Final Stage – The Devil

How would you feel, if every random thought going through your mind was suddenly laid bare in front of someone else?

After experiencing it myself, all I could say was that it was beyond just unpleasant.

Lurking within this veil of darkness was a transcendent being, who knew everything about me. However, I knew next to nothing about him, other than that insignificant title of his.

I had placed too much of my trust in the meager amount of strength that I had accumulated in my short life. 

I had grown too complacent. 

And now, because of that, I was once again being reminded of a very simple fact…

There will always be a sky above the sky. No matter how good you are, someone else will always be better than you – somehow.

If you ever become too arrogant for your own good, someone will inevitably come along to humble you – by slapping your face extra-hard.

"I really have to say, your thought process can be pretty amusing at times."

I couldn't feel anything different. No mental intrusions, no sudden surge of energy, no scrying and prying… 

Nothing. 

And yet, I was still being read like an open book. 

Was the difference between our levels really that big? 

I felt like a lump was slowly forming in my throat.

"That… I'm very flattered that you find me amusing…"

"Hmm… You don't need to be so stiff about it. Rather, even though it gets a little irritating at times, I still prefer your usual self over this polite facade that you're showing me right now."

My eyebrows twitched slightly.

N-No way, did he really want me to act like I was going to skin him alive in the next moment? Did he like being verbally abused that much…?

Don't tell me, was he actually an 'M'?

"Tsk. Your pretentiousness really knows no bounds. Since I already know your true thoughts, what's the use in pretending to be polite? But, it's still interesting how you never let your guard down…"

The being hidden in the shadows chuckled slightly.

"...even when you know that it's useless."

The last words came in a barely audible whisper, suddenly making my skin crawl from the warm breath I could feel from my ear.

I was sure that he did it deliberately, subtly warning me not to let my thoughts wander around too much.

And here I thought I could mask my true thoughts with some white noise on top…

My big-brain play got invalidated right at the beginning.

"Then, why are you suddenly appearing in front of me?"

I bit my lips in frustration.

There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask this mysterious person.

Was the original RPG game – [Saga of the Eternal Heroes] – made by this person? Why did he suddenly decide to kidnap and bring me over to this world?

If he was powerful enough to bring me into this world without any chance for me to resist, why did he even need me in the first place?

What use did I have for this kind of transcendent being?

…and most importantly, why would anyone want to bring 'ME' into their world, if they were able to read my mind?

I wasn't even trying to be an edgelord, but knowing my personality and track record, I definitely wouldn't want someone like myself wandering around on Earth!

"If you can read my mind, then why? Why did you bring me to this world?"

Gritting my teeth, I glared at the dark shadows covering the world.

"Huh… wasn't it obvious?"

*whoosh*

The shadows covering the world moved away, revealing a familiar apartment room underneath.

A bright fluorescent lamp illuminated the cramped living room, a few cheap appliances could be seen piled up in a corner of it.

On the side was a small wooden table with an old game-console and a monitor propped up on top of it.

A worn-out, but still expensive-looking gaming chair was placed in front of the table, and a tall and handsome-looking man was sitting on it with a playful expression on his face.

It was my own apartment.

"It's because both of us are quite similar, you see. In a lot of different ways…"

A pair of blood-red colored eyes greeted me in this world, a place I had been living at for the last seven years as a failed adult man.

"A demon…?"

The man had a pair of majestic-looking curved horns jutting out from his raven-black hair, both of them jet-black colored, wriggling with mysterious patterns and symbols that pulsed with an ominous light.

The stranger man let out a derisive snicker in response to my question, before shaking his head in disappointment.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… wrong answer. Surely you don't believe that I'm just a trivial demon, dear Max…" 

A wicked smile appeared on his face as he voiced out the next words.

"...I am the master of all demons, the one and only 'Demon King' Vanir. You can also call me 'The Devil' if you like. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

The Devil extended his hands towards me, who was left with a short-circuited brain.

…

…

In the end, I didn't bother to shake hands with him.

The revelation was too big for me to bother with such useless pleasantries!

"So, you appeared to stop me from completely wrecking your body?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then why aren't you fighting that subordinate of yours? And why aren't you sealed?"

"What do you mean, not sealed? I literally had to pay with my life to break past that seal, I already told you that."

"Then, why aren't you staying dead? You died but you can still appear anywhere at your convenience. You think I'm a fool?!"

*crackle~*

My knuckles made a crackling noise, as I glared at the handsome man sitting down on my favorite gaming chair with a carefree look on his face.

"Even if you say that, I can't really be any more 'deader'. And I can pull you here because you're possessing 'my' body. Now can we finally move on, please?"

This world that I was seeing right now was not the real Earth. It was just an illusion conjured up by the true Demon King.

Turns out, the person who brought me into this game-world was none other than the Demon King himself!

According to his words, after learning about the Demon King's existence during the ancient era, the Sun Goddess had cooked up a devious scheme to eliminate such a dangerous individual.

Using his pride against him, she bestowed the Heroes with a hidden ability to sacrifice their lives as well as all the power they accumulated in life, just to open a slight opening to place that nasty seal on the Demon King.

His true powers were ripped away from him, sealed in a distant holy land of the Goddess, while he was left to rot alone in the darkness of the Divine Seal.

"Whether you choose to believe me or not, it won't make any difference now, will it?"

"Of course, it will make a difference! Otherwise, how am I going to go back home? You want me to live my remaining life being chased by the Goddess' followers everywhere after this seal is destroyed?!"

The problem was that this Demon King in front of me was saying that he broke past the seal by sacrificing his life to an unknown being, and not by directly summoning me using his own powers.

Meaning that, even though he was the one who forcibly summoned me…

There was another third-party involved in the ritual who granted his wish.