When Nero opened her eyes again, she found herself floating in a chaotic void of nothingness.
Her body—still functional.
Her memories—intact.
This left her a bit puzzled. She distinctly remembered Mephistopheles saying something about a trial. So, was this it? Just facing an endless expanse of nothing?
"'Nothing' and 'something' are concepts born in opposition to each other."
Mephistopheles' voice echoed from the depths of the void. "It's because humans learned what 'something' is that they gained the ability to define 'nothing.'
"You could say the concept of 'existence' itself is the first fruit of wisdom your kind tasted."
"Cut the cryptic crap," Nero snapped, her tone dripping with irritation. "What are you getting at?"
"I'm talking about the essence of this world."
Mephistopheles let out a soft chuckle before continuing. "In the era this Singularity occupies, the number zero was branded as heresy, a creation of the devil. Why? Because it represents 'nothingness.' Emptiness.
"Knowing what it means to 'have' makes humans fear the concept of 'nothing.' It's the purest form of negation, devoid of meaning."
"You mean this place?" Nero asked.
"No. The entire world."
Mephistopheles dismissed her guess, declaring, "The essence of the world is nothingness."
It went on: "The world was born from emptiness and will return to it. Life rises from chaos, but its only destiny is death. Across all of time, existence is fleeting. Nothingness is eternal."
Nero listened quietly to its long-winded spiel, then asked calmly, "Is this your opening act? Or your epitaph?"
She was already plotting how to shatter this space and give Mephistopheles a proper thrashing.
As Kriemhild once put it—a phrase Nero loved—"I'll keep beating you until you're dead, and then a hundred times more for good measure."
"Easy now," Mephistopheles said lightly. "I told you, this is a trial."
"Enough with the nonsense," Nero shot back, her patience wearing thin. "Let me out of here, or when I bust this place open, I'll slice you into ten pieces."
She was done with this riddle-spouting, endlessly infuriating creep.
"I said, slow down."
The damnable demon dropped the playful tone, speaking earnestly. "How about a deal? You want out, right? You've got goals. I'll make those wishes come true, and in exchange, you stay here. Sound good?"
"Grant my wishes?"
"Exactly," the demon replied. "Don't let appearances fool you—I'm a spirit born from the void, connected to the Root itself. With this boundless mana, I can make anything you want a reality."
It sounded like the Holy Grail from the Grail Wars.
"Like in the legend of Faust?" Nero asked.
"Exactly like Faust. Any wish, no matter how wild. Want to time-travel to the age of dinosaurs? Done."
But despite the demon's sincerity, Nero just said, "I don't have any wishes to grant."
"Liar."
Mephistopheles chuckled. "You're just worried I won't keep my word. But rest assured—"
"Then send me back to my original world," Nero cut in. "If you can do that, I won't be able to show up here anymore, right?"
"You mean—" A snap echoed through the void, and in the next instant, Nero's vision blurred. "This?"
A circular portal appeared before her. On the other side was the serene town of Fortuna.
"Just step through, and you're back in your world," the demon said. "But I can't force you to accept."
Nero fell silent, weighing her options. After a moment, she sighed. "No deal. I don't trust you. I'd sooner believe a promise from the Sphinx."
"Another lie," Mephistopheles said with a low laugh. "Humans are born liars, but that's fine. If you don't want to go back, then you've got other wishes, don't you?"
"I want the Sin Stone in my chest to fully form."
"Easy."
With another snap, the crimson demonic stone shrank, merging completely into Nero's body. In an instant, she felt it—she could transform into the Great Sin Demon at will.
"An illusion?" she asked, skeptical.
"Try it and see."
Dark red-and-black demonic energy surged from Nero's feet, and the transformation began. Her soft feet morphed into razor-sharp talons like those of a hawk. Black, hardened shells formed over her pale calves, her knees bent backward, and inky-green feathers flared out like a skirt. Her already slender waist became even more graceful, her chest bone protruded…
Nero raised her hand, inspecting her body. She had truly become a demon—a demon with distinct avian traits.
With a thought, a pair of matching inky-green wings unfurled behind her.
A peacock. The original master of this demonic energy, the Pride Demon King Pavone, was named after the constellation "Pavo," the peacock, a symbol of pride. Naturally, Nero's demon form took on the image of this bird.
"Well?" Mephistopheles asked, sounding quite pleased with itself.
But Nero, now fully transformed, merely scoffed. She drew her Yamato blade, ready to cleave through the chaotic void.
"Wait!"
Mephistopheles' tone grew urgent. "What's not to your liking? I can keep granting wishes!"
"I need to make sure Ritsuka and the others can safely resolve the Singularity."
Nero smirked, aiming her blade forward. "If you're so capable, make that happen."
"Of course I can!"
With another snap, a vision appeared before Nero—Kriemhild transformed into an evil dragon. The scene shifted rapidly, showing how Ritsuka and the others defeated Pavone step by step.
"See? They can handle it without you," Mephistopheles said, its tone almost pleading. "What else do you want?"
"I want power greater than my father's."
As Nero casually voiced this wish, she felt a faint thread connect her to the "Root" of this world. An ocean of boundless mana bent to her will.
And yet, she swung her blade, tearing open a glowing rift in the void.
"Sorry, demon," she said. "Some things, I have to do myself."