Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

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Chapter 349: Hero (5)

Boom!

A violent impact shook the Demon King's head.

The Demon King nearly lost consciousness for a moment.

That was how tremendous the blow was.

However, gritting his teeth, the Demon King endured and threw a punch.

The power within it was enough to kill gods and pierce through all things.

Even Ketal wouldn't survive if it hit directly—it would bore a hole right through his body.

There was no room for mistakes.

But for Ketal, this was just another day.

Boom!

He narrowly dodged the thrusting punch, his nape tingling.

Enjoying the thrill, he swung his axe downward.

Crash!

The Demon King raised his other arm and grabbed the descending axe.

He exerted force to break it, but Ketal retaliated by headbutting him.

Clang!

With a deafening roar, the Demon King's body was pushed back.

It was a crude, brutish fight, akin to a street brawl, but the force behind it could tear the world apart.

“Ahahaha!”

Ketal burst out laughing as he charged forward again.

His head throbbed from the collision, but it didn’t matter.

He hadn’t expected to win without getting hurt anyway.

Whoosh!

The Demon King swung his fist once more.

Ketal raised his axe.

Technically speaking, Ketal’s combat skills surpassed those of the Demon King.

This very fact gave him the upper hand in the battle.

“With physical skill alone, I can’t beat you,”

the Demon King admitted.

“But when it comes to wielding demonic energy, I am superior.”

Ketal hadn’t been wielding mystical forces for even a year.

In contrast, the Demon King had spent his entire existence mastering demonic energy.

In this area, the Demon King held overwhelming dominance.

Demonic energy burst from the Demon King’s fist, twisting into a vortex that forcibly altered the axe's trajectory.

Crack!

The axe was deflected, but Ketal forced it back into position with sheer strength.

The Demon King threw another punch.

There was no time to dodge or deflect.

So Ketal blocked.

He shielded his body with his arm.

Crunch.

The Demon King’s fist struck Ketal’s forearm.

An ominous creak echoed as the bones splintered under the impact.

In a single blow, fractures appeared in Ketal’s forearm bones.

But Ketal didn’t merely endure.

He swung his axe with all his might.

Slash!

The axe sunk into the Demon King's shoulder.

It didn’t cut to the bone, but it was no minor injury.

The Demon King moved swiftly, retreating before Ketal could kick him.

Squelch.

As the axe was pulled free, black blood gushed out.

Ketal grinned.

“Your blood is black, huh? How fitting for a Demon King!”

Ketal immediately closed the distance, raising his axe high and swinging it down.

The Demon King twisted away, dodging the blade.

Boom!

The axe slammed into the ground of hell, splitting it apart.

A massive asteroid fragment was literally cleaved in two.

Although the Demon King avoided the axe blade, the lingering aura from the strike left a scar on his chest.

Blood sprayed as his chest split open, but the Demon King paid no mind and stepped forward to kick Ketal.

Ketal quickly rolled backward, dispersing some of the impact, but not entirely.

The blow churned his insides, and he swallowed the blood threatening to spew out.

“Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”

Ketal burst into laughter repeatedly.

How long had it been since he had suffered injuries like these?

How long had it been since he had fought so fiercely?

And this opponent—a being of fantasy.

The Demon King.

If he didn’t laugh at this, what would he laugh at?

Ketal howled with laughter and swung his axe again.

Boom!

Power collided with power.

Wounds accumulated on both sides.

Gradually, Ketal’s body began to creak.

No matter how strong his body was, relentlessly exerting near-limitless strength couldn’t be without consequence.

But the Demon King was no exception.

It was a contest of endurance—who would falter under the strain first?

And that limit was approaching for the Demon King before Ketal.

[Ugh...]

The Demon King groaned.

Never before had he reached his limits.

There had never been an opponent who demanded his full strength.

For him, this burden was an unprecedented experience.

Unlike Ketal, who was well-versed in such things, the Demon King struggled.

The Demon King made a decision: to end this before wasting more time.

His eyes sharpened with resolve.

[Kill the enemy.]

The Demon King muttered.

The hellish fragments of countless shattered planets obeyed their master’s command.

Rumble!

Asteroids surged toward Ketal en masse.

“What a spectacle!”

Ketal exclaimed in awe.

A scene where entire planets seemed to aim for his destruction was truly a marvel.

And at the same time, Ketal realized—the Demon King had reached his limit.

He was squeezing out every last ounce of strength to finish this fight.

If Ketal could just endure this, he would win.

Planting his feet firmly, Ketal charged forward.

Crash!

He smashed through the incoming asteroids.

Fragments flew, targeting every part of his body.

With no time to counter each one, Ketal simply pushed through.

Shards lodged themselves in his body.

Crash!

Wounded and battered, Ketal finally reached the Demon King.

The Demon King, as if waiting for this moment, raised a finger.

[Die.]

A deep, black line shot toward Ketal at the speed of light.

Reflexively, Ketal raised his axe.

The axe collided with the black line.

In that instant, Ketal’s body quaked under the impact. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

This force was entirely different from the previous demonic energy the Demon King wielded.

Screech!

The axe blade ground away.

The power was so dense it began to melt even the monstrous axe.

But Ketal didn’t retreat.

Instead, he planted his feet firmly, enduring the blow.

Pouring all his strength into his arms, he twisted the axe blade.

