Chapter 5: Fated Bonds
1
The next day, Monday night.
Aima dialed Nanaka’s number.
“I mentioned it a bit yesterday, but I’d like to meet your parents, Nanaka.”
He got straight to the point.
《You did say something like that, didn’t you? It’s fine by me, but why?》
“There’s something bothering me. I want to talk to them. I’d like to look into how they suddenly became addicted to gambling.”
《Okay. But even if you say you want to meet and talk, how are you going to do it? Honestly, I don’t think they’d pay much attention to you if you just showed up out of nowhere.》
“Take me to your house. First, let them see you. You’re probably listed as a missing person right now, so if you suddenly show up, they’ll be shocked and demand an explanation. That’s when I’ll step in and explain things.”
《Wait, wouldn’t that make it look like I stayed out all night with my boyfriend and just came back? That’s a terrible first impression!》
“Is it?”
《Ugh, when you respond so innocently like that, it makes me feel like I’m the jaded one, and I kinda feel guilty… Fine. I’ll go with you since it’ll probably be easier to talk with me there. But how are we going to do this? Won’t it be bad if I’m seen walking around outside?》
《No problem. I’ll cast a ‘blinding’ spell on you.》
Yuri’s voice chimed in from beside Nanaka.
《Blinding?》
Aima could practically see Nanaka tilting her head in confusion.
《With this spell, Okushima-san won’t be visible to anyone except those I allow. Of course, if someone can break through my technique, that’s a different story—but there’s only one person in the world capable of that.》
《There’s one person?》
《Of course! Nothing is impossible for Lord Jento!》
Now it was Yuri’s turn to puff out her chest proudly in Aima’s imagination.
《Yuri-chan, you really admire Aima, huh?》
《You should show more respect to Lord Jento! Calling him so casually like that—I can’t believe it. If Lord Jento didn’t permit it, I’d tear you to pieces!》
《Haha, scary!》
The conversation veered off track that day, but they settled on meeting at the school gate the following day, Tuesday. Aima could have gone to Yuri’s place to pick Nanaka up, but since Nanaka’s house was closer if they went straight from school, they decided she’d come to him instead.
And so, Tuesday arrived.
After school ended, Aima met Nanaka at the school gate.
“Whoa, it’s true! No one’s noticing me…!”
Nanaka exclaimed as she watched the crowd of classmates streaming out of the gate, passing right by her without a glance.
“Oh, is it bad if I talk?”
“Your voice should be concealed too, thanks to Yuri’s settings, so it’s fine.”
“Oh, got it… Then, here goes!”
As they started walking, Nanaka suddenly linked her arm with his.
“!?”
“I-I thought maybe if I do this, you’d become invisible too, right?”
“That’s… probably true, yeah…”
“Wouldn’t that be better? If people saw you heading to my house, they might get suspicious.”
Her reasoning made sense, so they continued walking like that, though it was a bit awkward.
Nanaka’s house was within walking distance of the school—a two-story home in a quiet residential neighborhood.
“Wait here a sec.”
When they reached the house, Nanaka had Aima stand by the front door while she went inside alone.
“If Mom and Dad are home, they might freak out if I just brought you in without warning.”
“Would it really be that surprising?”
“They’d totally flip if I brought a boy home!”
Fair point—bringing a friend of the opposite sex might indeed catch them off guard.
“Oh, you look surprised. What, did you think I was some kind of player? That’s troubling—I’ve never even had a boyfriend!”
“That’s surprising. You’re cute and seem like you’d be popular.”
“W-What!? C-Cute!? Ugh, stop messing around! I’ll be right back!”
Nanaka’s face flushed slightly as she hurried inside.
It was the very moment she stepped into the house.
“Don’t you dare bring some guy in here without permission!!”
A man’s furious shout echoed from inside, followed by a loud crash—the sound of something being thrown.
Aima flung open the front door and rushed inside, heading toward the source of the noise—the living room.
Nanaka was crouched on the floor. A man was kicking her in the back. Behind him, a woman was shrieking something at Nanaka. Both the man and woman’s faces were flushed, and the room reeked of alcohol. They were clearly drunk.
“Stop!”
Aima chanted briefly, thrusting his palm toward the two adults. Magic circles flared around their bodies, freezing them in place.
“You okay, Nanaka? Sorry. I didn’t think they’d immediately resort to violence against their missing daughter.”
He’d considered the possibility they might be angry at her for disappearing without a word, but he hadn’t imagined they’d skip worry entirely and go straight to hitting her.
