It's dark. Everything was pitch black, I didn't know whether I was conscious or not. It was as if I was floating inside nothingness.

"Is this the end for me?"

I muttered. I was aware that nobody would answer this question. I sighed.

"I wonder if everyone is safe. Does Lily managed to arrive in her mother's embrace?"

I talked with myself.

The time is short yet felt so long in here. Perhaps when the seal was broken, everything is already changed. How many years would that be? Will I still able to see Alicia, Lily, and everyone again?

I felt the loneliness of being inside this place. Did that Superbia Demon Lord also feel this kind of loneliness when he's sealed? My heart trembled. This was the first time I felt sympathizing a fellow demon lord of mine.

I wish I will still able to see Alicia and Lily when I was out from this dark space. Just imagining waking up in the world without them already made me so sad, anxious and scared.

Maybe I'll try to sleep for now.

I closed my eyes. I surrendered my consciousness into a deep slumber.

As I fell deeper and deeper into my slumber, I started recalling my times of living as Kazuma, my previous life. I suddenly missed that world too.

"Kaoru"

I called a single name belong to someone who was close to me in that time. I started recalling every moments I had spent with her. I had known her since we were born and we grew together for 23 years till my silly death.

Ah, I kind of feel homesick toward the old world of mine. The sweet memories of my childhood flashed inside my head and it was displayed like a movie.

My birth, my first meeting with Kaoru, and also the memorable memories we had during our childhood were displayed one after another. I giggled when I recalled my mischief. Everything displayed in front of me was the flashback memories which were displayed in rather fast motion.

The childhood moment changed to the beginning of my school life. The innocent little boy started to grow up into a mischievous brat. I saw the child version of myself was introduced to the world by the teachers through the lessons.

"That time feels so nostalgic, I wonder if my old gangs are doing over there. Though, they must have forgotten about me."

I muttered. The scenes after scenes came to my view. My elementary school life ended and I entered the world of middle school life, the peak of my dark history.

Yes, I was one of those who caught the most embarrassing disease, the eight-grade syndrome. At that time I was hooked up by a real fantasy anime and joined the manga research club for no reason. I and my fellow club members were similarly sick and had done various stupid things that nobody would want to do normally.

I somehow had an urge to jump out from the window and erase the memory of that time forever.

I wish I could turn back time and change that behavior of mine into a decent one.

I thought as I sighed.

[Was it really a best choice to change that?]

I heard a strange voice inside my head. I turned around and saw my middle-school version of me in his chuuni-attire. Black cape over the unbuttoned gakuran, the black sailor cap with V-shaped cut on the front, tattered old-styled black leather shoes, and fingerless gloves with runic pattern sewed on the back were my usual attire during the time I attended the club.

[Was it really good thing to forget that precious memories?]

The other me said again. Behind him, the middle-school version of Kaoru was kneeling while sobbing. She had her uniform ripped at several places and her hair disheveled.

[If you were a normal boy, I doubt you will be able to save her at that time.]

He said again. I remembered the scene where Kaoru had that appearance. It was the time when she was about to be raped by high-school students. During middle school, Kaoru was quite popular. She was smart and athletic and a great sense of justice.

But because of that, she was famous and was hated by several people. Many of our schoolmates were jealous of her as many boys had confessed their love to her and got turned down. And at that time, one of them hired five high-school boys to 'ruin' her.

Kaoru always stayed behind till late as a student council president of our school. She was staying quite late on that time. On her way home, she was stopped by the hired high-school boys and dragged to the alley.

I, who was hooked by an anime about vampire hunter, often wandering inside the alleyways wearing my chuuni-uniform while carrying various 'tools' as I wished to meet a wandering vampire, undead, or serial killer and had a bout with him/her.

And thanks to this strange behavior, I spotted Kaoru got dragged into the alley with a rape attempt. Without caring about any consequences called at them. They looked down at me at first. One of them even threatened me with a knife.

I didn't know whether I got possessed by my own anger or a devil I coincidentally summoned on the previous day but at that moment, I unhesitant pulled out a homemade crossbow and loaded it with a nail as an arrow. They laughed at me but that laugh stopped when I shot it just barely missing one of their heads.

The fight broke out after that with the result of four of five high school boys receiving stabbing injuries from sharpened chopsticks, and nails and a middle-school boy with many bruises, swollen cheeks, tattered uniform, and few knife cuts. As for the last high-school boy, he was captured by a police without any significant injury.

I stayed silent.

[Thou art already a hero as well as a demon since long ago, Ren.]

The other 'me' said. The scene changed back into pitch black darkness. I looked around once again. Nothing could be found anywhere. Suddenly I felt gravity below me. It felt as if I was descending slowly toward somewhere.

