Chapter 27: The founder’s answer
writer:
Shuu update:2022-07-29 15:33
“How long are you going to cry? Stand up Sasha.”
She slowly turned to look at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
“It’s still too early to give up.”
“……Can you erase me instead of Misha?”
“If you ask if I can do it or not, I can. was it? The reason you need to make Misha reject you is because you are inexperienced.”
Now Misha turned to me with a begging look in her eyes.
“Not allowed.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of doing it.”
Sasha pipes up.
“Please Arnos! Kill me! I’ve lived enough! I want to give the rest of my life to Misha.”
“I never existed from the beginning. It’s weird if Sasha is the one to be sacrificed.”
Both Sasha and Misha appeal to me.
They both want to protect each other so much that they are each willing to disappear.
Yare yare. How brave and admirable of them.
Unfortunately, both of their requests are not my style.
“That reminds me. There was a question similar to this in the aptitude test.”
I say while thinking back to the entrance exam.
“There is a daughter that is powerful but lacks the aptitude of the demon king and a son that has poor magic but a great aptitude to be the demon king. One day they both receive a gods curse and are fated to die together at a certain time but you are also given one holy grail to cure one of them. Which one should you save? Describe the thoughts of the founder at this time.”
“The one with the high aptitude.” Misha answers.
“Why?”
“The demon king will not reincarnate into a mazoku that is not suitable regardless of how powerful they are.”
I see. That’s the thinking of this era. Nowadays they lay emphasis on pedigree and aptitude so that’s the correct answer.
“Wrong.”
Misha looks at me.
“Reincarnates into the one with power?”
You could also look at it that the demon king would only reincarnate into someone powerful.
However,
“Also wrong.”
Misha blinked as if she didn’t understand.
“In the first place who’s the fellow asking which one should be saved? When was it said the founder could only save one of them? A gods curse? When would I lose against a god?”
Turning towards Sasha and Misha I state in a grand manner
“The correct answer is to save both with the single grail.”
They should understand what I’m trying to say.
Sasha stood up. It was without much force but she stood up.
“I’ll help you both.”
“…..How……? It doesn’t require much thought to see that it’s impossible. Originally our body and soul are one. We cannot remain divided forever. Even if you prepare a new body for Misha, a soul cannot live a long life when cut in half. Even if you reincarnate it will still only be half a soul and will still die young.”
Sasha arranges her logic to prove its impossible, however, if you know its impossible, why did you stand up?
Is she expecting it? Betting everything on a tiny sliver of hope? That I will overturn common sense like in our group opposition exam and replace her with Misha?
To that expectation, I will not answer.
“In all cases, you are still the original one.”
“…..So it is impossible then……?”
“No, not at all. There’s a simple solution to this. Originally, there just needs to be 2 people.”
Sasha’s eyes open wide in surprise.
“Is such a thing possible? How?”
“Change the past.”
Sasha was at a loss for words. Indeed, she probably thinks that the past cant be changed, however, true magic can transcend even time, to a light degree anyway.
At this level, even for me, I can’t say that it will be easy.
“Time Manipulation can trace back 15 years.”
This time Misha speaks up.
“I won’t be born if you change the past.”
“….That’s right. Misha was created by . If we were twins from the beginning the Misha who is here now will disappear. Even if she is a younger sister it won’t be Misha……..”
If I change the past then Misha won’t be born. It’s blocked in all directions. A true impossibility.
However, the demon king is one that destroys even the impossible.
“2 divided souls. Due to its origin, it is destined to return to being one. Don’t you think there should be another origin?”
“What does that even mean?”
“Originally there was a whole Sasha. Then Sasha is divided by and we get a Sasha and Misha whose origin is halved.”
They are both listening to me with a half-stunned look.
“We simply fuse Sasha with Sasha and Misha with Misha. It’s a simple addition and once done you will both have complete origins and will both be real people who were born.”
“…..I don’t really get it………. If it was just me I can see it but is there such a magic to make the exact same person?”
“Sorry. No magic can produce the exact same person. There is only one origin for everything in this world.”
“So it’s still impossible then?”
“No, I cannot make another person who’s exactly the same but I don’t need to. We’ll go and meet the other person ourselves.”
“….What does that even mean……?”
“I didn’t explain myself properly. I should have said I’ll go into the past and fuse the current you with the past you.”
Both Sasha and Misha have looks on their faces that say they still don’t understand.
Origin magic . They don’t know the time concept that occurs when using it. In the age of myths, I wonder how many mazoku could change the past by more than a few seconds?
“Basically, I will send the origins of the 2 people who are here now 15 years into the past to when you were born. There will be 2 origins each then. One for the past and one for the present. Misha and Sasha are the same person but past Misha and Sasha are also the same person. Both your origins will return to being one. Misha will fuse with Misha and Sahsa will fuse with Sasha.”
“…..What will happen then…..?”
“You would both have bodies and would basically be born as twins.”
Changing the past is subject to various laws and is very difficult. If someone notices that twins were born then contradictions in the timeline will occur and the past that was changed will not go well.
Therefore, all I need to do is make sure that nobody realises or becomes aware of it.
“Although the past will be changed both of you as well as Aivis will continue to think that Misha was born due to . Nothing will change. Not world history, not even a speck of dust. The only thing that will change is that Misha will still be here at midnight.”
