“Whew… I’m somehow incredibly tired”
I, who had successfully managed to move on to the next world, took a brief rest for now. Even though I should have been able to recover the Demon King’s power extremely easily just as I predicted, why I was weighed down with such heavy fatigue was an eternal mystery.
“Well, it’s about time”
But there was no time to take a leisurely break. Naturally, this world was also a place I wanted to visit, and after putting the Silver Winged Sword into the [Stranger’s Box] and waiting, soon a small figure with a dog-like face appeared, parting the grass and bushes with a rustling noise.
“Wafu? It’s quite unusual to see a hairless human in a place like this”
The one who was staring intently at me is none other than the well-known Chemonian hero, Waffer. In other words, this was the 2nd word. Yes, yes, the transfer was perfect this time too.
“Hello, Chemonian person. Do you have any business with me?”
“I just came to see what was happening in a place off the path. What are you doing here?”
“I’m hunting. I have a little confidence in my skill, you know”
I said, smoothly drawing the steel sword from my hip and giving it a swing. Waffer’s ears twitched at the sight of the sword’s path, and his round eyes sparkled.
“Oh! You’ve got quite the skill for a hairless one! If you’re that strong, there’s no need to worry. Sorry for bothering you”
“No, no, don’t worry about it. Well then, I’ll be off”
“Umu! Farewell then!”
Waffer and I exchanged smiles and greetings, and then began moving in different directions. Yes, this time I will not be joining Waffer. Because if I do, it will take years to defeat the Demon King along the regular route.
The [Silver Winged Sword] in my possession can only jump to worlds that have a connection to both Tia and me, meaning it can only go to the worlds that I traveled to with Tia in the second round. Among those worlds, there were six remaining where the Demon King still existed, including this one. And the difficulty of conquering each of the six worlds varied greatly.
For example, Rebecca’s world. The fog Demon King was probably on the other side of the ocean, so a ship was indispensable for travel. But I can’t sail a ship, and if I have to search for the Demon King whose location was unknown in such a vast sea, a small boat that could capsize with just a little wave won’t work. Preparing a large sailing ship and the personnel to operate it would be a great hassle.
For example, Miguel’s world. The northern Demon King was in the hinterlands of another continent across the sea, so it’s unrealistic for me to infiltrate enemy territory alone, exploring an enemy base full of demonic beasts where I don’t know how vast it is. Although it’s not impossible if I made full use of the banishment skill, it’s not hard to imagine that it would be extremely difficult.
Other examples include Master Dalton’s world, where even 300 years later the Demon King had not been subdued, and John and Chrome, who, although they don’t carry over memories in this round, have properly reconciled… they’re not foreign objects called Demon Kings, but beings living in their own worlds, so I honestly don’t want to interfere with them. There were various reasons like that.
Among them, in this world, the Demon King had been defeated by Waffer and the others. In other words, the Demon King existed in a realistically accessible place and was at a level that could be realistically defeated. Excluding Toby’s world, where the Demon King had already been defeated and was being transported with his weakness exposed, these were pretty good conditions. So the reason I chose this world next after world 16th was because of that.
However, if I acted with Waffer and the others, history proved that it will take many years to defeat the Demon King. Even if I intervene to hurry things along, there’s a limit to how much faster it can be, and the [Silver Winged Sword] which allowed me to travel through worlds in a way different from what the God have ordained, could be discovered and erased by the God at any time. Since that would be synonymous with losing Tia, it’s an absolutely unacceptable situation.
So what should I do? The answer is to “ignore the hero and go straight to the Demon King and defeat him.” This way, there’s no unnecessary hassle, and if I defeat the Demon King early enough, I might be able to prevent not only the attack on the village that separates Waffer and Doben but also the Hero Selection Tournament from happening.
(After all, if you get a warning letter from a complete stranger, they won’t take it seriously, and if I build a relationship, it’ll take time. If I want to end this world nicely, I need to act quickly)
“Alright, let’s get going!”
I overwrote my inner murmurings with words of determination and immediately activated the [Akashic Compass] It pointed in the direction of the Demon King as I expected, and I started moving towards it.
Crossing fields and mountains, going through places I’ve been before in the first or second rounds, or places I’m visiting for the first time, avoiding all obstacles with minimal effort, and moving at the maximum speed through all distances. After a month of travel, I arrived at a hole in the side of a large mountain, big enough for one person to pass through.
“Is this the place…?”
