My aim was set in stone, and at that, I at least had a mission in mind.
I stood in the heart of the eastern empire, thinking about all that went on.
The global destruction had been so great that the hope and pride the world carried had nearly diminished.
This goes to the races inhibiting the cardinal world.
The global population had reduced so much that it would be dangerous for the future if nothing was done.
Well, that aligns with my goal. I had to do something about this problem.
Due to the destructive amount of energy released to the atmosphere, the process of all the lost souls entering the reincarnation cycle was hindered.
This meant that those souls could also be recovered.
But that posed another issue. The dense energy quantity also corrupted all those souls, making it futile to attempt revival.
Normally, the souls would have long been destroyed if not for my early intervention.
That, along with the fact that all the potent energy had been dealt with.
That means all the souls would soon leave for the reincarnation cycle system.
This is not something I can ignore. I mean, I don't know how the system works.
[1] If there's any possibility that the souls would be placed in a different body in that corrupted state, then that would not be a good outcome.
That brings us back to my mission.
With the help of my comrades, we were able to collect all the bodies that had been lost or crushed during the whole battle.
That was the first move. The second was left for me to handle.
I was the only one capable of doing this.
It was a public event, and I had meticulously planned for this.
All eyes were on me as I was the hope of all.
They had lost their loved ones and friends, and here was I, promising that they would be returned.
Who wouldn't put their hope in me?
It was a common thing for humans to sell their soul to a demon who seemed to have a solution to their problem rather than to trust a god who never gave them any sign of hope.
Using this to my advantage, I had singlehandedly captured the hope of all the races.
It wasn't only the humans, but also, demi-humans alike.
The new races Valentine had seemingly created were also among.
That is, the elves and dwarves. I never knew that elves and dwarves also existed in this world.
The enkis and other races had gone extinct, but that brought about new diverse species.
It looks like what the old man said about the world was true.
I could also sense some powerful presences nearby, but that wasn't my concern.
I was protected by Rose, who was arguably the best kind of support in this type of situation.
I totally trusted her with my safety, and it would be wrong to detach my attention when all my analytical prowess was required to fulfill this mission.
I would later investigate these mysterious individuals myself, so there was no use thinking of them now of all times.
The soulless bodies were arranged in order, and with the next step being mine, all that was left was to do the deed.
With Raziel-san taking over, I just had to take the back roe seat and watch it all happen.
Sariel (Raziel) : 「"Return to me, all lost souls," 『Soul Lord』.」
With that, the ritual had begun. Activating three of my powerful, unique skills, a violet-blue vortex appeared at a point-blank range, ignoring space-time.
Normally, I wouldn't be able to activate my soul skill just anywhere, but with my idea, it was possible.
It was simple, in all honesty.
With the simultaneous use of 『Space-time Administrator』 and 『Soul Lord』, it was no longer a dream waiting to become reality.
My idea was practiced continuously until Raziel-san mastered and implemented it into my range of abilities.
As of now, I am incapable of doing it, but having Raziel-san do all the dirty work was never a new thing.
In fact, she almost seemed to love these kinds of things.
I said it was simple, but what I meant is the concept. The actual working was beyond my level.
Doing such a thing as revival and resurrection at the same time is as close to impossible as it gets.
Firstly, the chances of it was the constant of pi.
The number π is a mathematical constant, approximately equal to 3.14159, which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
It appears in many formulae across mathematics and physics, and some of these formulae are commonly used for defining pi to avoid relying on the definition of the length of a curve.
It was so low that it almost seemed impossible, but with the help of Raziel-san using my skills, I believe it to work out.
Secondly, the Secret Art of Revival had to be woven using arcane wisdom that humankind couldn't even begin to understand.
It naturally required a massive amount of magical energy, along with an unimaginable amount of force to control it.
Even a high-level magic-born couldn't do that.
Only demons, with their knowledge of controlling souls, could handle the job, and even then, that was only a handful of higher-level demons.
With my level, it was quite manageable.
But even a single target took up tons of magicules, and this was
multiplying that by a thousand-ish.
Of course, I was short on magicules.
But there was something I did about it.
The toxic energy that was gathered in my soul dimension was already converted into usable energy, and this helped out.
The energy was more than enough, so that issue was covered up.
The taxing issue was how to repair the soul and safely get it into the body whilst simultaneously manipulating the excess energy used to make this possible.
It was a daunting and difficult tax, but together, I believe we will pull through.
