《CY》 The beginning of the end (Prologue) I was rushing towards the enemy queen''s throne while slashing all the enemy soldiers that tried to block my way. "STOP THAT CYBORG!" the queen roared out and multiple human-like bugs blocked my pathway towards the queen. "Dk-1998 Lilith!" Zeno spoke to the A.I in his mech suit. ''Please state your order'' a woman popped out on his monitor "Calculate the most efficient path to the queen" Zeno quickly ordered. ''Affirmative.........found the most optimal path way, please rush ahead and jump up in approximately 6 seconds'' Zeno rushed forward and with hisAzazel, a katana that uses energy to manifest its sharp blade,slashed 4 ant soldiers before jumping off the ground. ''Please use [spatial rip]'' with the help of Lilith''s calculating ability, Zeno perfectly utilised his [spatial rip] and appeared behind the queen. "Die! human!" a scythe like that of a mantis popped out of the queen''s back and tried to slash Zeno but he swiftly dodged it and stabbed Azazel to the queen''s head. "I...I...WILL TAKE YOU ALL WITH ME!!" the queen screeamed and the gigantic hive that the aliens used as a base started to expand and explode. The explosion caused most of the ships outside to crash. ''Zeno,this is our final battle'' Lilith for the first time showed emotions. "come on Lilith we can''t die here!" Zeno however refused. ''I''ve already calculated path''s of escape. escape route''s found: 4 possibility of survival: 0%'' "I guess this is the end then...." Zeno accepted the facts and resigned to his fate. ''It was fun working with you Zeno''Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Right back at you Lilith" ''spatial distortion detected due to the explosion of the hive. A blackhole will appear shortly'' Lilith felt something go off the charts and warned Zeno "So I will be disintegrated, never thought I''ll die that way" Zeno laughed at himself "Z..eno!!" Zeno received a video call. when the line connected, a young woman appeared on his screen "Dr.Alisa!" Zeno knew her because she was the one who turned him into a cyborg in the first place. "Zeno! quickly leave that place!" Dr.Alisa quickly ordered. "I''m sorry doctor but it seems like I''ll be late for maintenance" Zeno was doing his best not to show the lady his weakness. "What do you mean?!" Dr.Alisa didn''t become a doctor through means other than hard work so she naturally discovered what Zeno was trying to do "I''m sorry doctor" Zeno could only apologize "ZENO! THIS IS AN ORDER, COME BACK HOME!" Dr.Alisa was screaming at the top of her lungs. the video call was starting to lose connection as the screen started to turn fuzzy due to static andZenocould hardly make out Dr.Alisa''s face. "Doctor.....thanks for everything" Zeno could only say his farewell ''Zeno, the blackhole has manifested'' Lilith interjected. After Lilith finished her sentence, everything went dark. ''D-Due t-to the blacck hole,Dk-1998 has starrrr-ted to fail, Z-Zeno, G-Goodbye!'' Lilith faded from Zeno''s monitor and his Mech suit that usually had a red glow started to fade and soon in the empty black space, the red glow finally dimmed down and vanished. ? I woke up with a headache,wait, I woke up? I quickly took of my helmet and checked my body. "good.nothing seems to be broken or destroyed." my robotic body was still intact. "Lilith!" I put on my helmet and called out. ''System rebootingplease wait....'' After waiting for a minute, the rebooting was complete and Lilith once again showed up on my monitor. ''Zeno?'' Lilith tilted her head "yeah, seems like we didn''t disintegrate" ''Impossible, probability of survival was less than 0%'' Lilith started calculating everything again. "More than that, where are we?" I asked Lilith since she was the smart one. ''This planet has 70% similarity to the planet earth.'' "is that it?"Usually she would have more than one answer. ''Conclusion,we seem to have made a time jump and went back thousands of years'' "WHAT?" Entry no. 1 "How could that happen?" I asked Lilith. "We only understand that everything that goes into a blackhole disintegrates, this is something new" Lilith explained. "Can we go back?" I have to go back "Negative, insufficient materials to create a time machine" "So all I need are materials right?" "Negative, Materials needed are yet to be invented and in this world some of the materials do not exist" Lilith just crushed my hope. "*sigh* Lilith, check battery level" If I was really sent thousands of years back then they still haven''t invented electricity which is something I''ll need to survive. "Checking please wait.......Battery levels are at 10% due to the last battle please recharge" "how long will I last?" "1 month" "It should be enough for us to find or create and electric source right?" I thought about something before asking Lilith another question. "Lilith, you said 70% right? what''s the 30%" "This world is almost the same as planet earth. The only difference is an unknown energy is present in this one" "Tell me" "We have no information of this energy, requesting to check other sources" "granted" "Looking through all saved files please wait.....One match found" "What is it?" "This unkown energy has 99% similarity to an enrgy called ''Mana''" "Where did you get the info?" "The information was taken from games" "Okay then, explain mana" "Affirmative, Mana is an energy used to summon spells, skills, or monsters. It is also an energy that has a similarity to electricity in a way that it may be used to power up contraptions of this world."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Wait, Mosters?" What the hell? "Affirmative, around 50 meters behind the rock is an unkwon life form which,basing from the data, is called a ''Monster''" Then it isn''t safe here! I quickly stood up and climbed up a nearby tree. "Lilith, Check available weapons" "Weapons Availabe : Azazel" "Only Azazel?!" This is bad "Other weapons have been lost" "Then, is there a city nearby?" "Negative, there is no map available for this world" I forgot we''re at a diferent world "Do you detect any foot paths?" "Scanning....One foot path has been detected please move west after 2 minuts you will find the said foot path" "Got it!" I jumped down and walked to the path Lilith told me I found the foot path and followed it, it was in the middle of the day but I have night vision so I didn''t stray from the path and soon after I saw a broken down house. Perfect! I needed a shelter to sleep in and to organize all the information. "Is there signs of life inside?" Just to make sure I better ask Lilith "Affirmative, one life form detected, Female, status: Poisoned" Poisoned? do I help her? or do I let her die? If I let her die then I can have the shelter,all I have to do is bury her also, I would be rid of the troubles of taking care of her...but Dr.Alisa helped me back then...Ok, it''s decided I''ll help her. I entered the house and entered a room, inside was a girl around the age of 19, she was only wearing a piece of cloth, she also had a collar around her neck which had a broken chain. "Lilith, can we cure her?" "Insufficient information" That doesn''t mean no "I''ll take her blood sample and you run a test" I said as I punctured her hand with Azazel and took a small amount of blood "Scanning....Negative, we have no information of this poison" Shit this is bad, do I watch her die like this? "Search the house, She couldn''t have gotten far!" I heard shouts outside so I peeked. Three men were outside, they were holding torches on one hand and an Iron sword on the other, then It came to me "Is she a slave? then she must''ve tried to escape but was poisoned. If so then they should have the antidote!" I started walking towards the door. "Boss! all that''s left is that house" A man pointed at the run-down house. "hehe, go in and retrieve her, she''s a very rare catch, get her before the poison kills her!" A man that looked like a leader ordered After his voice fell, the two men rushed in the house but soon enough screams were heard inside the house. The leader couldn''t ignore this and rushed inside, what he saw made his eyes bulge. the two men were beheaded and blood kept flowing out of their bodies. Then he saw something glow in the darkness so he shouted. "Who are you?!" strangely I can understand them. "I''m just a passerby, now tell me where is the antidote for the lady?" I''m sure he knows what I''m talking about "h-here take it! as long as you don''t kill me" he brought out a vial with green liquid in it "don''t worry, throw here" I demanded He threw the antidote and ran away but after getting the antidote, I threw the Iron sword which penetrated the spot between his eyes. "Lilith, examine this" "......This liquid has 90% chance of curing the poison earlier" "Great! let''s go" I quickly rushed inside the room where the lady was at and let her drink the antidote. After a few seconds, her breathing stabalized and it seems like she''s gotten better so I carried her off to a bed I found earlier and let her rest. Entry no. 2 The next day... She was still asleep, her breath has stabalized and she doesn''t seem to be in pain anymore but her body as of right now is frail, she''s completely malnourished so I decided to go out and hunt some animals, hopefully I''ll find some animals that we can eat. I went out and found out that I still haven''t properly disposed of the bodies from yesterday and they were starting to smell so I quickly pulled the bodies and threw them off a river heading downstream, I can''t be bothered burying them. Let the fish nibble their corpses, It''s what they deserve. With the help of Lilith''s detection, I soon came across what seems to be a wild chicken, this wild chicken could reach up to my waist and it seems to have sharp tooth and claws, clearly this chicken was a carnivore. I crept towards it making sure that it doesn''t notice me and when I was in striking range I quickly beheaded it with Azazel. Blue bubbles started floating up from the corpse and went into me, at first I checked my body but found nothing so I asked Lilith. "Lilith, what was that?" "Basing from the old database, this is what they call EXP. Points" Lilith replied "Please explain" "These exp. points are needed to level up, if you level up you will receive a boost in your stats and will be given 1 points which can be used to improve a skill that you have mastered, also in leveling up, once you reach a certain level you will be given a choice to either change classes, there is also a chance that you will be given a skill based on your class" Lilith explained. "Then show my stats." [ Zeno Abbadon Level: 1 Class: Swordsman Skills: Death Impact Omnislash Overcharge Spatial Rip Crescent Slash Title: ??? ] "hey Lilith, what''s with the title" It was the first thing I noticed "Insufficient data" Guess we still lack information about this world But this really feels like a game now...No, I already killed people of this world and it is not a game. I started walking back to the run down house to cook the chicken, and along the way I grabbed some dried leaves and twigs. I also found a bamboo so I cut open it''s top and let the water flow in making it a makeshift water bottle. When I returned to the house, the woman was still asleep so I started cooking the chicken outside, After 20 minutes, the chicken was now well roasted so I killed the fire and wrapped the roasted chicken in a banana leaf before entering the house. I don''t know if it was the smell but once I entered the room, the lady woke up and looked at me. After three minutes, she finally processed everything and hid herself. "Excuse me, are you hungry?" I should make a good impression first. "I-I''m so sorry d-dem-demonic l-lord!" demonic lord? Wait a minute! I quickly grabbed the largest piece of a broken mirror and looked at myself, I had my helet on which was glowing red in the eye while my Armor gave off a crimson blood gleam. I really do look like a demon however I cannot let her see my face either. "Don''t worry, I''m not a demon, I won''t hurt you! I was just cursed by a demon to have a very ugly face so I put on this helmet!" I tried to reason with her, It seems to be working because she stopped prostating on the ground and looked at me.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Here, are you hungry?" I cut off a piece from the chicken I roasted and handed it to her. She was a bit cautious at first but in the end, she took it and ate it with joy. It seemed like it wasn''t enough so I cut the chicken in half and gave half to her. Sure I might be a cyborg but I still have most of my organs, Only my heart was replaced with an artificial one. The lower part of my helmet opened, revealing my mouth. She was shocked at first but she still continued eating, she must really be hungry. After we ate our meal I introduced myself. "Hey, I''m Zeno" "I-I''m Cynthia" she said as she meekly bowed It got awkward really fast. ''Lilith, help me'' I quickly asked Lilith ''Replies available: Are you single? Want to go out? Are you Virgin?'' ''Lilith, what the hell are you suggesting?!'' ''This information has been taken from observing Johny'' ''Delete that info, you know he never got a lady ever in his life!'' I still remember that scumbag who tried to pick up women with stupid pick up lines ''Information Deleted, Insufficient data, help request denied'' Guess I''ll have to do this myself. "Uhm, I know we just met but I guess this is where we part ways" I honestly have no idea how to speak to women so I''ll just head straight to the point. I''ve already helped her, that should be enough "N-No, Please take me in!" she started prostating again "No, I possibly can''t I have no ability to take care of others" "Please! I am a slave, I have nowhere to go!" she started crying "Slave?" I forgot this was a thousand years in the past, of course slavery is present here. "Yes, my family sold me off to pay some debts" She said as her eyes wondered in the distance. ''Cynthia seems to be lying'' Lilith managed to see through her. "Please stop lying and tell me the truth" I said "H-How did you know?" She was shocked "Incstincts" Thank you very much Lilith "I...I am Cynthia Night, Princess of the kingdom of Acacia...was the princess" "What do you mean?" "The kingdom of Acacia no longer belongs to our family, It was taken over by my corrupt uncle. He staged a coup and killed every member of my family...except for me" "Then how did you manage to become a slave?" "I was caught soon after but that son of his was as stupid as a pig and mistook me for my personal maid, she switched places with me so that I could be sold off at the slave market..." ''Lilith?'' I was still a bit skeptical so I asked Lilith ''Scanning shows that she is telling the truth'' she replied after a few seconds "Okay then, I believe you but the most I can do is take you to the closest town" I really need to keep my Identity a secret. "Please...Make a slave contract with me" "I''m really sorry but I can''t" "If you don''t I''ll die" ''Lilith...'' If what she says is true then... ''Truth'' Lilith replied with no hesitation "How come?" "I was given a slave''s curse, If I''m away from the slave master for too long then I will die but If I signed a contract with you then the seal will transfer to you" She explained "Give me a reason to help you" "...I still want to live...so I can avenge my family" I too was like that, I was willing to throw away everything even my humanity just so that I can get back at those aliens who killed not only my family, but also my friends and their families, In the end I actually sold off my humanity and turned myself into a cyborg with the help of Dr.Alissa and killed the queen. I really did it didn''t I? but what''s left for me to do? I can''t even return to my own timeline...should I help Cynthia or stop her? Revenge was something that drove me to the extreme but after killing the queen, that drive suddenly vanished and now I feel deflated..like I lack a reason to live... ''Suggestion, find love and settle down'' Lilith had always read my thoughts ''But...only Dr.Alissa was the one for me...'' It was stupid of me to only realize it now... ''Regret is something we feel when we lose something, but with time we will learn to live with it'' Lilith explained ''In that time that I learn to live with it, I will also attain some things...right?'' ''correct'' I''ve decided, I will stop Cynthia "Cynthia, I will make a contract with you but on one condition" "what is it?" "Don''t go for revenge" "you know, it''s funny... my parents also said the same thing while blood flowed out of their mouths" She started crying "revenge is never the best path...trust me" "THEN WHAT ELSE WILL I HAVE TO LIVE FOR?!" she started breakig down... "Nothing for now" It was all I can say "Then...please give me a reason to live..." she started crying...it seem''s like she''s gotten over the death of her parents long ago but only used revenge as a reason to live. "I give you any reasons now but we will eventually find one, let''s travel together" I''m gonna take care of her like how Dr.Alissa took care of me in the past... "...you''re not very convincing..." She laughed even though she was still crying before continuing "but strangely enough... I feel relieved.." She said that as she stopped sobbing. "I guess even with my ugly looks, I still have my charm" I joked "Charm huh...anyway...let''s go" She quickly stood up and pumped herself up "You forgot sometihng" "Right! the contract!" "how do we do this?" "please present me with your blood" Blood?!...If I stab my arm Oil will come out or those enchanced blood that we cyborg''s use... ''Lilith, please direct a small amount of blood to my thumb'' ''request granted'' I turned around and punctured my thumb with Azazel and soon enough, blood flowed out. I quickly put the blood on top of a small bamboo. Cynthia took it while looking at me with a weird face before she licked it, afterward a circle appeared beneath her feet, it glowed in a blood red color as letters I''ve never seen before started dancing around it and in the end, it wrapped around Cynthia''s neck and formed a necklace. "contract complete, Nice to meet you Master Zeno" Cynthia smiled Entry no. 3 "Nice to meet you too Cynthia!" I smiled "What is master Zeno''s first order?" Cynthia asked "...Could you tell me all the information you know about this country?" I have virtually no information about this world. "Master Zeno...you aren''t from around here?" "Yeah... things happened and I woke up here" I lied "Is that so?" Cynthia was skeptical but in the end, she didn''t pursue any further. "This country is called Regalia, Regalia is governed by King Mane Regalia IV. The Regalian army invaded the kingdom of Acacia, it turns out that my uncle Moore, sold out our kingdoms'' weakness so that they will help him in staging a coup and take over Acacia. Now that Acacia has fallen to Regalia, there are only two countries left, the Protectors of the forest and the now joined Regalia-Acacia country. Those corrupt and greedy people just might have caused humanity to go extinct... now that the demonic league has become active..." Cynthia said with resentment "Demonic League?" "The demonic league is a collection of multiple demonic tribes that have formed a large group in order to fight off the humans... these tribes are led by a group of Tribe chiefs from the strongest tribes within the league, the strongest tribes are as follows: Pure Blooded demon tribe, Vampire Tribe, Giant''s tribe, and finally the Undead tribe. The other tribes are the troll''s tribe, orc tribe, Naga''s, and lastly the Manananggal tribe" "Fight off?" If I follow the logic from past data''s, it should be Enslave humanity or take over the world right? "To be honest, Regalia want''s world domination but Acacia alway''s opposed this" "Human''s are greedy creatures" I laughed "Yeah..." Cynthia also agreed but there was a tinge of sadness in her tone.