Honestly, this was quite surprising. I thought the Demon King, being who he was, would live in a more majestic place, but this was no different from a goblin’s dwelling. It’s certainly in a hard-to-find location, but it’s not particularly well guarded… Hmmm?
“Well, I guess I’ll find out when I go in”
With the utmost caution, I entered the hole. Naturally, the surroundings were pitch-black, and only the light from the portable lantern hanging at my waist illuminated the narrow passage.
Fortunately, the path was not long. After walking down the unbranching road for about five minutes, the passage suddenly ends, and a vast space appears before me.
“Wow, this is amazing…”
It’s as if an entire mountain had been hollowed out. On its walls and ceilings were bits of something glowing, making it as bright as a starlit night, even though it’s a completely enclosed space. I can see without the lantern… in fact, it might be better to turn off the lantern to get used to the light.
“Tia would be thrilled to see this.”
A starry sky born inside a cave; Tia would undoubtedly be delighted. Although the fantastic scenery nearly took my breath away, unfortunately, this was not just a beautiful place. In the center of such a space, a massive lump of darkness writhes.
“So, this is the Demon King, huh…”
Seeing it with my own eyes, I deeply understood. This world’s unique demonic beast, Kuronuri. The Demon King before me felt exactly like the root of it all, and its enormous, formless black darkness stirred up an instinctual fear.
“Can we… talk? Hey, can you understand my voice?”
I approached a distance of about three meters, but the darkness, a slime-like Demon King, didn’t attack me. So I tried calling out to it… and its body started to wriggle violently.
Could it really understand my words? Before my astonished eyes, the Demon King Kuronuri’s body kept changing. Cow, sheep, goat, boar, ogre, turtle, bird, dragon; various shapes rose to the surface and melted back into the darkness, and when the cycle completed, the Demon King Kuronuri’s body trembled greatly.
“BOOOOOOOOO!!!”
A heavy bass sound as if echoing from the depths of the earth. Black droplets scattered from the trembling Demon King, falling to the ground, and various kinds of Kuronuri are born from them.
“I see, so this is how you were multiplying. Well… I figured as much.”
“BOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Surrounded by a large number of Kuronuri and the Demon King Kuronuri, their mother, I can feel the clear hostility from all of them. Smirking, I draw my sword.
“Whew… I’m somehow incredibly tired”
I, who had successfully managed to move on to the next world, took a brief rest for now. Even though I should have been able to recover the Demon King’s power extremely easily just as I predicted, why I was weighed down with such heavy fatigue was an eternal mystery.
“Well, it’s about time”
But there was no time to take a leisurely break. Naturally, this world was also a place I wanted to visit, and after putting the Silver Winged Sword into the [Stranger’s Box] and waiting, soon a small figure with a dog-like face appeared, parting the grass and bushes with a rustling noise.
“Wafu? It’s quite unusual to see a hairless human in a place like this”
The one who was staring intently at me is none other than the well-known Chemonian hero, Waffer. In other words, this was the 2nd word. Yes, yes, the transfer was perfect this time too.
“Hello, Chemonian person. Do you have any business with me?”
“I just came to see what was happening in a place off the path. What are you doing here?”
“I’m hunting. I have a little confidence in my skill, you know”
I said, smoothly drawing the steel sword from my hip and giving it a swing. Waffer’s ears twitched at the sight of the sword’s path, and his round eyes sparkled.
“Oh! You’ve got quite the skill for a hairless one! If you’re that strong, there’s no need to worry. Sorry for bothering you”
“No, no, don’t worry about it. Well then, I’ll be off”
“Umu! Farewell then!”
Waffer and I exchanged smiles and greetings, and then began moving in different directions. Yes, this time I will not be joining Waffer. Because if I do, it will take years to defeat the Demon King along the regular route.
The [Silver Winged Sword] in my possession can only jump to worlds that have a connection to both Tia and me, meaning it can only go to the worlds that I traveled to with Tia in the second round. Among those worlds, there were six remaining where the Demon King still existed, including this one. And the difficulty of conquering each of the six worlds varied greatly.
For example, Rebecca’s world. The fog Demon King was probably on the other side of the ocean, so a ship was indispensable for travel. But I can’t sail a ship, and if I have to search for the Demon King whose location was unknown in such a vast sea, a small boat that could capsize with just a little wave won’t work. Preparing a large sailing ship and the personnel to operate it would be a great hassle.
