I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

Book 13: Chapter 14: Recognition of the Demon Lord

“Haaa―haaa―”

Ellen was sprinting down Garun's corridors, swiftly dispatching the undead that crossed her path with her One Flash.

Before the dismembered bodies of her enemies could fall to the floor, she would already be passing them with unimaginable speed.

Her remarkable velocity was a testament to the body-strengthening treatment she underwent to become a knight, coupled with the rigorous training she endured as a swordswoman of One Flash.

“The unpleasant presence is getting stronger. Master must be there as well.”

It was only after boarding the ship that she noticed the evil presence Liam had mentioned.

Although she was taken aback by Liam’s abnormal sensing capabilities, this feeling was overshadowed by her happiness at once again learning how amazing her master was.

She held a great amount of respect for Liam, and knowing how powerful he was brought her much joy. However, it also came with a sense of frustration.

“I should hurry up and join them, or else I’d miss the chance to witness Master’s fight.”

Using the undead sprawled along the hallway as her guideposts, Ellen eventually arrived before the throne room.

“Master!”

The evil presence radiating from within was so dense that it had manifested as a cloud of black smoke, making it impossible to see what was going on inside.

Without hesitation, she jumped in, searching for Liam.

The first thing she saw was the figure of Farabar overflowing with negative aura, swinging his greatsword with only his right hand.

Standing up against this embodiment of violence was Liam, wielding his favorite sword.

Normally, he wouldn’t even bother pulling it out of its sheath, so seeing the blade exposed painted a rather strange image.

Ellen frowned.

(Is Master being pushed back?)

Looking around, she found Rinho and Fuuka slumped on the floor.

Rinho was using her sword like a staff, her gaze not on Liam or Farabar, but on Fuuka. She seemed to be stunned beyond words over something.

On the other hand, Fuuka’s eyes were glued to Liam. Her breathing was erratic, and she appeared exhausted. At the same time, however, she seemed refreshed.

What had happened during her absence?

With nowhere to ask, Ellen’s gaze returned to Liam.

Upon noticing her, Liam took a step back, creating some distance between himself and Farabar.

Once he was near her, he crouched down with his sword in hand. His breathing was irregular and his pilot suit was in tatters.

“You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for ages.”

“M-Master, are you alright?”

Ellen’s voice shook as she spoke. She couldn’t believe Liam had been pushed this far.

Liam, however, smiled in response.

His helmet had been destroyed, leaving his head exposed. Even his favorite sword had noticeable chips and cracks on its blade.

All of this pointed to the fierce battle he had with Farabar.

Sweeping his sweaty hair back with his hands, Liam took a deep breath.

“I had some business with this self-proclaimed demon lord, which was why I was toying with him.”

Ellen was dumbfounded by this ridiculous answer, whereas Farabar howled in laughter.

“This is the first time I’ve had such fun! If only this moment could last forever ― alas, both my fleet and I are nearing our limit. Liam-dono, let this be out last.”

Farabar wasn’t faring any better.

His armor had countless scratches, and upon closer inspection, his greatsword was damaged as well.

There were cracks on his bones, and black smoke was coming out of some of his wounds.

He had sustained a lot of injuries, and as if to prove that he didn’t have much leeway, his left hand was pressing down on his deepest wound.

For this last exchange, Liam sheathed his sword.

“I’ve heard what I wanted to hear. You’re no longer of use to me.”

Hearing his ultimatum, Farabar laughed delightfully, his jaws rattling as he did.

He didn’t seem offended by Liam’s rude behavior.

“If it ends in my victory, I wouldn’t have to worry about getting bored for the foreseeable future. Now then―”

Farabar gripped the hilt of his greatsword with both hands and assumed his stance, while Liam held the sword in its sheath and placed it horizontally before him.

Just as Liam was about to unleash a deadly One Flash, Ellen noticed something. For a brief moment, she thought she was hallucinating.

(W-what’re those?)

Specks of golden light had begun to gather around Liam, illuminating his figure.

◇

As his decisive battle against Liam drew near, Farabar forced his battered body to hold onto his greatsword.

