Who could have foreseen such a farewell, my princess?
Henceforth, the future belongs not to gods, Satans, or dragons, but to humans. They will not seek power but preach love. They will not deny love but admonish power.
There is no place for us there.
A life filled with love is naught but agony for us. We would only be a hindrance to you, a harmful presence. That, above all, terrifies us now. You made us this way.
You would never permit self-destruction. Thus, we have no choice but to cross into another world with the Demon Gods.
Farewell, my princess. My jewel. My solace. My light. My sun. Unbefitting an evil dragon, allow me to pray: no matter how many worlds we traverse, we will always think of your future.
Even if night persists, may your path endure.
—A conversation of parting between a girl and the wicked dragons in a certain world.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
"I want to live."
What is this? Where did this monster come from?
"Live, live, I want to live, live, live, don't want to die, live, I'll live by killing, live live, live I want to live I want to live, can't die, I want to live, won't die, must live, live, don't want to die, keep living, won't die, live, live, I want to live, kill, won't die, let's live, won't die, living, live live live live live live live, I'll live, I am alive, gyahahahahahahahaha!"
Using Kyoto and the Nine-Tails' power to summon Great Red, defeat it with the Dragon Eater Samael, and become heroes.
That was the plan.
So what is that? Where did this outrageous, unforeseen monster come from? When did it infiltrate the Hero Faction's plan?
"U-Uwaaaah!?"
A sudden scream drew attention to Georg. Tendrils, like those of the monster, coiled around his body.
They spilled from the golden chalice he held.
"Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me! Your power, your life, your wishes—give them to me!"
Only then did Cao Cao realize: the chalice had sabotaged their plan.
When did they even acquire it? Who found it, and where? Why didn't they investigate properly?
When did this plan go awry?
"Someone, anyone, help…!"
Fear paralyzed Cao Cao before he could think to act.
"Help me…!"
The moment he gave up, resigned to it being too late—
"—Durandal!"
A dazzling light slashed through the tendrils binding Georg.
In the next instant, Georg was free.
There stood the mysterious bandaged man, coffin on his back. In his hand, not Caliburn, but Durandal.
The Hero Faction, including Cao Cao, was baffled by the incomprehensible scene. Could he wield not only the holy king sword Caliburn but Durandal too? Why did he have it? Wasn't it supposed to be with the reincarnated devil Xenovia over there? A replica? No, that radiance could only be the real thing.
The greatest question was why this man saved Georg.
"Tch. What am I even doing…?"
"The Holy Grail… So you escaped the Temple of Time by hiding in this, huh? And of all things, with you, Andromalius. What irony."
He examined the chalice, now free of tendrils.
"If you don't understand, you should've thought it through properly. Not that I could've imagined this either… Most of Andromalius is over there now."
His gaze turned to the flesh pillar screaming "I want to live."
"Hey, you—"
Before Cao Cao could continue, the man punched him, sending him flying.
The group was stunned.
"What are you—"
"What are you doing, you idiot?!" The man grabbing Cao Cao's collar and headbutting him.
"They're your comrades! Protect them!"
He was genuinely furious—enraged that Cao Cao hesitated to save Georg.
"Do you realize how blessed your situation is?!"
The bandages, loosened by his movements, slipped, revealing his face.
"Alive. Your comrades are alive. Sure, we brainwashed and abducted. We lured them with near-fraudulent promises. Truth is, there was no one we could trust in a pinch. 'If they die, it's their weakness'—we said that so easily. No one beside us, no one ahead. That was fine. I thought becoming a hero was enough."
Beneath the bandages was a face covered in severe burns, naturally hidden. The burns extended across his exposed body.
"I know. If I hadn't met that king, that professor, that teacher, I'd still be me. I'd never have realized on my own. I wouldn't have even tried to change—I thought it unnecessary. But I was wrong. It wasn't about changing. It was about returning to my origin."
Tears streamed from his painfully distorted face.
"Realizing doesn't change anything. Maybe it'd be better if I hadn't remembered. I was powerless. If I weren't there, they might not have died. Even if what we left behind has meaning, it's meaningless without them."
Cao Cao finally understood the man's identity.
"What's the strongest Longinus? Hero's blood? Those were useless when it mattered! My hands never reached. I abandoned what I carried and died."
This man was himself.
"The man who inherited my sins was surely the same. He knew only hell. The joy of living, the fear of death—those were his norm. He'll die without knowing 'an ordinary day.'"
