I Made a Game Featuring Constellations

Chapter 24

In the deepest chamber of the Demon King’s castle, the girl stood alone.

She called desperately for the Demon God, but no response came.

No matter how long she searched, her companion was nowhere to be found.

The girl felt an overwhelming urge to collapse, to give up everything and simply cry.

But she couldn’t.

She was the Demon King now—the only hope of the demon race. If she failed to fulfill her mission, everyone would continue to suffer.

Steeling herself, the girl emerged from the castle and into the outside world.

She began traveling the continent, gathering her scattered kin who were suffering across the lands.

One by one, more demons flocked to her side.

Under the Demon King, the demon race began to unite.

The human nations, however, could not allow a centralized demon kingdom to rise again.

Among the most fiercely anti-demon nations was the Republic, led by its mustachioed dictator, who sent army after army to dismantle the Demon King’s forces.

But the Demon King repelled every attack, protecting her people.

A king who defended her people and ensured their safety—

More demons gathered under her banner, drawn to her strength and resolve.

One day, while rescuing more of her kind, the girl found another young demon who had lost her entire family to humans.

Her name was Huffniss.

The child was consumed by a deep hatred for humanity.

“Huffniss, is it? I’m Lina,” the Demon King said gently.

Seeing herself in the child, the girl took Huffniss as her disciple.

She hoped that after her own death as a butcher at the hands of the Allied Forces, Huffniss would lead the demons into a new era of peace and unity.

* * *

“Ugh... sob....”

The Demon God, isolated in a dimensional barrier, could only watch as everything unfolded.

The events she had witnessed in her past life, in the real world, were playing out exactly the same.

She watched the girl take Huffniss as her disciple and begin to teach her.

“No, no, look. Focus here—lower abdomen, inside.”

Just as the Demon God had taught the girl in the real world, the girl in this dream world taught her disciple.

“That’s it! That’s how you use mana!”

“It’s... identical....”

Everything was happening exactly as the Demon God remembered.

History was repeating itself.

“Huffniss,” Lina called.

“...What is it, Lina?”

“Ah, ah, no way. Addressing your mentor by name?”

“...Tch.”

“Haha, I’m kidding. Call me whatever you want.”

“What do you want to say, then?”

The Demon God remembered this conversation from her past life.

It had happened, though the Pride that had consumed her had buried the precious memory.

“Someday...”

“Hmm?”

“When I’m gone,” Lina said, pausing as if to steady her emotions.

“When I’m gone, and you’re the only one left, you’ll need to lead the demons. You’ll be the next Demon King.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Just in case.”

Back then, the Demon God hadn’t realized it.

She hadn’t suspected what her mentor had been planning.

Ah! How foolish I was back then!

“You’ll do great. You’ll lead everyone through the chaos and into an age of peace and unity.”

“Lina, you’re acting weird today. Did you eat something bad?”

“No, I’m just feeling sentimental for no reason.”@@@@

Lina lifted her gaze to the star-filled sky.

“She’s watching over us too, isn’t she?”

The protagonist struggles under the influence of erosion, unable to make her decision. Assist her in choosing.

“...Demon God?”

Hearing her voice, Lina looked up with wide eyes.

“Demon God!”

Just as the Demon God reached her—

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A black-haired boy appeared between them.

“I warned you not to distort the story. Have you already forgotten?”

It was the Overseer of the [Akashic Archive].

***

I stood before the Demon God in the Overseer’s form, blocking her path.

If she unleashed her full power, tearing apart the dream's authority, even I wouldn’t come out unscathed. But she wouldn’t do that.

As long as the dream’s authority remained intact, she couldn’t defeat me.

In this world, I was omnipotent.

The moment of trial had arrived.

Initially, I intended to imprison the Demon God in this dream world permanently.

I couldn’t let a creature like her loose, not when she had driven our investors into such a corner.

And if she discovered how I had deceived her, it would create a disaster I couldn’t handle.

But after watching her story unfold, I began to reconsider.

Perhaps she deserved one chance.

If she could shed the arrogance consuming her—

If she could recognize her own flaws and let go of her pride—

Then perhaps... I could let her go.

“Huffniss,” I said, my voice calm. “Do you intend to ruin the story?”

She glared at me, her gaze filled with defiance.

“Indeed. I find this story unacceptable. I will rewrite it entirely.”

“We are the Overseer of the [Akashic Archive]. Altering the original story is forbidden.”

“[Akashic Archive] or not, I couldn’t care less about such accursed nonsense! I will save my mentor. I will save Lina!”

“I see.”

I snapped my fingers.

A low hum filled the air as an intangible force bound the Demon God.

“Ugh! What... is this?!”

“This world is one I created,” I said simply.

“Even the highest laws, which no god can escape, are within my authority to establish.”

The bindings sealed away all her power.

“Damn it! Release these cursed chains at once!”

“Huffniss,” I asked, looking deep into her restrained form, “what is that girl to you?”

As her thoughts flowed into me, I noticed how much she had changed since entering this world.

If she could abandon her arrogance,

If she could acknowledge her shortcomings and shed her pride—

Then I believed there was hope for her.

Hope that she could cast off the mantle of the overbearing Demon God.

If that were possible, perhaps I could back up this world and gift it to her.

The Demon God seemed lost in thought, her mind moving in the right direction.

“She is... my...”

Just as she opened her mouth to speak—

[Detected.]

Crack!

“Gah!”

A black hand tore through my chest.

What... was this?

This wasn’t part of my scenario.

A shadowy figure loomed behind me, its hand piercing clean through my body.

[An interloper eliminating the seed of our work.]

The figure’s face was so dark it blurred into itself, devoid of distinguishable features.

Its mouth, however, opened impossibly wide, stretching unnaturally across its form.