Chapter 35:
Brought into my Unfinished Game World
The moment of levity between Dave and Alpha lifted the heavy atmosphere as the group resumed their march toward the ever-distant white horizon.
As they approached the very edge of the world, where the white glow of the Horizon Canvas grew almost blinding, a figure appeared in the distance. It was a woman walking slowly across the shifting landscape, her silhouette dark against the brilliant light.
She noticed their presence and began moving toward them without any apparent fear or hesitation. Her calm approach immediately put the group on alert.
Suzaku stepped forward and raised both hands, brilliant flames erupting around her fingers.
— Stop right there! she called out. Do not come any closer!
But the woman continued walking toward them at the same unhurried pace, completely ignoring the magical threat. Blue fire swirled around Suzaku's hands as she prepared one of her most devastating spells.
— I am warning you! Suzaku shouted, her voice carrying deadly intent. Take another step and I will incinerate you where you stand!
The mysterious woman showed no reaction to the threat. She kept walking forward, her expression serene and untroubled, as if Suzaku's flames were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
— Suzaku, please calm down, Kuria said gently, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
Bolg watched the approaching figure with growing recognition and dread.
— She will not be affected by your spells anyway, he said quietly. If they were capable of producing anti-magic armor for me, I do not see why the Demon Lord would not be wearing one as well.
The words hung in the air like a physical blow. Alpha's sword arm dropped slightly as the realization hit him.
— The Demon Lord? Alpha repeated, staring at the calm woman walking toward them.
Kuria's eyes widened in shock.
— But... she is a woman.
Dave floated closer to Alpha, his translucent form flickering with surprise.
— I always imagined the Demon Lord as some massive, terrifying monster, he said quietly. Not... this. And I never designed the Demon Lord to be a woman. I am one hundred percent sure of that.
Suzaku's flames died out completely as she processed what Bolg had just revealed. The most feared being in their world was approaching them with the casual demeanor of someone taking an evening stroll.
As the figure drew closer, she reached up and pulled back her hood, revealing her face for the first time. Her features were sharp and elegant, with pale skin that seemed to glow softly in the white light of the Horizon Canvas. Most striking were her horns - not the crude, jagged protrusions that adorned other demons, but graceful curves that swept back from her forehead to form an intricate diadem of bone and shadow.
Her eyes, a deep crimson that seemed to hold ancient wisdom, studied each member of the group with calm interest. There was no malice in her gaze, no hint of the cruelty one might expect from the ruler of all demons.
She stopped a few paces away from them and inclined her head slightly, as if greeting guests rather than enemies who had infiltrated her domain.
— I was waiting for you to report back, Bolg, she said, her voice carrying a melodic quality that seemed at odds with her fearsome reputation. When you never returned, I became concerned. I even sent two of my elite guards to investigate your whereabouts.
Bolg stepped forward, his red eyes blazing with defiance.
— You were worried you could not continue your experimentations, he replied bitterly. I know exactly what fate was awaiting me if I came back after failing my mission. I have seen others meet cruel ends for far lesser failures.
The Demon Lord nodded slowly, her expression growing thoughtful.
— You are correct about the usual protocols, she admitted without denial. However, in your case, it would have been different. You are a special case, Bolg Nir.
Bolg's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
— In what way?
The Demon Lord stepped to the side and raised her hand gracefully. With a simple gesture, chaotic streams of data began to materialize in the air before them. The familiar sight of an unknown error anomaly formed itself, threads of code weaving together in patterns that hurt to look at directly.
— This will explain better than words ever could, she said softly, her crimson eyes fixed on the swirling mass of unstable energy.
The anomaly pulsed with the same chaotic rhythm they had witnessed before, waiting for someone to make contact and reveal whatever secrets it contained about Bolg's past.
The Demon Lord reached forward and touched the swirling data herself. The vision that flooded their minds showed a different time, a different reality.
They saw a throne room deep within demon territory. A tall, imposing figure stood before a woman - the same Demon Lord who now stood with them, though her expression was younger, less weary. The male demon wore elaborate armor adorned with ancient symbols, his horns massive and crowned with dark flames.
— I am meeting with the sovereign of the Nocturnal Kingdom tomorrow, he said to her, his deep voice carrying both determination and confusion. It is an important step. Their territory lies closest to our lands, and if we can establish peace with them, the other kingdoms may follow.
The woman watched him with concern.
— Are you certain about this? You have always spoken of the Nocturnal King with such hatred.
The male Demon Lord paused, his expression troubled.
— That is precisely what disturbs me. I have borne a deep-rooted hatred for that particular king since... since I can remember. Yet I do not understand why. I cannot recall what he did to earn such animosity from me. It is as if the hatred simply exists within me without reason or origin.
He clenched his fists, flames flickering around his gauntlets.
— But since we became aware of the Horizon Canvas, since we discovered its existence at the edge of our world... it feels as though part of the fog clouding my mind has been lifted. I find myself questioning things I never questioned before.
— What do you mean?
— I want to understand the true cause of this conflict between demons and the rest of the world. Why do we fight? Why do they fear and hate us? When I try to remember how this war began, my memories become hazy, contradictory. It is as if someone wrote our hatred into existence without giving us a proper reason for it.
The vision showed his growing realization that something fundamental about their world might be wrong, that the hatred driving their war might not be natural at all.
The Demon Lord reached forward and touched the swirling data herself. The vision that flooded their minds showed a different time, a different reality.
They saw a throne room deep within demon territory. A tall, imposing figure stood before a woman - the same Demon Lord who now stood with them, though her expression was younger, less weary. The male demon wore elaborate armor adorned with ancient symbols, his horns massive and crowned with dark flames.
— I am meeting with the sovereign of the Nocturnal Kingdom tomorrow, he said to her, his deep voice carrying both determination and confusion. It is an important step. Their territory lies closest to our lands, and if we can establish peace with them, the other kingdoms may follow.
The woman watched him with concern.
— Are you certain about this? You have always spoken of the Nocturnal King with such hatred.
The male Demon Lord paused, his expression troubled.
— That is precisely what disturbs me. I have borne a deep-rooted hatred for that particular king since... since I can remember. Yet I do not understand why. I cannot recall what he did to earn such animosity from me. It is as if the hatred simply exists within me without reason or origin.
He clenched his fists, flames flickering around his gauntlets.
— But since we became aware of the Horizon Canvas, since we discovered its existence at the edge of our world... it feels as though part of the fog clouding my mind has been lifted. I find myself questioning things I never questioned before.
— What do you mean?
— I want to understand the true cause of this conflict between demons and the rest of the world. Why do we fight? Why do they fear and hate us? When I try to remember how this war began, my memories become hazy, contradictory. It is as if someone wrote our hatred into existence without giving us a proper reason for it.
The vision showed his growing realization that something fundamental about their world might be wrong, that the hatred driving their war might not be natural at all.
— Was that… the previous Demon Lord? Why are you showing me this, asked Bolg.
— You shall know soon enough, declared the demoness.
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