Grant, who had taken over Lucian’s body, turned around.
The tower itself was visibly crumbling into pieces. It was collapsing incredibly slowly, as if the density of space-time had changed.
He smiled faintly at the sight. There was a sense of relief about him.
"I wasn’t the Demon Lord to begin with, but it’s still satisfying to see it crumble. Now, will the Heroes have less nonsense to spout? What a pity."
Sarcasm laced with mockery. It was a shame that no one was there to hear this taunt directly.
"Alright, shall I start by destroying the Empire, which is supposedly humanity’s hope?"
Grant wanted to savor this moment further. Also, his body hadn’t fully adapted to his abilities yet.
For a proper warm-up, erasing a nation from the map would be ideal. It was an extremely easy task for Grant, and one he preferred.
He advanced.
As he moved forward, he saw a gigantic bird soaring through the sky, spreading its wings.
Its size seemed almost larger than a drake.
Grant knew what that was.
"Isn’t that a monstrous bird, the mages’ mount? It must be going to report this incident."
So there were still living beings. Even better.
He wanted humanity to be terrified.
He wanted humanity, which he so wished to respect, to reveal its true, weak nature.
"Only then will it be satisfying to break them. Vermin."
Grant’s face was filled with all sorts of smiles. He even crossed his arms as he watched the monstrous bird fly away.
He was confident. The optimal body and a soul brimming with resentment.
Wasn’t this the best possible condition?
"Go on, struggle all you want. You won’t overcome my resentment. You cancerous cells!"
He grinned and moved forward. Where he passed, Kahlum clung thickly.
***
Winston’s Magic Adjutant, who had just arrived at the Imperial Palace. He surveyed his surroundings as soon as he dismounted from the monstrous bird.
"Why is the Imperial Palace in such disarray?"
Normally, it should have been peaceful. Those who went to subjugate the northern barbarians would soon return as well.
But now, the Imperial Palace was a crucible of chaos itself. However, reporting was the first priority.
"It’s a disaster! Returning from the Demon Lord’s Tower right now... No, what is this?!"
The Archmage approached, emitting nine halos of light from his chest.
"Why are you so agitated? His Imperial Majesty has passed away. No, he was assassinated!"
"What? Who on earth...?"
"I don’t know. I don’t even know when it happened. Her Imperial Majesty is also bedridden now. We only have the frail Crown Prince... No, why have you come? Weren’t you part of the Demon Lord Subjugation Force?"
The Magic Adjutant was flustered by the Archmage’s question.
It was the worst possible situation.
He had to say something that would add another layer of disaster to this situation.
"Tell them that in this situation? His Imperial Majesty is dead. What on earth?"
He was confused. It felt as if all the world’s misfortunes were crashing down at once, making his mind reel.
Nevertheless, he had to speak.
Thud!
He knelt on one knee and cried out desperately.
"We must prepare for a siege immediately! Hurry!"
"If it’s the northern barbarians, there shouldn’t be a problem, should there? Why are you acting like this?"
"...One of the Demon Lord Subjugation Force members has been possessed by the Demon Lord. We don’t know if they were possessed or if they were targeting us from the start, but we must stop them quickly!"
This time, the Archmage was flustered. The current situation was already chaotic due to the Emperor’s assassination.
On top of this, had the Demon Lord subjugation failed? And one of their own had even become the Demon Lord?
"Are you seriously saying that...."
"Please, I beg you. If we cannot stop them, the Dharma Empire, which boasts over a thousand years of history, will end today!"
The Empire would end. This was tantamount to the heart of Asgard Chronicle ceasing to beat.
Just imagining it made his mind reel. The Archmage, flustered, quickly issued orders.
"Ah, I understand. Prepare quickly. You, too, gather the personnel preparing for the ceremony!"
As the Archmage left, the Magic Adjutant breathed a sigh of relief.
"This should be enough. If the barbarian subjugation force returns as well, we should be able to stop him."
He was genuinely relieved. There was still time.
He had flown that long distance in an instant on the monstrous bird. He had even cast acceleration magic.
"That bastard has to walk. At best, it’ll take him three or four days."
It was enough time to prepare. Just as he was about to carry out the orders, feeling relieved.
"You think you can stop me with mere trash like that? This... is amusing, isn’t it?"
Along with an unknown voice, a jet-black blade pierced through the Magic Adjutant’s chest and protruded from it.
The Magic Adjutant turned his head, spewing blood from his mouth.
He saw Grant, smiling sinisterly. He was the one originally called Lucian Vane.
Grant tilted his head, rotating the black-stained Dawn in a clockwise direction.
"Still don’t understand? If I wish, I can move as fast as light. I arrived here in no time."
"Ugh, gurgle...!"
"You can rest easy. The Empire you held so dear will be destroyed. Humanity’s civilization will also be annihilated. So rest in peace."
Grant shook off the Magic Adjutant’s corpse and flicked the blood from his sword.
Then he turned and walked away. Grant met the eyes of the monstrous bird waiting outside the window. He commanded it.
"Carry me."
The monstrous bird, which had been screaming wildly, gradually submitted and soon carried Grant.
