I wake up with a shock.
Sweat covers my entire body as I hyperventilate and cough.
After a while, I calm down and take a look at my trembling hands.
"I'm... alright?"
Much less dead, I don't even seem to have any injuries.
But how?
I saw that truck approach at a speed that was sure to kill all of us.
All of us...
At that moment, I remember my family and finally look around.
And I realize something even strange is going on.
I'm not at home or at a hospital.
Instead, I'm at a strange spherical dark room with glowing stripes that are slowly fading.
What's going on?
As I get up and wipe the sweat off of my forehead.
Strangely, even when the lights fade completely, I'm still able to see relatively fine.
But even then, I'm scared.
Where am I?
"Hello?"
I try to call out on reflex.
But the only thing I hear back are the echoes of my own voice.
And that's when I notice another oddity.
"My voice...?"
My voice changed.
It sounds a bit more adult-like, but also a bit... darker.
The confusion keeps piling up.
All of the sudden, as if someone opened a door there, a surge of light rushes in from a single direction and makes me cover my eyes.
Luckily, my eyes quickly adjust and a few figures come into my view.
But something is clearly wrong with them.
There are horns on their heads, bat-like wings on their back and they even seem to have... tails?
My instincts made me think of the demons you often see in mythologies.
And I felt like they weren't just cosplaying.
My feet made a step back.
However, contrary to what I expected, they all kneeled in front of me with a bow.
The frontmost one then raised his head and spoke.
"I welcome you to our world, my lady."
...
I looked around myself.
There was nobody to my left.
Nobody to my right.
I then raised my shaky hand and pointed a finger at myself while showing a stupefied face.
|= Later... =|
"You are saying... I'm in another world?"
"That is correct."
"And that... you want me to be the leader of demons?"
"That's how it is."
With mixed feelings, I hold my head.
How did it come to this?
I died and appeared in another world as the demon lord?
What is this?
One of those stories Dan used to read?
"I'm sure you need some time to think about this.
We will leave you alone for as long as you wish."
"...yeah.
Thanks."
This demon... Eldrich, was it?
He sure is nice to me for a demon...
After bowing again, he and all the others left the room.
I gazed at the door for a while before bending back on my chair and letting out a sigh.
...
"Ugh, dammit."
But it was really uncomfortable because of my wings.
Yes, wings.
I was a little too slow to figure it out, but I don't have my old body anymore.
That one died in that car accident.
Instead, they said my soul was summoned and a body was created from my subconsciousness.... or something.
I don't really understand it.
Point being, I now have wings, horns and a tail just like the other demons.
...
Why me?
I guess others would be excited in my situation...
To be in a fantasy world and whatnot...
But for me, this is still ridiculous.
I'm supposed to go to war?
As the leader of one of the sides?
And on top of that...
...
Victory isn't even the goal?
|= Much later... =|
"So, why?"
"T-that's..."
I knew it was a bit suspicious.
Why would they need to do something ridiculous as summoning me from another world?
They can just pick a leader among themselves.
"Because the summoned person is-"
"Is very powerful or whatever, right?"
He nods.
"But I refuse to do this.
I would rather die than be responsible for millions of deaths."
His expression darkened.
"If you comply-"
"If I comply, you will make me return to my original world?
That's a load of bullshit!"
I'm not stupid.
I had plenty of time to think about all of this.
"You said it yourself.
It took so much effort to get me here in the first place.
Why would it be any easier to send me back?
And why would you guys even bother with it?"
He averted his eyes while opening his mouth to say something.
But no words came out.
"And even if I could return...
What then?
My entire family is gone and I would be treated as someone who rose from the dead."
It took a while for me to accept it...
But there's no helping it now.
Do I miss them?
I do...
But I know very well that dwelling on the past too much is harmful.
"Then... if that's how you are gonna act..."
Eldrich suddenly rose up and something black started surging around him.
Magic?
"So we reached this stage, huh..."
Although a demon is threatening me, I'm not scared anymore.
The reason is simple...
He said it himself: summoned people are powerful.
With a simple wave of my hand, a sudden surge of magic hit Eldrich and he fell down.
"W-wha-"
"Surely you don't think I was just dwindling my thumbs in despair these past few weeks?"
He seemed baffled.
"Now, excuse me."
After that, I got up and left the room.
...
Sigh...
But what do I do about the humans?
And what about the dying land?
Ugh... and I thought my previous world was messed up.
|= Later... =|
"Without war...?