For example, Miguel’s world. The northern Demon King was in the hinterlands of another continent across the sea, so it’s unrealistic for me to infiltrate enemy territory alone, exploring an enemy base full of demonic beasts where I don’t know how vast it is. Although it’s not impossible if I made full use of the banishment skill, it’s not hard to imagine that it would be extremely difficult.
Other examples include Master Dalton’s world, where even 300 years later the Demon King had not been subdued, and John and Chrome, who, although they don’t carry over memories in this round, have properly reconciled… they’re not foreign objects called Demon Kings, but beings living in their own worlds, so I honestly don’t want to interfere with them. There were various reasons like that.
Among them, in this world, the Demon King had been defeated by Waffer and the others. In other words, the Demon King existed in a realistically accessible place and was at a level that could be realistically defeated. Excluding Toby’s world, where the Demon King had already been defeated and was being transported with his weakness exposed, these were pretty good conditions. So the reason I chose this world next after world 16th was because of that.
However, if I acted with Waffer and the others, history proved that it will take many years to defeat the Demon King. Even if I intervene to hurry things along, there’s a limit to how much faster it can be, and the [Silver Winged Sword] which allowed me to travel through worlds in a way different from what the God have ordained, could be discovered and erased by the God at any time. Since that would be synonymous with losing Tia, it’s an absolutely unacceptable situation.
So what should I do? The answer is to “ignore the hero and go straight to the Demon King and defeat him.” This way, there’s no unnecessary hassle, and if I defeat the Demon King early enough, I might be able to prevent not only the attack on the village that separates Waffer and Doben but also the Hero Selection Tournament from happening.
(After all, if you get a warning letter from a complete stranger, they won’t take it seriously, and if I build a relationship, it’ll take time. If I want to end this world nicely, I need to act quickly)
“Alright, let’s get going!”
I overwrote my inner murmurings with words of determination and immediately activated the [Akashic Compass] It pointed in the direction of the Demon King as I expected, and I started moving towards it.
Crossing fields and mountains, going through places I’ve been before in the first or second rounds, or places I’m visiting for the first time, avoiding all obstacles with minimal effort, and moving at the maximum speed through all distances. After a month of travel, I arrived at a hole in the side of a large mountain, big enough for one person to pass through.
“Is this the place…?”
Honestly, this was quite surprising. I thought the Demon King, being who he was, would live in a more majestic place, but this was no different from a goblin’s dwelling. It’s certainly in a hard-to-find location, but it’s not particularly well guarded… Hmmm?
“Well, I guess I’ll find out when I go in”
With the utmost caution, I entered the hole. Naturally, the surroundings were pitch-black, and only the light from the portable lantern hanging at my waist illuminated the narrow passage.
Fortunately, the path was not long. After walking down the unbranching road for about five minutes, the passage suddenly ends, and a vast space appears before me.
“Wow, this is amazing…”
It’s as if an entire mountain had been hollowed out. On its walls and ceilings were bits of something glowing, making it as bright as a starlit night, even though it’s a completely enclosed space. I can see without the lantern… in fact, it might be better to turn off the lantern to get used to the light.
“Tia would be thrilled to see this.”
A starry sky born inside a cave; Tia would undoubtedly be delighted. Although the fantastic scenery nearly took my breath away, unfortunately, this was not just a beautiful place. In the center of such a space, a massive lump of darkness writhes.
“So, this is the Demon King, huh…”
Seeing it with my own eyes, I deeply understood. This world’s unique demonic beast, Kuronuri. The Demon King before me felt exactly like the root of it all, and its enormous, formless black darkness stirred up an instinctual fear.
“Can we… talk? Hey, can you understand my voice?”
I approached a distance of about three meters, but the darkness, a slime-like Demon King, didn’t attack me. So I tried calling out to it… and its body started to wriggle violently.
Could it really understand my words? Before my astonished eyes, the Demon King Kuronuri’s body kept changing. Cow, sheep, goat, boar, ogre, turtle, bird, dragon; various shapes rose to the surface and melted back into the darkness, and when the cycle completed, the Demon King Kuronuri’s body trembled greatly.
“BOOOOOOOOO!!!”
A heavy bass sound as if echoing from the depths of the earth. Black droplets scattered from the trembling Demon King, falling to the ground, and various kinds of Kuronuri are born from them.
“I see, so this is how you were multiplying. Well… I figured as much.”
“BOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Surrounded by a large number of Kuronuri and the Demon King Kuronuri, their mother, I can feel the clear hostility from all of them. Smirking, I draw my sword.
