Chapter 2: The Road to the Final Battle
Wu Chen lay on the ground, rubbing his eyes with his hands. The light of a magical lantern above shone on his face. Inside, he thought:
"In this world, I am the main character..."
He encouraged himself and then announced his decision:
— If you accept my conditions, then I will accept yours as well, — he said, bowing his head respectfully.
The king looked at the minister and ordered:
— Fulfill all his demands today!
Wu Chen smiled inwardly:
"In my previous life, I spent 20 years for a single request and in the end gained nothing. Now let's see how long it will take me to destroy the lords in this world..."
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23 years later...
Since that time, I have destroyed 12 demon lords and more than 14 billion demons. Of course, I was not alone on this path. From the villages I saved and the lands I purified, there were loyal Sword Princesses who followed me. Their total number exceeded five thousand.
This world had its own rules: humans usually lived 400 years and reached maturity at the age of 50. At first, when I heard this, I was glad — I was not even close to old age yet. But later I realized these laws did not apply to me. Because I came from another world. That meant I could surpass the system's limits.
Therefore, my Sword Princesses also went beyond ordinary limits. In this world, level 99 was considered the end, but my warriors reached two or even three times higher. As for me… I exceeded the ordinary maximum level by fifty times!
But the death of the last lord was not easy. With an evil smile, he looked at me and said:
— Our Queen will kill you anyway, hero...
Those were his last words before he perished.
Then we discovered: all the remaining lords actually served one being — the Demon Queen. Until she was destroyed, the end of demons was impossible.
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The Final March
We were ready for the journey. My commanders — twenty Sword Princesses — were leading. Each of them commanded a thousand loyal warriors. They were all distinguished not by names, but by numbers.
As silence reigned in the carriage, I spoke:
— This is our final battle. I will fight alone. It's either me, or that Queen. If my strength runs out while she still has power, you will continue the fight and destroy her. If she loses her power first, and then I perish, bury my body in the most beautiful place of the castle garden. Tell the king: "The Hero has fulfilled his duty."
I looked seriously into their eyes:
— My Sword Princesses, never show your true strength to anyone, disappear among the people. If anyone wishes to stay in the stronghold, let them stay. If any problem arises, connect with me through telepathy.
Then, smiling, I whispered:
— And if you meet Queen Nuna... tell her to wait for me. I will return...
In these 23 years, I had lost much. My face was covered in scars, my body worn out from wounds, half of my hair burned and turned white. But one thing in my heart never changed — my will to fight.
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Reaching the Castle
We approached the castle. I used a short teleport and moved directly into the throne room.
There she was waiting for me — the Demon Queen. She smiled and greeted me:
— Well, hero. You entered the castle in ten minutes and reached the throne room in five. So defeating my twelve followers was not in vain.
I smiled:
— You are the strongest demon. Let's make a wager: if I win, your soul will merge with mine and you will forever be my slave. If you win — the opposite.
The Queen smiled with interest in her eyes:
— Hmm, you're an interesting man. I agree. Then let the battle begin!
As soon as she finished speaking, she attacked.
---
The Final Strike
The battle began. I quickly countered, but in one strike I lost my arm. My regeneration started, but because of the curse of demon energy, it slowed down. I was at the brink of death.
Then the system's voice rang:
"Berserk — Level 99 Activated."
I unleashed that power. Dodging every black hole, I restored myself. But at the cost of Berserk power, my life was burning away. I had only three minutes left.
I gathered all my strength into speed, moved behind her, and aimed my sword at her neck. In a single strike — I severed her head from her body.
As she was falling, I smiled and whispered:
— In the wager, I won...