"Are you really John Doe? You seem like a completely different person from just a moment ago."
I couldn't help but ask.
The change had been that dramatic.
I could hardly believe it.
But saying I couldn't understand it at all wouldn't be accurate either.
The tone was completely different, yet the voice was the same as before.
I wondered if the initial timid demeanor had been an act, but I couldn't see the point of doing that.
Paying no mind to my suspicion, John Doe spoke through the magical device.
"Having my full name called out every time is a pain. Just call me John."
"Then, John. Who are you?"
"Simple—I'm what you'd call a dual personality. Ever heard of one?"
"Yeah, I know about them."
I nodded in understanding.
A dual personality meant two personalities residing in a single body.
I'd never met one in person, but I'd heard that such rare individuals existed.
I'd sometimes thought it was someone's tall tale, but having a conversation like this made it impossible not to believe.
He truly was a completely different person.
It made far more sense than the idea that he'd been trying to deceive me with an elaborate act.
"The primary personality is the cowardly kid who was just talking. He's asleep now. It's always been like that—whenever he's backed into a corner, the personalities swap."
"So you're the one who surfaces during the swap?"
"Well answered. He has only a vague awareness of me. He seems to recognize my existence, but he's never told anyone about it. Pretty pathetic, huh? His heart's all shut in."
John lamented this with evident amusement.
He spoke as though it were someone else's problem.
Well, for him, it actually was.
They merely shared the same body.
"This kid was an orphan abandoned by his parents. I've been watching over him since back then. Occasionally I'd lend him a hand. Those were the days."
John said this with genuine nostalgia.
His tone was distant, as if gazing at something far away.
Despite being a separate person, he must have felt some degree of closeness.
At the very least, he didn't seem hostile.
Their personalities were worlds apart, yet he didn't seem to dislike him.
From the fragmented impressions I'd gathered, their relationship seemed closer to that of friends or childhood companions.
"John Doe is actually my name as well—it means 'unidentified corpse.' Pretty witty, don't you think?"
"So the primary personality has a different name?"
"Yes. Though he rarely uses it. When he enlisted as a military engineer, I was the one in control of the body, so I blurted out 'John Doe' on the spot. After that, we both ended up as John Doe."
John recounted this memory with a wry smile.
If his story was true, then "John Doe" was essentially an alias.
It was nothing more than a name the alternate personality had used for convenience, which had since solidified as his identity.
The primary personality had been unable to correct it, and here they were.
That's when a certain possibility occurred to me.
Curious, I asked John.
"Don't tell me—you're the one providing the knowledge for weapons development?"
"Oh, you figured it out. When he's in control, I whisper ideas to him as sudden inspirations. I'd also casually leave behind notes with ideas in them."
John spoke with evident pride.
The specifics were unclear, but he apparently possessed a wide range of knowledge.
Was this a trait of dual personalities?
I wasn't knowledgeable enough about the subject to say.
"Still, up until a year ago, things were the worst. Even good ideas ended in constant failure—a complete waste. With insufficient technology and knowledge, nothing worked out."
"But lately, you seem to be in top form."
"That's exactly it! Things started picking up around the time you showed up as the Demon King. We didn't change our methods or anything, but suddenly the research started succeeding. Must be divine guidance or something."
Divine guidance.
Those words left a sour feeling in my chest.
Was some force at work after all?
Just as the intelligence had indicated, John's rise had coincided with the period I became the Demon King.
And he himself had no idea of the direct cause.
It was a thoroughly baffling phenomenon.
Though different in form, it paralleled the awakening of the Hero and the Saintess.
Was the will of the world truly involved?
"The weapons to kill you are progressing rapidly. Honestly, there are parts where the mechanism is unclear, but since it works, I've left it alone. It seems fate wants the Demon King destroyed."
"..."
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue from the shock? I understand how you feel."
John spoke in a gentle voice.
Rather than genuine concern, it was a mix of pity and irony directed at me.
Reflecting on my battles thus far, I answered.
"Hated by fate, huh? That's nothing new. I'm used to it by now."
"Ha! As expected of the great Demon King. You've already made your resolve. Well, let's end the small talk here. I'll get straight to the point—you're going to die soon. Because I'm going to kill you."
John declared this with absolute confidence.
He hadn't the slightest doubt about his own victory.
He was the polar opposite of the primary personality.
"That's some confidence."
"For good reason—I have the preparations to back it up. The other me was thinking he could resolve this through dialogue, but that kind of naive outcome isn't happening, is it?"
"Naturally. We have to recover the sacred stone."
No matter what he said, I wasn't about to budge.
If the Great Spirit ran rampant, it would jeopardize my plans.
I had to stop it somehow.
"I was listening earlier—are you seriously planning to return it to the Great Spirit?"
"That's right."
"Seriously?! For how you look, you're a real softy! That's hilarious."
With that, John burst out laughing.
He was making fun of me, but I wasn't offended.
John's point was valid—it was I, the Demon King, who was behaving oddly.
Anyone would find it comical.
After finishing his laugh, John let out a deep breath.
"...Well, your goals don't concern me. I'm simply going to kill the Demon King as the world's greatest inventor. I have no interest in money, status, or fame, but leaving my name in history has a certain ring to it. Not bad for a second life, I'd say."
With that, he fell silent.
After a brief pause, John spoke to me.
"Watch closely. This is our masterpiece."
With those final words, the magical device shut down.
Having left those ominous words behind, every sound went silent.
At the same time, Logan—who had finished his sensing—looked at me with a tense expression.
"Dwight."
"Where are the sacred stone and he?"
I asked concisely.
Logan swallowed hard, then answered quietly.
"—Underground."
Immediately after, a tremor erupted from below.
I sensed a magical power reaction deep beneath our feet.
It was nothing compared to a golem—it contained an extraordinary mass, far beyond the norm.
It clearly contained factors of the Great Spirit.
The trembling grew so intense it became impossible to stand.
I grabbed Logan's hand and retreated into the air.
Immediately, deep cracks raced across the ground, and the buildings below collapsed one after another.
The high-rise building we'd been about to enter also began slowly tilting.
The fractured stone paving caved in, and fault lines shifted up and down.
(What in the world is...)
I deployed defensive magic around us, bracing for any attack.
The situation remained unclear.
I shouldn't make any hasty moves.
Before long, the entire area of ground exploded.
Debris went flying.
Collapsed structures soared through the air.
The surroundings lost their urban shape in an instant.
Amid the rain of debris, I spotted an object bursting through the ground.
At first glance it resembled a tower, but it was a colossal metallic arm with five fingers.