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "I too am greedy, greedy for happiness" I continued The words I said caused Cynthia to look at me. "What do you mean?" Cynthia asked "Everyone has desires and that''s only normal but what matters is what we are greedy for, you are greedy for a quiet and peaceful life while I am greedy for... something that I have lost" losing my humanity is nothing but knowing that I can''t be with Dr.Alissa is something else "You''re right..." Cynthia thought for a while before she smiled "Do you know the closest town?" I asked Cynthia "It''s just south of here, it''s a small town called Lugrus" "Well then let''s pick up the pace" I wanted to get her clothes, it must be cold having a piece of cloth cover your whole body. "Master Zeno! Look there!" Cynthia called me and pointed at a small hole in a mountain "What is it?" A hole in a wall? "It''s a dungeon!" "please elaborate" "A dungeon is a place where monster''s spawn if we enter it we will face monsters that will drop materials that we can sell in the town" oh yeah...we lack money... can''t believe I forgot about that. If we enter this dungeon then we could get materials and we could also level up... who knows what enemy we will face in the future, I need to get stronger. "Speaking of which, what is your level?" I asked Cynthia "My level is... 5" Cynthia said with embarrassment. "Your Class?" "I''m a healer" "a healer huh..Let''s go to the dungeon!" a healer... does that mean magic? ''Lilith, did you record everything?'' ''Yes'' ''Good, keep recording everything okay?'' ''Affirmative'' I walked with Cynthia behind me. *** The inside of the dungeon was dark but I have my night vision so it was nothing but Cynthia still produced a small light ball that floated ahead. ''Lilith, scan it'' ''Scanning... Scanning completed, The energy ball is like a small sun that run''s on mana. It uses mana as a fuel that burns itself, The mana seems to have an element they call light element because it is different from the normal elementless mana that floats everywhere'' ''Thanks'' ''No problem'' I heard small footsteps and when I looked in front of me, I saw a small green creature the size of a child. It had long ears and long nose... it was holding a small wooden club ''Record show''s that this is a goblin'' Lilith said "Is that a goblin?" I asked Cynthia "Yes" Cynthia answered quickly I unsheathed Azazel and quickly beheaded the goblin and saw small balls of light enter me ''Energy levels rising!'' Lilith quickly alerted me *Ping* You have Leveled up! Those words popped up in front of my eyes, I felt energy course through my body. It felt like getting a maintenance, the feeling was fresh... it felt really good. I looked at the dead goblin, smoke started rising up from its body and after a few seconds, it vanished leaving behind a small meat. I brandished Azazel and walked forwards, killing every monster that I come across while Cynthia watch from behind. Entry no. 4 I kept killing monsters until we saw some stairs leading down so I looked at Cynthia for an explanation. "Dungeons go deep underground, the deepest known dungeon goes until the 100th floor. This is an unknown dungeon so I really don''t know how deep this dungeon goes..." Cynthia explained. "In the town nearby, is it safe?" Sometimes humans are more of a demon compared to actual demons. "To be honest... No" Cynthia said truthfully "Then let''s keep killing monsters until we''re at least level 10" "Sure" Cynthia agreed We went down the stairs and unlike the first floor where we saw slimes and goblins, we saw leopards and boars on this floor. The monsters here seems to be somewhere in between level 6-7 while Cynthia and I were level 5. A leopard pounced at me but with a swing of Azazel, I cut it in half. Compared to the aliens I''ve faced, these monsters are only comparable to the alien''s shit, not even worth mentioning. We kept killing monsters until we''re at least level 10. Cynthia was now wearing a leopard bikini which the leopard dropped. She was unwilling at first but in the end, she still wore it. I, on the other hand, wore leader jacket''s and pants to cover my mecha suit. I asked Cynthia earlier if she wants to wear those but she declined, according to her it wasn''t because she was shy, it was because she can''t, she said that the jackets and pants are made for men to wear. So equipment are also gender specific? of course you wouldn''t want to see a man wearing a leopard designed bikini now would you? We came out from the dungeon and it was already mid-day so we prepared for lunch, with the help of Lilith, I cooked the boar meat to perfection. It was so good that I craved for more but I need to restrain myself. When we arrived in town, a lot of men kept eyeing Cynthia in her bikini, She did not like this. I quickly went to a clothing shop and got her three simple dresses for her daily life. "Since...we are in a town, is there some kind of Adventurer''s guild?" In the database, towns usually have an adventurer''s guild wherein you can get quests that pay you. "Yes, there are multiple guilds that we can join" "Multiple? is it class oriented?" "No, these guilds are a collection of multiple adventurers with different classes. The bigger and stronger the guild, the better quests they receive" "Where can we join a guild?" "In the town hall, we can see the guild''s name and their location" Cynthia led the way and soon after we arrived at a large hall. I looked at the boards and saw multiple posters but... I can''t read the language...If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Cynthia...please read it for me..." I embarrassingly requested Cynthia "All of the guild''s that are looking for members here to join are guild''s that have some bad reputation." "then what about this?" I grabbed a poster that looked worn out "The guild''s name is Aegis... I never heard of this guild... perhaps this is a local guild" Cynthia muttered. "Local guild?" "There are two types of guilds, they are the local and international guilds. International guilds have branches that extend to most of the towns and cities while a local guild is based on a single town, they''re like an amateur guild" "Are local guilds rare?" "yes, since a lot of people would rather international guilds, this caused most of the local guilds to almost have no members" "Let''s join Aegis then" Joining big guilds? hell no, I''d rather work my way up and besides, my strength and experience in combat are comparable to that of a high-level adventurer probably. "Okay" Cynthia agreed With the help of Cynthia, we walked for 10 minutes until we arrived at a small run-down mansion. "Excuse me, Is there someone here?" I knocked on the door that looked like it was going to fall apart any moment "Guests?" A middle-aged man opened the door "Hi there, we''re here to join Aegis" I said "Oh! come in, come in" the man led us to a room where he asked us to wait After the man left, we waited for 10 minutes before the door opened again and the middle-aged man returned with a young woman around my age. "You''re here to join us?" The young woman asked "Yes" I replied "Then let us introduce ourselves, My name is Lea Redfell, this man beside me is Marcus Raid" "My name is Zeno Abaddon" I introduced myself "Cynthia, my master is Zeno" no last names huh "Isn''t about time you remove that weird helmet and show your face?" Lea looked at me "I''m really sorry, I want to but I was cursed by a demon to have a very ugly face so I decided to wear a cursed mask that is very hard to remove" I lied "That''s just...sad, don''t worry we''ll find a cure someday" Lea spoke as if she was sure I was going to stay in the guild forever "Then here are your registration forms, please fill it up" I looked at the registration form and the questions asked are as follows: Name, age, class, and a little background history on where you were born and where you came from. I filled it out and passed it to Marcus. "Zeno Abbadon, age: 20, Class: Swordsman, You were born and raised in PH." Marcus read my info to Lea. "PH? where is that?" Lea asked "To tell you the truth, I came from another place... I have no idea where this is and how I''ll get back home" "Is that so?" Lea was skeptical but in the end, she didn''t pursue any further "Cynthia, age:20, class: Healer, Born in Acacia but was enslaved after it was invaded" Marcus also read Cynthia''s info to Lea "Cynthia, let me ask you something" "I''ll answer to the best I can" "Did Zeno buy you?" I can hear you guys you know "No, he saved me from the slave masters that tried to kill me" "Oh, then do you like being his slave?" "It''s the least I could do to repay him for saving my life" "Okay then, you guys are now officially members of Aegis!" Lea took out a stamp and stamped our registration forms "Please drop blood on it" Marcus pointed at the stamped spot of the form ''Lilith...please'' ''request accepted'' I punctured my thumb and a droplet of blood fell on the form while Cynthia bit her finger and let a droplet blood fall on the form. Our actions caused the registration forms to brighten up and turn into a something like a symbol of a shield "This is the symbol of Aegis, take the symbol and put it on any part of your body. It will be like a tattoo" Lea explained as she showed us her shoulders where there was a tattoo of the Aegis symbol. Cynthia took the symbol and placed it in the place in between her cleavage and neck area. I took mine and placed it on my back. "We got two new members" Marcus spoke to Lea who had a satisfied smile "Yeah, one step closer to my dream!" She replied to Marcus "Here is a book of the guild''s rules and these are the keys to your room. The men''s dorm is located just west of here while the woman''s dorm is located in the east" Lea handed a small book and keys "Now you guys go up and rest, tomorrow we will be introducing you to the rest of the guild members. Entry no. 5 I entered my room and what I saw was a simple bed, a chair, a table, and lastly a closet. It was simple but was enough for one person. I went to lay down on the bed and read small book, the rules were simple first: we must do our best to contribute to the guild. second: we won''t do anything that will cause harm to the guild and it''s members. third: if you want to leave the guild, notify the guild master fourth: During emergencies, we are all required to work together Those were it, all that''s left on the book were an explanation on how the guild was founded and the past guild masters. I didn''t really care so I just went to sleep, I''ve got to conserve what energy I have left. The next day we were called in the guild canteen, food was free but the food was like military food, tough and tasteless. After Cynthia and I had our fill, Marcus came to get us and led us to the guild hall. "Alright you guys here are the new members!" I heard Lea''s voice on the other side of the door before it opened. "Hello guys!" The first to greet was a female elf, she had a slim body,briaded hair and a very bright personality. Her weapon of choice is a bow. "....Hey..." beside the elf was a young woman who wore a hood that covered her head, she was reading a book and seemed like she can''t be bothered. she looked like a "dark magician" from the old database. "Oh! fresh meat!" a burly bald man quickly sized me up, this gave me the shivers. "Oi, Uncle Fujo, please don''t scare the man" a young man with a handsome face and a rapier quickly stopped the bald man from looking at me any further. "The elf''s name is Liralei Greenwood, that unfriendly woman beside her is Ella Ray, and that burly man is Shi Fujo, although everyone calls him Fujo, lastly the man with a rapier is Rick Roil" Marcus introduced everyone to usThe tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Good morning everyone, my name is Zeno Abbadon, due to some circumstance, I cannot reomve this helm and show my face" I introduced myself and apologized at the same time. "I am Cynthia, Zeno is my master" Cynthia''s introducted herself. "There should be 3 more but they all went on a mission" Lea spoke "We really want to give you a little feast for joining our guild but we''re a little short on funds so we''ll have to postpone it" Liralei said as she gave me a small pouch "what''s this?" I asked "It''s a little charm~" she said as she skipped back to Ella "Thank you" of course I never forget to say thanks "Okay, that''s enough, let''s all go back to what we were doing and let the newbies pick their quest" Marcus said as he pushed everyone I walked to the quest board and most of the quests were either subjugation or escort quests the highest was D class. Quests were differentiated by class, the higher the class the more difficult the quest it. The highest class is SSS while the lowest is F. Here are the difficulty levels: SSS > SS > S > AAA > AA > A > BB > B > +C > -C> -D > D >E > F The rewards for the quests on the board was a bit low but it should be enough so I picked a simple subjugation quest. { Goblins have been spotted near our mansion. My daughter usually killed them off but she''s away because of her job so there''s no one left to kill the goblins, at first I wanted to wait until she returns but the goblins kept increasing at an alarming rate Kill 50 Goblins Difficulty: +C Reward: 5000 silver coins Job given by: Maria von Dutch Location: Dutch Mansion } 5000 silver coins is a very kind offer The currencey of this world is Gold>Silver>Copper>Bronze 1 Gold coin = 100 Silver coins 1 Silver coin = 100 Copper coins 1 copper coin = 100 bronze coins I took the quest and went to Marcus so he could approve it but he gave me a weird look and said "Are you sure you can do this? this is 50 goblins you know" "Don''t worry Marcus, we can handle this" I was a bit confident with my abilities "But-" before Marcus could finish, Lea stopped him "Don''t worry Marcus, have some trust in our newbeies" "If you say so..." Marcus stamped on the quest and wrote our names "Let''s go" I beckoned Cynthia We left the guild and headed for Dutch mansion. "Are you really sure? The Dutch family are you know..." Marcus asked Lea "Yeah, a military family. Don''t worry we''ll follow them and observe, that Zeno is someone I can''t trust just yet... his background is a little shady so a little investigation is needed." Lea spoke "So you had this planned all along" Marcus spoke "Come on" Lea said as she grabbed a sword and a shield before leaving through the backdoor Entry no. 6 ''Zeno, two people have been following us for quite a while now'' Lilith alerted me ''Can you identify them?'' I asked ''Through the process of elimination, I concluded that the people following us are: Lea and Marcus'' ''How did you come to that conclusion?'' ''We''ve been followed since we left the guild'' ''Oh, thanks, Lilith'' ''No problem'' "Cynthia" I whispered "Yes, master?" Cynthia replied "Just keep walking straight, were being followed" Cynthia complied and we kept walking until we arrived at the Dutch mansion. "Halt, state your names and your business here" The guard at the gate asked "My name is Zeno, this is Cynthia, my partner. We''ve accepted a request by Maria von Dutch" I said as I present the quests that was posted on the guild "Please wait here" the guard took the paper and went inside for a few minutes before running back. "Please enter" The guard respectfully opened the gate and led us in. "Hello dear guests" A woman who wore a dress and had a fan covering half her face greeted us. "Hello ma''am" I bowed, Cynthia also followed suit "Please don''t be so formal, I am Maria Von Dutch, the one who requested help" "I am Zeno and this is Cynthia" "The goblins are located behind the mansion, we discovered a small cave where the goblins turned into their base. Please exterminate them, they''re numbers are growing larger as we speak"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. A butler came in and led us to the backyard. when we arrived, there was a miniature forest behind the mansion. "Those little devils have already destroyed the storehouse and stole a large amount of food" Mrs.Maria explained "Did anyone get harmed? or kidnapped" as a soldier, civilian safety must be ensured. "Luckily, no" "Okay then, if you''ll excuse us, we have goblins to kill " I said as I walked to the forest with Azazel in hand. Cynthia also followed and equipped the mage rod on her back, Mrs.Maria watched as we vanished into the forest. We only walked for five minutes when I heard a distinct goblin cry, it must have been a scout, he notified others of our visit and soon enough we were surrounded by 13 goblins. They all pounced at me but I only moved to the side, evading their attack while slicing at their exposed backs. After three minutes all the 13 goblins were now on the ground, some were missing limbs and some don''t even have limbs anymore. Cynthia and I continued on our journey and when we were at the entrance of the cave almost all of the goblins came out with weapons in hand. ''Lilith, activate Rush mode'' ''Rush mode activated'' after Lilith''s voice fell, my mecha suit glowed red as my speed was enhanced by leaps and bounds. I brandished Azazel and run forwards. I passed by six goblins and when I arrived on the other side of the encirclement, the six goblins fell down on the ground without a head. I continued on doing this until all the goblins died "did you see that?" Lea asked Marcus, they were both hiding on top of the trees "Yeah, seems like a movement skill" Marcus replied "I don''t recognize it" Lea was bewildered at the skill Zeno used " He did say that he came from another land" "At least we now know that what he said is true" "Does that mean he''s in the clear now guild master?" "Yup and looks like our good relationship with the Dutch family will stay as is, it might probably improve thanks to this man''s actions" Lea and Marcus quickly left the scene after making sure that Zeno wasn''t an enemy. Cynthia and I entered the cave to make sure no goblins were left behind, the cave was filthy and reeks of goblin excrement. "Cynthia, what''s your level?" I was a bit curious so I asked "I''m level 20 now master" "Please don''t call me master" "But.." "I told you we''re both going on an adventure and if we''re going to do that we should at least be able to call each other by our names" "Okay...Zeno" Cynthia struggled to say my name "I''m level 23 now but I didn''t get any skills for my class, did you get any?" "I received [High heal] when I reached level 10" "Oh man, I''m jealous" I was looking forward to receiving skills "We can always buy skills from the skill shop in town" "We can do that?" "Yes" "Then let''s stop by there before we return to the guild" Cythnia and I walked back to the mansion. "That was fast" Mrs.Maria greeted us with a smile "We did our best" I laughed as I replied "Here are your rewards" Mrs.Maria gave us a pouch full of coins, a magic rod which was of higher quality than the one that Cynthia uses. "It''s a little bonus from me" Mrs.Maria smiled "Thank you" Both Cynthia and I bowed. We both left the mansion with satisfied smiles. Entry no. 7 "The shop is right around this corner" Cynthia took me to the skill shop she mentioned earlier We both entered the skill shop "Welcome!" a middle-aged man greeted us, looks like he''s the store owner "Are you looking for skills?" He asked "Yes" I replied blankly "Please state your class" "I''m a swordsman while she''s a healer" "Then please choose from this book" The shop owner took out two books from the shelf behind him and gave it to us I looked through the skill book but all of them were not suited for me or my style, however, on the last part of the book I saw something I did not expect { Illusion Strike Makes the user Invisible and makes the target of the skill fall into a confused state wherein they will see illusions of the user } This should be good, I looked at Cynthia to check if she has chosen a skill. "I''m also done here" Cynthia read what I was thinking and spoke "Are you done?" the shop owner asked "yes" both Cynthia and I repliedThe author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. We both handed back the books and pointed at the skills that we want "[Lightning] for the lady and [Illusion strike] for the man" He returned the books and took out a scroll "That would be 1000 silver coins, 500 silver coins each" The shop owner said Oh crap, I forgot about my energy levels. Cynthia and I went back to the guild but there was no one inside so we quickly to the forest behind the guild to practice the skills we bought. "So, how do we do this?" I asked Cynthia "Please channel your mana towards the scroll" Cynthia replied "uhm... what is mana?" "Mana is the energy that we can use in order to use magic, it is present in every living being" "can I be considered living?" I muttered under my breath "Hm?" "Nothing, please continue" "Human''s have a mana capacity since birth and the mana capacity increases as their level does but the mana capacity increment is dependent on the person''s class, for example, the mana increment in a mage is faster than that of a swordsman" "How do I use or sense this mana?" "I normally feel it in my heart, my blood" I don''t really have a heart or that much blood but I should at least try so I closed my eyes and tried to feel everything around me but to no avail. "You know what? why don''t you try learning your skill first maybe I''ll get an insight if I see you use mana" I gave up so I''ll just let Cynthia go first "Ok" I watch as Cynthia gave off a bluish light, the scroll floated above her head. The scroll slowly faded and the bluish light returned to her body. ''Lilith, report'' ''Report: Cynthia''s energy level rose and the said energy wrapped around the scroll. The scroll also emitted the same energy as the one Cynthia emitted, the two energy then synchronized afterward, the energy returned to Cynthia''s body. End of report'' ''Thanks Lilith'' "Did you learn anything Zeno?" Cynthia asked "Yeah, could you use that [Lightning] on me?" I had an idea, maybe I can use lightning to recharge my DK mecha suit "No, I might hurt you" "Come on, I''m not that weak am I?" I chuckled "Then... please brace yourself" ''Lilith, can DK absorb it?'' ''Yes'' ''Ok then, please do all the necessary preparations'' ''Preparations are all done'' Cynthia used [Lightning] on my body, and obviously, it hurt as hell. ''DK''s energy is recharging....12%....15%......20%...27%'' The lightning stopped and I only reached 27%, well at least my energy problems is now solved. Entry no. 8 "Are you ok?" Cynthia asked "Don''t worry, I''m fine" I chuckled "Your body..." the long-sleeve I wore were burned exposing my upper body, she was clearly shocked by my armor "This...I can''t really explain now but I will in the future" I quickly said but "Aren''t we going on an adventure together? please...trust me a little" Cynthia smiled I only kept silent, normally I would brush off what she said but why? why do I feel like this?... ''Warning, Zeno! you''re emotions..'' Lilith only