Not long after that, I felt my legs touched some ground. I supported myself to stand in the endless darkness.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Footsteps came from behind me. I turned around and felt a presence standing before me. I couldn't see his face or stature in this darkness. I just could feel that he was there.

"Who are you?!!"

I asked. No response came from him. And at that time, two more presence came from my right. They just walked toward me and stopped before they reached distance around 2 meters from my place. Before I could call for any of them, another presence came from my left and behind me.

They neither talked nor approached me. They just stood there as if waiting for something.

[No need to be wary of them.]

I heard my other self's voice inside my head.

[After all, even you knows nothing about them, they know everything about you.]

He said. Suddenly blue colored light came from below. The scene changed. The pitch black color changed into a deep blue color. The pitch black scenery changed into an endless sky above a calm water surface expanding toward the horizon.

Who stood in front of me was a man wearing gray robe. He was holding a wooden cane and had thick beard. His eyebrows were thick but his head was bald. Looking at my right, I saw a figure of a man and a woman.

The man had messy hair like a homeless and had a all-black attire over his body. His messy hair was long and they covered most of his facial feature except his mouth and pointed nose. He was standing while bending forward and his arms were hanging down as if they had no strength.

The woman was looked young or rather he would be suitable to be called a girl. She had arrogant vibe around herself and was wearing light blue dress like a princess and was carrying a stone slab which looked like a door.

I turned my sight to my right. A tall and muscular man wearing a gaudy armor of silver was standing proudly while carrying a butterfly sword. He was someone you could call ikemen with no brain but brawn.

I looked behind me and saw someone I was very familiar with. He was the oldest Acedia, in other word, he was my predecessor as a demon lord. He smirked at me while showing a giant scythe on his back.

[It seems like you finally realized who these esteemed guests are.]

I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw my younger self from my previous life. Beside him, I saw the ten-years-old version of the current me who still has my silver hair and blue eyes I inherited from my mother. They stood in a spot between me and the old man.

DON!!

I heard loud sound on my right. I turned toward that direction. A tall man with large horns protruding from his temples was raising his body from kneeling position. He was a man with 3 meters tall and muscular body. He was only wearing a leather pants and a scarf on his neck. But the most noticeable thing of him was that his whole body was scribbled with dragon language runes.

[It's not just him.]

My younger chuuni self said. I then looked around again. There were three more people were present since who-knows when. The first one was a lady carrying a skull staff and tattered gray robe. She was old and her hair was already turned white. The second one was a man in full plate armor. He was carrying a holy spear in his hand. As the last one was a man who wear a dark knight armor set while carrying a cursed sword I was familiar with, Garm.

"This is..."

I was deemed speechless. My guts told me that these people are not ordinary people.

[I welcome thee, nameless soul, to the boundary of life and death.]

The chuuni self said. I widened my eyes when he said something I never expected.

***********************************************************************************************

Hello Hello, Everyone's author, Boss Blazt here!!

Iyaa, i'm sorry for the late update. The schedule is getting haywire before I realized it. My allowance was getting cut and my internet bill had risen. Uuu... I'm worried if I can survive till the end of this month.

But, worry not!! The story is progressing inside my PC. The next chapter is already 30% done but the remedial tests are preventing me to write faster. Aaah, I wish someone can replace me doing those tests. 

Maa, that aside, the battle arc is over. Sorry if the plot is bit too fast. I lost my note somewhere and i can barely remember the continuation of the story. Ahahaha....

Well, the next arc is without doubt a long arcs. Will Ren be able to escape from this boundary? Maa, if you know the plot armor of the protagonist, he probably ah, no, he definitely will right? But, will he be able to meet Alicia and Lily at that time? And why Ren's chuuni old self appeared in front of him? Well, look forward to it!!

Alicia : Author-sama...

Blazt : *cold sweat*

Alicia : Can you hear me, stupid Author-san?

Blazt : *Took a step back from Alicia while looking around for an escape*

Alicia : I'm talking to you, Sh*tty Author!!

Blazt : Alicia, that way of speaking is out!! Ren's going to be shocked if he knows it.

Alicia : Ara, is that so? Then, pardon me. 

Blazt : *Sigh in relieve*

Alicia : That aside, I need to have a looooooong talk with you after this. Would you come to a the work room after this?

Blazt : But, after this I-

Alicia : You will come right?

Blazt : No, you see....

Alicia : You will come right? *A hanya appeared behind her*

Blazt : I-I-I will try to open my sche-

Alicia : You will come, right? *the hanya mask became larger*

Blazt : Yes

Alicia : Good. Ah, did you see shade? I need to ask something from him.

Blazt : No, why?

Alicia : Nothing important, i just want to ask few pain-inducing needles from him.

Blazt : .....