Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 97

EP.97 The Demon King Part 4

“… Elves.”

With Charlotte’s brief remark, the elves surged forward. Judging by their fully armed appearance, just like before, it was clear they hadn’t come with good intentions.

Jeong-hyeon casually toyed with the hilt of his sword, readying himself to take them down at any moment.

As he waited, the elf who appeared to be their leader stepped forward, approached them, and then slammed his head to the ground with such force that it drew blood. The elf shouted loudly.

“W-World Tree!”

The voice carried a strange mixture of relief and ecstasy, emotions difficult to define. Ordinarily, such intensity of feeling might have been contagious, drawing others into the same mood.

But instead, Jeong-hyeon felt a wave of revulsion well up inside him. It was an unfamiliar reaction, and for a moment, he wondered why.

“Thank you so much for appearing to save us!”

Then it dawned on him—the way these elves were acting toward Hana mirrored what he had seen when he first arrived in this world.

‘… Salvation.’

His words, dripping with the expectation of Hana’s sacrifice, made him want to vomit. Yet, he gritted his teeth and continued forward.

As he moved closer, the elf’s face twisted in irritation, clearly displeased by his interference in their meeting with the World Tree. Yet, the elf restrained himself and addressed Jeong-hyeon.

“Human, I acknowledge that we are grateful for you bringing the World Tree here. However, would it not be better for you to step aside for a moment?”

The overly polite yet condescending tone was almost amusing, and Jeong-hyeon suppressed a smirk as he responded curtly.

“No.”

At that single word, the elf flinched visibly, clenching his teeth in frustration. He forced himself to calm down and spoke again, slowly.

“… Very well. There are matters to discuss with you anyway. World Tree, please wait just a moment. We will come for you shortly. Thank you for your patience.”

The elf bowed respectfully toward Hana before turning his attention back to Jeong-hyeon.

“… Let me guess. You’ve come this far seeking compensation for returning the World Tree to us, haven’t you?”

Jeong-hyeon considered striking the elf for his presumption but held back. If compensation meant the wealth they currently possessed, it might be worth keeping them talking. He nodded slightly, deciding to hear him out for future reference.

“Very well. However, the value of treasures differs between elves and humans. What humans might deem valuable may not align with what we consider precious. Would it not be better to offer something of more universally accepted worth?”

What exactly were they planning to offer that required such a roundabout explanation? The elf’s long-windedness was exhausting, but Jeong-hyeon nodded again, waiting for him to get to the point.

Then, the elf glanced toward Jeong-hyeon’s companions and made his proposal.

“Human, how about you choose an elf from among us to take with you?”

“… What?”

In all his life, Jeong-hyeon had never encountered anyone who would use their own kin as bargaining chips. The absurdity of it made him let out a disbelieving laugh.

The elf continued speaking, unfazed by the reaction.

“From a human perspective, elves are undoubtedly a race of great beauty. Surely, their value would be significant to you. What do you say?”

For a moment, Jeong-hyeon doubted his own ears. Was this elf seriously suggesting such a thing with a straight face?

No matter the atrocities Jeong-hyeon had committed in the past—be it creating royal corpse golems, turning holy knights into glass-bottle bombs, or orchestrating large-scale terrorist attacks on kingdoms and church—this suggestion felt wrong on a deeply personal level.

And above all else, what truly enraged him was…

The elves had surrounded them, their bodies radiating mana. It was evident that they planned to attack if the negotiations fell through. Jeong-hyeon noted this with a dry laugh before replying, his tone deliberate.

“There is an old proverb that goes like this…”

“… What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”

“The only good elf is a dead elf.”

“W-What?!”

Before the elf could react, Jeong-hyeon activated Sanctuary Declaration, slashing the throat of the elf in front of him in one swift motion. His voice rang out like thunder.

“This is all the will of the Pope! If you’ve got complaints, take them to him!”

Jeong-hyeon had decided to play the role of a temporary holy knight for the day. Declaring that it was in service to the Pope, he resolved to wipe out these vile elves. With that, he summoned pre-stored corpse golems and the bodies of fallen warriors.

“I will burn this place down according to the proper procedure! You dirty rascals! Accept the judgment of God!”

There wasn’t a shred of truth in what he said, but it didn’t matter. It felt satisfying to him, and that was enough. Watching the elves collapse in stunned disbelief, he let out a cold laugh.

***

The sanctuary was blindingly white.

Within its bounds, enemies were subjected to every kind of debuff imaginable, while also enduring constant physical damage.

‘And the most terrifying part is…’

They had to face divine-power-fueled zombies in that weakened state.

Jeong-hyeon watched as the zombies tore into the elves, advancing slowly and beheading the fallen ones as he walked.