spoke those words ''Hey, Zeno we''re a team, right? trust us a little'' She was standing there by the door, Her voice ever so sweet and gentle, I only remembered her by her voice because I never bothered to look at her face even though we were in the same platoon...I''m having flashbacks of my past... ''I..I''m so sorry...'' I tried to reach out to her but she was walking too fast, ''Zeno, Life is not such a cruel thing you know...'' those were the words she said before I was pulled back to reality by Cynthia''s voice "Zeno...I really don''t want to force you to say it, it''s fine please forget what I said" Cynthia said with a lonely expression on her face, she''s just like me... alone in this world... she lost her family, her everything while I was tossed into this time with only LilithThis book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Cynthia... promise me, whatever you see...you will only keep to yourself.." I looked straight into her eyes, "I promise!" Cynthia replied "Okay then" I slowly took off my mask and showed he my face "...You...you''re not human?" Cynthia asked in shock "I''m half human..." "Half?" "The other half is something I still can''t explain but I promise when I get enough information I will properly explain it to you" I still lack information in this world "Then.. the lightning was.." "I run on energy that the lightning generated" "Mana?" "No... but it''s similar to mana" "Then...aren''t you a golem?" "Golem?" "Artificial life forms created with hard materials such as rock, steel, and other stuff. They have a core that utilizes mana in order to operate" "Then you could say I''m half a golem" "I see..." "Let''s go, it''s almost dinner time" I was getting hungry "Golem''s don''t get hungry though..." "Let''s just say I''m not your typical Golem" We all ate together at the guild hall, Cynthia was closely observing me as I ate. I still had my mask on, the only difference was that the lower part of my masked opened, revealing my mouth. After eating dinner I went into my room and quickly studied mana with the information that Lilith has been collecting. ''Does the mana use up the energy that I need in order to operate?'' I asked Lilith ''Affirmative, It is the same as using your skills. It uses up DK''s energy'' ''oh yeah, what is my energy level and DK''s energy level?'' ''DK has 10% energy remaining while the core inside your body has 27% energy'' ''DK didn''t charge from the [Lightning] that Cynthia used?'' ''I took your energy level as priority over DK''s'' ''Then...I''ll have to ask Cynthia to use it on me again, Goodnight Lilith'' ''Goodnight Zeno'' . . . ''Unusual energy fluctuations detected...Running analysis...Analysis results...shows no results'' ''what do you mean no results...'' Zeno was asleep but Lilith continued her job of monitoring DK and Zeno ''This...I am still unsure of this so I won''t report this to Zeno'' Entry no. 9 "Morning Lilith" I woke up and stretched my body ''Morning Zeno'' I walked to the guild hall and ate my breakfast with Cynthia "Cynthia...I need more juice.." I embarrassingly requested Cynthia "All right" She quickly agreed We moved to the forest behind the guild and started what looked like an S and M play wherein Cynthia kept using [Lightning] on my body while I only endured with a smile It took three hours to completely recharge DK and my core to full energy, Cynthia, on the other hand, was tired and was taking a nap while leaning her body on the tree, I felt guilty so I ran to my room to grab a blanket and wrapped it around her body. ''Lilith, try to release some of DK''s energy and wrap it around the scroll'' ''Request acknowledged... releasing energy...2% of DK''s energy is absorbed by the scroll, the scroll is emitting the same amount of energy...synchronizing...synchronization complete...alert, information received! Azazel can now use [Illusion strike]'' ''hell yea, energy cost?'' ''[Illusion strike uses .2% of DK''s energy'' ''How about the other skills?'' ''Most skills use only 0.2-0.5% energy'' This is good, most of my skills still use the same amount of energy like it did in the past. Seems like it will take a while for Cynthia to wake up so I started practicing all of my skills, I practiced until lunch so I woke up Cynthia and grabbed a bite to eat at the guild hall. "Let''s go look for a simple job" I urged Cynthia I looked at the quest board, I saw an escort job towards Regalia city. I looked at Cynthia to get her approval, seems like she didn''t mind so we got it stamped and we went on our merry way to meet the merchants we were going to escort. "Hello there, are you the ones who are going to escort us?" The merchant was a chubby guy with a friendly smile "Yes we are, I am Zeno, and this here is my partner Cynthia" I introduced us "Good to meet you guys, the trip will take around a week, you will be paid 100 silver coins per day if there are going to be problems like a monsters or bandits, each head will be 50 silver coins, agreed?" He went straight on point and explained "These conditions are acceptable" It was already a good offer "Okay then, let''s go" The merchant quickly entered his carriage while I rode beside the coachman, Cynthia also entered the carriage but she came out soon after and urged to sit beside me. Guess the merchant pissed her off We left the town and started our journey towards Regulus cityThe story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Five hours into the journey and butt already hurts, I should invent springs... "It''s getting dark, let''s set up camp" I asked the coachman and he agreed We pulled over and I started a fire. The coachman then tended to the fire as I gutted the chicken I caught "Cynthia, do you want roasted or soup?" I found a weird joy in cooking "Soup please" Cynthia replied ''Lilith'' ''Request accepted, please follow this instruction to create a perfect chicken soup'' It took me a while and I had to walk back to the forest a few times to look for the herbs and spices that was on the recipe but... "So good~" Cynthia loved the soup, it was worth it Cynthia, the coachman, and I enjoyed the meal, The merchant didn''t bother to go out because he actually had a maid with him who prepared everything he needed inside the carriage. "I''m first watch, Cynthia you go second" I requested "Sure" She was quick to comply It was eventless that night and in the next morning, after reheating and eating the soup we continued our journey. It was the third day of our journey when we met with some problems... "Leave everything behind and run!" Four bandits surrounded our carriage ''Lilith, how many of them are there?'' ''There''s 1 more hidden behind the bushes at 8''oclock'' "Cynthia, be careful there''s one more hidden...there.." I whispered towards Cynthia "Ok, what''s the plan?" Cynthia replied, the coachman fainted already "Use [Lightning] on the hidden guy while I will take care of the rest" "Alright" I stepped down from the carriage, Cynthia used [Lightning] to grab everyone''s attention. It worked like a charm so I took the chance and beheaded two bandits who were behind the carriage "Damn it! ATTACK" The bandit leader finally recovered after seeing two of his men die in front of him The other bandit tried to attack Cynthia but my blade reached his neck before he could even get close to Cynthia "ARCHER!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" The bandit leader was panicking "Oh lol, the archer? he''s already dead" I walked towards him with Azazel in my hand "Damn it!" He took out something and threw it on the ground, it''s a smoke bomb ''Lilith switch to thermal'' ''Thermal activated'' Even though he was covered from thick smoke, the heat of his body never escaped my thermal vision so I cut his body in half and took his pouch. This ain''t stealing if you took it from a dead person right? ''Correction, that is called Grave robbing'' Lilith heard my thoughts ''He''s not buried though'' ''...I admit defeat'' Looks like Lilith can''t reply "Are they gone?" The merchant stepped out and looked around "Yeah" "well then, that''s four heads" "Five to be exact" "What?" "here''s the fifth" I walked towards the bush and pulled out a charred body "Oh, Five heads" "Let''s go before monster''s smell blood" I urge him to return to the carriage He returned to the carriage and I took over the reins, Our journey continued We finally arrived at Regulus city without any hitch, the merchant thanked us and gave us our pay before we parted ways. "Let''s go shopping" I spoke to Cynthia "Sure" We first went to an armor shop to upgrade my leather armor and upgrade her gear "Cynthia?!" I heard a voice from behind so I turned around and saw a full armored knight "Jack?" Cynthia seemed to know this guy "Cynthia it is you! come on let''s leave this place!" He tried to pull Cynthia but she shrugged off his grip and went behind me "I am a slave now, he''s my master" "what?" Jack was surprised "Come on man, tell me how much do you need so that you can release her" Jack quickly walked towards me and asked "Not selling" you think Cynthia is some kind of a tool? "what do you mean not selling?" Jack''s face was smiling but I can feel his threatening aura "You think Cynthia is something that you just sell?" "Do you even know who Cynthia is?" "Of course I know who she is" "Then all the more reason to return her to me" "Why would I do that?" "Because I can protect her" "Haha, I think she''s more in danger when she''s with you" you think Lilith can''t detect the hormones you kept secreting? "You... since you won''t let hand her to me then I have no choice but to join your party" "N-" I was about to decline but Cynthia tugged at my sleeves ''Are you sure?'' I whispered towards Cynthia ''Yea...'' She replied "Okay then, I''ll accept" I''ll have to ask Cynthia about Jack later Entry no. 10 "As the party leader, I order you guys to go on this quest with me" Jack started ordering us around "Aren''t you getting ahead of yourself?" I was annoyed already "What do you mean?" Jack acted all innocent and asked "Before taking a quest, I always make sure that Cynthia is okay with it" You can''t just go ahead and do this and that "This is the party leader''s advantage" He still wouldn''t give up "Who appointed you leader in the first place" I''m not stepping down "I appointed myself, seeing that you are so weak" "You picking a fight?" I can whoop this assholes ass no sweat "Enough, please let him be just this once..." Cynthia requested me "Give him an inch and he''ll ask for a mile" I warned Cynthia "Just this once Zeno, please"Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "*sigh* At least tell me your relationship with him" "He''s my childhood friend, he''s the son of our chief royal guard" "Why is he taking on a quest?" Son of the chief royal guard? then isn''t Jack supposed to be protecting Cynthia or taking her to a safe place? "...I don''t know" Cynthia doesn''t have any family members left so Jack can be considered something close to a family when it comes to Cynthia...right? "Just this once okay?" If Jack doesn''t take care of Cynthia then I''m taking her away from him "Thank you" "Tell me the details of the quest" We returned to Jack and I asked "Tch, that''s your job! read it for us" Jack threw the quest scroll at me Endure! endure! this is for Cynthia " {Investigate the newly discovered dungeon Reward 500 gold coins } " "The reward is good! let''s go!" Jack pulled Cynthia, I silently followed behind them. Along the way, they started talking about the past and what were Jack''s plans for the future. We walked for 30 minutes and finally saw what looked like a Colosseum and in the center of it was stairs leading down "Let''s go in!" Jack quickly ran in "Wait up!" Cynthia chased after him, looks like she really misses her family ''Lilith...'' ''Jack will cause us troubles'' ''yeah..'' I followed behind them, we faced goblins and a few ogres here and there but I only watched Jack show off in front of Cynthia "Hey look at that!" Jack pointed at a door "Hey! don''t go in!" My warning was ignored because Jack went inside and pulled Cynthia along with him, I tried to follow them but the door closed and I couldn''t open them ''Lilith!'' ''1 match found! this is called a trap room'' ''how do I open it?'' ''It will only open if one of the people who entered it dies!'' ''What?!'' Cynthia is in deep shit Entry no. 11 "CYNTHIA!" I kept kicking the door while shouting out her name ''Lilith! is there no other way?!'' ''Give me time!'' Lilith''s hologram was projected from my helmet, she walked towards the door and started analyzing some data ''Analysis complete, this door is protected by a barrier with a condition of opening upon death. please search for a monster and kill it right in front of the door'' Lilith finished her analysis seconds later. I quickly ran off and found a goblin, I dragged it by the ear and threw it on the door. I stabbed the goblin in the head just as it was about to hit the door, I heard a sound coming from the door so I quickly kicked it open. "What are you doing?! let me go!" I heard Cynthia''s shout There were about 6 people including Jack surrounding Cynthia. 2 men were tightly gripping Cynthia''s arm while Jack started undressing her, I ran towards and them and sent a Jack flying with a kick. "Zeno!" Cynthia started crying when she saw me the two men who were holding on to Cynthia quickly let her go and brandished their weapons, Cynthia ran and hid behind me "Oi, Oi, Oi... you little fucker just had to come and kill the fun" Jack started walking towards us while checking the dent I left on his armor "Why are you doing this?!" Cynthia asked full of resentment "Why? you bitch actually have the nerve to ask why? ever since childhood, you always looked at me as a friend, no matter how much I try, no matter how much I sacrifice you never looked at me as a man!" Jack laughed maniacally "But I already told you that you are my friend! I''m really sorry that I can''t respond to your feelings but this is too much! aren''t you the son of the chief royal guard?!" Cynthia replied "Royal guard? what royal guard? Father lost his position the moment Acacia fell, he became the dog of Regulus while I became a bandit! this all your family''s fault!"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Cynthia bit her lips and tried her best to stop herself from crying, this Jack went too far. "Hey Jack, know the space between you and Cynthia?" I asked sarcastically "What?" Jack glared at me "Friendzone!" I started laughing, the other bandits also couldn''t contain their laughter "YOU WILL DIE!" he ran towards me with his sword, I also dashed forward He swung his sword downwards but I moved to the side and hit his stomach with Azazel''s hilt "The way I look at it, you only like Cynthia''s body" I looked down on him while he was on his knees clutching his stomach. "...What are you guys doing?! KILL HIM!" he roared towards the other bandits The bandits ran towards me with their sabers on their hands ''Lilith, rush mode'' ''Request acknowledged'' I felt power rush towards my legs, my movement speed rose to a new level. Azazel gave off a reddish glow as I ran past each bandit and started killing them one by one, the 5 bandits fell on the ground with numerous wounds all over their bodies. I started walking towards Jack, Jack was still processing what happened. "Where''s all your arrogance?" I asked him as I slowly walk while Azazel let off sparks "A-Ah, that was a joke you know? aren''t we both from the same party?" He started crawling back "Party? you never looked at me as a human though" "It''s Cynthia, right? I''ll give you Cynthia so please let me go!" he wanted to negotiate "Nobody owns Cynthia but herself, she was never yours and never will" "Then... what do you want gold? I can give you anything as long as you let me live!" he never gave up "No can do, now stay there and watch me as I tear your head away from your body" I tortured Jack for half an hour while Cynthia watched, she was quiet the entire time, it seemed like she was deep in thought. Jack''s body was skinned, dismembered and mangled in different places while his heart was still beating, reminds me of how those high-class Japanese chefs gut a live pufferfish "Cynthia, you ok?" I watched towards Cynthia while wiping off the blood from Azazel. "Zeno...I''m sorry, turns out that I still subconsciously miss my life before... the moment I saw a familiar face, I couldn''t help but let my guard down..." "It''s fine, nothing bad happened but I don''t want this to happen a second time..." "Don''t worry, I''ve already made a decision in my heart" Cynthia looked at a mesh of flesh, her eyes went dark ''Lilith...scan her'' ''Scanning shows intense hatred'' ''that much I can tell'' ''Further scanning shows no result'' ''Thanks'' ''I''m sorry I''m not that much of a help'' ''Don''t worry about it, I don''t know where I''d be if I didn''t have you'' ''Thank you'' "Cynthia, let''s go" "Yes!" she gave off a bright smile and ran towards me, what''s with the quick change? she was giving off a deathly aura before but now there''s no sign of that aura to be seen Entry no. 12 Platoon 90 We were on our way back to the city but Cynthia was oddly quiet, I was a bit concerned so I tried speaking to her. "Cynthia, the thing with Jack... just ignore it okay?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, governing an entire kingdom is a very hard task. The lives of the citizen are on your hands, one small mishap could cause a kingdom to fall and it''s always the royal family who takes the fall. Jack only thought of himself and the pain and the pain he''s been suffering when the kingdom fell but he never considered the pressure the royal family has been enduring for god knows how long" I tried my best to comfort her "...Thank you" Cynthia smiled with satisfaction, I also can''t help but notice the small tear that rolled down from her left eye It was once again silent between us, Cynthia had a very satisfied smile. Looks like I managed to cheer her up but I still had a weird feeling of unease in my heart, I can''t settle down until I figure out the cause of this feeling. "Cynthia...may I ask what decision you made" I meekly asked Cynthia, her behavior is giving me the creeps. "Do you really need to know?" Cynthia asked with a blooming smile, which sent shivers down my spine "...Yes" I have a feeling that I''m going to regret this "hmm... I decided that Zeno is all I need... only Zeno understands me..." "What?" My smile cracked "After everything that has happened, I decided that Zeno is all I need. I''ve tried to open up my heart after the incident with Acacia but all I got was another betrayal... but Zeno still stood beside me, you were always there..." Cynthia tried to suppress her tears before continuing "Now that I mention it... you also saved me from those bandits, you know it''s funny... dad always said that the world was corrupted due to corrupt men, he always said that it''s very rare to find a man with a pure heart. I still believe in what he says, corrupt men and all but whenever I look at you... I can''t help but see you as the most wonderful man in the entire world..." I remained silent in front of her but deep inside... ''LILITH, CODE RED! CODE RED! look for ways to reject a woman softly'' ''Request acknowledged.... choices found: 1: "I''m really sorry babe but I ain''t that into you" 2:"I''m a free man I can''t be tied down" 3:"Sorry but you''re too ugly for me" 4:"I''m gay"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Please pick your choice'' ''LILITH! what the hell?!'' ''These are the choices gathered from the data that was based on observing Johny'' ''Lilith, delete that data!'' what the hell was with those options... especially number four. "Cynthia, let''s talk about this later" I was looking for a way out, luckily some ogres popped out of nowhere and tried to fight us "...yes" Cynthia was a little disappointed We killed the ogres with ease and returned to the inn we checked in earlier, it was getting dark so we both decided to call it a day. While I was laying down on my bed I kept thinking about what Cynthia was about to say, was she about to confess? am I reading in too much into this? I stopped thinking about those and just went to sleep ''Compiling data... Data compilation complete, reviewing data: Cynthia seemed to have fallen in-love with Zeno. Zeno, however, seems to believe that he has no experience with women. Also, Cynthia seems to be a possessive person, I came to this conclusion from observing her behavior'' ''DK still has 70% energy while Zeno''s core still has 90% Zeno''s emotions also seemed to have risen to unprecedented levels, it seems like the memory of platoon leader Vicereine is the cause of this... I need to know more just in case this happens again... Gather all data available about Vicereine Engelbertha... Gathering complete; Vicereine Engelbertha Female Age: 19 1/2 She was born and raised in Germany, attended a good school and enrolled a military school wherein she always came in first. her weapon of choice was 2 energy blades and an AWP-Rail gun hybrid sniper rifle, she was the leader of platoon 90. Platoon 90 was composed of: 1: Zeno Abaddon 2: Johny Wise 3: Nactasha Anthropos 4: Mordred Phanta 5: Abel Wing Johny Wise died on operation Queen wherein they were tasked to gather information about the enemy Queen. They obtained valuable information but during the escape, the teleportation device malfunctioned causing