Chapter 175: Birth Secret (2)
Chapter 175: Birth Secret (2)
The world where Ceylon, the dark elf, originally lived was entirely different from Floss’s Earth.
It was a place that modern people would typically think of as a fantasy world. A world where kingdoms and empires existed, and various races lived together. A world where monsters were real and heroes existed to defeat them.
In that place, dark elves belonged to a race that was, to put it bluntly, loathed.
Unlike the nature-loving, magic-proficient elves who were adored by everyone, no one welcomed dark elves. Ceylon knew this fact all too well.
Dark elves were creatures who made a hobby of burning down forests, preyed on other races like humans, and felt no moral qualms about kidnapping others at any time to use as test subjects. Ceylon didn't think the discrimination against dark elves was particularly unfair or unjust.
However, Ceylon simply didn't like it. He hated being persecuted just because the dark elves were few in number and weak in power. He had simply vowed to overturn everything once he gained strength.
In that process, there were some differences in opinion between Ceylon and the other dark elves. Ceylon was ready to accept help from other races if it meant their treatment would improve, but the other dark elves were not.
However, the opportunity for Ceylon to realize his ideas never came. No race ever reached out a hand to the dark elves.
Then one day, an incident occurred.
"Wh-what is that?"
"A circle in the sky..."
A Gate.
Recently, Ceylon and the other dark elves had heard rumors of a phenomenon occurring intermittently across the continent. The moment a passage called a 'Gate' appeared above his head, Ceylon recalled those stories.
‘A passage connecting to another world suddenly appears, and a certain range around the passage is cut off from the outside, making it impossible to come and go.’
It was true. Ceylon realized that an invisible, transparent wall had formed. The transparent wall appeared exactly at the edge of the dark elves' territory, including Ceylon himself; the boundary was so precise it was almost disconcerting.
‘Beyond the passage, there are vast amounts of resources, delicious meat, and high-quality test subjects scattered everywhere... but you cannot cross through the passage immediately; you must wait for a few days.’
This was also true. It was possible to come from the other side of the passage to this side, but the reverse was impossible. However, Ceylon knew that if he just waited a little while, he could cross through that passage to the other world and run wild.
...He also knew the hardships that would come while waiting.
‘I heard the powerhouses from the other side come over first.’
If the leader of this side is crushed by the powerhouses from beyond the Gate, the Gate closes. But if this side wins, they can take all the dark elves across and devastate that world.
‘This is an opportunity.’
From what Ceylon had heard, this Gate phenomenon only occurred in the territories of evil-aligned races that were marginalized and persecuted.
Ceylon thought of this as a god-given opportunity. While stupid races with low intelligence would be slaughtered by the powerhouses of the other world without even knowing the value of the Gate, Ceylon had no intention of letting that happen.
"Everyone, prepare! When the powerhouses of the other world cross over, let's wipe them out in one go!"
Naturally, Ceylon became the leader. The very existence that people on Earth call a 'Boss Monster.'
He didn't just have leadership skills. Ceylon had a talent for Magitech. His specialty was dealing professionally with magic and engineering, combining them with his imagination to create all sorts of bizarre and extraordinary items.
"If we wipe them out, what awaits us is paradise! That place is a world ruled by a majority of weaklings, except for a tiny few powerhouses! If we cross over, we can create a paradise only for dark elves, by dark elves, and of dark elves!"
His speech had resonance. It awakened the desires of the wicked dark elves who, despite having committed acts worthy of persecution, were dissatisfied with being suppressed.
Very rarely, there are Gates where the monsters are already in a state of combat readiness. This happens when the monsters' intelligence is high enough to grasp the phenomenon of the Gate and clearly calculate the gains and losses resulting from it.
If ordinary heroes had entered this place, they would have been crushed unless they were a team made of S-rank heroes.
"...Huh?"
However, those who visited Ceylon and the dark elves were not ordinary heroes. No, they weren't even heroes to begin with.
The Hypnotist and the Beast Tamer.
The two were troublemakers, yet the strongest.
They couldn't resist. No matter how many dark elves there were, two villains with irresistible abilities had appeared.
The Hypnotist neutralized the dark elf warriors, and the Beast Tamer crushed them with the monsters he brought himself. The warriors who barely survived hid in the forest and plotted a counterattack.
"Ceylon, they must be letting their guard down, thinking they've wiped us all out."
"We have to strike their weak point now!"
