Demon King Daimaou: Volume 8

by Shoutarou Mizuki

  Unfortunately for him, he was right. One of the triangles that formed the polygon opened towards the outside. From within it came a shining rainbow ray of light that shot towards Hiroshi.

  “Tch...!” Hiroshi dodged. The space around him seemed to shift slightly, like the sky had been sliced open with a knife.

  “How much energy do I have left...?” Hiroshi checked the gauge in the corner of his eye. He couldn’t use his weapons, but if Zero was attacking him, the polygon would be unable to use its defensive field.

  “A little over four minutes...” He whispered to himself.

  But when Zero saw that he’d dodged the attack, it changed tactics. All the triangles on the polygon opened at once. It began to shift form with shocking speed, like folding origami. The polygon became a pair of plates stuck together, and began to spin like a saucer. It charged at Hiroshi in that new form.

  “Analyze pattern.”

  “The enemy’s mobility rivals ours. It is recommended to transfer control to the suit. Verbal commands will lack sufficient speed.”

  “Give control to the suit,” Hiroshi said, trying hard to keep his wits about him.

  The suit took over, forcing him to move in unpredictable patterns. But the Zero saucer was every bit as fast, and firing off dimensional severings too. The two of them flew through the sky at speeds far too fast for the eye to follow, leaving an eerie trail of severed space behind them.

  —I can dodge, but without control I can’t attack even after four minutes pass...!

  Fear seized Hiroshi. Not only could he not attack, but moving this fast was draining his energy faster than it could recharge.

  —Do I run?

  A moment of weakness passed through his heart. But then he heard a voice from below. Many voices, in fact. A sound like an earthquake was rising up towards him. It was the voices of the people below, cheering him on.

  “Brave! Brave!” They were calling his name.

  —This is...!

  He felt heat well up in his chest.

  —I’m not done yet! I still have more time! I’ll keep fighting until there’s nothing in me left...!

  “Brave! Brave!” There must have been tens of thousands of people around the palace. All of them were looking up and cheering for their hero. Their voices were so loud that they were shaking the boat that carried Junko and the others as it floated above the crowd.

  But Junko was ignoring them, and looking at Yoshie with shocked eyes. After hearing her explanation several times, Junko had finally realized the truth.

  “You’re... Yoshihiko...”

  “I’m sorry. I mean it. That’s why I didn’t worry about taking off your clothes and stuff,” Yoshie said as she looked up at Brave. Yuko was staring intently at the battle too, but Junko alone was looking downwards.

  —Th-Then...

  When Akuto had told her to spend time with Yoshihiko once they got back to reality, he was talking about Yoshie. And thinking back, that was right after they’d talked about how it was possible to look different in virtual reality.

  —I was upset over something so small...?

  Junko suddenly found the whole thing ridiculous, and started to laugh.

  “H-Hey, are you okay?” Yoshie asked, but she held up a hand to say she was fine.

  “I’m fine... And you know, I think we’ll get along just great. You’re a very different person there than you are in reality, though.”

  “Oh, that was my attempt to seem like a man. Girls seem to really like it for some reason. Anyway, forget that. Let’s talk about Akuto.” Then Yoshie told Junko about everything that had happened on their journey.

  Junko’s expression took on a serious tone. “Then... can Akuto come back to life?”

  “We don’t know. We’ll just have to wait.” Yoshie shook her head, but Yuko must have been listening, because she pointed upwards to the sky.

  “If we just wait, we’ll be just fine. And Brave will put an end to all this anyway before he gets here.”

  Maybe she was right. To Junko, Akuto was the one who always saved the day. But for Yuko, that person was Hiroshi. And now, almost everyone in the capital was screaming Hiroshi’s name.

  “He’s a hero, huh?” Junko whispered. In this moment, he truly was a hero.

  And then, the decisive moment came. A light shot up from below — a mana ball. It flew upwards towards Zero before exploding on the saucer’s side. Someone who could still use magic was helping Brave.

