Shinka no Mi (Shiranai Uchi ni Kachigumi Jinsei)-Chapter 227

(TN: Based on the title, you should know what it meant)

――――Dark, dark, dark.

What the hell am I saying……?

As I recall, I have used the secret technique from the Harmar Empire that Helio had found……

It is said that the Harmar Empire developed this secret technique to control the heroes they once used as pawns.

The document’s contents are the secret art of taking the power of the heroes and making it my own. …… It is truly a secret technique suitable for me, the would-be ruler of this world.

Although I didn’t know of the existence of such a secret art, if I could obtain power, I would use it, but…… my memory is cut off from there.

Where the hell am I!?

That Helio guy…… no way, did he really deceive me!?

I won’t allow it …… I won’t allow this……!

I, don’t have a vessel that should end in a place like this!

I have to get out of here at all costs and tear Helio to pieces……

I just kept wandering around in the darkness.

An ordinary person would have lost his or her mind in this situation.

However, I’m different.

Because I believe that I, who will become the ruler of this world, will definitely be able to escape from this place.

Thus, without any sense of time, I simply surrendered myself to the darkness, but then suddenly, I felt a foreign object blending into this different space.

『Fuh…… At one point I wondered what was going to happen, but I was saved by the body that the apostle prepared for me……』

What? Body, you say?

You don’t mean my body, do you!?

『Mu? What? The original owner of this body, huh. Fuhn, you seem to be remaining tenaciously, but this body is now mine. 』

What was that!?

To claim ownership of my body while suddenly entering…… there is a limit to being arrogant!

However, the thought that entered here laughed it off.

『You’re calling me arrogant!? Hahahahaha! What a load of obviousness! I am the Demon God. How could you tiny beings possibly resist me! 』

De,Demon God!? What the hell is going on!

『Fuh……that’s simple. The man who was under your command was my apostle, and your body was used as a sacrifice for my resurrection. 』

Nah……nah……!

I could not believe the words of this Demon God.

I never thought that my vassal, Helio, would be so treacherous……!

『Well, you should just be quiet and let me steal your body. Rest assured. I’ll put this body to good use.』

Anger wells up within me at the mocking of the Demon God.

Don’t screw around….. Don’t screw around, don’t screw around, don’t screw arouuuuuuuuuuuund!

This body belongs to me! I won’t give it to youuuuuuuuu!

『Hmm? Wha!? 』

I recklessly rushed into the direction where I could feel the presence of the demon god, and there I saw a purple flame.

Convinced that it is the Demon god, I swallow the flame as it is.

『St,stoooooooop! Y,you bastard! This me…… for you to touch the soul of this noble god……! 』

Ha! Does this prick think his noble?

That’s not right.

The noblest and the one who would conquer the world is not the Demon God, but this me――――!

『Gyah!? Le,let go! My…… my resurrection……!』

The Demon God continues its futile resistance.

However, this is originally my world.

No matter how much it resisted, there was no way I could lose to such a vanishing soul.

Fuhahahahaha! I don’t know if you’re a God or what, but my body is …… everything in this world belongs to meeeeeeeeeee!

『Gyaaaaaaaaaaaah…… ――――』

The demon god let out a loud death cry, and I never heard his voice again.

Kukuku……that idiot. You disappeared because you had the irreverent idea of stealing my body!

More than that…… having swallowed the demon god, I have finally regained possession of my body and am able to awaken my consciousness.

On top of that, even though he was dying, he was still a god, and I succeeded in absorbing the demon god’s power completely.

Hahaha! After all, the world exists for me! The demon god and everything else are nothing more than gifts from the world to me!

As my consciousness gradually awakens and I open my eyes with my recovered body, I see Helio, who appears to be overcome with emotion.

“Oooooh! Demon God-sama is finally here!”

“……”

“Demon God-sama! Using the magic circles I have prepared for you here, you can rob the power away from the heroes! If we use the other humans, we will be able to steal their life force and use them as your power, Demon God-sama!”

“――――I see”

“And by having Demon God-sama descend on the magic circle in the center, you can gain the power that has gathered from the surrounding magic circles!”