(Ah, what a wonderful sight to behold! This is what I’ve always imagined a hero would look like.)

Farabar could see what regular humans couldn’t.

Behind Liam stood a giant who was naked from the waist up. It was wearing a mask that covered its mouth, and its long hair was swaying from side to side. Its hands were equipped with gauntlets, and its right hand held a drawn sword.

(All this positive energy, concentrated on one human. I didn’t think it was possible. The world is vast, after all! I am truly blessed to have met such a talented individual!)

Truth be told, the golden specks of light were the manifestation of people’s prayers, and it seemed the World Tree and the stars were also assisting Liam.

(Having received the prayers of billions, you have stood firm against me, the destroyer of worlds. Liam-dono, you are a true hero. If only this battle could last forever. How regrettable―)

He had spoken as if he planned on defeating Liam, but the outcome of the battle had already been decided, as he was on the verge of extinction.

Nevertheless, he continued with his bluff.

“Once I’ve defeated you, I shall pay Sword God Yasushi a visit. Since you hail him as your master, the visit would definitely not be in vain.”

This was the greatest compliment he could give to an opponent, but Liam was having none of it.

“You’re hardly my match. It’s a hundred years too early for you to meet Master Yasushi.”

“A hundred years!? I only have to wait a hundred years? Kukuku! A century means nothing to me. But fine. Let’s leave that aside for now―”

Even the act of talking was becoming strenuous.

Before his conditions could worsen, Farabar decided to deliver a final blow containing all his might.

“―Here I go.”

Even Garun, with its self-repair function, was finding it difficult to withstand the blow that Farabar had put all his heart and soul into.

It was so powerful that it seemed to engulf not only Garun, but also the ally ships nearby.

Be that as it may…

“One Flash.”

The One Flash that Liam unleashed ripped past the attack and continued down its path toward Farabar, leaving a horizontal scar on the demon lord’s chest.

The wound left behind shone gold, and a large amount of black smoke began to leave Farabar’s body.

“Gaha!”

Farabar’s knees touched the floor as he collapsed, his hands no longer wielding the greatsword.

For ages, he had spread death to his surroundings. Now, it was time for him to pay his dues.

Even in his current state, the smile on his face persisted.

“Breathtaking, simply breathtaking!”

◇

Despite suffering a direct blow, Farabar doesn’t die immediately. Instead, he begins to slowly crumble away into nothingness.

I’ve failed to erase him in one blow.

Just as I’m reflecting on my shortcomings, Farabar speaks to me.

“It’s only fitting that the hero receives a reward for defeating the demon lord.”

“Huh? What’s yours is already mine for the taking.”

As the winner, I have the right to take all of his belongings.

Farabar grins when he hears this.

“There are certain things that can’t be used if you steal them by force. Take my reward; it will no doubt be of great use to your flagship.”

As if to respond to his words, Garun suddenly shakes.

Soon after, a spherical object measuring 30 meters in diameter appears from the floor.

I can feel it pulsing as it moves.

Bursting out of the room, it heads towards Argos.

“What did you do?”

“It’s the tool that powered the immortal fleet. I won’t be needing it anymore, so I’ve relinquished its right to you. Use it however you like.”

It seems he has no intention of dragging us down with him.

He’s acting all cool and composed right now, as if he has no more regrets. I would’ve honestly preferred it if he had behaved this way earlier on.

“You’ve done something unnecessary.”

“Kukuku, you’re a foul-mouthed hero to the very end.”

“Enough with the hero thing. I consider myself a villain, thank you very much.”

Calling me, an evil lord, a hero?

As I’m wondering what’s going on inside that head of his, Farabar laughs and denies what I said.

“It’s simply impossible for a villain to defeat me. Besides, whoever defeats the demon lord is the hero, straight and simple. Your sense of good or evil matters not in this context.”

How stubborn. He refuses to acknowledge that he’s wrong.

“Then suit yourself.”

“Hehe…if I’m being honest here, I would’ve liked to have a spar with Sword God Yasushi-dono. I can only imagine how strong he is. Even as I’m on the verge of disappearing, my blood is boiling.”

Does he even have blood left to boil?

