While preparations for the hero's journey were underway, the real hero's journey had already begun.

The hero Balaf Dislord watched the continent recede into the distance. Blue seas stretched out below him, filled with a fleet of hundreds of ships.

"What a magnificent sight."

"Once, I would never have imagined all these people mobilizing to slay a single Demon King."

Aina Diaphrin smiled bitterly.

"Nervous?"

"Excited. I'm going to smash that Demon King bastard's face with my own two hands."

She had survived the Demon King's trap, but it had left severe burns on her face. Magic had healed them to some extent, but it had not removed the scars completely.

And those scars had become her fury.

If he had to name the two people here who wanted the Demon King of Hellfire dead more than anyone else, they would be Balaf Dislord himself and Aina Diaphrin.

"You'll have your revenge."

"Of course I will."

His conversation with Aina concluded, Balaf turned his gaze to another Star. A mage whose powers were the polar opposite of Aina's, she stood on the levitation ship's deck, staring out at the distant sea.

"Roselle."

"What?"

"Thank you for last time. Thanks to you, I killed the Adamant Demon King without much difficulty."

"No need to thank me. I was pissed off too."

Balaf's sudden withdrawal during the expedition against the Beast Demon King had left bad blood between them. But after journeying to the snowfields together and coordinating their attacks to kill the Adamant Demon King, they had resolved some of it.

"You've made progress, though."

"I have."

"I heard you went to Erjest to meet someone named Pale. Is he the reason?"

"Were you beating around the bush because you wanted to ask me that?"

"I won't deny it."

"Why? Want a piece of him yourself?"

"I won't deny that either."

"Hmph. Don't be ridiculous."

She had wanted to keep Pale to herself even before she knew he was a Demon King. Now that she knew and had become his servant in exchange for a tremendous payment, there was no way she would sell him out.

"I have a question myself. How exactly did you find the tower?"

"Ask the Empire, not me."

"Aren't you the Empire's finest hunting dog?"

"I'm an unaffiliated hero. Just as you aren't affiliated with Akan."

"So you're giving me the official line?"

"The Guildmaster is back. Let's refrain from remarks that could start unsavory rumors."

"You'd think we were inside the Heroes' Guild."

"We have a thousand heroes here instead."

"And?"

"Forget it."

Balaf turned away, but not before taking one final look at Roselle's energy.

'There doesn't seem to be anything seriously wrong.'

If anything, her abilities had improved. She had inscribed a new engraving. Whether it was thanks to the dragon blood he had given her or her encounter with Pale, he did not know. Either way, it was good news with the expedition against the Demon King of Hellfire upon them.

'I thought Pale was a Demon King's lackey. Was I wrong?'

Demon King of Hellfire ▶ Hillen Cargill ▶ Pale. He had thought that was the chain, but perhaps Pale had no connection to the Demon King.

'If I were the Demon King...'

He would not have wasted that opportunity. He would have killed Roselle Charnt on the spot. Even if the Demon King did not know about the real hero's journey heading out to sea, preparations for a highly publicized expedition led by Hillen had been underway.

With a large-scale hero's journey planned, eliminating even one Star certain to participate was the obvious thing to do.

'And it's not just about weakening the enemy...'

A hero's life and blood gave a Demon King great power. Just as a Demon King gave great power to a hero.

'Demon King of Hellfire.'

The horizon lay far in the distance. They were still a long way from the Demon King's tower, yet for some reason its outline flickered before Balaf's eyes.

They would descend into the deep sea and open its doors, and monsters would greet them. Once he tore them all apart and climbed to the top, an arrogant bastard seated on a throne would welcome him.

He would spout some nonsense, like all the other Demon Kings. What should Balaf do then? Answer him? No. No, he should charge straight at him and rip his mouth apart.

He had to cut through the Demon King's neck and sever his head. He had to show him once again that humans held the upper hand—that he was the strongest.

That was how he would restore his wounded pride. He had to erase a defeat he should never have suffered.

As his thoughts continued, the levitation ship rapidly approached its destination. Several days passed, and the ship stopped. The warships had failed to keep up with its speed, leaving nothing else in the vast expanse of ocean.

"We've reached our destination. According to the map, this is the place."

A dwarf navigator approached and reported.

The location differed from the one Jason had originally given him. There was nothing unusual about that. It had changed regularly every two days. This only confirmed that the Demon King of Hellfire could move his tower.

"Shall we proceed in?"

"Wait."

He wanted nothing more than to smash the tower below them right now. But his repeated failures had instilled caution in him. They had to be fully prepared, minimize the variables, and finish this with certainty.

"How far away is the main force?"

"Approximately 950 kilometers."

"Then until they arrive..."

"It will take several days."

"Longer than I expected. Even after the dwarves made improvements to each ship, they're still this far behind."