“Y-Yeah, thanks… What about Mom and Dad?”
Nanaka looked at the immobilized pair with concern.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a spell to stop their movements. It won’t harm their health.”
“O-Oh… If you say so, Aima, then I guess it’s fine…?”
She gazed at her parents, still half-doubting.
“Relax. I’ll look into it and release them soon. —As I thought, there’s a technique engraved on them.”
Aima said this while holding his hand over the foreheads of Nanaka’s parents.
“???”
“They’re being controlled by magic. You said it yourself, didn’t you? That it was strange for them to suddenly become gambling addicts. This is the reason.”
With that, Aima summoned another magic circle.
“Here we go.”
For a moment, the focus left their parents’ eyes. Then, almost instantly, it returned, and their expressions turned dazed, as if they’d just woken up.
“Huh? What was I…?” “I was…”
Then, in the next instant, they looked down at the crouched Nanaka with expressions of sheer shock and cried out.
“Nanaka!!”
“Dad, Mom…?”
“Nanaka… I’m so sorry. I—I…”
Her father collapsed onto her, hugging her tightly.
“I’m sorry, Nanaka. I’m so, so sorry.”
Beside them, her mother dropped to her hands and knees, head bowed in shame.
When Aima dispelled the technique, the 《brainwashing》 magic lifted. They were dazed at first after the dispelling, but their memories of being brainwashed didn’t vanish. As the shock of the release wore off, they recalled their actions.
“Thank goodness… You’re back to the old Dad and Mom, right?”
“Yeah… How could we have done something like that…?”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but… you were both forced into gambling addiction by magic.”
Aima explained.
“I believe you. I’ve seen you do all sorts of things, Aima.”
Nanaka said.
“I’d be grateful if you’d let me believe it too. It doesn’t erase what I did, but I just can’t believe I’d do something like that in my right mind.”
“Me too. To say such awful things to Nanaka…”
“Yeah. I didn’t think Dad and Mom could do something that cruel either. It must’ve been the magic.”
“Nanaka… thank you…”
Her father and mother nodded tearfully.
“But why would someone do this?”
Nanaka’s question prompted Aima to respond.
“Probably to force you into the death game. And not just as a participant, but as the game master—a heavy role. They pushed you into a corner, financially and emotionally, so you’d have no choice but to join.”
“Even if that’s true, why go out of their way to pick me? There are tons of people struggling with money. Was it really necessary to do something so complicated? Plus, I’m the game master. I just have to make someone else die—I don’t die myself. I didn’t want to do it, but I bet there are plenty of people who’d jump at the chance.”
Nanaka’s point was valid.
But Aima had an answer.
“…This is just a guess, but I think they wanted participants who wouldn’t easily join a death game—people who’d never want to be a game master.”
“They wanted to force unwilling people into it?”
“Yeah.”
“Sorry for all the ‘whys,’ but… why?”
“There’s one spell that comes to mind. A magic that converts human emotions into magical energy.”
Nanaka and her parents tilted their heads, clearly not quite grasping it.
“Emotions actually hold a tremendous amount of energy. You can’t see it with your eyes, so it’s hard to understand. But converting emotions into magic is far more efficient than gathering mana the usual way. The conversion itself is tricky, but if you can pull it off, it’s possible.”
A magic that turns emotions into power—《Emotion Magic》. It’s an advanced, high-level spell, but with enough people working together seriously, it’s not impossible.
“However, strong emotional outbursts only happen in specific situations. Stumbling into one by chance is incredibly difficult.”
“So they created the death game to harvest emotions?”
“Exactly. You catch on quick—it’s a big help. And it’s not just about participating in the death game. The emotional conflict of being forced into it generates even stronger feelings. That means more magical energy. That’s why they chose someone like you as the game master.”
“Ugh…”
Nanaka bit her lip in frustration.
Her parents had become gambling addicts, drowning in debt, and she’d lost her beloved job as a reader model. Then she was nearly forced to abet murder. It was only natural she’d feel resentful.
“In the next game, we’ll get revenge on the organizers. I’ll take back your normal life.”
Aima placed a hand on Nanaka’s shoulder.
“Aima…”
“Let’s hold a strategy meeting. Dad, Mom, mind if we borrow this space for a bit?”
“Of course not.”
“I’ll bring some drinks.”
Nanaka’s father and mother left the room.
“Then I’ll take on the role of scribe, if I may.”
“Wah!?”
Nanaka yelped in surprise as Yuri suddenly appeared out of a swirl of mist.
