“Where on earth did that come from?”
“I found it in the raid dungeon I went to this time. Instead of the dungeon boss core, this was here.”
“Are you talking about that new monster named Korean Chimera?”
At first, I just thought it was a peculiar dungeon.
Just a unique monster, really.
But then, from that peculiar dungeon boss came a fragment of the Demon King instead of a core.
This meant one thing.
The adaptive copy dungeon wasn’t just a coincidence.
“Whether it was a coincidence or not, the fragment of the Demon King had taken the dungeon boss as its host. If it had continued to feed on more people and grow… it would have been quite dangerous. It’s just a fragment, but it holds a tiny possibility of becoming a Demon King.”
“Even if you say it’s a Demon King, it doesn’t sound very real…”
“I understand. So, what do you think when you look at this?”
“……….”
Shia brandished the fragment of the Demon King, and Director Choi Bomi stared blankly at it.
That black gem writhed like a heartbeat from time to time. Each time it did, faint red veins appeared like a faint glow.
It certainly looked alien and disgusting, yet Director Choi Bomi thought the Demon King’s fragment was exceedingly beautiful and alluring.
‘Ah, no… What in the world am I thinking…’
[I want to become stronger.]
‘….?’
What was that sound…?
[You can talk to me.]
Director Choi Bomi’s eyes widened at the voice that hit her mind directly, not through her ears.
[I want to get stronger. I want to earn more money. I want to rise to a higher position.]
But there was nothing around her.
[Right, right. I understand. Every time you see returnees, you envied them. Even though you knew you shouldn’t, you saw them gaining power without any cost.]
As Shia, herself, and the black gem known as the Demon King’s fragment all focused there, Director Choi Bomi felt the voice in her head growing clearer.
[You just need to say one phrase. That you also want to become like that. I can make it happen.]
Every time the voice pounded in her mind, time seemed to slow down.
It felt as if only she and the owner of that voice were left in the world.
And, just like the voice suggested, Director Choi Bomi once harbored such feelings.
It was just a memory of her childish days, but it was genuinely there.
The suddenly appearing returnees were supposed to have power superior to most awakened ones and hunters just because they had been caught up in the Great Rift, right?
They were simply people who had been kidnapped, unlucky folks, weren’t they?
Just because they got kidnapped once, some awakened ones ended up with mediocre powers, while others gained the strength to overturn the world… how unfair is that? I want to wield power that easily, too.
Of course, as time passed and she started her first day at the Returnee Management Bureau, that thought shattered into pieces.
The jealousy she buried in the back of her mind as a childish whim suddenly began to be unearthed by something.
Unfertilized negative emotions, like seeds, swiftly dominated her mind and spread desire.
In the slowing flow of time, Director Choi Bomi could only bite her lip.
[You’re just a pitiful little human. A child full of sweet jealousy. If you just say one phrase….]
CRACK!!!
“Ah…!”
At that moment, Shia’s tentacle struck the Demon King’s fragment forcefully.
Was there divine power contained within Shia’s tentacle? A white glow shimmered from it.
“Where do you think you’re flapping your lips?”
[You disgusting…]
CRACK!
THUD THUD!
[You… human!]
WHAM!
“Disrupting the heart!”
[I’ll never let it go…]
CRACKLE!
“Be quiet!”
THUD!
[…….]
As Shia’s tentacle, infused with divine power, struck the Demon King’s fragment repeatedly, Director Choi Bomi felt all the voices that had been in her head vanish.
“Ha… ha… what just happened, Shia?”
Still not grasping the situation correctly, Director Choi Bomi looked at Shia while catching her breath.
“Sorry, I thought it was completely dead, but it’s still alive.”
“….W-What on earth is this…”
“Just as I said earlier.”
Demon King.
“To be precise, it’s a fragment of the Demon King.”
“….A Demon King? The one you defeated in the previous world, Shia?”
“Yeah.”
Demon King wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar term in the modern world.
It frequently appeared in this world’s subculture, comics, and various movies. In some places, the Demon King might turn into a succubus or be skewered by a hero’s club while creating a soccer team with its children.
The term “Demon King” was also used for fun. It spun clichés into something that boldly stated the ideal occupation for women was the Demon King among net runners.
“But that Demon King I killed is not a kind being.”
“I’d like you to elaborate.”
“Let’s see… where should I start explaining this…”
Demon King.
The King of Evil.
A collective of all things malicious and wicked.
Something grotesque that governs evil and magic.
“What would have happened if Director Choi Bomi had accepted the Demon King’s whisper and said, ‘I understand’?”
“…..Let’s see. Would I have become a demon?”
“Oh, correct.”
“If I had become a beautiful succubus, that wouldn’t have been too bad.”
Already, she had many complaints about her own pitiful body.
Especially when comparing herself to the spectral saint Shia before her, Director Choi Bomi felt considerable envy towards Shia’s ample motherly figure.
