The Demon King-sama With Broken Justice

One of the girls before her groaned in agony. Her eyes were opened wide and fixed desperately on Konoha, pleading for help.

The black hands entwined around Konoha were part of a spell meant to transfer the girls’ life force into her. Perhaps because of its influence, Konoha’s heart was being steadily consumed by something wicked.

(Ah… aaaaaah… I hate them, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I hate them I HATE THEM!!! I hate humans, I hate people! Kill kill kill!)

The pure-white canvas that was Konoha was gradually being painted over entirely in black. Konoha felt as though she were plummeting into the depths of a bottomless ravine.

Even so, she desperately struggled through the pitch-black water, trying somehow to claw her way back upward. There was no light, no hope. She could no longer distinguish up from down or left from right, nor did she even know where she was.

And yet she kept her eyes fixed only on the path she knew existed ahead of her… and then,

The moment she witnessed one of the girls before her unmistakably draw her final breath, Konoha heard something inside herself shatter.

I have to save them.

I have to save them.

I have to save them.

I don’t care what happens to me. I don’t care what happens to me, because I never want someone else to be hurt because of me again.

—I have to save them!

“Yes. I knew that was what Konoha would say.”

“Huh?”

A leaden sky and grasslands—the same dream as always. But this time, something was different… she could see the other girl’s face.

“Who… are you?”

“Sukuna. Konoha’s Sukuna. Sukuna’s Konoha.”

“My… face?”

The girl before her had beautiful, flowing snow-white hair, with enormous black horns protruding from it. Her eyes were crimson, and she wore a black kimono. She was an almost fantastical beauty, but her face was unmistakably Konoha’s. An ordinary person probably would not have realized they were identical, but Konoha herself could tell.

“Yeah, because Sukuna is Konoha. And Sukuna loves Konoha.”

“Huh? Ah, um… Sukuna-chan, I remember now. We met before, right?”

“Just call me Sukuna. Sukuna is Konoha anyway. Calling yourself ‘-chan’ doesn’t really make sense.”

“I guess you’re right. Okay then, Sukuna. Um… why are you here?”

“Sukuna came to save Konoha. And Konoha wants to save those girls. Am I wrong?”

“You’re not. I don’t want to watch anyone die in front of me anymore! And I don’t want anyone dying because of me either…”

Konoha lowered her eyes. Sukuna approached her and gently embraced her.

“It’s okay. Konoha is the Demon King, so you can save them. Sukuna will make sure you do.”

“Huh?”

“Your skill: Oni Princess. If you use it, Konoha can summon an ‘oni’ into herself. You can use that great sword and carve open a path.”

“A sword?”

Konoha looked where Sukuna was pointing and found that a torii gate had appeared there before she knew it, with a shrine beyond it. She passed through the gate and walked onward. Then, when she entered the shrine grounds, she saw—

“A sword…?”

“You want to meet the girl from your dreams, don’t you?”

“Ah.”

It was the great sword the girl in Konoha’s dreams had handed her. Its lacquered scabbard was decorated here and there with gold ornamentation, making it worthy of being called a work of art. That sword rested inside a wooden box that had been casually placed on the shrine grounds.

“The sword’s name is ‘Agate.’ Using it as a medium, you can summon Sukuna or ‘Ibaraki-doji.’”

“I-Ibaraki-doji!? You mean the oni?”

“That is Konoha’s skill in this world: Oni Princess. When you summon one, see? You end up like this.”

Sukuna spun around. Her pure-white hair fluttered, and her kimono billowed softly.

“Sukuna was already attached to Konoha from the beginning, but Ibaraki-doji is different. Ibaraki-doji is an oni that Konoha herself summons now that she has come to this world. A Demon King. If you want to save those girls, you need that resolve. Even summoning Sukuna is basically like entrusting your body to Sukuna. Will you still do it?”

“I will.”

“That was immediate.”

“I’ll save those girls no matter what happens to me. I hate dragging innocent people into this. If that’s what it takes, I’ll become an oni or even a Demon King.”

“Is that so? Then go ahead and take it. Konoha as you are now will be fine. I’m sure you can accept Sukuna.”

Konoha nodded and slowly lifted the great sword from the wooden box. It was a long blade, about the same length as a bamboo practice sword. But she had held it countless times before, so handling it felt natural.

Tap.

Sukuna touched Konoha. Feeling that warmth helped Konoha calm down a little.

“It’s okay. Sukuna is with you.”

“…Yeah.”

“I am Sukuna. Ryomen Sukuna. I’m the venerable Ryomen Sukuna who has existed since around the era of the Yamato court, so don’t confuse me with any of those modern urban legends.”

“Sorry, I don’t really know much about the occult. You can explain all of that to me later.”