“W-When did you—!?”
“I’ve been here from the start. I simply wasn’t needed for the mission to reclaim your parents, so I stayed quiet and out of sight.”
“You were out of sight??”
Yuri explained with a straight face while Nanaka blinked in bewilderment. Aima gave a wry smile.
“If you’re going to work with us on this strategy, you’ll need to get used to stuff like this.”
“So this is just normal in a world where magic exists? It’s gonna take me a while to adjust…”
---
“Geez, that softhearted fool…!”
A figure stood atop the Okushima family’s roof.
Occasional passersby walked below, but not a single one noticed her presence. She had completely erased her aura. Even if someone happened to glance her way, her form blended seamlessly into the scenery, leaving no hint of the oddity that a person was sitting on the rooftop.
It was Yua Shirana.
She had slipped a familiar—a squirrel—into the Okushima house to secretly eavesdrop on Aima and the others’ conversation.
She wasn’t surprised to learn Nanaka was the game master of the death game. She’d known from the start that the Genesis Brigade was capable of something like that.
In that sense, Aima’s involvement was also within her expectations… but even so, she couldn’t help but sigh.
Hadn’t he learned anything from his experiences in the other world?
(You sacrificed so much for us, and yet we humans…)
She felt a pang of frustration, tinged with her own inadequacy.
At the same time, though, it struck her as so very like him.
“But still… so Nanaka Okushima is the game master…”
Nanaka was a hired game master, with the real masterminds—the operators—lurking behind her. Yua’s goal was to track down and defeat those masterminds… the Genesis Brigade.
She needed to figure out how to reach them.
For now, she decided to send a routine update to the castle town.
Pulling out her phone, she drafted a message: Nanaka Okushima was the death game’s game master; her parents had been under 《brainwashing》; and Aima Shirana now possessed this information…
After sending the message, Yua leapt from the roof like it was a stepping stone, heading toward her home.
---
2
When Yua returned home and shut herself in her room, a knock sounded at the door.
“…Yes?”
“It’s me. Can I come in?”
It was Aima’s voice.
She didn’t want to talk right now. If she did, she might let something slip. But refusing him entry might seem unnatural for “siblings.”
“Okay.”
In the end, Yua gave her permission.
Aima entered the room quietly. He’d come straight home but was still in his school uniform. That sloppiness hadn’t changed since their past world.
“Yua… I’m sorry.”
An abrupt apology.
Immediately after, Aima raised his right hand.
“!?”
Yua’s reaction was almost instinctive.
With a short chant and the deployment of three magic circles, she conjured a powerful 《Anti-Magic》 barrier in front of herself.
At nearly the same moment, a vortex of flames erupted from Aima’s hand, engulfing her. The fire clashed against her 《Anti-Magic》 shield and was redirected behind her.
It had been a close call. If it had hit her, her body in this world wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“What the hell was that!?”
“Heh, impressive as always, Hero Charine. Even after reincarnation, your magical instincts haven’t dulled a bit.”
“!”
Damn it, she thought.
She’d kept it vague—whether she retained her memories as a hero, whether she knew Aima was the Demon Lord. But by perfectly countering his sudden attack, she’d implicitly revealed that she not only remembered her past as a hero but had been wary of him as the Demon Lord all along.
She gritted her teeth. He’d gotten her. But in that moment, she’d had no other choice. Aima’s speed and mastery of magic far outclassed hers. When he attacked out of nowhere, she hadn’t had the luxury of holding back or playing dumb.
“Sorry, Yua. You’re too good at hiding your slip-ups unless I do something like this. It was the only way to make you admit in front of me that you’re the Hero.”
Aima bowed deeply.
Looking down at him, Yua regained a bit of her composure and thought it over.
He’d been vague too—about his own past memories and whether he knew who she really was.
So why, all of a sudden…?
“Yua… isn’t it about time we laid our cards on the table? I need your strength.”
Aima lifted his head and spoke.
My strength…?
Calming down and glancing around, she noticed the room was completely unscathed.
No chant. Instant magic circle deployment. Overwhelming power. And yet, such precise control that the attack didn’t so much as graze anything but her.
She was facing an utterly superior being.
It had been a while since she’d last felt this thrill.
And now that superior being was bowing his head, asking for her help. The situation could be taken as a threat—cooperate, or the next attack wouldn’t miss.
But Yua knew that wasn’t his intent. That wasn’t Aima’s way.
He was genuinely, sincerely asking for her cooperation.
