Defeat.
In more than four hundred years of life, only one person had ever made me experience defeat.
My master, and the one who stood at the summit of the world.
Guy Crimson, the [Lord of Darkness].
He was the only one.
Not [Cryptid], not the [Seven Angels of Origin], not even a [True Dragon].
Even in battles against them, I had never suffered a defeat like this.
That [Cryptid] who had nearly become the [Demon Lord] of phantom beasts had been dealt with easily before it could even evolve into its current form.
The first of the [Seven Angels of Origin] I fought in hell had certainly been strong, but I overcame it with the power sleeping inside my [Mindscape].
Even a [Parallel Existence] of the [Scorch Dragon] could not overpower me, and never would.
And yet Guy defeated me without even fighting at full strength.
Even my desperate finishing move, "Divine Break," had failed to work on him.
It was still an incomplete [Arts], but even taking that into account, it was unquestionably a powerful technique.
But against him... against someone who was still the strongest even while holding back, it simply was not enough.
If he had attacked at full strength from the very beginning, I probably never would have pierced his heart in the first place.
What a power, so absurd it bordered on unfair.
But that was exactly why he was—
"...He really is a monster..."
—a true monster.
Right after letting that hollow thought slip out, I blacked out.
And I remained that way until evening, after half a day had passed.
Inside the mirage called a prophetic dream.
*
"...What a lunatic."
At the center of the now-silent training ground, the [Demon Lord] muttered.
The dozens of layered barriers surrounding the area had shattered, and the three demon women were supporting his unconscious disciple.
The blue-haired demon was shouting in alarm, the green-haired demon was responding calmly, and the white-haired demon was smiling as if she found him admirable.
"..."
But Guy was in no state to spare attention for that sight.
It was not because his wounds hurt, nor because he had spent too much power.
He was simply a little shocked.
Mostly on a mental level.
'That just now was [Nova Break] from... that guy. If you look closely, it's a little different, but the power and the way it's used are almost identical.'
The secret technique of the first [Hero].
That technique had been the [Hero]'s trump card, the very move that had cornered Guy Crimson several times in the past.
It meant that this secret art was the very [Arts] even [Creator God] Veldanava had praised as an excellent technique.
He had seen that move many times in an age filled with monsters trying to destroy the world, so there was no way he could mistake it.
'...Don't tell me he fought that guy once when he went to the [Underworld Gate] near the [Eastern Empire]?'
It made no sense that a technique Adelio had thrown together by force had "coincidentally" turned out identical to that [Hero]'s secret art.
Top-tier [Arts] were not something you could create so easily, and that [Hero]'s secret technique least of all.
In terms of pure level and skill, he had even surpassed Guy, his equal in battle, and he was one of the five greatest swordsmen in the world—a monster who had once been called the [Sword Emperor].
How could the secret art of someone like that ever be born by accident?
It was far more convincing to think Adelio had seen it several times with his own eyes, or experienced it firsthand in battle, or even learned it directly from him.
'...If he still had his old personality, it wouldn't even be that strange if he gave guidance to a junior swordsman... but now...'
Guy had long since been certain that Adelio was a [reincarnator], but he had never imagined that he might know this world's [future].
After all, even Veldanava had said that once he stepped down from omniscience and omnipotence, he could no longer see the [future].
'Tch... that [game] is still getting in the way.'
In the end, Guy stopped thinking about it.
With his intellect, it was easy enough to predict that no answer would come from worrying over it now.
He usually disliked using his head, but he was a demon clever enough that the [Creator God] had granted him the position of [Arbiter].
'Well... the spar itself was satisfying enough, so I'll let it slide this time.'
Though before all that, he was still a demon mad for battle.
"Velzard."
"Yes."
At last, Guy spoke quietly to Velzard, who had been restoring the ruined training ground beside him.
Repairing the training ground was important, but there was something even more important now.
It felt as though the fragment of memory he had unconsciously retained existed for this very moment.
"Bring out that sword from my vault."
"...The vault? And if you mean that sword—"
At Guy's words, Velzard revealed surprise for the second time that day.
For someone whose emotions rarely changed, being startled twice in a single day was something that had not happened in a very long time.
And so, seeing her like that, Guy gave a short laugh.
"That's right. The Adelio of today... has more than enough right to wield it."
The [Demon Lord]'s vault.
The doors to that treasury, piled high with such immense gold, jewels, and weapons that even a [Hero] had once coveted it, were about to open again for the first time in centuries.
And with that, the strangely colored sword resting inside also began preparing to greet a new master.
For the sake of that new master, one who might perhaps be bound to it by fate.
*
I had a dream.
- A destined partner?
It was a familiar scene.
- If you look into this orb, you can find out who your destined partner is?
That scene I had seen in a book, and in the manga too.
- ...Huh, this is my destined partner? He's really handsome.
At this point, that child should have appeared. My first disciple.
- That ash-gray hair... it's so beautiful.
But somehow—
- He kind of looks East Asian too.
—why had your destined partner changed to me?
Why had the one meant for that slime changed to me?
...I don't know. I truly don't.
Perhaps the answer to that question...
Only you know it.
...Only you.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register