“Once we get through this. Okay, Konoha, here we go.”

“Okay!”

““Skill: 《Oni Princess》!””

Light flooded the underground labyrinth. The Demon King girl’s hair, which had been dark only moments before, turned silver-white like snow. Her eyes gleamed crimson like beautiful, eerie flames, while two enormous black horns protruded from her forehead. Her dress had somehow transformed into a jet-black kimono, and the figure standing there looked less like a Demon King than something worthy of being called an ‘Oni God.’

“Ohhh, Demon King-sama!”

“It’s the Demon King-sama! She has been resurrected! Now we can slaughter every last human!”

“A paradise for demonkind across the Mercator Continent!!”

Blood surged through Konoha’s body at tremendous speed. She could feel her hair changing color. Her eyes had turned bright red, and two enormous black horns had appeared on her head. Yet her reason remained perfectly intact.

(I am Konoha. Kushibiki Konoha. I am the Demon King who will kill these bastards who murdered innocent people!)

“Demon King-sama… with this, your revival is comp—”

“Take this!”

“What!?”

Cracks spread across the ground. Konoha had only raised her hand slightly, yet that alone had caused it. She felt the Demon King’s power firsthand. Something surged rapidly from within her. Glancing toward the girls who had already died, Konoha grabbed the hands that had been entwined around her and squeezed them tightly.

The hands burst into flames with a roar. Having lost their destination for the energy they had been siphoning away, the power flowed backward into the girls. Their complexions seemed to improve slightly.

(This won’t make up for the girls who already died, but still… I want to save the ones who are alive. The only thing I can do for the dead girls now is avenge them!)

“Demon King-sama!? What are you…?”

“Release those girls.”

“Demon King-sama!?”

“You aren’t human, so I’m not going to show you any mercy!”

The girls looked as though they could die at any moment, but they were still breathing. Konoha drove Agate into the ground without drawing it from its scabbard. Light poured out from the point of impact and flowed toward the girls.

“Demon King-sama!? That is the power of the slaves we offered to you!! Why are you giving it back to them!?”

“Don’t screw with me! I absolutely won’t let them die! I don’t want to watch innocent people die!”

“Demon King-sama! Damn it! All of you, stop the Demon King-sama!”

The demons pulled back their hoods and revealed themselves. Countless beasts came rushing out from the caverns of the labyrinth. They were grotesque monsters with savage fangs and bodies stained completely black. Yet strangely, Konoha felt no fear.

“Those are demonic beasts. There are about a hundred demons, I think. Borghese and Janikoro… Janikoro is the one controlling the beasts. Can you do this?”

Sukuna spoke to Konoha. Konoha nodded.

“I have to save those girls. No matter what.”

“Got it. Then do exactly what I tell you. Start by cutting down the demonic beast right in front of you.”

“Okay!”

A huge number of demonic beasts rushed at her from the front. Konoha calmly checked her status screen.

“Haaaaaaaaah!!!”

Konoha violently drew Agate. At that instant, the monster that had been about to leap at her was sliced cleanly in two. An enormous amount of blood sprayed over Konoha, but she paid it no mind as she cut down one attacking demonic beast after another.

“Yaaaaah!”

Two wolf-like demonic beasts approached from behind, but her Detection skill caught them. Without even turning around, she swung her great sword and tore them apart.

(This is Ibaraki-doji’s power. It temporarily raises all my stats dramatically after setting an upper limit.)

“Damn it! What are you doing!? Stop her!”

Borghese shouted, but Konoha continued cutting down one demonic beast after another as they obeyed his commands and attacked her. Her blade flowed smoothly, killing each creature with a single stroke. Covered in their blood, she slowly advanced while stepping through pools of gore. The sight of her was truly—

“An oni… No, given her beauty, perhaps ‘Oni Princess’ would be a more fitting name.”

Janikoro muttered. Faced with his demonic beasts being torn apart one after another, he finally decided to deploy October Festival.

“Do it, October Festival. Stop the Demon King.”

“Kihihihi, ihihihihiiii!”

October Festival transformed its arm into something resembling a black great sword and slashed at Konoha. Janikoro believed that because the Spell: Illusion cast upon Konoha was still active, it had been configured to make the weapon appear to her as an impossibly powerful greatsword. Yet Konoha did not flinch in the slightest.

(It’s heavy… but I’m stronger!)

“Ryaaaaaah!”

“What!?”

Craaaack!

She knocked October Festival away. Its blade-like arm shattered into countless pieces that glittered through the air like stained glass. October Festival still wore its usual unsettling smile, but an unmistakable opening had appeared.

(This thing is my enemy. My enemy. A monster. I have to burn it to death properly.)

