Boom! Crack-crack-boom!!

It felt like the end of the world was upon us, with earth-shattering tremors and explosions.

No exaggeration, if we couldn't stop that fiend, the whole of Rayon continent, heck, the entire Midrealm, was going to be toast.

The Demon Lord Belaruel, risen after 666 years.

To stop him, not just the Empire and the three kingdoms, but elves, dwarves, and all sorts of beastfolk elites were rallied.

Despite their usual bickering, the clear and present doom that the Demon Lord posed united them all, leading to the final showdown in the heart of the demon realm.

But...

"Arghh!"

"Damn it! Retreat! We gotta pull back!"

"Retreat? And go where? If we can't stop him here, we'll never stop him!"

"But this is just... Ahh!"

We were clearly outmatched. While we could hold off his minions, there was no one who could actually face Belaruel.

"Who's gonna stop that?!"

Had we been foolish to think we could defeat a Demon Lord sealed by the sacrifice of a Dragon Lord himself?

No, attacking now, when he was just revived and at his weakest, was the smart play. If we couldn't stop him now, we never would.

Yet, despite this, the Demon Lord was beyond anything humans could contend with.

The situation was so bleak, it seemed easier to stop an erupting volcano. People began to resign themselves to death.

Then, out of nowhere.

Clang!

A metallic sound rang out, halting Belaruel's relentless advance for the first time.

Who or what had managed to stop this monster in his tracks?

Had the Goddess of Light finally sent a hero to our aid?

As eyes filled with hope turned towards where Belaruel stood—

"Two?"

"There are two Belaruels?"

"What am I even looking at?"

Like twins, there was another being, mirroring not just Belaruel's fearsome appearance but also his imposing presence and size, standing in his way—an absurd reality unfolding before everyone.

"Is that... some kind of shield?"

"Huh? It's getting hard to see?"

A transparent barrier seemed to envelop their battlefield, gradually blurring until it became completely opaque, obscuring the view inside.

The barrier was massive, fitting for Belaruel's size, giving the impression of a sudden, misty mountain appearing out of nowhere.

The sight of Demon Lords(?) battling it out was bizarre enough, but the appearance of this giant protective shield had everyone, humans and demons alike, staring in disbelief.

Thud.

Crackle.

"Uuuaaagh!!"

Though the barrier blocked our sight, the sounds of battle pierced through, with everyone perking up their ears towards the source. Alongside the thunderous impacts, Belaruel's anguished screams echoed.

The Demon Lord screaming?

Sure, the hero-led human assault wasn't entirely ineffective, managing to wound him occasionally.

But these were mere scratches, hardly critical, and he'd never once screamed out before, despite quickly healing from such minor injuries. Now, to hear him in such torment...

"Which one is it?"

The problem was, we couldn't tell whose screams those were.

One thing was for sure: whoever came out on top in there would likely decide the outcome of this war. So, demons and humans alike halted their fighting, distancing themselves and forming a ring around that misty hill.

"Uh... Ughhhh..."

As the battle wore on, what started as pained, angry groans seemed to lose their fire, weakening.

And then...

"Is it getting smaller?"

The barrier, and with it, the sounds within, were diminishing. It was hard to notice at first due to its immense size, but it was definitely shrinking.

From a massive, hazy mountain to something the size of a large building, and now...

"It's gone?"

The colossal barrier and the two Belaruels within had vanished completely. That monster, which even the Dragon Lord couldn't kill and only managed to seal, was gone.

Flash!

As if on cue, a blinding light burst forth, illuminating everything around.

Blinded by the intense light, everyone was stunned until Gormang, the supreme commander, seized the moment. Channeling mana, he boomed.

"The Demon Lord is dead! The Goddess of Light has vanquished Belaruel!"

Whoaaa!!

With that, the human forces erupted into an earth-shaking cheer, overwhelming in their victory.

"Eeeeek."

"Phwoaaar!"

As the demons witnessed Belaruel's disappearance, they turned tail and fled, spurring even louder cheers from humanity.

We thought it was over. We thought we were dead.

But to not only survive but to clinch victory was exhilarating beyond words.

After the euphoria settled, some began to scour the area where the barrier had been, looking for any sign of Belaruel, ready to cut off his escape route.

The inside of the barrier bore the marks of a fierce battle, completely devastated, yet, to everyone's relief, there was no sign of anything amiss.

Then, out of thin air.

Swoosh.

A man appeared.

"Phew, thought I was a goner there."

Though his words were unclear, one thing was certain: this man was the true emissary of the Goddess, the one who had vanquished Belaruel.

Click.

Click.

Realizing the truth, Duke Gormang was the first to kneel, and seeing this, others followed suit, adopting a posture of reverence as they too knelt before the man.

"Have you been sent by the Goddess of Light, Arion?" the Duke asked, his voice filled with the utmost respect and piety.

"Hmm, yeah, something like that."

Just as Gormang tried to continue the conversation, finally hearing something he could understand—

Flash!

A towering column of light enveloped the noble figure.

This light was even more intense than before, blindingly bright to the point of being unbearable.

"No, damn it all! Wait, this isn't right. After everything I've been through!!"

Again, an incomprehensible language echoed from within the pillar, and then—

Poof!

The pillar vanished, and with it, the figure inside disappeared without a trace.

Ironically, the divine light convinced everyone even more firmly that the Goddess had indeed sent a savior for them.

Starting with the high priest, everyone knelt down, shedding tears of gratitude as they began to pray to the heavens.

Sometime later, statues commemorating him were erected across the Rayon continent.

They depicted a valiant figure, arms akimbo, a posture of readiness and strength.

His name remained unknown, and the language he spoke at the end was indecipherable, but the pronunciation of the most intense word he uttered was clearly remembered. Hence, the inscription on the statues read:

[The savior of the continent and the emissary of the Goddess, Hero "Damn it all"].