"He's not supposed to be able to see us, right?" Suneo was still clinging to hope.
"These cheap tricks are useless! I've seen through them all." King Demaon's next words shattered everyone's illusions.
He produced a crystal ball, and inside it, our images appeared clearly.
The Pebble Hat was no longer working!
"Demon King Demaon, cease your invasion of Earth! Otherwise, we will bring justice upon you!" Miyoko declared. I couldn't tell if she was grasping at straws or just following the standard heroic speech. Either way, there was no chance we were going to win without a fight.
"Earth has been the coveted prey of our demon race for thousands of years," King Demaon said, then his tone shifted into something almost playful. "To ask us to give it up just like that is impossible."
The implication was clear: unless we could offer him a new target on par with Earth, he wouldn't stop. But we all knew that was impossible.
"Then prepare yourselves!" Without further words, Miyoko hurled her silver arrow.
It shot out instantly, and the moment it struck King Demaon, his body turned into a mass of flame. The arrow pierced straight through the fire.
Then the flames split apart, multiplying into many King Demaons, surrounding us in a ring.
"Those are all illusions! Use the Moon Torch Light to suppress them—break his phantoms!" I shouted, staring at the scene.
At my words, everyone hurriedly pulled out the Moon Torch Light Doraemon gave us earlier. When we switched them on, moonlight flooded the palace.
"Moonlight?" King Demaon's eyes flickered with unease.
His illusions shattered in an instant, revealing his true body.
"Now!"
We all got excited at once.
Everyone threw their silver arrows, aiming for his heart.
I didn't.
I gripped my silver arrow tight and held back. I wanted to see what would happen.
Before our expectant eyes, the arrows struck King Demaon's chest.
But the next moment sent panic through us.
"Hahahaha! Useless. I cannot die!"
He laughed wildly. The arrows embedded at his heart clattered to the floor before our eyes.
As I suspected, his heart wasn't inside his body. But I couldn't see it circling the red moon around the Demon World planet like before, either.
Where was his heart?
"Why?"
"How could that be? We hit him—right there!" Everyone muttered in disbelief.
Miyoko's eyes went hollow for a moment, but after a brief panic, they hardened with resolve.
She summoned her magic longsword and, biting her lip, charged forward.
She leapt and slashed at King Demaon's head. She refused to believe a Demon King couldn't be killed—she would try again.
Her blade carved a gash across him, but green light flashed and the wound vanished.
"An eyesore."
With a casual sweep of one hand, he swatted Miyoko away like a fly.
"Miyoko!" I rushed forward and caught her as she fell from midair.
I set her down and raised a telekinetic barrier with one hand, blocking the shockwaves from King Demaon's attack.
Looks like I'd have to use that last-resort method.
A head-on clash. I don't believe there's anything truly unkillable.
There's only not enough firepower.
"Looks like I have to use that move again," I told everyone.
"We get to see Nobita's heaven-shaking technique again!" Suneo and Gian were actually excited.
Even Shizuka and Doraemon looked hopeful.
At this point, the only way to beat the Demon King was for me to use that move. The one that could wipe out an entire army.
Only Miyoko looked confused. What could possibly stop King Demaon now? She had no choice but to trust us.
I ignored the chatter behind me and stared at King Demaon, serious. I didn't know if this would work, but at least it should drain some of his strength.
"Planetary Devastation!"
Just like before, I hurled my telekinetic core upward. It spun above the Demon King, threads of mind-force binding his true body.
But he really was a Demon King. Even wrapped in my telekinetic mesh, he fought and strained, nearly breaking free. He was close to tearing the last strand.
Just as he was about to snap that final thread binding him, the massive boulder I was forming overhead—drawn together by the telekinetic core—finally took shape.
Because we were in a cavern of stone, the core could easily attract rock and grow to a colossal size.
"I can't believe Nobita wields such powerful magic!" Miyoko stared at the giant sphere above King Demaon.
Under everyone's expectant gaze, the spinning boulder descended.
"An amusing resistance. Allow me to crush your last hope," King Demaon sneered. He raised both hands, and blinding purple lightning gathered around him, focusing into his corpse-like arms.
His hands, thrumming with power, thrust up to meet the falling mass.
They collided. Those withered hands held back the rotating boulder?
This was the first time I'd seen anyone stop my attack.
Let alone the others!
Doraemon's face grew grim.
I could feel it: he might push it back. I poured more force into the downward pull.
Sparks flew where his hands ground against the turning stone.
He chuckled coldly and poured even more magic into it.
With a boom, dust swallowed the arena. We couldn't see anything inside.
But everyone kept hoping. They trusted me.
My expression soured. I sensed the telekinetic core's control snap inside the dust.
"Doraemon! Get everyone out of here, now!" I shouted over my shoulder.
Before anyone could react, King Demaon's voice rolled out from the haze.
"Is that all? Then you can all die here today."
The dust thinned. King Demaon stood there amid scattered rubble.
My Planetary Devastation had been blasted apart.
He was too terrifyingly strong. That level of attack hadn't even fazed him.
Flames of demonic power roared around him as he strode from the wreckage, his aura crushing everyone present.
"If you have no other tricks, then it's time you died," he said coldly, purple lightning gathering around him again.