“October Festival! What are you doing!? Hurry up and regenerate your arm, then attack agai—”

“I won’t let you!”

Konoha readied Agate and opened her eyes wide, determined not to let her target escape.

“《Oni Fire》!”

The instant Konoha shouted, Agate suddenly began glowing red. Then the blade caught fire. The flames steadily intensified until a pillar of fire reaching all the way to the ceiling of the underground labyrinth illuminated the entire area. Something crackled and burst within it. The flames were almost divine, as though embodying Konoha’s rage—a purifying inferno capable of burning everything away.

“This is bad! October Festival!”

“Ihihihihihihihihi.”

“Too slow!”

Konoha tightened her grip on the great sword and took her stance. Then—

“Aaaaaaaaaaah! Buuuuuuurn!”

She swung the great sword downward. At the same time, she cast 《Barrier》 around herself and the girls. October Festival tried to defend itself with a newly generated sword, but the heat of Agate gave it no chance.

The flames struck October Festival directly alongside a tremendous blast, and exploding sparks spread throughout the labyrinth, burning everything in their path. The remaining demonic beasts were incinerated without even their bones surviving, and the nearby demons were burned as well. October Festival itself gradually turned to ash.

“Ihihihihihihi, hyahahahahahahahahaha, ahahahahahahaha, ahihihihihihihihi, burning burning, hooooooooooot, ahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

After one final scream, its body vanished completely. It was a perfect purifying flame that left not even miasma behind. All that remained was a throne room covered in ash.

The humanoid demons caught in the aftermath of the flames no longer retained anything resembling dignity. Even the surviving demons who had hidden in the corners had faces painfully charred by the heat. Their expressions were twisted with terror, just like those of the girls from earlier.

“So this… is the power of the Demon King…”

“E-Eeeeeek!!”

Borghese screamed. Janikoro had disappeared at some point. Perhaps he had been burned away, or perhaps he had escaped.

Konoha dismissed Oni Fire and extinguished the flames. Agate returned to its original appearance as a beautiful great sword. She then strode straight toward Borghese.

“Eek, eeeeeek! Stay away! Stay away, stay away, stay away!”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Stop, stop, nooooo, aaaaaaaaaah!”

“Why are you trying to kill humans?”

“I-I don’t… I don’t know. I’m sorry. Please forgive me, forgive me.”

“You said something about a paradise for demons, right? You’re killing these people for something like that?”

“No, stop, please stop, sto—”

“For something like that?”

“I don’t know, I don’t… know. Stop… please stop…”

“I see… I guess I still don’t understand.”

Konoha sighed. Her expression looked strangely refreshed.

“What are you going to do?”

Sukuna asked.

“Hmm, Janikoro-san might still be around. Maybe I’ll go look for him.”

“What about this one first? Are you going to let him go?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Konoha smiled. Her face still held the same innocent cheerfulness it always had, no different whatsoever from the Konoha everyone knew.

“Ahaha, of course I’m not going to do that♪”

“Ah…”

With a slash, Borghese’s head fell from his shoulders. His headless body collapsed heavily onto the ground. Blood sprayed across Konoha’s face, but she did not care in the slightest.

“He’s a really bad person. If I don’t kill him properly, he’ll just do bad things again.”

“Yeah… you’re right.”

“Ah, but swords can rust from blood, can’t they!? What am I going to do, Sukuna!?”

“This sword is fine. It was made so that it won’t rust.”

“Oh, good! That’s a relief~. Let’s keep getting along from now on, Agate!”

Konoha stroked the surface of Agate. She caressed the blood-soaked, metallic-smelling blade that had only just drunk demon blood as affectionately as though she were petting a kitten. Watching Konoha, Sukuna understood.

(I was a little too late. Konoha absorbed too much miasma, so she’s already broken. But for Sukuna, that is ‘convenient.’)

“Okay, then—

Let’s kill the rest!”

From that point onward, Konoha had no memories. But there was no doubt that she continued the slaughter afterward.

“E-Eeeeeeeek!”

“P-Please… stop. Save me…”

Slash.

“I’ll kill you! How dare you murder Borghese-sama!”

“Oh, Maid-san! Sorry, that outfit you gave me got burned up.”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“I was really happy about the makeup! Bye-bye♪”

Slash.

“Stop! This child is still just a kid!”

“A-Aaaaah…”

“I’m sure something good will happen to you in your next life. Bye-bye.”

Slash.

The underground labyrinth became a veritable sea of blood. It was a space where Konoha alone frolicked excitedly, as though she were merely playing with toys.

“Fufu, fufufu, ahaha, ahahahahahahaha, ahahahahahahahahaha!”

Her adorable laughter continued echoing through the labyrinth for a very long time.