Max woke up dazed, lying on something cold and metallic. His vision swam as he sat up. The room was pitch-black except for a faint spotlight illuminating a lone figure seated in a chair across from him. The silhouette looked vaguely human, but its edges flickered like glitching pixels.
"Alright, let's do this," the figure said enthusiastically, cracking its knuckles. "I'll toss you into the Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss universe. You've already got a cool character design rolling around in your head—oh! Demon of Hell! Let's crank that up a bit more. Powers of Ainz? Perfect fit. Ooo~ how about the Seven Deadly Sins' powers from that universe and the Tensei universe?"
Max blinked at him, still trying to process anything. "Wait—what's happening?"
"Hush, hush, I'll explain in a bit. I'm guessing you want a harem, right? I can fix that. How about Bee, Loona, Charlie—basically every girl you're interested in—"
"That's… nice, I guess? But what's happening? Is this a reincarnation thing?" Max interrupted, anxiety sharpening his voice.
The figure finally stopped typing mid-air and sighed. "Fine, fine. Yes. This is a reincarnation thing. You get three wishes, and so far I've granted two of them. Now help me think of the third one."
"But you never asked me anything! You just gave me everything—way more power than that universe could reasonably handle!"
"You're right." The figure snapped its fingers. "Okay, I'll throw in angelic skills and all spells and skills from Overlord, too."
"Why?" Max demanded. "Normally the reincarnated person gets a say in their wishes!"
The figure leaned back with a groan. "You know how genies twist wishes to punish people? Well, our system is the opposite. We're required to grant wishes exactly as stated—or greater. No negative loopholes. No ironic punishments. Everything must ultimately benefit the reincarnated soul. It's a big rule." The figure pointed at himself. "In fact, I used to be a reincarnated guy like you. One of my wishes was to gain the powers of the person handling my reincarnation. Unfortunately, that just made me the new Reincarnation God. And now I'm trying to get fired."
Max stared. "…Why don't you just trick someone else into taking your place? Seems easier."
"I may be trying to quit, but I'm not a scumbag," the figure said indignantly. "Anyway—want to keep your powers mostly hidden?"
Max nodded quickly. "Yeah, that'd help. So you're doing over-the-top wishes to get fired? I guess that… makes sense, in a weird cosmic-bureaucracy way."
"The real reason is boring." The figure waved him off. "Now I need your final wish. Don't hold back. If it's not big enough, I'll just upgrade it."
Max thought for a moment. "I've got power, a harem—assuming you're tying me into the world's history somehow. Hm… God's brother?"
The figure raised a brow. "Already done. Remember? 'Demon of Hell'? The one you made up when you were drunk?"
"Wait. You mean that Demon of Hell? Oh no." Max groaned. "Can I hold off on the final wish?"
"I don't see why not." The figure gestured, and a colossal holographic screen materialized in front of Max. "Here. Proofread your profile."
Max squinted at the glowing text.
---
REINCARNATION PROFILE
Name: Max
Race: Primordial Demon
Domains: Darkness & Fear
Age: ???
Authority: All powers deriving from Fear, Soul Contracts, Sin, and Magic
Backstory:
Brother to God, granted existence within Creation by forging a pact with Him personally. In exchange for a place in the cosmic hierarchy, Max accepted the mantle of the Embodiment of Hell—its shadow, its law, and its original sovereign force predating the current infernal system.
Abilities:
– Harem Contract (Divine-Class)
– Magic: Overlord System (Complete)
– Fear Embodiment & Manipulation
– Complete Immortality (Concept-Level)
– Authority of Sin (All Seven)
– Primordial Darkness (Infinite)
– Soul Contract Mastery
– ??? (Locked; pending final wish)
– etc.
---
"Looks nice," Max admitted. "So I'll have a normal identity until I choose to reveal myself?"
"Of course. You're a new hire at I.M.P. and you've also got a room at the Hazbin Hotel. Sure, they're on opposite sides of the Pride Ring, but you can teleport. Oh! And I'm removing that stupid limitation you added to your character—the one that permanently trapped you in Hell. Now you can go to Earth or Heaven for up to forty-eight hours at a time. Reasonable?"
"I'd say you've got a deal." Max extended a hand.
The figure shook it. "Good luck. And wish me luck too—I'm this close to getting fired."
Max chuckled. "Never thought I'd say that to a cosmic being, but… good luck."
He dissolved into shadows, vanishing into his new existence.
A second later, a red notification appeared on the figure's desk.
The figure pumped a fist. "Hell yeah! Two more to go!"
With renewed energy, he turned to the next soul waiting in line, ready to make another overpowered disaster.