Isekai Conqueror (4)
‘What the hell is that?’
Questions about an unknown existence filled the mind of the Infinite Great Demon.
[Kwoooor—!]
“Kill them!”
[You rotten corpses! I’ll send you back to purgatory once more!]
[I will dedicate this world to the King of Death!]
A massive war was raging across the vast plain in front of the fortress he had claimed.
Epic battles were erupting everywhere between high-ranking demons and undead, capable of obliterating entire areas with a single blow, making it impossible not to feel the adrenaline.
Yet, none of that caught the eye of the Infinite, standing atop the ramparts.
What distracted him was only one being.
[Are you the Infinite Great Demon?]
Something hovered majestically above the great army, surveying the world.
It was an incomprehensible entity that wore a grotesque mask and exuded an abyss-like energy from its entire being, as if a nightmare had come into existence.
[What are you? How can such impurities exist in this world?]
Though they were at a considerable distance apart, the spatial constraints meant nothing to them.
The Infinite instinctively realized that this being had not originated from this world.
‘Even until the collapse of sorrow and ruin, I held a glimmer of hope. But to think it was real…’
Though it was now bound by various restrictions after stepping out of Hell, it had once observed the world from a supreme position.
There was no need to analyze how alien ‘it’ was.
‘A monster born from another world, devouring death’s karma and holiness to gain power.’
Its momentum was enough to evoke memories of the ‘Demon of Death,’ who had once dominated the demons of Hell.
Or perhaps even closer to the alien invader who had killed him and claimed his existence…
[Kuhuhuh, me?]
At that moment, the Avatar of Death, floating in the sky, softly spoke in response.
[My name is Hannibal Strauss. The king of all reapers and the end of the world—]
There was a strangely melancholic tone in the self-introduction.
However, before he could grasp the emotion contained within, the following words wiped away any trivial doubts.
[—is your death, demons.]
[…Arrogant.]
The Infinite’s lips twisted at that pompous declaration.
He understood well that the opponent was a being not to be underestimated.
But he too was a being standing at the peak of Devourer.
There was no reason for him to bow down.
Moreover, he wasn’t fond of the opponent invoking ‘death’ either.
In the past, that might not have mattered, but now he was undeniably the strongest, representing the Great Demons.
[Heh, fine. There’s no need for more lengthy talks. I don’t know how someone like you crossed into this world, but it must be fortunate for you.]
The words were spat with disdain, and the black body of the Infinite, densely covered in crimson tattoos, began to glow ominously.
Holding back against such a powerful adversary was a luxury.
He had to unleash everything from the very beginning.
Fwoooosh—!
The red light that erupted from his body shot high into the sky.
With that impact, space trembled, and a fierce storm swept across the battlefield.
[Oh?]
Hannibal did not hinder it.
He had already realized that this current body was merely a terminal.
‘Breaking the terminal wouldn’t mean anything. To deal with him, I have to strike at the core.’
Just as he expected, from the rift torn open by the red light above—something colossal began to slowly take shape, cutting through space.
A massive eye, peering down at the ground, broke through the ashen clouds.
Even at such a great distance, the enormous eye, disregarding perspective, had countless smaller eyes swirling around its gigantic pupil in a dizzying manner.
‘…Indeed, it was hiding the core in the seams of the world. What cosmic horror we have here.’
While he pondered this, a voice like a revelation echoed throughout the battlefield.
[I am Infinite! The very essence of immortality that cannot be concluded by death! I will eliminate you here and prove to the world that Infinite stands above death!]
The overwhelming presence caused many of the lesser beings to stumble and fall.
Those already injured and weakened were crushed to the ground.
However, both Hannibal and the Infinite showed no concern for such trivial matters.
‘If I can just deal with that guy, everything will be over.’
Just after this shared thought flickered through their minds.
———!
With a soundless shock, the air between them shattered.
Thanks to the world’s resilience, it recovered shortly, but the clash of near-infinite energies from both sides had overwhelmed the space.
‘This can’t just turn into a simple battle of strength.’
From just one exchange, it was evident.
The strength that the Infinite Great Demon could draw upon was, as its name suggested, infinite.
If things continued like this, it would be the world’s destruction that came faster than subduing him.
‘Well, I might be confident in a strength battle, but that isn’t what’s important right now.’
As several more clashes ensued, black energy began to seep from Hannibal’s body.
The mixed dark magic intertwined with the power of the Abyss.