Yua let out a breath, easing her tension.
“Alright, Demon Lord Jento… no, big brother. Let’s talk.”
---
3
It had been a bit of a drastic measure, but they’d successfully revealed their true identities to each other, and Aima felt a wave of relief.
The Hero—Yua—was stubborn. Once she decided something, she rarely budged. If she’d resolved not to let Aima know her true self, it would’ve taken something extreme to make her confess. So he’d resorted to a slightly rough approach.
“First, let’s organize what we each know.”
Aima sat on the floor and began. Yua perched on the edge of her bed, nodding with a thoughtful “Hmm.”
“I’ve figured out that Nanaka is the game master, and I’ve got a pretty good idea of the magic the operators are trying to use.”
“That thing about converting human emotions into magical energy, right?”
Yua seemed to have picked up on the use of 《Emotion Magic》 as well.
“Yeah. I understood how it worked back then, but it was too dangerous and impractical, so I never used it.”
In fact, it was Aima who had originally discovered that the emotions of humans and demons could be converted into magical energy. He’d even developed the foundational techniques for 《Emotion Magic》… but he’d grown disgusted with research that toyed with hearts and abandoned it midway.
Later, some demons had continued the work and completed it as a grand spell. But it was hard to control, and if it failed and spiraled out of hand, it could generate enough magical energy to wipe out one or two nations with ease. The risks were too high, so in the end, no one used it. It was far more efficient to fight with standard 《Beast Summoning》 spells.
“You guys didn’t end up using it either, right?”
“We couldn’t use it. Back then, we didn’t have the skill. But…”
“Some humans eventually mastered it through research, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Aima looked up at the ceiling.
“What are they trying to accomplish by dragging out a spell like that? I mean, I can think of one reason, but I honestly don’t want to believe they’re that stupid.”
At his words, Yua gave a self-deprecating laugh.
“They are that stupid.”
“No way… The human world and demon world were separated, and the world found peace, didn’t it?”
If not, then what had been the point of everything he’d done?
“It did. It definitely became peaceful. But… humans are just so stupid.”
With a sad expression, Yua began recounting the past.
---
The human world, where 《Beast Summoning》 had been sealed and travel to the demon world was no longer possible.
It was far from a peaceful place.
With the demons—the common enemy—gone, relations between nations in the human world deteriorated. There hadn’t been any full-scale wars, but skirmishes between countries and small civil conflicts cropped up everywhere. Compared to an all-out war with the demons, these were far less severe, but blood still flowed all the same.
The Hero Charine, admired for her charisma, traveled to these regions, working to suppress conflicts. She negotiated with the parties involved, searching for any terms that might convince them to lay down their arms. It was grueling work. But Charine pressed on.
She wanted to protect the peace the Demon Lord Jento had given his life to create.
That was her sole driving force.
With the demon threat gone, if peace broke down, it would be entirely humanity’s fault.
That was how she’d thrown herself into her mission, but her efforts came to an end after just one year.
One day, as she was mediating between national leaders, it happened.
On her way back, the carriage she was riding in suddenly 《Teleported》.
Moments later, it burst into flames.
Charine tumbled out the door, cloaking her entire body in 《Anti-Magic》 to shield herself. Fire, ice blades, wind slashes, falling rocks—every kind of attack spell rained down on her, but she repelled them all.
She found herself in the middle of a barren wasteland, far from any town.
It must have taken a significant number of people working together to pull off that 《Teleportation》.
“The Genesis Brigade…”
She immediately recognized the group from the attire of the humans surrounding her.
Black robes. On their backs, a distinctive emblem—three eyes symbolizing human wisdom.
The mark of the Genesis Brigade.
“Die, Hero.”
A barrage of attack spells came hurtling toward Charine all at once. This time, though, she didn’t use 《Anti-Magic》. There was no need. Unless it was a surprise attack, she could dodge magic of this level with ease.
“To gather this many people just to kill me… Huh, was I that much of a thorn in your side?”
“No. You betrayed humanity.”
“…?”
“The sealing of the 66 《Summoned Beasts》 and the erection of the 《Wall of Lamentation》. You conspired with the Demon Lord to make that happen, didn’t you?”
That was ridiculous.
Only Charine and a handful of her closest aides knew the truth. To the public, it was believed the Demon Lord had acted alone. Officially, the story was that the Demon Lord had built the wall to escape humanity’s offensive, a victory for the human side—territory was lost, but the demons had fled with their tails between their legs. That was how it was supposed to be.
