Epilogue

With Alice and Oriana subduing the primordial True Ancestor, everything that followed was handled swiftly.

The large force of executors that Oriana summoned gradually tightened the encirclement from the outer layers, eliminating Dunhill, the True Ancestor’s kin, and their subordinates. Fira burned down all the numerous hatcheries within Dunhill, except for what could serve as evidence.

In short, a massive upheaval occurred in the Ark’s political landscape.

The Dunhill Family, which possessed more power, wealth, and authority than all the merit families combined, faced a downfall as their collusion with the True Ancestor was exposed to the world.

The evidence of the existing Dunhill Family members’ collusion with the True Ancestor was undeniable. Nihilus Karmashia, the primordial True Ancestor, even clarified that the video was free of brainwashing and manipulation, resulting in a legally valid confession video.

Thus, the Dunhill Family became the spoils of those directly involved in resolving this crisis.

Oriana Hailam.

Fira Dunhill.

And Alice, who had regained her complete Demon King form.

The three of them absorbed and distributed all the wealth and power of the Dunhill Family, which ultimately led to the strengthening of Oriana’s power, or rather, the power of Administrator Rilstia.

And Oriana decided to seize this opportunity to realize something she had only been contemplating.

The reinstatement of Alice, the human Demon King.

“The human Demon King… Has her return been realized?”

“Indeed, it has!”

Rilstia convened the administrator assembly.

On the surface, Rilstia had returned after recovering from injuries sustained in an unforeseen accident.

“The human Demon King, transcending countless ages, has finally returned… Her achievements are undeniable.”

“For the sake of humanity’s unification and stabilization, much of the forgotten history has been revised, but if she has truly returned, we cannot ignore it.”

“Hmm, I see… The human Demon King has returned, borrowing the body of an Overseer… I would very much like to meet her.”

Rilstia proposed to the administrators that the reinstatement of the human Demon King, her achievements for humanity, and all her dedication to humanity be fully disclosed to the public.

Furthermore, she conveyed that the Ark Central Administration had granted permission for the human Demon King to continue using the ‘Core,’ which amplified the power of all Overseers. She also conveyed that the human Demon King had expressed her willingness to contribute to the prosperity of humanity and the Ark in the future.

“Therefore! I propose the revision and reorganization of history, and the reinstatement of recognition for the Ark and humanity to the human Demon King Alice!”

“Violence Serena, the 12th administrator, approves.”

“Then so do I. Maram Anette, the 3rd administrator, also approves of Administrator Rilstia’s proposal!”

“Embryo Lumiponia, the 21st administrator, approves.”

“Hmph, if it comes to this, I, Baden, cannot help but cast my vote in favor…”

“Wait a minute! Esteemed administrators? Are you in your right minds to approve this?”

Amidst the approval and joy, Rilstia frowned as an old administrator’s words cut in.

She had expected there would be opposing forces.

The existing Ark was structured such that the administrators and the Overseers who followed them possessed such strong power and authority that they resembled an empire.

Although a system was in place where administrators were fundamentally dedicated to the Ark rather than wielding power, there were always those who sought opportunities to play power games and accumulate wealth and strength.

Administrators who reigned like kings would not welcome the return of the human Demon King.

“The Ark is currently in an unprecedented golden age. The subjects are properly controlled, the level of Overseers is at its peak, and the executor force is always ready to successfully complete outer expeditions.”

“That’s right. In this situation, you’re saying we should hand over our power to the Demon King?”

“The Ark is peaceful and stable enough as it is. Is there really a need to give it to an external anomaly?”

And they, of course, knew the records and history of the human Demon King, yet they did not welcome her return.

Because they would have to give up what they possessed.

Because the human Demon King would undoubtedly reign above them.

They did not want to let go of what they had, nor did they want the Ark to become too stable and peaceful beyond a certain level.

Because chaos and division would inevitably lead to the strengthening of the administrator’s power and strength.

“Ah, I see.”

Their words were not spoken without thought, of course.

The power of a single administrator rivaled that of a nation.

They possessed numerous high-ranking Overseers and personal soldiers, so they were not without confidence.

“Sohi.”

So Rilstia decided to use asymmetric power.

The difference between a regular army and an Overseer was as easy as an adult twisting a child’s arm.

And conversely…

“Yes~ I’ve been waiting~”

“Sohi? You mean First-Class Overseer Sohi?”

“I heard she’s been living in a Satellite City, what brings her here?”

