Long ago, in a time before the Empire even existed.
When the sun rose from the earth, a bit further into the future.
There was a great metropolis. A golden city that loved beauty and cleanliness. The streets were clean, and the people were kind. This wasn't just because the citizens had good civic awareness.
It was thanks to the lord's revolutionary strategy. The perfectionist lord was planning to dispose of all the waste from his city in one place.
He would dig an enormous pit near his city and throw all the filth there. This way, his city would remain clean, and various waste problems would be solved.
Of course, garbage would steadily pile up in the pit, but since it was out of sight, everything was fine.
"Dig a large, deep pit in the vacant lot nearby."
Having made his decision, the lord immediately implemented it. He gathered earth mages and laborers to dig a huge pit and covered it with a large iron lid.
Then he disposed of all kinds of vermin, garbage, and harmful monsters from the city there. All the waste thrown there was processed by insects and monsters. At first, it seemed perfect. If only it hadn't been for that creature.
The Energy-Devouring Hungry Ghost was born there. As a small cleaner processing the pile of corpses and filth in the pit. Without any intelligence, it devoured a great many things.
Perhaps because it frequently consumed monster corpses containing magical power, it didn't take long for its body to transform into a monster.
For the first few years, the lord's policy seemed to work well. There was nothing more convenient than gathering all the filth visible in the city in one place.
"As expected of our lord!"
"How wise!"
"But isn't it wasteful to use such a large pit just for garbage disposal?"
But like most things in the world, stagnant things rot. The innovative policy became corrupted over time.
The garbage pit, which at first only contained filth, began to receive other things. Corpses too troublesome to bury or cremate, heinous criminals, beggars from slums that marred the city's beauty, and loyal subjects who opposed the lord's will.
The pit, meant for the city's benefit, transformed into an execution ground in an instant.
"My lord, please reconsider!"
"No, no! I cannot die like this!!"
"My lord! Please, please at least spare my daughter!"
From then on, the lord became a tyrant. He threw everyone who didn't follow his will into the pit, leaving only those who praised him.
"As expected of our lord."
"How wise..."
"How magnificent..."
From then on, the city became even more beautiful. People always wore smiles on their faces and adorned their appearances. They praised the lord whether there were listening ears or not.
But there was one fact they didn't know. The pit the lord created was essentially a Gu poison jar. Gathering all the evil and filthy things of the world in one place. Any life born there would be more malevolent than others.
But to create a better life form, to truly throw the world into chaos, simply gathering them wasn't enough. One more thing was needed.
念 (念) - emotions, thoughts, will, and all such things. Whether human or beast, it didn't matter. The more intense, the longer it lasted, the longer it stayed in one place, the stronger its power became.
"Mom! Moooom!!"
"Let's get out, somehow we must get out..."
That was where the Energy-Devouring Hungry Ghost lived. For the first few years, it merely transformed into a magical beast. Its body grew larger and harder. After a few more years, it began to grow even more. Once it started eating people, the efficiency of its growth changed.
The calories it consumed directly translated to its gigantification. At some point, no matter how much it ate, it was never full, so it ate endlessly.
After decades of this, it grew large enough to climb out of the enormous pit. Once outside, there was food everywhere. Trees reaching high into the sky, beasts passing between them, people walking the streets. It devoured everything indiscriminately.
"Kyaaah! A monster!!"
"Save me! Save me!"
"My lord, my lord! Ugh... you fucking bastard!!"
That day, the great city was destroyed. By a life form born as a small garbage cleaner. The price for ignoring what accumulated in the pit was devastating.
*
"Ah, aah..."
Yulice looked up with terrified eyes. She could see a massive white worm covering the dark night sky, making it even darker. It was the great calamity she had occasionally heard about in ancient myths.
She could also see her party members lying all around. Whether crushed when the audience chamber's roof collapsed, all party members except Yulice and Luke were unconscious.
All this from just one summoning. She asked herself with a confused mind.
"What is this?"
What on earth happened? They were clearly winning, so why were they in this situation now?
The plan had been perfect. The preparations were thorough. The party members had all coordinated their teamwork and faithfully fulfilled their roles. They had clearly tried their best, doing as well as they possibly could. But the result was this mess.
The plan was ruined. Their preparations were in vain. The companions who had stood by her side were all lying on the ground.
Feeling as if everything they had done until now was meaningless, she felt despair. She asked herself inwardly.
"How on earth are we supposed to defeat that thing...?"
The opponent was an ancient calamity. A monster that destroyed an entire city in just one day. Even if Lily used her most powerful magic, it would only burn part of its body, and even if Camilla used her "Sword Aura," it wouldn't reach its vital organs.
It was questionable whether they could even block the creature's attacks in the first place. How could they possibly stop such an immense weight?
She remained frozen in place for a while, unable to do anything. Feelings of resignation, emptiness, and fear churned within her heart. She couldn't think of any way to overcome this situation.
"..."
No, to be honest, there was one thing that came to mind.
"If I sacrifice myself..."
