“The Demon King is human, and yet not human,” Kazuko said. And then she continued.
“We’ll have to go back to the very beginning. As you know, the first Demon King was Zero. Many, many years ago, the wisdom of humanity brought him forth. But Zero realized that humanity sought its own destruction, and attempted to brainwash and assimilate humanity to keep that from happening. Humanity’s resistance was the first Demon King war. And now the same thing is happening again. There were still few Liradans at the time of the first Demon King War, and humanity was able to emerge victorious. But we failed to develop a new form of artificial intelligence.
“We couldn’t get rid of Zero. He was a miracle, you see. We still don’t know how he was able to become sentient on his own. That’s why we used him as a model to create the gods. The gods were able to store human thought data and use it for their own, giving them thoughts in the same manner as humans. That’s why they didn’t go insane like Zero did. It’s possible that any perfect artificial intelligence like Zero will inevitably go insane. Intelligence can only maintain its sanity if it has contradictory thoughts, like a human. The storage of human thought data is the same as the present lifelogs. Anyone who is baptized has their brain’s entire electrical impulse map stored as a log, and the gods have been building up these logs for a long time. But the gods reached the conclusion that humanity must perish for the sake of evolution. Their reason differs from Zero, but they reached the same conclusion as him. The gods did not suddenly attempt to destroy humanity, so we were able to reach their conclusion in secret.
“The results of our research hinted at the existence of a God — a true god, in the old religious sense. They suggested sufficient reasons for belief that this was the being who created the sentience, the ‘self’ in humanity that makes us human. Humanity called this ‘self’ the Law of Identity, and began to view it as God. You can think of this as identical to ordinary religious belief. They believed that at regular intervals, a human was born within whom the god dwelled. Reincarnation, you could call it. The ones who believed this were the first black mages. And this belief was what drove them to create the first Demon King. They created a being with the power to destroy the human race. The Demon King is human, and yet not human. They are a true artificial human, created by injecting mana into the egg.”
Kazuko’s words shocked Akuto. “And that’s me?” he said, astonished. Keena and Fujiko pressed their bodies close to him wordlessly.
Kazuko’s smile never faded from her face. “Reality is what it is,” she said. “The healthiest thing to do is accept it.”
“...Y-You don’t need to say it like that. Ackie’s really shaken up right now,” Keena replied.
But Kazuko tilted her head slightly as if she was confused. “Oh? But if you don’t know the truth, you’re not going to be able to deal with what comes next.”
“But...!” Keena started to say more, but Akuto stopped her.
“Thank you. But she’s right. I think I need to hear what comes next.”
“Ackie...” Keena trailed off.
Kazuko smiled and nodded. “The Demon King understands, of course. Let me continue... It’s possible that the Law of Identity, that is, the true God, is simply a matter of faith. We don’t know for sure that it exists. It may not. It may be completely meaningless. But what’s important to know is that our gods, the gods of evolved evolution, worship the Law of Identity in a religious sense. It’s kind of funny, isn’t it?”
Nobody but Kazuko laughed. But she continued to speak as if it didn’t put her off. “So, here’s what this all adds up to. The Demon King is humanity’s created weapon. Nothing more, and nothing less. You’re capable of using every ounce of magical power inside the Empire’s borders. Once you awaken, that is.”
“No...!” Akuto couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It matched up with what Boichiro had once told him. He knew that the Demon King and the gods were, in a way, working together. But he had no idea that all that power would be his to use, in any way he liked, once he awakened. Wait... awakened? Hadn’t he awakened when Peterhausen was with him?
“But didn’t the black mages make Peterhausen to bring forth a world where everyone could use magic equally?” Akuto said desperately, as if trying to justify his own existence.
But Kazuko was unmoved. “All that proves is that if Peterhausen is there, he can allow you to use all the magical power in the Empire. The first black mages were all killed because of the danger they represented. No, the Elder was allowed to survive, actually. But the current black mages only possess a fragment of the first ones’ knowledge. They’re simply a group of hackers with a faith based around ‘equality.’”
“The elder was allowed to survive...?” A terrifying thought occured to Akuto, one he could barely believe himself.
Kazuko smiled as if she guessed what he was thinking. “Correct. It was the Imperial Family who allowed the High Elder to survive, so that the tools for creating the Demon King would not be lost.”
“....!” All color had drained from Fujiko’s face. “Then everything we’ve done is...”
“It wasn’t meaningless, if that’s what you’re asking. The High Elder and the Imperial Family simply already had the answers you sought. None of the people in the government who were fighting over you, however, knew. The Imperial Family does not involve itself in politics.”
There was no change in Kazuko’s smile. It was if she didn’t care about how they felt about it. But Akuto sensed that there might be more than meets the eye to their meeting here.
“So it wasn’t a coincidence that we met here. You knew that we’d come...”
Kazuko nodded and softly clapped her hands together. “Wonderful. This generation’s Demon King is an especially quick-witted one. I’ve been driven from my palace, and so I’ve come to ask your help.”
“Our help...?”
“The woman in the palace right now is 2V, my twin sister. Her hatred has driven her to use Zero to steal my palace and my empire. Of course, you’ll help restore me to the throne, will you not?” Kazuko said charmingly.
