The Heroes Who Executed Me Are Obsessed With Me

Athanasia had questions.

‘What is this?’

It wasn’t because she felt she might lose.

‘Is he… just a little slow?’

Whether this Demon King was a new kind of deity born from demons or something else, he certainly hadn’t elevated his presence to her level.

‘He’s closer to human.’

In fact, she could feel a clear species gap between him and the surrounding demons. She didn’t understand why such a being was called "Demon King" here, but—

‘All I have to do is reclaim what’s mine.’

If the Demon King insisted on flinging himself toward her like a moth into flame, all the better. Athanasia moved forward.

And so did Clay. In seconds, the distance between them closed.

Slash!

Clay struck first, swinging his sword. The runes etched into the blade glowed and vanished as a slash of pure force shot toward her—like before.

“!”

This time, she didn’t evade it in time. They were too close.

Athanasia staggered. And Clay didn’t miss a beat—he lunged forward and stabbed her straight through.

Squelch!

The blade pierced her body, and Clay twisted it violently before pulling it out and slashing several more times.

She was struck over and over again, like a straw dummy being pummeled.

『Incredible!』

『He’s overwhelming her…!』

The demons around them shouted in exhilaration. Athanasia was driven back, staggering from the flurry of blows.

To anyone watching, it looked like she was about to lose.

Boom!

She stomped the ground. Clay leapt back instinctively, widening the gap.

Crack… crkcrkcrack…

The earth split like shattered glass. Athanasia looked down at the trembling ground, then lifted her head.

“Disappointed?”

After all, she couldn’t die.

Her body re-knit itself as though being stitched from within. Even the scars disappeared.

“I’ll take the offensive now.”

She dashed forward.

Squelch!

Once again, Clay’s sword pierced her.

‘Annoying.’

Each time new runes lit up and vanished on the sword, she felt a terrifying, chilling pressure. It had to be some kind of artifact that cast spells with each strike.

Grip!

She grabbed the blade that had impaled her, sliding her hand down its edge. Her thick blood clung to the inscribed glyphs.

Buzz…

The sword pulsed, trying to cleanse itself of the stain.

“It won’t work.”

With a smirk, Athanasia kicked Clay away. As he flew backward, the sword tore free of her body.

“Go ahead—keep cutting me.”

She sneered.

“I’ll teach you what immortality really means.”

Clay rose and charged again.

His blade shredded, split, slashed, and shattered her over and over again.

She screamed. She gritted her teeth. She stumbled.

But still—she stood back up.

“Immortality… means never ending.”

Wounded again, shredded to pieces again, she smiled bitterly as her body reformed once more.

“If it doesn’t end, you learn to adapt. To pain. To malice. And for that…”

She stood before Clay once more.

“You must never lose.”

Wrrrrrrrnnnnnn!

Her eyes snapped open—and a wave of divine force burst outward.

Kraaaagh!

Guahk!

Guuuaaaaargh!

Her pulse blasted through everything—both her undead army and the demons alike, hurling them to the ground.

“I’ll kill you and reclaim my followers.”

BOOOOOM!

She poured all her power into flattening the Demon King.

Clay, caught in the torrent of force, was pushed back, sword trembling in his grip.

“So, in the end… you’re just afraid.”

Clay finally spoke.

“You needed power to avoid suffering—because you knew you couldn’t die.”

“What?”

“That way, no one could ever imprison you in pain again. But…”

His crimson eyes locked with hers.

“You’ve already been imprisoned once.”

He struck where she couldn’t defend.

“Even if you get your followers back—can you truly say it’ll never happen again?”

“What are you even talking about…?”

“Your power now—it’s too weak.”

Crack!

Clay’s sword pushed through multiple layers of her divine pulse.

“Gh—!”

Her eyes widened. Clay’s sword didn’t stop.

‘It’s fine.’

No need to fear.

She was immortal.

‘H-Haa…’

But pain was eternal, too. Her imprisonment hadn’t just been a seal—it was a crown of thorns.

Elhaen had gifted her eternal agony. Over and over, her body revived. Her mind screamed.

‘D-Dammit…!’

A torment worse than death.

It wasn’t just the pain—it was the knowledge that it would never end.

“Shut up!”

Driven to the edge of thought, Athanasia screamed.

“You know nothing!”

Forced to remember the one thing she never wanted to recall, she seethed with fury.

“So many liars! So many traitors! I lost most of my followers to their cowardice!”

Her voice cracked with fury.

“That’s why I’ve ended up this weak!”

All that remained were those who had waited for her—those who had kept their faith.

“I will reclaim them… faith that will never betray me—!”

That was when the Demon King smiled.

“Wh… what?”

He said nothing.

