Though some found it to be an extreme measure, it was the most appropriate course of action.

No one could blame Jared Leonard for his actions—considering he had enough power to do it.

Still, even though their eyes displayed wonder, they couldn’t get rid of the fear that was creeping into their hearts.

After all…

… Not only was the blast of destruction a beacon of hope, but it was also a warning.

If anyone dared to cross humanity—no, Jared Leonard—they would be next.

That was enough for everyone to maintain a somber silence and watch the demise of the only Race that was foolish enough to defy the young boy.

“H-he… no… n-no way…” Abellion began to mutter, his head shivering in disbelief… and an indescribable feeling of loss.

His people, his land, his pride.

Everything he loved.

Everyone he cherished.

They were all gone in a flash of amber-yellow light.

“You don’t get to sound pitiful, man. You brought this on yourself.” Abellion heard a prickly tone coming from the man who held him up to see what happened.

“Y-you… how dare you? How dare you say that? There were innocents there! Children! Innocent Demons! You killed them all!” Abellion roared in pain as tears burst from his eyes.

“I was right all along! Father never believed me! I was right! You all are threats! You all would bring an end to our Race! I knew it! Look what happened! If only we took action sooner! You lot are the true monsters! My people… YOU KILLED THEM ALL!!!”

After a moment of silence, Neron’s voice finally shattered the Demon King’s self-serving rant.

“Weren’t you going to the same to everyone else? Hypocrite.”

Hearing those words, Abellion could do nothing but keep his widened eyes open as more tears streamed down.

“This is all your fault. The least you could do as a leader is to admit that.”

It was clear to everyone at this point. The way they all looked at him with disgust.

The Demon King had simply been in denial all along.

He refused to accept that he was the architect of his people’s destruction. Because of his blind belief, he led his people into war, hoping to eradicate every other Race.

But, when the tables were turned and it was his people that got the short end of the stick, he could do nothing but wail like a baby.

“You disgust me.” With those words permeating his head, Abellion’s cracked voice leaked out as his eyes became too heavy.

‘Was I wrong? Me? How could I have been?’

The people who followed him—those who believed in his philosophy—would that make them fools for trusting in his erroneous judgment?

He had instigated a coup, killed his brethren, rose to power, and forged connections with his only Allies, just to achieve his goal.

All he wanted to do was protect his people.

‘The humans are a threat… ‘

Was it so wrong for a leader to desire fully assured peace for his people?

‘Everyone else is a threat…’

It couldn’t have been erroneous to desire an expansion of his species beyond the continent they were confined to—forced to live out their lives under a cloud of Miasma.

No, they deserved better!

“I wasn’t wrong…” Abellion muttered as his life flashed before his eyes.

He did everything for his people. He did everything for the glory of the Demon Race. There was no way he would turn back on his ideals now.

Too many had died believing in him. Innocents were slaughtered, and those who fought by his side had all been extinguished.

As the last person carrying the amber of his ambition, Abellion refused to give in.

“I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wro—”

>SQUISH!<

Before he could say any more, his head was crushed by Neron’s grip, completely destroying it in the process.

Blood spurted from every opening, and his misshapen head lifelessly fell to the ground in a splashy thud.

Abellion felt his consciousness fading fast. It was truly the end.

‘I guess he was right… I shouldn’t… have fought Neron Kaelid…’

With that single repentance echoing in his head, Abellion finally died.

“Urgh. Guess I used too much strength. His voice was just too annoying.” Neron murmured, using Magic to remove the blood that stained his body.

Usually, none of it would have had gotten on with him, but because he had physical contact with Abellion when he died, the blood wasn’t registered as someone Neron wanted to avoid.

As a result, it wasn’t automatically blocked out.

“Tch.”

It didn’t take a moment for Neron to remove the slimy blood on his body, but the look of disgust never left his face.

“What a fool. He was arrogant until the end…”

Neron didn’t despise the Demon King’s stubbornness, though.

His final act simply reminded him of another memory that flashed on his end.

Those words;

“… I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong. I’m not wrong…”

Neron had definitely heard them before… from himself.

The very thought unsettled him, which was why he unintentionally made short work of the Demon King.

‘Oh, well, no need to get worked up about it.’ Neron decided to let it go.

There was no need to get bothered by someone as pathetic as Abellion anyway.

“We won the war. That’s all that matters.”

Once he made this statement, the black-haired man smiled and glanced at the woman who was already drawing close to him.

“You said it wouldn’t take long.”

“Welp. What can I say? I vividly remember you watching as I got stabbed, though. Couldn’t you have helped… or even shown concern? It hurt, you know?” Neron quickly changed the topic once Serah began drawing too close to him.

A bead of sweat formed on his face and he gulped a little. Even fighting the big bad never made him so anxious.

‘This could get a bit dangerous…’

*****************

A

/N

Special Discount next month.

Up to 50% Discount will be given for the highest Tier Privilege Chapters, and other Discounts will be granted to lower Tiers.

Cheers!