Izeno's → Zelvis' POV:

Ah...?

Hmm…? Where am I? Why is it too dark…? Oi... What is the meaning of this? I can't seem to open my eyes!!

Wait… I don't feel like… me. My thoughts are coming slower than usual.

My mind feels heavy, and a light throbbing pulsates beneath it. For some reason, I seem unable to move correctly; it seems as though all parts of my body have grown numb...

Ah~ ^_^

I see… am I experiencing sleep paralysis again…? Did I perhaps fall asleep while browsing my phone on the bed? Ugh… my memories are so hazy, and my thoughts are not in order.

It feels like this is one of those nightmares where I can't move anything but my eyes. The worst part about this is that I'm fully aware of what's happening to my mind, which makes it even worse…

It's hard to focus my mind like this. My thoughts are slowly beginning to feel like a flowing torrent of light at hundreds of millions of meters per second in my mind...

The only thing that is clear now is that I'm in a somewhat remotely unknown space with no gravity or light...

Oi, wait, hold up! What's with this sudden and straightaway transition happening to my mind? Am I being enlightened...? What's with this information flowing to me?

"..."

Oi...

What's this feeling...? A deja vu? This scene perfectly feels like it happened many times already... ugh, this over-pleasant experience is destroying my sanity...

Oh, no... is this... am I in the middle of a state where everything is a delusion and nothing matters anymore...?

"..."

Uwaaa~

What now...? Fortuitously, I feel really calm, but my mind is forcibly telling me I should be feeling something else... It's too disturbing... I'm getting a complicated feeling for some reason that I couldn't even understand why...

Anyway, I feel like I was dreaming of something else, but it was too vague. But I'm sure it was a great yet, short dream... oh man...

At any rate, there is no sound but a pronounced, indescribable silence. The view in front of me is a pitch-black scene, and there are no signs of me being able to tell any movements or changes in my environment.

Also, I have a sense of being used to this kind of setting...

Wait. Just what was I doing before I came to this situation...?

 

☆☆☆☆☆

 

What a bright, sunny day. The sky was an intense blue, and the sun shone so brightly that it seemed almost to burn through my eyelids with its intensity. 

I'm in my usual casual clothing, staying in my apartment room like a tired turtle, and Mireille silently sits beside me on a wide, luxurious-like couch. 

The sofa is so large that it takes up two whole living room walls, which looks more like an expensive hotel suite than an ordinary apartment. On one side, there are two rows of tables with high chairs, while on the other side of the room, there's a long table placed beneath an enormous window overlooking the city. 

There's no one else inside the room except us two. The only sound in the room is the soft sound of Mireille's breath. She keeps her eyes closed for some reason—she doesn't seem to be sleeping or anything... but she has an expression like she's feeling something deeply...

Mireille is my girlfriend. A beautiful woman with silverish hair and crimson-red eyes, currently wearing a bluish-red dress on my side.

She was a woman whom I was looking at in the shadows before. She was just my friend, a co-worker at the same company. Still, she suddenly started to look at me affectionately unexpectedly... The feelings she had for me have been growing ever since then.

"Hmm. There is no work today, and I have finished everything I need to do... Um, Mireille, do you have anything you want to do in your mind?"

I talked to Mireille while she was holding my hand. It made my heart beat faster, and I wanted to stay like this forever. 

And no matter how I looked at it, the fact that we both held hands felt right.

Mireille suddenly opens her eyes and looks at me with an excited face. Her eyes are sparkling crimson red, and it's so beautiful and unusually bright.

"Then, Izel-kun... do you want to go on a date...?"

She looked at me with her big eyes as if asking for permission. She seemed really excited about it. Mireille's eyes were slightly closed as she looked at me with a dreamy look. 

It's only been four days since we started and had our first date; however, it feels like she has known me for more years than the time we worked together. 

I didn't expect that Mireille doesn't have a man. But, of course, I was assuming the whole time that she was already dating someone else, so I kept my distance... but now I'm thinking maybe I should've spent more time with her in the past.

"Nn? Yes, I want to go on a date with Mireille as much as possible."

It's my honest feelings. I want to be with Mireille for as much time as possible. This is the first time I have had a girlfriend, after all. The feeling of being happy at her side and enjoying the moment together is simply beyond description.

