The scene was the interior of a traditional Japanese house.
As before, Shiunin sat upon a curtained dais, a stunning kimono draped over her shoulders. She made no effort to hide her irritation.
"I told you as much before, yet here you are again so soon, showing me that disagreeable face. I assume you are prepared to die?"
"I have no intention of dying—I came here to make you listen to reason."
"...Oh?"
"I have new information regarding Kaname Shiunin. It turns out her clan are your devotees. According to their family legends, Shiunin is a 'beautiful woman with long, night-black hair, dressed in many layers of exquisite kimono.' No matter how you slice it, that’s you, isn’t it?"
"There are any number of women who dress in such a fashion. And?"
"I heard that Kaname's ancestor was granted a thunder technique by you personally. Ever since, the clan has taken the name Shiunin and waited for the day of your return. Well? Does any of that ring a bell?"
"Now, I wonder... Ah."
She paused, then continued.
"Indeed, there were once such people."
"Don't 'Indeed' me! What the hell was I cut for, then?! It was a total misunderstanding, wasn't it?!"
"It could not be helped. I never imagined anyone would be so bold as to claim the name Shiunin as their own. They must have decided to do so of their own volition after we parted. However, it is a fact that I had devotees and granted them a technique of lightning."
"Was that Ancient Magic?"
"No. It is something far more puny and inferior. it does not even come close to the Thunder Emperor's Flash. It is likely nothing more than the residue of the power I bestowed upon my kin. To think it still remains... It is a half-baked technique that becomes unusable once the lightning accumulated within the body is exhausted."
"She did mention something about needing a recharge."
"Hohoho, indeed. That is why, back then, I regularly made my kin feast upon my lightning."
"Wait, wouldn't they die?!"
What kind of charging process is that?! Talk about reckless!
"This is also an effect of the Kin Transformation; they develop a resistance to lightning. If anything, it aids the internal charging. There may be some pain, but receiving lightning from me is a sign of my favor. They accepted it with joy."
Receiving lightning with joy... they were total perverts.
Kaname's ancestors were absolute masochists.
"You should try it on that girl as well. That young lady should be able to take in your Lightning Bolt and convert it into her own power."
I’m not a sadist like you, so I’ll pass, thanks.
Still, it seems the story about her being able to charge her energy by hugging me wasn't just nonsense after all. Why do such strange people keep gathering around me? What are you, some kind of electric eel?
"So, am I getting out of here alive this time?"
"While your story is of no value to me, it is not enough to incur my wrath. I shall be magnanimous and forgive you."
"Then—there's one last thing I want you to tell me."
"I hope it does not overtax my generosity. Speak."
"...According to Kaname, you 'existed in this world' a long time ago, right?"
"That is correct. I existed, and I fought against the world itself. I fought a decisive battle against a Divine Katana Swordsman and ultimately emerged victorious."
Until now, I hadn't thought deeply about who these entities really were. Since they were the personification of Ancient Magic, I had simply accepted that it wasn't particularly strange for them to possess a will.
But according to Kaname's story, she had been a physical presence in the past.
In that case, what was their true identity?
"Why is it that you have become an Ancient Magic Will?"
"Ah, I see. It is because that is the reward granted to the victor."
"Victor? What did you win against?"
"The world."
I couldn't immediately process the words Shiunin's beautiful lips spat out.
The world—against the world.
She won against... the world?
"You fought the world? What do you mean? Who are you, really?"
"Hohoho! To still not understand... you truly are quite dull! There is only one type of being who would be an Enemy of the World!"
Shiunin declared it plainly.
"That is a Demon King."
—A Demon King!
I felt as though the temperature in the room plummeted. I probably wouldn't have been able to taste a thing even if I were eating right now. That was the scale of the shock.
This woman in front of me was a Demon King?
No, then did that mean the Crimson King and the Torturer were also Demon Kings?
The Demon Kings of old?
I had been borrowing power from former Demon Kings this whole time...?
"The title of Demon King belongs to the King of Those Who Mastered Magic. The Supreme Throne we seek is to embody the ultimate magic within our very being—in other words, to become one with Ancient Magic."
My brain couldn't keep up.
It felt as if I had been struck from behind with a club. The impact was so overwhelming that I couldn't even form a coherent thought, let alone a question.
"Hohoho...! Seeing the idiotic face of a lowlife is quite entertaining...!"
She continued.
"For a human to aim for an existence beyond humanity—that goes against Natural Providence. Therefore, the world tries to kill the Demon King. The existence manifested for that purpose is the Hero!"
I finally managed to throw a question back at Shiunin, who spoke with such venom.
"...Did you fight a Hero too...?"
"Did I not say so? 'I fought a decisive battle against a Divine Katana Swordsman.' In the terms of your country, it is the same as a Holy Sword Hero."
...I see.
Earlier, the 'Will-Reaping Curse' had called Verdict the 'Absolute King Who Swallowed the World after shattering the Holy Sword Emilfon.' Now I understood the meaning. Verdict was also a Demon King; he had once fought the Hero who held the Holy Sword Emilfon, defeated them, and claimed the world as his own.
...But that raised another question.
Why was there a need to 'swallow' or 'destroy' the world? History showed that the Demon Kings of the past all tried to conquer or destroy everything. If becoming Ancient Magic was the final goal, it seemed like they shouldn't have needed to do such things.
"Why do you try to rule the world? Don't you guys just want to master magic? Surely you have no interest in the world itself?"
"We have no interest in the world itself. However, it is necessary to destroy it. As I said, our very wish goes against Natural Providence. A defeated world suffers catastrophic damage. For every Ancient Magic that exists, the world has come close to its end."
"——!"
So that was the truth behind the eternal struggle between the Demon King and the Hero.
"Then, what about the Demon King who is about to be born right now?"
"It is as you suspect. That Demon King is also a great magician, attempting to undergo the trial to become Ancient Magic. Now, I wonder what kind of magic will be born this time."
And the countermeasure the world created to resist that birth was the Hero Leon.
"Hohoho, the look of utter consternation on your face is truly delightful."
Shiunin waved her folding fan.
The world began to slowly dissolve. I suppose the conversation was over.
"Are you cowed?"
"No, not really. I'm interested in the power of Ancient Magic, but I don't care much about where it comes from. You guys are like retired old people now; you aren't exactly a threat to the world anymore."
"Hohoho, quite the tongue you have. However, it is a fact that we have already granted our own wishes. We do not desire much more. Though, there are those among us who do not share my restraint."
Just before the dissolving world vanished, Shiunin threw one last remark at me.
"I shall leave you with the words of the Crimson King that you failed to hear. 'One day, you might reach the same rank as us'—do you finally understand the meaning of that?"
The world ended, and I returned to my room.
There was far too much information to process, but the words Shiunin spat out at the end were the most vivid.
Me, at the same rank as them?
In other words, if I wanted to, I could become a Demon King?
Give me a break. I’m flattered they think so highly of me, but no thanks.
My goal is to gracefully dodge every Death Flag, dump the Demon King Subjugation onto Leon, retire, and live a lazy, peaceful life.