Chapter 1: The Return
“Ugh…………”
Morning. Sunlight streams through the gaps in the curtains, waking me.
[Helheim], [Corpse King].
Those words feel like a distant dream—
“——Guhhhoooooooooohhhh…………!!”
—yet they’re a past so vivid it makes me writhe in agony, clutching my head on the bed.
“Aaaaaaaah! Just let me forget already………… the hell is [Helheim] anyway?! Too much mythology binge-reading, you idiot! Dumbass! Dumbass!! Die! Kill the Demon King and then you die too, aaaaaaah!!”
It was the summer of my third year in middle school when I got summoned to another world—along with my classmates. That part was fine. Well, no, it wasn’t fine. Even if I told people, no one would believe such an unreal story, but since it actually happened, there’s nothing I can do about it.
And then… I lost them.
The guy I got along with, the girl I liked, that jerk I always fought with, even the ones I never even spoke to—every single one of them.
Five years after the summoning.
Thirty-two people. Everyone but me fell to the Demon King’s clutches. By then, I think the only thing on my mind was revenge. At the very least, I wasn’t sane anymore…
Of course not. If I’d been sane, I wouldn’t have created something as embarrassingly cringey as a secret society.
Sacrificing everything to defeat the Demon King led to… that.
After fulfilling my purpose, I was sent back to my original world without any fuss.
My body reverted to how it was at the time of summoning, and only about a month had passed in the real world since then.
A month of being missing. The disappearance of my classmates.
The world had all sorts of theories, but since I was a minor, the media was restricted, and various considerations were made.
I was questioned by the police, went to the hospital… It was hectic back then, but… well, once I started high school, I managed to settle into a peaceful daily life.
My heart, shattered and worn ragged from losing my classmates, slowly recovered over time to where it is now.
Today is my high school graduation.
Three years since then… Felt long and short at the same time…
“I’ll never forget any of it…”
Not that world, not my classmates, and above all—that impulsive secret society I created. I could never forget.
For the rest of my life, I’ll carry those memories with me.
“Alright! Time to get up!”
Leave my room, greet my family, wash my face, eat, go to school.
For the sake of this irreplaceable, ordinary life, I throw myself out of bed with enough force to nearly flip my upper body.
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———White.
I stand in a room enclosed by white walls on all sides.
…Yeah, I know this.
The last time I saw this sight was… that day.
“Long time no see, Hizaki Shiou. Or should I say—Corpse King? Think you remember me?”
A beautiful woman stands before me, grinning as she pats my shoulder.
How could I forget? It’s not like there’s any need to guess—but it’s clearly written on the T-shirt she’s wearing.
[GOD]
The last time I saw her was when my classmates and I were summoned. I never thought I’d meet her again.
“…………What… do you want?”
I can hear my own voice trembling.
God speaks.
“Hey, so, there’s this thing called [Helheim] wreaking havoc in my world. Mind dealing with it?”
“Hah?”
The absurd request makes my voice crack.
Her lighthearted tone doesn’t match the gravity of the words. And above all—just hearing that name makes my skin crawl.
“…Wait, that was the organization I made…………!”
“Keep it down…………. For the world at large, those guys running wild is really bad news… So, stop them.”
God plops down, looking exhausted, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“I went through a lot of trouble finding you again across all these worlds, y’know? You’re the one who made that group, so take responsibility.”
“…Even if you say that, I was forcibly sent back! What was I supposed to do…………?”
“I know, I know. That’s why I went through the trouble of summoning you personally this time.”
Her piercing gaze leaves no room for argument.
“The Corpse King returns. Time to crawl out of your comfy little bubble.”
“Stop………… calling me that…………”
Right in front of God, I writhe in cringe at my own dark history.
“Alright, let’s send you off real quick!”
“That casual?! No other explanation?!”
“Nope! Second time’s the charm, no need for explanations, right?”
She shakes me—still squirming in shame—by the shoulders before snapping her fingers. A glowing blue sphere appears in the white void.
Last time, the moment I touched this, we were sent to the Holy Kingdom that summoned us.
“…Where am I being sent this time?”
“Random. Can’t specify coordinates… But you’ll manage no matter where you start, right?”
“Don’t screw with me?!”
“At least there’ll be air and ground, so don’t worry about it!”
“W-Wait, hold on! What about my powers?! Magic?! I keep my previous stats, right?!”
“Reset~. The ice magic you mastered to its core… and that special ability of yours, the very reason you were called the Corpse King—gone.”
Her words stir indescribable emotions in me.
It’s not like I’m clinging to my past strength. But if Helheim’s guys really are running wild, being weak isn’t an option…
All my ability progression reset… That stings a little.
“Can’t be helped. That’s just how it works for people who leave the world once.”
“…………Yeah, whatever.”
“Your revenge for your classmates ended when you killed the Demon King, so don’t get too hung up.”
I don’t reply.
Some things can’t just be brushed off, even for me.
Well, whatever. I’m going. To another world. If Helheim’s guys are causing trouble, it’s partly my responsibility.
Even if it’s all a misunderstanding, disappearing without a word would still warrant some kind of reaction.
“…Alright!”
I slap my cheeks and steel myself.
Settling the past, punishing those who misuse the name Helheim for their own ends.
…My family’s gonna worry, though…
“Don’t sweat it. This time, I tweaked it so there’s barely any time discrepancy.”
“Seriously? Then I guess I don’t have to worry.”
I’m aware my sense of things is warped.
Ever since coming back from the other world, I’ve often felt a fatal disconnect with everyone around me. Probably got dragged too far into that side of things when I was calling myself something as embarrassing as Corpse King.
But now, with this sudden chance to return—I accept it without hesitation.No, I even see it as good fortune.
Deep down, I knew. Knew exactly how much of myself I’d left behind in that world. I suppressed the part of me that lamented never being able to go back, telling myself it couldn’t be helped.
The memories of that world are still so vivid they make me writhe in agony over the smallest morning dreams. Not a single day has passed where I’ve forgotten the second family I left behind.
“Ah… This time, I won’t call myself Corpse King…”
“That resolve… feels kinda pointless, honestly…”
Ignoring God’s ominous remark, I step toward the blue sphere.
All I have to do is touch it.
…Wait, now that I think about it…………
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
“You said my abilities reset… What about their seal?”
“Gone.”
“——Oh, we’re screwed…………”
“Relax. Those guys kept their promise on their own, still believing in you even after the seal broke.”
“R-Really?”
“Yep.”
God nods confidently.
…I see.
If that’s the case—
“Then this whole ‘Helheim running wild’ thing doesn’t add up.”
It means they didn’t betray me.
Seriously… Calling it dark history, but deep down, it still matters, huh?
I reach for the blue sphere.
“Corpse King.”
“I said stop calling me that!!”
“He , who piled mountains of corpses and reigned atop them. As one who dwells in the heavens, I shall praise thy power. …A little reward for the man who once saved the world.”
“…Yeah, whatever…”
Still cringe, though.
The moment my fingers graze the sphere, light floods the room.
“Your clothes and stuff are adjusted to fit that world, so don’t worry… Well then—welcome back.”
God delivers the announcement with all the flair of a stage performance.
The old me would’ve been pumped as hell.
My consciousness is swallowed by blue light.
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