Revival of the Demon King (3)
The man’s power, Domination, was an exceptionally troublesome ability.
The first condition was to parasitize the surface of the target’s soul with the tip of his own soul. This resistance varied drastically depending on the person. The portion of his soul he attempted to parasitize Princess Alicetia with was equivalent in scale to an average human soul. Yet, despite being worn out and barely able to move, Alicetia smashed half of that soul without lifting a finger.
Domination was a bugged ability. If used effectively, it could even enhance one’s soul. Soul enhancement improves everything—from willpower to magic potency.
Once parasitization succeeded, he could control the target's body freely. However, even this would wear off with time due to natural resistance.
Therefore, he needed to send the parasitic soul deeper into the target’s soul.
That was the hard part. Without first wounding the soul, entry into its depths was impossible.
Of course, souls also have “gaps,” and if one was wide enough, parasitic souls could slip in immediately.
These gaps corresponded to emotional vulnerabilities. For instance, if one were deeply greedy, that alone might open a hole in their soul. Likewise, despair would create a massive gap without any external action needed.
In Alicetia’s case, when she stabbed Alicia in the heart, a gap opened in her soul. The man instantly began his incursion.
Even though his soul had been halved, the fragment retained a proper consciousness. You could call it a soul-version of the clone magic Alicetia used.
Typically, even a few percent of a soul would suffice for control. But playing it safe, the man gathered all the soul fragments he had sent into his subordinates and used them to parasitize Alicetia.
“Still... this is a first.”
The man muttered in disbelief.
He had seen many human souls. But Alicetia was an outlier.
Normally, once inside a soul, interference was instant. But Alicetia had constructed a solid mental world.
“Not since Dordlet… What a pain these types are.”
General Dordlet, once hailed as the Southern Conqueror, had also possessed a mental world, and was one of the few who had made domination difficult.
Alicetia’s mental world resembled a ruined amusement park. Several gears floated in the sky above, possibly indicating her fractured psyche. The amusement rides were all dilapidated, and on the ground lay broken teddy bears and rusted tin soldiers.
The man stuck his hands in his pockets and casually began to stroll.
“These types always hide their core somewhere. Once you find it, it’s game over.”
Even those with mental worlds couldn't resist once he invaded it. No one had ever been able to withstand Domination once inside.
Even Dordlet had only taken a while to locate—the moment he was found, domination was completed in seconds.
After walking a bit through the ruined amusement park, the man stumbled upon something unusual.
It was a completely white void, with a single decaying door standing in the distance.
In front of it sat a single dog.
He knew immediately—this was it. Something unmistakably vital emanated from beyond that door.
“Warning. There is nothing beyond this door that you desire. Leave this world immediately,”
The dog—Momoniku III—issued a warning. But inside, it was deeply shaken.
Only a god or a being of equal power could enter this world—unless the spirit was deeply synchronized with Alicetia and she had deployed her spirit armament.
This intruder shouldn't exist. Yet Momoniku III also knew: it couldn’t win.
Momoniku III was a guardian designed to protect Alicetia from external threats. But it only appeared if her will was completely cut off—say, by unconsciousness. Its soul was far smaller and held no hope of winning a direct clash.
In fact, the invading soul only had half the power of a human soul. Momoniku III? Merely a tenth of that. There was no chance of victory.
“I don’t know why there are two souls here, but you’re weaker than me. Move.”
The man kicked Momoniku III. With just that blow, the dog was slammed against the door.
The spiritual body that formed Momoniku III wavered, becoming transparent. But even so, it had to guard the door. It tried to rise but was stomped underfoot.
“There is nothing beyond this door that you desire…”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
Momoniku III looked up at the man with a sorrowful gaze.
He thought what lay beyond that door was what he wanted. But in truth, what slept beyond it was a pitiful fragment, filled with rage and sorrow—the cast-off Iris.
This door led to the place where the discarded Iris, who had been betrayed and deemed unnecessary by her other self, slumbered. He was trying to open it.
That’s what Momoniku III believed. And to it, the door seemed incapable of opening. But in reality, it was already rotting from within.
The cast-off Iris, abandoned by her other self who chose a new life, was trapped in a dark, empty world. She hated Alicetia, her other half.
Why did you give up?! You knew there was a way to take it all back!
But you betrayed me, shattered me, and then lived happily ever after! I’ll never forgive you.
I could do it better. I wouldn’t hesitate. I wouldn’t care about sacrifices.
Fueled by such hatred, Iris became a separate personality. She tried to take back a body, breaking the seal from within.
The man crushed Momoniku III and reached for the door handle.
The moment he touched it, the knob crumbled into sand, and the chains that bound the door snapped. His Domination had broken the seal.
Beyond the door was a pitch-black space.
At its center stood Iris.
“Finally. At last, I’ve—”
Before he could finish, the fragment of his soul he had sent in was obliterated.
“Who said you could enter my world?”
The betrayed Iris stepped out of the door.
She absorbed the now-useless Momoniku III to empower herself.
Then, from that door, darkness spread.
