Chapter 453. Commander of Hell, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka (Part 1)
「Kureha slumped onto the ground. By now, how could she not see that Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had been holding back against her all along? Where was the "equal match"? She couldn't actually defeat him at all!」
「"Oh! Oh! Lord Keyaru is the strongest! Keyaru is number one in the world!"」
「The demi-humans of the Ice Wolf Clan were completely won over, shouting and celebrating the new King they had acknowledged. No one blamed Ayanokouji Kiyotaka for being late... because they didn't dare to.」
「The aura Ayanokouji Kiyotaka subconsciously emitted caused them to make an incredibly "correct" decision.」
「They cleaned the battlefield, looted the spoils of war, and prepared to stay up all night holding a celebratory banquet with plenty to drink and eat. As for Setsuna, covered in blood, she didn't want to approach Lord Hachiman—whom she wanted to sleep with—in such an ugly state, so she went to bathe.」
「Suffering a double blow, a dejected Kureha looked at the returning Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and couldn't help but ask: "What exactly are you thinking? What are you doing? What is your true intention, Keyaru?"」
「"Those words are exactly what I want to ask you, Sword Saint Kureha. What are you thinking now, what do you intend to do, and what is your intention?"」
「The ball was kicked back to her. Kureha remained silent, staring at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka for a long while. She finally understood; her IQ wasn't so low that she couldn't see something this obvious.」
「"You intend to rebel, don't you, Keyaru?"」
「"Does the current Kingdom satisfy your heart?" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked at her with a smile. "So dark, so dilapidated—do you still hold any lingering attachment to such a Kingdom?"」
「"But..." Kureha bit her lower lip. "Can you do it? The Kingdom still has stronger armies, two Heroes, and two Legends—none of whom I can face in battle, let alone the King."」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka didn't speak, just stared at her.」
「This behavior, which should have appeared as a sign of a guilty conscience, possessed an aggressive pressure when it came from him—a pressure so heavy Kureha could hardly breathe. She tried to maintain eye contact with Ayanokouji, but she soon lost, panting for breath.」
「She attempted a final struggle: "But can you guarantee that after you overthrow the Kingdom, you can give the people a better life?"」
「These rebuttals weren't actually because she wanted to overpower Ayanokouji. Ever since he revealed his true face earlier, she had already resolved in her heart to follow him as a form of atonement.」
「These rebuttals were merely her "fig leaf," used to exhaust the last bit of loyalty she had for the Kingdom, so she wouldn't feel ashamed of becoming a "servant to two masters."」
「Thus, Kureha didn't actually expect an answer; she just wanted to ask the question.」
「But...」
「He spoke.」
「Smiling, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka opened his mouth.」
「"In my kingdom, I am the God of everyone. Any noble, any commoner—all of them are my slaves, the livestock I keep. If I want someone to die, they should immediately commit suicide along with their entire family."」
「"If I take an interest in someone's wife, they should wash her, strip her naked, and bring her to me along with their mother and daughter. No one can disobey me, no one is qualified to defy me. I stand above all things in the world, holding everything everyone possesses in my grasp."」
「Kureha's face changed. Just as she was about to berate this wicked man, Ayanokouji continued: "And in exchange—nothing, absolutely nothing, can destroy my territory or harm my slaves!"」
「"I will never allow raging natural disasters to make them wail. They will be well-fed and well-clothed. Aside from me, nothing else can strip my slaves of any rights or stop them from living a happy and joyful life!"」
「This speech hit Kureha like an electric shock. Her head buzzed, and she trembled violently, looking at the man before her in shock. For a long time, she couldn't say a single word.」
「Was it because she didn't dare? Or because she didn't want to?」
「Kureha didn't know. She only knew that, as if she had lost her mind, she actually felt this Healing Hero might be able to achieve such a thing, and that the world might actually be quite good if it became like that.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's momentum, temperament, and aura were constantly trapping her, causing her thoughts to become disordered.」
「"And now, this region is the beginning of my journey to become such an Emperor. You are also within this region, so you are my slave, my livestock, Kureha."」
「The upright Sword Saint Kureha could be attracted to defect through traits like "kindness and light"—this was the analysis and decision Ayanokouji had made.」
「However, while a gentle, kind, and upright persona could attract Kureha, it would be detrimental for the future. Such a persona could not possess absolute control over the lives of everyone in the world.」
「To force Hikigaya Hachiman to play a game against him, Ayanokouji needed a bargaining chip that Hikigaya could not refuse. This chip couldn't be martial force, because based on the combat power of this other world, no matter how strong he became, he couldn't be stronger than Reinhard.」
「Therefore, it had to be lives—tens of thousands of lives.」
「If Hikigaya Hachiman refused to play the game, he would kill the people—this clearly wouldn't work, because Hikigaya Hachiman could use "Return by Death" and resolve Ayanokouji before he could kill anyone.」
「To use a method that neither Reinhard nor Return by Death could break, and which could force Hikigaya Hachiman's hand, there was only one answer.」
「That was to make the people of this world absolutely devoted to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Their loyalty had to be so deep that if Ayanokouji died, the people would spontaneously commit suicide. Stopping them would be useless, because if stopped once, they would attempt a second, third, or infinite number of secret suicides.」
「Until they were buried alongside Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.」
「Among countless methods, this was the only one that could satisfy all three conditions at once.」
「To extract and tap into the deepest levels of respect, honor, awe, support, devotion, fanaticism, and admiration from every single person in this world.」
「To make people loyal to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to this extent, there was only the path of the "Strong Man's Tyrannical Rule" that he described to Kureha. Only by taking this route could it be achieved.」
「To this end, he had to gradually mold such a persona.」
「"Ah..."」
「Kureha was already mesmerized. In her eyes, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's smile gradually turned into a powerful expression full of charming charisma, making her breathing increasingly rapid.」
「She felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.」
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