“I can’t believe something that would fight like this would want to lead humanity!” Akuto said angrily. The mana expanded and began to swirl around him.
But—
“Gaaaaah!” Peterhausen screamed.
“What’s wrong?” Akuto turned to him.
The part of Peterhausen’s body that had been injured in the collision with the carrier was glowing.
“No...”
Akuto realized the reason Peterhausen was in pain. The takeover of Suhara’s functions, the battle, and Akuto’s mana control — all three of these simultaneously had overloaded Peterhausen’s abilities.
“The processing is almost complete! Just keep going!” Peterhausen’s voice was filled with pain, but still raging and strong.
“But...!”
“We both came here prepared to die! We were prepared to sacrifice ourselves to save others. Only a fool would take the safe option now! My master, I’m going to remove your mana limiter. Then you can use your power without worrying about me! In exchange...”
“You can’t guarantee I’ll survive, huh? Sounds nice and fair!”
Akuto began to concentrate mana within his body once more. When his body reached the stage where it began to glow, the bodies of the priestesses around him began to get blasted away.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Akuto was aware that the mana he was concentrating was now out of his control. No matter how he tried to stop it, the torrent of power and emotions was outside his control.
He used the power to blast the priestesses away from Peterhausen. Now free, Peterhausen let loose a roar of glee.
“I’ve taken control of Suhara’s functions! I’m going to start releasing humanity from its control! Now we can blow them away without worrying about a thing!”
But Akuto didn’t answer. His body was giving off a terrible heat. He’d fallen to his knees, and the floor beneath him was melting as he sank into it. The sheer amount of energy he’d produced was melting the pseudospace itself.
“Wait... master! Master! Tch... I can’t get his power back under control!” The uncertainty in Peterhausen’s voice, which was rare enough for him to begin with, quickly turned to fear. “They’re starting to close the pseudospace to keep us from absorbing it!”
The corridors were beginning to flatten into one another, as if they were being folded up. The priestesses were caught up within them without mercy, being crushed along with the pseudospace. There was nothing left of them, only the void.
The collapsing space was approaching Akuto at terrible speed.
“You need to release your power! Let it explode! If you do that you can annihilate the whole divine tree’s pseudospace!” Peterhausen yelled, but Akuto still couldn’t move a finger.
The dragon shook his head.
“...Is it going to be difficult, then?”
“Hey, why is it difficult?”
“Mana is controlled by emotions. My master fears releasing his power.” Only after Peterhausen spoke did he realize he didn’t know who he was talking to. But then he got his answer.
“But he kept saying he was going to do it, though!”
Peterhausen realized that Keena was nearby him, invisible.
“His will to change the world is strong. But it bothers him that he can’t take responsibility for what comes next. He has none of the abilities required to create a new world... But that doesn’t matter. You need to run. You’ll be caught up in this if you don’t.”
“But then why don’t you run, Petey?”
“I have a duty to try and control my master’s mana to the very end, and help the explosion occur. That is what will save his life.”
“Then are you going to die, Petey?” Keena said, surprised.
“That’s correct, yes. Another dragon with my capabilities may be created in the future, but it won’t have the same history or the same self as me. Only I have that.”
“But I don’t want that! That isn’t how I want this to end! That’s just how boys like things to end!” Keena shouted.
Peterhausen laughed gently.
“Then tell my master that he’s wrong. And tell him what he can create when the story of the gods is over.”
“Petey...” Keena turned visible and patted Peterhausen on the head.
“Take this. I’m sorry it’s not much.” Peterhausen removed a single fang, and lowered it into Keena’s hand.
Keena looked at it and nodded, and then held it tightly as she ran towards Akuto. Akuto was giving off an incredible light, but Keena entered the light and heat without trouble.
As he suffered, she held him gently in her naked arms. And then she whispered to him.
“It’s okay. I’m going to do my best with a lot of things, for your sake, and so that everyone can be friends.”
Akuto opened his eyes.
And then a god died.
○
“Why did all of this happen?” Keena asked. She didn’t seem to be asking anyone in particular, but she was answered.
“That’s a difficult question. Truly difficult.”
Keena’s eyes were closed. She was passed out, so she wasn’t speaking aloud. She was practically dreaming, so how could she get an answer?
“Who are you?”
“I am myself. Another person within you,” the Law of Identity said.
“A me, within me?”
“That’s right. I am the eternal me, who lives on forever, even after you die. I am the proof that I am myself. It’s hard to understand, but that’s how it works. That’s why somebody wanted to kill you. They wanted me, so they wanted to kill you, hoping I would enter the body of someone they could use for their purposes.”
“I see. It’s rough for us both, huh?”
“Yes. It really is.”
They both laughed.
“So, what can you do?”
“A lot of things. But maybe nothing at all.”
“Which is it?”
“Who can say? I don’t know. But I know a little about what you want to do.”
“Yeah. Then can you do that?”
“Yeah. I think I can. You want to grant the wishes of the two boys who fell in love with us, right?”