The black hole-like vortex began to devour all the soul fragments that were spread around us.
It was an absolutely stunning sight. Raziel-san, possessing my body, looked like a goddess in her own right.
My already immensely beautiful features, mixed with her divine elegance, made it a dangerous view to behold.
The breeze blew gently, and my silver hair fluttered in accordance with the melody of the wind, complimenting the divine sight.
All in all, it was an otherworldly view.
As all the soul fragments were gathered and pieced together, the information of whose soul it was and the body it belonged to came to me naturally.
With the Heavenly Wisdom Lord in control, the information was used accordingly.
◇◇◇
What began was one of the deepest, most mysterious secrets of this world.
Colorless, transparent balls of beautiful light were enveloped in a thin film of flawless light purple.
These were the cores of the victims, along with the astral
bodies that protected them.
Next, following the Secret Art of Resurrection, the rebuilt monster and human souls were returned to their bodies.
The souls were placed above their respective bodies, and that's when the miracle began.
All the memories and information about the souls were fixed. It was a complex process.
Their memories were altered by the energy corruption, but after devouring their cores, Raziel had dug in deep to the root of their existence, recovering their information and giving them back their complete memory as part of the ritual.
This was done with the aid of her subskill 『Existence Alteration』, which made it possible to completely restore their memories, even from a damaged brain.
As long as the soul was intact, she could rebuild those memories from the state of death an infinite number of times.
The link between soul and body was established, and now, the cores of the deceased unleashed their powers, and their hearts began to beat out a pulse.
Right there, the resurrection was settled. A divine mystery, born from the complex interactions of myriad elements, all in the hands of Raziel and Sariel.
A miracle and a foregone conclusion, engineered by his wish and that of everybody else.
He didn't know it fully, but to Raziel, the Lord of Divine Wisdom, who carried this out, there was no happiness at this successful feat.
She had just performed the answer provided by her computations, followed the probabilities, and obtained results.
She saw no further meaning in it. Success didn't make her feel happy, and failure wouldn't have made her feel sad in all likelihood.
She didn't even understand what feelings those emotions would mean.
Even with all the great knowledge she wielded, the brilliant brain she was blessed with, it wasn't enough to understand human
emotion.
In the end, she still felt a pang of fulfilments hit her skill core even though she wouldn't admit it.
Is this what the humans call emotions?
This is the first time she asked herself a question. One which she surprisingly didn't have the answer to at that.
It was a thesis that Raziel would find herself constantly thinking about, going forward—and never finding an answer.
But deep down, in a heart she should never have had, in a corner of Sariel's soul—a will existed.
A self, to put it another way. There had to be one there or else a skill wouldn't evolve in such rogue fashion in order to fulfill its master's wishes.
It feels...
It came from within Raziel, a type of confusion that could not be fixed with detailed calculations.
And yet, even this slight suspicion toward herself that was born in her head was something Raziel quickly turned her eyes from when she saw her master's concern.
Sariel: 「(Raziel-san, is anything the matter? You seem troubled.)」
「Nothing of the sort, master.」
Sariel: 「(Eh? Even your speaking pattern has changed... Are you really okay?)」
「Do not bother yourself. I am absolutely well.」
Sariel: 「(If you say so...)」
Although he wasn't convinced, he continued to observe his work, leaving that matter for a later date.
Regardless of her internal conflicts, Raziel continued with her incomparably accurate work.
She analyzed and assessed nearly thousands of individuals at the same time, repairing their bodies, regenerating their souls, and finally resurrecting them.
It was a seamless flow, not a single extraneous motion involved, and everything was handled at the right place and time.
Before any of them in the site realized it, the miracle had secretly completed itself.
◇◇◇
Only three people knew what just happened: Luminous, Sylvia, and a certain demon.
Luminous was rendered beyond speechless as she watched the ceremony intently, face turned pale as a sheet.
She had a front-row seat to the ultimate in secret arts, the exact thing she had been pursuing for so long.
A chasm of deep, dark magic of which Sariel's presence as a demon allowed her an all-too brief glimpse.
She gave thanks for the great fortune of obtaining this insight, even as she swore to herself never to let Sylvia or herself become Sariel's enemy.
If she did, it'd ruin the both of them.
She knew too little about all of this for any other alternative to work.
Sylvia's eyes were dazzled by the miracle that took place before her.
She didn't have much in the way of magic knowledge, but she could see well enough that this secret art was like nothing else.
It made her tremble in awe at how
easy, Sariel made it look.