Johny Wise to sacrifice himself to buy time for Zeno and Abel to fix the device and escape. Additional information states that Johny fell in love with Nactasha, Zeno and the others supported their relationship. Nactasha Anthropos was found out to be a traitor who sold out information about operation Queen, she was also found guilty of sabotaging the teleportation device that caused the death of Johny Wise. She was hunted down by Zeno and was killed by throwing her out in the dwarf star called NZ-11 Mordred Phanta was the medic of the team, she died on operation Rouge. Platoon 90 was tasked with saving the survivors of the alien-infested planet Maria Abel Wing, he also died along with Mordred Phanta, his last words to Zeno was "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LOVE?! YOU"RE JUST A MACHINE!" this memory always causes Zeno grief, better make sure this memory never pops up Vicereine Engelbertha, her death was the most painful for Zeno. During operation ''Silence before the Storm'' Vicereine and Zeno fought the hive King that infiltrated our main base, Avalon, Vicereine entrusted Zeno with the task of killing the queen before selflessly sacrificing herself by throwing herself into a black hole along with a bomb that the hive King planted. Her final words were recorded: "Listen, Zeno, I know that life has been hard on you... you''ve lost so much already thanks to these aliens...I''m also sorry for joining the body count haha... but Zeno, please promise me that you don''t get so hung up on getting your revenge that you forget what you have.. Alisa... you know Zeno, I''ve always been in love with you... I did my best to make you look my way but... you''ve always been too busy killing these aliens... I don''t want Alisa to suffer the same fate so take a step back and look around you...before you lose them..." Zeno was unconscious due to the battle with the hive king, this was something Vicereine uploaded to me, I''ve already informed Zeno about this message but the death of Vicereine caused him to go berserk and charged at the Hive. Zeno only recharged and restocked his supplies before joining operation ''Hive Queen'' that shortly came after operation ''Silence before the Storm'' ''I should find the right time to show Zeno Vicereine''s message'' Entry no. 13 I woke up the next day and ate breakfast along with Cynthia, we got all our things prepared and was about to leave the inn but "Hey... have you heard?" A customer started talking to the innkeeper "What is it? tell me" the innkeeper asked "There''s going to be a war close to the town called Lugrus" What the hell?! war?! "Yea, most of the guilds within the town were required to send at least a party composed of 5 members... a lot of adventurers there took quests that require the adventurer to leave town and spend a long time outside just so they can escape from the war" "Cynthia, let''s leave" I quickly pulled Cynthia and we left the inn Cynthia and I quickly hired a horse and went on our way back to Lugrus, the journey will take us about half a week on a horse so we stocked up on food before we left. Two days into the journey and we met several bandits but they were easily disposed of. We managed to return to Lugrus city but the atmosphere was desolate, there was barely anyone outside. We returned back to our guild and was greeted by the other members.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "You heard of the news right?" Lea asked me "Yeah, what are we going to do?" I inquired "Simple, we will send a party composed of five people" She seemed confident but her lips quivered when she said the words ''send'' like she was sending someone to their grave "Who is going to the war?" I tried to not to use the words ''send'' "This...we are still debating about that..." Lea looked stressed "Then, I''ll volunteer" I stated "What?" Everyone was synchronized "Don''t worry about me, I''m confident about surviving more than I am in fighting" I scratched my cheek though I only scratched the hard cheek of my helmet "If Zeno is going, then I am too" Cynthia blankly stated "Are you sure?" Lea asked Cynthia "Wherever Zeno goes, I''ll faithfully follow him" Cynthia stated with infatuation which made Lea glare at me, I could only laugh dryly "Well then, I can''t leave the manly work to you" Rick patted my shoulder "I''m coming too" Liralei hopped beside me, I saw Cynthia''s smile crack for a moment there "Oh my, I''m not going to let my handsome little men face harm~" Fujo was the last member of the five-man party "The five-man party is complete, what do we do now?" I asked Lea "Go to the city hall and register your names and the guild you''re in" Lea had a grateful smile "Okay then, let''s go guys!" We were about to leave but Lea stopped us "You guys make sure to come back okay?" Lea looked at us with pleading eyes, different from the usual stoic expression she shows We could only smile to reassure her before leaving Entry no. 14 We all went on our way towards the city hall in order to register our names, After registering our guild we were given directions on where the battle will take place. "would you look at that, Aegis is still alive" A man covered with thick heavy armor laughed "Dude what? didn''t Aegis go extinct ten years ago?" another man jeered "What the hell is an Aegis anyway?" The insults kept raining down "Don''t mind them, they''re just a bunch of cowards hiding behind the influence of their guilds" Fujo patted our shoulders "Hehe, for a trashy guild they do have some fine women" The heavily armored man looked at Liralei''s body, Liralei didn''t like this and could only hide behind me "I can see the reason why you can never find a girlfriend" I insulted the armored man "Come on Zeno, he has a girlfriend, he even has two" Rick laughed "Oh yeah, both his hands!" I laughed as I held my stomach while Rick rolled on the floor laughing "Oi brats! you lookin for a fight?" The heavy armored man didn''t like our insults "I can take you on" The moment I said those words, everyone started laughing "You? can take me? boy, do you even know who I am?" "The man who impregnated both his hands?" I replied "Fucker! I am the great Rolo a level 50 adventurer" The heavy armored man introduced himself "pfft" I stopped myself from laughing "I challenge you to a battle! loser has to pay 3000 silver and follow the orders of the winner for a day!" Rolo pointed his finger at me "Zeno, don''t be rash, ignore his challenge" Fujo whispered to my ears "Don''t worry Fujo" I waved my hand before replying to Rolo "Ok, I accept in one condition" "Tell me" Rolo crossed his arms "This is between you and me, not my guild and yours" I stated my condition "Very well, however, the reputation of our guild is still on the line" Rolo still wanted some gloryUnauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Well then, what are we waiting for?" I won''t be using Azazel, he''s not worth it "Come at me!" Rolo laughed I started running towards him and when I was within his striking distance, he swung his sword downward. I moved to the side and hugged his waist and performed a perfect takedown, I sat on his chest and started raining down my punches on his face even though his face was covered with his helmet. I kept punching and with every punch blood splattered out from the holes of his helmet, when I stopped, the helmet was dented and cracked to the point that it was irreparable Everyone was dead quiet while I stood in the center while Rolo kept holding on to his head "That was for insulting Liralei" I forced him to stand and started raining down punches on all over his body when I was done with him, his entire armor was broken "That is for insulting Aegis, now for my conditions. You love wearing that armor right? why don''t you wear a dress for a day, everyone here was a witness to our battle" I took the bag of coins from his waist before walking away from battle and rejoined the party "Remind me not to get on your bad side" Rick laughed as he patted my shoulder "Thank you" Liralei thanked "It''s fine, we''re friends after all" I laughed We left the city hall and went on our way towards the area where we were assigned. We hired a simple carriage with the coins I won, we also bought some ingredients for a dish back home called ''Adobo'' it''s my favorite It took us an hour to get to the assigned area, according to our mission, we were supposed to be protecting this area. We were in the eastmost area of the forest where the main battle was occurring, we were going to fight off a fraction of the enemy forces that were reported to be using this route "We''ll prepare the camp, Zeno, you should cook that specialty of yours that you kept bragging while we were on our way here" Fujo gave out our jobs, I started heating up the pot while I butchered the chicken to perfect sizes before slicing up the vegetables It took almost an hour but it was all worth it "Smells good" Rick shouted out "Come on Zeno, is it ready yet?" Fujo asked in excitement "Yeah, it should be ready, prepare your stomachs for this wonderful feast!" I carried the pot and put it in the center of the table I opened it and everyone quickly took a peek, their smiles turn into a frown when they saw the food I cooked "Is this... food?" Rick poked at the chicken leg with his fork "It''s all black..." Liralei was looking at the adobo "Come on now, Zeno worked so hard, we could at least taste it" Fujo laughed while Cynthia quickly took the ladle and filled her bowl The others also took turns and filled their bowls, they started eating it with the rice. At first, they were a bit reluctant but after taking a bite, their speed became faster and faster "Thish ish ghoood!" Rick lost all his elegance and started wolfing down the food "Now now Rick, swallow it before you talk" Fujo placed his palm on Rick''s cheek and said with infatuation, Rick was scared shitless of Fujo''s action "It''s delicious!" Liralei said after eating Cynthia ate my cooking with a smile on her face "Don''t judge a book by its cover" I laughed before continuing "There''s more where that came from" "You still know more native dishes from your home?" Liralei asked "Yup! Adobo is just one of my favorites!" I laughed I suddenly had a flashback... this was also the same from when platoon 90 tasted my adobo for the first time... Everyone was so happy back then... I was reminiscing the past when there was a sudden alert from Liralei "I hear enemies! they''re closing in fast!" Liralei quickly took out her bow I quickly unsheathed Azazel, everyone did the same and took out their weapons Entry no. 15 "Hmm...they said the enemies we were going to face were going to be strong adventurers but...this? this is disappointing" A two-headed ogre walked out of the bushes, he was 10 feet high and wielded a wooden club. "You''re right boss, these are just small fries, they''re not even worth the dirt underneath your feet" a troll arrived beside the ogre "Hehehe, they''ve got fine women though...hehe, boss mind if I take the elf? I''ve always wanted to know how far my tongue will reach inside of her hehe" a half man half dog beastman laughed while shamelessly showing his long tongue that reaches up to his chest. It was only three enemies, I was confident but Rick and the others have tense faces. "Hey, what''s wrong?" I asked, it would be bad if they''re not confident on winning "Those guys are well-known bandits, I don''t know why they joined the demon alliance though" Rick replied while forcing his shaking arm to calm down "What are they called?" I was a bit curious so I asked "Bandito Triad" Ricard forced to say those words Bandito Triad? what kind of name is that? anyway, I have to boost their confidence "Who is your leader?" I took a step forward and asked with my nose pointed at the sky "Huh? this human is quite arrogant" the troll sized me up "Lyan, what are you doing?" Rick tried to stop me "I am their boss!" The two-headed ogre pointed at himself "Then, why don''t we have a one-on-one match?" I replied as I looked him as if he was a clown "Yes, why don''t we have a one-on-one match" The ogre didn''t like my stare and replied with anger "Well, your move, ogre" I took a stance with my postured lowered and with my hands on Azazel if I''m not mistaken, it''s a stance called Iai "Don''t mind if I do!" The ogre started running towards me, each step he took made the ground thud I didn''t move from my spot as I patiently anticipated the next move he will make, the ogre entered my striking range but I didn''t move. He swung his heavy club downwards but I moved to the side to dodge it and unleashed a quick strike on his waist. Contrary to my expectations, he managed to move to the side to evade it. My blade made a small cut on his waist, I understood why he managed to evade it, the other head concentrates on attack while the other concentrates on defense. They got good teamwork but can they beat my speed? ''Lilith, what are my available modes?'' I forgot to check the abilities DK can use ''Rush mode, Strength mode, Stealth mode, Armor mode, Energy Absorption mode''This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I can use all of DK''s enhancements, this is good. ''Lilith, activate Armor mode'' ''Request acknowledged'' After Lilith''s voice fell, I felt DK harden as a notification popped up on my screen ''Each hit taken will decrease DK''s energy depending on the strength of the attack, please remember that this will only reduce the damage taken by 85%'' The notification disappeared as the Ogre swung down his club on my head but I only raised my hand to take the block the attack. DK''s energy went down from 69% to 68.9%, the ogre''s attack is quite weak... The ogre did not expect this and tried to yank his club back but failed to do so, he was annoyed so he used both hands. I released the club which made to ogre to land on his butt, I didn''t miss this chance and beheaded the ogre''s two head. The troll and the beastman were surprised by the death of their leader, they tried to flee but Fujo and Rick blocked their paths. "These guys seem less scary now..." Rick laughed as he played with the ogre''s head that I tossed "Are these even the Bandito Triad?" Fujo pondered "What did you say earlier?" Liralei had a blooming smile as she aimed her bow at the beastman Cynthia was quiet but she mockingly stared at the troll and beastman. "W-We give up!" the Troll was first to speak "Nope" Fujo punched the Troll''s face, the Troll''s face caved in while Fujo checked his knuckles. "That thing''s face is thick..." seems like Fujo also took damage from that punch "FUCK IT" seeing his friend get punched unconscious, the beastman took out a small knife and ran towards Rick. Rick anticipated his next move and quickly took out his rapier, Liralei also knew what the beastman would do so before the beastman could reach Rick, an arrow already impaled his knee. Rick didn''t miss this chance and kept stabbing the beastman with his rapier, Liralei sent the killing blow by shooting an arrow at the mouth of the beastman. The Troll, on the other hand, was turned into a punching bag by Fujo, the exp bubbles from the Bandito Triad came out and was evenly distributed. "I''ll hide their heads, you guys take care of the bodies" Rick started beheading the Troll and the beastman "Got it, Fujo carried the headless body of the Ogre and the Troll while I dragged the beastman by his foot "Why did Rick take the heads of these guys?" I asked Fujo who was making a deep pit with his bare hands "These guys actually have a bounty of 10 gold coins and the guild that presents their head receives 10 guild points" Fujo explained "Guild points?" I didn''t read any of these in the booklet that Lea handed out "Guild points are like a grading system for guilds, the more guild points the guild has, the higher their rank is. 100 guild points = E class guild, the lowest 150 guild points = D class 250 guild points = C class 500 guild points = B class 1000 guild points = A class 2000 guild points = S class Most of the missions posted only award money but subjugation some subjugation quests actually reward you with guild points, but these quests must be approved by the United Guild Association. The United Guild Association or UGA is an Alliance of the top 10 Guilds, all of them are S class Guilds" Fujo scribbled on the ground "But what if there are no missions with guild points posted?" I asked as I shoved the bodies in the pit "There''s another way, it''s called ''Guild Clash''. It''s like a Guild vs. Guild kind of thing where there are three choices : 1: Representative vs. Representative, the guild must choose their representative wherein they fight on the Arena 2: All out: The guild will send out all of their members in an all-out clash, however, if one guild has more members, then they must reduce their numbers in order to match the other guild''s number 3: Guild Master vs. Guild Master: It''s like the first choice but this time the Guild master''s must fight The Guild points that the guild receives will depend on a prior agreement wherein the Guild will stake in their own guild points, remember your last match with that Rolo? you could''ve received some points for the win but you didn''t have any agreement on how much so it doesn''t count" "Oh! thanks for explaining" I thanked Fujo as he buried the bodies "It''s nothing" Fujo waved his hands as we walked back to camp Entry no. 16 "You guys should wash off the blood on your bodies" Liralei said as soon as we arrived "Yeah, we were just about to head to the river we passed by earlier" I replied, I knew that the blood will attract monsters nearby "Zeno, let me wash your body for you~" Fujo suddenly appeared behind me and placed his arms on my shoulders "It''s fine Fujo, you go ahead I insist" I felt threatened... much much more than the time I faced the Queen "Too bad~" Fujo quickly took off his pants and dived in the river, it was a good thing I turned away Fujo enjoyed his bath for 15 minutes before calling out to me, I took off the robe that I wore before taking off my pants. DK was now in full view, but I slowly took off the DK armor. I was now only wearing the tight suit that I always wore before equipping DK, I took it off and saw the pendant that dangled around my neck. The pendant was something that Vicereine gave me before she left, I didn''t take it off and headed for the river I soaked my body for 10 minutes before walking out of the river and re-equipping my equipment, I walked back to the group and continued our mission. We have to stay here for one more day. ????? "Reporting, the Bandito Triad has failed their mission and died" A half-man half-reptile reported to a woman that had demonic horns and wings "Don''t worry about it, I gave them that mission with the intent to let them die, those idiots can''t even compare with our main force" The woman laughed "Here''s the recording of the battle from the parasitic bug that you''ve implanted within that two-headed ogre" The reptile-man gave a small orb to the woman "At least they can entertain me with their deaths, you may now leave" The reptile-man left after he heard the woman''s words "Let''s see... were you utterly tortured like I hoped?" the woman sent her mana inside the orb, the orb glowed and showed Zeno The orb showed everything that happened, from the appearance of the Bandito Triad till the time of their death. The woman replayed it and paused it when it showed Zeno "This man, I want this man!" she breathed heavily as she stared at the orbThe genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ????? Everyone was asleep as I played with the fire, Rick and Fujo did first watch while I took second. I kept wondering why would the demons attack and with such weak troops at that, are they testing the adventurer''s strength? If so then, there will be a bigger war soon. ''Lilith, play track number 120'' ''Request acknowledged, now playing: Pangarap lang kita by Parokya ni Edgar'' I passed the time by listening to music, Dawn soon came so I started making soup for everyone. They woke up to the smell of food so we all had breakfast together, I took a small nap as the others went on their business. Nothing happened the second day so we started heading back home. We safely returned back to the city but the moment we entered the gates, the adventurers everywhere were injured. We went to city hall and took our reward before heading back to the guild, Lea was pacing back and forth on the entrance "you guys are back!" she ran towards us, she was really worried "Yeah, thankfully, we managed to finish the mission without losing any limbs" I laughed "You should''ve seen Zeno, he killed the leader of the Bandito Triad all by himself~" Liralei also spoke "What?" Lea was speechless "Here''s the reward!" Rick took out a small pouch and handed it to Lea "I can''t take this! you should split the reward amongst yourselves" Lea tried to refuse but "It''s fine Lea, we already have the reward from our mission" Fujo persuaded Lea "Yeah, and this is something we all agreed upon" I also helped "Thank you!" Lea hid the pouch and entered the Guild We all followed her and went inside the guild, Marcus greeted us. We all returned his greetings before heading off to our own rooms to rest, we were tired from our journey. Cynthia and I decided to take another mission so we looked at the mission board { Mission: A bandit has escaped from prison and is on the loose, the city guards aren''t doing their best to hunt him down so I had no