  “Someone can still use magic...?”

  “Who is it?”

  Yoshie and Junko said, but Brave wasn’t going to let his chance go to waste.

  —An attack from below?

  For a moment there was doubt in Hiroshi’s mind, but it didn’t matter who it was. Zero was distracted.

  —How much energy do I have left? ...Enough to use the molecular wire.

  “Pass control back to me! Wire!” Hiroshi yelled. And then he raced past Zero’s side as fast as he could. The wire in his hand seemed to simply drift in the air, but a moment after he passed by it, Zero’s saucer was sliced open from the center.

  “Did I... win?” Hiroshi turned back. His weapons were totally drained of energy; he couldn’t even dodge at top speed anymore. But it didn’t matter. The saucer was trying to reform and failing, as its triangle parts began to separate and fall to the ground.

  “It’s over...! I won...!” He felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He heard the sound of Zero’s remains crashing into the palace, but then he heard something even louder than that. It was the crowd yelling his name.

  “He did it!” Yuko cheered and clapped.

  “Whew... Is it over, then?” Junko let out a sigh of a relief.

  “Well, I guess this works as an ending too,” Yoshie said as she stopped rowing the boat. They’d gotten as far as the outer walls of the palace. The crowd had crossed over the walls and made it into the front courtyard, but only they were high up enough to see what was happening inside.

  Then Keisu looked up at the sky, before craning her head around as if watching for something.

  “What’s wrong?” Yoshie asked.

  Keisu held up a hand to cut her off and spoke sharply. “He’s not dead.”

  “Huh?”

  “Zero’s not dead,” Keisu said. There was no hesitation in her words. She could probably tell by instinct.

  “But we know it’s impossible to totally shut him down. That’s not what you meant, right?” Yoshie asked, but Keisu didn’t seem to understand the question. But before she could even attempt to answer, something made them freeze.

  “Zero’s control... his ambitions have reached their end.”

  Suddenly, a voice echoed. It was audible even among the cheers of the crowd, so of course, it wasn’t a normal voice. It was magically amplified, and coming from the palace.

  Someone who appeared to be Kazuko was standing on the palace terrace. The shouts from the crowd got even louder. She made a larger version of herself appear above, so that even the people in the back could see her.

  “I don’t know who you are, brave one... but you have given courage to us all. You moved me to action. That’s why I attacked Zero,” Kazuko, who was actually 2V, said.

  “No...” Yoshie gasped.

  “Th-That was part of her plan...?!” Junko exclaimed. They both knew that she was the one who was talking. Junko went on, asking “Where’s the real Kazuko?”

  Yoshie shook her head. “We don’t know. She’s trying to escape right now. Korone was controlled by Zero and chasing her.”

  “If Kazuko dies, 2V is empress...? Is that what her plan was?”

  “But Kazuko was really strong. I don’t think Korone can kill her. Is 2V just trying to lie to stay alive...?”

  Junko and Yoshie were both doubtful. But nobody in the crowd knew about 2V.

  “But the magic that you all use will not come back. The gods probably died with Zero. I swear to you all that I will take power and rule the Empire again. Until
magic is restored, and the gods in the temples return, I will rule this country as its empress! Until that day comes, I ask you for your help!” 2V said loudly.

  “That’s crazy... The Imperial Constitution forbids it...” Yoshie whispered, but the cheers of the crowd drowned her out.

  “Glory to Empress Kazuko! Glory to Empress Kazuko!” The voices overlapped and spread out around the palace. Even if they didn’t know the truth about 2V, the people were still supporting an imperial dictatorship. And they were excited to do it, too.

  “Wh-What are they thinking? I thought the people believed in the gods, and used them to guide their lives...” Junko said in shock.

  “No, it’s probably the gods who are at fault here. They probably realize how weak the system that depends on the gods is. If nothing else, they all know that Zero was the first Demon King... So basically, they’re done with the priests,” Yoshie said.