“Yup!” Keena nodded cheerfully.
“Let’s bring rest to the time traveler’s soul, in the true sense.”
“What does that mean?”
“His true wish is that the person I once was is happy in the future. Let’s guarantee that for him. That’s why he tried to take control of the gods.”
“Then what will happen to Boichiro himself?”
“That’s up to him to decide. Perhaps he’ll settle in some different time... or perhaps he’ll cause something else to happen in a future era.”
“That’s not what I meant. How will Boichiro know that somebody in the future is happy?”
“He’ll just have to believe us. Yes, Boichiro will just have to believe in the child who was chosen to be the Demon King.”
“You mean Ackie?”
“He did what he did because he was trying to change the future, and struggle against a fate that’s already been decided. We’ll just have to ask him to believe. That’s why it’s actually Akuto who’s going to truly guarantee the peace of his soul.”
“But Ackie...”
“Yes. At this rate, he’ll remain an enemy of humanity. That’s something that he doesn’t want, either. So I’m going to change everyone’s memories, just a little. Really, just a little.”
“Change everyone’s memories?”
“Yes. I’m going to make them think it was another Demon King, not him, who did all this. If I change that, and nothing else, he can go back to the life he had.”
“Will that make Ackie happy?”
“I don’t know. He’ll go back to his old life, but that means he’ll have to keep fighting. And he’s got an even more painful destiny waiting for him!”
“Knowing Ackie, he’ll be fine,” Keena said confidently.
“I�
��m glad to hear that. I’ve watched over the world for so long, but even I was hesitant to give life to the gods. Hey, don’t you think the flow of human history is such a wonderful and beautiful thing?”
And then the conversation between Keena and the Law of Identity ended.
○
Fortunately, the airship’s equipment was undamaged. Junko borrowed it and used it to follow Akuto. But it took long enough to find him that she ended up losing a lot of time.
And while she flew, she was astonished to see the divine tree that everyone recognized floating in the air. Of course, this in and of itself was shocking enough.
But what she saw next was even more shocking: the divine tree exploded from within.
The blast was big enough that you could probably see it for dozens of kilometers around. The tree turned into a huge pillar of fire, stretching all the way down to the ground.
Junko couldn’t speak.
There was no better way to make it clear that the god was dead. A black dragon made of smoke spread its wings around the pillar of fire, as if laughing at everything around it. Junko knew Peterhausen, so she knew that it was his silhouette, but if someone didn’t, there would be no more nightmarish scene imaginable.
The shockwave from the blast traveled through the whole empire’s territory in an instant, and the noise reached all the way into the clouds.
“Oh no!”
Junko dodged past the shockwave and headed for the ground, but as she got near it she could hear the sound of the trees in the forest creaking in the wind. As soon as she landed, she jammed the Sohaya no Tsurugi into the earth to support herself. If she hadn’t, she would have been blown away.
But the wind from the blast subsided in a few seconds. Junko looked up to see what had happened.
And then, she saw something strange. Something was rising up towards the heavens from the center of the blast. It was a pillar of tiny particles of light. The light turned into a thin cloud, and seemed to spread out to cover the whole world.
“...What really happened up there?” Junko found herself whispering. She ran towards the center of the blast crater, where she saw Akuto and Keena.
“Are you two okay...?” she said as she ran up to them.
Akuto was lying on top of Keena’s body, as if to protect her.
“Wake up. Are you okay? There’s so much I want to ask you. What did you do? And who was that... Boichiro... guy...”
Junko suddenly fell silent.
“Oh, it’s Junko!” Keena said innocently as she squirmed out from under Akuto’s body. She smiled and waved hello.
“Huh...?” Akuto sat up too. He looked at Junko.
“Y-You dummy...!” Junko’s face turned red as she began to flail her hands about.
It was only then Akuto realized that Keena was totally naked.
“Uwah... Wait...”
“Nooo!” Keena grabbed onto Akuto to hide herself.
“You dummy! What are you doing?! That’s indecent!” Junko took off her jacket and threw it at Akuto and Keena. And then she looked away. “What are you doing? Do you know what just happened? A god... the divine tree that housed the god just exploded!”
“Well, you know that was what I was trying to make happen.” Akuto sighed. Junko turned around in surprise.
“Th-Then this...”
“That’s right. The god Suhara is gone now. All that’s happened is that the data disappeared, but now everybody will be forced to think about the fact that the gods are just systems. If that makes the world change...” Akuto suddenly trailed off. Then he continued, “...But I guess this means you and I are enemies. I know what I said, and I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”
Junko’s face went red.
“W-Well, you know... Maybe you don’t need to um... worry about it? I-I mean, I was feeling a little weird myself when I said that stuff...”
“It’s not that easy. I’m a traitor now. And you need to support the Hattori clan. Forget about me, and...”
Before Akuto could continue, Junko grabbed his hand. She was still looking at her feet, but her grip was firm.
“D-Don’t say that. I actually told everyone in the clan I was giving it up for you. So... so...”
