The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

I pointed the tip of my sword at her.

The jet-black blade reflected the moonlight and gleamed faintly.

“Neither of our claims are wrong. Both have the same legitimacy despite their shortcomings.”

I moved forward.

Then, I told her the end point of my thoughts.

“That’s why I decided, all we need to do is to let the one who survives this battle decide which path to take.”

Such was the conclusion I came to.

One couldn’t prove that one's method was superior with words only.

Therefore, we should decide it with a battle.1

This development itself was already expected from the beginning, but the process to reach here was important.

I managed to learn how she is as a person after she was resurrected.

By doing so, the guilt I carried from becoming a Demon Lord as a Sage was dispelled.

I reaffirmed my way of being.

As a result, we confronted each other directly.

As the enemy of the world, I blocked the hero’s path.

“There’s the hero, who believes in humanity's goodness, and the Demon Lord, who seeks a practical solution. Since both opinions are correct, then let the stronger one handle it.”

“That's simple and clear. It’s so unlike you, who was usually stubborn.”

“Decades have passed since I first became the Immortal Demon Lord. Things that have happened over the course of time and my environment must have affected me.”

The faces of my subordinates came to mind.

All of them were very unique and I was certainly influenced by them.

I wasn’t aware of it myself, but I guess from her perspective I seemed to have changed.

“…I see.”

She muttered a little and smiled.

It was the most radiant expression of hers I ever saw.

There were no tricks in that face.

It was a smile brought forth from the bottom of her heart.

As she eventually calmed down, she took a deep breath.

Then, she naturally wielded her sword again.

She eyed me past the blade.

“Well, no regrets then?”

“Obviously.”

I nodded and took my position.

It was a different stance from the hero where I assumed the use of a wide variety of magic and beast abilities.

She smiled when she saw it.

I could feel a certain sense of kindness and familiarity.

However, it soon disappeared.

With a dignified look, she stepped forward calmly.

“Then let’s get started.”

We clashed harshly under the night sky.

In the quiet wilderness, only the sounds of our battle echoed.

I somehow managed to spot the thrust despite the astonishing speed.

As I tilted my head away, the blade twisted after me.

Even though it grazed me slightly, it didn’t hinder my thoughts.

When I managed to avoid it, I transformed my ribs into tentacles.

I stretched them out and tried to catch her.

She intercepted them with a single swing of her sword.

All the tentacles were smashed or slashed, turning into black dust and dissipating.

She tried to pursue closer as it was, but her eyes went wide when she saw me.

Space was distorted into a sphere in my hand.

It spun at high speeds and made a faint whirring noise.

With the slight opening earned by the tentacles, I casted a forbidden spell.

The forbidden spell interfered with the flow of time, forcing movements other than my own to be delayed.

It included the hero in front of me.

As I felt accelerated, I immediately moved to pursue.

She defended fervently in the face of my super-fast attacks.

Her transcendental skill, coupled with her ability at reading ahead of my moves, allowed her to avoid injuries.

It was a pretty dangerous maneuver, but she was able to manage.

Even when time flowed differently thanks to the forbidden spell, it wasn’t enough to deal a decisive blow to defeat the hero.

I knew it. I have to prepare more measures… so I will start doing so from now on.

I swore to myself internally with an unprecedented amount of concentration.

Seeing her movements gradually accelerate again, I flexibly switched tactics.

The power of the Demon Lord will strike his beloved person.