The next thing I knew, I was alone in a dark place.
“Where is this!?”
The knight armor-like enchanted outfit I was wearing had already been removed, and I was back in my original knight’s uniform.
“What happened to the battle…?”
In the final clash, I distinctly saw it.
The Emperor dissolving into light and disappearing.
Did I manage to defeat the Emperor with that?
Or perhaps—
I looked around at the dark surroundings, still filled with questions.
My eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness.
It seemed I was inside a building.
A long, narrow corridor stretched straight ahead and behind me.
There was no point in just standing here, so I decided to proceed down the corridor.
After walking for a while, I came to a large room.
It was a massive, dome-shaped chamber.
“What is this place…?”
I stood there, stunned.
Organic-looking pipes snaked across the walls, reminiscent of internal organs.
In front of me stood a long stone tablet, on which several names were engraved.
Alice, Dorothea, Wyatt, Melchior, Lazisa, Natasha, Bake, Alexandra, Goldova, Castor, Hannibal, Redon, Lian, Alberich, Siegfried, Seeder, Balmung, Grimwald…
—And then Abel.
Dozens, hundreds of names that looked like people’s names…
And last of all, my name was carved.
Could it be that this is…
“That is correct. Those are the names of those who have reincarnated into this world.”
A deep voice, as if to shake space itself, echoed from the darkness at the back of the chamber.
—Thump.
My heart pounded.
Yes, this… this is exactly the scenery from the precognitive dream I had before departing for the Empire.
And the one speaking is—
“You… are…?”
I squinted, trying to get a clearer look.
Faint light emanated from the ceiling, revealing a colossal silhouette.
It was a colossal capsule, about ten meters high, filled with green nutrient fluid.
Dozens of organic tubes and pipes, resembling blood vessels, were connected to it, pulsing rhythmically.
And—floating in the nutrient fluid was a massive brain.
Perhaps about two meters in diameter.
“What… is this…”
I groaned in a dry voice.
“I am the Magatsu Emperor (Arc Enemy).”
The voice boomed from the giant cerebrum.
“I have lived for an eternity, not hesitating, not fearing, not wavering, to achieve an ideal world, even if it meant becoming the world’s greatest enemy (Arc Enemy).”
—Although, a brain doesn’t have vocal cords.
This voice must be some kind of telepathic communication using magic, I suppose.
“But Emperor—”
Then what was I fighting just now?
Was it a fake, or a double?
No, there was nothing to prove that what this being was saying was true.
But the overwhelming pressure emanating from it made me realize, not through logic, but through instinct.
That what the being before me was saying was the truth.
That this being was the true Magatsu Emperor.
“The man you were fighting until just now—Melchior—is merely a puppet.”
The cerebrum—no, the Magatsu Emperor announced.
“He possesses the highest magical talent in the world that I discovered. You must have heard of his fame as a genius in the Grand Magus Union, haven’t you?”
Come to think of it—
I recalled the stories I had heard about the Magatsu.
Originally, the Magatsu Emperor was a genius mage who belonged to the Grand Magus Union.
He was expelled from the Union due to an incident and then crossed over to this island to establish the Magatsu.
“The incident Melchior caused—was his investigation into records of the High Ancient Civilization, which were forbidden even by the Union. He learned of a civilization that was the culmination of human wisdom. And its overwhelming power.
So I approached Melchior. I asked him if he wanted to gain power equal to or even greater than that of the people of the High Ancient Civilization—power of the Transcendent.”
The Emperor explained calmly.
“He eagerly accepted. Although he was called a genius—or rather, because he was called a genius, Melchior knew the limits of his own talent. And he desired power that could surpass it. Therefore, I granted it to him. The power of the High Ancient Civilization—the art of manipulating Original Spells. In exchange, he became my puppet, my marionette.
But I never expected anyone to defeat him. Moreover, you defeated most of the eight geniuses I discovered—the Elysion Octa. Your talent is truly remarkable. I acknowledge you as the strongest in this world.”
“So, the one I fought earlier, and perhaps the Elysion Octa and the other mages—they were all your puppets?”
“That is correct.”
The Emperor replied to my groan.
“As I have no physical body, I require someone to act as my proxy. That is Melchior.”
—After that, the Emperor spoke at length.
To summarize his story, it goes like this.
To seize control of the world and revive the High Ancient Civilization—world domination sounds simple, but its execution involves immense difficulties and requires overwhelming power.
First, the Emperor sought those who would become his hands and feet, and established a facility for researching magic.
This was the parent organization of the “Laboratory” where homunculi like Dita were created.
He gradually expanded this laboratory and, at the same time, searched for suitable individuals to become his “puppets,” his proxies.
Eventually, he finally found Melchior Fia, a youth who was renowned as a genius in the Grand Magus Union.
With him as the center, he recruited other talented individuals and established the Empire with them as the Elysion Octa and as mages of high ranks.
The combined power of these genius mages was tremendous. Within a few years, they destroyed and annexed countless countries, and the Magatsu continued to expand.
However, something unforeseen occurred.
Another super-genius, a sudden mutation, appeared—
“That was the existence of the reincarnated being—Abel.”
The Emperor declared.
