Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 262

Deep within the laboratory beneath the Demon King’s castle.

A faint smile played on my lips as I gazed at the massive tree roots pulsing with a verdant glow.

"So this is... the power of the World Tree."

The World Tree—a symbol of life’s boundless growth and the bridge between dimensions.

I had successfully germinated the seed I’d claimed after conquering Highgarden, and today, the fruits of that labor were finally coming to light. The roots had spread throughout the sprawling, multi-story research complex beneath the castle, beginning to saturate the facility with pure life force.

Thump— Thump—.

Pulsing like a living heart, the glowing roots channeled vitality into every corner of the underground laboratory. This power would be the catalyst for the cultivation of countless homunculi.

As I watched the roots squirm with eerie, lifelike movements, a voice broke the silence.

"Are the materials ready?"

A hand came to rest on my shoulder. I turned to find a beautiful elf with turquoise hair.

Ariel Silverwalker.

She was the elder sister of Kiriel, whom I had brought back from Highgarden. Now, she worked in the depths of the Demon King’s castle, overseeing the growth of the World Tree. When I first resurrected her from her state of temporary death, I’d broken a sweat trying to explain the situation, but we had since become close colleagues.

"Yes. I’ve gathered every last scrap."

I had secured enough materials to forge bodies for a million people. During the Human-Demon War, I had systematically raided the workshops, magic towers, and laboratories of every kingdom I invaded, looting their entire reserves.

Normally, shaping and cultivating a million individual homunculi would have been a task of impossible scale and duration. But with the power of the World Tree, that was no longer the case. Once I activated the alchemy magic circle, the tree’s inherent power of growth and life would weave the bodies for me.

The delicate, agonizingly complex process of crafting a million vessels would be bypassed entirely.

However, there was one absolute condition for this miracle.

No more than one World Tree can exist in a single dimension.

That was the reason I had put Highgarden’s World Tree to the torch. Only by destroying the tree in the Sea of Trees could I harness its essence for this colossal revival ritual here. Furthermore, it was far easier to direct the raw growth of a sapling just beginning to spread its roots than to command a fully matured, ancient tree.

"And the Imperial Seal?" Ariel asked, her gaze shifting to the artifact connected to a web of magic circuits.

The Imperial Seal—a relic left behind by the first emperor, Kyrus the Great. This artifact contained the records and history of every being ever born or buried within the empire. It was the final, essential piece of the puzzle.

Genetic information is indispensable for creating homunculi.

To create a proper vessel, one needed biological data—skin tissue or hair follicles—much like when I resurrected High Priestess Yutena. But collecting the genetic data of a million individuals amidst the chaos of a continental war was a physical impossibility.

That was where the Imperial Seal came in.

This seal acts as a biological data center.

By feeding the information stored within the seal into the homunculi and cross-referencing it with the souls and karma preserved in the Orb of Life and the Karma Orb... I would be able to bring back those who fell in the war without a hitch.

The preparations are nearly complete.

The grand alchemy circle and the Altar of Revival were finished. The raw materials and the World Tree’s power were ready. The Imperial Seal stood prepared to map souls to their rightful shells.

All that remained was the fuel—the staggering amount of mana required to manifest this miracle. The only problem left was securing enough energy to literally breathe life back into a million corpses.

I stared blankly at my palm before slowly clenching it into a fist.

Most of the immense power I gained through the succession ritual has already bled away.

My magic power was vanishing day by day, like a debt being forcibly collected. That power was being consumed to keep the Gate of Dimensions open. I still possessed a vast reservoir of negative energy absorbed during the war, but...

This alone isn't enough.

It wasn't even close. It was nowhere near the amount needed to close the Gate of Dimensions that threatened the world while simultaneously performing a mass resurrection of a million souls.

Perhaps it was only logical. The power gained from killing a million people was not enough to bring those same million back to life.

Can you recreate the original amount of fuel using only the energy produced from burning it?

Setting aside physical feasibility, it violated the very laws of thermodynamics. The same applied to negative energy. The magic of fear, sorrow, and despair harvested from the sacrifice of a million innocents could not grant them new life. After all, those dark emotions were not the only things that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bound a soul to its body.

The more people I killed, the deeper this deficit of magic power became. To the Demon God who had devised this vicious cycle, human death was merely a source of energy. But for me, who intended to undo the slaughter, I was trapped in an inescapable contradiction.

Worse still, I had to find the energy to close the Gate of Dimensions on top of everything else. It was a task that bordered on the impossible. The only reason I hadn't succumbed to despair was that one final, desperate chance remained.

As I stood lost in thought, the laboratory door creaked open.

Screech—.

A figure stepped inside. I greeted her warmly.

"Sister, you've arrived."

It was Aslan Devalis, Roen’s sister. Though we shared no blood, she was undoubtedly family.

