Unlimited Ambition

However, even so, it is impossible for me to be thrown into another world again in the short term.

And so, a mentally unstable doll appeared in Death's playground. Every day, it did nothing but stare blankly. Occasionally, it would mutter to itself: "I studied lip reading, but what she said back then... wasn't Chinese, nor English, French, Spanish, or Italian—and certainly not Japanese. What was it...?"

And so, the Death Girl spent her days playing in the amusement park, and when she got bored, she would come over to observe the doll. She would talk to the doll. Most of the time, the doll ignored her. She got angry and used the same mental torture she had used before. But the doll still didn't speak. The girl grew somewhat bored.

What she wanted was an obedient and useful toy, not a doll that couldn't do anything.

So the girl tried many methods to cheer up the shut-in. But none of them worked. The shut-in seemed truly dead. His spirit was utterly broken.

But one day, the girl suddenly discovered that the otaku had become interested in a cell phone she had found by chance—to be more precise, he was interested in the phone's ringtone…

The girl then looked up the song's name and basic information; it wasn't very popular, nor was it a classic. While it sounded good—it was just good, nothing more.

Knives, swords...like a dream?

The girl listened to the song carefully once, and the gist of the translation in Chinese is as follows:

Where will my sword go?

Love and hate are hard to separate.

My blade slices through the sky

I understand neither right nor wrong.

I was drunk and in a hazy state.

Kindness and resentment are illusions and emptiness.

I woke up from a spring dream

Life and death are both empty.

They came and went in a hurry.

I wish we could meet

Love comes and goes in a flash.

Everything goes with the wind

A burst of wild laughter

A long sigh

Happy life

Sad life

Who will share life and death with me?

My tears flowed in my heart.

Sorrow and joy are the cruel tricks of fate.

I laugh at my madness and my insanity.

The heavens and earth are in turmoil.

The girl nodded, somewhat understanding. Although the song was neither popular nor classic, it clearly expressed the current state of mind of a shut-in. That's why the shut-in reacted to it.

After learning this, the girl brought in a stereo system, DVD player, and a complete home theater system, and played the song around the otaku every day.

But the girl soon discovered that simply playing the song wouldn't achieve the desired effect—because no matter how she listened to it, it was negative and illusory—even though the melody was very uplifting.

So the girl continued speaking to the otaku: "You think you are the sword? Then who is the knife?"

"...Without a knife, I have always been alone."

Hearing the otaku speak again, the girl could hardly believe it was real. She then rattled off a whole bunch of things to the otaku, only to find that he didn't say anything more.

The girl felt her patience was wearing thin. She almost couldn't resist chopping the otaku's soul to pieces. But then she thought again, and felt a little reluctant.

We should try to get him to work willingly, and then exploit him properly.

"It's said that people who do evil in their lives will go to hell after death. Where do you think you'll go?"

"...It doesn't matter, right?" the otaku thought, while outwardly maintaining an air of detachment.

"You've been acting like this for almost a thousand years. It seems you really can't forget that world."

...A thousand years? That's a long time, isn't it? But it doesn't matter.

"What would you do if I erased your memories of that world?"

?

!

The answer was the Heaven-Slaying Sword in the hands of the otaku. Unbeknownst to her, the girl had gotten far too close to the otaku.

Of course, such an attack posed no threat to the girl. The otaku's wrist was twisted behind his back by the girl, and he was immediately pinned to the ground.

"You demon! You devil! You evil god! You even want to take away my last memories?!" The otaku roared hoarsely.

"Looks like you really care about that memory." The girl's smile looked sinister to the otaku: "If you don't want to be erased by me, then obey my orders! Go to the next world and make me happy!"

"I absolutely refuse to experience that heart-wrenching pain again!" The shut-in continued his fight.

"Then let's give it a try, and just make sure you don't fall in love with anyone." The girl smiled sweetly.

The shut-in was momentarily stunned. Even the sharpest mind would rust if it stared blankly for a thousand years.

"This time, I will only erase your memories of your previous life. That is, the memories of your life as a shut-in. Your memories of your previous life will be retained—as long as you satisfy me, you can keep them indefinitely."

Sensing that the otaku had given up resisting, the girl released him. The two sat down again.

"Answer me, how is the previous world doing now?" the otaku asked.

"How ruthless. It took a thousand years to think about this issue—a thousand years, of course everyone you knew is dead. The two empires destroyed the world by dropping nuclear bombs on each other. After the nuclear winter, just as predicted, human civilization regressed by ten thousand years. And the mutations were disgusting."

"I'm asking about CC!" I raised my voice slightly.

"They died too." The girl rolled her eyes, mimicking the behavior of a shut-in.

"How is that possible?! Doesn't the CODE have an eternal lifespan?!" I found it hard to accept for a moment.

"Because you died, CC felt that living was meaningless, so she quickly found someone, gave her the CODE, and then died," the girl explained.

I nodded slowly.

A thousand years?

They're all dead.

So, I must live on, and I must preserve this memory... CC.

"I accept your request." The otaku finally gave in.

"It's not a request, it's my command!" The girl acted innocent even after getting the benefit.

"Whatever..." the otaku scoffed. Then, just like last time, he was struck by the girl's scythe and disappeared.