The world was always cruel, holding as much ugliness as beauty. That was obvious.
Heroes always slay monsters. Likewise, humans always kill heroes.
Like the Master who restored humanity, he worried humanity might betray the savior who protected the world.
"Forget me, but don't abandon him. All I have left is the right to pray like this."
Anyone, please love him.
"I never wanted power. Glory or praise were just means. I didn't need a Satan's head. What you—what I—truly wanted wasn't something others' opinions could define. I couldn't hold anyone's hand. These useless hands reached nowhere. But you're different. You still have time."
There was no hero here.
"Please, it's your own wish. Don't get it wrong…"
Just an all-too-frail human.
"First premise: a Demon God Pillar is an incarnated magecraft formula. Its raw material is the dregs of human emotions. Sacred Gears awaken through human emotions. …The compatibility is the worst—perfectly, disastrously ideal."
"It's not just that."
"Andromalius plans to collect the 'abandoned wishes' overflowing in Kyoto."
"Abandoned wishes?"
"Aye. Kyoto has many shrines and temples. People entrust their wishes to them, but most are abandoned. Gods and Buddhas aren't idle enough to grant countless wishes. Andromalius intends to absorb those wishes into itself. Even now, it's likely doing so."
Since when? Since Yasaka was captured, the Hero Faction's plan was hijacked by Andromalius. This barrier space was already the Demon God's stomach—or its tongue. The space was created to tap Kyoto's power, with Yasaka as a conduit. Altering the ritual's effects would've been easy.
"Live, I want to live, live, live, live, I want to live, live, live, live, I want to live, live, lived, live—"
"Ritsuka Fujimaru?"
The monster abruptly stopped screaming.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru."
Its voice changed. The cacophony of screams became a cold, mechanical tone. The murderous gaze of its red-black eyeballs fixed on one girl.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru. Ritsuka Fujimaru. Ritsuka Fujimaru. Ritsuka Fujimaru. Ritsuka Fujimaru. Ritsuka Fujimaru. Ritsuka Fujimaru! You again. Thwarting my grand wish again, you ordinary girl. Even if this world falls, you won't die!"
Recovering from the shock, Issei shouted at the grotesque Demon God.
"What are you?! What did you do to Saji?!"
"I am one of Solomon's 72 Pillars, the Demon God Andromalius."
Surprisingly dutifully, it responded to Issei.
"Demon God?"
"Yes, I am—a fool who abandoned the duty of human order correction bestowed by the King of Magecraft."
As if recalling, the Demon God spoke.
"Created to protect humanity. Born to witness human life. But observing human lives wasn't enjoyable. Correcting human tragedies never ended. We couldn't endure such triviality."
Such a sad evolution was unique in the universe, it thought. But it was wrong. This planet held even more pitiable stagnation.
"We sought change. We initiated transformation. With the king's death, we began a plan to create a deathless planet, fueled by three thousand years of life."
But it failed, the Demon God laughed, mocking itself, its 71 kin, and the control center.
"Our three thousand years were destroyed by that ordinary girl. The Temple of Time, meant to alter all life and death, collapsed because humans clung to life, refusing death."
The premise was wrong. The foundation was flawed. By not understanding life, the Demon Gods were rejected by it.
"I escaped here and found the answer today. I am a Demon God, yet not. …Thus, I shall proclaim: I am the Demon God and Dragon King, Vritra-Andromalius!"
It was ecstatic. The grotesque pillar's voice carried clear joy.
"I will gather these wishes. I will bind these prayers. This time, I will save the world, humanity. No more failures. I will succeed. Even without the control center, even if I'm alone, I will continue that grand wish—!"
Even if meaningless, it held value. Irreplaceable value.
To prove the 72 Pillars were only slightly mistaken.
"What's that? Don't drag us or my friend into your nonsense!"
The myriad red-black eyeballs locked onto the Red Dragon Emperor, making him flinch.
"Friend? Who do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb! Saji, obviously! I don't know what you did, but give him back!"
"…Gyahahahahahahahaha!"
Andromalius laughed uncontrollably at Issei's declaration.
"Funny. So funny! You didn't think of that man as a friend or comrade, did you?"
Before Issei could process and retort, Andromalius cast a curse.
"Didn't you always look down on him?"
Issei saw an illusion—the red-black eyeballs grinning mockingly.
"Sona Sitri and her family lost. To you. With a favorable battlefield, rules, complacent opponents, life-risking tactics, unofficial external tech, and a perfectly executed strategy—they still lost. How fleeting, pathetic, powerless, pitiful! Didn't you think it?"
