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Hero Helping... Again? (11)

The Demon King attacked first, trying to catch the Hero's group off guard. They tried to attack Evelyn first, but Azul was faster and was able to parry their attack. The impact of the heavy sword caused sharp wind damage, creating shallow cuts on Azul's armor.

However, this did not deter Azul and he stood his guard while he knocked the Demon King's sword back. This wasn't his first epic battle with powerful beings, so he was not scared at all. Actually, he felt this burning adrenaline in his body that made him want to keep fighting.

Evelyn was a little surprised about being targeted but she knew she could not back down. Especially because she was the only one who could kill the Demon King. She coated her Holy Sword with holy magic and tried to flank them with Vincent on the other side.

The Demon King did not care about Vincent and continuously aimed at Evelyn. Even when Vincent slashed at their side, they didn't flinch from the pain. Their focus was on Evelyn, making sure to guard attacks from her.

As for Faylan, she did her best to aim at the wings with her arrows, but they only bounced off, causing no damage. She then switched to attacking the Demon King's hands and feet to prevent fatal attacks on Evelyn or Azul. Her arrows didn't do a lot of damage, but they annoyed the Demon King every time they tried to attack Evelyn.

Grey also participated in attacking the Demon King's hands and legs after seeing Faylan's arrows bouncing off their wings. He mostly used ice and earth magic because of the enclosed space they were in. Plus, if he could freeze or restrict the Demon King's movements for even a second, it could help Azul and Evelyn dodge or parry attacks.

Evelyn felt her hands and arms aching. This fight was different and more intense than any battle she had ever faced. Even with her battles with other demons, she didn't feel this much pressure.

She was just a farmer girl who had held a sword for only a few months. She had the stamina and the strength, but she knew her skills weren't the best.

All of the teachings from her tutors and Grey were drilled into her mind, but she felt her body was not the same.

Evelyn hesitated for a moment after trying to attack the Demon King and she was flung back by the impact of the giant sword. Even though Azul took most of the attack, she lost her footing and fell.

"Evelyn!" Grey shouted in concern and ran over to her. He helped her up, but she was shaking and could barely keep herself up.

Aeneas also moved closer to heal her but that only healed her physical wounds, not the psychological damage that she's been enduring this entire time.

The weight of the title caught up to her. At that moment, Evelyn felt that she was inadequate to be a Hero. How could someone like her, a farmer, be a hero? What were the gods thinking when they made her the Hero?

Seeing her current mental state, the Demon King couldn't help but grin. They stopped avoiding the attacks of Vincent, Azul, and Faylan, but that didn't matter. All of their attacks were just surface-level wounds, nothing that could stop them in their tracks.

"Oh, Hero, have you finally realized? Your resistance is futile." A powerful surge of magical energy began to swirl around the Demon King, causing Azul and Vincent to fly back.

Aeneas quickly healed their wounds, but flying and landing on the ground still caused them pain. Azul was able to get up, but Vincent staggered and struggled to get up. He didn't protect himself in time and took a lot of damage. The pain from breaking a couple of ribs lingered and breathing became difficult.

Grey saw the Demon King walking towards them, so he handed Evelyn to Aeneas and stepped in front of them. He held out his staff, ready to engage in close combat.