Prologue Pt. 2

As soon as Talo felt Yuliain was a safe distance away, Talo dragged the girl up the stairs. Taking his seat, he brings down his barrier surrounding the outside of the castle and allows the hero to enter his home, even if it did sicken him to his core. However, there was nothing he could do; as powerful as he was, he was still bound by this world's rules. Sighing again, Talo went through his inventory and picked a suitable black long sword as his weapon. Swiftly, he takes it and places its sharp edge on the neck of the girl standing just a step below him. 

Though she stood her ground and didn't flinch, she refused to show her fear as her only act of defiance against the demon. Silently, she prays to her beloved God, drawing in what little holy power can reach her in this destitute land for demons. Just as the waiting was becoming unbearable, the familiar creaking of the main door filled the stagnant air. 

There, taking the lead, stood the main character of the farce. Talo sneered as he observed this so-called "Hero" the humans of this world summoned. Icarus Smithers, standing at 6 feet with earthy brown curls and searing icy blue eyes. His muscles were impressive, given he was only a teenage student just 6 months ago and had never fought anyone in their life until being brought here. Icarus glared intensely at Talo, tightly grasping the holy sword, his cape billowing behind him, leaving others to admire the mithril armor that protected his body. Behind him were an elf archer with her bow at the ready and a beast woman fighter getting into some kind of fighting stance. Talo couldn't help but let out another sigh; the sheer cliché of it all nearly made him chuckle and break his character. 

'Of fucking course the hero would have a harem of women but when it comes to the demon king, an entity made of evil, God forbid I try to make a move on the man I love! These damn homophobes!' Talo cursed inwardly as he rose from his seat. 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the 'hero of humanity, ' and I see you've brought some friends. However, I see you have no healer; that's pretty dangerous." Talo yanks on the chain, drawing the attention from himself to the saintess, who Icarus clearly failed to notice.

"Jesslin!"

"!!!"

Both cry out for the other in a desperate display of longing and anguish. Tears well up in Jesslin's eyes while Icarus looks on with worry and determination. For a brief moment, Talo rolls his eyes but cringes inwardly at the dramatics these two 'leads of the world' perform. Since no one noticed, he wasn't punished by the world for acting OOC, and he continues his cliché big evil villain monologue.

"Ahem! Now Hero Icarus, watch helplessly as I-"

Before Talo could slit her throat, Jesslin unleashes all her holy powers at once. Though the backlash from releasing raw mana all at once will be extremely painful, she pushes through and breaks free of the chains and curse that stole her voice. Momentarily stunning Talo, she takes the opportunity and rushes down the steps towards the open arms of Icarus. The look of sheer love in their eyes for the other infuriates Talo.

How dare she pull such a cheap stunt! How dare they enter his sanctuary! How dare they display their love so blatantly in front of him when he can't even hold the hands of his beloved incubus!

Enraged, Talo brings up a barrier around the throne room, trapping the party there with him. He didn't care about the "rules" anymore. What have they gotten him? An empty bed and blue balls! Once the hero is killed, he'll finally be able to indulge in his own love affair. Finally, it was going to be his time to enjoy the fruits of life! He was going to use everything in his arsenal to kill the male and female leads! This time…for sure!

*

Yu stood behind the door for what felt like ages, listening to the booms and bangs happening just beyond its sealed opening. He could just imagine it: his amazing demon lord beating that snot-nose brat into the ground before crashing his sword down onto his beating heart!

This war had been hard on every demon species, but none harder than on his lust demon subjects. Being the weakest demon species, they were easily pushed out of their part of the demon territory, so his lust demons had to find ways to adapt and survive in a world that wanted to either kill them for the experience to level up or use them as slaves for labor and the bedroom. 

Unbeknownst to the many surrounding kingdoms, his lust demons are near everywhere, working in brothels or as street workers. Though not ideal, it is a great way to acquire the "food" they need to live without raising any suspicion; however, even this comes with its drawbacks. Hiding their demon form uses up a lot of their mana, leaving barely enough for them to feed themselves, and Yu knew this. 

His whole life, since the moment he hatched, he was the envy of his kind for having the ability to naturally draw in the life force of living beings through his exposed skin without needing to touch them. This unique skill came with his title as Incubus King when it was bestowed upon him mere minutes after he emerged from his egg. 

Every lust demon, from the succubi and incubi to the sirens and mermaids, craved this skill as it would allow them to live more freely and not always be on the cusp of starvation in these troubled times. Luckily for him, Yu had the most benevolent demon king who took in as many of his kind as possible and housed them in his castle before he had them leave for their own safety.

