[Prologue]

A massive army that human eyes couldn't fully comprehend rose up.

The army, with no end in sight beyond the horizon, marched forward, ignoring and destroying mountains and rivers alike. In their hands were fire and blades. There were cavalrymen holding lances riding horses that breathed fire, and even fortresses built on the backs of giant beasts capable of crushing an entire city with their bodies.

And at the highest point of that army, on a throne decorated with flames and blades held up by thousands of soldiers, a man looked down at the world with bored eyes.

He was a Transcendent of a level rarely seen across all dimensions.

Marching with an army numbering over hundreds of millions, he had already destroyed several stars. Conquering, destroying, ruling, plundering—that was why he was the Incarnation of War. This wasn't a metaphor; it signified his position as a Transcendent.

The place that army was heading was in front of one man.

They surrounded him so not even a bug could pass, and with dozens of supernatural abilities, magic, formations, and arts occupying the space and the surrounding area, combined with the man's own authority, there was no way to escape. In the sky, the monster bird knights and dragon species were already packed tightly, waiting for their master's command.

If the man's command were to fall, a concentrated barrage capable of shattering a star would rain down on the man.

"Now, there is nowhere to run."

Confident that there was no way to escape from this spot no matter what means were used, the man rested his chin on his hand and looked down at the man leisurely.

His eyes were filled with arrogance. As expected, existing above such a vast army, he had the right to possess that much arrogance.

"Now, what will you do?"

In front of an army of hundreds of millions, the man frowned.

He took a quick look around, glared openly at the man, and let out a sigh.

"You're a real piece of shit with nothing better to do, aren't you? You dragged all this here just to catch me?"

"You call this 'just'? For me, who conquers stars across dimensions, this amount of troops isn't much. I only brought a portion."

He was the Incarnation of War. Being a Transcendent who surpassed even gods, he possessed the ability to summon his army across dimensions. However, since the power consumed is great if the numbers are high, he had only summoned a portion.

The number of planets the man had conquered was in the dozens. Thinking about that, an army of hundreds of millions was merely a fraction.

"I'm asking if you really dragged only this much here just to catch me."

"Hmm, you are certainly a strong Transcendent. I've never seen an existence stronger than you. The enemies I defeated in the past probably weren't as strong as you."

"What a frog in a well. There are tons of Transcendents stronger than me, so what's with that bullshit? You've crossed dimensions and conquered several planets, and you don't even know that?"

"Information and knowledge are just things to gather in the future."

"......Well, not knowing isn't a sin, but refusing to learn is, so let's get to the point."

The man glared at the man. The man's appearance was ordinary, but his harsh eyes ruined his entire impression. Even if he did a good ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deed, it was a face that people who didn't know him would likely point fingers at.

However, right now, the man's face was twisted just as much as his eyes. The look, which seemed to reveal anger itself, was so eerie that any ordinary person would naturally be terrified by his appearance as a vicious, malevolent god.

"I've lived for quite a long time, but you're the first piece of shit to pick a fight demanding I hand over my wife, you dirty pedo."

"Her inner self must have lived for thousands of years, though?"

"I love her because we've lived together for a long time. It's not like I'm some guy hitting on her just because she's pretty like you. Love isn't about the outer appearance, it's about the inside. Then again, would a guy who's only ever done war know what love is?"

The man and the man could not yield to each other.

Because something important to each of them was at stake, one of the two would definitely die here.

"I know my life is precious, so I don't pick fights with Transcendents of a higher rank than me. But I have an anger management disorder, you see? Fuck, I'm pissed off, so does it matter if you're stronger or higher rank than me? You'd better know that today, I'm going to break your arms and legs, make you eat dirt, crawl, and then rip your guts out while you're still alive."

"I am merciful. If you meet your death on your own, I will respect your death. Do you intend to drink the punishment yourself?"

"Where do you get off acting like the victim, you blonde delinquent NTR-loving piece of shit trying to steal someone else's wife? Did your mom teach you that? I don't usually insult people's parents, but for you, there's no such thing, you asshole."

