Chapter 407: Chapter 407

Ken, looking down at the figure on the altar, muttered softly,

It was emaciated, its skin pale and translucent, its breath shallow and weak… but it was unmistakably… him.

His own face, from his human life.

He couldn’t possibly not recognize it.

It was the base template he still used, the face he often wore when disguised as a human.

‘…And those clothes… I wore those when I was a mercenary. The same outfit I was wearing when I fell into that trap.’

His head began to itch, a strange tingling sensation.

And then, the itching intensified, turning into a throbbing headache.

He clutched his head, his face contorted in a grimace.

And then, a sudden thought, a chilling realization, sent shivers down his spine.

‘…What was my unique skill?’

He couldn’t remember.

And the strangest thing was… he hadn’t even realized he had forgotten it.

He had become a settler, losing all his abilities as an Awakened.

His stats, his skills, his connection to the system… everything.

But it was… unnatural to not even be aware of it, to not even question it.

His mind reeled, his sense of self… fragmented.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, and then looked down at the figure on the altar, its youthful appearance unchanged despite its emaciated state, as if frozen in time.

He swallowed nervously and reached out, his hand moving instinctively, as if drawn to it.

And as his fingers brushed against its forehead,

…his body convulsed, a violent tremor, as if he had been struck by lightning.

And then, the memories he had forgotten, the memories that had been… distorted, began to flood his mind.

He stumbled back, his legs giving way, and collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

He closed his eyes, his body trembling, his mind a chaotic mess of fragmented memories.

And after a while, having regained some semblance of composure, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

A grand, white temple, its walls adorned with golden scriptures…

A strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had been here before.

“…So that’s what happened.”

Miyamoto Ken’s unique skill had been 「Thought Transference」.

An ability that allowed him to transmit his thoughts telepathically, or conversely, to read the residual thoughts of others, a form of psychometry…

But he had wanted a more… combat-oriented ability, so he had developed it differently.

He had created ‘Ego Weapons’, imbuing his magic tools with his own consciousness, each one possessing its own will, linked to his main body.

A magic tool with a simple defensive enchantment had become a sentient guardian, protecting its master, and the same applied to his offensive and healing items.

An Ego Sword, moving independently, attacking his enemies from unexpected angles, and a potion dispenser, automatically injecting the appropriate potion into his body depending on the situation…

Thanks to that, Ken, the master-level mercenary, could even survive and fight back even if he was unconscious, his magic tools acting on their own.

He looked down at his hands, clenching his fists.

‘…am a puppet, imbued with his consciousness?’

…the true identity of Ken, the Earl-level demon.

Deep within the temple, far below where Ken was struggling with his newfound identity,

…something ancient and powerful began to stir.

It was weak, its power diminished, its essence fragmented… but the situation was different now.

The key to its liberation…

…had finally appeared.

A faint flicker of consciousness, a spark of awareness, ignited within its fragmented mind, fueled by the external stimulus.

It was a primal instinct, a desperate urge to act, to seize this opportunity before it was lost forever.

A faint tremor, emanating from the depths of the temple, began to spread upwards.

It was driven by the remnants of its will, its fragmented desires.

To take revenge on those who had deceived and imprisoned it.

To regain its lost power and reclaim its rightful place.

To… sever the heavens.

It needed more power.

To complete itself, to become whole.

A monstrous roar, a howl of rage and frustration, echoed through the temple.

Ken wasn’t an Earthling, nor was he an Awakened.

He was just… a copy, a puppet imbued with an Earthling’s memories and personality.

A patchwork doll, its missing parts hastily filled with… approximations.

‘…A desperate gamble, using all his remaining power…’

It hadn’t taken long for Miyamoto Ken, forcibly transported to the Demon World, to accept his fate.

He was weak, unable to defend himself even against a Baron-level demon in this hostile environment.

So, he had gathered all his remaining power, his consciousness, his very essence, and… cast it outwards, hoping to find a solution, a way out.

‘…Of course, he didn’t expect it to take twenty years.’

It had been a gamble, a desperate attempt, and he hadn’t anticipated the… side effects, the distortions in his memories.

He had been drawn to the Dark Nest, but he hadn’t been able to find this place due to its tight security, wasting his time wandering aimlessly.

“Huu… It doesn’t matter now.”

Ken, his expression troubled, looked down at his… original body.

He was shocked, but he wasn’t… distraught.

Perhaps his demonic body, his altered physiology, was influencing his thoughts and emotions.

‘…It’s too late to save him.’

He could see it at a glance.

It was still breathing, thanks to some kind of ritual… but it was essentially a corpse, its life force extinguished.

Its body and soul, withered and decayed, were like ashes, and its unique skill, its connection to the system, was dormant, unresponsive.

Its youthful appearance was just an illusion, a side effect of the sinister ritual. It had become a true settler long ago.

It had been almost thirty years since he arrived in Auterica. It was inevitable.

He glanced at the other bodies on the altars, their forms similarly withered and decayed.

They were probably also Earthlings, trapped and sacrificed like him.

He felt a pang of… something… as he imagined his own body ending up like them.

‘…The others who are still alive are also… in a similar state. Such a cruel method… What were they trying to achieve?’

As he was lost in thought,

…a three-headed dog, about the size of a large dog, its gait casual and carefree, entered the room, its strange howls echoing through the hall.