 At first, Yu assumed they would have to service him in exchange for the housing, but surprisingly, he didn't ask for anything in return! Well, besides nightly walks and Yu's attendance for all three meals, but Yu was more than happy to comply if it meant his demons were safe. Though he did feel guilt for taking his demon king's life force with his skill and using another skill to share it with those who took shelter in his home so they wouldn't starve or do something that would anger his lord. However, his lord gave his consent, even willing to offer more, but Yu knew he was taking too much.

He hoped that after all this war business is settled, he can find a way to repay his lord. Yu was actually beginning to become concerned with how generous his demon king is! If Wrath and Sloth could see him now, they would definitely be making fun of him, taunting him with ridiculous lines such as "Lord Talo's in love with you!" and "Master Talo is your henpecked husband!" also "Lord Talo will literally kill anyone who looks at you! And he has! How can you be this dense!" and other such nonsense! 

Sliding onto the floor, Yu felt his cheeks begin to heat up, his mind wondering to his lord in a way not befitting his lowly status. Snuggling into the oversized cloak he was given, Yu opened his status window to see the benefits it would give him, but he froze upon realizing the sounds had stopped!

Rushing to his feet, his heart pounds in his chest, and Yu pushes open the door in excitement, but the sight before him brings not joy, but pure terror.

"My Lord!"

*

Talo had underestimated the male lead's protagonist halo. The scene before him made him glad he put up the protective barrier, though it resembled a spider's web with how many cracks littered the walls. Having no choice, he retracts it to save as much mana as he can. He didn't wish for his home to be blown away; however, he had to push aside such narrow thinking in order to survive this time.

His lungs hurt and each breath felt like he was breathing in knives, courtesy of that damn saintess using her holy powers, though he counted his lucky stars they are in his territory as the effects are dulled down significantly. The battle had pushed him against the wall both metaphorically and literally as he's clutching his bleeding arm and leaning against the wall by his throne. However, he didn't suffer any major loss, unlike Icarus, whose elf and beast companion couldn't keep up and died helplessly by his hand!

The sheer exhaustion could be seen on everyone's face in the room; nothing but the buzz of clashing mana and panting could be heard. Talo could feel his mana dissipating faster than normal. Likely a side effect from his wounds caused by that damn holy sword. He could see the hero rushing in, sword in hand, ready to deal what he believes to be the final blow. Behind him, the saintess is praying, likely building up more holy power in case this strike doesn't finish him. Talo gives a self-deprecating chuckle; even after all his efforts, he was still beaten to this extent with what he was given despite his hundreds of years of preparing and training. He really didn't want to rely on outside power; however, now wasn't the time to be thinking about his stupid pride. If he wanted to live to get his happily ever after, he'd need every help he can get. 

As Icarus brings down his sword, casting a magic slash toward him, Talo opens his demon system shop, but before he can purchase anything useful, a black shadow with a flash of white blocks the attack. Talo shifts his attention, and his eyes instantly soften, his lips instinctively curl up into a weak smile. Yuliain, in a panic, rushed out of the secret door to take the hit for him. Even knowing it would have killed him, Yu still did it to protect him. Just that thought alone makes Talo fall in love with Yu all over again.

"Cough! Cough!"

Yu opened his shut eyes, expecting to feel pain, but nothing came. Turning to face where he heard the coughing, he realizes to his horror that somehow, the attack still landed. Talo, his lord, his demon king, the man who he admired and who stood proudly and strong among all of demon-kind, was now lying there, bloodied and beaten. His right arm and wing were missing, and a nasty large gash was across his abdomen. Yet, despite all the cuts and blood, Yu still thought he looked as handsome as the day they met. 

"Talo!"

Hot tears stung Yu's eyes as he quickly went to Talo, bringing him into his embrace. Gently, he places Talo's head to rest on his lap, and Talo thanks every entity that allowed this moment to happen. His lifelong wish to rest his head upon Yu's pillowy thighs being fulfilled makes him feel that his injuries were all worth it. From the corner of his eye, Yu saw the hero gathering mana for another attack. Quickly, Talo brings up a protective barrier around the two of them. However, Yu is more focused on Talo; he places his hands on Talo's cheeks and begins to use his skill to channel his life force to him. 

