Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Silver Snow Demon King
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The Silver Snow Demon King.
The first ordeal to appear after I ascended to the throne as emperor.
Starting with freezing the Rigelung River—known as the empire's lifeline—her indiscriminate massacres began.
Merely locking eyes with the Silver Snow Demon King would freeze one's entire body solid, and the mage towers were thrown into chaos by the emergence of this freak who cast spells without incantations.
And that was not all.
She unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp ice shards, ravaging vast swathes of territory.
The incident where Count Giliza's domain was reduced to ruins in a single day marked the moment people began calling her the "Silver Snow Demon King."
By the time the death toll surpassed 200,000, Malfiel appeared and slew the Silver Snow Demon King.
They say it took him three days and nights of battle to finally sever her head.
'Malfiel first appeared when he achieved his sixth feat.'
Feats are akin to requests from the gods themselves.
Complete all twelve, and one gains power like a god's, but each one consists of trials and tribulations beyond human imagination.
Though their contents vary, they all share one thing in common: they lie in the realm of the "impossible."
Having accomplished six such feats, he had no equals.
At the time of his emergence, opinions were divided on whether he had truly achieved six feats, but since he went around proclaiming it and was insanely strong, it was already accepted that no one could match him one-on-one.
'Malfiel first appeared when he achieved his sixth feat.'
At the time of his emergence, opinions were divided on whether he had truly achieved six feats, but since he went around proclaiming it and was insanely strong, it was already accepted that no one could match him one-on-one.
Feats are akin to requests from the gods themselves.
Having accomplished six such feats, he had no equals.
In such circumstances, it was only natural that slaying the Silver Snow Demon King single-handedly marked the start of Malfiel's full-fledged "heroic" exploits.
The people went wild over the demon king's death and Malfiel's heroic deeds, idolizing him.
Every kingdom sought to recruit him, and even the Holy Church stepped in to promote him on a grand scale.
Complete all twelve, and one gains power like a god's, but each one consists of trials and tribulations beyond human imagination.
In such circumstances, it was only natural that slaying the Silver Snow Demon King single-handedly marked the start of Malfiel's full-fledged "heroic" exploits.
Though their contents vary, they all share one thing in common: they lie in the realm of the "impossible."
Having accomplished six such feats, he had no equals.
The people went wild over the demon king's death and Malfiel's heroic deeds, idolizing him.
'It was the perfect situation for a promising talent.'
Of course, I summoned him too.
I was curious what kind of exceptional guy could have his name ringing in my ears so incessantly.
He turned me down flat, though.
'And that Silver Snow Demon King was Edis's granddaughter...'
The Demon King who had fought Malfiel—who was unequaled from the moment he appeared—for three days and nights was now right before my eyes.
Yet after his granddaughter's death, Edis had stepped down from his position as mage tower master.
'She wasn't actually dead. He must have gone to any lengths to revive her.'
I reconsidered.
To save his granddaughter, he abandoned his honor to focus entirely on the task.
It was a choice Edis was more than capable of making.
Still, I had no idea why she had become the Demon King.
If Edis had saved her, they could have just lived happily together.
[A massive quantity of rampaging unauthorized nanomachines has been detected.]
Above all, I was purely astonished.
There were overwhelmingly more unauthorized nanomachines than in any other "rampage" case I'd seen.
'Ten times. No, even more.'
It felt at least ten times more than the rampaging nanomachines from Edis, who had reached the 8th circle.
The sheer scale left me speechless.
How was a body that should have burst or died long ago still holding together?
[Powerful viral factors confirmed.]
[Warning. Powerful 'psionic' energy detected.]
I had a rough idea of the reason.
Those crimson lines spreading from her heart like veins.
They were stitching her body together like threads on a marionette, preventing it from collapsing.
"My granddaughter was researching the Philosopher's Stone."
"You mean those absurd lies from the alchemists?"
I couldn't help but scoff at Edis's words.
Alchemists were nothing but extravagant con artists.
