Krone’s peculiar vision was none other than Ein’s desperate fight for his life. While she hastily rushed to his side, she realized that she couldn’t touch him. The young advisor knelt next to her beloved, but there was no sign that he’d noticed her presence. A tear rolled down her cheek as she wondered why such a cruel vision was being shown to her while she was powerless to do anything about it.
“Krone,” he said, causing her to forget her tears and lean forward. “Even before I lost consciousness, I thought...”
“Thought what?” Krone asked.
“You shouldn’t have been coy, I think.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” She blinked back blankly before she said, “Wait...”
She instantly knew what he was talking about. Ein’s calm, warm voice guided her to the only conclusion. This pier was exactly where she’d sent Ein off, and she remembered that she promised to kiss him on the lips if he returned. But she didn’t expect it to be brought up here, even if this was an auditory hallucination. Still, she smiled after hearing his silly grievance.
“I’m sorry. But...” Before Krone could finish her sentence, Ein stood up and reached for his sword as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Next time, I promise to not be coy with you.”
Krone has put on a brave face, but she was the type to easily become lonely—more than anyone else. And yet, she spoke firmly; even if Ein thought that he was imagining things, her words gave him the strength he needed.
“For the first time, I so strongly wished that you were by my side,” Ein said.
“Then I’ll come to you,” Krone replied. “I promise that I will.”
For a moment, his shoulders shook slightly—he was laughing. Running into danger without giving a damn about the consequences was an extremely Krone thing to do. Of course, Ein didn’t actually ask her to come, but he spoke warmly and confidently as he turned his back to her.
“I promise... I promise that I’ll return to your side.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Krone’s presence had vanished. The world began to serenely turn once more. More precisely, only Ein’s field of vision had begun to move, but he failed to notice it. Time had started to tick and the Sea Dragons and Upaskamuy were headed straight for him.
“I’ll offer everything I have to you,” Ein said as he gazed down at his sword. “I don’t mind if you mock me for being an empty shell of a man who can’t even use my powers properly. But even so, I can’t die now. Not here.”
The blade wavered in response as though to imply that such resolve wasn’t enough.
“I’m well aware that I’m lacking as your master.”
The blade wavered in response as though to imply that he was exactly correct.
“But I...” Ein paused for a moment and noticed that the blade stopped wavering—it was listening intently for what the crown prince would say next. “I’ll surpass him.”
Ein had made an oath to transcend the very hero who’d firmly engraved his name into Ishtarican history. Ever since he was a child, the crown prince had wanted to be just like the first king one day, and now, a battered Ein declared that he’d outclass Jayle. It was then that something the first king’s specter said flashed across Ein’s mind.
“Show me your power. You must become a disaster or you won’t stand a chance against further disasters ahead of you.”
Those were the exact words Jayle’s specter had said before they clashed in the mausoleum. Ein had fought desperately back then, paying no heed to such cryptic nonsense. But I think I understand what he was trying to say now, Ein thought.
He’d gotten the premise wrong all along. Jayle didn’t fight to defeat Arshay; he fought to defeat Shannon. He must’ve wanted to become a disaster so that he could get his hands on more power.
“Fall. Fall to the depths. Only there will you find true darkness.”
The words only confirmed Ein’s suspicions. The vaunted hero king, Jayle von Ishtarica, might have wanted the Demon Lord’s power for himself.
“Without resolve, you’ll only lose those important to you.”
“I’ve known that for a while now,” Ein muttered. Cracks ran through the black blade as bright, silver light spilled forth. “And if so, I’ll become the ideal that the hero king had wished to be.”
A strong breeze blew through the ocean and enveloped Ein in a silvery hellfire.
“I defeated the red foxes. I simply need to use my Demon Lord powers to surpass the hero king. And if you think the same, I can promise you right here.”
Ein glared at his sword and gripped it tightly. The silver flames grew stronger and brighter.
“I’ll give you everything I’ve got and become the Demon Lord who exceeds the hero king.”
The scenery suddenly shifted. Ein found himself in the depths of the shrine—in the mausoleum where he’d once fought Jayle. I’m seeing the continuation of the first king’s memories. This is where I left off.
Jayle and the tree spirits now stood in front of the pedestal where his sword had stood. Ein was nearby.
“If I had more power, I could’ve saved my older sister,” Jayle murmured. “I’ve constantly regretted being weaker than her.”
The tree spirits seemed tempted to speak, and Jayle let out a laugh as he noticed their hesitation.
“In terms of raw strength, she’s far more powerful than me,” he said. “I just got lucky that this sword and this God-given skill of mine proved to be extremely effective against her.”
