Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 391 Praying to the Demon King

This is definitely not the ending the "Demon King" imagined.

Even in death, it should be a glorious final battle against the hero and the entire kingdom, leaving behind a capital city mostly destroyed and streets strewn with corpses, so that the fear of the "Demon King" is planted in the hearts of every human being, and even hundreds of years later, people still turn pale at the mere mention of his name.

Instead of being arrested and brought to justice by the Imperial Knight Commander like a street thug, as is the case now.

But now it can't even beat a cat king, and it was previously slapped away by two drunk ordinary people. How can it possibly contend with the dignified knight commander of the empire?

Although it is a newcomer, it is not difficult to judge from this title that it has encountered a strong person of the "world's strongest" level.

The only unexpected thing was the way humanity treated it.

If it were placed in that familiar place, upon learning of its "Demon King" identity, humanity would spare no effort to eliminate it, dispatching armies, encircling and intercepting it, and setting countless traps—it had long been accustomed to such a life. However, the Knight Commander of this world intends to follow the law and judge its crimes in the same way as other humans.

For now, it can only pretend to be obedient and follow behind the Imperial Knight Commander, hoping to escape later.

That night became Xiao An's day of suffering.

After the other side and the "Demon King" left, the black cat rolled around on the coffee table as if it had been stressed, yelling, "Get away! Get away! Get away! Hah—!"

Ethan watched the black cat throwing a tantrum with amusement. It seemed that Xiao An's observation of stray cats was beginning to bear fruit, and he had even mastered the basics of baring his teeth and hissing. However, the target of the hissing was not him, but the Imperial Knights Medal that Bi An had awarded to Xiao An before leaving.

This medal has a long history. It was created by Henry I during the establishment of the empire as a certificate of honor to be awarded to ordinary citizens of the empire. Those who received this medal were regarded as heroes, and their descendants were called "heroes' descendants".

Its existence is meant to encourage ordinary people in the empire to contribute to its future.

No one had received this medal since Henry VI, but today, Xiao An was awarded this glorious medal for his active role in the fight against the "Demon King's" invasion. He was also verbally awarded the "Enthusiastic Citizen" award by Bi An. Before leaving, Bi An promised them that after the case was closed, the Imperial Knights would arrange a special award ceremony for Xiao An at the Imperial Capital Market.

"I don't want this!"

The black cat rolled off the coffee table onto the floor, and after feeling the floor was a bit cold, it climbed back onto the sofa and twisted its body into a pretzel.

This was nothing short of the ultimate humiliation for her.

She, a shadow elf, the embodiment of darkness, and one of humanity's most feared figures, has become a "helpful citizen."

Oh dear, she'll never scratch passersby on the streets of the capital again.

The thought that she had stopped the Demon King from causing destruction to the world because of a momentary impulse made Xiao An want to slap herself.

She could hardly imagine how much fun this would take away from her.

“I hung the medal on your bedside table. This medal was hard-earned.”

Ethan found it amusing, so he deliberately teased the black cat.

"Meow meow!"

The black cat, which was twisting itself on the sofa, suddenly became furious and shot at him like a cannonball.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the other side also encountered difficulties in handling the case. She invited an experienced member of the court overnight. Valerie, who had nothing to do recently, took the initiative to participate, but after reviewing the summary of the "Demon King Case", she was immediately stumped.

“Knight Commander, the records show that the destroyed town is not within the Empire’s territory. According to the Empire’s laws, we have no jurisdiction over cases that occur in other territories.”

This is already the most euphemistic way to put it, because the town where the incident occurred is not actually in their plane of existence. The other side's statements about crimes such as "anti-humanity" are limited to fragments extracted by Rowena from the memories of the unconscious hero boy, and those fragments do not have a cause and effect. They only saw the destroyed town and the corpses all over the ground, but they lacked the process of the "Demon King" destroying the town and wreaking havoc on the streets.

As a mentor at the Truth Society, she could not convict someone based on such a confession.

"Moreover, we will also face the problem of difficulty in obtaining evidence. The only turning point is to wait for the brave young man to wake up. Perhaps he can become a witness in this case."

"That's what I'm worried about, too."

