[Vorn's POV]
A few days later, I heaved a deep sigh on my throne, feeling much better.
"You still can't pinpoint what exactly happened?" I asked Ayre and Lexi, who were standing before me.
The shapeshifter general shook her head. "Not yet, my lord. I'm sorry."
"I can't find anything wrong with you either," Lexi added. "Your body is fine."
Even though the intensity has lessened, this feeling still bothers me deeply. It even carried over to my original world. I couldn't do my routine well there.
"Perhaps you need to refresh your mind again, my lord?" The doctor made a suggestion.
"You know why I make a lot of entertainment here?" I sighed again. "That's to minimize me from traveling. I don't want to miss important moments again. If things get critical, then I'll go."
"And we haven't gotten any information from the shapeshifters in Ashenburg." Ayre continued. "In fact, they should have given a routine report to my subordinates a while ago. But that hasn't happened yet."
I leaned forward, pausing to think. "You set up that special protocol, Ayre."
The shapeshifter general's mouth opened. "Are you sure, my lord?"
"If this is a sign of another version of me appearing, chances are his strength will be on par with mine," I responded. "I prepared the protocol for a situation like this.
Lexi Gulped. "Sorry if I'm rude, but what protocol do you mean, Your Honor?"
"You don't need to know, Doc." I rose from the throne. "I just want you to be prepared for the worst."
The doctor massaged her nape. "Are things that bad?"
"I don't know." I started walking from the throne. "But that's why we have to be very careful….. Well, I'll go on my bike alone to calm my mind. Don't disturb me unless absolutely necessary."
The two of my underlings bowed, and I continued on my way.
***
I continued to ride my bike at maximum speed, allowing the strong wind to hit my body.
However, even after wandering through the air for hours, my mind still couldn't settle down. My heart kept beating fast.
I hate this. Under these conditions, I can't properly manage my empire.
If we can find the source of my anxiety, I will immediately deal with it, whatever the price must be paid.
Feeling that what I was doing was pointless, I decided to make a landing just as Ayre contacted me.
"I hope you have something, Ayre," I answered her.
"A human correspondent has just given a report, my lord." She responded in a fast tone. "There's a woman who takes over the minds of our shapeshifter agents in Ashenburg. Then she controls them to wreak havoc. That's why they don't give regular reports."
"I see. Maybe she is the source of this terrible feeling." I tried to stay calm, even though my heartbeat was getting out of control. I have to face this situation with a cool head….
But this is an excellent opportunity to get things straight. Then, I can focus on taking care of my empire.
"I'll be right over to that bitch." I said.
"But…" Ayre was silent for a moment. "Fine, if that's what you want. But I suggest that you bring at least one fighter to help you. Not because I don't believe in your abilities, but just in case."
"I'll bring Velvet." I continued. "You lead this place while I'm gone."
"Very well, my lord."
After the call ended, I contacted Velvet using the remote communication device on my bike.
I will solve this problem soon.
***
Wearing a maroon dress, Hiana sits on a pile of corpses casually while the shapeshifters she controls keep bringing in new corpses.
"Please, stop all of this." A man with a mustache stood near the bloody pile, weeping. "I can't stand it anymore. I became a soldier to protect the people of Ashenburg, but now I can't do anything…. I…. I…."
"As I said, General. This is also for the protection of your country." Hiana chuckled. "With this show, I will bait Vorn and kill him. Ashenburg will be safe from him."
The general, wearing plain clothes because it was a covert mission, knelt down and cried. "I failed as a soldier….."
"Don't be so sad, general." Hiana lay down on the pile of corpses. "As a soldier, you must follow the king's orders, right? You are a good soldier."
The General took a knife from his belt and held it to his neck. Hiana, who felt it straightened her body. "What? Are you giving up? You're not having fun, general? Even though I'm going to fight Vorn, you don't want to see us later?"
Not answering, the general slashed his own throat, then lay down in a pool of blood.
"Whatever." Hiana shrugged, then lay down again and yawned. "Vorn, come to me. I can't wait."
The shapeshifters controlled by Hiana kept killing people and collecting their corpses.
***
[Vorn's POV]
"Do you really not know who she is, my lord?" Velvet, sitting behind me and hugging my belly, asked. "Maybe she is someone who used to have a grudge against you. You know, like Fergus."
"Maybe." I continued to ride my bike from the Ashenburg country outskirt to the location of the chaos, cutting through the night wind. "But if Ayre's theory is correct that she is another version of me, then I should have felt her presence long ago if I ever met her."
"Ah, you're right…. Hey, did you see that, my lord?"
"Yeah." I activated my armor. My gaze fell on the pile of human corpses in the distance. A human-like figure waved to me up there.
My heartbeat was getting faster, and the discomfort inside me was getting unbearable. She is definitely the figure I'm looking for.
"Hey, are you Vorn!?" she shouted. "How about we play a game to determine who the real demon lord is!?"
Instead of stopping, I pulled the throttle even more, increasing the bike's speed.
The bike's front end collided with that woman's body, sending her flying away, crashing a building until it collapsed.
I stopped my bike and looked at the thick layer of dust from the building.
"Is it over?" Velvet hissed. "Isn't this too easy?"
"No." I remained alert, still feeling the discomfort. "This is just beginning…."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l