Sasha looked at me with a face that said that she didn’t believe me.
“………Can you really do such a thing…….?”
I nod silently.
“Can all royal families use origin magic?”
“I can use it…..”
I looked at Misha and she nodded as well.
“Good. Both of you will be using . If I go back nothing will happen. Both of you need to go back and join up with your origins at the moment you were born.”
“….Wait. I know the basics of origin magic but such a great magic is……”
“That’s why I used Demon King Army .”
The origins of us 3 will be connected by . I can pour my magic into them through the magic lines as much as they need
“Leave the magic power and use of it to me. All you need to do is look at your origins with your demon eyes. Those will be your targets.”
I raise 2 fingers.
“One. Make sure you get your own origin. Fix your eyes on the time that you were in your mother’s stomach as the time stream you can travel back on is fixed then.”
I can send them back 15 years but that’s too general. I need an exact time.
“Two and this is important. The assumption of origin magic is that you are borrowing power from the founder, the demon king.”
The origins of magic use the rule that the older you are the more magical you are. Should I lend them my power from now or let them borrow my power from 2000 years ago? It’s not so simple a story.
When using origin magic it would be much stronger using the me from 2000 years ago due to the 2000 year drift strengthening my magic and increasing my power.
Oh well, it can’t be helped. It’s a troublesome magical concept. I should just finish up.
“Okay? Listen up. I am the founder. The demon king of cruelty that you believe in is fake. He’s an imitation. Believe that I am the founder when you use the origin magic otherwise will fail.”
Misha and Sasha look at each other then nodded as they steeled themselves.
“Believe.” Misha said
“In any case, I’m relying on you anyway. Even if it’s only a little, there’s a small chance that I believe you.” replied Sasha.
“Don’t forget those words.”
I hold up my hand and draw a three-dimensional magic formation in the room. In the blink of an eye magic that transcends time was built.
I concentrate all my awareness on using the magic.
At that moment a loud noise rings out and the ceiling collapses.
Following the rules of gravity, a huge pile of rubble falls down.
Mixed in with the rubble was a shadow which dropped straight down.
The moment my eyes caught the face of a skeleton it was already only several centimetres away and in its hand was a jet black demon sword. It was like it was holding condensed night in its hand.
It looks like a masterpiece from the age of myths.
The ominous swords effortlessly breaks through my anti-magic barrier before tearing through my skin, splitting my flesh and piercing my heart.
Fresh blood scatters.
“…..Arnos…..!!”
Sasha raises a scream like voice.
“Goodbye, strong Mazoku who’s name cannot be known.”
One of the old seven demon emperors Avis Necron mutters in a low voice before pushing the rest of the sword into my chest.
“….Sasha…..”
“….I know!!”
Misha uses Creation Construction to cover Aivis’ body in a prison of steel while at the same time Sasha pours all her magical power into her .
“Die!!”
Apart from the rubble that is still falling all the other debris, rubble and surrounding objects make a noise and shatter all at once.
“You should be quiet.”
Aivis waves a hand and Sashas are suppressed while Misha’s steel jail is broken.
Aivis then activates Demon Binding Chain tying Sasha and Misha up in chains of magic.
“You are important containers. You should behave yourselves. It’s almost time. will be completed and the founder will reincarnate here.”
Aivis looks up at the sky where moonlight is now pouring through.
“Fumu. I see. was purely to make a container for the founder to reincarnate into.”
An astonished Aivis turns to see me standing there with a demon sword sticking out of my heart.
“…..Impossible……. wounds from the demon sword Gador cannot be healed…….”
It’s true that recovery magic hasn’t been working since I got stabbed.
But that’s it.
“Did you honestly think I die from just having my heart crushed?”
I grab Aivis’ face daring to take another blow from him at such close range.
“I thought it was about time for you to come, Aivis Necron. You studied fusion magic for over 1000 years and even gave it to your descendants. You couldn’t allow a nuisance to ruin it.”
I draw a magic circle inside this guys body.
Superficial magic wouldn’t work on someone from the age of myths.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have time to play with you so I’ll have to ask you to leave early.”
I smash condensed magic power into the inside of Aivis’ body.
“Flame Prison Annihilation Cannon ”
At that moment a jet black sun appeared inside Aivis and tore through the multiple layers of anti-magic he had built collapsing his body from the inside.
Black light began to leak from Aivis’ body as he began to split open.
“Gahh!…..thi…..this magical power……. Impossible. Not only more knowledgeable than me but more powerful….you……are strong….!!”
Aivis was blown away while trying to resist rampaging inside his body.
“Fumu. As expected from a mazoku from the age of myths.”
I pull the demon sword Gador from my heart
“I’m not able to heal the wound caused by this demon sword.”
I threw the demon sword Gador at Aivis causing the jet black sword to pierce his body as if it was sucked in.
The force I threw it with was still in effect causing that guy’s body to fly into the air and smash into the wall where he looked like he was crucified.
“Gu…..kaa……aa……”
He’s not dead but he shouldn’t be able to resist for a while.
I cast anti-magic on Sasha and Misha freeing them from .
“Okay?” Misha asks
I nod. 15 seconds left until midnight? I’ve got time.
It’s time for the live performance. Time to change the past.
“Okay, it’s now the final finish. Believe in me.”
I pour magic into the formation I built and trigger Origin Magic .