"Hmm... because he lost his morality, his emotions became even stronger and harder to control. But if you take away his emotions too, he'll really become a doll, huh? That's troublesome..." The girl thought for a moment, then mimicked the otaku's expression, a wicked smile playing on her lips: "Looks like I should find him a companion... Swords and dreams, hmm?"

Chapter One: Heaven on Earth

In March 1185, Jerusalem was in a state of desolation. The king of the kingdom that God had given him was finally being called by the Lord to return to the peaceful heavenly kingdom.

Baldwin IV, a genius among geniuses, the legendary general who single-handedly defeated Saladin, the King of the Desert, is currently making his final prayers. Without a miracle, he will not survive the night.

However, history took a slight turn at this moment—or rather, a cruel joke. The next day, after the sun rose again at dawn, a servant carrying a bucket of water, on a whim, quietly opened the door to King Baldwin's bedroom to see if he was really dead.

An astonishing thing happened. The foul stench emanating from the lepers' bodies vanished, leaving only a faint, pleasant fragrance. King Baldwin removed his silver mask for the first time, revealing his exceptional demeanor, and smiled gently at his servants.

The servant dropped the bucket he was carrying and roared as if he had seen a ghost. Superstition was rampant in Europe at the time. The servant believed that his king was under a curse—or was simply a devil.

Baldwin IV didn't seem to mind and walked out slowly with a warm smile—like an angel.

The Archbishop of Jerusalem rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. The Catholic clergy had always opposed a leper becoming king of the Holy Land. No matter how great his achievements, it was unacceptable! And indeed! Everything he did was a deal with the devil! He gained his glory through evil magic bestowed upon him by hell!

Immediately afterwards, the archbishop met his king.

And the officials, knights and commoners kneeling beside him, weeping bitterly.

The archbishop also shed tears and slowly knelt down—God blessed the Holy Land, granting it an angel as its king!

King Baldwin was an angel, the holy king appointed by God! The news spread like wildfire, and everyone who had seen the king believed it without a doubt.

The holy site was in an uproar.

Following this, under King Baldwin's command, the entire Kingdom of Jerusalem was swiftly unified. The Temple and Hospitaller Orders were unconditionally disbanded, surrendering all their castles, manors, and property. They then joined the Royal Knights, personally led by the King.

The Kingdom Church also relinquished all power and was reorganized into a State Church led by the King. Without bloodshed, the state achieved the unification of power.

When the news reached the European continent, the nations were shocked. Pope Urban III announced his doubts and dispatched a large mission of priests, led by three cardinals, to the Holy Land to verify the king's authenticity.

The Pope knew perfectly well the upheaval an angel could cause the Church. He had to eliminate him! The priests he sent would absolutely not let him pass those tests! If necessary, they would even kill him!

However, the Pope miscalculated. For how could anyone harm a person promised by God in the Promised Land?!

Upon first seeing the king, the papal delegation burst into tears, frankly admitting their crimes and pointing out that it was all a papal conspiracy. They offered to break away from the Church's rule and become part of the Holy Land as atonement.

When the news reached Europe again, Urban III died in panic. His successor, Gregory VIII, was even more determined, declaring the Jerusalem National Church a heretic and demanding the formation of the Third Crusade to cleanse the Holy Land of its defilement!

Contrary to another account in history, the European nations were remarkably united, agreeing immediately: Richard the Lionheart, King of England; Philip the Fox, King of France; and Barbarossa, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. These three European rulers swiftly assembled a massive crusade.

They also didn't want to see an angel appear among mortals.

Amidst the internal strife within the Catholic Church, Saladin, the king of the desert, added insult to injury, and the Islamic jihadist army of 100,000 announced its march on the holy city!

The Kingdom of Jerusalem is facing siege from both the east and the west, and is on the verge of annihilation!

In a moment of crisis, King Baldwin launched a surprise attack, personally leading the Royal Knights in a preemptive strike that first routed Saladin's army, capturing the Desert King alive! Immediately afterwards, the royal army clashed with the Crusader coalition.

On the battlefield, upon seeing King Baldwin's appearance, a large number of spontaneously organized believers defected! Countless knights, bound by their oaths of loyalty to their monarch and unable to defy doctrine by committing suicide, vied with each other to demand that their comrades kill him.

When only one knight remained, he cried out to the heavens. He had escaped the clutches of swords and axes in the chaos of war. After the war, he was pardoned by King Baldwin and tasked with forming the Knights of Darkness, selecting knights who had committed heinous acts but sincerely sought redemption. They were responsible for internal oversight and external espionage within the kingdom, and their members were known as hermits.

After the war, King Baldwin unconditionally released all prisoners of war, including the three kings. However, after returning to their respective kingdoms, the three kings all died suddenly at the same time. Popular belief attributed this to divine retribution.

In the years that followed, King Baldwin expanded westward and eastward, northward and southward. He continuously expanded his territory and spread Catholic doctrine. Several years later, he married a Byzantine princess.

Under the king's proclamation, the kingdom flourished in all its endeavors. People across the land converted to Catholicism. Civilization prospered, almost reaching the heights of the Roman Empire. But its spirit was even more advanced. Moral standards were the highest in continental Europe.

The kingdom had only one small regret: King Baldwin's lack of offspring. Decades of marriage had passed without a single prince or princess being born. Furthermore, there were no capable individuals within the royal family. The subjects were filled with anxiety, fearing that the king would be called upon by the Lord and leave without a successor.