Helio started talking fluently about things I hadn’t even asked, but it was just right, considering that it saves me the trouble of asking him.

However……

“Looks like you went to a lot of trouble.”

“It was nothing at all! I am a servant of Demon God-sama! I am at your command!”

“Then ―――― die”

“Eh?”

I said this to Helio, who had betrayed me, but was still carelessly making noises while bowing his head.

At that moment, when I lightly waved my arm, Helio’s body floated into the air.

I could never have pulled off such a feat in the past, but it is no problem for me now.

And I also understood how to use the power I had acquired.

“Nah!? What are you doing!?”

Helio rants and raves in an unsightly manner.

To such a guy, I turn my cold gaze.

“Too bad for you. The demon god you sought has already disappeared, you know?”

“Naah!? The,then…… are you saying you’re Sheld!?”

“To call me like that…… it’s disrespectful.”

“Gyah!?”

When I waved my arm again, I slammed Helio into the magic circle that he seemed to have prepared, and then applied force to crush him from above.

“Gyaaaaaaaah! Wh,whyyyyyyyyyy!”

“I am the pinnacle of the world. Demon god and such beings are no more than offerings to me.”

“Bla,blasphemyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!?”

“Mu?”

The next moment, the body of Helio, who had been shouting, dried up all at once.

I was a little surprised by the sudden change, but…… I see. So this is the magic circle that takes away one’s life force.

And if I stand in the center, I can strengthen myself further with the stolen life force and the power of the heroes……

“Kukuku……hahahahahahaha! This is good! I’ll immediately gather not only the heroes, but also the humans, and strengthen myself!”

When I decided so, I immediately waved my arms lightly in preparation for strengthening myself.

“Come!”

“――――Gigi”

“Gishaa!”

Then, out of nowhere, monstrous beings began to appear one after another.

“Alright. You go out and bring some sacrifices. And, of course, the heroes too.”

“Shaaa!”

“Gigigyagya”

Hearing my words, all the monsters run out of the room at once.

“Fuhn. That demon god, maybe because he was weakened, that I can’t use his powers satisfactorily…… If this was in perfect condition, I could have summoned these monstrous beings countless times, though……” (TN: LOL, if he was in perfect condition, you’d be dead)

Well, if those monsters gather sacrifices from now on, my power will be restored and I should transform into an even more powerful existence.

Then I would be able to summon those creatures without restrictions.

“Hahaha! I can’t wait to see what’s to come!”

As I thought about the future ahead, I burst out laughing.

◆◇◆

After entrusting the heroes to Ranze-san, I returned to the eerie space.

“Sorry, I’m late!”

“N,no, it’s fine, but …… you really can transfer from here…….”

“Eh?”

“……It’s nothing”

No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like it’s nothing for now, though!

“More importantly, I have gathered the people who were placed in that magic circle here for the time being, but ……”

“……That’s an amazing number.”

The people lined up there were not dozens, but hundreds, and all of them were dried up and dying.

What’s more, there was no uniformity in the people gathered; they ranged from ordinary townspeople to people in butler’s or maid’s uniforms who may have worked at the castle, to prisoners whom Zakia-san was looking for.

Then, Zakia-san made a confused look.

“……Strange. Why is this guy here……”

“What’s wrong?”

“…… perhaps the person who has instigated His Majesty this time, was among them.”

“Eh?”

By “instigated”, you mean the mastermind in every aspect, such as the heroes summoning, and the secret technique, right? You’re saying he’s among these dried-up people……

“This old man in robe is Helio, the man who controlled the Kaizer empire behind the scenes.”

“This person……”

The person was originally old, and compared to the others, his condition of dryness was worse. Or rather, is he really alive ……?

“I tried using recovery magic on them while you were away, but there was no response.”

“Ah, about that, it seems that if you share your life force with them, they will recover.”

“……What are you saying?”

Well, I knew he would react that way!

“Err…… I don’t know why, but it seems that the life force of the people placed on top of that magic circle has been deprived. That’s why it’s necessary to share one’s life force directly with them, not recover them with restoration magic.”