If you think about it differently, I won't get any more chances than this. So every bit of my luck is exchanged for this very moment.

"Yay~!"

Mireille-san looks genuinely happy. She then looked at me with her face bright red and teary eyes. Then, she smiles softly while still looking at me like that.

" Izel-kun, umm... thank you for being here and going out with me..."

She looks delighted being with me. She gives me all of her attention, making me feel special. And when I am around her, I don't think about anything else.

She had her head rested against my shoulder as we talked. She looked so cute that it almost hurt me... 

For some reason, Mireille asked me to go out with her. It surprised me, and at the same time, it made me really happy. I thought I was dreaming when she confessed to me.

Now that we're together, she always says she wants to share herself, her everything, with me.

"No, Mireille, I should be the one thanking you for going out with a nobody like me. And sorry for making you do the confession. It was a pathetic side of me, wasn't it?"

"Please, don't say that… I cherish you, and I want you to cherish me as well. This time, I don't want you to leave me… I thought you were not interested in me before, so it's fine..."

Mireille san confessed to me as if she was there, always looking out for me the whole time. Though was it just a misunderstanding on my part that I failed to notice her feelings? Or were they evident until now, and I just simply missed them?

"Got it. If you are fine with a man like me by your side, I will do my best."

"Un. I love you, Izel-kun. I'm so happy right now."

I was surprised when she hugged my neck suddenly; her soft breasts began rubbing against my chest, making me feel super comfortable. I don't mind if she keeps doing it... I can feel the warmth coming from her body; it's warm and moist. 

I think it's actually quite a nice feeling this way.

She looked up at me with those soft eyes of hers. She smiled cutely as she said those lovely words, and her cheeks turned red. 

"I feel the same, Mireille. I love you."

She suddenly hugged my neck tightly without saying another word. Her lips were right next to mine, and she started kissing me softly. I felt her warm breath on my face, and I could smell her sweet perfume. 

The moment was so warm and gentle that I could feel it down to my toes. 

Her warm body was locked to mine, her hands caressing my back while our tongues danced together. My heart was racing in my chest, beating faster than ever. 

It felt like it would never end, but eventually, she slowly and smoothly pulled away from me, and her face looked flushed. I could feel her warm breath on my skin as she whispered into my ear. 

"It's my first kiss, Izel-kun... It's my thanks for loving me back."

"Ooooh, it's the best! Thank you."

Oh, I just let out what was on my mind... I need my thick slippers to slap my face once from this dream.

Somehow, this current situation overlaps with something else. A familiar scene, but I vaguely remember it. 

This never happened before, but I'm pretty sure that something like this happened... It feels like I'm missing something important...

Well, whatever, it doesn't matter now.

"Fufu~ You're too cute, Izel-kun. I like that part of you. Continue showing me your wonderful and happy face, okay? I'll make you happy so you won't return to your emotionless face."

"Okay."

I gave my best smile while looking at Mireille. I really did feel happy; I thought so much. This is a dream come true...

Please don't wake me up. I don't want to be woken up from this heaven anymore. I'm fine drowning here forever!

***

Mireille and I went to an empty park a few kilometers away from the apartment building where we're currently lodging from our date.

We sat on a bench in a quiet corner near the edge of the square, watching people pass by while enjoying our chocolate ice cream cones.

We were dressed in casual yet stylish clothing that was similar in style, so it wasn't like our outfits stood out as different.

Mireille suddenly looked at me as if wanting to confirm something directly from me. She is holding my right hand with her left hand, and her eyes stare at me like she's asking for something important.

"Izel-kun... do you believe in reincarnation...?"

Mireille asked me a question that I hadn't heard for a while. It was an interesting thing to ask, really. But as someone who has never really given it a deep thought about it before, I could only say yes because that was what I learned from my parent.

I nodded my head in confirmation.

"Reincarnation, huh? I guess so. I do believe in that concept."

"I see..."

Mireille suddenly made a wry smile on her face. She was wearing a particular expression as if she had found something about me. That smile looked like it could be the start of some change. It was a rather strange thing for Mireille to make that expression about.

I suddenly switched the topic from the very long silence.

"Tomorrow, do you want to come with me shopping? Groceries, I mean. Every Sunday, I do groceries, so I think it might be fun if we go together...?"