The other side sighed, "So, we can't just detain it directly?"

Doctors at the Imperial Hospital in the capital said the young hero's injuries were too severe and his recovery was far off. After the new cabinet was formed, the imperial laws were amended to uphold the principle of innocence in case of doubt. The reason for detention during Julius's reign, such as "You look like a follower of an evil god," was now obsolete.

"Given its current actions... attacking drunkards and stray cats, and failing at that, it hardly qualifies as 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble,' at most it will receive a verbal reprimand."

At this point, Valerie leaned closer to the other side and lowered her voice, "If it really goes into trial, it and those two drunks will be judged as fighting each other. If those two drunks really knocked it flying, it might have to pay compensation."

"enough!"

The shadowy figure could no longer bear it; in this interrogation room, it felt an unprecedented humiliation in its "demon king" career.

It, a mighty "Demon King" that strikes fear into the hearts of humans in that world, is now found here possibly facing compensation from two residents in a fight with civilians.

"Ha, humans, if you wanted to humiliate me here, you've achieved your goal. Now, do with me as you please! Stop pretending and bring out your instruments of torture!"

"What do you think this place is?!"

A voice from the other side rebuked, "Torture to extract confessions has long been abolished. We are now acting in accordance with the law! Since you're so tough, then confess your crimes!"

"I want to destroy this pathetic world. So, is that a crime enough to sentence me to death?"

The "Demon King" was not to be outdone and retaliated sharply.

"Very well, how do you plan to carry out your criminal scheme?"

"How do we implement it? Uh, it's this, that..."

The atmosphere in the interrogation room instantly plummeted to freezing point, and even Valerie cast a suspicious glance at the other side.

She can't help but wonder if this "demon king" really did destroy a small town, as Bi'an and Rowena said.

Immediately afterwards, she felt the pleading look in the shadowy figure's eyes.

No, what are you looking at me doing?
It's not like I'm going to destroy the world. Do you expect me to devise a criminal plan for you?

Seeing that Valerie was unwilling to help, the shadowy figure became somewhat exasperated—what kind of country is this anyway? Why do we have to come up with the charges and criminal plans ourselves?

For the first time in its life, it found it incredibly difficult to be convicted, having become the source of all evil.

The shadowy figure steeled himself and glared fiercely at the other side. "Anyway, that's how it is. You should know that, right?"

"What? Explain yourself!"

"That's how it happened, ding-ling-lang, bang, buka! And then the world was destroyed."

What does "Buka" mean?

"How should I know! Why do you have to ask me everything?"

The breathing in the interrogation room grew increasingly rapid, and both sides looked fierce, each feeling as if they were about to suffer a stroke.

Valerie sensed the tension in the air. To avoid the Imperial Knights being exposed for allegedly assaulting suspects during interrogations, she quickly tried to smooth things over, asking, "So, besides destroying the world, what other crimes have you committed?"

At the same time, she understood the feelings of the person on the other side at that moment.

The beating of the suspect was not for the purpose of extracting a confession through torture, but because it was simply too infuriating.

"I defeated your hero and trampled on his dignity!"

After some thought, the shadowy figure decided to steer the conversation back to his area of ​​expertise. After all, the topic of destroying the world was too grand and required careful consideration. "Can I understand that you assaulted someone and insulted their dignity?"

"can."

The dark figure stood arrogantly with his arms crossed.

"So you're admitting that you caused the young hero to be beaten and hospitalized."

"of course."

“Knight Commander, that makes things easier. We can detain him on charges of intentional assault until the other party wakes up.”

"no!"

"what happened again?"

"No means no!"

Bi'an blushed and said firmly that her sense of justice would not allow her to imprison the "Demon King" for this reason. According to the information provided by the royal hospital doctor, the main reason for the hero boy's coma was that magic cannon. If anyone had to be detained for this, none of the people on the ship at the time would be able to escape.

"Are you out of your mind, woman? Are you deliberately picking a fight?!"

The shadowy figure swelled up with rage, raising its voice, "Fine, then I'll give you a legitimate reason right now!"

Before the words were even finished, it lunged at the other side, baring its teeth and claws.