“I, I understand the logic, but…… is it even possible to share one’s life force?”

“I did it!”

“………………I see”

That pause was harsh.

“We,well it’s fine. If that helps them, then nothing is better than that. Can I ask you to do that?”

“Understood”

『――――!?』

“Oy, is it really okay!?”

“Ma,maybe……”

Just like with the heroes, I poured my life force into them with the maximum allowable amount I could muster, and the bodies of those who had been sleeping jumped up and down. It’s a terrible horror for me……

However, the effect was certain, and life returned to the faces of those who were on the verge of dying just a moment ago.

That being said, their bodies are still in a state of emaciation, so I guess they’ll need to take time to recover from this.

All of them, whose life force has been restored, is lying there with peaceful expressions on their faces as it is.

“If you’re saying that they’ve recovered, then we’ll have to carry them out of this place……”

“Ah, you can leave that to me too!”

“Eh?”

Since we could not hold this many people all at once, I thought it would be a good idea to lift the entire floor and carry them, but at that moment, the bodies of the sleeping people softly floated up.

……Perhaps, gravity is helping me out.

“O,oy, what’s this all about!? They suddenly rose from the surface!”

“Gravity is lending me a hand”

“What are you talking about!?”

Really, I wonder what I’m talking about.

“Well, isn’t this fine. With this, I can carry them”

“That’s true, but that’s not it! Are you really a human!?”

“Excuse me! I’m human, you know!”

“…….What is a human……”

Please stop reacting like that. It pains me.

“……More importantly, why is Helio the only one who’s being carried that way?”

“……No, I don’t really know either……”

The old man, who was said to be the mastermind earlier, was carried more roughly than the others……or rather, he was floating on the spot with only one leg lifted up for some reason.

Because of that, his face is hitting the ground, and every time he moves, his face is dragging on the ground, which is painful to watch.

However, I am not doing this on purpose, it is simply gravity that is lending me a hand and carrying them in this manner. I’m not the bad one! ……I want to think that!

“Well then, we’re all going to transition.”

I immediately activated the transition magic and transferred to the castle of the Kaizer Empire, including Zakia-san and the people floating around me.

“O,oh…… I knew you could make the transition because you came back safe and sound, but when I actually experienced it…… it’s still unbelievable……”

“Ahaha……”

“――――Zakia-san!”

“Tsu! Orphe!”

Then one of the soldiers who had fought those creatures a while ago came running up to us.

“Zakia-san, these people are …….”

“…… The people here are the ones who were assembled in the audience chamber.”

“In the audience chamber!? Wh,why……wait, Helio-sama!? Wha,what’s the meaning of this……”

“The surprise will have to come later. For now, let’s carry the people here to a place where they can sleep.”

“Ye,yes! I’ll go call the other soldiers too!”

Saying that, he rushed back to call the other soldiers.

“Now then…… Seiichi-kun. As you’ve probably guessed,…..”

“……It’s about the current emperor of this country, right?”

“Ah…… without a doubt that mass of meat in the middle of that space is His Majesty …… No, it must be what His Majesty has become.”

“As I thought…… but how did he end up looking like that? The secret art is meant to steal power from the heroes and make him stronger, right?”

“We won’t know the exact details unless I ask Alf-sama, but I’m sure that’s the correct interpretation. And the fact that he ended up looking like that means that Helio either taught a false secret or it was an incomplete secret in the first place…… Anyway, there must be some reason.”

“……”

“No way…… are you going to go?”

Looking at my appearance, Zakia-san opened his eyes wide and said so, but he immediately shook his head.

“……No, it’s no use worrying about you. If anything, I’d like to accompany you, but……”

“No, please stay close to Alf-sama in case something goes wrong.”

“……I’m sorry”

Zakia-san looks apologetic, but if something happens, it’s more likely that I’ll be the only one to suffer with less damage.

Above all, Zakia-san would be anxious to leave Alf-sama’s side any longer.

There are no signs of monsters being born at the moment, but you never know when it might come back.

“So with that, I’m going to that space once more!”

“Be careful.”

Again, I teleported to that eerie space once more.