DEMON LORD 2099 (魔王2099)

In an era not so long ago,

two forces bitterly fought for dominance

over their homeland of Alnaeth.

On one side were mortals with limited lives.

On the other were the death-defying immortals.

The Immortal War was unfoundedly gruesome

and split Alnaeth in twain.

In the end,

the fate of the world ultimately rested upon

a battle between two men.

The mortals put forth the Hero Gram

and his Holy Sword Ixasorde of the Goddess Meldia.

His opponent, the Demon Lord

Veltol Velvet Velsvalt.

In the year fifteen ninety-nine

of the Continental Era.

On the twelfth day of the month of the dragon.

The long drawn-out story

ended with a flash of light.

Well done, Hero.

Celebrate.

A mere mortal has defeated the Demon Lord.

I commend your strength.

You fought valiantly indeed.

Greater still, I commend your courage.

You were strong as well.

A worthy foe.

Why did I lose to you?

My power, my strategy, my military,

I was far superior to you frail and fleeting mortals

in every respect imaginable.

So why?

Tell me.

We have life.

Go on.

Mortals die.

Tis our fate.

That which you feel makes us frail and fleeting

is truly our greatest strength.

We fight off death.

We would do everything in our power

for one more moment.

Our weakness drives us to be strong

and our promise of doom drives us to stay.

For it is here we discover life's glimmers.

Life's glimmers?

Spare me your humor.

As if such nonsense could bring about my defeat.

Yet, such nonsense did.

My arm and my blade were but vehicles for the light

which all mortals carry within them.

Take heed,

Hero.

For wherever there is light,

there must also be darkness.

And as long as darkness remains,

I shall appear before your light

time and time again.

You can't erase the Invincible King.

So be it.

I will face your darkness wherever it rears its head.

Fare thee well...

my eternal sworn enemy,

Hero Gram.

Fare thee well...

my most despised foe,

Demon Lord Veltol.

Goodbye.

And yet the world lived on.

Lord Veltol.

Machina?

Yes, one of the Six Dark Peers.

Duchess of the Dazzling Blaze.

Tis I. It has been five hundred years.

Raise your head.

My lord.

I'm sorry I lack the appropriate attire.

Twas not by my choice.

You saw to the completion of the Methenoel

and raced to attend my rebirth.

I am far from concerned with your selection of wardrobe.

Now then, where are we?

The cathedral of Nelldor's dungeon,

below the former Shinjuku Station.

No matter.

Now, fret not!

For your Demon Lord has been born again!

And in this iteration Alnaeth shall be his!

I have something to report regarding Alnaeth.

Tell me.

The world that we had set out to rule,

it has already perished.

Huh?

Roughly eighty years ago,

Alnaeth endured a catastrophe with Earth,

a world from another dimension.

As a result,

the two celestial bodies were fused together

becoming one.

This event and the seismic shift

that accompanied it are known as The Fantasion.

During the first three years,

ninety percent of the population

was wiped out.

All national government entities ceased to function.

In response,

cities began to operate as independent city-states.

Twice now those city-states have been embroiled in wars.

The wounds of combat have just begun to heal.

Presently, we are in an era of peace.

The industrial civilization

of Earth possessed technology,

while civilization on Alnaeth possessed magitech.

The amalgamation of these two

vastly differing systems resulted in rapid advancement.

It is now twenty ninety-nine

of the Fused Era.

Welcome.

The new world awaits you, my lord.

What is this madness?

I cannot believe mortal civilization

has made such progress.

Be careful!

Watch where you're walking!

Pardon me. I was too lost in thought.

It was no trouble, sir.

I am here to aid you.

That cur.

Doesn't he realize

he just violated one of the Six Dark Peers?

Lord Veltol?

This world needs to learn fear.

I will burn respect for our ranks

into their very souls.

- Um, excuse me? -Behold, fools!

The secret art of chantless magic

known only by me,

Demon Lord Veltol!

Meet Ell Stunna!

Get a load of that.

Is that weather magic?

Guess some moron just

had to be the center of attention.

How discordant.

It is forbidden to use

grand magic inside the city.

What?

- We need to flee. -Why?

I would never stoop to flight.

Please, my lord, quickly!

UDON

After your departure,

we agreed to a ceasefire with the mortals.

Things were fairly cut and dry

but that simplicity was squashed eighty years ago.

The Fantasion caused

the citizens of the Immortal Kingdom

to scatter and relocate to larger cities.

Not long after the devastation,

the major industries launched a series of campaigns.

Of what sort?

Immortal hunts.

We immortals were stripped of our personhood,

made out to be beasts,

and targeted for elimination.

ANTI-IMMORTAL SENTIMENT GROWS.

Due to the rapid advancements in magineering,

Anti-Immortal Weaponry became easy to develop

and mass-produce.

It nearly wiped us out.

What became of the Six Dark Peers?

Most have vanished.

Sihlwald the Black Dragon.

May the Mournful Firmament. Ralsheen the Blue Storm.

Zenol is long gone now.

He acted as a decoy so I could run.

Such was his duty.

The Karmic Sword sacrificed himself for you, my lord.

Ralsheen and I needed to survive,

for only the two of us knew how to activate the Methenoel.

Loyal to the end.

Tis no surprise.

Zenol served me well.

And what about Marcus of the Bloody Arts?

Well, uh.

You must be parched.

Would you care for a drink, Lord Veltol?

Not at the moment.