Published at 26th of December 2025 7:38 am

Chapter 435: To Laugh off a Thirty Percent Oversight Is Too Much.

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Surprisingly, there was no lock on the management facilitys door. It opened easily, and we managed to step inside without any trouble.

Huh? This is

The space that greeted me as I entered first for safety checks was a strange one, entirely made of metal with a bronze-like color. The interior was quite spacious, with a ceiling about five meters high and a circular floor roughly twenty meters in diameter.

In the center stood a peculiar pillar-like structure, bulging at the bottom like a forge and tapering upwards. Stairs were visible at the edge of my vision, suggesting rooms above and below.

It seems safe for now Hey, you can come in!

Yes! Wow, so this is what the inside of a management facility looks like.

What a strange structure It doesnt look very comfortable to live in, at least.

Well, I dont think anyones supposed to live here. Hmm?

As I invited the others in, I observed the box-like magical devices arranged along the outer wall. The atmosphere with numerous buttons and such reminded me of something Id seen in World 092.

This looks similar to the magical devices we saw at Canals place, doesnt it?

It seemed Tia had the same impression. Indeed, this felt similar to the devices in Canals office, but these were much larger and bulkier, with a somewhat cruder feel.

Then, maybe this? Whoa!?

Thinking that if it was a familiar device, I might be able to use it somehow, I pressed a likely-looking red button. Suddenly, light filled the wall, and incomprehensible numbers and images flashed across it. As we stood there surprised, Anemo rushed over from behind.

W-what are you two doing!?

Anemo? Well, it looked like pressing this might do something, so I just did?

This isnt a just did situation! The reason this management facility hasnt been absorbed by the dungeon is probably because its storing a large amount of mana inside. If you make it operate needlessly and consume that power, who knows when it might be swallowed by the dungeon!

Haha, sorry about that. Then Ill just Huh?

I tried pressing the button again, but the images on the wall only flickered for a moment before reappearing. I tried two, three more times with the same result. It wouldnt turn off no matter what.

This is bad, it wont turn off.

What are we going to do, Ed-san!? I dont really understand the details, but if this doesnt turn off, the facility might really be swallowed!

Um What to do? How should we? Hey, Tia?

Eh? Dont ask me

Yeah, right. Damn it!

For the first time in a while, I felt genuine panic. I wanted to press various buttons randomly, but I learned in that other world that this was a bad move. I hadnt forgotten Canals sacrifice, with her eyes like dead fish after the information inside was erased or whatever.

Well, thats in the past, but seriously, what should we do? As a last resort, I could End everything, but ending something incomprehensible before understanding it carried too high a risk of irreversible consequences.

Hey, isnt there an explanation somewhere

Ed?

Tia, Anemo. Sorry, but could you look for something like an instruction manual for this magical device? It looks like you can go up and down those stairs over there.

Ah, yes. Understood! Ill go up then! Lets go, Sherker.

Kyuu!

O-okay. Please Ed?

Its alright. So please, go.

Alright. Then Ill go down.

At my words, Anemo ascended the stairs by the wall, while Tia, after giving me a worried look, descended the stairs on the opposite side. Once they were gone, I pressed the red button again and kept pressing it. After about five seconds, the bustling images that had been displayed suddenly disappeared with a pop.

But that didnt matter anymore. Because the mana in this facility wasnt something that could be exhausted by such trivial actions.

I moved away from the magical device and approached the metal pillar standing in the center of the room. I placed my hand on the bulging lower part and drew my sword with certainty.

Hah!

I lowered my stance, took a short breath, and swung my sword. The outer wall of the pillar fell away, revealing the internal mechanism.

A glass-like container with various cord-like attachments, ranging from hair-thin to thicker than my finger. Floating in the center was a substance Id been seeing a lot lately a fragment that looked exactly like the red gem shining on Sherkers forehead.

Of course, I had seen this even before meeting Sherker. What I had carried with Hero Toby and retrieved first to reunite with Tia as well as was the catalyst for remembering who I am. In other words

The Demon Kings heart I never thought Id see it again.

In reality, this isnt actually the Demon Kings heart. Its probably called that in that world because the stone sealing the Demon Kings power is bright red and exudes a strong power. At least my heart isnt a gem like this.

Well, the name doesnt matter. Whats important is that I can definitely sense traces of the Demon Kings my powers fragment inside.

Well, it makes sense. Worlds where the Demon King loses arent rare, and there are examples of sealing, so such things happen. But to end up being used as a power source for a facility how about that?

I speak alone to the Demon King imprisoned in the silent glass cage. But of course, the Demon King doesnt answer.

Or perhaps, cant answer? Despite being so close, I can barely sense any power from that red gem fragment. Earlier, I barely received something like an image, which allowed me to stop the magical device, but its possible that was its last will, given how faint it is now.

Well, never mind that. The real question is, what should I do with this?

It would be easy for me to retrieve it. I could just break this case, take out the gem, and absorb its power. However, in that case, this facility would lose its power source and permanently cease to function.

So, thats fine. The problem is if this fragment is being used in places other than this facility. Theres a high possibility that the Demon Kings heart is being used as a power source in almost all the magical devices that Anemo said cant be made anymore, including the management facilities identical to this one in each town.

After all, this is a world where human mana doesnt recover. If they were utilizing the dungeons mana, they wouldnt be extracting and discarding mana from Encounter remains, so I was wondering how they managed. But if theres an inexhaustible, infinite power source, it makes sense.

So, what if I completely absorbed this infinite power source the Demon Kings power, and everything stopped at once? It could lead to worldwide chaos, possibly even a future where humans face extinction. In that case, I have no choice but to leave it be

Ah, another uncollected one

I thought it would be fine to leave the Demon Kings power uncollected in one or two worlds. But counting the worlds where I couldnt physically defeat and retrieve it, like Miguels and Master Daltons, and the ones I overlooked and didnt collect, like Maos, Johns, and Elds, this makes the eighth uncollected power fragment.

In contrast, this is only the 23rd other world Ive visited. In other words, Im leaving about a third uncollected.

While eight out of a hundred might still be within acceptable limits, this rate of increase in uncollected fragments is getting dangerous.

I want to hold my head in my hands, but since most of the uncollected worlds are places where I decided to leave the Demon King by my own will, I cant really complain to anyone.

Isnt the rate of Demon Kings being somwhat good guys a bit high? I might need to seriously consider countermeasures soon Well, I can think about it later. Hey, you two

[My lord My true self, whom Ive finally met at the end of eternity]

Hm?

Just as I was about to call out to Tia and the others after a wry smile, such a voice suddenly echoed in my head. Theres only one possible source, so I returned my gaze to the red gem.

[At least,. at least these memories]

Guh!?

In an instant, power was released from the entire facility, and a crushing pressure assaulted me. Simultaneously, a headache struck, and my vision became grainy

[Fuhahahaha! Well done for coming this far, hero!]

Along with that voice, an unfamiliar scene spread out before my eyes.

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