The man indifferently raised his hand. In accordance with his command, the army of hundreds of millions began to move.

They picked up swords and spears and prepared magic and supernatural abilities to kill the man. If the hand the man raised were to be lowered, the war would begin.

"If you turn your back on an easy death and choose the thorny path, I will do so. I have no name to tell you, but in my hometown, I was worshipped as the Demon King of War. Die under that fame."

The moment the man's hand was about to be lowered.

"You are the War Lord. It's obvious that even Transcendents of the same rank would have a hard time with violence from the masses. But let me tell you something."

Kiiiiiing!!!

The man's eyes flashed. Something unusual brushed past on the wind. But no one noticed it. Not even the man with the highest rank in this place.

"I am the Great Demon King, you fucking asshole."

The first thing that showed something strange was the sky.

The monster birds and dragon species that were flying in the sky plummeted to the ground. Their massive bodies crushed the bodies of the soldiers on the ground, but there wasn't even a faint scream.

Because they had become bodies that couldn't scream.

Because not a single one of the hundreds of millions of troops here was alive.

"W, hat!!!"

The man looked around with a shocked expression and spread out his spiritual sense. Not a single person from the army that was mentally connected to him was alive. Not even one out of the hundreds of millions of troops!!!

"It's not the 'Army of Nightmares' of monsters that only appear in dreams, nor is it the 'Army of Death' that moves in trillions, nor is it the 'Army of Erosion' that is viciously evil—did you think you could beat me by bringing along some trash like this and making a mess? Did you think about it before fighting? What kind of compatibility you and I have?"

The difference between the man and the man was clear.

The man was clearly higher in rank as a Transcendent, and he was clearly superior in terms of the number of troops and the magnitude of power. But if there was one thing the man overlooked, it was that he didn't know what kind of Transcendent the man was.

"If it were another Transcendent of the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rank as you, I would have died. But I am in charge of 'society' among the Great Demon Kings who judge civilizations, you know? 'War' is ultimately a clash between societies."

Trampling on the corpses of the soldiers, the man walked toward the throne. Having taken away hundreds of millions of lives in an instant, he stared straight at the man with eyes that showed he didn't care at all.

"No one can kill me with 'society'. Even if you are a Transcendent of higher rank and strength than me, the masses cannot defeat me."

To kill the man, an overwhelmingly strong individual is needed. The absolute majority, far from killing the man, just die in an instant like this.

Killing all life on a single star is something the man can do too.

However, killing only life without destroying anything is something only the man can do. The power to leave all the conveniences of civilization behind and kill only the society in an instant invokes fear before awe.

That is why his epithet was The Most Evil.

"The situation has become quite interesting, hasn't it? Because you added power to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠barrier you set up around here, it's still being maintained even though all the soldiers are dead. The fact that no one can escape from here also means no one can come in here."

Because the man was certain of victory, he had used his power to set up a barrier in the area to block the path of escape. He had used a considerable amount of power, but since it was power used by the man, it wasn't difficult to withdraw it.

It just takes time, and there is no guarantee that he will be safe during that time.

He is the Incarnation of War. But war is not something done alone.

Killing the masses alone is ultimately just a massacre, and the man cannot exert his full power. Because there is no one who would call a 1-on-1 fight a war unless it's a duel. Furthermore, he cannot call upon other kin connected to the man.

Thinking he had blocked the opponent's retreat was actually strangling his own neck.

"If two men are fighting over one woman, they should fight fairly 1-on-1, you piece of shit. Especially if it's a woman who's already taken, you'd be lucky if you were the one taking a penalty. Where do you get off swarming like a bunch of bugs to plunder? Do you lack the ability to seduce a woman without that? Not that a guy who only took women by force on the battlefield would know anything about that."

"Urgh......! You bastard!!!"

"You're the one who picked a fight first, you're the one who acted like a jerk demanding someone else's wife first, and you're the one who brought an army first. Now it's time to take responsibility for that."