They fleeced research funds with tales of turning lead into gold or brewing the legendary elixir that could revive the dead.
And the most ridiculous of all was the Philosopher's Stone.
The alchemists' ultimate goal: a stone said to possess the property of transmuting into "anything."
The empire's finances were ample enough to fund them, but the moment I ascended, I planned to cut off that waste going straight to those frauds.
Yet here was Edis uttering its name.
Edis nodded, seemingly agreeing with my view to some extent.
"Yes, alchemy is little more than a scam. Most of it is just magical trickery dressed up to look convincing. But my granddaughter's alchemy was different."
He wore a wistful expression.
Different.
Indeed, the result before my eyes was incomparable to the other charlatans' work.
It was enough to warrant a warning from Zero itself.
'Whether it's truly the Philosopher's Stone, I don't know.'
But it had clearly produced something.
Likely a substance nonexistent in this world.
Something threatening enough to be selected as a target for the gods' feats.
"I don't expect it to be easy. If it's too much, you needn't do it—I won't hold it against you. My granddaughter being alive at all is already a miracle."
Just coming this far is enough, Edis was saying.
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
Croft felt the same.
His senses could even detect invisible mana.
With Zero's warning too, it was best to proceed with caution.
"Your Highness!"
"Ah!"
Ignoring the gasps around me, I boldly reached out.
The icy chill from the ice pillar.
At the same moment, the rampaging nanomachines began assaulting me.
[Warning! Unauthorized nanomachine intrusion continuing.]
[These nanomachines carry powerful viral factors!]
[Psionic energy generation expanding!]
My vision blurred.
My mind drifted away.
This sensation was all too familiar.
'Madness.'
The madness that struck.
The wretched feeling whenever "another me" emerged.
When madness took hold, I could never restrain myself.
It brought crushing pain that made me let go of everything.
'Begone.'
But I would tolerate it no longer.
My body is mine.
My choices, my will—they must be wholly mine.
So begone.
[Brain simultaneous activation zone surges to 25%.]
[Psionic energy neutralizing.]
[Viral factors combining...]
[...]
Time stopped.
The ice shattered, and she stepped out from within.
Stroking my frozen jaw, she finally spoke.
"Impressive. Normally, a human couldn't withstand my energy."
Psionic energy.
The madness it induced.
She was referring to the phenomenon that had nearly made me lose myself.
"What's in your head is fascinating too. My 'Library of Truth' doesn't have anything on it."
At last, I realized what she was.
The Philosopher's Stone.
The Philosopher's Stone, fused with the woman's heart, had manifested with a will of its own.
"Something that shouldn't exist in this world. For the purge of such abominations, you'll be selected for the gods' 'feats' as well. We're in similar predicaments, it seems."
Its end is destruction.
I strained my whole body, but it wouldn't move.
No matter how hard I tried, not a twitch.
"Don't struggle. You can't move anyway. I have no intention of harming you... "
"Do you think you and I are the same?"
"...I'm genuinely shocked. How can you even move your mouth?"
Because I saw the moon.
The moon I'd seen when "reproducing" Croft's movements.
It resembled the form of the Philosopher's Stone.
So I reached out without hesitation.
A phenomenon I'd experienced before.
Startling, but not unfamiliar.
Soon, my mouth, hands, feet—my entire body returned to normal.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"A human breaking my stasis field...! Are you a monster?"
Stasis field.
The soul's resting place that Spirit Caliburn had mentioned.
Then, was she an AI as well?
I resist all that suppresses my freedom.
I refused to live a life where I couldn't move by my own will.
That resolve was an ego even the gods couldn't touch.
I wouldn't submit to some AI.
"Don't speak so freely when you're just a creation."
"An interesting choice of words. Created. Not wrong, but not entirely right either."
She smiled and continued.
"I am Baal. The sentient being dwelling in the Philosopher's Stone. And the master of this body now."
"Parasitizing it?"
"We reached an agreement. To survive. To save her. We became one."
They had agreed for the sake of life itself.
Without Baal, she would have died despite Edis's efforts.