Sohi appeared at Rilstia’s call with a smile, as if she had been waiting.

“Hehe, I’m glad I stood in line~”

“Haa, I find it very unsettling to join hands with a shady person like you, but it can’t be helped. You’re better than those guys.”

Sohi held a bloodstained sword in her hand.

And tear marks were embedded in the sword.

These tear marks were the result of combining mana enhancement techniques and cultivation methods beyond the level of River Return, so deeply engraved that the mana broke through its limits, leaving traces on the sword.

And the tear marks engraved on the sword meant that Sohi had reconnected with the Code.

“Huh, are you crazy? You’ve reinstated Sohi, the notorious pedophile and murderer?”

“That Sohi who was dismissed for killing a fellow First-Class Overseer to save a child?”

“Oh, Overseer Sohi? Long time no see.”

“Ah, Administrator Serena. Hello~ You’re still cute, noble, and Marlang.”

“Is that a compliment? Well, thank you.”

“So what is that? Rilstia, are you perhaps trying to intimidate us by bringing in a retired former First-Class Overseer?”

“Are you perhaps thinking of starting a fight with us with that unpleasant woman? Rilstia?”

“Aha ha ha! Of course not!”

“Is that so? Of course…”

At that moment, countless shadows appeared behind Sohi.

Small girls wearing red suits made by mutating blood, bones, and flesh.

All the children resembled Sohi.

Countless such children were approaching.

“Marlang~”

“Ehee.”

“Aha ha ha!”

“Playing? Playing? Playing? Playing? Playing? Playing? Playing? Playing?”

“Yes, children. We’re playing.”

“Waaaaa!”

“Kiyaaahoo!”

“Yay~!”

“Defpoot! Immortal Fist!”

The children cheered, raising swords, reverse blade swords, axes, hammers, awls, and thorns.

All the weapons, like Sohi’s, had tear marks engraved on them.

Immortal girls.

Children who would never die.

And a legion of girls who were like Sohi’s clones.

Of course, it was threatening.

It was terrifying.

But the administrators also had a lot to say.

They also had a lot of power, legions of Overseers, and executor forces.

Compared to that, the immortal legion was absolutely small in number, so they were not intimidated.

“Do you think I would try to threaten you with just Sohi alone?”

“Oh, can I eat that?”

And blood droplets gathered from the ceiling.

When the administrators looked up, a pure white girl was hanging upside down from the ceiling like a bat.

The primordial True Ancestor, Nihilus Karmashia.

She had expressed her willingness to cooperate, saying it was for Alice’s sake.

She said she just had to stand still.

She said she would provide some food if they wanted.

The administrators’ faces hardened at Nihilus’s appearance.

In fact, Nihilus already possessed infinite life force to the point where she didn’t need to drink human blood anymore, but she still couldn’t help but find blood delicious, so she said she would gladly take the blood of those who deserved to die.

And outside.

“Hostile entities to Alice have been detected.”

“All, prepare for battle.”

“Prepare for non-suppressive elimination.”

50 dolls, the secret weapons of the dismantled mega corp.

“Marlang!”

“Marlang!”

“The Greater Marlang!”

“For Marlang!”

“Marlang Marlang!”

“Dip them in sauce!”

“Boomer!”

3,000 combat homunculus Marlangs from the Ruincrest layer.

“Ha, I never thought I’d be doing something like this in my life…”

“Ehehe, this is crazy~”

Former executioner force members.

Currently, 50 Uncle Girl Machine Weapons who have received the Demon King’s direct blessing and modification.

[Hey, isn’t it a bit much to call me for something like this only now?]

“Haha! You shouldn’t have been lazing around saying the forest is good if you didn’t like it!”

And Gaia, the Twisted Earth Goddess, who would endlessly replenish their life force and energy.

If there was simply a powerful army, if Oriana simply had a legion of high-ranking Overseers, the administrators might have revolted.

But all of them were immortal.

They didn’t die, they weren’t injured, and Gaia completely replenished their life force and energy.

The combination of immortal legions who would never die was enough to break the administrators’ will to fight.

The Arbentaine, a merit family of Ruincrest, also expressed their support for Alice, the human Demon King, being reinstated.

Jess and Taylor probably welcomed it.

-And so, the human Demon King reigned once more above humanity.

-She complained that it was a hassle, that she didn’t want to do it, but it was okay.

-Because everyone knew that Alice herself would eventually step forward for humanity, for the Ark.

