The Beastmaster retreated backwards and cursed under his breath, "We are trapped," he said, informing the others.
Suddenly, a wooden flame torch by the side lit up with a raging orange flame, which spread around the throne room, lighting up all the wooden flame torches.
"Get ready, everyone, we might have fallen into the Demon lord's trap!" The Hero said, warning the other members of the Heroes' party to be prepared.
"Humph! If his trap includes blocking our escape route and locking us inside with him, he is gravely mistaking us because we are not locked inside here with him; he is locked inside with us," The Beastmaster responded, snorting in disdain.
The three-meter ferocious wolf-like beast beside him enlarged for another four meters, its robust muscles rippling with strength and sharp, piercing jaws gnawing against each other as it stood close to the Beastmaster like a faithful feral beast.
As the throne room brightened into an expansive hall, they all focused on the throne occupied by an astonishing 10-meter-tall high humanoid with a grey-red mixed skin colour and an 18-inch golden curved horn protruding from his crowned forehead.
The curved-horned humanoid was adorned with fully plated golden armour and intricate designs that would make anyone admire its craftsmanship and efforts.
Flanking both sides of the throne were incredible ten-thirteen-meter-tall, completely armoured, silvery-ebony-plated unknown humanoids standing in a semi-protecting circle, with the tip of their blades resting on the ground and their hands on their handles.
They all fixed their flickering golden eyes on the Heroes' party before them.
"Huh! Since you were able to make it here, it means they are all dead," said the Demon lord seated on the throne, his glowing fiery eyes flickering towards their figures.
"Yes, they are all dead. And so will you soon," The Hero responded with a nod, his hand tightly wrapped around his sword as he looked at the Demon lord with a determined expression.
"We are prepared to face whatever you throw at us. Today, we are going to kill the Demon lord," the Priestess added, resolutely staring at the Demon lord's immense stature.
Contrary to their expectations, loud waves of laughter roared across the vast throne room.
"Hahahaha! Such boldness! If you were this courageous, why didn't you come to kill me when you were first summoned into this world? Let me guess: You neither had the strength nor the courage to accomplish such an incomprehensible feat, correct?" The Demon Lord said with a wide smile, his eyes fixed on them with a mocking gaze.
Ezekiel inwardly gulped. That is the Demon lord?
Though he had seen his image in the paintings provided by the Church, seeing the sole individual responsible for the terrors that had rippled through Eldoria, he couldn't help but doubt if they could accomplish their goal and kill the Demon lord despite his terror.
No! Ezekiel shook his head in refusal. They had to kill the Demon lord so that he could exact his revenge on them. His life literally depended on their victory.
Come on, guys, you can do it. I believe in you!
"Enough of the long talks! Demon Lord Vexorath - Ruler of the Obsidian Demon Continent, I hope you are prepared to die," the Hero's cold voice thundered through the throne, and its temperature instantly plummeted.
Looks of stricken fear rippled across Ezekiel's expression as he felt the Hero's throat-cut aura pressing down on him from all sides. Such an effortless showcase of power reminded Ezekeil of an undisputed absolute fact.
The Heroes' party was not a one-dollar store rate wannnabees.
They were the real deal! Ezekiel had witnessed their crushing power and understood that even if he were to team up with Hitler, possessing the Divine Nazi Development System, with a prep time equal to that of a pragmatic man-bat cosplayer, they still wouldn't have the chance of victory.
But victory through other means was not lost; just as the Heroes' party could overpower any opponent before them with crushing might, Ezekiel hoped that the Demon lord was as unfathomable overpowered, not only so he could force the Heroes' party to a standstill but to the extent that his immense might would not be enough to instantly crush them.
"[Titan's Resilience]," the Hero muttered under his lips, unleashing his skill. A crimson brilliance erupted outwards from his body, radiating a mesmerising hue.
Ezekiel knew the 'hellish skill' all too well. It grants the hero temporary invulnerability, rendering him immune to all forms of damage and adverse status effects for a short duration.
In short, he was more invulnerable than a Florida man in beach shorts and could tank a meteorite capable of wiping out a particular reptile species even without his armour.
[Champion's Rally]
A thick burst of visible golden hue mana erupted from the Hero and surrounded them.
Ezekiel felt every fibre of his muscles squirm and explode with vigour. His heart brimmed with courage, and the oppressive weight of the Demon's Lord gaze pressing down against his shoulders was wafted off, carried off by an indescribable wind that calmed his body and filled him with a sense of unyielding peace and determination. His morale pumped.
'That's right. What was I afraid of before? We've already encountered several hundred opponents among thousands whom we never thought we could win against—B**itch!'
Ezekiel bit down on his lips until they bled.
He then licked it, savouring the taste as he counted the number of scars that decorated his lips. All of them had come, forcing himself out of the Hero's damnable skill.
This skill inspires the Hero and nearby allies with unyielding courage and determination, boosting their combat prowess, resilience, and morale for an extended period.
Sometimes, he thinks that Hero forgets that he is no fighter and his charging headfirst towards the Demon lord is the same as giving a gazel a stick and pitting it up a moulded giant wolf-like beast with a greatsword in its jaws; however, he gradually remembered that it wasn't just that they had forgotten, but—
They didn't care!
Ezekiel took a long, pained breath. He stepped backwards out of the skill's range, his movements unnoticed by anyone, even with their enhanced senses that could pick up the heartbeat of an army ant on the other side of the room.