It resonated with the thick death permeating the battlefield… No, it permeated the entire world, slowly encroaching upon it.
‘…This is the first time I’m getting such positive resonance. Just how many have died for this to happen… Losing under such optimal conditions is nonsense.’
The energy of death enveloped the battlefield, offering endless power to the deceased while granting eternal peace to the living.
Undead that had been destroyed returned to full health in an instant, and demons that had lost their lives stood back up and turned their blades against their allies, but those phenomena were merely secondary effects of wielding power.
[You! This is…?!]
The essence of death concentrated at a single point.
A lethal force that could influence not only living beings but also abstract concepts.
Sensing the impending threat of the mysterious flow of the power that governed the death abundant in this world, the Infinite Great Demon hastily increased the rotation speed of countless rings and glared.
‘I am dominating the karma of death that floods this world.’
Powers consume weaker powers.
Perhaps, maybe, as a rare occurrence—but if the ‘death’ of the opponent surpassed his ‘infinity’…
[Ridiculous! No chance of that happening!]
Though such a thing was unlikely, he couldn’t take that risk.
Ultimately, he revealed his ace in the hole.
[Infinite is eternal! Be crushed under the endless passage of time!]
The bizarre patterns filling the enormous pupil rotated as a spiral.
An absolute sentence, inextricably entwined with the laws of this world, that no one could resist.
It was the power of stopping time, a strength so deceptive that even the Great Demon of Infinity had given up fighting against it.
It was the miracle that allowed other Great Demons to survive while being slaughtered by the ‘Angel of Oblivion’ who suddenly descended into Hell.
A pillar of light descended from the eye risen into the sky, showering the interdimensional invader.
*
“Hoo, hoo. Have I finally arrived?”
McCarthy, drenched in blood, stumbled along.
Yet his eyes were fixated on the grand door located deep within the heart of the fortress.
“Finally….”
The war between the undead and the demons was not solely confined to the plains.
With both sides so numerous and the demons preferring to launch direct attacks rather than defending, the fortress in the center naturally got caught in the turmoil.
Although the undead did not directly engage the humans inside the fortress, they were not lenient enough to show mercy to the attackers either.
For McCarthy, who was human and even held some control over the undead, infiltrating the chaos within the fortress was an easy feat.
‘Though it became more challenging the deeper I went.’
At first, disguising as a wounded soldier with bandages on his left arm and around his eyes was enough to pass through. But eventually, there was no choice but to engage in combat directly.
In that process, McCarthy realized just how great his power was.
Bang!
He slowly walked through the shattered doors.
He didn’t just break through, but was also escorted respectfully by the undead guards accompanying him.
The end of a group that had once indulged in debauchery beneath a great noble and committed evil deeds.
“…Lapua!”
Finally, fully stepping inside the room, McCarthy’s teeth ground in recognition of his target standing by the window, looking outside.
He had known this place was here through his eye to see souls, but facing his enemy so closely made it impossible to control the rising emotions.
“Ts, what kind of bug has crawled in here?”
Lapua, encountering an unknown rogue leading a horde of undead right to his front, merely clicked his tongue, looking disinterested.
“You failed your mission, so you deserve to die. However, I cannot forgive you for invading and aiming a blade at me.”
Though they had acted as his hands and feet for so long, the icy expression on his face was all too clear.
“Betrayal is a collective responsibility. Once this matter is settled, I should hold a festival for the families of these traitors. Since something significant occurred right now, I’ll need to capture their friends as well to prepare a grand event.”
“…Huh, they have merely become undead. Their bodies are just vessels without will. You mean to punish that?”
“Hmm? What does that matter?”
Though McCarthy unintentionally made a defense for them, Lapua showed an attitude as if he genuinely didn’t care.
And when he slightly tilted his head, his gaze turned toward McCarthy.
“But isn’t now a time to worry about other matters?”
“Guh!”
Under the immense pressure bearing down from above, McCarthy could only smash his face to the ground.
He tried desperately to rise, but he could only manage to lift his upper body slightly.
Had it not been for his left eye and arm, he would have been crushed, turned into a puddle of blood, like the undead who had previously guarded him.
“Oho? An unusual power. Is that a token of your contract?”
“Guhh…!”
As Lapua approached the barely holding-on McCarthy with an eye spinning a peculiar pattern, he seemed fascinated.
It was eerily similar to the colossal eye that hovered above.
‘They thought this was the chance now that Infinity is absent. Who would have thought he could be this formidable even without the demons…’
A demon contractor.
