Chapter 45 : Sister (1)

Void.

There was no one in the Demon Realm who did not know of the Demon King, Void, who had entered the top 50 rankings at the young age of 300.

Although it was said that he had only entered the top 50, his potential was immense, and even when compared to those at the very top, his abilities were not lacking.

Such a Demon King was Void.

And next to Void’s dungeon was a small, insignificant dungeon that had not yet even entered the rankings.

That dungeon belonged to Void’s younger sister, Destiny.

Destiny remained shut in her room, continuously peering into her crystal ball to check on her sister, who had gone on an expedition.

“Fate, tell me… What will happen to my sister?”

Her two small tails swayed gently from side to side.

[Dragon.]

[Demon King.]

[Annihilation.]

[Rank 1.]

The voice of fate, still weak and fragmented, echoed in her mind.

Destiny could only piece together a vague prediction of Void’s fate from these words.

“Will… will she win?”

She found it strange that the word annihilation followed Demon King, but Destiny chose to believe the best.

After all, the last word she heard was Rank 1.

“Destiny! I’m back!”

“Now I’m number one. If anyone is bothering you, just tell me.”

Imagining her sister ruffling her hair and saying those words, Destiny smiled.

Even if it was a powerful dragon, there was no way it could defeat her sister.

Because her sister was destined to surpass fate itself.

Not yet, perhaps.

But one day, Destiny firmly believed that her sister would achieve it.

“What will she bring back this time?”

Kicking her feet under the blankets, Destiny spoke excitedly.

No one was there to listen, but she continued talking anyway, as if the crystal ball might hear her.

After all, fate had spoken to her since the day she was born.

Holding onto that excitement, Destiny waited.

“…Sister?”

But the joy on her face disappeared.

In front of her stood Void, embodying her name—empty and void of emotion.

She looked… younger somehow.

When Destiny called out in confusion, Void simply stared at her with hollow, unfocused eyes.

[Revenge.]

[Failure.]

[Dragon’s Dog.]

[Shame of the Demon Kings.]

As Destiny gazed at her sister, fate poured words into her mind.

[Rank 1.]

[Resentment.]

[Emptiness.]

[…Next is… Destiny, it’s you.]

It was the first time fate had ever mentioned her name directly.

Destiny’s eyes wavered.

Void had changed after returning from the battlefield.

The once expressive face was gone, replaced by an emotionless, cold smile that never truly reached her eyes.

Even when she looked at Destiny, she did not act warmly.

She treated her as if she did not exist.

“S-sister…”

If Void looked at her at all, it was only to toss her whatever seemed necessary.

She never spoke.

She never greeted her.

The once inseparable sisters had drifted apart.

After that, Void became Rank 1, and Destiny managed to enter the rankings as well.

But they rarely saw each other.

Even so, Destiny continued to respect Void.

“…Running away. So, in the end, you are leaving.”

[Fate: There is no escape.]

“I know.”

“In the end, even my sister was just another cog in this vast world.”

Gazing into the fate of Void, who had departed for the Dragon Kingdom, Destiny let out a sigh.

“In the end… even she.”

The sister she had admired… had failed to surpass fate.

In a battle against the dragons, she stole the dragon’s name and subjugated many dragons under her command.

After returning to the Demon Realm, she ascended to Rank 1 and became the Great Demon King, reigning over countless Demon Kings.

Eventually, she transcended even the demon race itself, stepping into a new realm.

However, even she could not surpass fate.

Destiny felt a deep sense of unease.

Her sister—broken in some way.

If she had known this would happen, she would have tried to talk to her more.

“…Won’t you tell me my fate?”

[Fate comes unnoticed by anyone.]

[I am that kind of existence.]

[What I can tell you is…]

[After Void, it’s you.]

Destiny didn’t understand what that meant.

Not until, shortly after, she borrowed the power of fate and took the throne as the Great Demon King.

And yet, fate continued to whisper in her ear— “After Void, it’s you.”

“…I won’t become like my sister.”

She would not yield to the dragons who had twisted her sister.

And she would bring her sister back to the way she once was.

