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Chapter 190. The Return of the Demon Lord’s Prince

Hey! It’s me, Zilbagias, the Prince of the Demon Race.

So, what’s going on here?

Before I knew it, I found myself here. Is this… a tower? It’s packed with corpses, and the blood is all slimy and disgusting. On top of that, I can’t hear a thing, and my ears are hurting to the point of making me feel nauseous.

What the heck happened?

‘…It’s been a while, hasn’t it?’

Oh, it’s you. Demon God Antendeixis.

Has it really been a while? As far as I’m concerned, I just snatched that cute Forest Elf pup out of the Night Elf prison, crawled into bed with it, closed my eyes, and the next moment I was here.

‘It’s been over half a year since then.’

Wow, that’s quite a while. Wait a second… Let me try to trace back my memories in chronological order to figure out what’s happening.

…Got it. So, I joined the assault force on the Capital of Evaroti, huh?

My memories are a bit jumbled and unclear, but I probably shouldn’t think too hard about why my subordinates were wiped out or why the city suffered massive damage from the Demon Race, right?

‘With your personality, it’s best to not pry too much. I appreciate your understanding.’

It’s actually easier this time compared to last since I have more time to think, Demon God.

So, why am I back in the spotlight again? What happened to my original personality?

‘Due to various reasons, it reached a mental limit. It seemed he wished to disappear from the guilt… Using forbidden magic unconsciously, his ego ended up sealed, leading to the current situation.’

I see? And the reason my ears are killing me?

‘Suffering from auditory hallucinations, he ended up mutilating his own ears.’

Seriously…

This seems pretty serious, but are you okay, original personality? Now that you mention it, my hand is clutching a short arrow stained with blue blood… Is this what you used to do it?

Well, it looks like my return was triggered by the original personality being pushed to the brink.

So, what am I supposed to do? I still have that sense of “I must do something,” but the drive is completely gone, and it feels sickening.

Antendeixis, give me some orders.

‘Your primary goal was to kill as many troops from the Defteros Kingdom as possible before the other demon army members could. The original personality intended to—’

Demon God, please stop right there.

I can still brush it off as doubt now, but if you keep going, I’ll start to figure out the true identity of the original personality.

That wouldn’t be advantageous for us.

I am Zilbagias, the Prince of the Demon Race. Wouldn’t it be better if I keep it that way?

‘…You’re right. That was careless of me.’

No problem. I’ll also try to avoid thinking too deeply.

‘Being too understanding can be a nuisance. …The original personality wasn’t this way.’

Isn’t that just prejudice getting in the way? The brain’s processing speed shouldn’t have changed. I’m still relatively undeveloped in terms of ego, so I can assess information objectively.

Anyway, back to the point. What should we do now?

‘Your secondary goal is to go around destroying that new weapon of the humans.’

…This? The weapon that shoots short arrows? Is it really that big of a threat?

‘Weak humans can shoot arrows on par with those of the Night Elves using this weapon. It’ll be a mere toy for the Demon Race, but if it falls into the hands of the undead, it could link back to troublesome things later. Even if we destroy everything here, it’s only a matter of time before we get found out.’

Ah, so it’s a counter against Enma. Got it.

Understood. That makes it easier for me to act as the Prince of the Demon Race. Let’s go with that.

Also, my ears are killing me. Not being able to hear is inconvenient, so let’s quickly find an enemy to use for the teleportation spell…

…So, I can kill them, right?

‘…Don’t you already understand everything at this point?’

Nope, not at all.

I just kind of hesitated.

‘That hesitation will, albeit slightly, generate power through my authority.’

Is that so? …Got it.

Then, let’s kill.

It’s only natural for the Demon Race to seek power by instinct.

‘Just be careful—if you go too far, it could be a problem for you as well.’

Don’t worry, the only hesitation I might feel is over killing cute pets.

Demon God, you can hear, right? Be my ears for a bit.

‘Sure. By the way, there’s quite a ruckus at your feet… it’s the enemy troops.’

Why didn’t you say that sooner!?