choice but to request for your help Hunt down the bandit named ''One-eyed Jack'' Reward: 1000 silver coins Quest Difficulty: D } Cynthia and I agreed on this mission and went on our way ????? Deep inside a cave in an unknown land, insects moved here and there, they were as large as a 5-year old kid. The insects were carrying bodies of dead monsters, all of them entered this cave "My Queen, please feast on these monsters that the workers have hunted down" An insect that had the shape of a human but the body of a herculean beetle respectfully kneeled in front of a bug that looked like a larva "It has been weeks since we have arrived in this strange land, have you gathered information just as I ordered you to?" The larvae asked the beetle "Yes my queen, apart from us, the other 9 Queen Larvae that the previous Queen nurtured have also crash landed here" "Mother probably died at the hands of those humans! it''s up to us to avenge her! we will begin with this world, then move on to the other!" The Larvae''s voice so loud that all of the insects within the cave heard her "LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!" All of the insects let out a deafening roar "My queen, there is one more to report" "Go ahead" "A human spaceship was detected by one of our bugs before we crash landed here" "What?! They''re a potential threat! Where did they land?!" "Our ship crash landed here in the south while the human ship we saw headed for north, we don''t really know where but we can confirm that there was a human ship that crashed into this land along with us" "Tch, wretched humans... I will avenge mother just you wait!" Entry no. 17 Cynthia and I started heading south after asking around the town, I also went to the prison where ''One-eyed Jack'' was held and investigated. Everything pointed south. If the info we collected was correct, then all we had to do was go south where there is a cave that ''One-eyed Jack'' used as his base. ''Lilith, how long to get there?'' I asked ''About 5 minutes at the pace that we''re going'' ''Please be alert'' ''Roger'' Cynthia and I soon arrived at the foot of a mountain, there was a small cave hidden in the bushes "Cynthia, please" I requested Cynthia raised her rod and a small glowing orb appeared, we used it as our light source when we entered the cave but I still used my night vision. ''Zeno, life-form detected above!'' Lilith alerted me but it was already too late, a shadow dropped down and aimed a knife at Cynthia''s neck "Don''t even think about doing anything" The man spoke, I assume that this is ''One-eyed Jack'' ''Lilith! what happened?!'' I always trusted Lilith''s ability in detecting enemies ''I''m sorry Zeno but this man was using some kind of ability, he was wrapped up in energy while he was hanging on the ceiling, this has caused my scanners to register him as the energy that I normally detect in the atmosphere'' Lilith apologized ''...I''m sorry Lilith, we still lack information about this world. It was wrong for me to blame you'' ''Apology accepted'' "Hehe, never thought that they''d actually send some adventurers after me, tell me, who put you up to this?" One-eyed Jack kept laughing "Why would I tell you that?" I tried to buy time "Because this woman''s life is on the line" He laughed before continuing "Kill the lights" He pointed the knife at Cynthia''s neck "Do it Cynthia" Cynthia''s light orb vanished the moment I said those words "Heh, you can''t see me but I can still see you thanks to that glowing head of yours" One-eyed Jack was confidentThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ''Lilith, rush mode'' ''Acknowledged'' A stream of red light passed by One-eyed Jack and Cynthia before the former collapsed to the ground "You alright?" I asked Cynthia as I sheathed Azazel "I''m fine but this disgusting man touched my waist, I''ll have to take a thorough bath later" Cynthia summoned the orb of light and again "This mission was a bit easy..." I remarked as I beheaded ''One-eyed Jack'' this will serve as a proof "Yeah, I expected this bandit to put up a fight" "I expected traps and all of that..." I was a bit disappointed ''Zeno, is this a good time?'' Lilith asked ''What is it?'' I replied ''It''s about Vice-'' Lilith suddenly stopped halfway ''What''s wrong?'' ''Alien life form detected!'' Lilith quickly alerted me ''What?! where?!'' I quickly drew Azazel and looked around ''On the dead body'' "Something wrong?" Cynthia asked "...Nothing...thought I heard some footsteps earlier" I apologized as I re-sheathed Azazel ''Lilith, report'' ''Alien bug number 13: Bug of Desire, First seen in the mission ''Gambling paradise'' these bugs are parasitic, they stick to the host and enhance their lust, greed, and their vices while also releasing a chemical that makes the host unusually happy. The purpose of these bugs is to act as a spy'' ''Lilith...could it be?'' ''Possibility of Alien life-forms on this world has been raised to 76%'' ''Scan the area for any more signs of alien life forms'' ''I already scanned the area, I only detected a cracked shell behind that rock'' I walked to the rock that Lilith pointed and picked up the small broken shell ''Scan this'' ''Scanning... Scanning complete, This came from Alien Bug number 17: Corpse Scarab. These beetle-like creatures release the small bugs of desire, they are usually the scouts of the entire Bug army'' "Zeno, you''ve been standing there... are you really alright?" Cynthia asked "I''m fine, just a bit lost in thought" I turned around and faced Cynthia "Then, let''s go... it''s getting dark" "yeah" Cynthia and I started making our way back to the city ''Lilith, use ''Reflection System'' and send out signals'' ''Reflection System will only work if there is an Allied ship to receive the signal and reflect it back, I only detected Alien life-forms... are you betting on the chance that an allied ship also came to this world?'' Lilith asked ''Yeah'' ''This will cost 40% of DK''s energy to send out long-range signals, requesting for approval'' ''Go ahead'' I can always recharge ''Sending out signals....expected response will come tomorrow'' ''Good work'' We finally arrived back to the city, we headed for a dark alleyway to meet up with the person who sent the request. I took out the head and presented it to the man who requested us, he was clearly happy with what he saw and gave us our reward before leaving. According to Marcus, this is a personal request. Personal requests are also called ''Headhunting quests'' because you are required to kill a person, these requests are only approved if the person you are hunting have committed a grave sin I went back to my room and slept, I can''t get in the mood to eat... there''s too much in my mind... these bugs... my job is not yet finished, I need to fight them again but how? not only do I lack in equipment I also lack allies... Fujo, Rick, Cynthia and the others have no experience in fighting these bugs and I highly doubt that their steel swords can penetrate the shells of these bugs...What do I do? Entry no. 18 I woke up the next day thanks to Lilith''s notification ''Zeno...'' ''What is it?'' ''The reflection system worked! a ship has responded to our signals albeit weak, there''s still a response'' ''Great! where is it?'' ''North, I can''t calculate the exact distance right now because of interference from this world''s magic atmosphere but my detection will grow more accurate as we draw closer to the ship'' ''As of now, how long do you think it will take?'' ''About a week on foot, four days on a horse'' I left my room and quickly headed for Lea''s office "Zeno? what brings you here so early in the morning?" Lea asked as she scanned the documents in front of her "I''m traveling somewhere" I briefly stated "Leave? on a quest?" Lea put down the document and asked "No, I''m going to travel. I''ve found some clues on how to get back home" "Really? how long will it take?" "About one and a half week" "Okay then, sign this paper" Lea brought out a paper from her table I signed the form of absence and left her office, I didn''t have much to take so I only put some spare clothes in a bag before leaving but Cynthia was there waiting for me outside "Where are you going?" Cynthia asked "I found some clues, these clues are connected to my home" "I''m coming" "Are you sure, it will be dangerous" "I''ve already decided to follow you for the rest of my life remember?" "Let''s go then" I swore to take Cynthia on an adventure, this one might not be the best and is the worst but I have a strange feeling that it''ll be okay Cynthia and I went to the city and bought some horses and food rations before heading north. The journey was quite serene, we never encountered any setbacks. On the third day, Lilith finally pinpointed the crashed ship in its exact location. Cynthia and I went to a remote town at the foot of the mountain in the north, we asked the locals about any strange sightings and we luckily managed to get one response. "So if I''m not mistaken, the sun was eaten by darkness before something came out of the eaten sun and landed right behind that mountain" I asked an elder as I pointed on the mountain "Yes, everyone refuses to talk about it because they''re afraid of the curse" The old man spoke "Curse? what curse?" I asked The old man looked left and right before whispering "Some people got curious about whatever landed behind the mountain so they tried to investigate, we tried to stop them but it only made the more curious. They secretly snuck out the next day, there were five of them, five men, they brought their full gear weapons and all but only one returned. The survivor then killed himself the next day, he kept saying '' A gigantic ship filled with demons and witchcraft, do not get close or get you''ll get ripped to pieces or worse be turned into ashes!''" "Thank you" I thanked the old man "Aren''t you afraid of the curse?" Cynthia asked, did she believe the old man? "I''m fine young lady, one of the men that died that day was my grandson... I''m already old, he was all I had, death would be more of a blessing for me right now" The old man left as he said those words "Do you believe in the curse?" Cynthia asked "Of course not" "How can you say that?" "Hmm.. let me think, humans have always been afraid of the unknown, those men saw something in there that wasn''t normal so they could only associate it with something that they didn''t consider normal, in their case, demons or witchcraft" I explained "That''s understandable" Cynthia spoke after analyzing what I said ''Lilith, is there a possibility of bug infestation on the ship?'' I asked as we started hiking up the mountain, the only way to get to the other side was through a small mining cave near the foot of the mountain ''Negative, if there was a bug infestation, this small town would''ve already turned into living hell'' ''Yeah'' those bugs always turn the most peaceful of places into a living hell ''Detected ship Warden John - 16'' ''Warden? isn''t that the ship where Alisa is?!'' ''Affirmative'' ''How did it get here?! the explosion from the last battle shouldn''t have reached HQ, how?!'' ''Unable to calculate, lack of information'' ''Damn it!'' "Something wrong?" Cynthia noticed something and askedThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Let''s go" I quickly urged her to quicken the pace We found the cave minutes later and quickly entered "Wait up Zeno, the old man said that we should be careful, this old mine has already been abondoned and was turned into a monsters nest" Cynthia warned me "I''m sorry Cynthia..." I could''ve put our lives in danger thanks to my recklesness "It''s fine, tell me, is there something there that grabbed your interest?" "Not something...someone" I told her the truth, I saw her expression darken for a moment before she broke into a smile and said "Then we shouldn''t dilly dally, let''s go!" We cautiously entered the cave while moving at top speed, the only monsters we encountered were the low-leveled monsters, they were incapable of thought and only attacked the first thing they see. It took us a while thanks to the maze-like construction of the mine even though the old man gave us a map, I saw the exit and there... I saw the wrecked Warden John 16 "What...what is that?" Cynthia was surprised "That...that is our ship" "A man from another land huh..." We quickly moved towards the ship... wreckage was everywhere and to this point... I was afraid there would be no survivors The once glorious Warden John 16 was now destroyed, it was broken here and there... we entered the ship from one of the large cracks, luckily we managed to enter the ship''s command center. ''Lilith, connect to the ship and search for any salvageable equipment and any signs of life, prioritize searching of life'' ''Acknowledged, time until task completion: 00:14:59'' Cynthia was still marveling at everything that she is seeing, it was a first for her so it''s understandable. Cynthia followed me to the soldier''s quarters, I was hoping to see some weapons but all we found were dead bodies and broken weapons. It was weird, did a battle occur here? there are no signs of bugs anywhere on this ship. ''Scanning complete, Signs of life:0 salvageable equipment: 1 energy based Desert eagle 1 transportation 5 Guardians 1 Behemoth model 7'' Lilith finished her report and gave me all the locations ''Thanks Lilith'' ''Please hurry up, the ship''s core is failing, it''s already amazing that it managed to provide power for the entire ship in it''s wrecked state'' Lilith alerted me so Cynthia and I quickened our pace, I found the modified Desert eagle. The energy desert Eagle was a pistol that shot out concentrated bolts of electricity, its main heart is the core that produces electricity the desert Eagle releases. It has a maximum of 12 shots before recharging for half a minute. As for the escape pod, it was a small ship that transports supplies, it was 20-ft high and uses solar energy as it''s fuel. "Is this a small ship?" Cynthia asked "Yes" "Are the men from your land wizards and witches?" Cynthia asked "No, they are normal men and women, born without any magical capacity" "Then how did they create such marvelous objects that run on magic?" "These don''t run on magic, they run on something similar yet different" "Please explain" "Isn''t magic used to create something out of the magic inside your bodies?" "Yes" "To us, we harness these energies and feed them into these man-made machines that only have a specific function" "Specific? then, what''s the function of the thing that you picked up earlier?" "Simple, to kill" "What? that small thing?" "Yes" "I don''t really understand but that''s amazing" Cynthia and I then moved to a storage unit and forcefully pried open one of the containers, 5 robots appeared in front of us "Are these men also dead like the rest?" Cynthia asked "No, they are something like a golem, they only follow orders" "Oh" Cynthia was very curious about everything but I patiently explained We finally moved on to Behemoth, it was a large robot that allowed one person inside to control it, it also had an automatic function so it can continue fighting alongside us even though there was no one piloting it ''Cynthia, bullet count'' ''Checking, the bullets within this Behemoth is: 0'' ''What? then how about the other broken Behemoths?'' ''I already checked, all of them have no bullets'' ''How can this be? oh right! Lilith, check the video recording, show me everything that happened'' ''Downloading data please wait... download complete'' Lilith played everything that happened, it first started out as everyone preparing for the fight so I skipped it, I stopped at the part where everyone started celebrating when they heard about the death of the queen but then just outside the base, an explosion happened, not just one, there were multiple explosions, everything went blank after that ''Lilith, what happened'' ''If my info is correct, the death of the queen caused multiple explosions all over the galaxy, this explosion was caused by two stars hitting each other, thus causing a supernova that then turns into a black hole due to the intense energy that it emits'' ''So in the end, the queen had the last laugh'' ''Zeno...'' ''What''s wrong'' ''Detected life! it''s in a cryostasis pod'' ''Who is it?'' ''Dr.Alissa!'' ''What?'' ''...Bugs, incoming time of arrival: 00:05:00, an entire swarm of 500. The swarm is only composed of Bug number: 7 ''Beetles'' they were the earliest and easiest Bug we''ve encountered, they were only used as workers'' ''How did you get that info?'' ''I tapped into the ship''s detection System'' ''Quickly charge up Dr.Alissa''s Cryostasis pod before disconnecting it from its source, after that tell me its location'' I quickly ordered as I went to the 5 Guardians and turned them on "Power on, booting... please wait... Reporting, how may I serve" "All of you are now Guardian 1-5, report all your available weapons" "Guardian 1 reporting, available weapons: Energy Blade" "Guardian 2 reporting, available weapons: Energy Blade" "Guardian 3 reporting, available weapons: Energy Blade" "Guardian 4 reporting, available weapons: Energy Blade" "Guardian 5 reporting, available weapons: Energy Blade" They only have the weapon that was made along with them but don''t underestimate these Guardians, they were strong enough to actually be given the job of protecting important officers "Guardian 1, enter the Behemoth and take it inside the Transport ship over there. Guardian 2 and 3, fire up the Transport ship and be ready for take off. Guardian 4 and 5, you are coming with me" I gave out my orders ''Lilith, how are the ship''s defenses?'' ''Front turrents are functional'' ''Will that be enough?'' ''There''s only 2 HE shells'' That should buy us enough time "Cynthia, let''s go!" We all started heading for the medical bay where Dr.Alissa slept in one of the pods ''Lilith, is there a repairable energy source? preferably those that can maintain itself'' ''I found 1 energy source, it is connected to multiple solar panels. It is damaged but repairable'' "Guardians 4 and 5, go to this location and extract the energy source along with the solar panels connected to it, if you can find tools along the way then get them" The two guardians separated from us as we arrived at the medical bay I quickly found the pod where Dr.Alissa was in, I checked her condition on the monitor and it seems like she suffered from a gunshot wound on her waist. It will take her a month in the cryostasis to fully recover. ''Lilith, did you disconnect it?'' ''Yes'' I heard Lilith''s approval so I switched to strength mode and yanked out the pod, I quickly headed for the Transport ship. I heard a large explosion outside, it seems like Lilith already fired one of shells "Guardian 4 and 5, report what''s your stat?" I communicated with the two robots "4 and 5 reporting, we have finished our mission and are on our way to transport ship" "Good" I heard another explosion ''Lilith, how many did you kill?'' ''456'' ''Where are the other 44?'' ''They are on their way to the transport ship'' ''Prepare to destroy the ship!'' I have to kill these bugs, they might attack the villagers on the other side of the mountain ''Nuclear meltdown'' "Guardian 1 and 2, get out of the ship and prepare for combat" We kept running and saw Guardian 4 and 5 board the transport ship before going out and helping Guardian 1 and 2 fight off the bugs Guardian 1 made a path for us and escorted us back to the ship, we managed to escape the Warden before the transport ship got overrun by the remaining bugs. Warden exploded just as we managed to get to the other side of the mountain "Request" Guardian 3 spoke "State your request" I replied "Officer Zeno, may I ask where we are headed?" "Oh, sorry, head for these coordinates..." "Location confirmed, time of arrival: 03:54:28" Entry no. 19 "Hey, Zeno, what were those things?" Cynthia asked me "Those... those were our enemies from my land" I sat "Those... those were such disgusting creatures" "Trust me... there are much much more disgusting creatures" Don''t even get me started with the ''Gutter'' ''Wait...Lilith, where did they come from?'' ''The bugs approached us from the north, they passed through the village from earlier'' ''WHAT?!'' "Guardian 3! stop here!" I roared out The ship came to a stop and I hurriedly peeked outside, the once peaceful village was now... turned into an aftermath of a massacre, everything was dyed red, dismembered bodies everywhere... I failed. I went back to my seat "Guardian 3, please continue with our journey" "Please sit tight" Guardian 3 replied "...There''s nothing you could''ve done" Cynthia sat beside me "It''s still frustrating" "I know" We both silently sat beside each other, each other''s presence was strangely comforting. I looked at the Cryostasis pod and saw Dr.Alissa, what am I going to do now...This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Officer Zeno, may I please ask something?" Guardian 1 asked "Go ahead" "I have shared info with your AI Lilith, officer Zeno, are we all alone?" Guardian 1 asked, I forgot, the Latest Guardian models now have their very own personalities. I''m guessing only Guardian 1 is the latest model among all the Guardians here "Yes, we''re all alone" I replied "Then, please command us officer Zeno" Guardian 1,2,4, and 5 saluted "Officer Zeno, we are nearing our destination" Guardian 3 spoke "Go into stealth mode" The ship soon arrived at the city, I