Somewhere in the [Akashic Archive]’s Hidden Space

"Thank you for your assistance, Demon God."

I descended before the Demon God, who had helped set the sludge creature into weekly boss mode.

"…I only wanted to see it suffer for eternity," she replied.

Thousands.
Tens of thousands.
Hundreds of millions.

The players continued to pummel the sludge creature from all directions.

The Demon God smirked.

Her lips twisted forcefully, as if she couldn’t suppress her satisfaction at the sight.

But even her smirk couldn’t mask the sorrow in her eyes.

A sorrow so immense that, even though I could read her thoughts, I couldn’t fully comprehend it.

Her master, who had raised her, had turned into a deranged mass murderer. She had stopped her, only to end up killing her in the process.

Then she discovered that her master had deliberately thrown the fight and allowed herself to die.

Determined to uncover the truth, the Demon God tried to revive her master, bonding deeply with a younger version of her master from the past.

When she tried to stop the revival to save the younger version, her master resurrected anyway, merging with her younger self.

She thought it was finally a happy ending… until she learned that unleashing her power would destroy her master and the world her master existed in.

If she avoided using her powers, she couldn’t carry on her master’s will as the Demon God.

In the end, she released her powers, bringing about her master’s destruction.

…Honestly, it’s a miracle she’s still sane.

If it were me, I might have lost my mind instantly.

Even imagining something similar happening to my Constellation gives me chills.

Yep, I’m not cut out for tragedy.

"Demon God," I called out.

"…What is it?" she replied.

"I have something prepared for you."

I pulled a small orb from my pocket and held it out.

"What… is this?"

…What do I even say?

I couldn’t exactly tell her: This is a backup I kept in case trapping you in a story went wrong, and I needed leverage to stop you from killing me in a rage.

I mulled over the best wording.

"It’s a backup of the game you played."

"…A backup?"

"Think of it as a saved version of your progress."

The orb contained the young Demon King, Lena, whom the Demon God had adventured with. While it couldn’t hold the resurrected version of her real master, it did preserve Lena exactly as she was.

"…Is this… truly what you say it is?"

Her eyes widened as she extended a trembling hand to take the orb.

Her hands shook so violently I instinctively placed mine beneath hers to prevent a disaster if she dropped it.

"It… really is…!"

With her divine sight, the Demon God peered into the orb.

Inside, alongside her game progress, was Lena, the young Demon King, who remembered her as the Demon God.

"She’s safe…!"

Tears poured down the Demon God’s face.

She had tried so hard to maintain her composure, to uphold her dignity as a Demon God, but now she broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.

Who would believe that this weeping woman was the same imposing Demon God who once radiated unyielding power?

…Was it wrong of me to try to trap her using her emotions?

How could I have known this Demon God, who had overthrown our investors and held them hostage to command me, had this side to her?

I was just trying to survive.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that while the game data was intact, there was no way to truly resurrect the real Demon King.

I just watched silently as the Demon God wept, clutching the orb.

***

Back in the Demon King’s Chamber

"D-Demon God?"

The Demon King, Lina, squirmed awkwardly as the Demon God embraced her.

"You don’t need to be afraid of never seeing the era of peace. I will handle everything."

The Demon God materialized fully, her divine authority flowing freely.

Her surging power radiated dark magic, filling the space.

Ordinarily, the world would have collapsed under the sheer weight of her magic.

However, having been separated from the original server and rebuilt as a private server tailored for the Demon God, the world had stabilized and could now handle the alignment between her energy and authority.

"All the fighting is over. You can finally lay down your heavy burdens."

The cycle of hatred?
Endless conflict born of revenge?

Such things only persist when both sides wield similar power.

But with overwhelming strength—strength so absolute that no one could dare to resist—no one would even think to call for vengeance.

And the Demon God possessed that kind of strength.

"I refuse! I won’t do it!"
"We will obey the Demon God’s decree!"

When the Demon God exerted her power, the entire continent fell under her dominion, submitting completely.

Even those who sought revenge despite her commands were swiftly identified and subdued before they could act.

The Demon King watched her with her mouth agape, stunned.

"You said you wanted to see it—a time of peace."

In mere moments, the Demon God resolved problems the Demon King had spent her life struggling against.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Now you can shed all your burdens and enjoy an era of peace and harmony. This is your era."

The Demon King let out a bitter chuckle.

"It’s… freeing, but also kind of sad."

"…Oh?"

"Yes. I’ve achieved my dream, but it feels… strange. I spent my whole life clawing toward this, yet it was resolved so easily."

"Problems are usually hard to solve when you lack strength."

"That’s true… I suppose it’s because I lacked strength."

The Demon King’s shoulders slumped.

"In the end, I didn’t matter much."

Crack.

No, that’s not right.
What are you saying?

You’re the reason I’m here.

Because of you, I was able to end the era of hatred and bring about peace.

You’re the one who started it all—how can you say you didn’t matter?

"Lina."

"Yes?"

"To tell you the truth… I wasn’t a Demon God from the start. I was a crying child who lost her parents, saved by my master."

"You had a master too, Demon God?"

"…Yes. No one starts off strong."

"I’d like to know about your master, Demon God. Then again, if you think about it, you’re kind of my master, aren’t you? …Oh no, did that offend you?"

"No! Not at all. You’re the only one I’ve ever taught. You’re my greatest masterpiece, my finest apostle. No one could surpass you."

"Ahaha… Thank you, Demon God. But my entire life started with you. Without you, I would’ve died in that basement, killed by humans."

The young girl waved her hand dismissively, smiling awkwardly.

The Demon God understood the feelings welling up in her apostle.

She had ended the cycle of hatred with overwhelming force to save the girl, but in doing so, the girl now questioned her life’s meaning and value.

The Demon God wanted to tell her the truth, right then and there.

I am your disciple. You are my master.
You sacrificed everything to make this possible. You made me the Demon King, the Demon God, and everything I am now.

Those words rose to her lips.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

Tight embrace.

The Demon God suddenly wrapped her arms around the girl, surprising her. Lina’s eyes widened.

"Without you, I wouldn’t have cared about this world. You are the savior of this world, my… beloved savior."

She could feel the warmth of the girl’s body, something she hadn’t been able to experience as a spirit.

She smelled the familiar scent of her master, one she thought she’d never sense again.

The softness she had longed for in her dreams—she could feel it again.

The Demon God closed her eyes and savored it.

Her master was the true Demon King, the true hero, the one truly worthy of being called the Demon God.

Not a foolish, incompetent disciple like herself.

Eventually, the Demon God drifted to sleep.

The young girl laid her down, resting the Demon God’s head on her lap.

"You’ve grown so much," Lina murmured.

She gently brushed the Demon God’s bangs, tidying them up.

"Where’d you even learn lines like that?"

With her cheeks slightly flushed, Lina poked the Demon God’s cheek.

"You almost made my heart skip a beat with your teasing."

Beneath the girl’s warm touch, the Demon God’s lips curled into a faint smile.

[The King of Ten Thousand Demons, who overcame Pride, smiles.]

As if she were dreaming a happy dream where all the tragedy and sin had been overcome.