Inside the Demon King's castle, Demon King Sumaru stood facing Yuki.
Hundreds of demons surrounded them from every direction.
Yuki glanced around nervously.
Damn! There are too many demons! I can't win against all of them! What do I do? If I don't think of something, I'm going to die...
He slowly took a few steps backward.
Any one of these demons could kill me with a single attack.
Gulp...
Suddenly, Yuki looked at Sumaru, who was staring at him calmly.
A thought flashed through his mind.
That's it!
I can challenge Sumaru to a duel! He won't be able to refuse in front of all his subordinates!
Yuki raised his voice.
"Sumaru! I challenge you to a duel!"
...
The throne room fell silent.
Sumaru paused.
Yuki frowned at the unexpected silence.
Then he shouted again.
"You can't refuse a duel! Your subordinates are watching you!"
For a moment, Sumaru looked surprised.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Khahahaha!"
"What a clever trick!"
His smile widened.
"But I refuse."
Yuki blinked.
"What?!"
Sumaru shrugged.
"I don't care."
"Honor, respect, dignity... none of that means anything to me."
"I take whatever I want, whether by fairness or cheating."
"Hehehe..."
His evil laughter echoed through the throne room.
Then suddenly—
CLANG!
Sumaru attacked.
Yuki instantly blocked with his sword.
However, the moment their blades collided, Yuki's sword shattered into pieces.
The impact forced him several steps backward.
Without hesitation, he pulled out another sword.
Sumaru's eyes narrowed.
Another sword?
Meanwhile, Yuki thought,
I still have nearly a hundred swords hidden.
Maybe... just maybe, I can win this.
This time Yuki attacked first.
He rushed forward and swung at Sumaru's head.
But Sumaru blocked effortlessly.
Using that opportunity, Yuki changed targets and slashed toward Sumaru's legs.
"Argh."
The attack landed.
However, Sumaru's skin felt harder than iron.
The blade failed to cut deeply, leaving only minor damage.
Yuki immediately jumped backward.
Is his skin made of steel or something?!
Suddenly Sumaru's expression darkened.
He turned toward the demons and shouted.
"What are you all waiting for?!"
"Kill this bastard!"
His voice thundered throughout the hall.
"Whoever brings me his head will become a General!"
"Now go!"
The demons' eyes lit up instantly.
Murderous intent filled the room.
Yuki's face turned pale.
Damn... this is hell.
The next moment—
Hundreds of attacks were unleashed.
Fireballs.
Water bullets.
Wind blades.
Leaf magic.
Countless spells flooded toward him.
Yuki desperately dodged.
Then dozens of tiny water spheres appeared above him and fell from the ceiling.
The moment they touched the ground—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Small explosions erupted everywhere.
The stone floor was riddled with holes.
Yuki's eyes widened in fear.
What kind of magic is that?!
He barely managed to evade them.
"Ah!"
"Ungh!"
"Huff!"
"Whoa!"
"Agh!"
By pure effort, he survived the magical barrage.
Eventually the demons exhausted their mana, and the spell attacks stopped.
For a brief moment, Yuki thought he had time to breathe.
Then the demons charged with weapons.
Ten arrows shot toward him.
Yuki dodged most of them, but several cuts appeared on his face and arms.
"AAH!"
Swords, spears, axes, and hammers swung toward him from every direction.
Yuki used the force of his sword strikes to keep them back, but the demons showed no fear.
"Catch him!"
"He's mine!"
"I'll kill him!"
"Hahaha!"
The demons roared wildly.
Step by step, Yuki retreated until his back hit a wall.
His heart sank.
Damn.
The demons rushed him again.
Yuki parried one sword.
Then another.
Then another.
And another.
But suddenly—
CRACK!
His sword broke.
A deep slash opened across his hand.
Immediately he drew another blade and cut down a demon with a single strike.
The demon's head rolled across the floor.
But nobody cared.
The other demons simply climbed over the corpse and continued attacking.
Meanwhile, Sumaru watched everything from the back.
An unsettling smile rested on his face.
Hundreds of demons swarmed Yuki.
Fortunately, the wall behind him prevented enemies from attacking from his rear.
Suddenly Yuki accelerated.
With one powerful swing, he shattered the weapons of four or five demons at once.
The demons froze in shock.
Yuki instantly cut them down.
But more demons immediately filled the gap.
A blade sliced deeply into his leg.
"AGH!"
Yuki blocked another sword.
Then parried another.
Suddenly a large slash opened across his chest.
He nearly collapsed.
"Haa..."
"Haa..."
"Haa..."
His breathing became heavy.
His sword swings grew slower.
The demons cautiously stepped back.
Then moved forward again.
One demon stepped out from the crowd.
Gathering all his strength, he raised his sword for the finishing blow.
Yuki tightened his grip.
At the last moment—
SLASH!
The demon's neck and both arms were severed simultaneously.
The body collapsed.
Slowly, Yuki pushed himself upright.
Not yet...
Haa...
Not yet!
Then—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Yuki roared.
A fierce aura seemed to explode from him.
Without using any skill or magic, his sword speed increased dramatically.
In an instant, six or seven demons were cut in half.
Blood sprayed across the throne room.
Step by step, Yuki began forcing his way forward.
Then suddenly—
A demon jumped from above.
Yuki noticed him and raised his sword.
But he reacted a fraction too late.
A deep wound opened across one of his arms.
"AGH!"
The pain distracted him.
The demons immediately seized the opportunity.
Blades struck his legs.
His chest.
His arms.
His face.
Yuki blocked many attacks, but many others landed.
Slowly, his vision began to blur.
His eyelids grew heavier.
Far away, hundreds of kilometers from the Demon King's castle, Tiyara continued flying through the sky at full speed.
Meanwhile, inside the throne room...
Yuki was barely standing.
His breathing grew weaker with every second.
The demons slowly closed in around him.
Like hungry predators surrounding wounded prey.
And from the back of the hall, Sumaru watched everything with a twisted smile.
"Hehehe..."
He seemed to be enjoying every moment of Yuki's suffering.