"Yes! You can bring me anywhere you want to, Izel-kun! Oh, that's wrong... It's, I will follow you wherever you are! We can spend time together!"

She had a big grin on her face as she nodded. It was all too cute for words—I couldn't help but smile back at her.

"I'm glad. Well, should we go back now? The sun's starting to go down, and let's continue our talk while walking."

"Un. Thank you for today, Izel-kun. I've had so much fun."

"I'm the same. Thank you for coming with me."

I held Mireille's hand as we started standing up from our position. But before we could start walking, a bright white circle appeared before Mireille's feet.

The light was blinding, and I couldn't see anything but the white circle.

She looked down at it in surprise and then raised her eyes and looked up at me with concern. 

"Mireille, don't let go of my hands!!! Urg..!!!"

"Izel-kun!!!"

She is frozen and locked in place and looked down at her foot once more. I kept pulling her, but she didn't budge a bit from her position. 

I hugged her tight on impulse.

The white circle started to glow stronger and began to take over Mireille's body in slow motion.

A faint blue, glowing light appeared behind her now. It was different from the white light that appeared before Mireille. It shines and emits a weird atmosphere; a powerful sense of dread and unease takes over the surrounding air.

"Izel-k— "

"Mireille!!!!!"

Mireille was successfully devoured by the white light. The blue light remains floating behind the position where Mireille was a moment ago.

The blue light is checking me out. It's as if looking at me, then slowly coming towards my position...

The blue light glows brighter and brighter for an instant. The next moment I can feel something in my mind; something that touches on my thoughts and tries to send me somewhere else.

Afterward, I gradually lost consciousness.

 

☆☆☆☆☆

 

I see... I died after all, huh?

More importantly, I'm more concerned about what happened to Mireille. 

Is she okay? Is she alone? What exactly happened there? Aahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Why didn't I save her!? 

Wait...

No way... even if I want to be angry here, why I'm not feeling anything at all...? It's like I'm forced into a tranquil state...

What am I supposed to do here...?

 

☆☆☆☆☆

 

Several Eons of times later in space... (452 Billion Years later)

A lot of things and discoveries happened to me after I died on Earth until now. It was a different life; the difference is that I still remember it all. Some were good, and some were bad. But either way, the path paved for me had been full of twists and turns along the way.

From the day I died until I was reborn as an outrageous existence because of a space cataclysm. It's just too absurd.

It's been 452 billion years... Though it's only in numbers, the time I spent through didn't affect how I think from the day I woke up after I died. Or at least I don't see any apparent changes. The time I spend now is like the blink of an eye compared to my lifespan.

The most recent thing that comes to mind is the fact that I've started to feel like something significant, a precious part of my life, is missing... This isn't some kind of delusion. And it feels natural and solid, and this feeling has been inside me for a while now.

It's as if a hole had opened inside me that was never meant to be there and will remain empty until I cease to exist. It's not that I'm unhappy or anything; just that something has changed for some time, and I can't put my finger on what it might have been...

Sigh...

Anyway, my situation... It all started from some abnormal space-time event, triggering an astronomical movement and causing an unknown and indistinct concept to fuse with its coalesced existence. That event is called Cardinal Infinitude.

Infinity is a very old concept, often associated with the number 1. This makes it so hard for people to understand this new phenomenon. 

It's the kind of event that can only be described as something truly beyond human understanding. It was a change beyond space itself. A gravitational collision caused by this infinitude brought about the birth of my situation.

I found myself involved in that event, where it was an incident equal to impossible, with a negative probability of happening to me.

The odds against my existence are far too great to count on anything but the chance of getting involved? Nope. It's the same way you'd never expect a coin flip to come up heads every single time.

But, thanks to this unbelievable occurrence, I exist now as a total, absolute monster.

^_^

It was an event that gave birth to a certain kind of black hole in space, a more nasty one... Which resulted in my being. 

 If I continue growing, I will turn into a point surpassing infinite density, a place where no existence and concept is present anymore, nothingness.

My mass has grown to fill several universe levels... My growth is so enormous and abysmal that I will eventually destroy everything, surpassing reality and becoming a cosmic singularity.

Even if I call it a black hole, my nature can no longer be called a black hole, and it's only called a black hole until now because of its radix and source of existence.

My growth is not based only on consuming objects but also on their information, concepts, ideas, data, and origins. 