“And so, the Demon King has returned.”

-The hero who had made a foolish mistake now used everything she had to help cultivate the world the human Demon King desired in order to atone for her sins.

-The primordial True Ancestor was surrounded by children.

-Big and small girls, immortal girls, girls who used to be uncles, machine girls, artificially created girls. And Nihilus took in the priestess child who gave birth to death and insects in the Enchantment of the Fallen layer.

-Surrounded by many girls, she surprisingly felt happy.

-She said she felt like she understood Sohi’s feelings.

-Ah, they’re much cuter than my disgusting children. They listen well and have good personalities.

-And so, Nihilus Karmashia guarded Alice’s side, and the girls’ side.

-It didn’t matter if she didn’t.

-Nihilus was satisfied as long as she was by Alice’s side.

-Fira had not been on good terms with Nihilus lately.

-She claimed that she was Alice’s wife, but Nihilus claimed that she was the one who had been proposed to by Alice.

-In fact, the Demon King didn’t think anything of it, but it seemed to be different for the two of them.

-Oriana and Rilstia.

-The foolish hero once again begged the Demon King for forgiveness.

-Alice said she had forgiven him a long time ago, but Oriana didn’t stop there.

-Alice’s autobiography, Alice’s biography, Alice in Wonderland, fairy tales, legends, folktales, history books.

-She spread all her achievements and stories throughout the Ark in various ways.

“Everything was fine.”

-The human Demon King only had happiness left to share with everyone.

-She would reorganize the Ark once more and instill hope for tomorrow in the humans who lived difficult lives.

-She would repel calamities, hunt monsters, and pioneer the outside beyond the barrier.

-She had reunited and returned. All that was left for her was happiness.

Of course, there was still much to fix in the Ark.

-The practice of not seeing people as people and treating them as consumables had to disappear, and the extreme division of the lower, middle, and upper layers, where they despised each other and did not mingle, also had to be resolved.

-But now the human Demon King had returned.

“So it will be okay. The human Demon King will try to resolve the discord between people. And humanity will reclaim the lost land.”

No, it was no exaggeration to say that humanity had already reclaimed the land.

There were still Satellite Cities, and outer expeditions continued to be successful every time.

Now that the human Demon King had returned, the demons and demon territory hiding in various parts of the land would gladly declare their allegiance to her, and Alice would gladly face the monsters and calamities lurking on the land that killed humans.

Because the human Demon King would save humans and would not be able to tolerate not taking care of them.

Theresa closed the book.

The title Book of Prophecy was written on the book in crude, old letters.

“She herself says she did things without thinking and waves her hand, saying she doesn’t intend to do anything great, but she was… always like that.”

Theresa remembers that day’s birth.

The day she met Alice and was reborn…

“It was a day like today.”

In fact, Theresa, who was called Alice’s auxiliary personality, was neither an AI nor a machine.

She was simply a life and a personality.

As Gaia said, Theresa was just a person.

However, she was not Alice… nor the human Demon King, nor a person living in the present era.

A person from the past.

A small, young Witch who had been with the human Demon King… and whom the human Demon King had taken as her secretary on a whim.

“I remember the hand you extended to me.”

Theresa closed the book.

A Witch who was ostracized by humans for making ominous prophecies.

Alice picked up such a Witch.

When asked why, she simply said it was because she was bored.

Yes, because she was bored.

Alice was always like that.

Because she was bored.

Because she had nothing to do.

Just because she wanted to.

She nonchalantly extended a hand of salvation.

“I remember the days I spent with you.”

The Witch Theresa served her by Alice’s side.

Even though she had gone from being a child to a Witch who handled prophecy books.

Alice was everything to Theresa.

She was a parent, a savior, and a Demon King she admired and loved.

So Theresa, who had obtained the Book of Prophecy first, confessed to Alice.

-The hero will kill you!

So kill the hero.

But Alice did not do so.

Theresa cried out, asking why.

The Demon King smiled as she wiped away those tears.

-There are things you have to do even if you know you’re going to die.

-You have to save people.

-You have to save the world.

-Isn’t it romantic to do what you have to do even if you know you’re going to die?

Romance.

That romance or whatever it was.

She wanted to call it nonsense, but in the end, Alice shook the great laws to save humanity and the world. And as the price for shaking those great laws, she became the destination of all desires and was eventually killed by the hero.

