Published: January 24, 2026
“A contradiction?”
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘king of the world,’ but you intend to devour the evil god to destroy the demons, right? Then, in that process, all humans will definitely be wiped out (…). And if you kill all the mana lifeforms, in the end, you’ll be the only one left. Do you want to live in such a world?”
“All humans… wiped out…?”
Belia truly hadn’t considered that, her eyes trembling at my words.
Judging by this, she doesn’t even question that she’s acting alongside the very demons she’s supposed to hate.
Until now, it was only a hypothesis, but now I’m certain.
She’s under the effect of cognitive alteration.
The timing must have been when Philly Carpenter’s predecessor sacrificed their life to rewrite all humanity’s memories through the World of Principles of Techniques.
“Unsealing the evil god means conquering the entire sanctuary—the Great Labyrinth. That means breaking the barrier of principles of techniques that separates the outside world from this one.”
“…!”
“Do you want to call yourself ‘king’ in a world where there’s no one else but you? Even if you do, it would just be hollow.”
“Shut up… Be quiet…!”
Holding her head with her hands, Belia seems to be suffering from a headache.
“If I were in your position, I wouldn’t want that either. Looking back, the path I’ve walked has been inconsistent with many changes in direction. But at every moment, there was at least one person who understood me, who believed in me.”
Shion, who affirmed my childhood dream that was considered heretical; Luna in the ‘golden dawn’ hero party, where I was increasingly mistreated; my disciples and the first squad in the silver rabbits of the night sky—at every stage, I had someone who understood me, so I was never alone.
“The person I am now exists because everyone was there. So I want a future where I can continue walking together with all of them. That’s why, Belia—”
“—I said shut up! I don’t want to hear your (…your) story anymore! It’s disgusting!”
Belia shouted, cutting me off.
The ‘you all’ probably refers to me and Mr. August.
Belia and Mr. August are brothers.
Belia had always been outstanding since childhood, but right next to him was his even more talented older brother, Mr. August.
It’s not hard to imagine how such an environment could foster repressed emotions.
Belia’s inferiority complex toward Mr. August was probably a perfect prey for a supernatural ability user under cognitive alteration.
“—Yeah, that’s right… I swore it. I would become the king of the world. And if anyone stands in my way, I’ll kill them!”
Belia had been holding her head in pain for a while, but suddenly, her headache vanished, and the atmosphere changed swiftly.
(This sudden change… did she get another cognitive alteration? If so, is Philly Carpenter nearby?)
I searched for any presence around but sensed no one close by.
While I was checking, multiple skeletal arms formed from the evil god’s mana appeared from Belia’s missing left arm.
“Die, Orun!”
The evil god’s mana is truly troublesome.
Normal weapons, and even magic swords made of mere mana, would probably be useless against it.
But the evil god is an enemy that must be defeated eventually.
I have gained strength in the netherworld for the sake of slaying the evil god.
“Belia, sorry, but you’ll be my rehearsal opponent. —Final form (mont ende).”
I assimilated the schwarzhase, now a magic sword, into my body.
Then, I combined it with the qi circulating within me.
The power that couldn’t be contained in my body leaked out.
The clothes I wore transformed into a magical robe upon contact with the power.
Dark blue-black lightning crackled around me.
I swung the newly crafted magic sword.
Countless slashes erased the skeletal hands that were approaching me.
(Alright, this can counter the evil god’s mana. I’ve confirmed I can intercept it. Now it’s a race against time (…).)
I had used the final form (mont ende) against Stig earlier, but my body had begun collapsing immediately.