Though it's a hundred percent capable of being filtered and controlled. Allowing me to put a multi-level limiter that will prevent me from unconsciously using every piece of information or accessing unnecessary precursors and live memories.

And yep, that summarizes the current me now. I was reborn in that exact black hole, an excrescence type one. 

My current body's shape is a compressed form of a black hole, a black humanoid figure.

If you think about it, a black hole and a humanoid are just two things that don't belong together. No matter how much you squeeze them, they'll never become one another.

But I have evolved to the point that I've been able to change my body structure into something I want or more suitable for my current state. As a result, I've lost all sense of what's real and unreal.

That's why I can take on any form that suits me best. I'm not quite sure whether it's good or bad, though... But I guess it's a little better than looking like a complete monster.

Since I'm a black hole forced into the human shape, even calling myself a black hole is inappropriate. Thus, I decided it would be an Abysmal Black Hole.

Also, I couldn't just show myself to anyone without changing my form since my presence could quickly destroy anything that I not recognized. Unless the targets are taken over by me or given an exception, they are free to share the same space with me.

I can be called a living paradox, perhaps? I guess I'm just built differently.

I also gained some handy abilities from being born in a monstrous black hole. Well, just like those special abilities you can't imagine existing out there that can be easily obtained. 

Like manipulation of concepts and existence, three-dimensional expanse eradication, well, those abilities. There are just too many, so I'll keep it that simple.

But hey... it's kind of fun having such unique powers. They're totally outside of my expectations...

Anyways...

There are many things I want to do now as Zelvis, my new self. 

The thought that keeps driving me sane and stable is Mireille...

I still kept on thinking about her until now...

She's a girl who always looks at the bright side of life. She can laugh off anything, even when she's pushed into a corner, and always manages to cheer me up no matter what happens. I mean... I think I'll never find anyone else as cool as her. 

She has a strong will and is cute and adorable.

In short, Mireille is someone I absolutely love.

Besides, I want to use this power to create a place where I can see her smile forever.

You know, I always had this feeling that she was special.

She was the first girl who looked straight at me with those pretty eyes. She was someone different from anyone else that I had met.

No, I mean, she wasn't just any girl... she was the first person to ever look at me with such affection.

Mireille's gaze made me feel so happy, satisfied, and calm...

I...

I want to meet her, and I want to see her again.

I want to protect her and make her happy.

I want to bring her a smile and give her a reason to laugh.

I want to let her feel safe and make her confident in herself.

I want to show her all the love that she deserves.

I want to tell her what a wonderful person she is and how amazing she is.

I want to hug her, hold her hands, and kiss her.

I want to make her the happiest woman alive.

I want to show her around the world.

I want to let her experience the world's greatest happiness.

She's the one I'm aiming for and need to live for.

Mireille.

She's the one that kept me alive.

She is the only thing that's keeping me going.

That's the meaning behind the life I've lived up till now...

With that said, I will need this power and have everything stay as is. 

And yea, I'm still living and going strong until now because Mireille is still alive. The white light before... I already know everything... She was forcibly teleported, or should I say summoned? And what's more, it's for some sh*tty and stupid reasons.

I can just teleport or take her with me back to Earth, but the Earth is long gone, destroyed by the same sh*ts who teleported her just after I died. Restoring it is not an option because my root existence before I reincarnated will cease to exist. It's possible, but there's no point resetting it without me with her, is there? Well, as long as I am alive, nothing can affect my existence, even myself.

And there's no way she'll see me the way she does back then if I take her somewhere else, like my own planet. Also, I want to be an ordinary person in front of her and become the person she once knew as Izel Zenovis, not a monster. I want her to experience a happy life with me.

I could easily bring Mireille back in time with me and the Earth, then remove those sh*ts from existence. Still, I was thinking of manipulating time and reality. 

But the Izel Zenovis on Earth will cease to exist. The Earth will become a world where my existence is not present, in place of my current self. 

I can't return and become an ordinary human because my existence as a black hole doesn't allow me to control it.

It's like one existence must remain. 

Even If I decide to reset everything and alter my future with Mireille as a human with a predetermined life... I will have to destroy my current self as a price for returning to a human. But it is not even possible for me to eliminate my present self. I don't even know what can destroy my existence in the first place.