Damn it, what kind of magic force is this?! This massive, seemingly endless magicule supply, all being controlled with utter perfection.
Is this really the silver demon? It can't be! Lord Twilight couldn't even do this…
Awe and fear swirled in equal measures.
…And those red eyes..... Those eyes look like they're beholding something totally worthless.
They treat raising the dead as nothing more complex than repairing a useful tool… Did he think he could just make a new soul if he messed up?
What the hell is up with him…? He's usually so warm and kind to other people with what I've seen; was all that just an act? A facade...? Is this the real him…?!
She thought deeply as the weight of what he had just struck her to stupefaction.
He even did it in broad daylight, as if daring the hidden rulers of the world.
As in, "Look at me go, assholes!! Dare me, and I'll crush you with the overwhelming strength!!"
He's basically screaming that with his actions alone.
She thought of such humorous things even under the weight of it all.
The mysterious demon chuckled with excitement, pouring out their emotion after witnessing the divine view.
How wonderful... To think you wielded this much power with no one even knowing for thousands of years.
You hid your true strength for years until you figured it was time to show us. Even I never knew about it. How truly amazing.
The mysterious demon thought with their deep crimson eyes glowing with a malicious intent, yet an adoring look could be seen.
Their pale yet vibrant white hair seemed to absorb the light surrounding them.
It was the white primordial demon, Blanc.
She had a light luminescent glow around her.
It was their spiritual body being used in the cardinal world, and although it wouldn't last long, she didn't intend to enter the world just yet.
She had appeared using the hell gate in the eastern empire, all just to witness this breathtaking scene.
And she did not regret it even for one bit.
Although they weren't that close, they still considered each other as friends.
But that was it. She had no idea who the individual Sariel was.
She didn't know how strong he was, and she knew nothing about him.
But seeing what he did today, she had a good grasp on his strength.
She had witnessed the battle between Guy and Velzard and had a grasp on how powerful both were, but this was the first time she had seen him in action without interference.
In actuality, Raziel always had a knack for blocking out any interference wave from analyzing Sariel's capabilities.
In that sense, she used the skill 『Existence Concealment』 to do so.
This started from when Guy tried to replicate his abilities.
This skill was even capable of erasing his presence, and it was also potent against beings like Guy and her.
Even though she could physically see his abilities in display, she could not comprehend them.
But today, the day he has decided to show them his true power, he did so in the most grandest and flashiest way possible.
She, too, was captivated by this miraculous display power.
What Blanc was watching now was both Sariel and not Sariel.
Unaware of this, all she could see was a being working beyond the realm of mortal intelligence.
Unlike Luminous and Sylvia, Blanc was filled with utter joy, gazing at Sariel in sheer, silent awe.
But the way he behaved seemed strange to Blanc.
Besides, he has never been this emotionless...
She almost seemed convinced that it was an entirely new individual in control of him.
Perhaps he...
But she dismissed the thought at once as overthinking matters.
In all the many years she had lived, she thought it would be ridiculous to have never heard of anything quite like that.
The idea of a skill becoming sentient and intelligent was too ridiculous to even consider.
Working independently to fulfill the requests of its master…?
…or maybe it took a demon like me, living in the deepest depths of the world, to even have the possibility of such a phenomenon occur in my mind.
Regardless, she didn't buy
it.
Besides, if that were so, then there would be others with the same thing.
She shrugged the idea off and continued to enjoy the view of it all. Besides, it was a once in a lifetime event.
An event only a crazy person like Sariel could stir up.
◇◇◇
As the ritual was completed, an overwhelming sense of fulfillment washed over me.
I had completed a seemingly impossible task, and I was all but unsatisfied.
It was a rare experience on my part. Things had always gone wrong for me, but today was different.
My plan had succeeded, and my intention was spread.
The world will now know what I did; reviving thousands on a whim.
I will become a legend known to all. Wahaha!!
Kalisha: 「I think Milim's rubbing off on you.」
W-Wah!? Nonsense! That isn't true! I'm a man, not a loli!!
Kalisha: 「If you say so.」
With that done, I brought out my wings,
which gave of a divine and deadly glow at the same time.
Flapping them hard enough to get me to the sky, I gave the people one final look; a kind smile flashing on my face involuntarily.
With that, I took off.
That was one thing off my back, and now, I only have to meet up with that rescued kid.
When that is done, I will be set free for a whole century.
How's that for a break!?
I was excited to get things through, so I quickened my pace.