"But that power... doesn't it look like something we've seen before?"
Dark elves are a long-lived race. Some of the older warriors felt a sense of déjà vu from the Hypnotist and the Beast Tamer.
"I clearly remember there was a king a long time ago who ruled a country through mind control..."
"Didn't the Great Chieftain of the southern jungle lead a legion of ferocious beasts like his own limbs?"
"But they're both dead. And a long time ago, at that."
It was utterly baffling. To think that these people from another world beyond the passage possessed the abilities of past powerhouses who were definitely dead.
But one thing was certain. The dark elves had no chance of winning.
The other dark elves, excluding Ceylon, didn't even think about talking to the Hypnotist or the Beast Tamer. Ceylon knew all too well that if they continued like this, nothing but total defeat lay ahead.
The difference between Ceylon and the other dark elves was that Ceylon was always ready to bow his head.
"...Hey."
"Ah, it's you? The Boss Monster of this Gate?"
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Of course not. In fact, I'd like to get some help from you."
It was a gamble worth taking. Realizing that he would be slaughtered by those monsters sooner or later even if he stayed hidden, Ceylon sought out the two villains on his own and spoke to them.
In conclusion, Ceylon's gamble was a success. The Hypnotist and the Beast Tamer were not hostile toward Ceylon and shared their ideals and plans for the Villain Association. He came to know everything, including the fact that they intended to use this isolated space as the Villain Association's base.
"If the Boss dies, this Gate closes. Since you're a long-lived dark elf, as long as you aren't killed, this space we've made our base can be maintained indefinitely."
"...Then, what about the other dark elves?"
"Ceylon, if they're willing to cooperate with us like you, there's no reason we can't accept them."
The Beast Tamer saw the look in Ceylon's eyes and smirked.
"That's not going to happen, is it?"
That was the end of it.
Before long, Ceylon became the sole dark elf survivor. Rather than standing at the forefront of the Villain Association's operations, he focused on supporting them from the rear by creating various useful magic tools. He created new things by combining various cultures of Earth with his magic—specifically, lewd and cruel ideas befitting a dark elf.
Thanks to his unique development skills and the merit of providing the Villain Association's base, he even managed to get his name on the list of executives.
"Do you not regret it?"
"Of course not. Dark elves have always been targets of persecution anyway. If I can become part of the ruling class on Earth with the help of you villains... there's no reason not to help."
"Even to the point of betraying your own kind?"
"Certainly. I can betray you all as well, whenever necessary."
Ceylon, who had regained enough composure to use polite speech with anyone, was very satisfied with his current life.
*
"I told you to tell me everything, but you really spilled it all. Like the madman you are."
"Urgh... S-so, can't you let me go now?"
"No. There are still some questions left."
The truth that the Gates are connected to another world.
How the dark elf named Ceylon—the Magic Tool Maker—ended up joining the Villain Association.
How this Gate, which serves as the Villain Association's base, is maintained even though the Boss Monster isn't visible.
...I had learned all of these things.
However, I caught the part in the middle that Ceylon had intentionally glossed over.
"You're saying the superpowers held by Earth's heroes and villains were originally things from that world?"
"That is..."
"It might have been a guess back then. But you must know for sure by now. Spill that honestly, too."
Ceylon raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you as much as I know."
"Hmm."
"It's only a guess, but it seems that when the powerhouses of our world lose their lives, their abilities are randomly inherited by ordinary people on your side, on Earth."
"Inherited?"
Ceylon explained that he didn't know the principle behind it. He had only observed that the phenomenon occurred.
"For example, in our world, there was once a legendary thief who had mastered invisibility magic to the extreme. Of course, he is dead now, and it seems his ability passed over to your world in the form of a superpower called Invisibility."
"Sh-Shin Tae-geon..."
"The same goes for the Association Chairman you're close with. The ability of an orc warrior famous for his Herculean strength passed over to that side and was given to an ordinary person as Strength Enhancement."
So everything had an original source. It sounded plausible at first, but I soon found a point I couldn't understand.
"...What about me?"
"Pardon?"
"What am I? There's no way there were things like Magical Girls in that world."
"That's..."
Ceylon wore a very troubled expression before confessing.
"Actually, I don't know yet. That's why I was interested in you. Haven't you ever thought it was strange how the other villains targeted you and the Operator so persistently?"
"Of course I have."