And if I decide to alter my future with Mireille as a black hole, I will have to destroy my root existence, the Izel Zenovis, from the Earth. That will naturally mean that Mireille will live in a world where Izel Zenovis doesn't exist, where she lives without my influence.

In short, it's disappointing that I can't exist multiple times simultaneously because I'm a cosmo-singularity's aftermath, a single existence in time, one at a time. But, except if a similar being like me is out there, I can use them as a catalyst.

I want to make those sh*ts suffer for existing and interfering with Mireille's life. If they just didn't exist or interfered with her... I could still continue living with her right now without having to worry about my existence. I could still at least live in my human form with her if she was still in Japan, but it's too late now! I can't manipulate my existence because of my nature.

Just why they chose to mess and sh*t things up. They are making things hard for me... 

Even my power to manipulate concepts can't bypass the fact that I have to destroy my root existence as Izel Zenovis just to bend everything for Mireille. It's frustrating that I'm hopeless even now after obtaining this power...

In the end, it only left me with one choice. That is to continue my current life with Mireille as it is. Well, everything will still depend on Mireille's will. There's no point forcing her into a life she doesn't want. But, on the other hand, I don't want a life where I push a future with her, either.

Hah~ ^_^

Anyways...

I've already grasped the situation and pinpointed Mireille's location in the vast space. 

What's left is... for my plan to be executed.

I'm a different existence but the same person inside, a human. I want to continue things like this... 

So I prepared the necessary things beforehand.

I've been planning things, slowly building everything back to normal for Mireille.

I've been laying out my plans for moving as Zelvis. I even revived a portion of my buried desires from childhood just to make them perfect...

***

I'm on a planet I created with my power, my home base, Paradise. It is a lifeless planet with a base and solar system similar to Earth and its solar system.

I'm inside an empty, vast, black room of an enormous castle, built from an indestructible material found at the ends of the space. This is an otherworldly castle-fortress that an average human would find absurd and ridiculously obnoxious. 

I'm sitting on a black throne... one that matches the atmosphere of the room and my black figure. The layout I used is something inspired by my lost childhood dream. Though I'm not planning to think of doing it right now.

Anyway, it's time.

I started to call the members of Pillars of The Abyss. 

It's a force I created beforehand, especially for my plan, 'Operation Izel.' 

The force is composed of my servants, created and summoned from different worlds, and their loyalty to me cannot be questioned.

They are beings with exceptional circumstances and don't have any choice but to live for my purpose. In exchange, I will give them everything they want. 

Yup. ^_^ 

I will trample on everything for the sake of my goals...

"Apocalypse."

I uttered the name with an ominous voice.

A black shadow and mist started to materialize, forming a figure of a woman on my left side.

"Danna-sama~! Did you call Ikigai~? Do you want to sleep with me~? Please indulge yourself in my body~!"

"No. Just stay there."

"Muu~ You're no fun, Zelvis-sama~!"

Ikigai is the core member of the force, the overseer and commander with the codename Apocalypse. She is a woman whose specialty is to deceive and manipulate, and she is the one who masters psychological understanding. She is wearing a pitch-black double-breasted dress, a commander's uniform, and a black bracelet with a black hole emblem that resembles her position. She also has straight black hair and a bluish-white gradient glowing on the opposite side of her hair. And uh... She's pretty broken in the head for some reason...

But one thing, Ikigai is a brilliant mastermind, capable of using psychological manipulation to bend others into obeying her will. 

Now that I think of it, I just gave the members some random names because they sounded cool... but whatever.

I called the second member.

"Causality."

A man in his thirties appeared next to Ikigai.

"Your Majesty, Causality's here."

"Hm."

Causality is one of the officers of the squad. He fits with the title of a pro butler, and I gave him black gloves alongside a butler's uniform as his primary weapon. But truth be told, their garments are just for show because I gave them their own power... an independent one. The glove triggers Causality, which he can do anything from changing the past to manipulating time. 

"Bane."

A delinquent-looking girl appeared after.

"Master."

"Hm."

Bane is bad-girl-styled Ojou-sama. She is a good girl, but her outside appearance is literally a delinquent. Bane is wearing a mild Japanese gyaru-like attire, a harajuku-style hairband, and colorful makeup on her face, giving off the impression of an otaku. This being said, she is not actually a delinquent or anything like that; rather, it seems to be just a part of her style. Because of this, she looks charming from many angles, but at other times she seems like a punk, so it's hard to say with absolute certainty what kind of person she really is...

