilling smile, she directed her words to Judia.

“You said it earlier, didn’t you? That you could sweep away the Mausoleum.”

“!…”