The gates of the Demon King's fortress loomed ahead—twenty stories tall, forged from obsidian and etched with ancient curses. Beyond them, the Black Ridge smoldered under a pale red sky. The army of light had arrived.
Liam stood atop the highest tower, cape fluttering, armor crackling with demonic energy. His heart pounded. Not from fear—but from the fact that he had no idea what he was doing.
"This is fine," he muttered. "This is all fine."
Next to him stood his top general—a seven-foot-tall lizardman with half his jaw missing and a sword taller than Liam.
"Shall I devour their champion, my king?" the general hissed, eyes glowing.
Liam raised a hand. "Let's hold off on the devouring."
He turned to the [System] screen blinking beside him.
[Warning]Enemy morale: HighHero is presentDeath flag: Waving enthusiastically
Liam winced. "System, any chance I can, like... bribe fate?"
[New Option Unlocked]⚖️ Demon Negotiation Lv.1Talk your way out of dying. Probably.Success chance: 3%
He stared at the number.
"…Better than zero."
A bright horn blew from below. The army was assembling—tens of thousands of soldiers clad in silver armor. And at the front, atop a white stallion, was the Hero himself.
Blond. Muscular. Glowing.
Like a walking shampoo commercial with a sword.
"Of course he's hot," Liam muttered.
The vampire maid from earlier stepped forward. "Shall I prepare the anti-divine ballistas?"
Liam took a deep breath.
"No. Open the gates."
Everyone froze.
Even the system glitched for a second.
[ERROR?]
Liam grinned. "Time to do this my way."
The gates creaked open.
Liam strolled out alone, the wind blowing his black cloak behind him like some villainous supermodel.
The human army raised their weapons—but the Hero held up a hand.
Liam stopped a few feet from the front line and raised both arms.
"Parley!"
The soldiers blinked.
"…What?" the Hero asked.
Liam cupped his mouth. "Parley! You know—negotiation? Talking instead of stabbing? Maybe tea?"
There was silence. The Hero dismounted and walked forward, sword still sheathed but hand twitching.
"You're the Demon King."
Liam gave an exaggerated bow. "Unfortunately."
"You're supposed to die today."
"Yeah, well," Liam said, scratching his horn, "I read ahead. Not a fan of the ending."
The Hero's eyes narrowed. "You're mocking the prophecy."
Liam shrugged. "I mock a lot of things. Prophecies. Swords. Your haircut."
Behind him, the system dinged.
[Demon Negotiation Lv.1 – SUCCESS!]Hero is now mildly confused+1 Delay+12 Survival Minutes Gained
Twelve minutes. That was enough to prepare something.
Liam smiled.
"Listen, Mr. Hero. Let's call this a temporary delay. You go back, tell your council I'm not dying today, and I'll… blow something up for fun. Deal?"
The Hero didn't move.
Liam sighed and turned around.
"Fine. We'll do it the loud way."
He snapped his fingers.
Behind him, half the mountain exploded.
Smoke, fire, chaos. One of his own empty fortresses—destroyed purely for dramatic effect.
The Hero blinked, caught completely off guard.
Liam waved without turning back. "See you in Chapter 64."