There was no way a cult like the Genesis Brigade could know the truth. None of them had been anywhere near her inner circle.
Had someone leaked it?
Who could have…
“Death to the traitor!”
“You’ve got guts. Let’s see you try!”
There was no need to think about it now. She could take them all down and question them later.
“Even a hero can’t do much against these numbers!”
The Genesis Brigade members attacked relentlessly, brimming with confidence, but not a single blow landed effectively.
“Don’t underestimate me. Trash is still trash, no matter how much of it piles up. I can take it all out with one strike…”
“We figured you’d say that, so we prepared something special.”
Charine froze involuntarily when she saw what the brigade members held up.
“—!!”
Several crosses.
Children clad only in rags were crucified upon them.
They looked like children from the same orphanage as Charine.
“Poor things. All because they came from the same orphanage as the hero, they ended up like this. Listen well—if you move even a step, these brats are dead.”
“You people are truly despicable.”
Charine stood rooted to the spot.
In theory, the children were a small sacrifice. To protect the world, she might have to take down this greater evil even at their expense.
But her heart broke.
The peace she’d gained by taking the life of the person she respected most—the Demon Lord Jento.
Humanity, plotting to destroy it for foolish reasons.
What good would it do to kill these innocent children for the sake of such people?
And—what good would fighting do her?
Charine stopped resisting.
“Do whatever you want. I hope you all just perish.”
The moment Charine gave up, magic engulfed her body and burned her to ashes.
—Demon Lord.
Will I be able to go where you’ll eventually go?
You said that when your life ended, you’d fall to hell. But I’ve always thought, somehow, you’d end up in heaven.
So where will I go?
I couldn’t protect the world you tried to save. Will I still make it to heaven?
---
“I was killed by the Genesis Brigade.”
Yua sat on her bed in her room, speaking with a self-deprecating tone.
“Go ahead and laugh. Humans turning on each other—what a mess, right? Even after we finally achieved peace.”
“Not all humans are like that. There are people like you too.”
Aima said it not as comfort, but as his honest belief.
“Wars start when you lump humans—or demons—together like that.”
“You’re right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yua nodded.
“Anyway, thanks to you, Yua, I’ve got a clear picture of this death game. I want to take it down for real. Will you help me?”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Aima… Are you getting involved too?”
Aima frowned. What was she saying?
“Of course I am.”
“This is a human problem. It’s not your responsibility. You could step back, you know.”
“But I’m not uninvolved. I’m a resident of this world now. There are people I care about here—friends, parents, subordinates, and you. I won’t forgive anyone who disrupts their peace.”
“Y-You’re including me in that!?”
Yua flushed, looking surprised.
Was it that unexpected?
“Of course. You may have been the Hero once, but now you’re my little sister—family.”
“Sister? Oh, so that’s what you mean…”
Yua’s expression shifted subtly. She looked a bit disappointed, maybe even annoyed.
“Well, you probably hate me, so it might be a bother to hear this.”
She might not appreciate being treated as someone important. He felt a little bad for saying it.
“It’s not that. It doesn’t matter what you think.”
She turned away with a huff.
It seemed directing affection toward her wasn’t the best move. Being liked by someone she disliked probably wasn’t pleasant.
“But fine. You’re stubborn—once you decide something, you don’t back down. Let’s fight together.”
---
4
After discussing with Yua, they decided to hold a remote meeting with the key players.
The participants were Aima, Yua, Yuri, and Nanaka.
Aima and Yua joined from Aima’s room using his smartphone. Yuri and Nanaka participated from their respective homes.
“Wha—! Ah—! Eh!?”
The moment the screen lit up, Yuri’s face glitched out. It was probably because Yua was there alongside Aima.
“Sorry for startling you, Yuri. Yua’s on our side. There’s no need to keep up the act of being distant from me.”
“So you’re enlisting the Hero’s help too?”
“That’s right. I was planning to have you take action in the next death game, Yuri, but the more firepower, the better.”
“If Lord Jento says so, I won’t object… I’m your loyal subordinate. But I do have some concerns.”
“What do you mean? That I might betray you? Or that I’m not strong enough?”
Yua asked provocatively.
“Naturally, both.”
“Oh? Back in the other world, did you ever beat me even once?”
“Hmph. We never fought one-on-one directly, so who knows? I wouldn’t expect a filthy human like you to fight fair and square—maybe this is some kind of trap.”
Sparks seemed to fly between Yua and Yuri across the screen.