With that resolve, Destiny crossed into the Dragon Kingdom—

“…Prison!”

“…Huh?”

And was promptly thrown into a prison cell.

There, she met her sister again.

But her sister had changed.

She greeted Destiny warmly.

She nagged her.

But then—

—Thud!!

“Ugh?!”

A punch flew without hesitation.

The Void who once silently cared for Destiny was gone.

Shocked, Destiny cried herself to sleep that night.

[After Void, it’s you…]

“Shut up! Just… be quiet for now…”

She felt like a heartbroken girl.

She was completely caught off guard.

“Y-Your Highness! I apologize for being rude last time!”

“I’ve already told you everything…”

Who asked for that?

After the gathering, she suddenly came running to me, begging for advice.

She frantically rambled about her relationship with Void, pleading for help to reconcile with her.

Now, she sat in front of me, sweating bullets.

She had been anxious all throughout the gathering, and in the end, she grabbed my hand and suddenly spilled everything.

I had told her to come back later, but—

“I didn’t think she’d actually come immediately.”

Just like how Void’s sudden decision to defect was unexpected.

Are all Demon Kings this ridiculously proactive?

“…Your Highness, I think my sister holds you in special regard… Please, help me!”

“…Where did that cultist attitude from before go…?”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind.”

Destiny clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.

“I mean, it’s not like I can control Void or anything…”

…Hmm.

For a moment, I thought— Maybe I could.

But even if I could, I wouldn’t.

If it were anything else, maybe.

But this was a family matter.

“Now that I think about it, this situation is kind of similar to my own family.”

Once close-knit.

And then, one side suddenly shut their heart.

Of course, Minho reopened his heart after a year, but still.

I recalled what my sister did for me back then.

I had no desire to help a cultist.

But if this involved Void…

Maybe there was something I could do.

I stroked my chin thoughtfully.

Han Minho.

Minho had… some issues when he was younger.

“So, you’re Minho?”

“Can you call us ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’?”

“…”

His memory might be hazy now, but Minho was a child found in the ruins.

Whether he had been abandoned by his family and drifted into the ruins, or whether the skeletal remains beside him had once been his family, Minho could not remember.

Their voices, their faces—

What kind of people they had been, what expressions they had worn—

Minho knew none of it.

All he knew was that a man and a woman stood before him, trying to take him away.

That was how he arrived at his new home, where a young girl named Han Yuri greeted him along with his new mother and father.

Apparently, his new parents were police officers.

While investigating Minho’s case, they had decided to adopt him along the way.

They seemed to know a lot about Minho’s biological parents, but they evaded his questions, saying they would tell him when he became an adult.

After that, Minho spent time adjusting to his new family.

Since the world had always been a wild and untamed place for him, he needed time to be socialized.

During that process, he and his sister became incredibly close—an inseparable pair.

Even if they fought, they made up quickly, knowing each other better than even their parents did.

And unlike everyone else, Yuri never looked at Minho with pity.

She simply took care of him, purely and genuinely—just like real family.

Eventually, Minho came to see Yuri as his real family, too.

From that point on, everything in their household ran smoothly.

Minho fully adapted to society.

Yuri always had his back.

And Minho never forgot to be grateful to her.

But on the day he became an adult, that happiness crumbled, and Minho shut himself away.

Of course, Han Yuri never gave up on him.

Even though they weren’t related by blood, Minho was still her precious little brother.

“She even distanced herself from her own boyfriend for me.”

As I recalled the past, I realized just how much of a pathetic bastard I had been.

I cut off all contact with the girlfriend I had been with since high school.

I didn’t even acknowledge my sister when she entered my room.

I knew I wasn’t the only one suffering.

And it wasn’t like I was unaware of how much pain my sister was in.

“…I should apologize when I see her.”

I had meant to help another pair of siblings, but it seemed I still had unresolved feelings of my own.

“…I’ll help you.”

“Thank you!”

—Suddenly, a tight embrace.

“…?”

—Her tails wagged excitedly.

Hugging me out of nowhere?

I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected boldness, but seeing how overjoyed Destiny looked, I decided to just let it be.