'How much time has passed?'
He muttered as if something had suddenly come to mind.
*
Beyond oblivion. In a place commonly referred to as the boundary of thought, he was engaged in a solitary battle.
An endless cycle of oblivion and awakening.
Amidst this, his dulled reason clung to the faded remnants of memory, desperately questioning himself.
'Who am I?'
'Why am I here?'
'What is it that I am rejecting, and why am I rejecting it?' He could not understand.
He stood there simply because he had been there since ancient times, believing it was his duty.
However, because of that, he was gradually losing himself, even if just a little.
The cycle of reincarnation is much like the divine will of the gods.
Just as the stars twinkle in the sky, the sun and moon flow, day and night continue, and The mighty rivers plunge down from lofty heights, it is all too natural.
To resist that is akin to trying to hold back the rising sun, to stand firm at the centre of the turbulent, rushing waters.
Yet he continued to repeat that foolish and meaningless action.
Continuously, endlessly.
Forcefully scraping together the fragments of his eroded self, he had finally come this far.
Yet even his resistance was now reaching its limit.
Suddenly, a question arose in his consciousness.
'Who am I?'
Alaric D'Solis
The meaning of existence is a primal question that naturally exists for everyone.
It is a matter of self that every living being inherently possesses.
But for him, who was engaged in a solitary battle beyond thought, it was like poison, a forbidden fruit.
Another question soon followed in his consciousness.
'Why am I standing here?'
'Why must I endure this pain?'
No matter how heavy, large, or solid a rock may be, it is eventually worn away by the endlessly flowing river and torn apart, turning into pebbles.
Ultimately, his consciousness, which had endured over that long period, was increasingly fracturing within the endlessly rising questions.
Bit by bit, gradually over time.
Regret for his actions began to consume his soul.
If he didn't understand the meaning of his current state anyway, wasn't there no point in enduring it like this?
If that's the case, it's better to let go and relax in the flow.
Thinking that way, he slowly began to surrender himself to the current.
Then, like a tower collapsing, his mind started to crumble into the vast flow of souls. And in that process, one by one, the memories stacked deep within him began to resurface. Then, in an instant,
a single memory burst into his mind.
It was none other than the memory of the woman he so dearly loved.
And it was a memory that lasted no more than a few dozen minutes before he met his end.
In that memory, a man was mocking him, saying,
'Ah, that filthy woman.'
"...!"
At that moment, he gritted his teeth.
No, to be precise, it would be correct to say he stood there gritting his teeth.
Regardless of the circumstances, the being that existed in this moment was merely a wisp of thought, just a soul.
However,
the flow of lingering emotions and the memories that had just flickered through his mind were undoubtedly those of the person he had once been alive.
And returning to that existence, he murmured,
He could not forgive.
No matter what happened, he could not forgive that man.
For the sake of revenge against him, he could do anything, no matter what it took.
As he did this, he grabbed hold of the 'fragments of himself' that were scattering.
And he forcefully suppressed and held onto them.
Gradually, he began to remember who he was.
Ah, yes.
'I am the Demon King.'
He is the leader of the demon tribes and the ruler of the demon realm.
And right now, he was waiting for the time of resurrection.
He gathered his thoughts.
'This time, it was truly dangerous.'
It was a matter of only a thread. He was almost swept away by the flow of souls, losing himself and about to disappear.
Regaining his composure, he calmly checked the current situation.
First of all, serious contamination had not been lost. Although there were some gaps in his memories, under these circumstances, it would be safe to consider himself as 'himself.'
However, there probably wouldn't be a next time.
"..."
After confirming the situation, he checked the thread of small magical power connected to his soul to observe the progress of his consciousness.
And with a sigh of disappointment, he realized something.
The preparation for resurrection was still not complete.
*
What he was currently examining was none other than the resurrection circle installed in the Demon King's castle.
By using this circle, one could transcend the cycle of reincarnation, and as long as the soul could endure the flow until the moment the spell was cast, it could be resurrected back into this world.
It was truly a formidable magic, befitting the power of the Demon King.
However, such great magic, as expected, required a corresponding price.
And that was none other than magical power.
A level of magical power greater than any existing magic.
Without it, the resurrection spell could not be used.
And from what he had confirmed now, the amount of magical power charged in the resurrection circle was only about 80%.
"..."
Enduring and holding out against the flow of his soul, he contemplated.
What should he do?
There were two options he could choose from in the current situation.
One was to endure while trusting in the moment of the next awakening.
The other was to attempt the resurrection ritual with about 80% of his magical power.
Both options were fraught with risks.
In the former case, whether he could truly exist as 'himself' at the next resurrection was doubtful.
Even if he managed to maintain his ego, there was a high possibility he would lose most of his memories.
On the other hand, the latter option, while it was possible to attempt resurrection given the current situation, would likely lead to an incomplete resurrection. If things went wrong, he could end up in a state where his body was not properly formed, or it could collapse altogether. In such a case, death would occur immediately upon resurrection. Either way, it was full of danger.
But if that was the case,
"... Then I have no choice but to gamble on the possibility."
Above all, he was afraid of losing his feelings of vengeance against her and that being.
Therefore, for at least this moment, he chose to resurrect while his feelings of revenge were still vividly alive within him.
It was, in a way, a natural choice.
"..."
Having solidified his resolve, he sent a signal to the magic circle through the connection of magical power linked to his soul.
At that signal, the operation of the magic circle, which had remained inactive for a long time, began.
'Buuuuuum.'
The realm of ether, where souls flow, and the material world were different phases of the same world.
With the activation of the magic circle on the ground, the boundary between the ether realm and the material world began to collapse around the Demon King's castle.
Thrum! Rumble!...
He felt the scenery surrounding him changing.
The surroundings, made only of streams of light, swayed and distorted.
He surrendered his body to the flow that was pulling him in and leapt forward. It felt as if he were caught in a giant storm, and the surroundings began to shake.