Aslan smiled awkwardly, rubbing her arm. The limb she had lost in a desperate battle long ago was now perfectly restored. She looked around the lab before asking cautiously, "Roen... will this plan really work?"

Aslan had been briefed on the entire operation after joining me, and she had become one of my most steadfast allies.

I slowly shook my head. "I don't know. We can only try."

Nothing was certain. I was simply moving forward, clinging to a sliver of possibility. That was the only privilege left to one who had reached this final chapter.

Sensing another presence, I looked past the door. Standing there with his arms crossed and a look of deep disapproval was Wodanaz Gunhild.

"..."

Freya’s father remained silent. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Though he hadn't fully regained his former strength immediately after his resurrection, his near-perfect homunculus body was allowing him to rapidly reclaim his original power.

"What is the situation outside?" I asked.

Wodanaz scowled. "Nothing good. Aside from the Demon King’s Territory and the three Venerables who support you, the rest of the realm has turned against you."

The other Venerables—excluding Gillean, Amur, and Carmilla—had launched a full-scale rebellion. Eight other races, with the exception of the neutral Dragon Kin, were currently marching on the Demon King’s castle. They were using the peace treaty I had 'arbitrarily' signed as their casus belli.

For those who had been looking for an excuse to revolt, I had handed them the perfect opportunity. They had even executed the Venerables I had appointed and elected new leaders, all to turn their blades toward me.

It should have been infuriating, but to me, it was a welcome development.

They are moving exactly as I intended.

Chaos in the Demon Realm would pave the way for the human expeditionary forces. While the demons were busy tearing at each other's throats, the humans would find a much easier path to the castle.

All to subjugate the Demon King, Roen.

"Please handle the rebellion," I told Wodanaz.

I didn't have the luxury of worrying about minor insurrections. My time was entirely consumed by the alchemy circle that formed the foundation of the plan. Currently, all external military matters were delegated to Wodanaz and High Priestess Yutena.

Wodanaz let out a heavy sigh. "...Understood. There is more. The human armies are preparing an expedition into the Demon Realm."

"That is good news."

The news that a force was coming to kill me was exactly what I had been waiting for. The end of this long story would only be reached with the death of the Demon King.

Wodanaz looked at me, his eyes searching. "Are you... truly okay with this?"

The vanguard of that human army would, of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠course, be the Hero Freya and the Saintess Elena. How did a father feel, knowing his own daughter was coming for vengeance, holy sword in hand?

Her target was the man who was once her fiancé. The man who had killed her father, only to resurrect him in secret. The man who had become the Demon King, ignited a world war, and slaughtered millions.

Now that Wodanaz knew this was all a desperate struggle to avert a predestined apocalypse, what could he even say to me?

I chuckled softly. "I'm fine. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Freya is only doing what she must."

"In that case... will you tell her? After everything is over..."

"After everything is over..." I repeated.

If everything went according to plan—if I stopped the destruction and saved everyone who had died. And if, as the prophecy dictated, I died at Freya’s hand.

Could the resurrected 'me' ever stand before her again? Could I, who manipulated her into plunging a blade into my heart by using her father’s death, ever tell her the truth? Did I, who had carved such a deep wound into her soul, even have that right?

And would knowing the truth truly be a kindness to her?

After a long silence, I shook my head. "...I'm not sure. I'll think about it when the time comes."

"You may not realize it, but Freya might still have feelings for you."

"That’s impossible."

I was the one who destroyed the Winter Castle. I was the one who 'killed' her father. There was no way she could still harbor love for someone like me.

Wodanaz added, "True, it might be closer to a twisted sort of love-hate right now. But if you reveal the truth later, she will forgive you. In fact, there would be nothing to forgive. Everyone alive in this world will be in your debt. No one could blame you for your choices. What will you do then?"

Wodanaz was asking as Freya’s father—as the man who was nearly my father-in-law. But despite his intentions, I knew I couldn't accept her heart, just as I couldn't accept Elena’s.

I sighed. "That isn't worth worrying about right now. Completing the plan is the only priority."

Such concerns could wait until the dust settled. Right now, the fate of the continent and millions of lives hung in the balance. Everything else was a triviality.

I turned my gaze to the map of the continent on the laboratory wall. It was marked with the locations of the magic circles I had secretly planted while traversing the world during the war.

I stared at the map and whispered, "...Six more months."

Three years had passed since the succession ritual. The time of the foretold destruction—the day the Gate of Dimensions would fully open—was drawing near.

Like laying bricks, I would continue to stack the final pieces of my plan in preparation for that day.

Hoping that, at the very end, a happy ending might actually exist.

Six months later.

With a cataclysm that shook the very foundations of heaven and earth, the Gate of Dimensions swung wide.