“Really? You seem much stronger than that nightmare!”
“Huh, I don’t get it at all!”
“Well, that’s just life. I’ve actually wished to be as strong as her. In the midst of many battles, I’d actually hoped that I could become a Demon Lord. However, it’s as if my prayer would make that happen right away.”
“It’s all way beyond me.”
“Hmm, how can I phrase this right?” Jayle wondered. “If I were reincarnated, I would want to return as a Demon Lord, I guess.”
If Ishtarica’s citizens heard this statement, they’d be shocked by the first king’s desires.
“So, I’ll leave my sword here,” he said as he plunged his weapon onto the pedestal. “Then maybe one day, humanity can join forces with the Demon Lord to fight the red foxes. Or perhaps a future royal will come into this world as a Demon Lord. No matter the case, my blade, the vessel of my power, will become an essential tool. And if the new nightmare goes on a rampage, it’ll be needed to stop them.”
“Is that many, many years from now?”
Jayle released his sword and turned around. “Probably. Or, well, maybe...just maybe, I’ll be the one to retrieve my sword. If reincarnation is real, that is.”
“Then we’ll wait for you!”
“My big sister and I will wait and wait!”
“Hey, now, no, no!” Jayle said hastily. “I was just joking!”
“I don’t get it, but I think it’ll be fine! No promises though!”
“Yeah, we’ll wait for you like good girls! We’re good at welcoming people!”
And with that, the tree spirit sisters flew away. It seemed they’d gone to play somewhere in the mausoleum, and Jayle smiled at the wholesome sight. Left behind, he just gazed at his sword before he suddenly turned to where Ein was standing. No one was supposed to be in the room with him.
“You already understand, don’t you? These holy grounds are a memorial for the fallen warriors—a place to honor them—and it’s also where my blade was sealed,” Jayle said.
Ein wondered whom Jayle was talking to when the two suddenly locked eyes.
“I’m glad I got to speak with you before I go,” Jayle said. “And now, I’ll hand over all my power over to you.”
“You can see me?” Ein asked.
“Yup. And I was waiting for the opportunity to speak with you.”
“But I thought... Your Majesty, are you not dead?”
“Think of me as a specter, a phantom that was left behind, just like the one you fought when we first met. I’m only able to speak with you using the remnants of the power that still lingers here.”
Jayle flashed a friendly smile—when he did, he was the spitting image of Ein. Only their outfits and the lengths of their hair differed. They wouldn’t be mistaken as twins if they stood next to each other, but as clones of each other.
“I couldn’t win,” the first king said. “The moment I shoved that blade through my sister’s chest, Jayle von Ishtarica had lost to the red foxes.”
“I ended up losing to the Demon Lord’s power too,” Ein replied.
“But it’s still not over for you.” Jayle spoke firmly as he gazed into the crown prince’s eyes. “The battle hasn’t concluded—not yet.”
Ein remained silent and listened to Jayle’s voice. The first king was slowly turning translucent, signifying that his power would be gone soon.
“You know what you need to do now, don’t you?” Jayle asked.
Ein replied without missing a beat. “I defeated the red foxes. Now, I just need to defeat this rampaging part of myself—the World Tree of Gluttony.”
“That’s right.”
Ein walked forward. He stared at the sword that had been plunged into the pedestal. It looked nothing like his black sword nor did it resemble the specter’s blade. Before him lay a dazzling silver sword—the true form of the king’s blade on full display for the world to see in all its glory. Dignified and regal, it emanated overwhelming power that caused Ein to gulp nervously.
“And to accomplish my goal, I’ve decided to end everything once and for all,” Ein said. Not a shred of doubt clouded his face and his eyes twinkled with determination. “I’ll reach for the happiest ending I can. Once this battle is over, will your blade disappear?”
Jayle shook his head. With its role fulfilled, the blade would lose the hero king’s power, but the jet-black blade forged from Marco’s armor would still remain. The crown prince reached out to grab the hilt of the first king’s sword.
“If you want to surpass me, you must win,” Jayle said.
“I know,” Ein replied.
“You must end it all, and return home.”
“I will.”
Ein kept his back turned, and could feel Jayle’s presence growing fainter. Even the first king’s voice sounded feeble and small. Ein knew it all, but he didn’t turn around—he focused only on Jayle’s voice and the pounding of his heart. When he tightly gripped the hilt of the sword, light began to shine in the mausoleum, all around him. From the depths of the corridor that led to the room, he could hear marching footsteps.