The levitation ship simply performed too well. Rather than departing together, they should have sent the fleet ahead and timed their own departure to match.

"For now, we wait. To minimize the variables, we need the main force—"

It happened at that very moment.

The disturbance began in the sea.

A faint tremor. The gentle ripples abruptly became waves.

ROOOAR

Their violence stood in stark contrast to the clear sky.

"This..."

"This is certainly not natural."

Aina Diaphrin sensed mana flowing from deep beneath the sea. Her affinity with water merely allowed her to sense it first; the others soon felt it too.

"Get ready. Something's coming."

Balaf drew his sword. Roselle and Aina chanted spells. Watton, Ralph, and Pablo gripped their weapons.

"...!"

"What is that?!"

It was a tower. An enormous tower was slowly rising from the sea. But the tower alone was not what horrified them.

"... Mana cannons?"

Hundreds of mana cannons mounted throughout the tower, along with the enormous barrel installed at its very top, were aimed directly at the levitation ship.

BOOM!

Before they could react, the mana cannon opened fire. A flash of light shot out in a straight line, ripping through air and space, baring savage fangs.

"Fuck!"

"Activate the barrier!"

"Weaken the attack! Fire the ship's cannons!"

The dwarves scrambled into action. The levitation ship's cannons all swung in the same direction. Hundreds of mana cannons opened fire at once.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Light collided with light. An enormous explosion swallowed the world. The undissipated shock wave raised waves across the sea, and the levitation ship lurched.

At that moment, a torrent surged forth like a dragon ascending to heaven. The dragon of water stretched gracefully upward and hurtled toward the levitation ship.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Fire again! Cut it all apart!"

"Heroes! Stop it!"

"Not so fast."

Aina Diaphrin unleashed her magic. Water blocked water—or so it seemed.

"...!"

COUGH

Aina's mana flowed backward. The water imbued with her will escaped her control.

"What is...?"

Instead, the two streams merged, becoming even larger. Just before it struck the levitation ship, Ralph Schmitz raised his shield.

BOOM!

An enormous shield of aura barred its path. The collision followed, and Ralph clenched his teeth. The levitation ship shook, but sustained no damage.

"Useless bitch, as always."

Mocking Aina, Roselle unleashed her magic.

"Aren't you confident? Revealing your tower for everyone to see?"

Roselle bared her teeth. Her recently inscribed eighth engraving greedily drew in mana, releasing heat and evaporating moisture. For an instant, despite being out at sea, the heroes felt as though they were in a desert.

An enormous sun slowly descended toward the tower above the sea. The seawater boiled furiously.

Just before it struck the tower, a bitterly cold chill blocked it. Pure white ice enveloped the tower.

Heat met cold. Cooling and melting one another, they produced steam. When the steam cleared, neither the sun nor the ice remained.

After a brief pause, the tower's doors opened. A thin layer of ice formed across the sea, and a woman of chilling beauty walked upon it.

"So many of you have come to see me."

Her low yet distinct voice reached the ears of every hero aboard the levitation ship.

"The Demon King of Bitter Cold?"

"Why is the Demon King of Bitter Cold here?"

"Wasn't this the Tower of Hellfire?"

"Why is a Demon King outside her tower...?"

Some heroes recognized her, but their questions were short-lived. She was an enemy regardless, and Balaf gave the order.

"Shoot."

"Open fire!"

Hundreds of mana cannons discharged flashes of light once more, all aimed at the Demon King of Bitter Cold. She raised a wall of ice, but it could not endure the overwhelming firepower for long.

Yet the flashes never reached Bitter Cold. A transparent wall of water stood directly behind the ice. At some point, a masked woman had appeared beside her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all."

The woman smiled.

"I am the Dark Spirit Summoner, one of the Four Heavenly Kings serving the Demon King."

Some of the heroes recognized her.

"It was you."

Feeling the powerful water energy emanating from the Dark Spirit Summoner, Aina Diaphrin ground her teeth. She realized this woman was the one who had shattered her control.

"How dare you...!"

Her pride as an archmage bearing seven engravings would not tolerate it. She leaped off the levitation ship.

"Crazy bitch."

"Everyone, disembark. We have to break through them to advance on the tower anyway."

Accompanied by Roselle's curse, the levitation ship descended rapidly. A thousand heroes and the Stars advanced. The pure white ice was as solid as thick ground.

"The Demon King of Bitter Cold is mine!"

Pablo Barkat charged. Fiercely blazing aura traced a straight line.

CLANG!

A shadow suddenly darted out, disrupting that line. With a resounding clang, the powerful recoil forced Pablo a step backward.

"And what are you?"

It was a knight. A dark knight clad entirely in black armor.

"I am the Dark Knight, one of the Four Heavenly Kings serving the Demon King."

