"I want to be number one. Stronger than anyone, more beautiful than anyone, and holding a higher position than anyone. I am the child of the King… I am the Queen!"
The Demon Queen, Legravalima, roared in fury. "Why have you, who are merely food, dared to leave the plate and stand before me!" Her crimson eyes locked onto the boy standing below the throne. To be able to lead those fragile edible children, crush her armies, and arrive before her like this, the boy standing at the pinnacle of the Edible Children truly deserved to be called their King. If she were to bite into the flesh of his neck, what an exquisite delicacy it would be.
But something was wrong. Why did the mere scent of a human now make her feel nauseous? Why did the once irresistible aroma of human flesh fail to stir even the slightest desire to devour it?
"Your Majesty," Arthur said calmly as he sheathed Murasame and performed an elegant noble's salute toward the Queen seated upon her throne. "Times have changed."
"Insolent brat!" Queen Legravalima glared at him with burning hatred. "The Evil Blood Plague… that was your doing, wasn't it!" From her lofty position, she had naturally heard of the strange epidemic spreading throughout demon society. Especially the horrifying fact that infected demons could maintain their intelligence and form even without consuming human flesh. The moment she heard that, she immediately thought of the beings her royal lineage had once exterminated—the Evil Blood Maidens. Because rumors of them had always circulated among lower-class demons, the epidemic had gradually been given a name: Evil Blood.
"Nice to meet you, Your Majesty." From behind Arthur, a small figure wrapped in a cloak stepped forward. She lowered her hood, revealing a demon mask with two hollow eye holes and curved horns. The moment Legravalima saw it, recognition flashed across her face.
"So it really is you. I never expected a relic from the past to crawl back into this world. There were actually survivors from that extermination?"
Mujika looked at her expressionlessly. "Queen, I am the last survivor of the Evil Blood Maiden clan. For seven hundred years I lived in hiding, concealing my identity, constantly asking myself what I could still do as the final Evil Blood Maiden. Should I simply fade into dust along with the regrets of my clan, or devote everything I have to saving those pitiful edible children?"
Her gaze briefly shifted toward Arthur before returning to the Queen. "But even then, I never imagined overthrowing the demon world itself. It was this child who gave me that goal—a dream I once believed to be nothing more than foolish wishful thinking."
Mujika looked up at the throne again, and a faint, mocking smile slowly appeared at the corner of her lips. "Yet now that everything stands before me, I've realized something… the so-called supreme Queen is nothing more than this."
Mujika hadn't originally been like this. But over the past half year, she had seen and experienced far too much. In the past, she had always hidden underground, carefully concealing her presence and avoiding places where demons lived. Because of that, there were many things she never saw and many truths she never understood.
Now, however, after witnessing the things demons treated as normal—or deliberately hid—she had finally come to understand the wickedness of demon society. And standing at the very peak of that wickedness… was the Queen.
"Arrogant brat!!!" the Queen shrieked in fury. "I am the Queen! The noblest existence! You will never overthrow my kingdom!"
Arthur stepped forward calmly. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice steady, "but you are the only remnant of that kingdom now, my Queen." With a sharp metallic sound, Murasame was unsheathed.
"Feel honored. Your death will herald the arrival of a new era. This is the greatest contribution you'll ever make to this age."
"Damn human brat!!!"
As the two figures clashed in battle, the surrounding people did not step forward to interfere. What humanity needed now was an absolute hero. In the past, overthrowing the Demon Queen would have required everyone to fight together, but things were different now. Humanity finally had someone who could face powerful demons alone and defeat them one by one in open battle.
That young man had already become the hope in the eyes of every surviving human child. In their hearts, he had even surpassed the "god" of this world.
God is invincible.
That had become their only belief.
Eren's duel with the Queen marked the final stage of humanity's challenge against the rules once dominated by demons. What he needed to do now was cut the last chain binding humanity. Once that chain was broken, humanity would gain not only victory but also something far more important—confidence.
For the first time, humans would believe they could surpass demons.
They would no longer exist merely as food.
They would become hunters.
Of course, the conflict between humans and demons would not disappear overnight simply because of this resistance. But with the deepest racial contradiction now shattered, humanity would gain a precious moment of respite. Once the seed of confidence was planted, it would soon take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree.
Watching the battle, Mujika covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Eren really enjoys gaining the upper hand verbally. Even the Queen was provoked by him into losing her rationality."
Saeko Busujima smiled as she looked toward the fighting figure, her expression radiant. "Indeed." Throughout their journey, he had always appeared calm, reliable, and mature, yet sometimes he revealed a slightly childish side. Strangely enough, that only made him more endearing.
Meanwhile, Sophia watched the battlefield with a trace of worry in her eyes. She didn't actually understand Blank's full strength. Although she knew he had killed Great Demons and even high-ranking demons before, demon society was fundamentally built on strength—and the Queen stood at its absolute pinnacle.
All Reincarnators had their power reduced to one-tenth upon entering this dungeon. Under such harsh conditions, fighting the Demon Queen was almost unimaginable. Even if her sister were here, Sophia doubted she could claim absolute certainty of victory.
Yet for some reason, when she looked at Blank, a vague premonition surfaced in her heart.
If it was him… he might actually win.
Sophia shook her head, forcing her wandering thoughts back into reason.
"Do you think… Eren can win alone?"
Mujika glanced toward the battlefield before answering calmly. "The Queen is truly formidable—arguably the strongest demon in the world right now. High-ranking demons possess terrifying abilities: regeneration, mutation, and extreme physical enhancement. But all of those powers come with a cost."
She continued quietly, her voice steady. "To use those abilities, demons must undergo rapid cell division. And that process consumes enormous amounts of energy. Even in this world, the law of conservation of energy still applies."
Mujika folded her arms slightly as she explained. "This dungeon still follows the basic laws of physics. Those abilities might look supernatural, but they cannot exist without a price."
She looked back at the battlefield again.
"In some fantasy worlds, reality itself can be ignored. Physical laws might not restrain their inhabitants at all. After all… those are places where Newton simply doesn't exist."
"But this world is different."