But how do we do that?"
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"Has anyone ever researched how to do it?"
"Of course, there have been many who tried."
"And?"
"... most of them died before they could discover anything."
...
This is absurd.
It's making me believe that the war is the only option.
I know nothing about how all these magical things work.
But is there really no way to cure the land without needing souls of the dead?
It almost seems like a malevolent god created this situation.
Just for his amusement, people need to die to let others live.
It's just cruel.
Well, at least I won't die again cuz I'm strong...
... but what about everyone else?
What the hell am I thinking?
I should just go to war.
No but...
There has to be a better solution.
Even though I know there isn't...
Why do I keep thinking hard on how to save a bunch of strangers?
They made me come into this world and shackled me here.
They are nothing but filth!
And I bet they caused that car accident as well!
IT'S ALL THEIR PLOY!
I WILL KILL THEM ALL!
|= Later... =|
A headless body collapses down as blood spatters everywhere.
"M-my lady...?"
I look at Eldrich and my hatred only gets amplified.
Good thing I'm patient and nice.
My dark mana coils around him and squeezes him.
"What is it?"
"Ugh, w-what h-happened to yo-"
"What do you mean?
Isn't this what you wanted?"
My cold eyes squint as the grip on him tightens.
"'Cause as many deaths as possible', isn't that what you said was the goal?"
I could feel fear from his eyes.
"Ag- But n-not gh-"
"What is it?
I can't hear you!"
I watched him struggle for a little longer before getting bored and ending it.
By completely crushing him and painting the surroundings with his blood.
After that, I glanced over my shoulder.
Only to spot five more demons, who instinctively took a step back when our eyes met.
"We are going to war!
Prepare the troops!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
|= A few days after the war finally started =|
"But the seventh division suffered heavy losses..."
"What the hell were they doing?
It was meant to be a clean sweep!"
"Y-yes...Umm...
It seems the hero has appeared there."
"The hero... you say?"
The guy who is supposed to defeat me, huh?
What a load of nonsense.
"I leave the first division to you, I'm going there."
"W-what?!
My lady, you can't!"
Naturally, I instantly seized him and started squeezing the life out of him with my dark mana.
"Who are you to command me around?!"
But then I remembered, there still needs to be someone to lead the first division and let go off him.
"I'm off."
With that, I dashed in the direction where the seventh division was supposed to be.
These past few months I had this body, I got used to it.
And it's way better than that fragile weak old one.
I can now run faster than cars rode in my previous world.
It didn't even take an hour before I started seeing the human and demon armies in the distance.
After a while, I could see him.
The hero.
As my confused army welcomed me, I pushed it aside and walked to the front.
There, I saw the boy in shining armor slaughter one demon after another.
I kept watching him and... something felt odd.
This hero felt familiar to me.
But I just couldn't put my finger on it.
It was when he slashed down another demon and finally noticed me.
Our eyes met and I felt my hatred being pushed away by something.
My eyes were starting at this boy and my mouth was open agape.
What is going on?
How is this possible?
"Dan?"
...
It seems like he also started staring at me.
But that prompted the demons around him to use this opening and attack him.
However, they weren't able to hit him.
...
Because I killed them.
Without hesitation, spears of dark mana pierced all of those who tried to attack him.
"Y-you!
Your own... wait..."
"FALL BACK!"
The demons, although confused and frightened, listened to my commands and retreated behind me.
With that, I was left face to face with the hero.
"W-why are you alive?
Why are you here?!"
"Huh?
... wait, you are...
Miranda?"
And then he said my name...
It was really him, no doubt.
My step-brother who should have died in an accident.
...or was it?
He could just be very similar to him...
No, but he knows my name.
Unconsciously, I hold my head.
It could be a coincidence though...
Or some kind of illusion magic.
I can't trust anything in this world after all.
"I-is that really you Miranda?!
You are the demon lord?!"
"SHUT UP IMPOSTER!"
The hatred seeps back into me and I prepare to eliminate my foe.
But my first attack was easily deflected by him.
"W-wait!
What happened?!"
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"
I quickly started preparing another attack...
But then, I heard something crash on my right.
When the dust there cleared up, I saw perhaps the most intimidating... thing in my entire life.
It was a creature completely veiled in darkness with glowing red eyes.
The only thing I could feel was terror.
And then...
That thing's eyes looked at me and it talked.
"So, you are the demon lord?"
A chill went down my spine.