However, upon hearing the mention of succubus, Shia lifted the corners of her mouth slightly.
“Do you know about wall demons?”
“What’s that? Like a gargoyle statue or something?”
“They charm human women, pin them to the flesh wall, and then merge with them to produce imps and nameless monsters as their minions. How generous the Demon King is, it even signs life-sustaining contracts for wall demons so they won’t die of old age or hunger, allowing them to be used for a long time. The oldest case among those I rescued in the ‘previous world’ once had someone who was stuck in a wall for 183 years.”
“……….”
Director Choi Bomi’s expression turned ugly at the sudden recounting of such a horrific story.
If there were any woman, no… any human, they would automatically shudder at such a tale.
“Do you grasp what type of being the Demon King is? There are many things far more terrible than that. In any case, to think of the Demon King… you can’t assess it with our standards. You must think of it in terms of ‘malice’ to even begin to comprehend.”
A Demon King?
That?
Disgusting to the point of nausea.
Shia nodded as if she understood.
“It may have sounded complicated, but to sum it up simply, the Demon King is a massive, petulant child.”
“A petulant child?”
“They envy and resent everything they can’t have. The result of that envy is the extinction of living beings… a gigantic, delusional child with a large body.”
“That’s quite a graphic description.”
“Well, I did say a lot of things, but in conclusion, the Demon King’s aim is to annihilate all sentient beings, including humans, and let the creatures of evil and magic thrive on the ashes.”
As she spoke, Shia shot a sideways glance toward the observers.
“Shia? But the Demon King is already dead, right?”
“That’s right. I killed the Demon King in the ‘previous world.’ The spectral saint me, the hero and emperor Menelapie, and the black witch Teresa—three oddballs worked together to slay it. But here is a fragment of the one I thought was dead.”
“But since you got that fragment of the Demon King, isn’t that a good thing? Sure, the allure of that fragment can be dangerous for someone like me, but since you’ve handled it so well…”
The presence of the Demon King’s fragment signified two things.
1. The Demon King is not a being that only invades the world Shia was in.
2.
“I wonder if this Demon King fragment is… truly the first fragment to appear in this world?”
“…..!!”
Director Choi Bomi’s face promptly hardened at Shia’s words.
There was a non-zero chance to that statement.
No, the fact that it could happen was more troubling than zero.
Having just heard the whispers emanating from the Demon King’s fragment, Director Choi Bomi now understood how alluring and deceivable those fragments could be to humans.
According to Shia’s words, if the monster became a host to the fragment, something monstrous like the Korean Chimera could emerge.
This adaptive copy dungeon had already exceeded the Association’s expectations, but what if larger fragments decided to claim monsters as hosts?
Had Shia not been here, the nineteen A-grade hunters would have been dead long ago in this dungeon, and the Association would have failed to grasp the situation while continuously sending more hunters to simply feed the dungeon boss!
But, was there truly no dungeon boss lurking about that silently devoured countless people, growing stronger?
Not just in Korea, but perhaps in China, America, or even in some far-flung corner of Africa, monsters or dungeon bosses could be gaining power by disguising accidents and missing persons as the hosts of fragments.
And what if… the Demon King’s fragment fell into the hands of a wicked human with malignant desires?
In that case, even the predictions wouldn’t be accurate.
“Today, the reason I applied for an ethical audit first was also because of this.”
“……”
“I wanted to show you all how dangerous this really is… and how bad it truly is.”
As Shia spoke mildly, her gaze rose above.
She seemed to glare at those who might be watching her from within the audit room through the CCTV.
“Oh, but if I willingly brought this fragment and, in reality, some top official of the Hunter Association or the government were already falling for the Demon King’s schemes and plotting against me… I’d be really upset. You should keep that in mind.”
“Oh, no… Surely there can’t be anyone like that within the Association, Shia. Nothing has happened so far, right?”
“Shall I be honest? I think some humans were already long affected by the Demon King’s fragment.”
Shia was already a person who required special management among returnees.
Up top, they were knowledgeable about Shia’s information, and this ongoing third ethical audit wasn’t just being secretly overseen by Director Choi Bomi but was also being attended by other important figures from the government. Shia seemed to have anticipated this all along.
Director Choi Bomi realized that Shia was very angry at that moment.
Her eyes, which were as saintly as her title, had a glare that seemed far from human, almost like they were serrated.
“Honestly, I hope my worries are unfounded. I hope nothing happens.”
“…….This situation has gotten quite serious.”
Of course, as Shia said, it could be just a worry.
Perhaps this was just the very first fragment of the Demon King that fortuitously fell into someone’s hands before it could deceive another human.
But it hurts much more when you get blindsided while being optimistic.
A minimum level of preparation should be made to mitigate any potential shock that may arise in the future.
“Of course, it could turn out that absolutely nothing happened. However, the Hunter Association is supposed to protect people. Even if information leaks out, they decided this was the best approach.”
