The desolation of the desert stretched endlessly before them.
A young girl and the Demon God stood at the edge of the barren expanse.
“Is this it? The location of the Demon King's castle where the previous Demon King is sealed?”
The power of the Demon King is passed down from one to the next.
For the girl to beco the next Demon King, she had to find the sealed remains of her predecessor.
“That’s correct. During the First Demon War, the Demon King was defeated by the Hero's party. Afterward, the surrounding territory, including the castle, was devastated. The mutual destruction of the Hero and the Demon King caused a catastrophic aftermath.”
The Hero's self-sacrificial assault wiped out the leadership of the demons, toppling their nation and reducing it to ruin.
Even with their superior physical attributes compared to humans, the demons had been unable to mount an organized resistance since.
“…The First Demon War?”
The girl tilted her head at the Demon God’s words.
“Wasn’t there only one Demon War?”
“…”
Ah. A slip of the tongue.
The Second Demon War was started by her ntor.
A war that shattered half the continent with her authority, uniting humans and demons alike in opposition.
It was called the Demon War because it began with her, a demon.
But at this mont in ti, there was no distinction between the First and Second Wars—because the second had yet to occur.
The girl chuckled softly as the Demon God faltered.
“It’s alright. You don’t need to worry.”
She seed oddly pleased with the ntion.
“I know. You’re a god who can see the future, after all.”
“…”
The Demon God fell silent.
This was the past, though not the true past.
The Demon God knew what was to co.
The girl would beco the Demon King, her ntor. She would turn the entire continent against her.
She would go down in history as a butcher and a villain, hunted down and executed.
Her death would unite demons and other races, ending the cycle of hatred and bringing peace.
But there would be no place for the girl in that peaceful world.
“The fact that there will be a Second Demon War must an I successfully beco the Demon King and cause it, right?”
The girl smiled.
“That’s enough for .”
The Demon God felt a sinking weight in her chest.
She had thought her ntor had been driven mad by the unbearable burden she carried.
That her madness had led her to attempt to break the cycle of hatred by killing all races except demons.
But what if it had all been an act?
What if, from the very beginning, she had chosen to beco evil, a common enemy, to die for the world’s unity?
You… Surely not.
“…After becoming the Demon King—”
“Shh. Let’s save that discussion for when I’ve actually succeeded. Talking about the future now might disrupt my focus on this pilgrimage.”
The girl pressed a finger to her lips.
The Demon God found herself unable to bring up the topic again.
The two ventured into the barren desert.
The battlefield of the Demon King and the Hero had beco a wasteland unfit for life.
Yet the girl, now strong enough, pressed onward, undeterred by the extre environnt.
The Demon God walked alongside her, lost in thought.
‘A ntor with such a background suddenly going mad, becoming a butcher… I always thought it was strange.’
With the Pride clouding her mind beginning to fade, the Demon God started to see a past she had been blind to.
‘My ntor took in after I had lost everything, raised as her successor, and passed down everything but the Demon King’s power so I could lead the demons.’
A ruler.
No, not just any ruler.
After the war, she taught how to seek harmony beyond the broken chains of hatred.
My ntor foresaw the peace that would co after her death.
‘…No. This wasn’t foresight. She created it.’
As the Pride clouding her thoughts cleared, the Demon God confronted the truth.
The reason her ntor initiated a massacre.
The reason harmony ca so effortlessly after the Demon War.
The reason soone so unqualified beca the greatest sovereign in history.
It was all her ntor’s design.
The Demon God’s hands trembled.
If things continued as they were, history would repeat itself.
That was the purpose of this world and a necessary step to resurrect her ntor.
And yet… Why does the thought of letting it happen feel unbearable?
This world isn’t even real.
Her ntor here must die for the real one to return.
But as her thoughts grew more tangled, the girl pressed closer to her destination.
A massive, pyramid-like structure stood in the desert’s heart.
The remnants of the Demon King’s castle, now sunken beneath the sands, only its upper ruins visible above ground.
Rumble.
The girl placed her hand against one of the pyramid’s walls. The surface reacted to her mana, shifting to reveal an entrance.
The castle’s security system was designed to respond only to those registered, but her mastery of mana surpassed even the forr Demon King’s.