After all, she was a Saintess. The being with the most holy power in this world, living with the Goddess's blessing.
And the opponent was a calamity of the world, hated by the Goddess. In other words, they were perfect opposites.
Although it would take quite some time, if she continuously emitted holy power, she could capture even such a massive creature. Of course, the question was how to secure that much time...
"I'll let it eat me."
Even that was quickly resolved. Surely she wouldn't dissolve immediately upon being eaten. Given its enormous size, its digestion time must be long. She would gather holy power during that time. Of course, she decided not to think about her body slowly dissolving inside...
Having made up her mind, Yulice spoke to the Hero.
"Hero, please escape."
"What?"
Luke, who had been dazed for a while, turned his head.
"I'll sacrifice myself to buy time... please take our companions and flee. I'm sure I can capture it."
"No, how exactly do you plan to capture that thing?"
"Well—"
Yulice explained her plan to him. At least in her mind, there was no other way.
For a moment, tears welled up in her eyes. Although there weren't many good memories, recollections of the time spent with the party came flooding back.
She had seen how noble a human could become. She had seen the sincerity of the Hero whom she had thought was evil. Although there was still much she wanted to do for him... regrettably, it was time to leave.
"Saintess."
After she finished explaining, the Hero called to her. His face was more impassive than she expected.
"Lean your head forward for a moment."
"My head? Why so suddenly..."
"Quickly."
She was confused but did as she was told. Wiping away the tears gathering in her eyes, she bowed her head slightly. And then...
THWACK—!
"Aaah!"
She was hit squarely on the head. A stinging pain enveloped her skull. The Hero's knuckle rap contained genuine feeling.
She looked up at him with an aggrieved expression. Then she shouted.
*
"Why did you hit me?!"
I hit her because it was absurd. Her words made no sense.
I asked her:
"What did I tell you before?"
"Huh? When..."
"When I learned dark magic and fought with the team members."
She thought hard despite her confusion. Surprisingly, the answer came quickly.
"Not to carelessly sacrifice my life..."
"Yes, that's right. Did my words sound like dog barking to you? Seeing how quickly you're giving up. That's absolutely not allowed. Rejected."
Tap, tap.
Even as I spoke, I lightly tapped her head. Perhaps the heat was rising from being hit, as she shouted loudly.
"Then what should I do?! There's no other way!!"
I couldn't help but pause.
"Do you know with what determination I spoke? Do you know how I felt when I said that...! I don't want to die either. I want to live, but there's no choice since there's no other way... Despite all that, I'm willing to sacrifice myself, but you... you...!"
Tears welled up in her eyes. I could see her hands trembling as she spoke. Her sapphire eyes were filled with fear and indignation. She must be both frightened and resentful. As she said, no one wants to die.
"Then live."
I told her.
"If you want to live, you should live. Why are you trying to die?"
Then I looked up briefly. More precisely, at the status window above the Energy-Devouring Hungry Ghost's head.
<82>
It had increased by 2 levels compared to the Insect King we were facing before. This effectively created a 5-level difference between it and me. Though curses came to mind immediately, what angered me more was something else.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[Fate Enforced!]
It was this fucking system message that had been blaring loudly since earlier. There were three "WARNING!" messages.
Warning messages are categorized by their number.
One means you might suffer temporary damage.
Two means you might suffer permanent damage.
Three means the entire party might be annihilated.
And this time, there were three.
Moreover, it claimed this was "fate." That it was "enforced." It was as if it was saying:
Your fate is already determined. This is your end. Your destiny is to die away from home, and reading the heavenly signs, you are fated to be miserably defeated someday. That is your heavenly mandate, so just struggle a bit and then endure torture for the rest of your lives.
I wanted to tell it:
Please, I beg you, stop this nonsense.
I muttered as I gripped my sword until it nearly crumbled.
"I don't believe in fate, damn it..."
For over 900 playthroughs, they had suffered endlessly. Death by thirst, gangrene, starvation, battle, burning, suicide—there were few deaths I hadn't witnessed. I no longer wanted to see them sacrifice themselves or suffer in defeat.
"I will save them."
I will save them somehow. That's why I came here. Even if my initial determination has worn down, it still remained within me.
Of course, the situation is dire. The party is half-incapacitated, and the remaining members are completely exhausted. Meanwhile, the opponent is full of energy, making the power difference even more stark.
So what?
The plan? It's all ruined. But we can make a new one.
Companions? Most are unconscious. But the Saintess is still here. Her limbs are intact despite her injuries. She's a bit tired, but the creature has also depleted most of its insects.
That's enough. As far as I know, "Demon King and Hero Party" never poses impossible problems. No matter how difficult the situation, if you think hard enough, you'll find an answer.
"...No."
I create the answers. I've overcome obstacles that others deemed impossible. I've found solutions through careful deliberation and contemplation. This time should be no different.
"Ah."
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I called to the Saintess.
"Can't I just endure it physically?"
"Whaaat?!"
The Saintess exclaimed loudly.