Screech!

The black line deflects, cutting through hell and streaking toward the ground.

“Ah?”

“What...?”

Fortunately, no one stood in its path.

Even the Tower Master or the Saintess of the Sun God wouldn’t have reacted in time and would have been pierced straight through.

Boom!

A black line touched the ground, piercing through it like a pillar, emerging on the opposite side of the planet.

A force capable of impaling stars.

The Demon King, having narrowly dodged that power, charged forward.

Having exhausted all his strength, the Demon King was left defenseless.

CRUNCH.

Ketal’s axe embedded itself in the Demon King’s chest.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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At that moment, the Demon King’s foot struck Ketal’s abdomen.

The unexpected attack shook Ketal’s body.

Though he managed to hold his ground and avoid being blown away, he lost his grip on the axe.

Ketal quickly calculated his next move.

‘Can I retrieve it with the bracelet?’

No.

Impossible.

The axe was already deeply embedded in the Demon King’s chest.

It was too late to use an artifact for retrieval, nor was there any reason to do so.

If that’s the case, forward.

Even further forward.

BOOM!

The Demon King swung a fist with the axe still lodged in his chest.

Ketal raised his fractured arm to block.

CRACK.

Unable to withstand the force, the bone finally broke.

But it didn’t matter.

This was the end, after all.

Ketal moved his broken arm to deflect the Demon King’s punch and then struck the back of the axe.

THUD.

The axe drove deeper into the Demon King’s chest.

But it wasn’t enough.

Thus, Ketal poured all his strength into his uninjured arm and struck the back of the axe again, using the broken arm as support, like hammering a nail into place.

CRACKLE!

The axe’s blade pierced through the Demon King’s chest and emerged from his back.

Simultaneously, the demonic energy within the Demon King could no longer sustain his body and burst forth.

The energy soared into the sky and exploded.

BOOM!

Like fireworks, the explosion painted the hellish sky even darker.

Every being on the ground witnessed the blast, and they all understood:

The battle in hell had reached its conclusion.

"Hah."

Ketal let out a laugh.

His body was in shambles.

His head throbbed, and hell’s fragments embedded in his body left him in a wretched state.

One of his arms was completely broken.

It had been a long time since he’d been pushed this far, not since escaping the snowy plains and facing another formidable foe.

But it didn’t matter.

Then, as now, he had won.

"It was a good fight,"

Ketal said cheerfully.

The axe had pierced through the Demon King’s chest, and the immense demonic energy within him had drained completely.

The Demon King was dying.

"It seems you grew impatient as your strength waned."

The Demon King had never before been pushed to his limits.

From birth, he had been a powerful being.

In contrast, Ketal had risen from being a weakling.

He had faced countless desperate situations.

The difference between one born strong and one who wasn’t had decided the outcome.

[…I’ve lost.]

The Demon King acknowledged his defeat calmly.

[A perfect defeat. No room for excuses. You didn’t even use whatever power you possess.]

Even in his final moments, Ketal had refrained from using his authority.

It was a clean and decisive ending.

[I always thought this day would come, but I imagined it would be by a god or one of the beings of the mortal world. I never expected... an anomaly like you to be the one to kill me.]

The Demon King’s voice was filled with lament, oddly tinged with concern for the world.

[For the sake of the world, I should have killed you. But I failed. An anomaly from somewhere... You have killed me, destroyed hell, and in the end, what will you do?]

"Don’t worry,"

Ketal replied, pulling the fragments from his body.

"My wish is very different from what you’re concerned about."

[…You seek to dominate the world? How horrifying.]

"No, that’s not it,"

Ketal said, shaking his head.

"I just want to travel through this world."

All he wanted was to smash anything that hindered his journey.

That was Ketal’s true desire.

"So, you can die in peace. I have no intention of ruining the world you fear for."

[…I cannot trust you. But I am the defeated. Begging for mercy would only be pathetic.]

As he slowly faded away, the Demon King spoke softly.

[You are the victor. Corrupt and ruin the world as you see fit, anomaly.]

With those final words, the Demon King’s body crumbled into ashes.

The Demon King, who had existed since the establishment of universal order, who had embodied evil, demonic energy, and darkness, was no more.

Ketal stared at the remains for a moment and murmured,

"Even until the end, you refused to accept me."

The Demon King had never acknowledged Ketal’s existence.

After a brief pause, Ketal shook his head.

"Well. It doesn’t matter."

[…He really won.]

An observer, marveling at the scene, muttered in disbelief.

[He truly defeated the Demon King.]

Ketal had triumphed over a being stronger than even the oldest of gods, the most powerful entity in the current universe.

"It wasn’t easy. I want to rest, but for now, I need to return."

Ketal walked back to the mortal world, stepping over the shattered fragments of hell.

People awaited him with bated breath.

When Ketal returned, their eyes widened.

"...W-what happened?"

"I won,"

Ketal replied plainly.

"The Demon King has been vanquished."

"...Ah."

"A-ah…"

Their voices trembled.

At first, they seemed too shocked to understand, but soon, their faces lit up with joy.

A cheer that shook the continent erupted.

The great battle had finally ended.

And it wasn’t just on the mortal plane.

In a place far removed and sealed away, where an eternal battle had raged, that, too, was nearing its end.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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