urged Guardian 3 to land to the spot behind the guild. No one really noticed us thanks to the Transport ship''s ability I ordered the Guardians to watch over the ship before Cynthia and I left, luckily the forest behind the guild was thick and tall enough to hide the transport ship. I went to Lea''s office to show myself "You''re early" "Yeah" "Well? what was that thing you left behind the guild building?" "How did you?" "This is my Guild Zeno, this place has barriers set up that detects anything foreign coming in and out" "...It''s my ship" "So you can go back home?" "Sadly, I can''t" "Oh... that''s too bad, welcome back Zeno" "Thanks" I left her room and headed for the ship I soon arrived at the ship and found out that the Guardians have already installed the solar panel. I entered the ship and helped connect all of the wires from the panels to an energy source before connecting the Cryostasis pod to the energy source. I was a bit tired mentally so I fell asleep while I leaned on the Cryostasis pod, I woke up the next day and found Cynthia patiently waiting on the corner. "I''m sorry, have you been waiting for long?" "No, I just arrived" I stood up and looked at Dr.Alissa before leaving the ship and headed for the guild hall to get some grub, I want to take care of Dr.Alissa but the cryostasis pod is already doing that job, the Guardians are also looking after the ship so there''s nothing much I can do but look for a mission. I first need to get money so I can buy my own private land so I can use it as a base but all the missions there are too low ranking... Just as when I was thinking of other ways, an opportunity presented itself [You have to hunt down the demon general that has turned Oculus Mountain into her own base The Demon general is level 70 Recommended level: 60 and above Difficulty: S Reward: 5000 Gold coins ] Entry no. 20 "I''m sorry Cynthia but I can''t take you on this mission" I was talking with Cynthia on the dining table, we were alone right now so this was the perfect time "But why? am I useless?" Cynthia asked "It''s not that, I can''t ensure your safety when you go with me" I explained "Trust me Cynthia, please" Cynthia remained silent so I continued talking "...alright but just this once" Cynthia reluctantly agreed "Thanks!" "At least this is much better than you sneaking in the middle of the night" Cynthia saw through me, it was my plan B in case Cynthia wanted to come along I took the S class quest along with a few escort quests and showed them to Marcus, I neatly hid the S class quests just before the last escort quest. Marcus, on the other hand, stopped reading the quests after stamping the first two and just stamped all of them, I''m really sorry Marcus "You taking a lot of quests huh" Marcus laughed "Time''s are hard, I need money" I replied "Good luck on your mission then" "Thanks!" I quickly left the guild in fear that they might find out what I''ve done. I took the Energy Pistol with me before leaving for Oculus Mountain, It will take a month by horse but luckily the escort mission I took will take me to Asgard City in the far west will be using a shortcut that will cut the time in half. ??? "Hey there Marcus" Lea was finally done with paperwork and went to Marcus to get some refreshments "Hi, the usual?" Marcus asked "Yeah, give me the usual" Lea received a beer soon afterward, this was Lea''s daily routine, after work she would usually be drinking beer "Hey, Marcus, it seems that a village got destroyed in the north" Lea got wind of news "A village in the north? isn''t the northern walls defended by the 3 holy Guardians?" Marcus replied "That''s just it, the northern walls weren''t breached in any way so the only possible thing that happened was that the monsters from within the walls are the one that destroyed the village" Lea speculated as she drank the beer "Weird, monsters usually move on instinct and destroy whatever''s in front of them, did a new dungeon pop out in the north and the monsters inside attacked the village?" "No, according to my info, no new dungeons have emerged in a hundred years. The only dungeon that popped out in the entire Regalia kingdom in the last hundred years is the dungeon in the south part of this city" "Then where did those monsters come from?" "I''m not sure but I have a theory" "Oh, anything''s good right now" "Before the Village got destroyed, a few adventurers actually saw a swarm of monsters head north to where the village is located" "So this swarm of monsters was controlled by a demon then" "It''s hard to say, they said they were only bug kind of monsters but what was weird was they were never seen before" "A new breed of monsters?" "Probably..." Lea and Marcus were enjoying their conversation when Rick suddenly barged in the guild hallThis narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Lea, have you heard the news?" Rick sat beside Lea and spoke "What news?" Lea replied "There was a huge explosion north, the authorities here are now sending requests all over the guild here to investigate, here, they gave me one to post here in our guild" Rick took out a quest form Lea took it and signed her name on it to make it officially a quest that was available on their guild, she was about to put it up but "Marcus... did someone take the S class mission?" Lea asked "No one did" Marcus replied "But the S class quest isn''t here" "What?!" "See for yourself" Marcus scrambled to check the quest board and found out that Lea was telling the truth "...Oh no" Marcus thought hard and remembered that Zeno was the only one who took a mission "What oh no?" Lea had a bad feeling "Zeno, Zeno is the only one who took a mission!" "What?!" Lea was shocked "I''m sorry, he managed to trick me" Marcus replied "Aren''t we going after him?" Rick asked "No, we can''t, I have to meet up with the other guild leaders to discuss what we will do about those new breeds of monsters... and then there''s that weird explosion" Lea helplessly sighed "Then what do we do?" Rick asked "All we can do is hope and wait" Lea downed an entire cup of beer before ordering another ??? It was already half a week since I went on this Mission, I was still at full battery because I asked Cynthia to charge me up before I left, I wanted to use the energy that we had on the transport ship but she insisted on it. The shortcut we took was going through the lost forest, normally we should avoid this but if we needed to get to Asgard in two weeks then we had to take this shortcut. The merchant was fairly rich so he managed to hire level 40 adventurers to protect him, I was the one with the lowest level in the entire group because I was only level 34. I managed to level up this much by killing all the monsters that attacked the carriage. The Lost Forest was filled with different kind of monsters that liked to play with your mind, you always have to be alert or else you''ll fall into their illusion and will be separated from the group, from then on they will make you see illusions of monsters where you will exhaust all of your energy in fighting them, after that, they''ll eat you. Out of the 13 adventurers that were protecting the carriage, 4 already died. We were already half-way through the forest when suddenly... ''Zeno, my sonar is picking up some kind of noise underneath the ground'' Lilith warned me ''What is it?'' ''Zeno, JUMP!'' Lilith alerted me I instinctively jumped up and held on to one of the tree branches, the ground below suddenly opened up showing a deep pit where everyone except for me fell in. The carriage of the Merchant managed to make it through though, I looked and asked Lilith to scan for survivors ''Well?'' I asked ''Nothing, all I detected was a worm and it''s infants'' ''*sigh* looks like I''m on my own now'' I climbed up the tree and agilely jumped from one branch to the other until I reached the merchant''s carriage, he looked at me with an apologetic smile before we continued on our journey 4 more days passed peacefully which gave me the creeps, something bad usually happens after this so I always stayed vigilant, My thoughts were spot on because a pack of wolves surrounded us. I urged the coachman to hide in the carriage, I walked in front and faced the Alpha wolf, all of the wolves had black fur color while their alpha had 2 horns just underneath his ears. ''Lilith, how much of them are there?'' ''20'' ''Okay, please properly follow them with heat signatures'' I''ve already faced a few of these wolves, they have the ability to release a smoke that they use to confuse their enemies The Wolves opened up their mouths and released the smoke I was talking about earlier, luckily I could still follow them through their heat signatures. They kept circling around me so I unsheathed Azazel and equipped him on my right while the desert eagle was on my left, I quickly emptied out all my 12 bullets on the 12 Wolves around me before charging ahead with Azazel in hand. All the wolves attacked one after the other, they had good cooperation, I would duck to dodge their pounce before slashing their backs with Azazel. Their numbers dwindled down and soon the Alpha wolf was forced to attack, he attacked from behind and tried to bite my foot but Lilith already warned beforehand so I managed to evade in time before beheading it. The Wolves saw their leader die and fled out of instincts. The desert eagle completely recharged so I aimed at the fleeing wolves and shot them down, I returned to the carriage and informed the coachman and the merchant of our safety. We quickly moved away because the smell of blood from the dead wolves might attract more monsters. We finally arrived at Asgard City, they were so high it made me think they were meant to protect the city from giants rather than a swarm of monsters, we managed to enter the city and I was amazed by the city. This city was better than Regulus City, the streets were clean and you can''t even see a single beggar. Just shows how rich and prosperous this city is, most of the buildings are only 2 stories tall, and all of the citizens here had happy smiles... everything was just festive The merchant gave me 100 gold coins as my reward, these 100 gold coins were supposed to be split amongst us adventurers that escorted the merchant but sadly they all perished. I used the gold to buy myself a new set of clothes, I now wore a long black robe that reached up to my knees along with a black turtleneck and gray pants. According to the shopkeeper, these clothes were enchanted to be just as tough as an armor made out of hard steel, I had Lilith scan it and confirmed that some kind of magic energy is wrapping itself around the fabric I started gathering information for the upcoming battle I was going to face Entry no. 21 Oculus Mountain is in the south, it will take me a day to go there on foot. I can''t ride a horse to get to the mountain because of the rough terrain, there were deep canyons that I''ll have to cross to get there. I bought food rations before going on my journey, I''ll have to hurry and find a good spot because I heard that the Army of Asgard is going to attack Oculus mountain in two days. My plan is to have the two armies battle it out while I sneak in and assassinate the general ''Lilith, set objectives'' ''Acknowledged, Objectives are as follows 1: get to Oculus mountain undetected before the battle between the Army of Asgard and the demons 2: Infiltrate the enemy base and assassinate their general 3: Escape with the head of the said target '' I started following the route that Lilith made from copying the map that was available in the shops of Asgard, I followed the map on my screen until I finally saw the Oculus mountain. Oculus mountain was devoid of any trees and was only made up of dirt and land while the land around it was barren and desolate, you can''t see even a single bush. It will be hard getting close to the mountain without getting detected by enemy scouts and sentries ''Lilith, scan for any barriers'' After our mistake on the guild barrier, Lilith and I started studying about barriers. Now Lilith is knowledgeable when it comes to barriers. The barriers, in a nutshell, are only used to create an invisible force field around a certain area for protection from outsiders and their attacks. Barriers could also be used to detect enemies that enter the area where it was cast, this was the case with our guilds barrier. Barriers were very rare and only the top guilds could afford the materials needed to create it. ''Scanning complete, No barriers detected... there is one however, it is covering the entire mountain'' ''Thanks'' Now that I know there was no barrier around, I quickly removed the clothes that I wore and placed them inside my bag before burying it on the ground. I used stealth mode and became invisible, I went on my journey towards Oculus mountain. It took me an hours walk until I finally made it to the foot of the mountain, I saw a castle on the side of the mountain so I reckon that''s where the enemy general is ''Study the barrier'' I requested Lilith ''Scanning complete, this barrier will not be able to detect DK in stealth mode'' ''Thanks'' Barriers were composed of mana that covers the entire circumference of the barrier so, in other words, it''s some kind of a radar. DK''s stealth mode not only allows me to turn invisible, it also wraps me around with electrical energy that allows me to go undetected on any detecting instrument that utilizes energy I entered the barrier without any problem and it looks like I wasn''t detected so I proceeded to hike the mountain until I was finally in front of the castle, it was like looking at a fairy tale castle except this one had a dark and gloomy atmosphere surrounding it. There were several demons on top of the walls, these demons look like humans except they had horns protruding from their heads. The castle gate opened and an army came marching out of it, the soldiers that came out almost reached 200... isn''t their number a bit too low, I entered the castle after the last soldier left. I managed to sneak into the castle by nimbly climbing up the closest window, they never had any railings or glass on their windows so I easily entered without making a noise. I traversed the wide and spacious halls while Lilith mapped the places I went through, I got lost a couple of times and was frustrated but after a couple more tries I finally arrived in front of a large door where two demons stood guard. They never noticed me get in between them so I easily beheaded one before shooting the other on the head. My invisible mode was deactivated the moment I attacked and I was only left with 73% of DK''s energy, I never bothered to reactivate again because it will be weird if the door opens and no one came in. I opened the door and saw a woman, patiently sitting on her throne. Her color was green, had a long nose, and wore a pointy hat coupled with a long black robe, a witchThe narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I thought I smelled the scent of death, so human, have you come to kill me?" She looked down on me "Obviously" I replied as I readied my stance against her This witch''s name is Margaret, she was once a human but the people from their village framed his husband for stealing their elder''s gold and was hanged. This caused her to sell her soul to a demon so that she could avenge her dead husband, that village was now turned into a swamp where the bones of dead animals and humans float. After selling her soul and getting revenge, the demon possessed her body. Margaret was no more, the demon went on a killing spree while it possessed Margaret. According to the info I''ve gathered, Margaret attacks by riding her flying broom and throws potions that she brewed at you, these potions have different properties, I managed to list all of them: Confusion Melt Weakening Strengthening Burning Poison These were all but I can never be too sure, maybe she still had some that she was hiding so I have to be vigilant towards her "Well then Human, why don''t we get this show on the road!" Margaret raised her arm and the broom from the corner of the room flew towards her I aimed my pistol at her but she sensed danger from the small gun and managed to dodge to the side before jumping on to the broom and escaping to the sky, the room we were in had quite a lot of space and had four pillars that formed a perfect square if you connect them. "What a dangerous looking wand, give it to me so I will spare your life" Margaret was intrigued by my gun and demanded "Fuck off" I moved to the side to evade the potion she threw "Then I''ll take it from your corpse!" She laughed as she brought out a couple of potions before throwing them at me I used the pillar as some kind of defense against her potions but I started noticing that the liquid stuck on the pillar started melting it so I quickly moved on to the other as I kept shooting at her, I still had 7 shots more. ''Lilith, predict her flight path along with the potions that she will throw'' I requested ''She flies in a certain manner before she drops a potion she descends a bit before throwing the potion and flying back up again, use that chance'' Lilith shared the info ''Thanks!'' ''Leave the potions to me!'' I ran out and shot 4 more shots before doing a front roll and sending a [Crescnet Slah] at her, it was one of the abilities that came with Azazel. Azazel sends out a crescent wave of concentrated energy, it will only go in a straight line so I have to aim it properly. She managed to dodge it and laugh before doing a nose dive with a potion in hand, she threw two potions and Lilith predicted their trajectory so I shot them down, the splash from the potions were also predicted by Lilith so I charged forwards while nimbly evading the liquid. I jumped just as Margaret was about to fly back up and swung down Azazel, she managed to jump off in time and evaded my strike but her broom was cut in half "Are you a human?!" she was a bit shocked and angry "I think so" I ran towards her while brandishing Azazel She rummaged through her satchel and threw out two small pieces of stone that quickly turned into 10 foot stone golems, I aimed my pistol at her but the stone golem managed to throw a stone that caused my aim to be a bit off. I shot off a chunk of flesh off her shoulders as I ran forwards and held Azazel with both hands, the golems also ran forwards and swung down their hammer-like arms but I jumped up and did a front flip before continuing to charge forwards. Margaret tried to run but I easily caught up to her and separated her head from her neck, the golems were still chasing after me but I quickly disposed of them. ''Lyan! a couple of guards are on their way here!'' Lilith alerted me so I quickly took the satchel that Margaret had, emptied its contents before placing Margaret''s head inside ''How many of them are there?'' I asked ''Ten'' I looked at the potions on the floor and asked Lilith ''Lilith, which one of these potions cause the target to melt?'' ''The red potion'' Lilith have been recording the effects of all the potions that Margaret threw I quickly took the only two melting potions before running up the walls and stabbing Azazel just above door, I picked myself up and used Azazel as a foothold while patiently waiting for the arrival of the guards "General Margaret! we heard some noises, is everything okay?" the door swung open and 10 guards lined up in two columns I threw the two melting potions that caused the two demons in front of both columns to scream out in pain as they tried to remove the liquid on their heads that started to melt them but only caused the liquid to melt their hands next, my pistol was fully recharged so I swoop down in the space in between the column and slashed the demons in front while I shot those in the back. Their screams echoed out so I must escape before they surround me, I can''t use my invisible mode because I can''t hide the satchel that I was wearing. Now that I''ve got the entire place mapped out, it was easier to escape. I managed to leave the castle without meeting any interference so I quickly returned to the spot where I buried my clothes, I put them back on before starting my journey back to Asgard city I was on my back when I saw the entire Asgard army pass by, they numbered up to 1000, it was going to be a massacre if the demons fought against that number. I returned to Asgard city and went into an inn so that I could get some sleep before going back. Entry no. 22 I hired a horse and went on my way back Lugrus city, I was going to go through Lost Forest again just so that I could cut the traveling time. I soon heard that the land around Oculus mountain turned into a scene of hell, they said the demon''s number was small but all of them were elite warriors not only that, the demons also had stronger physiques which is one the reason why the Asgard army had a hard time dealing with them. The demons at Oculus mountain were all killed at the cost at least 300 men from Asgard City. I heard continuous notification after I killed Margaret but I ignored it, since I was a bit bored I decided to check my status and found out that I''ve leveled up to 57... no new abilities though. The lost forest was as gloomy as ever, I need to move before it gets dark... I want to get home as soon as possible. I traveled until it got dark, I''ve battled a few monsters but I managed to win so all is good. I set up a fire and leaned on a tree while Azazel leaned against me, I could only close