Mr. Demon Lord, What Do You Mean You're Leaving?

[Scene opens on a massive battlefield. Smoke rises, the air crackles with lingering magic, and the earth is torn apart by countless battles.]

The Demon Lord, Fujino Tetsuya, sat slumped on his blackened throne, gazing over the smoldering wreckage of his latest defeat. His demon army—what remained of it—lay scattered across the battlefield. Some were unconscious, some groaning in pain, and the unlucky ones had already returned to the underworld for yet another forced respawn. His elite generals barely stood, panting and covered in cuts and bruises. It was the 999th time they had fought, and the 999th time they had lost.

And at the center of the battlefield stood the one responsible for his suffering—Loraine Lionheart, the Hero of the United Nations, Hope of the Continent, and the absolute bane of his existence.

She was radiant, golden hair flowing behind her, silver armor gleaming despite the blood and dirt from the battle. Her blade, blessed by the gods, pulsed with holy energy as she stared him down, expecting another clash, another desperate last stand.

But instead, Fujino sighed. He rubbed his temples, muttering under his breath before finally pushing himself up. He dusted off his torn and battle-stained coat, stretched his arms, and in the most anti-climactic tone possible, said:

"You know what? I'm done."

The battlefield froze.

Loraine blinked. "...What?"

His generals gasped. One of them, a hulking demon with flaming horns, sputtered, "M-My Lord, what do you mean by 'done'?"

"I mean I quit," Fujino said, cracking his stiff neck. "That's it. I'm out. No more Demon Lord-ing for me."

Silence.

The only sound was the distant crackling of fire and the low groans of wounded soldiers. The Hero's party exchanged confused glances, and Loraine herself took a step forward, lowering her sword slightly as if she had misheard him.

"You can't just… quit."

"Oh, watch me."

Fujino stepped down from his throne, rolling his shoulders. "I've been at this for, what, three years now? You lot keep kicking my ass, my army keeps getting wrecked, and I keep coming back just to repeat the cycle like some kind of cursed RPG protagonist." He exhaled sharply. "I didn't sign up for this grind. I'm done."

Loraine furrowed her brows. "But you're the Demon Lord."

"Not anymore." He popped his back. "Find a new one. I'm retiring. I'm moving to a farm or something."

One of his generals, a succubus with tattered wings, stepped forward, her eyes wide. "B-But My Lord! You were chosen by the Demon King himself! You can't just abandon your destiny!"

Fujino shot her a deadpan look. "Oh yeah? Watch me."

He turned on his heel and started walking away.

The demons panicked. The hero party stood in stunned silence. And somewhere in the heavens, the gods probably dropped their divine popcorn at the absurdity of what had just happened.

[Flashback: Three years earlier]

Tokyo, Japan.

Fujino Tetsuya was a 25-year-old convenience store worker, a broke student, and an unrepentant otaku. He had achieved something no one else could—a 'Diamond Tier Trophy' in otakuhood, awarded by himself after being rejected by women fifty times in a row. He had long accepted that his life was doomed to mediocrity.

That was until he got hit by a rogue flying convenience store sign.

One second, he was restocking shelves, and the next, BAM—darkness. When he woke up, he was standing in a grand, ominous summoning circle, surrounded by demons who all looked at him like he was their savior.

They called him the 665th Demon Lord candidate.

They told him he had been chosen to lead them to victory against humanity.

And then, they gave him a choice.

A scroll appeared before him, glowing with power. "Select your ability," they said. And without even reading the fine print, Fujino scrolled past the balanced options, the strategic choices, and went straight for the one labeled 'Ultimate Overpowered Demon Lord Mode'.

"Hell yeah," he had said, tapping the selection without hesitation.

And that was the day he ruined his life.

Because what he didn't realize—what he failed to read—was that his overpowered abilities came with conditions.

Ridiculous, humiliating conditions.

If he wanted to unleash his true power, he had to fulfill the requirement first.

One time, he had to strip naked before casting a spell.

Another time, he had to loudly confess his undying love to his enemy.

And the worst one? He had to imitate his opponent's battle stance perfectly, which meant if they were striking an embarrassing pose, he had to do it too.

The first time he tried using his magic in battle, he got blasted mid-strip and barely survived.

His generals, at first, had tried to be supportive.

"My Lord, please! If you remove your clothes with dignity, perhaps—"

"SHUT UP."

Loraine Lionheart had no idea why the Demon Lord always seemed to hesitate at the worst moments. But Fujino knew. And every battle was torture.

[Back to Present]

And so, here he was. Three years, 999 battles, and way too many humiliating power activations later, he was walking away from it all.

His generals begged, the demon army screamed in despair, and the Hero of Humanity just stood there, still trying to process what had happened.

"...So, wait," Loraine finally spoke up. "That's it? No dramatic final battle? No evil speech? Just… quitting?"

Fujino waved her off. "Yeah, yeah. You win, congrats. Tell your people to stop trying to stab me in my sleep, thanks."

And with that, the legendary 665th Demon Lord walked off into the horizon, leaving behind a dumbfounded hero, a devastated demon army, and an entire world that suddenly didn't know what to do anymore.

[End of Prologue]