BOOM!!!
The Demon King's throne room exploded into chaos. Fire and smoke swallowed everything, demons shrieking as rubble crashed down around them. The ceiling cracked, pillars toppled, and the air was thick with burning dust.
"Huh… what just happened? " Kenji muttered, coughing as he stumbled out of the smoke. His face was blackened with soot, his hair sticking out like he'd lost a wrestling match with an electrical socket.
When the haze cleared, the demons froze. Kenji was alive. Not just alive—he was standing there like someone who had only tripped on a flight of stairs. Clothes tattered, sure. Knees wobbling, definitely. But breathing.
The Demon King's crimson eyes narrowed. "H-how come… nothing happened to you?"
He wasted no time. His massive hand summoned another sphere of dark energy, bigger than the last. With a roar, he hurled it across the room. The orb detonated in a blast of black fire, tearing apart stone, steel, and sanity itself.
The explosion shook the castle to its foundation. And yet…
When the dust cleared—again—Kenji was still there. Still alive. Still annoying.
He dusted off his shirt, smirked, and muttered, "Is that the best you've got? I've had microwaves scarier than that."
Gasps rippled through the demon army.
One demon whispered in horror, "Impossible… His Majesty's Demonic Transfiguration Technique bends reality itself. No one can resist it!"
Another muttered, "He should've been a chicken by now…"
The Demon King's lips pulled back in a snarl. His massive claws flexed, trembling with rage. "You dare mock me, human?"
Kenji clapped slowly, his grin dripping with mockery. "This… is the power of the Demon King? How pathetic."
That did it.
The Demon King rose from his throne like an avalanche. His aura erupted outward, pressure slamming into every corner of the throne room. The air thickened, fire crawled across the walls, and shadows writhed as if alive.
The very castle shook as though it wanted to run away and the very planet they were in began to shake wildly.
And then—
DING!
Words appeared in Kenji's vision.
SYSTEM: Divine Protection left: 0.
You've already used all of your protection, hero.
Good luck!!!
Kenji's blood drained from his face. "W-wait… what do you mean good luck?! I didn't sign up for sudden-death mode!"
But it was too late.
The Demon King snapped his fingers. A massive barrier sealed the chamber, shimmering like molten glass. It sealed out the world—and sealed Kenji in.
"No one enters. No one leaves," the Demon King growled. His voice reverberated like a thousand drums. "Not even God can break this barrier. Inside my domain, I control everything—even the laws of existence itself."
The floor cracked apart. The throne room melted like wax, reshaping in real time.
"Welcome…" the Demon King roared, "to my HELL!!!"
The transformation was instant.
The air ignited. Volcanoes erupted, rivers of magma churned, and fire rained from a sky painted blood-red. The stench of sulfur filled Kenji's nose, choking him.
Kenji spun in place, panic gripping his chest. The world was nothing but fire, death, and despair. Just him… and the Demon King.
He swallowed hard. "U-uh… wait a minute, great Demon King. Don't you think this is… a little bit too much?" His knees shook, his voice cracked, and sweat poured down his face.
The Demon King's booming laughter echoed across the burning plains. "You dared to mock me. No one mocks me and lives. This will be your end."
Kenji clutched his broken hoe like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to life. His thoughts screamed. Okay, okay, think. No divine protection. No backup. No skills. Just me, my terrible cardio, and a gardening tool. This is bad. This is really, really bad.
The Demon King raised his clawed hand, dark energy swirling like a hurricane. His voice thundered: "Prepare yourself, mortal. Your story ends here!"
Kenji's lips trembled. "L-look, can we negotiate? Maybe I can mow your lawn? Trim your hedges? I'm very experienced with hoes!"
The Demon King sneered. "You dare joke, even now?"
"Of course I do!" Kenji shouted, voice cracking with desperation. "If I stop joking, I'll realize how screwed I am!"
The Demon King thrust his hand forward, unleashing a spear of pure black fire.
Kenji screamed and swung the broken hoe out of instinct.
CLANG!!!
The fire spear shattered like glass. The shockwave blasted Kenji's hair back, but he was still standing.
He stared at the hoe in disbelief. It glowed faintly, smoke rising from its surface as if it had absorbed the attack.
Kenji blinked. "…Wait. Did I just block that?"
The Demon King froze mid-step, crimson eyes narrowing. "…Impossible."
Kenji stared at the hoe, then at the Demon King, then back at the hoe. Slowly, the corners of his mouth curled into the most unearned grin in history.
"Heh. Guess this is the Hoe of Destiny after all!"
Another DING! rang in his ears.
SYSTEM: Congratulations! Passive skill unlocked — Dumb Luck (Lv.1).
Effect: Occasionally survive things you absolutely shouldn't.
Kenji pointed the hoe at the Demon King, trembling but trying his best to look heroic. "Alright, big guy. Round two. Let's see how you like being smacked around… by agriculture!"
The Demon King's aura flared, scorching the very air. His voice cracked like an earthquake. "You will regret those words, human."
Kenji's grin faltered. "O-okay, maybe not smacked around. More like… gently tapped?"
The Demon King roared and charged.
Kenji barely had time to squeak before a massive claw came down. He threw himself sideways, rolling like a sack of potatoes. The claw gouged a crater where he'd stood.
Kenji scrambled up, panting. "Holy crap, you're fast for a giant evil overlord!"
Another swing came—Kenji ducked, the hoe barely catching the blow. Sparks erupted as the Demon King's claw scraped against it. Kenji tumbled backward, feet slipping on the molten ground.
"Stop running, worm!" the Demon King bellowed.
"Stop trying to kill me!" Kenji shot back, leaping aside as a column of fire erupted behind him. "Fair trade!"
Every second felt like a miracle. Kenji wasn't winning—he was barely surviving. But surviving was good enough.
He darted left, the hoe dragging sparks against the ground. The Demon King stomped, and a shockwave blasted him into the air. Kenji screamed, flailing wildly, and came down swinging.
By sheer dumb luck, the hoe smacked the Demon King's armored shoulder. A faint dent appeared.
The Demon King staggered a step. Just one.
But it was enough.
Kenji froze, wide-eyed. "…Did I just hurt you?"
The Demon King's eyes blazed like twin suns. His growl shook the ground. "You insolent insect… you dare—"
Kenji raised the hoe, his voice cracking but defiant. "That's right! Agriculture always finds a way!"
The Demon King's aura flared higher, his body swelling with raw power. The volcanoes rumbled louder, lava exploding skyward.
And Kenji, still holding half a broken farming tool, realized something crucial.
He was completely screwed.