"Scourge."

A woman holding a knife appeared.

"...Zelvis-sama...? Please let Scourge hug you."

"Uh... Play with Apocalypse. She'll like it for sure."

Ikigai suddenly protests

"No~! Danna-sama is the only one who can play with my body~!"

"Just do it."

"Uuu." 

Ikigai is making cute pouts.

Even if you pout like that... sigh.

Scourge is an ordinary girl... A normal. Yep. I gave her a knife because it looks perfect... she looks like a psycho with that thing, but it's kind of cute, so... Yup! That's not suspicious at all! Nevermind.

"Plague."

A rat appeared!

"Squeak, Squeak"

"Hm."

My Plague is a rat. No, to be precise, she belongs to the beastmen species. She can transform into a rat and a human and vice-versa. She's the strongest of the squad, second to Ikigai... So she could be considered a rat goddess, perhaps? But no one has seen her transform except for me, so it remains a mystery. 

"Crestal."

A big-sis figure appeared! Oooh! I'll give it 11/10 as usual!

"My, Zelvis-sama? Do you want onee-chan to hold you?"

Ikigai jumps between Crestal and me.

"Nooo~! Danna-sama, you can't ~!"

"Squeak, Squeak"

Plague and Causality seem to be talking to each other.

"I agree, Plague-dono. Ikigai-dono, you should behave more properly if you want Zelvis-sama to embrace you."

"Causality-chan, you bully~!"

Crestal jumps in!

"Ara~, you fools are troubling Zelvis-sama. Do you idiots want to die so bad?"

"Silence!"

Ohhh! It feels great. They all turned back to their obedient postures. 

Crestal is one of the officers of the squad. Her strength is equal to Plague; they are second to Ikigai. Out of all of them, Crestal is the ideal servant. Her womanly charms are similar to Mireille; Her loving and affectionate attitude towards someone she trusts is out of this world. Though, she hates everything that opposes her and her master. She has an amicable personality and knows how to deal with people appropriately. She's also quite good at making fun of others too.

Now that I think of it, she resembles someone... I'm sure I know someone with similar characteristics to her... but it's nowhere within my information network... Ugh... forget it. There isn't any point in thinking about something like that anyway.

"Acme."

A perfect work of art appeared!

"O-Onii-chan?"

"H-Hm."

Oh, kill me.

Acme is a 16-year-old girl. She might look harmless, like Plague, but she will massacre everything that is not her onii-chan. I witnessed it myself not long ago, and it's scary... Its... No one can stop her once she gets into the killing mood.

"Megiddo."

Oh! Great Muscles, as always!

"...Zelvis-sama. Your orders?"

"Hm."

Megiddo is a muscular woman. She is pretty obedient and cool. How should I say it... It's like she's a captain of some athletic club in high school. Her build is just amazing. And her face is beautiful. Her eyes are cute; how they look up to you makes me think she looks at you like an idol...

"Gorge."

Hmm... That's a lot of food in her hands...

"Zelvis-sama! Eeek! Sorry!! Please forgive this insolent worm!"

Ikigai's gone mad.

"You imbecile! How can you show this disgraceful sight to danna-sama~!"

I raised my hands.

"It's fine. Just finish your business."

Gorge is a gluttonous woman. Weirdly, she doesn't get fat. Is it because of the power I gave her? She is too fit, beautiful, and gorgeous for someone who eats so much... Also, she looks like a goddess in her own right. Gorge's skin is flawless as ever. She has long black hair that goes down past her waist, which makes her look younger than she actually is.

"Clandestine."

Oh, this man. If I remember, he's the one Ikigai captured from scouting a few days ago. The original clandestine retired because he's too old to join.

"Zelvis-sama! Gan Vol at your service!"

"Hm."

He's a bit weird, but he looks just fine. Ikigai said he knows about the movement related to Mireille, so he will be helpful.

"Obscurity."

A woman in the shadows ascended from the black floor.

"My Lord, it's my pleasure to meet you again."

"Hm."