  “It was the priests who saved the day though, right? Without their help, Brave never would have fought Zero...”

  “That’s probably just how the masses think. We’re no different. We’ve been unable to speak up a lot of times. And we’ve believed in stupid things, too.” Yoshie shook her head.

  “But if they know the truth... it’ll be okay, right?” Junko said with a pale face, but nobody answered her.

  The only sound was the crowd, cheering for Kazuko. As she stood on the balcony, 2V’s whole body was shaking with joy.

  “What do you think, Zero? These are the people of the empire! I’ve proved that they’re insane! They rose up to free themselves from oppression, and now they’re begging me to oppress them again!” she said in a loud whisper to Zero.

  “It won’t last, though. They’ll come to kill you. And then, they’ll seek a new ruler. That’s why I decided humanity was mad,” Zero said coldly.

  “My opinion is the same. I understand. But I wanted to spend my life proving it for myself. I wanted to laugh at every citizen of the Empire.”

  “Because it was the people who ruined your life?”

  “You can think of it that way if you want. But no matter what the reason was, nobody does what I just did and survives. I’ve got plans to keep myself alive a while longer, though. I’m going to end this world while I’m still feeling this joy. Now, Zero, I’m going to unleash your power.”

  “That’s why I became your servant. I’ve been waiting for this moment...”

  “It’s coming...!” Keisu’s hair and ears twitched like an animal’s as she spoke.

  “Coming?”

  “Zero. I can sense that Zero is about to awaken...” She looked around, but of course, Zero was nowhere close by.

  “2V is using magic. She must be helping him wake up,” Yoshie said as she looked at 2V through her goggles. She could see the flow of mana.

  “Then if we defeat 2V...!” Junko looked up in the sky. Hiroshi was there.

  “Please...!” Yuko put her hands together and prayed as she looked up. But Hiroshi’s body was slowly falling.

  —I’m out of energy... And the field blocking the energy transfer is still active... I fell into a trap...

  Hiroshi grit his teeth. He knew about 2V, of course. And he knew that he had to defeat her. But...

  —Even if I did have the energy left, could I kill 2V...?

  It was frustrating, but also fortunate. He probably couldn’t have done a thing. The people were still applauding him, and he’d be forced to kill the Empress in front of their eyes. There was no way he could do that. It would mean killing “Kazuko,” who was beloved by the citizens and had massive support.

  It wasn’t that he was scared to do it. It was that he was scared of living the rest of his life as a hated, infamous murderer. Even if he knew he had to do it, he still would’ve hesitated.

  —But then, Zero is still alive... What happens now?!

  “No... It looks like he’s out of energy,” Yuko said as she looked up at the sky.

  “What did you say happens if Zero awakens?” Junko asked again.

  “Anyone who was baptized will have their minds taken over by the system,” Keisu answered.

  “Then it’s all over!” Junko yelled.

  The people were applauding her with no idea what was about to happen. Even after Zero awoke, that probably wouldn’t change. Zero and 2V would probably shut down their minds and force them to worship him.

  “Keisu... do something!” Yoshie said, but Keisu still seemed like she couldn’t remember something. She just shook her head.

  “Now our empire will be eternal...!” 2V yelled. She must have said it for the people to hear, because the answer came back as a frenzied cheer.

  “Glory to our kingdom, which will last for a thousand years!” 2V cried.

  And then suddenly, an ominous dark cloud appeared.

  “A cloud...?”

  A shadow fell on the assembled cloud. They looked up to see that it was gathering over the palace, even as the rest of the sky was clear.

  “That’s impossible... Clouds don’t work like that...”

  “What’s going on?”

  A ripple of fear went through the crowd. And then there was a roll of thunder, loud enough to drown out the voices of the crowd. The people began to scream in fear. There was no rain; there was simply crash after crash of terrible lightning, and thunder following quickly after.

  “What...?” 2V looked up.

