"I should have a name... Yes, I do have a name. I am... I am... Oz Vessalius..."
[nepiee, it truly exists!]
The voice that had once startled the boy awake roared again, and a towering figure suddenly appeared in his mind, shaking the entire world with his fist.
"I am... E... Edward..."
[All things in creation, turn to ash, Ryūjin Jakka!]
Reflected in his pupils was a sky full of flames.
"No, I am... Yamamoto..."
[There are so few places to expand territory in this world, it's barely enough for me to mess around alone.]
"No... No, I am... Uchiha... Uchiha..."
[It's precisely because we can't see it that it's terrifying!]
"It should be... Kurosaki..."
[Devils never cry. These tears... are a gift from God to humans.]
"No!!! I am... I am... Dante... Devil... Dante... Ah ah ah... I am... I am..."
[Give the order! Give me the order, Master! I will kill, without the slightest hesitation, without a trace of regret! Because I am a monster, what do you think? I will raise the gun, I will aim, I will load the bullets into the magazine, chamber them, and I will disengage the safety, however—the power of life and death depends on your killing intent, so what will you do? Command me!!]
[What is a heart, anyway? If I tear open your chest, will I see everything in your heart? If I smash your skull, will I see everything in your brain?]
[I am neither good nor evil, Athena and Hades are not important to me, I am just me! Devil, how dare you toy with my life, I will never let you go, scatter into the galaxy!]
[People die, but nothing matters. Let it all end! Everything, as desired, release everything! Open, kill, all of it! Destroy it all—]
[Fall, then reincarnate.]
[A sword is a weapon, swordsmanship is a killing technique. No matter how beautiful the words used to disguise it, that is always the truth.]
[No one stands at the top from the beginning, neither you, nor I, not even God. But this unbearable vacuum on the throne will soon end. From now on, I will stand at the pinnacle!]
[Gentlemen, I long for war. A war like hell! Gentlemen, my comrades in the great army who follow me, what do you long for? Do you also long for war? Do you also long for a ruthless war? Do you also long for a war that transcends iron and blood, cold winds, thunder, and raging flames to the extreme, killing all the crows in the three thousand worlds, like a storm?]
[What God doesn't give, you can take yourself!]
[Pitiful weakling, if you were truly a first-class swordsman, even without fighting me, you would understand the gap in our strength!]
[I'm looking for a gift for you. How about this, I'll give you despair?]
[There is no evidence, I just believe the truth in my heart.]
"Ah ah ah ah..."
An inexpressible pain seemed to tear the boy apart, and countless torrents of information forcefully crammed into his brain. The boy tried hard to suppress himself, but still involuntarily let out screams.
Who am I?
This question seemed to open a switch, and the boy's calm inner world completely fell into disarray. His peaceful sea of consciousness seemed to gather a massive storm, and his fragile personality seemed on the verge of collapsing in the face of endless information.
"I am... I am... Ah ah ah ah!! Who am I, exactly!!!"
Just as the boy's inner world was suffering an unparalleled impact, his very existence was precarious, and his personality was almost impossible to maintain, a warm embrace tightly enveloped him.
"Please stop! Don't think anymore. I'm sorry for saying something that caused you pain. If I may, let me give you a name."
Holding the boy in her arms, a hint of guilt appeared on the girl's face. Although she didn't know what had happened to the boy, he was suffering so much because of her question.
"Name... My... name..."
Seemingly truly at ease, the screaming boy slowly stopped struggling, and the chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually calmed down.
"My... name..."
The boy stretched out his right hand, as if grasping a lifesaver, and tightly held the warmth before him.
"Name..."
With the final murmur, the boy fell into a deep sleep again.
"Sigh..."
Looking at the boy in her arms, who seemed to have calmed down, the girl let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
"This world seems like it's about to get lively."
The girl's emerald eyes fixed on the boy in her arms, a hint of complexity in her gaze.
"I don't know if interacting with you is right or wrong, but this future, let me witness it with my own eyes!"
...When the boy woke up again, it was three days later.
During these three days, the girl seemed to have stayed by the boy's side, which made the awakened boy very grateful.
"I'm sorry..."
The boy didn't know how to thank her, so he could only awkwardly blurt out an apology.
"Whew~ I'm glad you're alright, you really scared me."
The girl didn't mind the boy's tone or awkwardness. Seemingly finally relieved, she let out a long breath and patted her completely flat chest.
"..."
"Hey! Pervert, that's so rude!"
Seeing the boy's rather subtle gaze, the girl covered her chest, her delicate and cute face instantly turning red. This was not shyness, but annoyance.
"So flat!"
Seemingly oblivious to the girl's expression, the boy gave a very objective evaluation.
Bang!!
A delicate fist landed heavily on the boy's head, and a large bump swelled up.
"We're even."
"..."
Looking at the boy, who wasn't smiling, the girl was completely mortified.
How uncute!
The girl made a heartfelt assessment of the boy in her mind.
Seeing the boy still staring intently at her, although it wasn't the annoying and embarrassing area of her chest, the girl still looked displeased. Then, suddenly remembering something, she cleared her throat twice, her expression straightening. She pointed to herself and formally introduced:
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Mavis Viviamillion, a Mage."
"A scarlet (Viviamillion) ... thrush (Mavis)?"
The boy unconsciously interpreted.
"You could say that." Mavis nodded indifferently at the boy's interpretation. "So, what is your dream? Because I want to give you a name, I want to give you a good name that you'll remember for life, based on your dream."
Mavis smiled very happily, seemingly pleased with her idea.
"King!"
The boy blurted out a word without hesitation.
...
Instant silence!!
Mavis's smile froze on her face.
"What, is there a problem?"
The boy looked at Mavis in confusion, while Mavis twitched the corner of her mouth, unsure how to respond.
"Pro... Problem, no. But... but what exactly are you thinking? How can someone just open their mouth and say they want to be a King!!"
"Is it strange?" The boy raised his right hand, gazing at his empty palm. He unconsciously clenched his fist. "I want to become a King! To become the strongest man in this world!"
"Uh..."
It was a very normal wish, but seeing the boy, who looked only three years old, say such arrogant words, a strong sense of incongruity filled Mavis's heart.
"Are you really only three years old?"
Mavis finally couldn't help but ask. Could he be a monster like Zeref, who had lived for countless years? But after thinking about it, Mavis dismissed this doubt. The existence of one such person in this world was enough to make people despair; if another appeared, would anyone still be able to live? Uh... although she herself was already dead, that was true.
"Yes!"
The boy nodded affirmatively. Although the past three years were a blank, his heart told him so. He was an absolutely brand new existence, possessing the most complete personality.
"..."
Mavis stared intently into the boy's eyes. In the depths of his clear eyes was an unquestionable certainty.
Taking a deep breath, Mavis extended her right hand to the boy.
"Since you want to be a King so badly, then go towards that goal! But, it must be a way that makes everyone happy."
She saw it!
From the boy's eyes, Mavis truly understood him.
It wasn't about becoming the king of humanity to rule the world, but about standing at the pinnacle of the world's strongest as the most powerful King.
"From now on, you shall be called Phoenix Viviamillion!"