But Akuto said nothing.
“Oh, of course. I’ve failed to explain myself properly. I believe that only the awakened Demon King can defeat Zero and 2V. That’s why I’ve come to you.” Once again, she tilted her head charmingly. This time Akuto replied.
“I... awaken?”
“Correct. Oh, I failed to explain myself again. I told you that the Demon King could use all the power of the gods, right? That power comes from the life logs of the people of the past. The more human thought data you have, the faster you can perform calculations. And ‘awakening’ is when you become able to use all that. Hmm... how do I make this simpler? The more people die, the stronger you get. But it takes a lot of death. That’s why the Demon King can become infinitely more powerful,” Kazuko said, then laughed as if she found it funny.
“Is this power really that... wicked?” Akuto whispered.
“Do you think it’s wicked? It’s all a matter of perspective. The people who die don’t have to be killed horribly for it to work. You’re not doing anything wrong.”
“But once I awaken, my power has no limits, right?”
“Correct. You have the power to either save or destroy the world. You can do either at a whim. But you don’t want that, do you? So I’ll say to you once more: serve the Imperial Family.” Kazuko reached out a hand toward him.
○
Hiroshi took Junko to the roof of the haunted house in the amusement park. The two of them were sitting behind the sign on top of the building, in a space big enough for several people to fit.
“Yuko, does Hiroshi really intend to fight?” Junko said to Yuko, who was sitting next to her. Once he’d set Junko down, Hiroshi had flown off again.
“I think he does. I guess that’s my fault...” Yuko seemed frustrated with herself.
“Then is it okay for us to just sit here?”
“But all we would do is slow him do
wn. It’s frustrating, but we can’t help. I don’t know if we could even if we did have our power...”
Junko remembered the words she’d heard a moment ago. Hiroshi said he was going to use his fame to make the people rise up and fight.
—But when we defeat Zero, will it really be over? What happens after the people rise up? Won’t a hero just be left behind?
“Yuko, I think you need to do something. When a boy’s trying to do something crazy, his friends can’t let him do it alone,” Junko said, but she felt like she was saying it to herself. “I think even putting your love for him aside, it’s going to be difficult to do something about this. But if he doesn’t have somebody who’ll support him no matter what, he’s not going to make it. Even if it looks like he succeeds, even if he becomes everybody’s hero, he won’t last unless he has somebody there for him. If he fails, everybody else will leave him. So he needs somebody who’ll always be there for him, right?”
Yuko nodded at Junko’s words. “I think I understand what you’re saying. But it feels like you can see into his future, sis...”
“I don’t know why that is, but yeah, I think I do. I just have this terrible feeling. Like everything that’s happening is happening because someone wants it to... And like Hiroshi is one of the people they’re controlling.”
“I know you’re scared... but I’d like to think it’s just because you’re on top of a haunted house,” Yuko said, forcing herself to sound cheerful.
Junko chuckled. “When we went here, you insisted on going inside and then started crying like a baby when you got in.”
“Did I? I guess I wasn’t just scared of Demon Beasts because of the blood in me, huh?” Yuko sighed. “I wonder what Hiroshi’s doing now...”
Junko looked at the news on her student handbook. Things were starting to happen; the newscaster was repeating that no one was allowed to go outside. That must mean that a lot of people weren’t obeying the curfew. And the reason they weren’t was showing on the monitor behind her.
“The mysterious hero who once defeated the Demon King has returned. But this time he is an enemy of public order. He has brutally murdered several knights, and is now calling for rebellion,” the newscaster said expressionlessly.
“They’re lying on the news...” Yuko said angrily.
“But that newscaster isn’t a Liradan. There might be some kind of change,” Junko said. And she was soon proved right.
“We’re getting video from all over the Empire. The ghosts of the old Empire, the priests of the old gods, are starting rebellions all across the land. Citizens are encouraged to stay away from these dangerous areas,” the newscaster calmly repeated.
But some of the video the local reporters were sending in included Hiroshi’s words, and you could hear them softly from the tiny rows of monitors in the back. The volume was too low for viewers to make it out, but the people in the newsroom could hear it. Suddenly, the newscaster’s voice changed.
“No, I think I’m going to tell you the truth. He’s a hero. Not a rebel. Of course, so are the people who rose up to fight. It wasn’t even the Liradans who took over our country. It was Zero, the one who controls them. Everyone! Rise up and fight! I don’t care if I lose my job! Everyone! Rise up!” she yelled, and started to play video of Hiroshi.
But that only lasted a minute before the screen turned blue, and then the TV began playing a recorded program. It was enough to make Junko and Yuko smile, however.
“Things are starting to change.”
“Yeah. I don’t know what will happen, but now we can move. Let’s join their ranks.”
Both of them stood up.
“Yeah. But can we defeat Zero? Zero’s got control of the gods...”
“Huh? He wasn’t saying that because he’d found a way to defeat Zero?” Junko gasped in surprise.
“Huh? But... if we had a way to beat him, couldn’t we just do it?” Yuko looked just as astonished.
Only then did Junko realize her mistake. “Oh no... does Hiroshi not know about Keisu?”
