Chapter 37
Something was wrong.
Kael sat motionless, his breathing slow, as the memory of the Assembly of Demon Kings continued to unfold in his mind. The images were clear… too clear. Too smooth.
He frowned.
No…
Back then…
He did not possess infinite mana.
The realization struck like a blunt blow.
His heart skipped a beat.
An Impossible Inconsistency
Kael straightened abruptly, a sharp pain tearing through his side, but he ignored it.
"That's impossible…"
When he had been a Demon King, his mana had been vast, yes. Abnormally so. But not infinite. He remembered exhaustion. Recoil. The backlash after prolonged battles.
And yet…
In this memory, in that meeting, his aura had already been described as abyssal, bottomless.
A fabrication.
A reconstruction.
His temples throbbed as he plunged back into the memory, searching for details.
The Fracture
The memory cracked.
The black hall warped.
The crimson flames trembled.
The faces of the other Demon Kings blurred, as if painted on water.
Then something new appeared.
Something…
behind the memory ?.
Who… touched my memories ?
A sharp pain exploded in his skull.
Kael clutched his head, gasping, as fragments of foreign images surged forth:
Unknown symbols.
Circles carved into the soul.
A cold, mechanical voice.
Not demonic.
Not divine.
Something else.
The Moment of Truth
He fell to his knees.
His mana reacted violently, spiraling around him without direction, as if trying to defend itself.
And at that precise moment, something answered.
A silent presence, lying dormant for a long time.
Activation
[Anomaly detected: memory instability]
[Partial synchronization in progress…]
[Authorization confirmed: Subject KAEL]
Kael froze.
The voice did not come from the room…
nor from his mind.
It existed within him, yet without emotion, without intent.
"…What is this ?" he whispered.
[Stabilization System — Dormant phase lifted]
[Reason: Divergence between mnemonic data and current energy state]
His breath caught.
"System…?"
Partial Revelation
Fragmented information flickered at the edge of his consciousness, impossible to fully grasp.
[Record: Infinite mana — acquired post-collapse]
[Critical error: Memories prematurely rewritten]
[Probable cause: External intervention during demonic core collapse]
A freezing chill spread through Kael.
"You're saying…"
His voice trembled.
"…that my memories were altered ?"
Silence.
Then:
[Partial confirmation: Access denied]
[Authorization level insufficient]
A dry, incredulous laugh escaped him.
"Even my memories… no longer belong to me."
Certainty
One thing was now clear.
His infinite mana was not natural.
He did not possess it as a Demon King.
He obtained it after his fall.
And someone… or something… had prepared this.
Kael slowly rose, his eyes burning.
"Very well."
He lifted his head, as if challenging an unseen entity.
"Since you exist… you will explain."
The system did not answer.
Not yet.
But Kael knew.
With the next step on his path of cultivation…
the veil would begin to lift.