  Kazuko was still out there somewhere, but there were no signs that she’d made it into the palace. The priests were inside, they were struggling against 2V’s killer combat machines without their magic. That left one person.

  “The Demon King.”

  He was floating in the air. Each strike of light illuminated him briefly. The screams of the crowd fell silent.

  In the air, they could see a man in shining black. If the light around him was white, and his face had been filled with kindness, anyone would’ve thought he was a saint.

  But the man in the air was the exact opposite of that. Behind him were wings of black light. His body was covered in bulky, twisted muscles. His mouth was formed into a cruel, fanged smile. His eyes were flashing with a red light.

  “I have a message for those foolish enough to obey the Empress. If obedience will bring back your lost freedom, then you are free to make that choice. But if you want freedom, if you want power, I will give it to you,” the Demon King said. He spread his arms wide, and the people below him began to murmur to themselves.

  “My magic...”

  “It’s back...”

  “He’s returned!” Junko yelled as she looked up at the sky.

  “I can use mana. It’s back.” Yoshie tried covering a fingertip in mana. It began to shine with a faint, but unwavering, light.

  “I wasn’t talking about mana,” Junko said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “I know. He’s back, isn’t he? But look at your face,” Yoshie chuckled.

  Yuko was looking at Akuto in fear, but Junko put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. Who he is inside hasn’t changed. I can tell from the way he talks. He’s decided to accept everything.”

  “Accept it...?”

  “That’s right. He’s going to put an end to all this.”

  It happened just as she spoke. The lightning fell on the terrace where 2V was standing. There was a terrible crackling sound as half of the balcony was blasted away.

  As the crowd watched, the lump of hardened ash that used to be 2V’s body fell dozens of feet to the ground below.

  After a few moments of silence, the crowd realized what had happened. The whole courtyard filled with screams and angry roars. But the Demon King answered with a laugh.

  “Zero was my messenger, and now he is gone. But thanks to him, the gods are dead. Why? To bring magic to all of you equally. Why did I kill the Empress? To destroy the ruling order of this world. Now, who will you obey? Or will you live for yourself? Choose. The time has come to decide the fate of this world. This is the last war. And I am th
is world’s last Demon King.”

  5 - Bloody Emperor

  2V was walking down a secret hallway behind the palace. She was in the place where she’d spent most of her life. There was nobody left alive who knew about this place. She hadn’t even been here for a very long time. 2V was alive.

  “You’re a very cautious woman. Even out there you used a doll that looked just like you.” It was Zero who spoke. Zero, for his own part, had taken the form of a new Liradan he’d been given. It had a beautiful face, but one with no trace of human warmth within it.

  “I told you I’d thought this through. And I wasn’t lying when I said I was willing to let my life end. It’s time for me to retire. You’re free now to do whatever you like. That Demon King interfered with your powers. Are you going to fight him? If so, I’ll watch.”

  It appeared that Akuto had the ability to interfere with Zero’s control over the gods. That was probably why both of them were called Demon Kings.

  Zero left towards the depths of the palace. But as 2V set off in the opposite direction, someone appeared to stop her.

  “You sure you haven’t forgotten someone?”

  2V looked up in surprise. It was a young girl in a classy hat.

  “Lily Shiraishi... right?” 2V said casually.

  “Yup. I figured there’d be a path nobody knew about, so I searched the whole palace grounds. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since I got here. I knew nobody else would be able to catch you, so it was up to me.” Lily flipped her hat around. “I’ve got my magic back. And it’s time to use it!”

  Lily quickly charged forward.

  “Tch!” 2V made several mana balls appear around her body, and tried to control them with a wave of her hand. It was the same spell that Kazuko had used.

  “Those are mana balls with striking power! I guess I just need to strike them harder, then!” Lily struck the area in front of her with countless fists.

  2V tried to get the mana balls into position, but Lily struck at them before she could. Each of the balls carried its own striking force even when standing still, so this was a straight up battle of power.