She raised her head and looked Akuto in the eyes. Even Akuto was smart enough to figure out what this meant, and he gulped.
But...
“You mean you agree with my beliefs, right? I’m going to treasure that. Yes, I’ll try to take your opinion into account as much as I can, and make sure you don’t lose your social position...”
Before he could finish, the flat side of the Sohaya no Tsurugi slammed into his stomach.
“I guess it didn’t work out after all, huh sis?” called a voice from behind her. Yuko and Hiroshi were walking towards her. Yuko looked happy, and Hiroshi looked embarrassed.
“Wh-What are you talking about, Yuko? It’s not like... Wait, are you alright?”
Junko’s expression suddenly changed. Yuko held up both hands for her to see.
“I’m doing just fine. Better than before, if anything.” Yuko walked up to Akuto and poked him in the ribs with her elbow. “I don’t care about the clan either, so do something about my sister, would you mister?”
She had a mischievous grin on her face, but both Akuto and Junko were surprised.
“H-Hey, is it okay for you to touch him?” Junko said, her eyes wide with surprise. Yuko seemed confused.
“What do you mean? He came to our house. And then he turned down your marriage offer, and you got mad at him.”
“M-Mad... Well, maybe, but he’s the Demon King...”
Even if the demon beast mana was gone from her body, that didn’t mean the psychological trauma had healed. She might not hate Akuto anymore, but it still didn’t seem like she should be willing to touch him so soon.
But Yuko’s next words were even more shocking.
“Demon King? Oh, yeah, he probably died in that explosion. Akuto fought him, right? Because he’s on the disciplinary committee. He helped beat the Demon King. He was so cool, right? If you don’t want him, maybe I’ll take him,” Yuko said, speaking loudly so that both Junko and Hiroshi could hear, and then she spun around and laughed. But both Junko and Hiroshi were too stunned to say anything.
“Wait, do you mean...” Akuto gasped and looked at Keena. But Keena, now wearing Junko’s jacket, just looked up at him and grinned.
○
“Akuto! Oh, you’re alive! And now we’ve taken our first step towards world conquest!”
Fujiko’s reaction was no different than before. Akuto had quietly gone back inside the Academy, and he was standing in front of the now-empty altar in the basement as Fujiko draped herself over his body.
“F-Fujiko... Get off me, please. I don’t know about world conquest, but something weird is going on,” Akuto protested.
“Something weird?”
Akuto told her that everyone’s memories had been changed. As a scientist, even she couldn’t help but be interested. She was still clinging to Akuto’s arm, but she began to look for information on a mana screen.
“...This is fascinating. Everyone’s saying the battle was caused by another Demon King, who died during the fight. None of these comments show anyone thinking that you’re the Demon King...”
“Then I’m...” Akuto’s expression suddenly brightened. Fujiko pouted unhappily.
“I would prefer you not feel happy about this! We were so close, so close to the world being changed, and the Demon King at the center of it has vanished from everyone’s memories!”
“The world’s going to change, whether or not I’m at its center.”
Akuto was smiling with joy. He was free. And people’s opinions were starting to change, just as he’d hoped they would. They were realizing that the gods were a system, and that worshiping them as a religion opened them up to abuse by the powerful.
“No! Now is the time to rise up! You haven’t lost your power, right? Don’t worry,
I’ll make a man out of you! And I know just what I need to make you rise up...”
She suddenly knocked him over.
“Uwah! Fujiko, I don’t think...”
“No, don’t hold back. No matter what people say, we have a responsibility towards the world that comes after the revolution! And I think part of that responsibility means giving you an heir...”
“Th-That’s crazy...!”
“Hahahaha! Come on, you know you want it! Come on! Come on!”
Fujiko began to rub Akuto’s body, but she was quickly interrupted.
“Hey.”
Suddenly she was whacked from behind with a fist. There was no sign of anybody around them, and there was only one person who could hit someone from a distance like that.
“This is still part of the school grounds. No public displays of affection,” Lily said as she entered the room, a moment after her stretched-out arm had done so.
“President...” Akuto looked up at her.
Lily had a sarcastic smile on her face.
“Looks like you got the best of me again. But what kind of magic trick did you use to change people’s memories?”
“I don’t know, myself. There must be some... some great power moving that I don’t know about.”
“Hmph. Well, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change my job. For a while, I’m going to be busy rebuilding the school...” She turned to leave, but then she looked at the altar. “Hey, I don’t see that pot.”
Fujiko suddenly got a look of panic on her face. She winced a little as she told them what had happened.
“Th-That... That got taken by that rubber monster.”
“Is that true?” Lily looked panicked, herself.
Akuto didn’t seem to understand.
“A pot? What was in it?”
“It was an attempt to cultivate your cells. I hope they don’t use it for anything bad... but I suppose that’s too much to hope for.” Lily sighed.
5 - A Transfer Student From Overseas
—Now, it’s time to begin a new life.
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 5 Page 12
