Death King Isis Remnant was not as cruel or cold-hearted as common knowledge suggested. To the world at large, she was a calamity that left only death in its wake—a monster who slaughtered those who displeased her and ended anyone foolish enough to resist.
But in truth, the times she had actually felt murderous intent toward a living soul across the eons could be counted on a single hand.
While part of this was due to her naturally quiet, lonely disposition, the primary reason lay elsewhere: her aura of death was intrinsically tied to her emotional state. To Isis, most creatures were so insignificant that she could snuff out their lives without even trying. A Wyvern, a monster feared by humankind, was a triviality to her; a mere murmur of "You’re in the way" accompanied by a flicker of her magic power was enough to extinguish its life.
Because she possessed a power that unintentionally brought death to everything around her, Isis usually suppressed it to the absolute limit. She was always careful, doing her best to mitigate the terror her presence naturally induced, even if she could not erase it entirely.
But now, Isis stood as a sovereign of pure malice, her body wreathed in unprecedented murderous intent and a searing, white-hot rage. She felt not a single shred of hesitation or restraint.
The King pronounced their sentence.
"……'Die.'"
In that instant, her Magic Power of Death erupted in its raw, tyrannical form. Driven by her clear killing intent and the weight of her spoken word, the aura was warped by her fury into a tool of heinous, excruciating execution.
Less than a second passed between her command and the end of the Black Bears’ lives. Yet in that infinitesimal span, the bears experienced an eternity of agony—millions upon millions of deaths.
The tips of their fur died. Their skin died. Their flesh, their blood, their bones—every single cell perished in sequence. Within that compressed pocket of time, they tasted a hopeless, unavoidable despair. By the time the death completely erased them, had there been a single spark of consciousness left in those beasts, they likely would have welcomed the end with a sense of relief.
The aura, fueled by her immense hatred, annihilated them utterly. It did not just destroy their bodies; it hunted down their very souls.
It was total annihilation.
True to Isis’s decree, the Black Bears vanished from her sight, leaving behind not so much as a single drop of blood.
But her rage was not so easily sated. Her Magic Power of Death expanded, blanketing the entire Elf Forest to root out and devour every single Black Bear that had earned her ire. Within a few short seconds and a single word from the Death King, the species that had plagued the vast forest was gone. As of that moment, the Black Bear was extinct.
Silence reigned.
The warriors who had gathered for the subjugation, Lilia’s party, and even Razulia and Noin stood frozen, unable to find their voices. Isis’s power was too vast, too absolute. She was a being who reigned at the apex of the world, existing on a dimension of strength that invited only despair. Every person there stared at the Absolute One, their hearts gripped by terror. They prayed with everything they had that her gaze would not turn toward them next.
Ignoring the crowd, Isis moved through the silence to Kaito’s side. She picked him up with agonizing gentleness, as if she were cradling a fragile treasure.
"……Lilia."
"Hah!? Y-Y-Yes! Right here!"
"……Kaito…… carrying…… where is…… the inn?"
"I-It’s…… it’s this w-way…… please, follow me."
"……Mm."
Though she was shaking so violently she could barely speak, Lilia led the way. Isis followed, nodding once. The Black Bears, those pieces of trash, were already forgotten. Her entire world was focused on the unconscious Kaito.
"It seems things have been settled."
Shallow Vernal spoke as she set down her cup of black tea. Across from her, Kuromueina tilted her head, a baby castella halfway to her mouth.
"Eh? What has?"
"The matter of Kaito-san being attacked by the Black Bears."
"Kaito-kun was what!? Wait—!"
"It is already over," Shallow Vernal added calmly.
"Eh?"
"The Black Bears were annihilated by the Death King."
"Wait, Isis did? Why? How? And more importantly, is Kaito-kun okay!?"
Kuromueina bolted upright, ready to trigger a teleportation spell to the Elf Forest, but Shallow Vernal’s monotone voice stopped her before she could vanish.
"He was injured, but he is safe now. His wounds have already been healed."
"Oh…… I see. That’s a relief. But…… Shiro! If you knew Kaito-kun was going to get hurt, why didn't you tell me!?"
After the initial wave of relief passed, Kuromueina’s face flushed with indignation. She pressed the Creator God for an explanation, clearly fuming that such a vital piece of information had been withheld. Shallow Vernal met her gaze with her usual detached composure.
"If I had told you, Kuro, you would have become angry with the Black Bears, wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would! If someone hurts Kaito-kun, I have every right to be furious!"
"And when you get angry, you don't use magic. You punch things."
"I’d punch them with everything I’ve got!"
"Exactly. And if you had, you wouldn't have just destroyed the forest. Nearly half the continent would have been erased from existence."
"……Ugh……"
Kuromueina faltered, her righteous fury meeting the brick wall of cold logic.
"Therefore," Shallow Vernal continued, "I determined that the collateral damage would be significantly lower if the Death King handled it."
"I mean…… maybe…… but still! What if Isis hadn't made it in time!?"
"Then I would have erased the Black Bears myself."
"Ugh…… Mmmmmm!"
Kuromueina puffed out her cheeks, sulking as she realized she had no counterargument. "Fine. I’m glad he’s safe, but now I’m all fired up with nowhere to vent. I can’t just put this fist away now."
"In that case…… shall we fight? It has been a while."
"……How long has it been, exactly?"
"Three thousand, four hundred and sixty-five years."
Sensing her friend’s need to blow off steam, Shallow Vernal stood up and waved her hand, manifesting a private dimension where only the two of them existed. Kuromueina nodded, realizing this was exactly what she needed. She squared her shoulders and faced the Creator God.
"I'm not going to be able to hold back right now, Shiro."
"Have you ever held back during our bouts?"
"Now that you mention it…… I guess not."
"Then let us begin. It is time for our first little spat in quite some time."
As Isis carried Kaito safely into the inn, a clash erupted in a void beyond the reach of mortal eyes. There, the White and Black Polar Stars collided with world-shaking intensity, all for the sake of a little stress relief.