The Dark Knight calmly absorbed the impact and raised her sword.

"Another demon has appeared!"

"Kill them all! We outnumber them!"

"The Stars are with us!"

At that moment, a shadow fell over them. Something enormous dropped into the midst of the heroes.

"Get out of the way!"

"Aaaaargh!"

"It's a monster!"

BOOOOM!

The screams were drowned out by the thunderous crash. Heroes unable to withstand it were thrown back, but none suffered a direct hit. Ralph Schmitz had absorbed most of the impact with his enormous shield.

"A titan?"

Ralph examined the monster that had struck his shield. Standing over five meters tall, it had a limp tail, reddish skin, a single horn rising from its head, and one wing. It had a titan's bulk, but was a monster that could hardly be called a titan.

Most incomprehensible of all was the masked woman seated on its shoulder.

"The Commander... of the Legion of Death?"

That was not the end of it. An enormous axe came down on Watton Collo as he charged toward Bitter Cold.

"Grrgh...!"

He swallowed a groan at the heavy impact.

"I'm the Dwarf of Hell."

"... One of the Four Heavenly Kings."

"This childish name is pretty famous, huh?"

"What?"

"Well, what does it matter? No need to fight with our mouths when we have perfectly good weapons."

The Dwarf of Hell raised her axe.

"If you're a Star, show me the skill to match."

"Filthy demon! I'll cut your head off, bitch!"

The Dwarf of Hell beamed at his surging bloodlust.

"Yes, that's it. This is a real fight!"

The Dwarf of Hell and Watton Collo clashed.

"You're my opponent?"

"You're someone I can coordinate with."

The Demon King of Carnal Desire sighed.

"I'm not good at fighting to begin with. Why do I have to do this too...?"

"So you want me to go easy on you?"

"Wouldn't that be better for both of us?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think I can. I have to worry about who's watching."

Roselle unleashed flames. Horrified, Vivian scrambled away.

"Do you really have to do this? We're in the same boat!"

"Shh, the other heroes will hear. I can't let them suspect me, can I? I'll do my best, so you... do your best to block it."

"Aaaaaah!"

* * *

"... What is this?"

He thought he had suffered enough at the Demon King's hands. He thought that by now, he understood the Demon King of Hellfire reasonably well.

He was wrong.

These were the figures bearing the childish name of the Four Heavenly Kings. But their strength was anything but childish. Every one of them possessed power on par with the Stars.

'A Demon King summoned only two years ago has forces this powerful?'

Stretching his understanding to its limit, he could somehow accept that the Demon King was a demonic dragon, a member of the strongest race in the Demon Realm. But this was an entirely different matter from individual prowess.

GRIND

Balaf ground his teeth and calmly surveyed the battle. Every Star apart from Roselle Charnt had been tied down by these so-called Four Heavenly Kings. And even Roselle Charnt was fighting a newly appeared Demon King.

'Carnal Desire, on top of Bitter Cold?'

Was this really the Tower of Hellfire? What the hell was going on? His mind raced, and a theory emerged.

'Have the Demon Kings formed an alliance?'

Perhaps they had. Driven so far into a corner, this must be their final desperate struggle.

In that case...

Balaf looked straight ahead. The tower's doors were open, and countless demons and demonic creatures were pouring out. At their center stood the Demon King of Bitter Cold.

'Kill the Demon King of Bitter Cold, then help the other Stars.'

Then annihilate them all, climb to the tower's summit, and kill Hellfire as well. Balaf steadied his breathing.

Cannon fire rained down from above. Bitter Cold was concentrating on blocking it. One surprise attack—just one—could take her out of the battle, and with that momentum, perhaps he could even kill her easily.

Balaf drew the Red Dragon Sword. There were many watching, but this was no time to concern himself with that. Besides, the Red Dragon Sword's heat would be devastating to Bitter Cold.

He compressed his heat and aura. His intensely tensed muscles swelled.

He took one step forward. His body shot forth like a cannonball.

He swung his sword. The slash tore through space, aimed at the Demon King of Bitter Cold's vital point. An unlucky demonic creature that strayed into its path burned away, but the strike lost none of its power.

'Got her!'

Just before the blade's tip reached her...

"An interesting idea."

A voice interrupted. No—by the time he heard it, claws covered in dark red scales had already blocked his slash.

"Balaf Dislord. Don't we still have unfinished business?"

"... You bastard."

Dark red eyes and hair, scales covering his skin, pitch-black wings, and horns rising high into the sky. Dense demonic energy bore down on Balaf, while roiling bloodlust shut out their surroundings.

Balaf recognized him. How could he forget? This was the Demon King who had first taught him caution.

"Demon King of Hellfire...!"

The target of their expedition had finally appeared.