‘Elves, huh…’

Seeing them brought back bitter memories of the humiliation he’d suffered at Daisy’s hands. His eyes narrowed.

“I don’t like it.”

Daisy had claimed that elves were inherently superior to humans, asserting that her disdain for him was justified.

‘I wonder if she’d say the same thing after seeing this scene… But one thing’s for certain.’

After today, there wouldn’t be any elves left to boast about their supposed superiority.

Jeong-hyeon pressed his foot down on a writhing elf on the ground, silencing its weak movements. Then, he turned and approached the elf he had noticed first—the one who had led this group.

‘Well, I suppose I’ll keep this one as a gift for Daisy.’

He wasn’t sure of this elf’s connection to Daisy, but he hoped they were close. With a cold expression, he shoved the lifeless body into his subspace. Then, he turned to the holy zombies and gave his next command.

“Take care of the rest and follow me.”

“Grrroooarrr!”

Whether they understood or not, the zombies continued their assault, ripping through the remaining elves.

Jeong-hyeon, meanwhile, gently took Hana from Lucia’s arms and carried her himself. Deciding it was time to leave for the Demon King’s location, he set off.

***

After finishing the “welcome ceremony” for the elves, they headed toward the World Tree, now burned stark white. Along the way, a few elves attempted to block their path, but Jeong-hyeon didn’t waste time with words. He killed every one of them, and soon enough, no one dared to stand in their way.

Blue blood, tainted with divine power, dripped from his blade.

Jeong-hyeon gazed at the terrified elves cowering in silence as he passed them by, shaking the blood off his sword onto the pristine snow.

‘This must be it.’

Before them lay the massive, snow-white roots of the World Tree.

Standing before it, Jeong-hyeon reached out and gently patted the root with his hand.

Lucia and Miria both nodded, confirming his observation.

‘… The World Tree.’

Standing before the World Tree, now devoid of life—not through the natural passage of time but from deliberate intervention—Jeong-hyeon found himself flooded with a mix of emotions.

He understood that this newfound connection to the tree had emerged from raising Hana. A bond born of empathy, or perhaps a phantom pain of sorts. He knew it was a false sentiment, nothing more than an illusion.

‘And yet.’

The feeling of disquiet gnawed at him, unshakable in its persistence.

He observed the lifeless World Tree in silence before glancing down at Hana, fast asleep in his arms. A quiet wish crossed his mind.

‘Rather than spending her life trapped in one place, sacrificing herself for others…’

He hoped Hana would live freely, pursuing her own dreams and desires.

As if to reinforce that hope, he gently brushed aside her bangs, only for Hana to stir awake. Her sleepy eyes opened, and a bright smile spread across her face as she looked up at him.

“Daddy… this is yummy.”

She mumbled, offering him a leftover cookie from earlier.

Even half-asleep, she was concerned for him. Jeong-hyeon couldn’t help but think of how much she resembled Lucia in moments like this. Smiling softly, he accepted the cookie and turned to the others nearby—Charlotte, Miria, and Lucia.

“Now, all that’s left is to find the Demon King in this area.”

The three nodded and began searching in different directions. It wasn’t long before Charlotte gestured excitedly toward him.

“There’s a massive flow of mana over there. Should we check it out?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Impressed by her sharp senses, Jeong-hyeon followed her lead, moving toward the source of the mana.

***

When they arrived, what greeted them was a colossal magic crystal embedded in the heart of the World Tree.

Jeong-hyeon let out a dry laugh, staring at the spectacle.

‘How did they even create something like this?’

The sheer intensity of the mana flowing through it suggested it was a Heart-Rate Magic Crystal. And yet, it had been created purely as a sealing mechanism.

‘What an absurd waste.’

As he continued to study the crystal, Charlotte spoke, her tone filled with a mix of amazement and disbelief.

“… That’s a Heart-Rate Magic Crystal. It looks like they used only the finest ones to create it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Its density and the constant mana shielding it make it so durable that even a knight commander wouldn’t be able to leave a scratch on it…”

Midway through her explanation, Jeong-hyeon infused his blade with divine power and sliced through the crystal in one fluid motion.

“Done.”

Charlotte froze, her face twisting into the same expression her swordsmanship instructor used to make when faced with impossible situations. Jeong-hyeon couldn’t contain his laughter.

“H-How did you…?”

In truth, it wasn’t his physical strength but the properties of his divine power that allowed him to cut through the crystal so easily. However, explaining it felt like too much effort. He simply chuckled and shifted his focus back to the Demon King, still sealed within the remnants of the crystal.

‘Alright, let’s free him now.’

Carefully, Jeong-hyeon wielded his sword again, ensuring the Demon King remained unharmed as he sliced away the remaining crystal. When the figure began to fall, he caught the Demon King gently before she could hit the ground.