By this point, Farabar’s body has disappeared, leaving only his skull.

"Praise the True Hero! And as the mightiest Sword God dwells in this realm, let this fact be known to all the myriad worlds! Hear me now, as I proclaim Liam-dono as the True Hero and Yasushi-dono as the greatest swordsman in existence!!"

In his dying moments, Farabar lets out a roar before finally vanishing.

I voice my true thoughts on the matter.

“What was the point of that? You merely stated the obvious.”

I let out a small sigh as Ellen comes running towards me.

“M-Master!”

Ellen tries to hug me, but before she could―

“Senior Brother! I―I―!”

Fuuka rushes to me and latches onto my back.

I place my hand on Fuuka’s head and stroke her hair in a somewhat rough manner as she cries.

“It seems you and I both are in need of more training.”

“Yeah, I’m going to work hard and become stronger. ”

“I see.”

Ellen watches on in silence as I stroke Fuuka.

She’s pretending to be fine to make herself appear mature, but I can clearly tell that she’s feeling a bit lonely right now.

I remind myself to praise her later on.

I turn my attention to Rinho, who has yet to come join us.

For some reason, she seems to be staring intently at Fuuka.

◇

We’re greeted by a commotion when we return to Argos.

For a brief moment, I thought the war wasn’t going in our favor, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Rather―

“The enemy fleet isn’t moving?”

“Y-yes. Most of the enemies have completely stopped. Only the ships that weren’t turned into undead are still operating.

Eulisia, whose hair is disheveled, delivers a rather ambiguous report while looking exhausted, appearing apologetic as if she’s aware that the report isn’t up to par.

“Anyway, what’s the damage looking like?”

“All things considered, minor. Also, we’ve received a report from His Excellency Klaus.”

“What did he say?”

“His fleet has managed to capture the Crown Prince while he was retreating. His Excellency has him restrained and is awaiting further instructions from Lord Liam.”

Eulisia asks how I’d like to have Cleo handled, but I’m more concerned about Klaus’s performance.

“He’s here as well?”

“Yes. Lady Christina and Lady Marie were fuming when they heard the report.”

“No surprise there. He’s earned himself a planet or two with his achievements.”

I let out a laugh, finding it amusing. However, Eulisia doesn’t appear to share my sentiment.

“Lord Liam, don’t you have something else to explain first?”

Eulisia has me look around the bridge.

The other crew members’ eyes are all concentrated on me, and it’s easy to guess why.

“It’s a gift that the self-proclaimed Demon Lord left behind. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Explain yourself a bit more! Argos was on the verge of being destroyed moments ago! How come it’s been restored to its pre-departure state!? Not only has its energy been replenished, but its ammunition as well! The others are also demanding an explanation, so out with it!”

Eulisia approaches me with unstoppable momentum, making me wonder if this was Farabar’s last move.

Apparently, Argos has been completely repaired, and all the resources have been restocked.

Anyone would be suspicious if this suddenly happened out of nowhere.

“Hey, don’t ask me. If you have any complaint, say it to Farabar.”

“But you took him down!”

―That I did.

————————————————————————————————————-

Yasushi (゜ロ゜; 三 ;゜ロ゜): “GYAAAAAA!! Why!? Just why!? Why am I always being dragged into things??”

Brian (*・ω・*)b: “Yasushi-dono seems to be having a tough time, this Brian is happy.”

Wakagi-chan: “Naegi-chan also loves watching people suffer! But enough said, it’s time to promote once again. How about having Yasushi-san do the advertising this time?”

Yasushi(｀Д´): “As if! They always put me through so much trouble ― speaking of which, Volume 6 of ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire’ is where Fuuka and Rinho first make their appearance! Even though I raised them, they only served to make my life harder. They were supposed to assassinate Liam in Volume 6, but the result―”

Brian (・ω・`；): “I thought you said you weren’t going to advertise?”

Yasushi (；´゜Д゜): “Well, uh, my wife said she’d give me more pocket money if I did.”

Wakagi-chan (*´艸`): “A Sword God living off of pocket money (pff). LMAO, this is hilarious.”