That was the true meaning of the "Silver Snow Demon King."
The ruthless fiend who massacred all life, cursing it!
"...You're wondering whether to eliminate me or not."
Baal gasped upon seeing his eyes.
She had no choice.
When humans encounter the unknown, the mysterious, they feel fear.
Normally, they wouldn't even think of "eliminating" that mystery.
They couldn't, and they wouldn't have the leisure to try.
But the man before her was different.
No surprise. No trace of fear.
He genuinely believed he could eliminate her.
'Even among epics with wills of their own, there's a hierarchy?'
Epic.
An object with a will.
A mystery that shouldn't exist in this world.
She was one such mystery.
And the mystery in that man's head clearly surpassed her comprehension.
He had broken her stasis field without even revealing his full power.
Moreover, it showed signs of fusing or eliminating her according to the user's will.
The mad one was someone else.
Clearly a being with no regard for basic etiquette among mysteries.
A mystery not recorded in the Library of Truth. Definitely one of the "primordial epics," but she couldn't understand why such a thing was still roaming the mortal world.
'I just wanted to say hello.'
So she had drawn him into her world for epics to exchange names.
But instead of an epic, its user had stepped forward with his will.
'And this man isn't consumed by the mystery...'
Ordinary epics fused with the user's mind, like her.
If fusion worked, great; most devoured and dominated the user.
Yet the man before her showed no signs of fusion or consumption.
On the contrary, he completely dominated the epic.
Was that even possible?
A primordial epic should have an even stronger will of its own.
The stronger the epic, the more bloated its ego became. She knew that firsthand.
"Is there any reason I shouldn't eliminate you?"
"If I die, so does this child. Precisely, she'll live on but become little more than a mindless corpse."
"If that's all, then elimination it is."
A man without blood or tears.
Hadn't he come to save this body?
Baal changed her thinking.
"I'll give you a gift."
Let's turn this enigmatic human into an ally.
Building ties with a primordial epic might prove useful later.
It could even advance her own "self-will" significantly.
Ideally, she'd contract with the body's owner too, but that epic wouldn't sit idly by.
It would move to eliminate her before the contract activated.
Or nullify the contract itself.
"What's your name?"
"Reinhardt."
"Good, Reinhardt. Please accept this child's rampaging mana. This mana is infused with my authority. Through it, you'll gain great power."
Thoom.
At that moment, a massive wave rocked the world.
The sensation of the world sinking.
When I came to, she had vanished from before me.
No, she was still sealed in the ice pillar.
Not an illusion or hallucination.
'Stasis field.'
I had simply been inside Baal's stasis field.
Its shattering had returned me to reality.
Krunch!
Krunch-crunch!
It was instantaneous.
An enormous quantity of nanomachines flowed in, and with them, the ice pillar cracked and began to crumble.
"Ah...!"
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Croft and Germin rushed to my side.
Meanwhile, Edis sprinted full-tilt to catch the falling girl.
Upon securing his granddaughter, Edis couldn't help but tremble.
"Kaichel. Oh, Kaichel!"
Tears streaming, he broke into sobs.
Kaichel's ice-cold body was moving.
Moments later, Kaichel slowly opened her eyes.
"Grandfather...?"
"Yes, Grandfather Edis. Do you recognize me?"
"Wh-where is this?"
"Don't move yet. Your body needs time to recover...!"
Edis expressed his joy with his entire being.
But he didn't realize.
That Kaichel's actions now were all orchestrated by Baal.
Baal was putting on an act.
The act of a frail Kaichel.
[All 'unauthorized nanomachines' have been subjugated.]
[Admin authority upgraded to Level 5.]
[Subjugated unauthorized nanomachines contain 'psionic energy.']
Psionic energy.
Baal's gift.
The moment I obtained it, I knew exactly how to use it.
'Hah!'
At the same time, I shuddered.
A sensation I'd never felt even when conquering half the continent.
An even greater euphoria enveloped me.
[ Psionic Energy ] End