“I never anticipated that you would possess power surpassing that of my puppets. Your power was never meant to awaken. You were supposed to live your entire life in a remote village, with your power going to waste. But… the aftermath of my own invasion war reached your village—and as a result, it triggered your awakening.
Battle after battle. Through these conflicts, your power was honed, and you eventually acquired strength that surpassed even my puppets and the Elysion Octa. This was my miscalculation.
But—or rather, because of it, I ask this:”
The Emperor’s voice resonated even more deeply.
“Will you not become my new puppet—?”
“Eh…?”
“I have been considering this for some time. I have even asked you in your dreams.”
The Emperor’s words made me jolt.
The precognitive dream I had before.
The one where Claire and the Third Squad were attacked, and the whole world was engulfed in flames.
In that dream, which was more abstract than usual, someone had spoken to me.
“Are your companions that important?”
“What do you care? With your power, you don’t need companions.”
“That power is enough to dominate the world.”
“You can become the king of this world.”
“What do you say? It’s not a bad offer, is it? I will make you the ruler of the world.”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
I glared at the giant brain.
“You are the source of all this. There’s no way I’d listen to someone like you—Megid Mirage!”
I donned the gold and black armor once more.
This second time, I seemed to have gotten the hang of it.
I was able to manifest the magical armor far more smoothly than before.
“…You intend to destroy me?”
The giant brain pulsed, this time with exceptional strength.
“If you disappear, the Empire will stop trying to conquer the world, right?”
“You flatter yourself. Even if you are the strongest mage in the world, you cannot destroy me.”
The Emperor’s voice trembled.
It was hard to tell with someone who had no facial expressions, but he seemed to be laughing.
And with an air of immense amusement.
“You cannot discard others. You, however—Negaphase.”
As the Emperor cast his spell, the space before me warped.
From it, several figures emerged.
“Wh-what, why is it suddenly so dark…?”
“Where are we~?”
“Abel-kun…?”
“…. (confused)”
“Could this be spatial transfer? A most intriguing magic, but precisely—”
“Abel-kun, and you are—”
They were members of the Third Squad.
It seemed they had been spatially transferred here from the castle by the Emperor’s spell.
“This is the real Emperor. Everyone, step back!”
I warned Claire and the others.
“Huh? Real?”
“This big brain… sir?”
Claire and Racine voiced their confusion.
It seemed everyone was utterly bewildered.
However, the Emperor wouldn’t wait for them to regain their composure.
“Disappear, all of you! Imperial Phalanx!”
Without mercy, he cast an attack spell.
Tch, the same magic as the puppet Emperor (Melchior)!
And the target wasn’t me.
It was everyone in the Third Squad.
“You won’t get away with that!”
I hurriedly stepped in front of Claire and the others, and activated the magic defense of my enchanted outfit—the Magic Resistance ability—to its fullest.
“Explodeeeeeeee!”
Receiving my will, the enchanted outfit emitted a gold and black radiance, forming a massive barrier that enveloped all of the Third Squad.
I deflected the Emperor’s light projectile with that barrier and prepared my staff again.
“…If you’re going to target someone, target me. Isn’t that cowardly for an Emperor?”
“As I thought, you would protect your comrades.”
The Emperor remained unfazed by my accusation.
“Blazing Meteo.”
The Emperor calmly chanted the spell.
Simultaneously, the surrounding space distorted and tore, and darts of burning meteors rained down from beyond the void.
“Damn it, attacking in a way that involves everyone again…!”
I cursed under my breath while defending against them with Defensive Spells and the enchanted outfit’s resistance.
Furthermore, I launched a counter-spell during a momentary opening.
“Photon Blade!”
The surroundings were enveloped in a blinding burst of light.
My strike—did not reach the Emperor.
A massive barrier had blocked my attack.
“…Mmm.”
The Emperor groaned.
My previous blow hadn’t been completely blocked.
Part of the tubes and pipes extending around the nutrient capsule had split, scattering sparks.
“…Do not get too carried away.”
As the Emperor announced, the split tubes and pipes instantly reconnected.
Super-fast repair magic, huh?
“While you might be an exception, the others—those Insignificant Beings—will be obliterated by my attack without a trace.”
“Gh…!”
At the Emperor’s words, I froze.
Perhaps the previous attacks were just a preliminary test.
But if he unleashed a large-area destructive magic with his full power, I wasn’t confident I could protect everyone, let alone myself.
And if anyone other than me were to receive the Emperor’s magic, they would be blown away without any chance of defense or evasion.
Claire and the others are strong.
But—unfortunately, the Emperor is on a completely different level.
“Damn…”
I clenched my teeth.
This was like having Claire and the others taken hostage.
Even I, while protecting them, stood no chance against the true Emperor.
What should I do—
My thoughts raced.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Do I have to use ‘that’?
The last function of my staff.
But that method would also put Claire and the others in danger.
And since the opponent is the Emperor, it would surely be fighting for my life.
What to do.
What should I do—
“I could obliterate you right now, but your talent is too precious. I wish to persuade you and make you my loyal servant.”
Absolutely not.
“I will show you something interesting now. If you see it, your mind may change.”