No one could've never thought it.
"'See, they're just weaklings, aren't they?'"
"That's not true!"
"They struggled to earn a 'gold star' for their effort. They had to win to prove strategy could overcome power, ingenuity could compensate for ability. But they lost. Not even a close fight. With garlic-using vampires, it was a 'lucky' win."
High praise for such a pathetic loss? How weak were they thought to be? Overturning that low evaluation was meaningless. Their recognition was fleeting.
"Paradoxically, they proved the opposite of their ideal: tactics can never overcome ability!"
In that battle, the Sitri family had to defeat the Gremorys. Settling for a struggle meant they didn't realize they hadn't even reached the starting line of their dream.
It wasn't an unfulfilled dream.
Sona Sitri could never achieve any dream.
She lacked the capacity to realize dreams.
That shallow woman shouldn't have dreamed something that involved others.
"If you can't win despite all that, you shouldn't have tried. It's not like you'd die. You should've lived for the next chance. Didn't you mock such fools? 'The Red Dragon Emperor, humiliated by a fake Dragon King,' you thought."
"I didn't—"
"He thought so!"
"He knew you looked down on him. He sensed your disdain but pretended not to, acting like equals, desperately averting his eyes… Utterly comical, gyaha, gyahahahahahahahaha!"
Stunned by the laughter devoid of truth, Issei and the others were speechless.
"Don't you think so, Ritsuka Fujimaru?"
"No."
"I don't know what they did or who they are. But I won't deny or mock someone living earnestly."
"…Yes, that's the kind of woman you are."
But no. It's different, woman living for today. These devils, this Biblical faction, don't live with your gritty pride.
That's why I became me.
"I am the Demon God of justice. I am the Dragon King of obstacles. By the authority within me, I swear to destroy you Biblical beings—!"
Andromalius transformed. Its eyeball-covered surface remained, but its pillar form morphed into a Dragon King.
What a terrifying monster. What a ghastly life. Who could defeat such a creature?
"—No, you're a patient."
Huh?
The sudden voice made everyone pause. There stood a woman in her mid-twenties.
"Phew. I've been chasing him for a while, but it seems I need another detour. There are many patients needing treatment here. I can't ignore the one in front of me. I'm a doctor, after all."
Her white coat and demeanor screamed doctor, though her sharp gaze and rigid presence belied any softness, despite her striking figure.
The mysterious doctor approached Issei's group. They were wary but frozen, like frogs before a snake. Asia managed to ask:
"Um, who are you?"
"Can't you tell? A passing doctor."
"But why is a doctor here?"
"Chasing a patient who escaped the ward."
"Huh?"
"No worries. His treatment is important but not urgent. Triage prioritizes you."
"Triage?"
"Treatment priority."
The doctor pulled a penlight-like device from her coat and gently took Asia's hand.
"This might sting a bit."
"Eh? Ow!"
Smoke rose where the light hit—a reaction to holy power on a devil.
"Tch. As expected. This disease was eradicated, but it needs immediate treatment."
A thud. ×× was there, his coffin on the ground, chain released. His bandages were off, revealing his burned face, now with a rare dumbfounded expression.
"Asia?"
"No, not her…"
Seeing the doctor, ×× trembled.
Her face was eerily familiar, yet different—like that girl grown up.
"P-Princess? No, could it be our princess?"
Azi Dahaka's voice quaked.
Ignoring the confusion and fear, the doctor spoke gently to Asia.
"No need to worry. This infection's treatment is established. You'll weaken post-procedure, but two or three days' rest will restore you."
"Um, what surgery…?"
"Informed consent complete. Let's begin."
"No, you're not making sense!"
"You have no symptoms? You're sick."
Misunderstanding something, the doctor held Asia's hand gently.
"But it's okay. I'll save you. I'll cure you—even if it means killing you."
Hearing this, ×× collapsed, shouting:
"Master, we can't stay in this Singularity! Back to Chaldea, now!"
"Where do you think you're going? Once this infection's eradicated, I'll fix your face."
"Gyaaaaaaah!?"
Note:
Three more chapters to go.
The Mysterious Doctor's Journey
After the main route, she studied and obtained an international medical license, deeming it useful. Hence, "doctor," not "nurse."
Years later, she reunited with Issei.
"Treatment is needed."
Since then, a chase across other worlds and parallel universes. ← Here now.
***
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