I grabbed my spear and dashed down the stairs.

‘! …!!’

Immediately, I ran into human soldiers. They were pointing at me and shouting something…

“Sorry, but I can’t hear a thing!”

I wrapped them up in dark magic.

“[Teleportation]”

A splatter of blood erupted from both my ears as the soldier dropped his sword and writhed in agony. Now the pain in my ears disappeared, and my head feels clear. What a relief.

“Sorry about that.”

I infused my blade with magic and crushed his head, ending his suffering. …My ears are still full of blood, making it hard to hear properly. Demon God, please provide support.

‘Do you think this is the time to sit back and relax?! It’s a Hero!!’

Huh? …Oh, that one over there? He’s definitely more magical than the other soldiers. He’s thrusting out a shield.

“[Brilliant Light!]”

—My vision turned completely white. I can’t see a thing.

“[Prohibit Approach!] Back away!!”

Got it. For now, I’ll blind the nearby soldiers.

“[Teleportation]”

—My vision returned. I shoved past a soldier who was staggering, hands pressed to his eyes, only to find the Hero wrapped in shining silver light charging towards me.

Caught in the forbidden magic, the Hero briefly halted his movements.

However, he called out, “Great Blessing!” and donned an even stronger silver light, forcibly shaking off the curse. Impressive, he’s quite capable.

‘Is this really the time to be impressed?!’

For now, I’ll try to interfere with him… but oh right, I can’t use the [Forbidden] magic. The original personality already used it to seal his ego. Even though my personality is different, I’ve proven my concept of being myself—fascinating.

‘We’re in a battlefield!! Get it together!’

Sorry.

“My name is Zilbagias Reiju, the Seventh Prince of the Demon Lord Kingdom!”

Regardless, I’ll announce my name. I can feel my magic rising dramatically. The approaching Hero seems taken aback, his face contorting in shock while bravely striking.

‘[Prohibit Slash!]’

—The blade dulls. I casually retreat and dodge with ease.

“Sorry about that.”

In return, I thrust my spear—!

But the Hero barely manages to block it with his shield. The magically-infused spear shatters it with ease, the pieces scattering, and his left arm almost severed, he groans, “Nghhh!” However, his eyes are far from dead—

“[Let There Be Light!]”

And just as my gaze drifted to the shield, the Hero unexpectedly caught me off guard.

His Holy Sword gleamed brightly.

With a flash, silver light surged, splashing down on me like water. Most of it bounced off my scaled armor, but some splattered on my face.

That’s hot!! Holy attribute, huh!!

“What the hell are you doing?!”

I couldn’t help but snap, swinging my spear down with sheer power. The Hero, who was about to stab with his sword, bent over and slammed against the wall, blooming red flowers. He really crumpled up.

“Yikes!”

The soldier nearby froze in shock as he witnessed this right after my vision cleared. I even pressed the holy wounds onto his face before smashing his head with my spear.

“U… Uwaaaah!”

The remaining soldiers turned their backs and dashed away. Wait up!

“Stop! Wait, wait!! Don’t chase them!!”

Huh? Why not?

“This fighting style is too reckless for my liking!! How could you leave yourself so wide open?! It’s just plain weird!!”

Well, even if you say that…

Today’s the first time I’m actually fighting…

‘Ah…’

The Demon God fell silent.

Thanks to the training of the original personality, my movements are ingrained in my body, but…

I have vague memories of when and how I should be moving in critical situations…

Since I lack experience myself, it’s like I’m just groping around. My magical power is ludicrously stronger than last time, so I can rely on brute force to fight.

‘…I see… this is your true power…’

It sounds like the Demon God is slouching in disappointment.

‘…If you run into the likes of a Master or a Sword Saint from an elite unit, it could be fatal. Avoid combat as much as possible and focus solely on destroying that weapon. You might want to consider retreating depending on the situation too.’

I’m starting to feel that too.

Let’s pay attention to our escape route, just in case.

Demon God, support me!

‘I’ve never been this uneasy before…’

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