Talo glances at his status and sees his HP begin to creep up. His heart swells with warmth, and he can't hold back a smile, however, it's pointless. Yu's life force wouldn't be enough to save him, as his injuries are too severe, and since they were caused by a holy weapon, it would take at least 10 more Yu's to reach at least half of his HP. Thinking this may be the last time they will be this close, Talo takes this chance and lifts his remaining hand then begins to grope Yu's soft supple thigh. This action causes the incubus to let out a soft "Eep!" escape his lips. The sound alone makes Talo's face shift drastically to a dark red, but the feel of soft, delicate flesh causes a little trickle of blood to flow from his nose.

Seeing this, Yu pushes out all distractions and channels more life force, thinking Talo is only getting worse. Yet that proves difficult as the moment he begins to feel dizzy, he sees an unread achievement message from his status window. Curious, he allows the message to show and is stunned by what he reads.

[Achievement: First Use Of Demon King Talo's Cloak(?)]

He had used the cape? When?

Clicking on the question mark next to the name, Yu's eyes widen in disbelief as he stares at the words being shown to him, however, he's unable to register them.

[Description: A cloak made by the reincarnated Demon King Talo with love. With the thought of keeping the one he cherishes most safe, this cloak will deflect 9999% of all damage taken, multiply it, then place it onto the nearest person with the highest defense or hit points. This item is a Transcendent Grade Cursed item and is now bound to the soul of Yuliain.]

Fresh tears started to pool at the edges of Yu's eyes. 

'My Lord is in this state because of me… If I hadn't tried to block that bastard's attack, he wouldn't be this hurt. I said I would protect him, but I only made things worst… Talo…'

"I'm so sorry. It's all my-my fault, sniff sniff."

Feeling tear droplets place themself on his cheeks and Yu trembling under him, Talo felt his heart shatter and his body feeling stuffy. 

'He must have just seen his cloak's description. It wasn't his fault, though; he couldn't have known this would happen! None of this is his fault!' 

Talo thought, wanting to refute and assure Yu; however, he lacked the strength to do so now. He assumed if Yu was close to him, he was more than enough to keep Yu safe. He neglected to think of this sort of possibility, no, more like he refused to think this situation could have happened at all in the first place, but it did. Now, he had to die in front of this sweet, gentle soul, something he found greatly souring. Resigning to the fact he had lost this time, he brought down the barrier; at least with the cloak on, Yu would be safe long enough for him to go back and fix his mess.

The moment the barrier was down, Icarus charged up for another magic slash, and at the same time, Jesslin unleashed a massive amount of holy power straight at Yu, critically hitting him. Yu, having shut his eyes expecting to feel pain, yet again feels nothing and slowly opens them again, confusion and weariness written clear as day on his face. 

"I dispelled the curse, Icarus, now you can finish them off!"

Giving an approving nod, Icarus swipes downward, unleashing his magic slash once more. Yu was still dazed from the color change of his cloak going from pitch black to pure white that he didn't realize the attack aimed at him until it was too late.

Talo's dulling emerald eyes shrink to mere pinprinks as he watches blood slowly seep out of Yu's mouth. Despite there being a massive slice diagonally covering Yu's chest, he gave no indication of having been hurt. Instead, he looks oddly at peace, his hands having never left Talo's cheeks still giving his life force to him. Slowly, his beautiful red stained lips part slightly, and a soft melodic whisper reaches Talo's ears.

"Don't worry, My Lord… I promise I'll protect you… I'll save you, even at the cost, cough cough, of my own life… I promise… to save you… save… you… I'll…"

Talo looks up in hopes of meeting Yu's once-vibrant ruby eyes; burning tears escape the corners of his eyes when they see how dull and hazy Yu stares at him. Regardless of how much heartache Talo feels, his body cold and numb from both the physical and emotional pain he's experienced in such short successions, he manages to give Yu an endearing toothy smile. Stifling back his own cries of anguish, he strains his own eyes as they also begin to lose their focus and grow dull. He gently reaches out to Yu's tear-stained cheek and whispers:

"I'm sorry, Yu, I can't do this anymore. I wanted to be the one to protect you this time, but I'm still too weak. I thought in this life… I could make it up to you… for hurting you… I wanted to… I'm sorry, but I'll have to burden you instead."

"Save… you…I'll…save…"

Talo wasn't sure if Yu could hear him anymore, but nonetheless, Yu still continued muttering those three words, and somehow, Talo felt like Yu understood him.

"Mm, I trust you'll make better choices than me… so please save me, Yu."

Talo cups Yu's cheek, and emerging from his hand, a bright, blinding white light slowly builds until it fully envelops Yuliain.

"Icarus! Watch out!"

"Oh no you don't, you demons!"

However, it was too late.