my eyes and relied on Lilith to not let me fall asleep. Not getting sleep will take a toll on my mental help but I at least could rest even a little, the night swiftly passed without any problems and dawn soon arrived. I killed the fire and rode the horse before continuing on my way back to Lugrus, I managed to get out of the forest unscathed this time. Traveling alone really is quicker than going with a carriage, I saved a lot of time will reach Lugrus city after 8 hours of traveling. I soon reached Lugrus city and found out that the adventurers everywhere had this weird desolate aura, I couldn''t be bothered by them and quickly presented Margaret''s head at the city hall. Everyone was shocked when they saw Margaret''s rotting head, the receptionist even had to make a few calls before the supervisor inside the city hall inspected the head himself and finally recognized it as the head of Margaret the witch. It caused a commotion but I stood still and awaited my reward, it''s what I''m here for. After a few more minutes, they finally gave me my reward and asked me to show my Guild symbol so they could award 30 guild points. I requested to make it private and whoever will award the guild points must never mention my guild, they agreed and led me to a room. I sat on the sofa, waiting for the person to award me my guild points, the door soon opened and a lady in a red dress came in. "You are Zeno?" She askedYou might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Yes" "Good afternoon, I am Astarotia. I will be the one to award you with the guild points" ''...Zeno, the woman in front of you seems to be infatuated with you, also, she seems to be covered by a huge amount of energy... she''s strong, I can''t properly scan or predict her strength and level'' Lilith alerted me ''What?'' she''s powerful? is she perhaps the chief of the city hall? "Hello Astarotia, may I please ask something?" I asked "Please go ahead~" She sat on the seat beside me. "Are you perhaps the chief of the city hall?" "Close but no, I''m the secretary of the chief" If she''s already that strong then how strong is the chief? "Oh... I see" I could only force a reply "Please... take off your robe" I saw her let out a warm breath I took off my robe and showed her my back which was covered in DK''s armor, energy gathered around her palm before she placed it on my back. The Aegis symbol glowed and floated out and expanded afterward, Astarotia brought out a scroll and opened it. The letters inside glowed and floated out, it read as 30 guild points, the letters merged with the Aegis symbol it returned to my back. ''Lilith, what happened'' I asked ''It''s the same as when you learned the new skill, [Illusion strike], the symbol of Aegis and the letters from the scroll emitted the same amount of energy before they mixed together and merged as one'' ''Good work'' ''Thanks'' I put back on my robe and was about to leave but... "Leaving so soon? why don''t you stick around a bit" Astarotia brought out a tea set and started making tea "I''m sorry but I have places to be" I bowed and left "Too bad~" I heard her say those before I closed the door I left the city hall and soon arrived at the guild house, Lea was right there waiting for me at the entrance. "So? what do you have to say for yourself?" She asked "I deeply apologized but I am in dire need of money" I bowed "...How much?" "What?" "How much do you need?" "Just enough to buy me a land" "Then how about 100 gold?" "I''m thankful for your offer but I already have the reward..." "I forgot that you succeded in your mission..." "How did you know?" "When a guild point is rewarded, everyone''s guild symbol will start glowing for a few seconds before it fades" "I didn''t know..." "Anyway, for you to kill an S class demon like Margaret, good job, but let me tell you something, don''t get too arrogant because of this. Margaret is considered an S class demon but she can actually be considered a middle A class" "I know, don''t worry, my head won''t expand because of this" "Good, now come inside, Cynthia has been patiently waiting for you... also one of the members has finally returned from her mission, we can have a feast prepared for her return and your success" Entry no. 23 Lea opened the door for me and I entered the guild, I saw everyone pacing back and forth before finally looking at me. "You''re back!" Cynthia pounced on me, I could only catch her "I''m back" I caught her and patted her head "Did you really kill Margaret the witch?" Rick asked me "Yeah" I could only say yes "Nice!" Rick fist pumped and started laughing while drinking beer "What''s gotten into him?" I asked "Well, killing Margaret is big... I think Rick is just happy that we have another formidable ally" Lea replied to my question "....what...?! YOU! ARE YOU THE NEWBIE?!" from out of the shadows a green haired glasses beauty popped up and inspected me "Yes" I was surprised and could only utter "Haah..haah...haaah COME WITH ME!" She started breathing heavily before pulling me to God know''s where "Liliana! what are you doing with Zeno?!" Lea tried to run after us but this woman, Liliana, slammed the door and locked it before dragging me to her room in the women''s dormitory It all happened so fast that I only processed everything when she locked the door to her room "Hehe... we''re all alone now..." Liliana started taking off her top and was now wearing a shirt "Hey... what are you doing?!" I thought rape towards men was impossible but this... "I''m preparing~" she said those before putting on a... lab coat? "What?" I was confused "You think you can fool the others but not my eyes! you see my little golem, my eyes can distinguish something that is alive and something that is not~ you exude life force but it is similar to that of a golem so... are you a golem?" She sat in a chair and asked "No, I''m human" Technically a human, I looked around for an escape route. Her room was messy, books piled up everywhere... even the windows were covered by books "I know you are a golem!" "Isn''t that kinda rude? I''m out of here whether you like it or not" I unsheathed Azazel and broke her doorA case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "NO! please I beg you! stay!" She pleaded and held on to my foot "Why would I do that?" I asked "Help a friend in need?" "I barely know you" "I am Liliana Armstrong, age 21, single, I loved golems since birth and have always strived to create one that actually helps humans" "Nice to meet you, I''ll be going now" "NUUUU" She kept holding on to my foot, I was ready to drag her around but... I can''t, damn it. "...Fine... what do you want?" "I just want to open you up, see how you work... hehe..." I''m starting to regret my decision I sat on a chair that she gave me but I refused to let her touch me "So... you say you''re human but I really can''t see the life force a normal human exudes coming from you... you''re just exuding half of it" "So what does that mean?" "A golem, a human is exploding with life force, an undead doesn''t have any life force whatsoever but what exists in between those two is a golem or as I like to call it ''Artificial human''" "So I''m this ''Artificial human''" She''s not that far from the truth "Yes" "But if I remember correctly, Golems only follow a specific rule or command" "Yes... it''s weird, how can you answer my questions, how can you think?" "Are you seriously convinced that I''m a golem?" "I trust my eyes" "Fine, I''ll answer your question. I was once a man but I was kidnapped by a crazed lunatic, he yanked out my brain and connected it to this body that you are now seeing. I managed to escape him and run away but before I knew it I was already here" "That makes sense! but if I think about it properly... it''s impossible to attach a human brain to a huge chunk of rock and metal that operates on mana... hey, could you elaborate... Zeno?" While she was distracted by her thoughts, I escaped and returned to the guild hall. Cynthia missed me, I at least have to say hi "What happened to Liliana?" Lea asked me "She... asked some stuff before I ditched her" "Seriously... that Liliana, please forgive her" "What''s with her and Golems?" "Oh, that, Liliana came from a very rich family that made magical weapons... she was smart and beautiful however she was kicked out of her own family when she said that she wanted to study golems instead of making weapons" "Really?" "Yes, she stumbled here and there before she finally made it here. She''s a strong earth mage which makes her one of the strongest members of Aegis" After my small talk with Lea, I went to the table where Cynthia was quietly drinking her wine "I''m sorry about earlier" I sat beside Cynthia and spoke "It''s fine, as long as you''re okay" She smiled "How have you been" "I''ve been bored since you left" "Then why don''t we go out tomorrow, oh yeah, here" I gave her the clothe that I bought from Asgard "A dress? thanks!" She happily received the dress "Then tomorrow, 10 am, let''s meet up here" "Okay!" I smiled and walked away, I was worried about our ship so I went there Guardians 2 and 3 were patrolling around while Guardians 4 and 5 were standing guard at the ship, Guardian 1 was standing guard inside the ship I opened the door and to my surprise... Dr.Alissa was out of her pod, isn''t this a bit too early? "Zeno?" Dr.Alissa looked at me with surprise "Dr.Alissa..." "ZENO!" She ran towards me and gave me a bear hug, that silky red hair, her slim and body... it''s no mistake, this is Dr.Alissa "Guardian 1, why didn''t you tell me that Zeno was here?!" Dr.Alissa looked at the Guardian 1 silently standing at the door "Apologies doctor but you didn''t ask" Guardian 1 replied "Smart ass" Dr.Alissa uttered those words "Are you sure you should be up and walking?" I was worried, she just recovered "Yeah don''t worry" Alissa flexed her arm "Hey, isn''t it about time for your maintenance?" Dr.Alissa pushed me to a seat I took off my helm and robes, Dr.Alissa helped me with DK Entry no. 24 "Say...is did you notice something strange with DK?" Dr.Alissa asked as she scanned my helmet "Nothing, why do you ask?" I replied with a question "I scanned DK with this makeshift scanner I found inside this ship and noticed strange fluctuations on DK''s energy" "Ask Lilith" it is her task to monitor DK and me so she probably knows something "Lilith, please share some info" Dr.Alissa asked out Lilith connected to Dr.Alissa via a wireless connection and started having a private conversation. After a while, Lilith and Dr.Alissa seems to have finished their discussion "Do you know the history of DK?" Dr.Alissa asked "All I heard was that DK was made out of the materials that I found on planet 656 a.k.a ''Hell''" planet hell, it was a planet that is too close to the sun so the land was barren and dead, the living organisms there have evolved to be able to withstand the heat. I once went there on a hunt for information about a bug technology called ''Star collapse'' but all I found was bones and a corpse of a gigantic lizard. I didn''t have Lilith back then so I took it after discovering its hide that was tough enough to withstand a slash from Azazel "Yeah, according to the info. That monster was the now extinct ''evolution demon'', these ''evolution demons'' were known to have been able to mutate and evolve to be able to survive in the land that they''re living in. Due to this, they''ve always been hunted down to develop a new kind of armor, an armor that evolves but in the end, there was too little information and they were unable to produce the evolving armor that they dreamed of" "If that''s so then how was DK developed? " "DK was easily made because the ''evolution demon'' you sent was already dead, the scientists that wanted to develop the evolving armor wanted to create it out of an ''evolution demon'' that was alive to create the actual living armor" "Oh..." I didn''t know "But...these fluctuations are weird..." Dr.Alissa turned her head to the monitor "*sigh* with lack of equipment we can''t really discover the problem..." Dr.Alissa gave up and looked at me "Then there''s the bug infestation on this planet to boot..." I helplessly sighed. "Hey Zeno, for as long as I remembered you were always looking forward...always eager to kill those bugs, all I can see was your back" Dr.Alissa sat at the table, I was still lying down on the examination bed. "The day that I took you in for my own research''s sake I always thought that after turning you into a cyborg, you would go off and die like the rest so I always wanted to create a wall between us" Dr.Alissa continued.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I could only stay silent and listen to Dr.Alissa. "How did it get this way? Before I knew it I was in love with you...Zeno, I love you" Dr.Alissa had her back facing me so I couldn''t really see her face but I was sure that she had tears rolling down her face judging from the stifled cries from time to time. I couldn''t really answer I mean, I love Dr.Alissa, this is something I realized from the moment before I was sent to this world but there''s still the bug infestation that I need to face, I want to eradicate them before I start living my life with Dr.Alissa so that I could have a peace of mind. Alright, I will apologize and explain it to Dr.Alissa...sorry but I can''t love you...not yet I was about to reach out my hand but I started second guessing my decision. It''s not just Dr.Alissa, I too created a wall between us...I was too hung up on exterminating the bugs for the people that I lost that I started forgetting about the people I still have, I love Dr.Alissa, that''s a fact. I won''t make the same mistakes again, it will be hard but only if I do it with a half-baked conviction. "Dr.Alissa...I too love you, it will be hard but I want to try" this is my answer Dr.Alissa turned around and looked at me with a surprised face as tears rolled down her face, she wasn''t expecting my answer it seems... "Zeno...I-I..." Dr.Alissa kept stuttering so I just pulled her in and hugged her We stayed like that for a while before she moved in to kiss me but out of nowhere... "Intruder! A female has been caught hiding in the bushes near the ship, requesting officer Zeno to give the decision whether to execute her or not" Guardian 3 barged in The moment was ruined and Dr.Alissa could only blush before burying her face deep in my chest "Is it Cynthia? " I asked, they should know about Cynthia by now "Negative, she is a female who calls herself ''Liliana''" Guardian 3 instantly replied Oh God why?! My heart sank "Where is she?" I asked again. "She is currently outside the ship, kneeling" I put on the mask and the robes I used to cover DK before going out "I knew it!!" I was greeted by Liliana''s shouts of joy "What are you doing?" I helplessly asked "Finding out the truth! And it all paid off!" She had a satisfied smile "Ever heard of the saying ''curiosity kills the cat''?" I asked as I unsheathed Azazel and pointed it at her neck, she had her hands and feet tied by the Guardians so she can''t move an inch "You won''t kill me" she had that confident face "Wanna bet on it?" "Zeno! What are you doing?!" Dr.Alissa came out of the ship and asked "Dr.Alissa, I just wanted to scare her before making her promise to not talk about it" Seriously I was, I can''t kill a civilian "First, call me by my name, we''re lovers now Second, why would you scare a young and beautiful lady?!" She knocked on my helm "I''m sorry, Guardian 2!" I called out and Guardian 2 undid the rope on Liliana''s hands and feet "Are you alright? I apologize for the way you''ve been welcomed" Alissa quickly apologized "Are all of you here artificial life forms?!" Liliana held both of Alissa''s hands and asked "Artificial lifeforms?" Alissa had a different understanding of the words "You, and Zeno, release only half the life force aura that regular humans exude while those ''Guardians'' have none at all" Liliana quickly explained "Oh? Yes, yes, we are these artificial lifeforms" Lilith quickly shared her info with Alissa which helped her gain a better understanding "Haah...haah...I''ve found it...my paradise!" Liliana kept breathing hard "Don''t touch the Guardians" I quickly spoke, each Guardian has a role to fulfill so I can''t have one dismantled "You''re no fun" Liliana quickly lost ger excitement "Come on in" Alissa beckoned Liliana inside the ship, they entered and I was left outside "Guardian 3" I called out "Officer Zeno" Guardian 3 quickly arrived in front of me "Which among you Guardians is the best at scouting or stalking?" I asked "Guardian 4, officer, Guardian 4 has a high tracking ability and even had an invisibility mode installed Each Guardian team was composed of 5 Guardian, each has a specific job that they excel in. So if I''m not wrong, there should still be a medic, a and a mechanic, I''m not sure about the others but having a mechanic and medic Guardians are a must in every Guardian team. I walked back to the ship and saw Liliana marveling at all the stuff inside. Entry no. 25 "Tell Guardian 4 to keep a close eye on Liliana" I spoke to Guardian 1 "Roger" Guardian 1 nodded "Is this Zeno''s armor?!" Liliana looked at my DK armor on the table and started touching "Hey, Hey! No touchy! Touchy no likey" I pulled Liliana away from DK but her next words shocked me "This armor is exuding life!" Liliana covered her mouth "What?!" Alissa and I were shocked. "I can see a small life force exude from it albeit weak its still life force!" Liliana started staring at DK "*Beep* a bug detected, southeast of current location! Numbers unknown" the radar that was installed on the ship went nuts "No time for tests! Guardian 1 and 2, come with me. 3 and 5, protect Alissa and the ship" I quickly started putting on DK "Bugs?" Liliana had no idea what I meant "You call them monsters here right? From our homeland, we call it bugs" Alissa explained, Alissa also knows the story I made up "So these bugs are attacking? I''ve got to see them!" Liliana requested "Why?" I asked "These monsters are invading our land, I have no idea what they are so I''ll need samples. You guys also need to share information about these bugs because we''ll be facing them in the future" Liliana explained "No, if there''s one thing you need to know about bugs, it''s that once they get close you''re as good as dead" I was not joking around, I''ve seen stupid people try to approach a bug once, they all died in the most grotesque way "I''m coming whether you like it or not" she was a bit hard headed "Look here, do you want to see half of your body getting torn off without you even noticing? Do you want to have a worm enter you and burst your stomach open?" I''ve seen too much to know what they''ll do to others Liliana was speechless "Come on Liliana, we''ll watch from here" Alissa pulled Liliana away from me and urged her to sit on the chair in front of the monitor ''Lilith, you got the location from the ship''s radar?'' I asked ''Yes'' ''How long till we get there?'' ''An hour by horse'' ''...we''ll be using the ship then...'' "Looks like we''ll be going there by ship, Guardian 3 go to the bug''s location" seems like Liliana''s wish might be granted "Affirmative" Guardian 3 quickly powered up the ship and activated its stealth mode before flying through the skies "T-t-this ship can fly?!" Liliana was amazed "Yes it can fly" I helplessly answered "Won''t the people notice this big ship cruising through the skies?" Liliana asked again "Don''t worry, the people below won''t notice a thing" It took us fifteen minutes to finally arrive at the spot where the bugs are. ''How many are there Lilith?'' I asked ''50 soldier class bugs, Bug number 17: The Soldier ants, they were called like so because they are large ants the size of a dog. They have a large head and scissor-like mouths that they use as a weapon, their entire body is covered by hard shells'' ''Thanks Lilith''This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ''Several human life forms detected'' ''What?'' ''The ants surrounded about 7 people, they seem to be adventurers'' "Guardian 1 and 2, let''s go!" The hatch opened and I jumped down, the ship lowered its altitude earlier so it was only a 20-foot drop We fell outside the encirclement and started hacking our way towards the adventurers, Azazel and the energy blades cleanly cut through their hard shells so it was easy killings. When we arrived at the center, the adventurers are having a hard time cutting through the ants. Their steel blades bounced when it came in contact with the ants'' hard shell, they were exhausted and almost gave up. "Group up" I told them "Who are you?" A knight asked "Just do it if you want to live!" They followed my orders and stuck together in the center To them, following my instructions were better than just giving up. Me and the guardians formed a triangle with each of us on one of the angles, the ants kept coming at us but the guardians and I managed to win. The adventurers thanked us, gave us a bag full coins before asking our names "I''m Zeno, these are Uno and Dos" I only said those words before leaving We found the ship that has landed not far from here, it still had its invisible cloak on so without the help of the radar, we couldn''t have found it "So those are bugs? Seems like oversized ants to me" Liliana was looking at me "You''re only seeing the tip of the iceberg" Liliana still hasn''t seen the ''Assassin Bug'' or the ''Formar'' "There are different kinds of