I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Before we could put our plan into action, we sought help from an unwanted being. A demon offered us our ticket towards this place. And now that we had arrived at the kingdom, the price haunted us afterward.

Little did I know it came from my sword and a contract….. A contract that I regrettably wrote.

Crayman appeared before us, welcoming me with extended arms. His wings flapped on each side while baring his teen. But the moment he materialised at our fore, King Arthur made his move.

In the blink of an eye, King Arthur zoomed beside Crayman. The knight swung his sword and aimed it at the demon, intending to kill him. However, King Arthur missed and hit nothing but air. Crayman, who was now behind me, chuckled up a storm.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the king himself, greeting me with that sword. It has been a while, King Arthur. Have you remembered me?" Crayman asked.

"I've remembered you with every cell inside my body. How could I forget the demon who destroyed seven kingdoms within a week, one kingdom each day? And now, you have bravely appeared yourself before me…. You've never ceased to surprise me, especially your guts, Crayman," King Arthur retorted, as he prepared another attack. "This time, I won't miss. I will take you and the boy!'

As soon as King Arthur finished his sentence, he disappeared at our front. He suddenly emerged before us, with his blade nearly touching my face. That knight didn't use any spell to amp up his speed. King Arthur only relied on his sheer strength alone against a demonic being.

Despite King Arthur's attempts, Crayman always had his way. The demon grabbed me by the collar and used a spell unknown to my knowledge. Even though I was an experienced player of Magique, my system couldn't comprehend his trickery.

Within a matter of seconds, Crayman brought me to the side. The two of us had travelled a few feet from King Arthur's wrath.

"Why are you saving the kid? He needs to be purified by me. Do not touch my food, Crayman. If I can't kill you, let me kill that boy."

After listening to King Arthur's voice, my entire body trembled. King Arthur didn't care if that attack would kill me. That man even wished his assault had landed against my skin, which would ultimately kill me.

While dodging King Arthur's attack, Crayman left a spell for the knight. A magic circle glowed beside the knight's feet and sucked all of his arcane bone-dry. My system displayed the spell before me, which was a demonic specialty.

Despite being exiled from the demonic kingdom, Crayman still had his abilities. And that strengthened him, even for me.

If it weren't for Crayman's intervention, I would have been dead by now. Even though I would still puke near Crayman, he saved my life against King Arthur….. No. He didn't just save me.

When Crayman used his spell, he didn't just grab me. That demon also snatched Merleen's body away from King Arthur's vicinity. He ensured that King Arthur's attack wouldn't hurt the mage girl, which lessened my worries.

But while this event had happened, I still couldn't move my body. Every time I attempted to squirm around, my joints would twist themselves. It was as if someone forcefully squeezed my skin and tore it apart.

My system also mentioned that I had to wait for the magic outburst to die out. If this power finally completes itself, I could eventually join the battle. And the first thing I would do is break every bone inside King Arthur's body.

"Listen, Arthur. Since I want you to be stronger, you shall have your power. That arcane violating your body came from my mana. It will immobilise your body until you are ready to use it. So, for now, I shall stall you for some time. Abaddon limited my powers. I am not the demon squire the world had thought I was…. Well, not anymore," Crayman whispered, still with a smile on his face.

"And why would I believe you?" I asked, as I raised my doubts against the demon.

But Crayman chortled at my remark and answered, "Do you have any idea about your situation, Arthur? You don't have a choice to begin with. If you want Merleen to live another day, you will listen to every word I instruct you. Your team has already lost Fenrir. And besides, saving you was also a part of my plan…."

The demon had a point when he mentioned those words. I could only gulp my saliva down through my throat and accept the devil's offer. But Crayman wouldn't just save me without reason. But for now, I couldn't do anything but dance on Crayman's palm.

Until we can escape from King Arthur's wrath, I will follow Crayman's advice.

"Then, I will take your silence as a yes."

As soon as Crayman finished his sentence, King Arthur roared in our direction. He broke free from Crayman's shackles and resumed attacking our figure. When that happened, Crayman tossed Merleen and me to the side. That demon also placed a barrier to protect us, which was enough to block King Arthur's blitz.

King Arthur aimed his Excalibur at us instead of Crayman. Even though he had a grudge against the devil, King Arthur wanted me dead first. Judging by his eyes, that knight might have already seen through the power coursing through my veins. And King Arthur wished to stop whatever followed inside my body.

Even after countless swings, King Arthur couldn't make a dent out of Crayman's barrier. It was as if Crayman made his shield indestructible for a limited time. He might have already anticipated my transformation as he shielded me.

"A demon- known for his chaotic behaviour, protecting a bunch of humans. Isn't this a little odd, Crayman?" King Arthur slowly turned around and negated Crayman's spell. "You have never changed your heart, despite killing your own demonic family. Even when they begged you for mercy, you still used them for your personal gain."

Crayman tried ambushing King Arthur from behind using a special magic circle. But like every other ability he conjured, King Arthur had an answer to it.

"It's interesting to see what Arthur could become soon. I haven't changed an inch, your highness. You will see soon what's in store for you as soon as Arthur completes his process. But, for now, do you care to dance with me?"

When Crayman finished his words, King Arthur leaped from the ground and lunged his sword. Crayman summoned a sword of his own and parried King Arthur's Excalibur. Since the knight had a more powerful weapon than Crayman, the demon lost his balance.

But Crayman never intended to fight fairly against King Arthur. As soon as the demon created the distance, he summoned familiars to aid him in battle. A fog of some sort covered the place and revealed Crayman's friends. Bats, gargoyle, reptiles, and skeletons materialised beside the demon as they all glared in King Arthur's directions. There were about one thousand of them against one knight on the other side. Summoning an army would take five hundred mages to pull out. However, Crayman did it by himself with no preparations.

It only meant that this demon was not an ordinary creature. When we cornered Crayman, that demon hid his abilities. We would have already died if he had attacked us behind our backs.

"Did you miss them? I know I can't beat you in battle, King Arthur. Which is why I will stall this battle as long as I want!" Crayman yelled, while hysterically laughing at the knight.

Despite the words spoken by Crayman, King Arthur remained a stern look on his face. He marched onwards and prepared his sword for another lengthy battle.

"Even if you have a thousand familiars, I will still kill you at the end of the day. Summon as many creatures as you like, Crayman. This isn't the first time I fought against these many enemies."

King Arthur backed those words up as soon as he entered the battlefield. The ground created a shockwave, which sent those mere creatures flying in mid-air. It was enough to kill most of the creatures at King Arthur's fore with just one attack.

However, Crayman summoned more familiars. He replaced those King Arthur had killed and created an entire army again.

"Before you could attack me, you have to go through my pets," Crayman said.

The devil motioned his fingers as if calling a dog from a distant place. King Arthur took the bait and let out a battle cry, while forcing himself onwards. Dozens of creatures hurled in every direction as King Arthur bashed his way through the group of beings.

But that number came biting back against Crayman as King Arthur levelled up his system. A screen emerged before him, granting King Arthur more power than we had ever seen from before. All of Crayman's stats increased, including his overall strength.