However, that was impossible.
He himself had said he was from another world, and the Demon King would undoubtedly possess dark mana that would immediately suppress the entire royal capital. Yet, they could still move freely, which meant his power didn't come from magic at all but from something else.
Another world…
Could something like that really exist?
Wait, is he from that world?!
"I'd love to continue this fight, but without my help, those naïve heroes will struggle to find the answer." He walked closer to the Grand Mage, knelt down, and placed his hand on his shoulder. "So, you'd better start talking before I force it out of you," he warned.
The Grand Mage felt an overwhelming pressure crush his body, as if his soul was about to be torn into tiny pieces.
He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and nodded. "I will explain. But—" He glanced around, making sure there were no other eyes or ears nearby. "Not here. If others find out, this problem will become much bigger."
Before he could respond, the orange-haired man weakly spoke up, "W-what are you two planning to do?"
"Why? Do you want to continue the fight?" he asked, making the orange-haired man tense up.
"O-of course not. Only a fool would try that again," he replied hastily, coughing.
His body still felt incredibly weak—just lifting himself off the ground made him tremble violently. But he pushed himself until he managed to kneel, even though his breath was nearly gone and his consciousness was fading again.
"I know I've lost, but…" He hesitated for a moment, thinking carefully before lifting his head to look at him. "I feel like I can get stronger if I fight you again. So…" Once again, he hesitated, this time struggling to admit that he needed help as this was the first time he had ever asked for anyone's help. "I would be v-very grateful if you fought me again next time."
He fell silent upon hearing that, then grinned.
"Of course. Besides, I don't know who else I can fight that can match my level of insanity. The Demon King? He hasn't even shown himself yet, and I'm sure I'd just get annoyed looking at him. So, we'll definitely fight again. Just know that I won't be responsible if you lose your life."
Burning Star's eyes widened in shock—he hadn't expected him to accept so easily.
"You know, you're not weak, and you're smart too. Why don't you come with me and this guy?" he asked, pointing at the Grand Mage, who looked surprised, wanting to refuse but immediately fell silent when he glanced at him.
Burning Star, even though he didn't fully understand what was happening, didn't want to miss a single moment of observing him. He believed that the more he watched him, the stronger he would become—not just in power, but in thinking, decision-making, and assessing situations. An opportunity like this wouldn't come twice.
Hearing that gave the orange-haired man renewed energy and determination.
He struggled to stand, even as his body screamed for him to stop, wanting to prove—not to him, but to himself—that he was still capable and would never back down from achieving his goal.
"Watching you in action up close?" His grin widened. "Of course, I won't pass that up."
He then turned to the Grand Mage. "You don't mind, do you?"
The Grand Mage, knowing that this wasn't a question but a threat, could only nod weakly. He could only hope that nothing disastrous would come from this—or else, not only would the human kingdom's capital be in danger, but the entire human race itself.
Most likely, they would become the enemy of every other race.
Not far from them, someone wearing a thick cloak with a hood covering their head peeked out from behind the rubble before quickly leaving to report what had happened.
Unaware that, from the very beginning, he had been watching them and had placed a glitch on the figure to track them later.
A newly discovered ability.
Or perhaps, more accurately, an ability he had created—since every power he possessed always started as a thought first.
Which meant…
He raised his hand, then snapped his fingers, and the entire area around them shifted—like a phone screen being swiped—transforming into a chaotic, wrecked place.
The place where he and Cerno had first met.
Inside the royal capital's library.
Who would have thought he could move locations like this—not just teleport, but seemingly control space itself? It left the Grand Mage speechless.
His brain seemed to glitch for a moment, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.
Meanwhile, the orange-haired man stood frozen, mouth wide open, questioning himself about what he had been thinking when he decided to fight someone like this.
At that moment, the Grand Mage was certain—he was not the Demon King.
Even the Demon King couldn't have done what he just did.
This man… was truly from another world.
"So, explain why the heroes and the elves haven't received word that the Demon King has returned?" he asked, getting straight to the point, making the orange-haired man furrow his brows deeply, as if he had just tasted something extremely sour.
"The Demon King has returned!? There hasn't been any information at all!" he exclaimed.
The Grand Mage let out a long sigh. "It's not that there's no information. We can't report it."
"Hah? What do you mean!? It's your duty to inform the world if he has returned!" the orange-haired man snapped, recalling his hometown far from the royal capital—meaning demons would likely attack there first.
"We can't reveal the truth that all this time, that instrument didn't seal the Demon King away but instead gathered the fragments of his soul, reuniting them to bring forth the true Demon King into this world."
"YOU WHAT!?" the orange-haired man shouted, ready to punch the Grand Mage, even though he knew it would have no effect due to his weakened state.
Meanwhile, he only let out a harsh sigh and crossed his arms. "I already told you that instrument was bad news. When did you figure it out?"
The Grand Mage fell silent.
"Why aren't you answering? SPEAK!" the orange-haired man shouted furiously.
"Two years ago."
Unable to contain his rage, he punched the wall beside him, creating a massive crack, not caring about the searing pain in his hand or the sensation of his bones nearly breaking into pieces.
The fact that they had hidden such a major truth disgusted him—he wanted to smash the Grand Mage's face until it was unrecognizable. His family, his friends, the people he knew—they all lived far from the capital and relied solely on information from there to know if the Demon King had returned.
The thought that they could already be dead while the information was still being withheld made his blood boil.
"YOU BASTARD! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL DIE IF HE ATTACKS!?"
"AND ARE YOU WILLING TO BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES IF THE HUMAN RACE GETS ATTACKED BY THE OTHER RACES!?" the Grand Mage shouted back, unable to hold in his frustration from two years of sleepless nights, desperately trying to find the best solution but still failing to do so.
"I know you're both consumed by anger, but there's no point wasting energy yelling at each other like this. Didn't I bring you two to this library to maintain secrecy? What's the point of using my power if, in the end, you're just going to scream like children?"
The orange-haired man clicked his tongue in irritation, while the Grand Mage clenched his fists.
"For two years, you hid this truth… I must say, how cowardly of you. If you had announced it back then, I'm sure things wouldn't have been this complicated. But now, after hiding it for two years, I doubt the other races will forgive you for what you've done."
"What else could we have done? That instrument was initially proposed by a human. The other races would have already been suspicious—especially if they found out that humans have been stealing mana from them to strengthen themselves."
He had already suspected the instrument was meant to aid the Demon King. Who would have thought it held an even darker secret that made everything more complicated?
His grin widened in irritation as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "If that Demon King didn't exist, I'd be the one to erase you all from existence."