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“Y-Your Highness, you intend to resurrect C?” the head researcher said in a timid voice.
“You heard correctly,” Voros replied. “With Goh and the rest of the Masters vanquished, we no longer have the luxury of worrying about the consequences. Damn them! I let those human vermin get away with their insolent behavior merely because they were Masters, yet they ended up getting subjugated anyway! This just shows that inferiors will always be inferiors, no matter how powerful they are. The only thing I can truly have faith in is the demonkin race!”
Voros had meant to double down on his direct order to revive C, but had instead ended up airing his grievances with the Masters halfway through. Due to the nature of their research, the head scientist was of course aware of the Masters who were being hosted by the kingdom, and how mighty these superhumans were. However, face drained of color, the lead scientist continued to rebuff Voros’s direct order.
“Your Highness, even if the Masters have been subjugated, I don’t think I can agree to force C to awaken,” the researcher said. “The amount of damage we might end up unleashing could be unfathomable.”
Hundreds of years earlier, the Demonkin Nation had discovered C laying in a coffin in the middle of a set of ruins. The authorities had recovered the coffin and placed it in a research facility deep beneath the palace for safekeeping, then hired scientists to try to find a way of removing the magical seal from the coffin in order to safely revive C. However, these efforts had so far been fruitless. More than a few had contemplated simply breaking open the coffin through brute force, but it was uncertain what state C would awaken in if they did so.
One educated guess about the outcome had taken hold, however: C would be infuriated that his slumber had been disturbed by a bunch of strangers destroying his coffin. The potential risk was, in fact, so overwhelming, the demons contented themselves with keeping the coffin shut up tight while they quietly did their research on a way to remove the magical seal on it. But Voros had no patience for protocol.
“You imbecile!” he yelled. “With those Masters out of the picture, there is nothing stopping that diabolical witch from wreaking havoc on our nation if the mood takes her! We need something even more powerful than the Masters to protect ourselves, and C is Level 9999! If we don’t revive him, our proud nation will become like that of the elves: a dog kept on a leash by that witch! Is that what you want? Well?”
“Well, n-no, but...” the scientist stuttered.
“It’s only because you people are so useless that we’re being forced to resort to opening this coffin crudely anyway!” Voros bawled. “And before you say another word to me, think how much in the way of funds, resources, manpower, and time we have invested in your futile research! You people are disgraceful, incompetent hacks!”
Voros’s fit of outrage had done its job of silencing the head researcher as well as all the other scientists in the underground facility. They all knew that their project had benefited from large sums of confidential funding, and they had nothing to show for it, so they couldn’t really say anything in their defense. Voros managed to calm himself down enough to issue his final order.
“All right, then. If I’ve finally gotten through to you dunderheads, then start preparing to revive C by force!” Voros instructed. “We don’t know when the witch will attack, so make it fast, you dolts!”
“R-Right away, Your Highness!” the scientists replied in unison before scrambling to carry out the order.
C in the flesh lay in a rectangular coffin with an underside made of a stone-colored material that was completely impervious to weapons, magic items, or any other kind of powerful strike. No attack even left a scratch, suggesting the material must be something other than stone despite how it looked. The top half of the coffin was made out of something that resembled frosted glass, and this material was also extremely scratch-resistant. While the glasslike material was only semitransparent, it allowed a fairly good view at the occupant of the coffin, and judging by height and facial features, the subject appeared male. An Appraisal had been performed on the slumbering body, and the stats screen had shown that the interred was Level 9999. There were a few other bits of data given, but it was the word “God” that really caught the eye. Based on this evidence, the demons had determined that they were in possession of the real C.
The top and bottom halves of the coffin were conjoined nearly seamlessly, with the only thing separating the two a line that ringed the entire perimeter of the casket. Past experiments had uncovered much about the coffin, but the simplest way to force open the casket the researchers had hit upon was to focus on this seam that connected the two halves.
Blasting open the coffin required enriched magic gems that could only be harvested from especially high-level monsters. These gems contained pure concentrations of mana, and they were so valuable, they were considered national treasures. The Demonkin Nation had had no enriched gems to speak of when the casket was first discovered, but after centuries of effort, a barely sufficient collection had been assembled. Following Voros’s order, the scientists placed these gems on the seam encircling the coffin, before also placing cutting-edge magic items around the lair that would lessen the effects of any physical or magical forces that might be unleashed as they tried to awaken C.
If only I had Goh and the other Masters here to help buy us some time so that I could save myself if the worst happened, Voros thought, before immediately dismissing the idea. No, I couldn’t have them knowing about C for any reason, even if any of them were still alive and available. Perhaps this is for the best.
Voros sighed softly as he watched the ongoing preparations. He placed a hand on the bit of his clothing where the Martyr’s Pendant lay underneath, just to make sure that he was still wearing his last potential lifeline. Once all of the preparations were complete, the scientists scurried behind a barricade that had been placed a safe distance away.
“Your Highness, we’re ready,” the lead researcher said, holding out some kind of object. “If we turn this switch, the coffin will break apart and reanimate C. At least, in theory.”
The switch was attached to a cord, which was connected up to the enriched gems that had been placed at regular intervals around the coffin. The gems were designed to trigger and explode at the same time, and the concentrated energy produced should blow the lid off the coffin.
Voros nodded without hesitation. “Do it.”
“A-As you wish, Your Highness,” the scientist squeaked. After another vacillating second or two, an outstretched finger went to the switch. A bright light flashed for a second, but that was the full extent of the explosion, the magical safeguards successfully erasing all of the noise and impact from the blast. In fact, the only discomfort Voros felt was having to squint briefly due to the brilliant burst of light. Voros and the scientists peeked out from behind the barricade and noted that the top half of the casket was lying on the floor, which meant the disassembly had been a success. Nothing else seemed to be happening, however.
“The resurrection of C is more underwhelming than I was expecting,” Voros remarked sarcastically.
“Well, we were forced to use magic items that lessened the sound as well as the shock of the explosion,” the research lead reminded him. “I believe a showier display would have been too much to expect.”
Explosions triggered by enriched magical gems were normally enough to strike any spectator dead if their effects weren’t mitigated. Even if the gems were arranged to concentrate their explosive energy on a specific target, the surplus light and sound, and the resulting shock wave could still prove fatal. But thanks to the state-of-the-art magic items they had used, everyone in the underground facility had come out the other side completely unscathed, and given this notable triumph, even the timid head researcher couldn’t let Voros’s snide and rather cavalier remark go unrebuffed.
Out of the blue, the other researchers all started murmuring, because they had spotted something moving inside the smoke that had yet to fully settle. The figure had to be C, since he was the only one inside the coffin—
“Qojgaig jaithajhr jhzouichi kyuuut kyuuakushit kyuushiut!”
A cacophony of noise flooded the room, followed by an unseen burst of energy that blew away the barrier with enough force to overwhelm all of the magic items and turn the entire palace into a massive, smoldering crater.