This may be the battle it was least prepared for in its life. It wanted to tear off the other side's face and pull her hair to vent its hatred.

I assaulted a police officer! Surely you can arrest me for assaulting a police officer now!

Just as the shadowy figure lunged at her, Bi'an sensed something unusual. More than the threat of having her face pulled and hair yanked, the greater sense of danger came from behind her.

It was supposed to be a wall, but there was nothing on the other side.

Amidst the chaos, the other side heard a voice coming from the other side of the wall, a voice calling its name.

The voice was choked with sobs, filled with helplessness.

Almost immediately, Bi'an realized that this was some kind of targeted summoning ritual. She had specifically asked Ethan and Winter about such rituals, which were among the treasures left behind by the Old Gods.

Transcending the concepts of time and space, as long as the standards of the ritual are met, the ancient gods can be made to briefly descend before them. This has become the only means for humans to make the ancient gods notice them.

The person who set up the magic circle was calling upon the "Demon King".

It has no name, only this specific designation that symbolizes misfortune.

"Enough! I've had enough! Lord Demon King, if you can hear me, I'm willing to offer my soul to end this!"

Clearly, the shadowy figure had also heard the call from the other side of the door. Its aura suddenly changed, no longer filled with the dejection of defeat after battling ordinary people and stray cats. The hands that were reaching for her cheeks deviated from their course, and instead reached for the unseen door behind it.

"Get out of the way if you don't want to get hurt. I've changed my mind."

The sound so close by was perhaps closer to its original tone, but to the surprise of the other side, it sounded more like a woman's voice, overlapping with the helpless cries from the other side of the door.

This was an evil god's ritual unfolding right before her eyes. Bi'an grabbed the arm of the shadowy figure who was about to be pulled inside through the door.

The next moment, my vision distorted and I felt dizzy, but these were all normal reactions.

This indicates that she is undergoing a dimensional shift.

What followed was a strong smell of blood, so strong it was as if one were immersed in a morgue.

This is an old house with only a dim gas lamp for lighting.

The silence lasted less than ten seconds before a cacophony of noise from behind the door surged toward the other side.

"There's one more here!"

The sharp shout was followed by the sound of blades piercing flesh, and gunshots rang out intermittently outside the door. A small, thin figure, draped in a blood-soaked cloak, knelt on the ground, surrounded by 14 lifeless corpses that were outlining the contours of a summoning ritual in a specific way.
This was a child who looked to be only a little over ten years old. Her eyes were completely unfocused. She was clutching a coin tightly in her hand, her palms clasped together, and she was praying devoutly.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer to the house.

The shadowy figure summoned by the door appeared before her and took the blood-stained coin from the girl who was like a puppet.

“I heard your prayer.”

A dark figure blocked the girl's path, separating her from the approaching footsteps.

The intruders easily kicked open the wooden door. They were dressed in uniform and carried muskets with blades that were already stained with blood. However, their smiles froze on their faces the moment they saw the dark figure.

"How can it be?!"

Why is it here?

"Run! Run!"

Terrified, the gunmen fled in panic, some even tripping over corpses left in the stairwell and tumbling down the stairs.

The shadowy figure kept its body as swollen as possible, making it appear more threatening.

But in reality, this is not a good time.

If the other members of the Hero Squad were still here, it would be no match for them in its current state.

It could only hope that these timid and cowardly humans, like before, would be terrified and flee the town.

"Hide."

It glanced down at the girl as if she were above it.

However, the worst-case scenario eventually occurred.

An unprecedented energy fluctuation enveloped the town, and everyone heard a roar from the sky. When the airship fleet in mid-air was seen on the other side, they were almost immediately stunned.

The Golden Fleet.

Just like the empire's prized golden warships, they hovered over the town, their magic cannons already locked onto it.

This is a trap.

The other side gradually came to understand everything.

The Golden Fleet never intended to give the troops in the town a chance to evacuate. Before anyone could react, red beams of light poured down like a torrential rain.

Standing on the deck of the golden warship, one looks down at the town completely engulfed in flames.

"In this way, the story of the Demon King and the Hero comes to a complete end."

(End of this chapter)