Vol. 1 Chapter 0 - Prologue

Demon King.

 

The king of demons who threatens the world, corrupts humanity, and heralds the footsteps of destruction—the archenemy of all living beings.

 

“Pant… Pant… Gaaaaaaahhhhh!!”

 

The Demon King cried out in agony, feeling the intense premonition of death closing in on him.

 

To die… to die here, halfway through…

 

The heroes summoned from another world were supposed to have been wiped out.

 

The military force of the kingdom that summoned the heroes had also been annihilated… or so they said.

 

Before the Demon King’s eyes, a few men and women lined up, serving as a pathway for just one human.

 

“…Shio… the Corpse King.”

 

The Demon King’s army had been completely decimated.

 

By the hands of a mysterious group that suddenly appeared in this world.

 

The “Corpse King Hel.”

 

He had gained power and led his subordinates to begin their rampage.

 

And now, he had finally pointed his blade at the throat of the Demon King.

 

“…My name is Hel, the Corpse King. I shall grant you the blade of vengeance.”

 

The boy’s voice was still young, yet he wore a skeleton mask on his face and a gray cloak that seemed to drain all color from his body.

 

Step by step, the Corpse King Hel approached the Demon King.

 

His followers on both sides of the path he walked looked at him with expressions of ecstasy, respect, fear, and various other emotions, joyfully celebrating his steps.

 

“Corpse King… you look magnificent…”

 

“Be quiet. Show some respect in His presence.”

 

“King, hurry. We don’t have much time.”

 

“Don’t order our Lord Hel. I’ll kill you.”

 

“Enough. It will be over soon.”

 

A single word from the Corpse King silenced the others who had been speaking freely. He then looked at the exhausted Demon King.

 

Grabbing the Demon King’s hair roughly, he lifted him up.

 

Behind the skeleton mask, his dark eyes peered, staring into the Demon King’s fate.

 

“Gaaahh…!”

 

Out of fear, the Demon King unleashed all the remaining magic power inside him.

 

“Die.”

 

And the Demon King breathed his last.

 

Looking down at the fallen Demon King, the Corpse King muttered with a tinge of sorrow.

 

“It’s over, everyone.”

 

The Corpse King Hel, who now went by the name Shio Hizaki, was one of the heroes summoned from another world.

 

He had come to this world with his classmates, supporting and growing with them. One by one, he lost his companions, and the boy’s heart was shattered.

 

All his classmates were gone. They had all been killed by the hands of the Demon King.

 

To seek revenge, he had walked alone, building this situation with his power. Gathering forces to oppose the Demon King, he inadvertently created one of the world’s most formidable fighting groups.

 

The secret society, “Helheim.”

 

The members wielded unparalleled power, pledging loyalty to the Corpse King and remaining incompatible with everything else. A group with an unknown purpose, shrouded in mystery beyond its name.

 

Despite defeating the Demon King, he showed no emotion. Calmly, he prepared to withdraw.

 

And with a single signal from the Corpse King:

 

“…’Helheim,’ return.”

 

They disappeared without a trace.

 

Thus, the world was saved—and Hizaki Shio, having fulfilled his mission, was forcibly sent back to his original world.

 

“Ah…”

 

Morning. He woke up to the light streaming through the gap in the curtains.

 

Helheim, the Corpse King.

 

It felt like a distant dream—the past reality that caused him to writhe in agony even as he held his head on the bed.

 

“Aaarghh!”

 

He moaned, unable to forget.

 

“Uuugh… Damn it! ‘Helheim’? That’s just something out of a mythological encyclopedia! Idiot! You moron!! Die, both the Demon King and you, dieeeeee!!”

 

In the summer of his third year in middle school, he was summoned to another world along with his classmates. That’s how it began.

 

It was a surreal story, something that no one would believe, but it had actually happened.

 

And he lost his classmates.

 

The ones he was close to, the ones he liked, the ones he quarreled with, the ones he never even spoke to—all of them.

 

They were summoned, and five years passed.

 

Thirty-two of them, everyone except him, fell into the clutches of the Demon King.

 

At that time, it felt like all he could think about was revenge. At least, he wasn’t in his right mind.

 

Of course, who would be? If he were sane, he wouldn’t have created that embarrassing secret society.

 

He sacrificed everything to defeat the Demon King.

 

After fulfilling his purpose, he was sent back to his original world without any complications. His body returned to the state it was in when he was summoned, and only about a month had passed in the real world since the summoning.

 

A month of unexplained absence. The disappearance of his classmates.

 

It was widely discussed, but because he was still a minor, there were media restrictions and various considerations.

 

He had been busy dealing with the police and going to the mental hospital back then, but… well, after becoming a high school student, he resumed his life as if nothing had changed.

 

His heart, shattered by losing his classmates, gradually healed over time.

 

Today was the day of his high school graduation.

 

It had been three years since then… It felt both long and short.

 

“I wonder if I can ever forget…”

 

The world he was summoned to, his classmates, and especially the insane secret society—he knew he could never forget any of it.

 

He was determined to carry that experience with him for the rest of his life.

 

“All right! Time to get up!”

 

He left his room, greeted his family, washed his face, had breakfast, and headed to high school.

 

It seemed like an ordinary day, yet it was a precious life he cherished.

 

Jumping out of bed with a burst of energy, he prepared to face the day.

 

White.

 

He found himself standing in a room surrounded by white walls.

 

Ah, he recognized this sight—it was the same as that day.

 

“It’s been a while, Shio Hizaki. Or should I say… the Corpse King? Do you remember me?”

 

A friendly-looking woman stood before him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

 

Remember her? He didn’t even remember.

 

Her T-shirt boldly displayed the word:

 

‘Goddess.’

 

The last time he saw her was when he and his classmates were summoned. He thought he would never meet her again.

 

“What… do you want?” His voice trembled.

 

The goddess spoke, “Hey, there’s this thing called ‘Helheim’ wreaking havoc in our world. Do something about it.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Her sudden request caught him off guard, and the atmosphere turned grim.

 

But above all, hearing the name from her sent shivers down his spine.

 

“…Well, it’s the organization I created!”

 

“Don’t raise your voice… It’s a huge problem if those kids go on a rampage worldwide. So stop them.”

 

The goddess, in a matter-of-fact tone, sat down looking tired.

 

“It was quite a challenge to find you again from all the different worlds. After all, you

 

 were the one who created that organization. Take responsibility.”

 

“…Even if you say that, I was forcibly sent back, so there’s nothing I can do…”

 

“I understand. That’s why I personally summoned you this time.”

 

Her piercing gaze left no room for argument.

 

“…The return of the ‘Corpse King.’ Time to get out of your comfort zone.”

 

“Please… don’t call me that…”

 

Before the goddess, he agonized over his dark past.