My split body that had been monitoring the System detected that the Diligence slot had become vacant.
I immediately arranged to fill the Ruler authority vacuum, adjusting things so it wouldn't impact the System's operation.
Furthermore, I forced my own existence into that vacant Ruler authority slot.
Now, only one necessary slot remains.
The fact that the Diligence slot opened meant that
Dead—or rather, annihilated.
Potimas, who had clung to life because he didn't want to die, ended up meeting a fate more miserable than simple death. What kind of karma was that?
There was almost too much karma to deal with. It was practically a problem in itself.
I stepped into the UFO that had been bound up tight with threads.
This was the UFO that had emerged after I shot down the swarm of sea urchins and triangular pyramids.
The fact that it appeared at that timing made me suspect it might be Potimas's last stronghold, so I'd captured it instead of destroying it. That prediction seemed to have been on the mark.
If he then told me there was still some hidden trump card in there, I'd be genuinely surprised.
If that were the case, I'd have to raise my evaluation of Potimas even further.
Well, the fact that Potimas himself was dead probably meant this really was the end of things.
After following an unnecessarily long path, at the end of it all, the Demon King was sitting in a chair operating what looked like a console.
"It's over."
"I know."
The Demon King didn't even turn to face me, answering tersely.
Perhaps various emotions were swirling within her after putting a period to such a long fateful connection.
That flat tone suggested that emotions were overflowing so much that she couldn't even understand her own feelings anymore.
When feelings overflow too much, you end up feeling numb instead.
"Look at this."
The Demon King pointed at a monitor.
If I followed the text displayed there, I found some deeply unpleasant writing.
A deification experiment using the souls of reincarnators, apparently.
To put it simply, cutting through all the long-winded theory and whatnot—it was an attempt to turn reincarnators' souls into raw material to become a god.
Potimas had apparently given up on becoming a god using only the System's power.
No matter how many souls he collected under the name of Experience Points, he couldn't break through the limit.
So he figured—if he used a different kind of Experience Points, namely the souls of people from another world, the souls of reincarnators—maybe he could break through the limit.
What bullshit.
No, well, whatever.
I hate to say it, but I just couldn't see any vision of this succeeding.
Even collecting souls from this world couldn't break through the limit.
So he thought using souls from another world would work?
As if becoming a god would be that easy.
I shouldn't talk, since I'd become a god almost by accident myself.
So that's why reincarnators were being gathered...
Sensei wouldn't rest in peace.
"Well, I doubt Potimas seriously believed this would make him a god. Maybe it was more like a faint hope—like, maybe there's a chance?"
"But for someone who felt that way, he sure was incredibly thorough in verifying the theory and building the equipment?"
"That's just how Potimas was. Couldn't be helped."
The text on the monitor detailed development equipment and verification results for making the experiment succeed, all in painstaking, meticulous detail.
Even forcing reincarnators into lives where they couldn't acquire Skills was apparently done to prevent their souls from attuning to this world and transforming.
How should I put it? You could see traces of painstaking, almost tearful effort toward an experiment whose probability of success was astronomically low.
Did he want to become a god that badly?
He must have.
"Fortunately, he'd been too cautious to actually put it into action. If he'd been just one year later, the equipment would have been complete, and the reincarnators might have been thrown into a blender."
Please don't say such terrifying things.
But the Demon King was right.
This time, Potimas's caution had been helpful.
Well, if there had been any move to target the reincarnators, I would have accelerated the plan and stormed in myself to beat him up.
"There's more than just this—there are tons of research documents from Potimas's previous work stored in here."
"Whoa."
The exclamation slipped out before I could stop it.
Potimas's research materials.
There were probably loads of unsavory things in there.
"So, I'll do a quick check of the contents and then destroy everything."
"That's probably for the best."
Something like this would only cause harm if left behind.
I didn't even think the Demon King needed to review it.
"So that's my side of things. How about you?"
"Who do you think you're asking?"
It went perfectly, of course.
The remains of the sea urchins and triangular pyramids had already been collected.
I'd also extinguished the fire to prevent it from spreading further into the forest.
And the secret base hidden underground had been obliterated without a trace.
And then: "Sensei is the only surviving elf."
The elimination of all elves was complete.
Half-elves and quarter-elves still remained, but there were no more pure-blooded elves in this world.
"I see. Then once we destroy this spaceship, it'll really be over?"
"Nostalgic?"
"Yeah."
The Demon King's profile, as she said this, was calmer than I'd ever seen it.
"Oh, right. I kept my promise."
My promise?
Ah.
The one about not forgiving her if she died.
"Mission accomplished, Boss."
The Demon King spun her chair around and gave a playful salute.
"Accomplished," huh.
"You call this accomplished?"
"As long as I didn't die, I'd say I got off easy."
The Demon King answered with a smile.
Despite being in a near-death state where she couldn't even stand up from her chair.
There were no wounds on the Demon King's body.
But rather than her body, it was her soul that had sustained deep wounds.
The aura of the Demon King, which had once been so overwhelming, was now terribly weak.
"How does it feel?"
"Hmm. If I rest a bit, I think I'll be able to move around for daily life without much issue. The reason I can't move properly right now is that my magic power is completely depleted. Once that recovers, I should be able to move around at least."
"So, combat is impossible."
"Well, I could still fight if I'm willing to shorten my lifespan further."
"Demon King."
"I'm just kidding. Either way, my lifespan isn't going to last much longer. A year at most, I'd say. I'll use whatever remains to see things through to the end."
The Demon King's lifespan had already been running low to begin with.
Even so, there should have been more left.
And yet, this battle had shortened it further—to one year remaining.
"My role ends here. I really would have liked to keep fighting, but I'll leave the rest to Shiro."
"Understood."
"So, shall we begin?"
At the Demon King's question, I nodded.
Potimas, the enemy of the world, had been dealt with.
From here on, it was a story about saving the world.
But though I would save the world, I never said I would save humanity.
And so, I would begin my activities as an enemy of humanity.
Now then—let's annihilate humanity and save the world and the Goddess.
Even if that went against the Goddess's wishes.
☆ 《Conditions met. You have acquired the Skill "Greed."》 《Conditions met. You have obtained the Title "Ruler of Greed."》 《Due to the effect of the Title "Ruler of Greed," you have acquired the Skills "Appraisal LV10" and "Conquest."》 "Aha! He's dead! That bastard is dead! Ah, now—now I'm free! Please wait for me, Big Brother! With this power, I can make you mine! Mine alone! Aha, ahahahaha!"