The hero herself suffered for hundreds of years as the price for stabbing Alice’s heart, and was so consumed with guilt and regret that she could not die even if she wanted to…

“Are you… satisfied now?”

Theresa looked at the human Demon King, who was closing her eyes in her workshop.

Theresa had recovered her body.

According to the Book of Prophecy, this body would one day become the core of the Code to strengthen the Overseers along with the founding of the Ark…

It could be seen as desecrating the body, but Alice would gladly consider it.

It was okay if she sacrificed herself so that humanity could live.

During the time she was gone, the Ark and humanity would have to face calamities with the power of the Overseers.

So she would gladly sacrifice this one body.

“When you died… I screamed. I cried like a child.”

She knew it, but she couldn’t stop it.

Because that was your will.

But not after that.

After that, Theresa used the Demon King’s assets, artifacts.

And all the magic, talents, grimoires, elixirs, and workshops she possessed to create a small space.

All the workshops and mana were woven into a formula solely for operating the Book of Prophecy, and Theresa herself was one of the parts for operating the Book of Prophecy.

A Book of Prophecy that sees only the future, exactly 839 years from now.

Moreover, it’s a prophecy that can’t be advanced, only flows in real-time.

“It wasn’t a prophecy that tells everything, but merely a voice that connects the past and future in real-time…”

For when Alice would one day descend upon this land.

To help her returning soul.

“The robot act… was quite funny. I don’t know if I acted well.”

But the Book of Prophecy has now served its purpose.

Alice has returned as the human demon king.

“I am no longer needed.”

She fulfilled her role.

Theresa was satisfied with just that.

“Still, I’m satisfied.”

Now that she has served her purpose, all that remains is to decline and fade away.

Now, even this space, perfectly isolated from the outside world, is useless.

Adrift in the flow of time, not knowing where, she will eventually be torn to shreds and disappear.

And Theresa, unable to leave that workshop, will vanish as if falling asleep.

There are no regrets.

That you have returned.

That you have returned as the human demon king.

Since you have returned as the complete Alice, I have no complaints.

“Ah, but…”

However, if there is one regret…

“I wanted to see you again, in person…”

I wanted to meet you again, with my eyes open.

Not with a voice imitating a robot and AI… I wanted to meet you again.

[Then just meet.]

“…”

For a moment, it felt like she heard a hallucination.

-Crack!

“!?”

“Hey, Theresa! I’ve come to pick you up!”

A familiar voice is heard.

It’s not the inorganic voice from the Book of Prophecy.

It wasn’t the flow of text from the Book of Prophecy.

A real voice.

Alice’s voice.

“Ah.”

A hand suddenly protrudes from the shattered space.

The hand grabs Theresa’s wrist and pulls her in strongly.

Theresa, without resistance or question, was sucked into the gap, and when she opened her eyes again, she faced a completely different world than before.

A forest of huge and countless buildings where the sky and the ground are not visible.

People and mechanical drone floating in the air.

Unfamiliar and stuffy air.

But…

“Hello?”

“Ah…”

Before my eyes, you are here again.

“How… how?”

“Why?”

Alice, the human demon king, smiled brightly and shrugged her shoulders triumphantly.

“Because I’m an awesome Demon King.”

There would probably be a price to pay.

Theresa would have been adrift in an unknown space-time.

No matter how great Alice is, it is impossible to pinpoint the location of that workshop.

Then how…?

“Actually, I noticed it from the beginning. Our Theresa is terrible at acting like an AI.”

“…”

A-am I bad…?

I thought I acted perfectly?

“So, I’ve been calculating where you are, how I can find you… ever since the tin can android Beep-boop days.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Theresa understand why Alice still had many physically lacking parts, even though her physical performance had improved so much after the fusion.

Yes, considering Alice’s performance at the time, it wouldn’t have been strange if she had done more.

Seeing Theresa’s dumbfounded face, Alice chuckled and smiled brightly.

Then, with the scenery of Ark in the background, Alice spread her arms wide as if welcoming Theresa.

“Ah, of course… I’m not a robot anymore. Beep-boop~”

The Demon King had snow-white silver hair.

She also had blades that modified the Holy Sword and Demonic Sword, saying it was a romance.

She also had multi-purpose driving machines that still roamed the sky with mechanical tendril, saying it was cool.

And she was still the most thoughtless and only chasing romance and fantasies, the most precious human demon king.

T/N: The end. I hope you enjoyed this novel and remember: FUCKNOVELPIA!