It was a being that had received power from a demon through a contract.
And naturally, it went without saying that someone who had made a pact with the apex of this world—the ‘Infinite Great Demon’—couldn’t possibly be ordinary.
McCarthy, having only recently obtained this ability, was someone he could not even touch.
A hasty mistake driven by a desire for revenge.
“Looks like you have some grievance against me.”
In fact, there were probably more who bore grudges against him in this world than those who didn’t.
It was only natural given his position.
The name of a contractor bound to a Great Demon.
“Still, I must commend you for having come this far before me. Moreover, it seems to have quite a connection with this commotion.”
His shoe harshly stomped down on McCarthy’s head, which could barely lift itself.
Then, moving slowly and rubbing his foot on the floor, Lapua began to mock him in a calm tone.
“Yet, it ends here. No matter what identity the demon you made a pact with has, Infinite will never be defeated. Even if it were the embodiment of death or eternity from a story, it wouldn’t change.”
A hundred years.
That was the time the Infinite Great Demon had reigned at the top of this world.
The karma and fear he had accumulated during that time were quite simply unimaginable.
It would be difficult for them to bridge that gap now that they had returned.
“Hoohoo, if you grovel right now and beg for mercy, I might let you live. Of course, I’ll have to pluck out your eyes and sever your arms, but then you could indulge in luxuries you’ve never experienced before…”
“Ptooey! Go screw yourself, bald little bastard.”
“…….”
At the mention of the arm he had to voluntarily sacrifice to make the contract with the Great Demon, Lapua’s expression froze with cold fury.
“…So you’d prefer not to die quietly? Then I must grant your wish.”
Slowly raising a hand, a fierce light burst from his eyes.
He initially planned to sever both arms.
For McCarthy to regret the consequences of his insolent words.
And next…
“Hmm?”
“Eh?”
However, at that moment.
Both of them simultaneously uttered words of surprise.
“What’s happening!”
An astonished Lapua reached out again, but nothing occurred.
No, that wasn’t all.
The peculiar patterns spinning in his eye turned into an ordinary gaze, and the force that had been pressing down on McCarthy had cleanly vanished.
“W-wait a moment! Infinite! This is a breach of contract!”
This power was what Lapua had gained by sacrificing ‘everything’ to the Infinite Great Demon.
It was impossible for it to vanish so easily; it was everything he possessed.
Since he had given up many aspects, such as the abilities and physical capabilities he previously held, it meant even more to him.
Swish—
Yet this situation, akin to despair for him, was.
“It seems the situation has changed.”
It was a long-awaited moment for someone.
As McCarthy, slowly rising, allowed his left eye, like obsidian, to shine, he stepped forward bit by bit.
Flexing his hand that shimmered with darkness.
“Cough, stop! I am the Great Noble Lapua! How dare you…!”
With a distorted face, Lapua struggled, trying desperately to use his powers again, but nothing changed.
He only flailed his arms pitifully as if he were an ordinary villager.
“Please hold on for a long time.”
McCarthy clenched his fist tightly.
That hand, granted to him as a reward for swearing allegiance to take revenge—
“I have no intention of letting you die quietly.”
“Cough!”
Smashed straight into the face of his age-old enemy.
*
“That was indeed a dangerous ability.”
I tilted my coffee cup and took a sip of the warm drink, letting out a light breath.
In the back of my mind played the scene of Hans embedding his hand into the gigantic eye and declaring death.
A spectacle that seemed impossible to believe had just been preserved within endless time.
“Well, it doesn’t really mean anything to me.”
It was merely one of over ten-segmented thoughts having a brief abnormality.
Of course, during that process, the load on the ‘Mind Hub’ surged, but since it was complemented by the skills of the ‘Great Spirit’ and Hans’s own caliber, it was not a burdening level.
‘But it’s a fact that he took a hit, so I need to make sure to return the favor.’
The “death” prevalent in the Devourer shared a commonality.
It was intertwined with the grievances and wishes of the sacrificed humans, along with tangled causation.
In other words, it served as a particular poison for the demons, who were the ultimate culprits behind the world’s current state.
Just after attempting an ace-in-the-hole plan, feeling cocky, he had been unprepared to return a counterattack…
“Oh, is it over? I got lucky. That ended faster than I expected.”
One eye, formerly displaying overwhelming dignity, was now pitifully shrunk, held tightly in Hans’s hand.
The moment the invader, the immortal king, defeated the demon and seized the world.