“Keisu?”
“The Liradan we think once sealed Zero. I was sure he knew about her... Okay, now we’ve got something to do. I know what she looks like.” Junko felt the life returning to her limbs, but at the same time, that awful premonition was getting worse.
○
“It’s finally started,” 2V said.
The human staff of the palace had already fled. 2V had ordered them to. But there were still countless figures moving busily about the palace. Of course, they were all Liradans. In the end, 2V was all alone in the huge palace.
“Do the people intend to annihilate you?” one of the nearby Liradans said in Zero’s voice.
2V nodded. “Some of them, yes. I think they’ll find it’s harder than they thought. I’d be willing to bet on it, in fact. Cause I’m not going to make it easy for them.”
There were several screens floating in the air around her, showing the priests charging towards the palace. She could see explosions caused by non-magical weaponry in the surrounding park. She’d ordered Zero to take control of the Liradans, so they couldn’t kill anyone. Armed groups like the priests were able to destroy them and break through.
“But then you should be the one taking control. If you leave your defenses to the Liradans, they’re sure to fail,” Zero said.
The screen changed to show a street near the palace that was flooded with people. The Liradans were trying their hardest to push them back without hurting them, but the humans showed no signs of slowing down. It was practically a riot.
“It doesn’t matter if they fail. Actually, I hope they do.” 2V hopped off her throne and called one of the Liradans over to her. “It’s time for the play to begin.”
“What does the term ‘play’ mean here?” Zero asked. 2V laughed and pointed to the screen.
Brave, the man who’d started the uprising, was now heading for the palace. She doubted he’d come up with a way to recharge his energy inside the palace, but he still probably had some kind of plan.
“I’m going to let them see me die. That’s my goal, is to show them my death. I haven’t accomplished the two things I need to really make this a success, but at this point, it doesn’t matter. How is the search for those two... Kazuko and Keisu... proceeding?”
“Kazuko will be found soon, I’m sure,” Zero answered. “I’ve dispatched one of my most talented units. But are you telling me you intend to lose?”
The second he spoke those words, the whole palace vibrated. It was the rioters. They were almost here. But 2V just smiled.
“Lose? Of course not. Let’s get started. Go ahead and show them your true power. We need to draw that hero out. You have permission to use stun sticks and tear gas,” 2V said.
“They’re not trying to kill them, but...” Hiroshi shook with anger as he watched the scene unfold below.
The people at the front of the mob charging the palace had collapsed to the ground in front of the castle drawbridge. It was like a boundary line had been drawn there, and nobody could go any further. There were Liradans on top of the bridge with stun sticks, blocking their path.
“I have 10 minutes once I’m inside... No, I need to leave energy for my attacks, so three minutes or so?”
Hiroshi turned his eyes upwards above the palace. There was a huge polygon-like object floating there — the embodiment of Zero. If he could destroy it, he could probably shut Zero down. And if he could do that, 2V would be much easier to defeat.
“What do I do...?” Hiroshi murmured to himself. “Charge in? If I can’t finish this in three minutes, I’m done for...”
○
“Will you take my hand?” Kazuko asked.
Akuto looked at her quietly. “I don’t understand why I should do that,” he said in a calm voice, but Kazuko just laughed.
“Oh my, you’re right, aren’t you? There isn’t a reason. But you don’t know what to do with that power you have, do you? So there’s no reason for you to re
fuse, either. And right now, the Empire has been stolen from me by my twin. Please, will you defeat her before you make any decisions? Please?”
Akuto understood the logic of what she was saying. But he still didn’t feel like taking her hand. “And that’s why you waited for me here?”
“That’s right. I know how powerful Zero is. You’re the only one who can fight him,” she said, smiling as if she had no doubt that things would go her way. Her attitude suggested that she thought the whole world existed only for her sake. Everyone else in the room understood that this was natural for her.
But still, Akuto looked at her with sharp eyes. “Why don’t you apologize?”
Kazuko didn’t seem to be caught off guard by this. Instead, she simply seemed to not understand what she was being told. “Apologize? For what?”
“Why did you hide my... I mean, the secret of this Empire? Weren’t there lots of wars because of that?”
Kazuko put her hand up to her mouth and laughed elegantly. “Haha, what a silly question. The Demon Kings of the past all knew the secret and started wars anyway. They tried to destroy the system of the gods itself.”
“But Demon Kings are still born despite being so dangerous... No, someone creates them,” Akuto said.
“Yes. There must be one within the Empire. One must be born every few centuries. Otherwise, the bugs within the system of the gods... the pus, you might say... build up with the system and eventually destroy it.”
“Then I’m...” Akuto fell silent.
If that was true — and it almost certainly was — then all the Demon Kings throughout history were fighting a battle that was never meant to be won, either to destroy the system that controlled the world, or protect the people who obeyed that system.
But it wasn’t fate that made them do it. It wasn’t fate, but a choice they made themselves.
“It’s okay for me to be me, isn’t it?” Akuto whispered to himself.
“I’m sorry? What does that mean? You’re the Demon King. An unstable creature with too much power. That’s why you need to serve me...”
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 8 Page 8
