World Cancer

Higashino Makoto stood atop the Demon King's castle tower, his golden eyes gazing at the distant land illuminated by the morning light.

It's been a week.

The arrival of the superior races has dwindled from its initial overwhelming scale to its current sporadic occurrence.

The figures of those superior races poured out from the rift, only to be shattered into pieces by the vampire princess's spear.

One, two, five, ten --

Fewer and fewer, sparser and sparser.

The crack had shrunk to a thin line, and the dark red light was almost invisible.

"Mr. Higashino Makoto, the superior races are almost extinct, aren't you happy about that?"

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment.

"It's not that I'm unhappy, I'm just wondering where they come from."

Akeno tilted her head.

"Weren't you from New World?"

"Based on the information obtained from the previous interrogation, they were not born naturally from the mating of their own kind, right? If that's the case, how did they come to be?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

I want to know.

He turned around and walked down the tower.

The ten vampire princesses stood in the plaza in front of the Demon King's castle.

She wore a blood-red dress, had long golden hair, pale skin, and bloodshot eyes.

They knelt down on one knee and spoke in unison.

"Owner."

"Get up. Where are the prisoners you captured?"

"In the basement, they've already been weakened using the blood of their own kind."

Has it been reviewed?

"Of course, they have all been interrogated."

Higashino Makoto went into the basement.

The dim candlelight cast flickering shadows on the wall, and the air was filled with the smells of blood and disinfectant.

Several superior races were bound by chains, their bodies almost identical to humans.

They crouched in the corner, their bodies trembling slightly.

It wasn't just fear, but also weakness.

The blood of their own kind greatly diminishes their strength and regenerative abilities.

The vampire princess stood behind them, holding a black spear with the tip pressed against the back of their necks.

Higashino Makoto walked up to the one in front, squatted down, and looked it in the eye with his golden eyes.

Looking into those bewitched red eyes.

What's your name?

The superior race opened their mouths and emitted hoarse sounds, as if they hadn't been used in a long time.

"... No name."

So how do you refer to yourself?

"... No need. We rarely associate with our own kind, and what's left is food; there's no need for names."

"Phenomenon."

Higashino Makoto repeated it.

Where do you come from?

"... from the world."

Which world?

"Every world."

How were you born?

"Have no idea."

Higashino Makoto frowned slightly as he stared at it for a long time.

Do you have parents? Do you have memories? Do you have... a past?

The superior race shook their heads.

No. We are born whole, but there is one exception.

A glint seemed to flash in its red eyes.

"There was one of our kind, whom I remember clearly, who was once human. Then it became us, a superior race."

Does it still remember its memories as a human?

"It doesn't remember. It doesn't know it was ever human, and it doesn't know why it changed."

"Then why do you eat all living things?"

"Instinct. When hungry, one must eat; Wisdom creatures are the most delicious."

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment.

Did humans become a superior race?

Were humans the predecessors of the superior races?

This gave Higashino Makoto an idea.

Cancer cell.

Humans can get cancer.

Cells mutate, divide uncontrollably, and devour healthy tissue.

If the world could get sick, would something similar emerge?

If this idea holds true, then the superior race is the cancer of the world.

"The cancer of the world."

The basement fell silent.

Akeno's fingers paused on the teapot handle for a moment, Lilith's tail snapped straight up, and the vampire princess's blood-red eyes narrowed slightly.

If that's the case, then it makes sense.

They devoured all Wisdom beings simply because it was instinctive.

Cancer cells don't ask why.

It simply splits, devours, and spreads.

Unlike cancer cells, the superior race is far more terrifying; they cause the death of more than just a single world.

It resembles a contagious virus.

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a long time.

How can we stop your birth?

"... have no idea."

What should you know?

"That's all. We've already shared all the valuable intelligence."

Higashino Makoto turned around and walked out of the basement.

"Kill him."

"Yes."

The vampire princesses raised their spears.

Behind me came the sound of a spear piercing through a body, and the crisp sound of shards hitting the ground.

He didn't turn around.

At the top of the tower, Higashino Makoto stood on the edge, his hands gripping the stone railing, his golden eyes gazing into the distance.

"Mr. Higashino Makoto, you're not happy."

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a moment.

"... Yeah, I'm not happy."

"Why?"

"Because based on the current intelligence, the superior races cannot be completely wiped out."

He turned to look at her.

"They are the cancer cells of the world. As long as the world exists, they will be born. I kill one batch, and another batch will come; I kill the next batch, and the batch after that will come; they can never be eradicated. Just like humans will always get cancer."

Akeno looked at him, her purple eyes flashing with a complex light.

So what do you plan to do?

Higashino Makoto remained silent for a long time.

Then he laughed, a colder laugh, as if he had finally figured something out.

"Nothing can be done."

What should we do?

"Yes. Since we can't kill them all, let's stop. Just clear out the ones in front of us, but we can't let them run around."

He turned around.

"First, send people to monitor the world. If any superior races are discovered, kill them. Second, spread the knowledge of the superior races. How to kill them, what to use, what their weaknesses are—let every world know. Third, leave it to fate. The world is sick; all we can do is treat the symptoms. The root cause? Wait for the world to recover on its own, or wait for the world to destroy itself."

Akeno looked at him.

"Aren't you worried about the world ending?"

Higashino Makoto looked at her.

"I'm not afraid. I can kill one batch, and I can kill the next. If one or two worlds are destroyed occasionally, that's not my fault."

"I've said it before, I can't save everyone."

That's right, Higashino Makoto isn't some Hero who wants to save everything; he's just a gardener who likes humans.

Akeno chuckled softly.

You really are--

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Higashino Makoto turned around and walked down the tower.

"Mr. Higashino Makoto, what are you going there for?"

"Time to eat. I'm hungry."

"Good."

The two walked down the tower.

"Oh, and have the vampire princess collect the corpses of the higher races."

"Do what?"

"Let's make a specimen. It's a rare animal; we might never see it again."

Akeno was taken aback.

"... You just said they couldn't kill them all, and now you're talking about rare animals."

"Just because cancer cells can't be completely eradicated doesn't mean they aren't rare. Cancer cells can't be completely eliminated, but cancer patients can be cured. Once cured, the number of cancer cells decreases. And once they decrease, they become rare."

"So, have you healed the world?"

Higashino Makoto stopped and thought for a moment.

"... At least it's healed for now. As for the future, we'll see."

He continued walking forward, his footsteps echoing on the stone steps.

A week later, the last of the superior race had its heart pierced by the vampire princess.

The world itself no longer cries out in despair; the original wounds are slowly healing.

Higashino Makoto stood atop the Demon King's castle tower, watching those departing figures.

"It's over."

Akeno stood behind him.

"Um."

What's next?

"I don't know. What about you?"

Higashino Makoto thought for a moment.

"Rest, then go see the fairy world. And the mermaid, wait for her to come of age. And Ultina and Lusha, she's still sleeping in bed."

He paused.

"And Lilith, she's still waiting."

Akeno looked at him.

You're very busy.

"Not busy. This is the life I want, very fulfilling."

He turned around and walked down the tower.