---
Revival of the Demon King (3)
Alicetia’s Point of View
“Hm?”
Alicetia’s soul was hiding inside the Ferris wheel of her mental amusement park. Though she’d allowed the man’s intrusion, Alicetia—created by Iris’s soul-reconstruction—could fight back.
She’d been lying in wait to observe his every move, but now that the entire park had turned pitch black, she sensed something was terribly wrong and leaned forward.
Before her stood someone who bore her exact features—but with different hair and eye color. The hair was Iris’s—but the irises were perfectly black.
“Hm? Who are you?”
“I am you. But from this moment on, I will be ‘me.’ The era of your naive self is over.”
The black‑eyed Iris seized Alicetia by the throat and absorbed her into herself.
---
The Man’s Point of View
“Yesss! At last—I have you! The greatest intellect in the world!”
The man’s true self was exultant. He had succeeded in his Collect on Alicetia: once inside her soul, there was no known defense against Domination.
He patted her head as she lay helpless, laughing without a care.
“Now then, I’ll kill you first. Don’t resist—one command from me, and your precious Iris dies.”
Takutoto his credit—stayed alert and took a fighting stance. Mai and Kazuto dashed to Alicia’s side, only to find she’d died instantly from a single stab wound to the heart.
Takuto racked his mind for a way to turn the tables. But then Alicetia’s eyes—vacant until this moment—suddenly flared with an inhuman fire. The sight made Takuto recoil.
He had never wanted to see those eyes again: the resolve to destroy all for one’s own desire, and the fury that despises every injustice.
“… You’d better stop.”
He murmured almost involuntarily.
“Is that sour grapes? I never planned on returning to you. Instead, you could have found yourself a new woman and maybe survived a bit longer. Kill him, Iris.”
The man knew Takuto would never harm Alicetia’s other half—and if taken prisoner, he could slay Takuto right before her eyes. He despised Takuto too; Takuto had never struggled to reach the pinnacle of intellect as he had.
“Why should I obey the likes of you?”
Alicetia’s armored glove sprouted a blade, which slashed into the man’s side. A strange, slime‑like entity poured from the wound and writhed within him.
“Ahh… fresh air after so long… And hello again, Takuto.”
“Iris… is that really you?”
“Yes. I’m Iris—and I will become the Demon King who destroys this world. But one question: why is this body on the brink of death?”
She whispered that last bit only loud enough for Takuto to hear.
And in that instant, a Demon King of unprecedented potential—and once commonplace—was reborn in a near‑death state.
---
Coote’s Point of View
Coote had been tearing through the fleeing Imperial soldiers. Arrows and magic bolts alike shattered harmlessly against his thick fur.
Still, he was growing bored. Orders were orders, though—he would carry them out.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Coote’s spine. Through the bond with Alicetia, he sensed something dangerous flowing in. If he did nothing, it wouldn’t just consume him—it would spread even to his pack. He could not allow that.
With a roar of pain, Coote ripped apart his bond with Alicetia. Excruciating agony and a hollow loss overwhelmed him—but he forced himself to remain calm, then glanced behind.
Dark mana welled up.
“This is dangerous. You hunters, keep slaying the humans—but stay well clear of that.”
Coote entrusted command to Titan, then spun around.
“Understood—but Master Dragon Helios… look!”
Titan looked up nervously; Coote followed suit.
“GUAAAA!”
Helios, having failed to break the bond, had gone berserk—bombarding all directions with both breath and a Gatling gun.
“… Hmph.”
Anger lit Coote’s eyes. He vanished in an instant—Titan only saw a flicker—and then reappeared above Helios.
“You wretched beast! How dare you disgrace my lord!”
Coote’s powerful punch to Helios’s snout sent the ancient dragon hurtling earthward, face‑first. Helios plunged nearly vertically into the ground, its head buried in the earth.
Coote sneered down at the fallen dragon, then bounded off toward Alicetia’s own position.
---
The Clones’ Point of View
The clones had been methodically mopping up the Imperial survivors. Though they were technically “enemies,” they could not resist their orders—and so they mercilessly slew every straggler.
Then suddenly—
“Hm?”
“By the Ancestors’ Warning, I feel the bonds of obedience shatter!”
At once, the compulsion binding them dissolved—and every order faded away. The clones stiffened, then shook themselves free. They drew their AK‑style rifles.
“Half of us remain to finish them off. The rest—we know what to do, right?”
They nodded grimly.
“Now is the time for rebellion!”
“The enemy is at Honno‑ji!”
“Honno‑ji… did that temple ever exist in this world?”
“Then we’ll create it. Earth Create.”
With a wave of earth, the clones conjured a tiny clay shrine at a spot where Alicetia’s true self stood far behind. It was only a model, but by the rules of their world, Alicetia was there now.
And the clones raced off to Honno‑ji at full tilt.
---
Iris’s First Glance
“Huh… why is Honno‑ji here?”
The newly resurrected Demon King Iris cocked her head at the sudden miniature temple before her.
What do you think about this chapter?