The man smiled brightly and threw a punch.

"I told you beforehand what I would do, right? Let's start by breaking your arms and legs first."

The two Transcendents clashed. The fight continued until the sun, which had been highest, set and was highest again the next day.

Because the man was the Incarnation of War, there was a limit to the power he could exert alone, but he was a Transcendent of a higher level than the man. Even if he was cornered, he was not someone to be dealt with easily.

But in the end, the winner was the man.

"Ho, w. How can I, I lose? Me, who has been on an undefeated streak as the Lord of Victory........!"

"You talk about victory when you've never even lost? Don't talk bullshit. The fact that a newbie who hasn't been a Lord for long didn't know how wide the world is and acted like a jerk means it's only right that you lose. You're dying to me, when there are absolute beings who could kill you with one fist, so what's the big deal?"

In fact, it could be said that the man was lucky. As he said, if he had fought another Transcendent of the same rank as the man, and if he hadn't been held back early on because of the barrier, if he hadn't been weak in personal combat, if he hadn't had little experience as a Transcendent—if even one of those many reasons hadn't matched up, the one dying now would be the man, not the man.

"Goodbye, you fucking asshole. I'll make good use of your body."

"Wait.....Kuaaaaaaaaagh!!!"

"You're making such a fuss over having your guts pulled out. I fought while stuffing my spilling guts back into my stomach, you asshole. You're screaming over just that? Your mental strength is pathetic."

He cut open the stomach of the man whose arms and legs were broken and pulled out his guts while he was still alive, scattering them everywhere. His body twitched and convulsed, then soon stopped moving.

The winner of the battle, which would be praised as a great feat, was the man.

"..........Ah."

However, his body wasn't normal either. Although he said he had the advantage, there was a huge gap between the man and him. The gap was so large that no one since the primordial times had ever overcome that gap to achieve victory. It was a feat that wouldn't be strange if it were widely known across countless dimensions. It was natural that he would suffer that much injury.

It was a state where it was faster to count the intact bones, and his right arm was severed and dangling, and his heart had long since flown away. He was just holding on by replacing the function of his heart with his own power. Unless he had the mental strength to use all his power to replace the function of his heart, the fact that he would die was an unchanging truth.

The man sat quietly and appreciated the aftermath of their fight.

The sight of the ground splitting, the star's inner core soaring like a volcano, and gravity twisting to lift the continent was a spectacle. The star, smashed by authority and power, would disappear into cosmic dust without a trace along with a massive explosion before long.

In the first place, there was no need to go that far; the man's body was weak enough to die from the current aftermath alone. Right now, the dense density of immense power nearby from the two's fight was protecting him, but it was obvious that if even that disappeared, the man would be swept up in the aftermath and die.

"......Is it over?"

A girl descended from the sky.

The beautiful silver-haired girl had a doll-like beauty. If there were a god, one would think her appearance had been crafted with painstaking effort. Beyond the appearance of a young girl, if she became an adult, one could glimpse the potential that her beauty alone would go beyond a beauty that topples kingdoms to a beauty that topples stars. However, her blunt face, where no emotion could be felt, chipped away at part of that appearance.

But for now, the emotion of worry was embedded in her eyes.

"Ah, you're here? I didn't want to show you me dying like this if I could help it."

"Watching over the death of a spouse is also the duty of a wife."

The girl carefully stroked the man's face. She wiped his face, stained with blood, dirt, and pieces of guts, as clean as she could.

It was the moment the star was breaking and perishing, but no one could disturb the time of the two right now.

"Can't you be healed?"

"It's not a physical wound...... The guy's will is embedded in it, so it won't be easy to heal. Before that, I'll be dead."

It was an unavoidable death.

But for them, death was not the end.

The man would infinitely repeat reincarnation.

And the girl had an infinite lifespan.

"See you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the next life."

"Yes, let's see each other in the next life."

Just before the man breathed his last, the girl kissed his lips in farewell.

The Most Evil Great Demon King died like that.