“Cut it out, you two. You were enemies originally, so I get that working together isn’t ideal, but your interests align. You both want to protect the 66 《Summoned Beasts》 and the 《Wall of Lamentation》, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then we’re cooperating.”
“Wait a sec. I knew Aima was the Demon Lord and Yuri-chan was his subordinate, but, uh, Yua-chan’s the Hero?”
Nanaka piped up with a question.
“Yeah. Yua’s my sister now, but back in the other world, she was the Hero.”
“Demon Lord and Hero—that means enemies, right? And now you’re siblings!? Whoa! That’s pretty complicated, huh?”
“It’s not like I wanted it to turn out this way.”
“But I see… sister, huh? So my biggest rival is Yua-chan.”
“Hm? Rival?”
“Just talking to myself.”
“Hey, hold up a second, you gyaru! Why am I being left out?”
Yuri protested.
“Huh? Well, you’re his subordinate, so I figured you’re out of the running.”
“W-Well, if that’s the case, a sister’s family too, so she shouldn’t count either!”
“What? Don’t you know, Yuri-chin? If you’re not blood-related, siblings can still get married.”
“W-W-What did you say!?”
“Sorry, Lily, Nanaka-san. I’m gonna milk this sister privilege for all it’s worth.”
Yua smirked.
“Hehe, just being a classmate’s pretty strong too, you know? I mean, I’m the newest girl he’s met, so I’ve got that freshness factor.”
“W-Wait, I’m a classmate too…!”
“What’s a guy who’s been by his side for over a hundred years with no progress talking about?”
Yua snorted.
“Wh-What did you say!!”
The three of them erupted into a noisy squabble. They actually seemed to get along surprisingly well, which was a relief.
“It’s great to see you all chatting happily, but can we get to the point?”
The three girls paused, stared at Aima, and then sighed in unison, each in her own way.
“Well, he’s like this, so what can you do?”
“It’s Lord Jento’s only flaw.”
“You two have really been through a lot with him, huh?”
For some reason, Aima felt like his stock had dropped, but there was no time to dwell on it. He moved on to the main topic.
“Let’s go over the strategy.”
As he explained the details, the night grew late.
---
It was a dark, empty space.
A figure in a red mask and black robes—the owner of the death game “Hate Breeder”—stood silently. Floating around him were four crystals.
This was a routine communication with the Genesis Brigade’s executives. To ensure secrecy, the executives had created a subspace and summoned the red-masked figure there for the exchange.
The floating crystals were magical tools used to communicate remotely with the executives in the other world. Each crystal connected to a single individual.
《To think the Demon Lord Jento has reincarnated.》
The voices were distorted, as if mosaicked, to conceal the identities of the executives, known only to a select few. Even the red-masked figure, entrusted with running “Hate Breeder” and thus holding a significant position, had never seen their faces or learned their profiles.
Nevertheless, it was undeniably the Genesis Brigade’s executives who had summoned him here, and the red-masked figure took pride in his presence.
《Just when we thought we’d finally killed him, he resurrects somewhere else… Immortality becomes truly tiresome at this point.》
《Generations of our comrades have been trampled by him. We can’t let such atrocities go unchecked any longer.》
《I heard “Hate Breeder” has been disrupted too?》
The four crystals spoke in turn. Their tones remained calm, but beneath the surface simmered a quiet hatred for the Demon Lord Jento and frustration over the losses caused by his schemes.
“Yes. He’s ruined two of our events so far.”
In contrast, the red-masked figure—Rope—showed no trace of negativity. If anything, he sounded amused.
《You seem awfully relaxed about it.》
《No more failures will be tolerated, you know.》
“No need to worry. I’ve prepared countermeasures.”
《Oh? You’ve devised a way to defeat that immortal king?》
“Yes. While he was indeed the Demon Lord once, in his current reincarnated state, he’s merely human. He’s not the omnipotent being he was in the other world. And we humans… we have a Hero.”
《A Hero? You mean Hero Charine Rose has reincarnated too?》
“Yes. I plan to use her. It’s a given, isn’t it? The Hero slays the Demon Lord—that’s how it’s always been.”
Rope’s low chuckle echoed through the dark space.
《Impressive. We’re counting on you, Rope.》
“As you wish.”
Rope—known in this world as Takahide Joka—bowed deeply.
Rope, or Takahide, had been a member of the Genesis Brigade since the days of the other world. Even after dying in battle and reincarnating, that allegiance remained unchanged.
“I’m certain you’ll witness an entertaining game. Please look forward to it.”
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