TL/Editor: raei
Status: ongoing
Illustrations: none
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Light.
Everything in the world contains light.
Then what would happen if that light vanished?
That scene was unfolding before people's eyes now.
No, "unfolding" wasn't the right word.
Nothing could be seen.
Only infinite darkness born from void filled their eyes.
They couldn't take a step forward.
Couldn't wave their hands.
All they could do was collapse trembling from the endless terror of feeling like they were floating alone in the void beyond the world.
Even sound had vanished - their screams made no noise.
As consciousness faded with increasingly blocked breath.
Finally, just before people's breathing completely stopped-
WHOOSH!
In an instant everything returned, as if all that had happened was an illusion.
The familiar air and ground beneath their feet.
Sound, and even light.
"Hah, haah!"
As people raised their heads feeling grateful for breathing they normally didn't even notice, they saw the spectral giant that had reached the sky's end scattering apart.
And that meant-
"...Let me ask just one thing."
The same was happening to Archdemon of Pride at the giant's center.
"That was definitely a transcendent technique."
Deep emptiness filled his voice, knowing everything was already over.
"How can you, who hasn't reached divine status... and is merely the Eternal One's descendant, unleash something like this?"
A fact he couldn't understand no matter how much he thought.
"You're mistaken about something."
A quiet voice flowed from Zion's lips as he watched Pride with sunken eyes.
"The Eternal One has no descendants."
"...What?"
"The Black Star Force has never been passed to anyone either."
Pride's eyes, blank for a moment, began trembling.
"You, you're...!"
Finally seeming to realize something, Ogrit reached toward Zion with an extremely agitated voice.
But neither his hand nor his voice could reach Zion.
Because before that-
SWOOSH-
He completely turned to powder and scattered.
"..."
After quietly watching the scattering powder for a moment, Zion turned away.
'Three more to go.'
The brief but intense border war was ending.
* * *
"Kyahahahaha! Why don't you just give up now?"
The surrounding space shattered completely along with the young girl's mad laughter and purple lips.
CRASH!
A brutal combo attack followed!
"Hmm..."
A small groan left Jealousy's lips as she blocked these attacks while wrapped in a veil of purple authority.
Unlike before, her condition wasn't good.
Her body was completely mangled with barely any unwounded spots, endlessly leaking demonic energy.
The reason Jealousy, who had been somewhat relaxed when the battle began, was being pushed back this much wasn't because of Acrimosia before her.
'I never expected he'd actually come...'
With this thought, Jealousy's eyes turned to the being launching attacks as powerful as her own from behind Madness.
A man completely wrapped in robes, not even his face visible.
This was the deep voice's owner and one of the Four Great Demons - Wrath.
'And so quickly too.'
Unlike public opinion that called her reckless, Jealousy hadn't started this rebellion thoughtlessly.
No, she had calculated more thoroughly than ever before starting it.
The Demon King remained stuck in the Abyss's palace without emerging, and the empire was acting up, completely destroying their plans thanks to an unprecedented opponent named "Zion Agnes" who had appeared alongside the hero.
The power Zion had shown when eliminating Ogrit.
That power had clearly transcended mortality to reach immortality.
'He achieved such a realm in just over a year?'
It made no sense.
Such a thing couldn't exist in this world.
It was impossible even for someone with the greatest talent in history, no, even for a dragon.
'The only possibility is temporarily borrowing power from a top-grade artifact like a divine artifact but...'
Even then, one absolutely couldn't reach that level without fundamental ability supporting it.
As her thoughts grew more complex, Evelyn shook her head once and raised her teacup.
"Oh? Your Highness! Do you like coffee too?"
Liushina, who had been carefully watching this scene nearby, asked while slowly approaching her.
"Yes, but..."
Evelyn answered with eyes wondering what this was about.
The witch's eyes brightened as she pulled something from her chest and held it out to the princess.
"Then try this! It's called mint coffee and I really treasure it! Only a tiny amount is produced in the Fairy Forest..."
"No."
The words of rejection flowed from Evelyn's lips before Liushina could finish.
"I won't drink it, so quickly remove that container from my sight."
Evelyn furrowed her brows and expressed her rejection again, apparently deeming that insufficient.
"Th-then what about others..."
Looking for her next target, Liushina glanced around at these clear words, but-
"I'm not great with mint either..."
"I don't really like coffee in general."
"Somehow I'm craving tea over coffee today."
"Oh, you too Commander? Same here."
Everyone nearby was already creating distance while avoiding her eyes.
"But this is delicious..."
Watching Liushina mutter dejectedly like before, Zion took another sip of Girard's coffee while organizing future plans in his mind.
'Since things are mostly wrapped up here, I should move to the next destination soon.'
With this thought, Zion's intended destination was the Fairy Forest.
Actually, the Beast Sea was more urgent and important.
Despite this, the reason Zion chose the Fairy Forest as his next destination was because of the Black Star Force's achievement.
Zion knew.
That he couldn't face Archdemon-level demons without raising the Black Star Force to seven stars.
He had managed this time using Chronos's Questions, but only one question remained while three Archdemons remained.
'Two if Jealousy dies.'
Since Archdemon-level demons could suddenly appear before him anytime like what happened in the floating city before, reaching seven stars as quickly as possible made sense.
Using what he had left in the Fairy Forest's forbidden area would let him rise much more smoothly.
'Though there is one thing to handle here first.'
Speak of the ogre and it appears, as they say.
"Your Highness Zion, Hero Claire Frosimar and her companions request an audience!"
Just as Zion finished this thought, a knight's voice came from outside the barracks.
And-
"I'd like everyone to step out for a moment."
Zion smiled slightly and spoke to the others in the barracks along with the knight's call.
* * *
The hero party's condition wasn't good when they entered the barracks after everyone left.
Large wounds existed all over their bodies showing traces of fierce battle, some still bleeding.
'Though I suppose it's fortunate they're all alive?'
As Zion thought this, recalling their condition when first arriving at the battlefield-
"G-greetings to Your Highness Zion!"
Elysis, face slightly flushed, bowed her head first to show respect to Zion.
The other companions followed, bowing their heads.
"That's enough greeting. What business do you have seeking me?"
Though he already somewhat guessed their purpose, Zion asked while looking at the hero party, or more precisely, at Claire.
Claire raised her head again and spoke to Zion.
"Your Highness Zion, before stating our business, there's one thing I'd like to ask."
"Go ahead."
The hero was silent for a moment as if organizing her thoughts.
Then from her lips-
"Eternal Emperor Aurellion Khan Agnes."
A single question flowed.
"Is he alive?"