The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

“Are you really going through with this?”

[“Of course.”]

[“No matter how much I try to stop you…?”]

[“Yes, you can’t stop me… Ferris.”]

“Neither can I, it seems.”

[“Yes, this time, nothing anyone says will change my mind. It’s a plan I’ve been quietly advancing to avoid Instructor’s notice.”]

[“Once you get started, you never stop, huh… The Chicken might have been the better choice for this.”]

[“For what it’s worth, I do feel bad about it.”]

[“There you go again.”]

[“That’s why I’m asking this now — I want the both of you to see me go through with this to the end.”]

“I guess there’s no helping it, then.”

[“…Yup.”]

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

An empty, desolate land… Once thriving, now nothing but ruins…

A full day had passed since the conclusion of the greatest war in history.

Midnight at the ruins of Regalia Castle, the center of the Imperial Capital…

The air was still and silent, yet charged with ominous arcane energy.

Fragile yet eerie dark energies gathered at one spot.

It was the place where Hero Asley and Devil King Lucifer had settled their score.

The drifting arcane energy soon began to move differently.

It formed the outline of a figure, taking on a color and shape resembling that of a human.

The formed body was that of a man, with human skin, yet the arcane energy it emanated was dark, resembling that of a Devil.

The figure, crawling on the ground, gradually began to move its shoulders up and down.

It was not until a mouth formed on the man’s face that his breathing became apparent.

“…! Hah… hah… gah…! Ngh…! Where am I…!?”

The naked man surveyed his surroundings and realized it was the aftermath of a battlefield.

With that knowledge, he promptly burst into laughter.

“Heh… haha! Fwahahahahahaha!! I live! I have survived! I have returned, Asley!!”

The impossible had happened — the resurrection of Devil King Lucifer.

The man retained his human form, showing no signs of Devil transformation.

However, this human form was neither of Lucifer nor Gaspard.

“Asley… his strength was absurd! But Devilkin shares the same lack of lifespan. Given enough time, I will surely prevail over that Eternal Fool…! For now, enjoy your fleeting peace. But remember, the world will eventually fall into my hands! Remember… Never forget, Asley…!”

Lucifer grinned with glee, but his laughter was short-lived. He was not alone in this place.

“”Rise, Deca Boundary.””

“Grrrgh!?”

In an instant, Lucifer’s body was immobilized by powerful Boundary magecraft — not one, but two instances at the same time.

Unable to move — not even able to take a single action, Lucifer lay on his back, displaying a pained expression.

Then, what entered Lucifer’s field of vision instilled new terror in his heart.

Above him, before his eyes, was the vast expanse of the sky.

Filling it, however, were countless shades of darkness, all looking down on him.

All shades of darkness descended upon the ruins of Regalia Castle, fixating upon Lucifer with cold, unfeeling eyes.

“Violet Phoenixes…!?”

Indeed, what Lucifer saw were over a thousand Violet Phoenixes.

Soon after, Lucifer noticed the approaching footsteps.

“Well, well, what a surprise.”

Looking up, Lucifer faced… the Black Emperor.

“I didn’t expect you to return in Sir Stoffel’s form…”

The man’s appearance was that of a former Archmage, Stoffel the Blank Mask.

“Well, no, I suppose that’s just how it works. Truly an art of impersonation, isn’t that right?”

Warren the Black Emperor, turning back, addressed someone who was neither Lucifer nor the Violet Phoenixes. 

Warren had come alone.

Coming along with the thousand Violet Phoenixes was another man, the one who had invoked the other Deca Boundary.

Behind Chappie, son of Asley and Pochi, there he was…

“This magitek you used… I suppose you could call it the Life Alternator. It enables one to absorb a life and make it their own. A rather fearsome technique, indeed.”

What Lucifer saw… was the other Black Emperor.

Bright the Black Emperor approached.

His appearance remained the same as the young boy Asley had encountered in the past.

“It’s nice to meet you, ancestor… Hmm, would that greeting suffice?”

“It’s nice to meet you… Hmm, yes, sounds good to me, Warren.”

The exchange of greetings between the two Black Emperors was quite brief.

It was because, after all, they were standing before the Devil King.

The twin Black Emperors quickly returned their gaze to Lucifer.

In the next moment, Lucifer’s body trembled.

It was the bone-chilling, absolute zero gaze displayed by the two that caused it.

“As I suspected, you have absorbed Sir Stoffel. After Asley removed you from Gaspard, the only remaining life the Devil King could fall back on… was this man’s. Hmm, yes, I see you have prepared for even this worst-case scenario.”

Raising his glasses, Warren spoke to Bright.

“The Devil King never ceases to amaze. Truly cautious to the end. But you… you surprised me even more. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“That goes both ways. But perhaps it was for the best.”

Bright answered, and Warren took a step back and handed something over.

Receiving it from Warren, Bright bowed in acknowledgment before turning straight toward Lucifer, standing squarely before him.

In Lucifer’s eyes, Bright was looking at him as if he were nothing more than trash.

“…Devilkin do not die even if you kill them. Well, technically, they do die once. However, at the onset of the Devil King’s fetal stage, a Devilkin thought to have been killed inevitably revives. I’ve researched this for years upon years, but in the end, I found that the cycle is akin to the mechanisms of the world itself. I’ve realized it’s an unchangeable truth, much like the sun setting and rising again. So… I focused solely on this magic… one that can cause the complete erasure of not the Devilkin as a whole, but an individual Devil.”

“What… What is that…?”

“No need to worry so much. This is simply a magic spell that incinerates Devilkin souls. The spell will cause an absolute erasure, ensuring the soul will never return — even during the fetal stage or if another Devil King were to resurrect.”

“Such a thing… can’t possibly exist…!”

“Oh, but it can. We understand the cause: the minute traces of arcane energy that scatter after a Devil has been defeated. As such, theoretically, the chance of this magic failing is… zero.”

With a smile, Bright confidently concluded his explanation. His fingers began to move quietly, drawing up an extremely intricate Spell Circle that even Warren could not help but be captivated by.

Lucifer could only watch, trembling, as threads of arcane energy weaved together. Lucifer, weakened by the arcane energy of Stoffel’s body — the power level of whom was nowhere near a match for Asley, was unable to stop the death sentence that was the movements of Bright’s fingers, let alone intervene in the process in any way.

Thus, the Devil King Lucifer made one last struggle.

“Even if I…! Even if I die, in another five thousand years, the world will be engulfed in darkness again!! Do not underestimate Devilkin!! Whether Asley lives or dies is irrelevant!! The Devilkin will definitely, without fail, find their new Devil King, and Asley — and humanity, will perish!! Hehe… Hahahahahaha!!”

“”…No, that will not happen.””

“–!?”

The moment the two Black Emperors interrupted his last laugh, the Devil King Lucifer fell silent.

“However…” Bright said.

“You are not supposed to know this information…” Warren added.

“So…”

“Rest assured…”

“”…And die, monster.””

Lucifer would never learn the meaning of the Black Emperors’ words.

Because, after all, there would be no future for the Devil King Lucifer. At this moment, in this place… he would completely disappear.

“Rise, A-rise, A-rise… Megiddo.”

A very small flame, the size of a fist, flickered toward Lucifer.

As it collided with his body…

“Ah… ahhh… My… my body… It’s…!?”

Quietly, yet definitively… the body and soul of the Devil King began to burn.

The small fire, no larger than a campfire, flickered briefly amid the ruins of Regalia Castle before vanishing.

“No…–“

All that remained were the ashes of Lucifer’s body, and soon enough, they were gone with the wind, leaving behind only the rubble that had been burying him.