“Yes… I understand. I’ll report this matter to the higher-ups as quickly as possible. I’m sure the Hunter Association will take this seriously.”
“Okay, that’s enough. Oh, can you tell them one more thing?”
“What is it?”
“If you find something related to the fragments, please be sure to call me.”
I won’t let that damned thing rampage in front of me again.
○○○○
Shia briefly reminisced about the past.
It was partly due to the ethical audit.
To help others understand the Demon King, sharing her experiences was the easiest method.
Of course, Shia didn’t like it when someone dug through her past.
For the spectral saint Shia, the past was like a graveyard.
Digging into her history felt like uncovering a grave filled with nothing but grim tales.
However, this time it was crucial.
“Where did we leave off last time… Oh, I remember now. Though I became the spectral saint, I was just a foolish 21-year-old kid too naïve to know how to fight, and it was only after going through several shocking events that I vowed to join hands with Emperor Menelapie and fight against the Demon King.”
I fought well.
Once my determination changed, the rest became easy.
No, to be precise, it was because Menelapie was there that I could fight.
[If you’re afraid of fighting, take this sword.]
[If you don’t want to fight, you don’t have to.]
[But don’t let go of that. Though it’s insignificant, it can still give you courage.]
In fact, the forces of the Empire and humanity had been losing battle after battle against the Demon King’s army, with many nations and cities already perishing at the hands of the Demon King.
However, from the moment the spectral saint Shia began fighting alongside the Empire, the tide began to turn.
It was absurd to think that a single person’s outstretched hand could erase hesitation and fear, but since I was the one who experienced it, I believed those words.
With Menelapie by my side, I was able to challenge the Demon King’s army. At some point, it began to feel like I had begun protecting the Emperor.
Together, they fought for a long time.
Protecting humanity. Repelling the Demon King’s army that had invaded the cities. She protected, and protected again.
Though hunger and deprivation were sometimes unbearable, they fed on the Demon King’s vile kind.
Yet, Shia was not welcomed by people from the start.
She was not human.
As the spectral saint, she was also something horrible that devoured malice, so while she was revered for her strength, she also became an unsettling presence.
Naturally, those who disregarded Shia or crossed the line faced immediate punishment from the Emperor.
Even at that time, Shia was a war hero who saved countless cities and people, but even if she saved their village, the villagers were more terrified of her than of the Demon King’s army, and knights would not bow their heads to her in the Emperor’s absence.
Nevertheless, Shia was alright with this.
She had expected this much.
She had not hoped to be loved.
Nor had she anticipated reverence.
Shia came to the humans believing in just one.
Though not loved by all, she merely believed and loved.
Still wanting to be human. Still wanting to retain her humanity.
And thus, five years passed by—
Humanity, cornered by the Demon King’s army, reclaimed the lands of the Human Empire centered around the spectral saint Shia and Emperor Menelapie.
The lands sullied by humans fled from the Demon King and its minions to the dark earth, and the Emperor declared the triumph of the Human Empire at that very moment.
Even if numerous lands were soiled and the scars of war remained, there was a belief that humanity lived on, devoid of the Demon King, and that everything would revert to its natural order.
On that day, the spectral saint Shia was honored by all humans throughout the Empire.
Emperor Menelapie knelt before her in the highest palace of the Empire to express his gratitude.
[On a day thick with victory and glory, on a day without darkness, humanity has received salvation through you.]
In wars leading to victory, it is customary for the emperor to be honored.
In particular, Menelapie had devoted herself to protecting the Human Empire, ensuring humanity banded together to escape annihilation.
Such a great emperor knelt before Shia, the one she initially feared and envied.
Many had once feared her, envied her, and some had even despised her existence simply because she was not human.
[On behalf of all the human beings of this land, Shia, I offer my gratitude and respect to you. Thank you for being by my side. With your existence, the dark nights of the Empire have brightened more than anything.]
However, as the year passed and two years passed, Shia silently held onto their hands.
She defeated the Demon King’s army on the front lines, healed the pain of the wounded, and gave the last leg of a soldier who wanted to see his mother one last time so that he could walk home.
The one who saved humanity from the most evil was always the Emperor and Shia.
They realized.
It took them five years to understand that the spectral saint had saved humanity.
They knew it was far too late.
They also knew they had done something shameful.
“Thank you!”
Shia simply rejoiced.
Honored by the Emperor.
Grateful from all the nobles.
Grateful from knights who had once disregarded her and soldiers who had once feared her—Shia simply felt grateful.
She was not loving just because they honored her.
Shia merely wished to prove her humanity.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for treating me as a human.
I’m glad I could be of assistance to you.
Thus, at the end of five years, Shia became the spectral saint who enjoyed absolute support next to the Emperor for humanity and the Empire.
Of course, that absolute support eventually shattered.