The girl and the Demon God entered.
Automatons and defense systems activated, attacking the intruders. Yet the girl neutralized every threat effortlessly, continuing forward.
Nothing could stop her.
Rumble.
They reached the castle’s deepest chamber, dark and foreboding.
“...The Demon King.”
The girl stood before the frozen corpse of the previous Demon King, sealed in perpetual frost.
“Demon God.”
The girl turned to her.
“You can do it. I believe in you.”
The Demon God wanted to stop her.
Sohow, the thought of her becoming the Demon King felt like an irreversible point of no return.
But after so many years together, she couldn’t bring herself to interfere.
The girl took a deep breath and placed her hand on the massive ice.
A hum echoed through the chamber as the ice and the girl resonated.
The legacy of the Demon King had found its new vessel.
"Ahh!"
Unimaginable pain overwheld the girl as the seal of succession etched itself into her mind.
Screams tore from her as more of the Demon King’s power poured into her, crushing her under its weight.
The Demon God watched, biting her lip, unable to look away.
The mories of countless Demon Kings flooded the girl’s mind, overwhelming her brief lifeti.
“I won’t… forget…!”
Yet the girl held tightly to the mories that mattered—
Her precious mories with the Demon God.
And the mission that defined her existence.
No matter how many Demon Kings resided within her, she could not lose herself.
[To the new Demon King.]
[The sovereign of all demons.]
[Master of all demonic powers.]
[Declare the authority you will wield.]
The legacy of the Demon King echoed within her.
Gritting her teeth against the searing pain, the girl cried out:
“The authority I will create… the world I will command…!”
To break the cycle of hatred, she needed overwhelming strength.
An authority of death to eclipse the endless chain of destruction.
“The Lord of Death! I will be the King of Demons and the master of death!”
As her will asserted dominance over the echoes of past Demon Kings, the ultimate authority was born:
The Primordial Era of Death and Creation—Netherlord Epoch.
The succession was complete.
The girl had evolved into the new Demon King.
The Demon God had seen it all.
The sa power, Netherlord Epoch, awakened in this world as it had in reality.
But she had also witnessed the girl’s unwavering determination to sacrifice herself to bring peace to the continent.
The Demon God approached her, her resolve crystallizing.
No longer would she hesitate.
This world was no longer a lie.
As long as she accepted the girl, the girl was real.
Thus, she could not allow the girl to sacrifice herself.
She could not accept a world born from such a price.
“…Demon God! I did it! I’m the Demon King now!”
The girl bead, her smile pure.
Yet within her now resided a towering giant of power.
In her, the Demon God saw her past ntor.
“I’m sorry, ntor.”
The Demon God knew this ant her real ntor could not be resurrected.
But without Pride clouding her thoughts, she understood.
Her ntor would not have wanted to return.
Thus, I will… No, I must not let this ntor et the sa tragic end!
Just as the Demon God reached out to the girl, a chi sounded.
[Final Assistance]
With your help, the girl has beco the Demon King. Now, the final decision awaits. The mont of her ultimate choice draws near. Aid her in her decisive mont.
The world around the Demon God accelerated, leaving her behind.
Everything moved forward.
The ti until the girl’s final choice as a butcher sped by.
“…No.”
The Demon God realized what was happening.
She could no longer intervene.
“No! Nooo!”
All she could do was watch as the girl’s sacrifice, the final choice, lood ahead.
***
The silence within the ruins of the Demon King's desolate castle was deafening.
“Demon… God?”
The girl called out for her steadfast ally, her ntor, her mother figure.
As long as the Demon God was with her, she felt she could face anything.
No matter what lay ahead, she wasn’t afraid.
But there was no response.
Her voice echoed through the ruins, diminishing into nothingness.
“Where did you go, Demon God…?”
The girl’s shoulders slumped, her body trembling slightly.
* * *
I observed from beyond the boundaries of the story, listening to the anguished cries of the Demon God as she was wrenched toward the final chapter.
Everything was proceeding as planned.
Now, the Demon God would be forced to make her critical choice.
Would she unleash her full divine power, shattering her restraints to destroy this fabricated world?
Or would she resign herself to remain trapped here, preserving this false reality for eternity?
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