Obscurity is a black shadow-robed woman. She's beautiful when the hood is not covering her face... She's a bit of a mystery... But I like it as always! Too mysterious, yet ominous! 12/10 for me. She seems already powerful from the start, so I think she's more potent than Ikigai after receiving more power from me. Her ability is not yet demonstrated, but I got that feeling somehow. In the meantime, I can't rank her strength.

"Vestige."

A small black hole appeared! 

Oh, she's coming out of it. As always, a flashy entrance for Vestige.

"Kya~ Ouch... Ah! Zelvis-sama! Vestige's present!"

"Hm."

Vestige is like a college girl...? I can't describe her at all until now. Her bob-cut hair is imposing, though. Her body proportions will be really popular if she steps into Japan. But, of course, she's also quite pretty, so her face might get lost in the bob-cut hair. 

Anyways...

They are all here now.

These beings in front of me have their existence modified. Their presence is similar to mine, a black hole, after putting a tiny portion of my body mass into them. However, they will keep their original existence, desires, and needs, except for the power change and species type.

In addition, they will also be able to gain some of my knowledge.

And, of course, if I wanted to make them stronger, I'd need to give them a more immense amount of knowledge.

And today, I gathered them all to start my plan into action.

"Pillars!"

I shouted ominously and loudly. My voice reverberated in the dark room.

They all looked at me in unison.

Uuuu, this feeling is amazing.

"""Yes, Zelvis-sama."""

They all kneeled before me.

"Umu. Ikigai, go ahead and explain to them."

Ikigai stood up, facing the rest of the pillars.

Ikigai exudes a horrifying aura. You won't believe she was the same playful person a while ago.

As expected, I was never wrong in making her the leader.

"Listen, each of you! You all must be grateful to Zelvis-sama for letting you witness his grand presence! Zelvis-sama called everyone today to tell us about Zelvis-sama's magnificent plan!"

Good. Everyone's in high spirits.

"""Yes!"""

"Zelvis-sama intends to conquer everything and offer it to his beloved, Mireille-sama! With that, Zelvis-sama will begin his journey into the Ciasnora the following day! Zelvis-sama will spend his time as a normal person around Mireille-sama, so Zelvis-sama expects no one to interfere with his plans! I will not tolerate failure!"

Good. I knew Ikigai was really reliable.

"""Yes!"""

Everyone answered vigorously. All the pillars seem to be scared of how Ikigai is seriously talking.

"I will issue the orders so that no one acts without my permission! Obscurity, you will watch over Zelvis-sama's beloved lover in the shadows!"

Obscurity jumps out of excitement.

"Yes! I will devote my life to the beloved lover of my Lord!"

"There ought to be no one to get in the way of Zelvis-sama's plans! No one will get in the way of Zelvis-sama's calculations, regardless of whether he is being beaten up or is about to be killed! Everything's according to my beloved Zelvis-sama!"

I don't know if Ikigai is joking or not, but whatever. Everyone seems to be taking this seriously...

"""Yes!"""

"Everyone! Do you understand!? I don't accept imbecile's questions!!"

"""Yes!!!"""

"Causality, Bane, Scourge, Plague, Crestal, Acme, Megiddo, Gorge, Clandestine, Obscurity, Vestige, What are we!?"

"""The 12 Pillars of Abyss!!!"""

Everyone answered more vigorously at Ikigai's last question.

"There should be no fools among the pets of the great Zelvis-sama!! Do you hear!? I won't give no mercy for those disgraceful to my beloved Zelvis-sama!!!"

"""Yes!!!"""

Ikigai looks up to me for confirmation with an expectant look. 

"Zelvis-sama...!"

How should I say it? She looks like a girl asking for her father to praise her.

"Umu, good work."

I patted Ikigai's head.

There might be some small uncounted details, but this should be it.

I stood up from my throne and faced everyone.

"Everyone, do not fail my expectations!"

Everyone was excited and answered me with their full energy.

I like it. Everything's going smoothly.

"""Yes!!!"""

"Good. Raise your bodies."

Everyone rose from their kneeling posture.

I again went to my throne and laid my black body on it.

Iya~ ^_^

Everything will start tomorrow... Hahhh. I'll make it rain black holes today...

Ikigai suddenly stares at me as if expecting something.

"Danna-sama... can I get a reward...?"

"What is it?"

"Please embrace this disgraceful Ikigai."

"Just sleep."

"Danna-sama~!!"