"The superpowers of you and the Operator are... somewhat anomalous. That's why I requested we recruit the two of you for research purposes."
I already knew. I knew that their attempts had failed every single time.
The Hypnotist's ability didn't even work on me in the first place, and the Beast Tamer was foolish enough to take Rang-i hostage, so I played with him a bit before screwing him over at the end. The Doppelganger disappeared at some point while enjoying some defeat play, and the Magic Tool Maker... no, Ceylon's Sensory Sync Onahole also ended in failure.
...Looking at it like this, these guys have never once succeeded in targeting me.
Though the Operator was kidnapped after falling for the Hypnotist's Common Sense Alteration Zone trick.
"Wasn't your main target the Operator? You tempted him several times, saying you'd let him fuck me if he joined the Villain Association."
"I admit it. You were merely a means to make the Operator an ally. Magical Girl Floss, the Operator seemed much weaker to the temptations of pleasure than you. We targeted the easier side."
"Hmm."
...I seemed strong against the temptations of pleasure?
"You looked like someone who would never fall into corruption."
"Are you an idiot?"
These guys have a terrible eye for people.
Of course, no matter how much pleasure they offered, I wouldn't have abandoned my reputation as a hero and the safety of the citizens to join the Villain Association. But saying I didn't look like the type to fall into corruption is total bullshit.
Just as I was wondering if I had been acting that well, Ceylon continued.
"Besides, the Operator also seemed stronger than you."
"...That guy, stronger than me?"
"You're aware of the concept of the 2nd Awakening, right?"
"Of course."
Some villains in the Villain Association had advanced their existing superpowers to develop similar yet new abilities. The Hypnotist creating the Common Sense Alteration Zone was part of that.
Of course, the 2nd Awakening also included the simple effect of strengthening one's power.
At the Hero Academy, the Hypnotist's hypnosis didn't work on the Operator, but during the Common Sense Alteration Incident after the 2nd Awakening, the Operator fell for the hypnosis without fail—that's one example.
"The Operator, having completed his 2nd Awakening, is someone no one can stop."
"...What?"
"That is the unanimous conclusion we reached. That's why we tried to bring him in as an ally. A top-tier esper is terrifying as an enemy, but reliable as an ally."
If even Ceylon calls him the strongest, just what the hell is the Operator's 2nd Awakening like?
"I need to go find him right now. Where is the Operator?"
"I cannot tell you that."
"You've gone mad. I haven't hit you for a while and listened to you talk obediently, so you must have forgotten how much it hurts to get beaten."
Ceylon let out a sigh as if he couldn't win.
"It ends up like this after all. Honestly, I hate tearful sacrifices..."
At that moment, I sharpened all my bodily senses.
I had already destroyed all of Ceylon's escape routes. Everything, including the Pocket Portal. There was no way for Ceylon to flee, and he didn't look like he was preparing to run away either.
...Then what on earth was he planning to do?
"World Building."
As soon as Ceylon pronounced those two words, the world changed.
A shockwave that tore the atmosphere to shreds spread in all directions. My clothes were no exception. The clothes I had barely managed to put back on while transforming were ripped away, and when only the perverted lingerie I wore underneath and my bare body remained, my face flushed red automatically.
"Ah..."
However, looking at the surrounding scenery, my own body felt like it didn't matter.
A world of pure white, filled only with the color white, as if white snow had piled up softly, or as if the entire area had turned into a blank canvas. Except for a single door drawn in black in the very center, everything was white.
"It's still incomplete... a prototype, so I didn't want to bring it out, but you've forced my hand."
"What... what is this?"
"It is the culmination of my Magitech. Even you won't be able to break out of this."
"I'm asking what the hell this is!"
"Allow me to introduce it."
With a confident face, Ceylon uttered a phrase that was utterly out of place.
"The Room Where You Must Have Sex to Leave."
"...?"
Even while I was dumbfounded, he still wore a smile.
"If I cannot escape from you, I will trap you here forever."
"That's ridiculous..."
"You cannot be allowed near that person yet. Our King is currently undergoing a grand coronation."
A King, a coronation—I didn't know what any of that meant, but...
‘A Room Where You Must Have Sex to Leave?’
I couldn't believe it.
"It is the essence of magic that brute force cannot overcome. Despair to your heart's content."
"To think you'd create something like this... are you out of your m-mind?!"
...For a pointy-ears, he sure is a man of culture.