Its three faces, despite their canine features, were filled with a sense of… satisfaction, a… smugness, as if it had just enjoyed a delicious meal.

“Davidson? How did you…?”

Ken’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked him over.

His arrival meant that Sodian was… gone.

A Marquis-level demon, a magic user with her own workshop and domain… defeated so quickly?

And he didn't even seem to be injured.

‘…Did I spend more time here than I thought?’

But even so, it was an impressive feat.

Even a Marquis-level demon couldn't easily defeat another Marquis-level demon in their own domain, not in such a short time.

‘…Perhaps he devoured the Strange Duke’s essence and inherited his power.’

As he was inwardly marveling at Davidson’s power,

…the three-headed dog, having followed his scent, was sniffing around the room, its three pairs of eyes scanning the surroundings.

The golden scriptures on the walls, the dozens of sacrifices on the altars, and among them… a man with a familiar face, a face that… resembled Ken’s.

Davidson’s eyes narrowed as he looked back and forth between the two figures.

And then, a strange, almost… regal aura, began to emanate from his small body.

Perhaps because their… hierarchy had already been established,

…Ken somehow understood what he wanted, even without a single word.

“Ahem… This is… difficult to explain. I just found out myself, but… it seems was my… original body. It had the ability to… transfer its consciousness… and I…”

He trailed off, his voice a mumble, his words disjointed and incomplete, as if he was… making excuses.

He understood what had happened.

But the question was…

…where had this body come from? The one imbued with Miyamoto Ken’s consciousness, the one he was currently inhabiting?

‘…It’s the same as before. I didn’t even question it until now.’

An unprecedented power surged through his veins, the magic power of an Earl-level demon, a transcendent being, like a dormant volcano awakening within him.

This body… it wasn't ordinary.

It was among the top ten, perhaps even top five, strongest in the entire Demon World.

And more importantly…

‘…I’ve had this power since… the beginning of my memories as a demon.’

There was no way 「Thought Transference」, a desperate gamble using a weakened and fragmented consciousness, could have stolen such a powerful body.

He would have been torn apart the moment he made contact.

‘…Which means… this body was… unoccupied. Abandoned.’

At the exact moment he had attempted his gamble.

A body perfectly compatible with his own, its power immense, its potential… transcendent.

As if it had been… waiting for him.

It was… too much of a coincidence.

And then, he felt it.

A faint tremor, shaking the entire temple, its intensity growing with each passing moment.

He quickly realized that it was coming from… below.

“Was Sodian the only one guarding this place? Davidson! Can you still fight…? Ugh!”

He turned to Davidson, his voice filled with urgency…

…and then he gasped, his words cut short.

One of Davidson’s heads, its eyes narrowed, its expression… unsettling, had suddenly bitten his hand.

“Ugh! What are you doing?!”

He frowned, feeling a sudden drain on his energy, and then shouted angrily.

The wound itself wasn’t a problem. It would heal quickly… but he couldn’t just ignore being attacked by his own… subordinate.

But his anger didn’t last long.

A deep voice, echoing from somewhere nearby, interrupted him.

He looked around, his senses heightened, his guard up.

He was alone here, with Davidson and the… sacrifices.

He was already on edge, his nerves frayed by the unexpected events… and now, an unknown voice, its presence undetectable, was speaking to him.

“Grrr! Where’s he looking?”

“Khaha! I knew it! He’s an idiot!”

“What a shame. He would have been better off with three heads like us.”

And then, as he heard the other voices, his expression turned… grim.

He had heard them clearly this time. There was no doubt.

He looked down, his gaze unfocused, his mind still reeling from the shock.

And there, staring up at him with a bored expression,

…was a three-headed dog.

“Well, that’s not important.”

Ken’s mind was flooded with memories of humiliation as he heard the casual reply.

The dominance battle he had lost to a puppy, the nights he had spent sleeping on the floor while Davidson occupied his bed, the times he had had to beg for meat…

He swallowed his anger and closed his eyes, reminding himself to maintain his composure.

He had to be mindful of the time and place.

“Anyway, this body… isn’t yours anymore, is it?”

“…Well, that’s true, but…”

Davidson, ignoring his disgruntled reply, nodded slowly, his three heads sniffing around the room.

The scriptures on the walls, written in a language that had been erased from this world, shouldn’t have been… readable… but he was an otherworlder with 「Xenoglossy」, so it wasn't a problem.

One of his heads, its nose twitching, smacked its lips.

“…It seems like the original owner of this body is coming.”

“Khaha! This is interesting! It smelled like an Earl before… but the scent approaching now… it’s much stronger.”

His senses, enhanced by his previous… meal, were reacting strongly.

Something even stronger than Sodian, the Marquis-level demon he had just devoured, and Karakul, the Duke-level demon, was approaching.

“So that’s where he’s been hiding.”

“What are you talking about… Wait, could it be…?”

The tremors grew stronger, closer…

…and a dark figure, barely visible in the distance, began to approach rapidly.

“Grrr! This is… troublesome. I had my doubts, but…”

“…Ugh, this isn’t good.”

But there was a problem.

It was an incorporeal being, a spectral entity… no, a being composed entirely of curses… Davidson’s natural enemy.

A hollow scream, a chilling wail, echoed through the air.