Riding the monstrous bird, Grant ascended higher.
And looked down at the capital.
Lights flickered everywhere, and people moved about in a chaotic manner.
That sight appeared utterly chaotic to Grant.
"How fleeting, humans are. Having built such beautiful civilizations, why do their ideals become even more avaricious? Is this, too, my sin?"
Grant flinched in surprise. Tears were silently streaming down his face.
Wiping away his tears with a trembling hand, Grant smiled bitterly.
"This, too, must be my duty as an Elfe. I will reclaim the civilization I bestowed upon you humans. Even your very lives."
[The Aberrant Power that Twists the Universe]
A jet-black war cloud swirled around Dawn, and sparks began to fly.
He activated the power more smoothly and easily than he had in the tower.
"Dawn, Elysii."
The aberrant power shattered the surrounding space and flew towards the Imperial Palace. Soon, the Imperial Palace split in two and began to collapse with a thunderous roar.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"The Imperial Palace is collapsing! Evacuate!"
"Save meee!"
"Why is the palace twin towers remind me of something I went through before? Anyway SAVE MEEE! SAVE MEEEEEE!!!"
The already chaotic Imperial Palace became even more disordered.
Was this what a crucible of chaos truly was?
Watching the Imperial Palace crumble, Grant was weeping with his eyes, yet smiling with his lips.
"This body, it’s good. The more I exert power, the more accustomed I become to it. At this rate...."
He narrowed his eyes, then shook his head. The time he desired would surely come.
Until then, he would simply commit massacres.
The Archmage led the mages up.
"Kuh, so it was you? How audacious!"
"Audacious, you say? Aren’t you humans truly the epitome of audacity?"
"Shut up! What right do you have to say such things?"
"Hah, right?"
Grant chuckled. To discuss rights here, of all places.
To him, an Elfe.
"My only right is to exterminate you. Is there anything else?"
"You’re facing summary judgment!"
The Archmage activated his mana, making nine Circle Hearts glow.
The mages behind him also attempted to cast spells simultaneously.
A grandeur capable of easily blowing away half the mountain ranges across the entire Dharma Empire was felt.
The mere act of activating mana was overwhelming.
But to Grant, it seemed incredibly crude and sluggish.
"Slow."
Grant vanished. Soon, he reappeared atop the monstrous bird.
The space he passed through was stained like a dark trajectory, then vanished.
Soon, all the mages attempting to cast spells had their heads severed. Even the Archmage.
"How slow. Even in dying."
Grant sneered, looking down at the blood on his sword.
***
The surroundings were already shattered like a mirror. But I could feel relieved.
Because my woman, Goddess Isis, had appeared.
I felt relieved seeing her. Could I be any happier?
"Goddess! You were here?!"
"My dear, it’s good to meet you like this. But I cannot stay long."
I felt a pang of regret. And I was curious.
"What?"
"That being is growing within you. At this rate, I can no longer remain inside you!"
I became worried. Was it because she might leave me? No.
It was because I might not be able to meet her anymore. I was in a strange place right now.
"No! Then what about Goddess?"
"Huhu, don’t worry. Even if I no longer reside within you, I can still move about safely!"
"Oooh...!"
"However, it’s a pity I cannot be with my dear."
Goddess pouted. I stared blankly at her.
Then I approached her and gave her the biggest hug I could.
I hugged her tightly, feeling her body warmth. My heart pounded.
"Ah, my dear... now isn’t the time for this... Hngh♥"
"I thought I had lost you."
A heartfelt remark from deep within me. I thought it would sound cringey if I said it.
But it’s still bearable to hear. That’s a relief.
Goddess stroked my back.
"Don’t worry. Instead, there’s something my man must do."
"What is it? First, I want to get out of here. Only then can I do anything."
Goddess shook her head. Her golden hair shimmered before my eyes.
"Listen carefully. This is a subspace created by Grant. You’ll be able to leave once certain conditions are met. Of course, Grant’s hold over your body will need to weaken."
"Then what can I do...?"
By now, Grant must be doing all sorts of disgusting things with my body.
Surely he isn’t touching women or anything like that, right?
If he is, I’ll really kill him!
"You will soon know what you must do. I came to deliver these last words."
I swallowed and waited. With a flushed face, Goddess smiled affectionately.
"Lucian, my man. Please, stay alive. Please, do you understand?"
Goddess’s form gradually faded. As if she was about to vanish completely.
But I smiled. Without panicking, I met her eyes and smiled back.
"If that is an order. Yes, my lady!"
Perhaps pleased with my answer, Goddess smiled and disappeared. Yes, let’s meet again. Us.
Stomp, stomp.
And then, footsteps were heard from the other side. It didn’t sound like Goddess.
"Finally, something’s coming. Who is it?"
It was dark, but as I kept watching, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
As I continued to watch, someone appeared.
"Huh...?"
Surprisingly, it was a being identical to me. It greeted me.
"Hello?"
"You, you’re... me?"
"Yeah, I’m you. But... you’re not me, are you?"
The being drew Dawn. I hastily retreated, then stumbled and fell. What the hell is this?!