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Chapter 113

Bodies were scattered throughout the Holy Empire Palace.

In the blood-soaked throne room, Moses sat on the emperor’s chair, leisurely observing the corpse of the once Holy Emperor, with a glass of red wine in hand.

「Now then, Ikoma-san? How did things go?」

The silver-haired woman, who once led the strongest knight order of the Holy Church, smirked.

「The conquest of the Holy Empire is complete. Immediately, sixty percent of the ten thousand mass-produced (Overs) units were dispersed to various countries and are currently rapidly subjugating them.」

「Yes, please hurry. I dislike waiting.」

「To be recognized as a king by the system, it will take three months after conquest, right?」

「Yes, using the ‘Cradle,’ an artifact left by ancient civilization for population control. Under the will of each country’s ruler… people will be led to suicide, losing their free will.」

「So, they become like infants who obey the king’s commands, and eventually, while half-dreaming, they realize they’re dying, due to suicide. That’s the ‘Cradle’ for you. Truly… a tasteless naming sense.」

At this point, Moses swirled his red wine.

「It seems fine to me.」

「Sage… the sense of a man who remained a virgin until thirty in the previous world.」

「Ikoma-san? That was an unspoken agreement, wasn’t it?」

「What’s with that? If you’re going to say that, don’t call me Ikoma. You should call me Zero, as you’ve always said, right?」

「Ah, um… technically, if we’re talking about sense, you’re a nameless person who abandoned their name, so calling you Zero isn’t quite right, is it? Moreover, your real name is Rei Ikoma, isn’t it? You’re just changing the pronunciation of ‘zero’ to ‘Rei.’ It’s kind of… like a chuunibyou.」

「Annoying. I’m a mysterious woman who has abandoned the past.」

At this point, the two looked at each other in silence, and Moses shrugged.

「Well, shall we stop fighting?」

「Yeah. It’s pointless to argue here. So… there’s something I’m curious about.」

「What is it?」

「The artificial cataclysm was stopped by the United Nations as planned. Of course, the massacre demons are unsealed as planned.」

「Although what happened this time was a localized artificial catastrophe. Even though we gathered some of the final evolution and quasi-final evolution forms by species… it’s still far from the original scale. With Lute Mclane, the Dragon King, the Immortal, and the Forbidden Magic User from the Demon World each handling one, it should be settled.」

Then, Zero shook his head.

「No, Lute Mclane and his merry companions probably… aren’t the one who did it this time.」

「What do you mean?」

「Cordelia Allston and the magician accompanying Lute Mclane. Those two stopped everything by themselves.」

「Cordelia…?」

「Yes, her strength has exceeded our expectations.」

After thinking for a moment, Moses nodded slightly.

「However, we have more than ten thousand mass-produced (Overs) and several reincarnators on our side… Our victory is assured. So, what about the Ark?」

「Over a thousand people have already been relocated to the Holy Land.」

「These are the selected individuals with excellent genes that I have chosen. Make sure to treat them with respect.」

「But, isn’t it brutal?」

「How so?」

「The mass-produced (Overs) won’t live long due to physical modifications, and with the Cradle, most of humanity will be slaughtered to solve the population problem.」

「Yes, and in the world that escaped the purge and collapse by the system… only those chosen by me will board Noah’s Ark and create the next generation of humanity to prosper and create Eden.」

「Our genes, the reincarnators… will leave a strong mark as the ancestors of future humanity. I don’t understand this world very well, but for you, Moses, and the other men, this seems to be important.」

「Yes, if the purpose of life is reproduction, then those who leave more of their genes behind will ultimately be the winners.」

「As for the second generation offspring, only the children of the reincarnator will be considered. After that, it’s either reproduction between the one thousand people we brought and their children to prevent recessive genes… It’s really hard to understand this world.」

「By the way, I’ll only have a few children.」

「Yes, about Cordelia-chan and your children, are you planning on using a special method of reproduction as members of the royal family?」

「That’s right. Also… make sure to cut off the reproductive organs of the male slaves who will work in agriculture and do chores. We don’t need anyone except those chosen for their excellent genes.」

「But, Cordelia-chan seems to have been caught up in a troublesome stalker. What’s fun about marrying a doll without a will, whose head has been messed with?」

「Don’t you understand? It’s what love is.」

「I remember… you’re still saving yourself for Cordelia-chan on your wedding night, aren’t you?」

「Yes, I’m maintaining my chastity. That’s love.」

「You’re really twisted… Well, I’ll handle Cordelia-chan’s matter as best I can. However, it might be a bit difficult to abduct Cordelia-chan amidst all the commotion and mess with her head to make her your wife, don’t you think?」

Then, Moses emptied his wine glass and said in a flat tone.

「It’s fine if you fail to reclaim Cordelia. In that case, you can try again on another occasion. But if you dare to kill Cordelia… I’ll kill you, no matter who you are.」

With a sigh, Zero said,

「Well then, let’s begin the world’s best and worst salvation plan.」