His smile twisted, then bloomed into wild, mocking laughter that echoed into her ears.

“What is this?!”

Athanasia flinched. The unfamiliar dread gnawed at her gut.

“Betrayal,” said the Demon King, his eyes sharp as blades, “always comes from the one you trust most.”

His gaze pierced her like a blade drawn from the depths of the abyss.

—Your Majesty!

A voice rang out from somewhere.

—We’re ready!

Ready?

Athanasia instinctively looked up.

“What….”

She saw them.

Hundreds of her followers—bound and standing along the rocky cliffs nearby.

“Lady A-Athanasia!”

They cried out.

“We’re sorry, Lady A-Athanasia!”

“You’ve just been freed, but our strength failed you…”

“Please escape while you can!”

Athanasia stared, stunned.

‘What is this…?’

The knight from Krata had told her that if she eliminated the Demon King quickly, her followers would never be exposed to the demons. That it would all be over before they could even be discovered. That as long as there was no contact, nothing would happen.

And yet now, the Demon King's subordinates had her followers—all gathered here. As if they had known exactly where she would go after breaking the seal.

‘No…’

Cold sweat ran down her face.

‘Not all of them… right?’

Surely not. But it was clear—a significant number had been captured. If she lost them here, it could spell her complete defeat.

“You—!”

Athanasia shouted, flustered.

“You planned this?! You found them and prepared in advance?!”

“Yes,” the Demon King said calmly, “I thought… if anyone should be freed first, it’d be you.”

“How could you have known?!”

“Immortality is persistent.”

A power rooted in the inability to die—of course she would return.

“The one who unsealed you must’ve known… that you would be the one to torment me the most.”

“You…”

“Krata’s emperor is that kind of man.”

The Demon King's face twisted faintly.

“He always prefers to drain his enemies before a real fight. If you stalled me long enough, he might’ve had time to awaken another god.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Athanasia’s voice trembled. Clay answered quietly.

“Because I once stood at his side.”

“What…?”

And with that, the Demon King raised his sword high.

“Those who do not follow the new faith—cast them down!”

The demons stationed at the cliffs began to push her followers toward the edge.

“W-Wait!”

“Stop it!”

“Nooooo!”

Athanasia stared blankly upward. He had said it himself: he was human. So why? Why had a human become the ruler of demons? Why would a human kill his own kind so easily?

She didn’t know.

All she knew now was this—if this continued, she would lose her followers.

“Stop!”

She screamed, grinding her teeth.

“Stop it now!”

But the demons didn’t stop. Her followers were shoved closer and closer to the edge.

“Aaahhhhhh!”

And then—they began to fall.

“UWAAAAAGH!”

“KYAAAH!”

Athanasia stretched out her hand, trying to send a softening pulse to break their fall—

Slice!

But in that moment, the Demon King slashed her wrist.

“Kh?!”

Grabbing at her bleeding wrist, Athanasia staggered. More of her followers fell from the cliffs.

“You monster!”

She shrieked.

“You’re human—how can you kill other humans?!”

“Humans…”

The Demon King's eyes were voids.

“…betray you anyway.”

THUD! CRUNCH!

Her followers crashed into the rocks below.

And the ones who remained… stopped the slaughter.

“W-Wait! Please!”

“We’ll follow you!”

“We’ll follow!”

Follow?

Athanasia’s eyes widened.

Her disciples—those who had believed in her, who had preserved her faith—now dropped to their knees.

Not to her.

To him.

“We swear loyalty to the Demon King!”

“…What?”

The words escaped her in a breathless gasp.

“This can’t be…”

These were the ones who’d preserved her faith for generations. How could they so easily abandon her?

“You find it unbelievable?”

The Demon King stepped forward.

“The only ones who truly believed in you were people of the past. These here? They’ve only been mimicking belief through tradition.”

“W-What did you say?”

“They were never truly faithful. They just bowed to the greater fear before them. That’s all they’ve ever done.”

Fear.

Athanasia stared at Clay.

He stood not as a savior, but as a god of despair and destruction.

“…Faith doesn’t change so easily.”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

“They won’t truly believe in you, either.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The Demon King answered flatly.

“The scale has already tipped.”

Thrust!

His sword plunged into her chest.

“Guh?!”

The blade pressed in deeper—close enough to touch her heart.

“Athanasia.”

“You… bastard…!”

“Can you still say,” the Demon King asked, “With certainty—”

His eyes brimmed not with hatred, but something more painful.

The look of someone who had been betrayed too deeply to trust again.

“—that you’re still immortal?”

Terror.

More agonizing than pain.

It clutched Athanasia’s lungs and froze her breath.

And then—

The Demon King stepped forward.

Just one more step.

Toward her end.

(End of Chapter)