those?" Liliana asked "Imagine all the bug in this world" I replied "Okay, now what?" "Imagine them bigger and have mutated to have improved natural weapons or a more improved physique" "...oh, those are disgusting" "Now you know" she''s probably thinking of a large cockroach or something We safely returned to the forest behind the guild, I took off DK and returned him to the table. I still wore the helmet as I washed the yellowish fluid off of DK. "Why don''t you show me your face?" Liliana asked "Because I''m ugly" I blankly replied "Come on Zeno, a lovely lady like me is talking to you" she laughed "Lovely? Surely you jest" "What? Let me tell you something, lots of handsome prince proposed to me in the past" "Lucky them, they dodged an arrow" "You...I give up" Liliana shook her head "*sigh* don''t mind Zeno, why don''t we share information? By the looks of it, you''re a researcher like me" Alissa pulled Liliana away from me "You''re a researcher too? Great! I''m very curious about these doohickies and whatchamacallit" "I too am curious about your magic" The two went started having a conversation in the corner of the ship while I continue cleaning DK, Guardian 1 and 2 were cleaning each other which was very weird. "Zeno, Cynthia wishes to enter" Guardian 5 was responsible for door duty and asked "Let her in" I was now polishing DK with a clean cloth for a finishing touch "Where did you go?" Cynthia asked "Something came up and I had to go" I apologized "Please... don''t do it again... " "I''m sorry" "Somethings bothering me though, why didn''t my slave crest act up when you got far away, like the time with Asgard?" "It''s easy, it''s because it was only a lie that the slave masters use to scare the slaves" "What...?" "Yeah, apparently a lot of people don''t about it either" I visited a library once and found out, people should really go to libraries "I feel so dumb right now" Cynthia lowered her head in shame "Forget about that, oh yeah, forgot to introduce you, that redhead over there is my lover, Alissa" I''m happy to introduce Alissa as my lover "...oh" "Something wrong?" I asked "Nothing, was just surprised" Cynthia smiled "How so?" "I never knew someone as ugly as you could find a lover" Cynthia joked "Birds of the same feather flock together" I joked along with her Cynthia left and I was left with Liliana and Alissa who were having a heated conversation, I didn''t want to disturb them so I quietly left the ship. I went to my room back to the dorm and took a small nap, I was mentally tired. I woke up an hour later, it was getting dark so I went back to the ship to check if Alissa has had dinner. I arrived at the ship and found out that those two were busy on something, I took a peek and saw them working on what seems to be a rock golem. Alissa has always been like this, she would be so caught up in what she''s doing that she would ignore everything around her. I''m a bit...saddened? Is it okay to expect more from her since we''re lovers now? "Hey, Alissa you hungry?" I asked "No" she blankly replied "Oh...okay" "Guardian 1, which among you guys are the mechanic?" I asked "Guardian 2 is the team mechanic and engineer" Guardian 1 quickly replied "Where is he?" "He''s outside" "Alright, thanks" "No problem officer" I went outside and found Guardian 2 "Guardian 2 can you make some electric stove and some refrigerator?" I asked "Searching for patents saved in the database...found patents" "Can you build them" "Affirmative however, I lack materials" "I knew it wouldn''t be this easy..." ''Zeno, I found something you might like'' Lilith spoke ''Oh?'' ''I was going through all the footage I downloaded from the ship and I found a clip of the captain talking to a higher up from HQ'' ''Show me'' I watched the video, the content of the video was about all the ships ordered to send out relief packages and supplies to all the soldiers on the frontline ''That''s it?'' I asked ''There''s more'' Lilith showed me another video of outside the ship as it crashed down to the mountain, all the supply ships that were loaded detached from the ship due to a broken hangar and was sent to different places. After that, she showed me the location of one supply ship... there were 20 ships in total ''How''d you locate it?'' I asked Lilith ''The transport ship''s radar'' ''It was weak, if we need to find more, we''ll have to upgrade our radars capabilities'' ''Aye, now that we have a location, we co go and grab us some supplies'' "Guardian 2, charge up, we''re going on a trip the day after tomorrow" "Roger" Guardian 2 saluted and went inside Entry no.26 I met with Cynthia the next day, we walked around town and just had fun. This is something I should be doing with Alissa but she was too busy with her study on magic, I stopped thinking about it and focused on my day with Cynthia because tomorrow will be another grueling day "Something bothering you?" Cynthia asked "Hm? why would you say that?" I asked "Because when you''re worried about something, you always have this weird mannerism of tightly gripping your sword" Cynthia pointed at my arm, I really was gripping Azazel who was hanging on my waist This is something I developed when I went on missions, whenever I was unsure of something, I always had my right arm on Azazel. Danger lurked everywhere in the past so I had to be alert. "Please tell me what''s bothering you" Cynthia spoke out as we walked in the center of the city where a small fountain was built "This is something too dangerous, I don''t want you to get involved" I don''t want anyone I know to die "Why would you shoulder the burden all by yourself?" "...Because...as of now, only I can fight them..." I don''t mean to be arrogant but I don''t know anyone strong enough to help me or maybe I''m just too scared to ask for help when I know that it might be the cause of their deaths... "Your lover, she''s a failure" Cynthia blankly spoke as she sat by the chair that was in front of the fountain "What?" I asked as I sat beside her "What kind of a woman is she if she lets the man she loves feel alone in the world" I could only stay quiet "She''s a failure of a woman, I won''t ask you to leave her because I know you won''t but at least... let me share your burden, you may be the only person who can fight those things but I can try to use magic" Cynthia asked as she looked at the fountain "...Thank you Cynthia" I had the Guardians to help me fight but the having the company of another person is strangely as comforting as the protection the Guardians provide "We are partners after all" "Tomorrow, meet me at the guild hall" "Alright" Cynthia has already seen the bugs, it''s actually amazing that she still wishes to be with me after seeing what those things are capable of Cynthia and I walked back to the guild, Cynthia went straight to her room while I headed for Lea''s office. I knocked on her door and only entered when she called me in "Zeno? what brings you here?" Lea asked "Are you free tomorrow?" I asked "You want to ask me out on a date?" Lea joked "No, I want to show you something but please be prepared for battle" I don''t know just how much the bugs have progressed in their infestation of this world but I do know that I am in desperate need of allies "Alright, I''ll free up my schedule for tomorrow, this better not be a joke" "Please meet up with us tomorrow" "Morning?" "Yeah" "Okay" "I''ll take my leave then" I left the room and headed for the ship and as expected, Alissa was too busy with her research to even notice me enter "Alissa, you hungry?" I asked, I got some food earlier when Cynthia and I was out "I could eat" She replied as she kept staring at the monitor in front of her I placed the basket on the table and brought out a plate before putting the food on it and serving it to Alissa, I want to warm it up but sadly, there''s no microwave. She looked at the food before looking back at the monitorIf you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Thanks" She spoke as she started writing down on a hologram notepad "You''re welcome" I know men must be tough and stoic but... hey we also need some love, this is really disheartening I stopped thinking about it and just checked Guardian 2''s condition "Everything good?" I asked Guardian 2 "No problems found" "Good" It was all I could say I looked around and it felt like saddened, I brought out the pillow and blanket I bought and placed them on the chair beside Alissa, Alissa has a room inside the transport ship where she can rest but I''m guessing that the stuff inside is military standards I left the ship and just went to my room back at the dorm, I need to rest for tomorrow I woke up and washed my face before heading for the Guildhall, Lea, and Cynthia was right there waiting for me. We all ate breakfast together and I led them to the place where I would meet up with Guardian 2 "Officer Zeno" Guardian 2 saluted "What''s this?" Lea asked "A golem from our land but we call them Robot there" I replied "Robot? Your robots seem to be more advanced than ours" Lea kept sizing up Guardian 2 "Where are we going?" Cynthia asked "I heard that there was a wreckage somewhere south of here, there''s a high chance that it''s a part of the ship that came from our land" "Oh? but why did you call me?" Lea asked "Like I said, I want to show you something" I have a feeling that we''ll be encountering some bugs, I want to show Lea just what they''ll be up against in the future "Alright" Lea nodded I gave Guardian 2 a robe to cover himself with, we all hired horses and started heading south. It took us 2 hours before finally arriving at a thick and dense forest, this forest was called Blue spirit Forest due to the frequent appearance of Blue lights in the middle of the night. We all stuck close to each other as we headed deeper and deeper into the forest, we met a few wolves but most of them seem malnourished and terrified which made us wonder what has been happening inside this forest. "Are there too many adventurers entering this forest?" Lea wondered "Have there been requests of subjugation within this place?" I asked "No, no missions popped up but the fear and malnourishment from the wolves could only mean one thing" "The appearance of an even stronger monster" I spoke out "Indeed, let''s keep our guard up" Lea announced After half an hour of walking, we finally found the crashed transport ship. I didn''t hit the ground and left a trail but instead just crashed and left a deep pit with it as the center, we all slid down and carefully approached the ship. I opened it but sadly, all I found were food rations, no weapons. "Are there parts we can salvage?" I asked Guardian 2 "The ship can be dismantled" Guardian 2 took off the robe and started looking inside the ship "So this is a ship from where you came from?" Lea asked "Yeah" I nodded "They look strange" Lea place her arm on the ship and started inspecting it but ''Zeno! Hostiles at your 6!'' Lilith alerted me "Something''s coming!" I announced and turned around ''Lilith, what is it?!'' ''Bug number 20... Formars, the parasite bug, these bugs are the size of a grown man''s head. They look like a scorpion, they will pounce on your head before stabbing their stinger at your brain. That''s how they gain control of your body and after that, they will soon start to reshape the body'' Formars was just as Lilith explained. They are disgusting and terrifying creatures A wolf soon appeared in front of us but it''s was split in half and you could notice the brain being stabbed by a scorpion''s stinger, its back had it''s bone protruding and pointing at the sky. You could also notice that its neck has opened up and now has sharp fangs in it. "What is that?!" Lea was shocked at the appearance of the wolf "That''s a monster from my land" I unsheathed Azazel and prepared my stance "That wolf?!" Lea looked at me "No, whatever is controlling it" I ran forward as the wolf dove down the pit The mouth on its neck opened wide and the wolf''s intestines shot out, I cut through the intestines and jumped up. The wolf spun and tried to stab me by hitting me with the protruding bones on its back, too bad Azazel''s reach was longer than the bones on its back. I cut the wolf in half before the bone could even reach me, I landed on the ground and looked at the corpse of the wolf before gutting its head. I pulled out a dead Formar and showed it to Lea "This is the monster that I was talking about" I threw it on the ground "...What are they?" Lea was disgusted "We call them Formars, they will kill you by using this stinger to stab you in the head before taking control of your body and deforming it to any shape that they like, that wolf over there is an example of what they can do" I explained "You''ve been fighting monsters like these?" Lea was shocked "Soon you''ll be too" "Why?" "You see one of these, then you can expect that there''s an entire hive of these bugs" "Oh no... we have to report this!" Lea took out a bag and put the dead Formar inside before taking out another larger bag and putting the dead wolf inside it. ''There''s more incoming!'' Lilith warned me ''Where?!'' ''At your 12, there''s 6 of them!'' "Guardian 2, prepare for battle!" I called out and Guardian 2 came out of the ship before taking out a small rod and pressing a button, the energy sword soon formed itself. It looked like a lightsaber from a movie in my timeline Guardian 2 stood beside me while Cynthia and Lea were holding their weapons behind us, they''re responsible for watching our backs. 6 deformed wolves popped up from the bushes and dove down in the pit, I aimed my pistol and started shooting them down. 2 wolves died after getting hit in the head while the others had a missing limb or holes on their bodies, they were injured so killing them was easy. We tied down one infested wolf and let Cynthia try to cast a spell on it, she used [Lightning] and the wolf was roasted along with the Formar inside Guardian 2 made a cart out the wrecked transport ship while placing all the usable parts and rations inside it before pulling it up the pit, the forest was a bit thick and the cart was a bit large so I had to cut down the tree that got in the way. We soon got out of the forest and Guardian 2 hooked up his horse and mine to the cart, We went on our way back to the city "Listen, about us... could you please keep it a secret?" I requested Lea "Don''t worry, I''ll keep it a secret, I''ll also ask the others" Lea nodded "Thanks" Entry no.27 We returned to the city, Lea quickly headed for the city hall while Cynthia and I headed for the ship. I entered and was met with a question from Alissa "Zeno? where have you been?" She asked "You don''t remember? I told you that I went out to scavenge earlier..." Did she seriously forget? "No, I don''t remember anything" She looked back at the monitor I only sighed and helped Guardian 2 remove the contents of the cart "Heyo!" Liliana barged in "Liliana! you''re here!" Alissa excitedly stood up from her chair, seems like they''re research buddies I''m starting to doubt if Alissa loves me... No, she asked about our whereabouts... that should be enough..., right? Cynthia helped me by passing the tools while the head mechanic, Guardian 2 minded his own business on the other side. We all worked till late in the night, We were finally done making a refrigerator and an oven. I looked at Cynthia who fell asleep, she was exhausted by all we did. "Alissa, did you eat dinner?" I asked "I''m good" She didn''t look back and focused on whatever she was doing with Liliana I think I''m jealous... I shrugged my head and carried Cynthia back to the guild, I had to knock on the gate to ask them to carryCynthia back to her room but no one answered so I had no choice but to carry her there myself, I laid her down on her bed and started removing her boots, robe and socks. I was done and now had the time to realize what I''ve done... ''Zeno, I never thought you would molest a lady who is asleep'' Lilith monotonously spoke out ''Lilith, it''s a misunderstanding'' I sighed ''Tell that to the undressed girl'' ''She''s still wearing a pumpkin pants and shirt!'' Lilith went quiet and I sat down beside the bed, Cynthia''s room was quite simple. I kinda expected it to have some stuffed toys here and there but all I saw was some knitting kit, I guess this is Cynthia''s secret hobby... It was rude to snoop around so I left, I quickly left the female''s dorm to avoid any misunderstandings and went straight for my room at the male''s dorm but I found Lea waiting outside for me "You''re finally here" Lea looked at me "You''ve been waiting here?" "Don''t worry, I just arrived, I wanted to wake you up but I found out that you weren''t in your room so killed time here while I was waiting for you" "Oh...How may I help you then?" "Yeah, those monsters, they shocked everyone at the City hall, and now they want to create a subjugation squad to exterminate these bugs" "Are they going with numbers?" I asked "Yeah, they want to kill them fast" "That''s the stupidest choice, go with quality instead" "I knew you would say that, I tried to persuade them but they scratched my opinion" "When will they attack?" "It was a rushed decision... they''ll attack tomorrow morning" "...They''ll all die" "That''s why I refused to send anyone from Aegis" "Great move" "But I still feel guilty for all those that they will send" "Don''t be..." "I have a bad feeling but I''m still going to ask why" "Those that will die, you might be facing them the day after tomorrow" "Then we should stop them!" Lea looked at me "Wish we could but what can we do? talking to them about this is obviously going to be ineffective, I also have my secret I have to keep"Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "You are willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives just to keep your secret?" She looked at me and asked "I''m willing to sacrifice thousands more to keep everyone that is important to me safe from harm, their lives mean nothing to me" Lea was speechless but I saw a weird smile on her face "Is that your belief everytime you draw your sword?" She looked at me and asked "I once believed that killing those bugs would bring me joy and comfort... it took the death of someone really important to me to realize that all I needed was right beside me all along" "...Is that so" "Yes" "That Asotorotia, that secretary wants to see you, I refused but she threatened me, she knows that you were the one who hunted the bug down... be careful around her, she gives me the chills" "Alright, If that''s all then we should rest" "Yeah" Lea left and I went to my room I woke up the next day and heard a loud march so I quickly ran up the roof and looked at the adventurers gathered at the gates ''Lilith, Zoom in'' ''Zooming in....'' ''that''s enough, can you count all the adventurers gathered?'' ''Counting....please wait.... done... 414 adventurers in total'' This is going to be a hassle I went down and headed straight for the guild hall to eat my breakfast, Cynthia was waiting for me. We ate together before I headed for the city hall while Cynthia followed, we arrived at the city hall and headed straight for the secretary "What do you want?" I asked "Nothing much really...it''s just that you have something that I like" She stood up from her chair and started drawing circles on my chest that was covered by DK and a robe "...If there''s nothing then I''ve got to go" I spoke out, I was about to leave but she wrapped her hand around my arms and pulled me back... she was strong "A lady is throwing hints at you... isn''t it a bit rude to ignore them?" She charmingly spoke out "Sorry but I have no interests in women, I''m gay" I hope Johny''s line will work on her She was speechless and so was Cynthia, come on Cynthia, you should know I''m lying... "Haha! you''re really funny, you''re giving me reasons to fall in love with you~" She laughed and flirtingly pinched my waist "Alright, you won''t take my hints so I''ll be frank, please, ma''am, stop it, you''re being a huge pain in the ass" I blankly spoke out "Oh~? I''m a pain in the ass? why don''t we have a match then? If you lose you''ll be my slave" She stated her condition "If I win you will leave me alone" "Alright, let''s head for the arena" There was a simple arena near the city hall, it''s used to entertain the citizens and to satisfy the bloodthirsty veterans and bandits Astarotia used her position as secretary and forced everyone out of the arena... seriously... how much power does she hold? "We now have the arena all for ourselves, let''s enjoy this while it lasts~" She chuckled as she faced me at the blood covered sand "Cynthia will be the witness" I pointed at Cynthia "Alright" "Then, let''s go!" I quickly unsheathed Azazel, she is strong... I must not underestimate her She vanished from my sight and appeared behind me while a dark orb spun around her palm, she threw it down and I barely dodged it by jumping up. My robes were torn and DK was revealed. "Nice armor, I want to strip it down~" She laughed as two more dark orbs appeared on her palms ''Lilith, speed mode'' ''Acknowledged'' Astarotia ran forwards and threw both those orbs at me, I nimbly dodged and was about to aim Azazel at her neck but she vanished again. I used spatial rip to move above, Astarotia destroyed the ground where I once was just as I appeared above her. I stabbed my sword down her neck and stopped it just centimeters away from her neck "Well?" I asked "As expected of my future husband... haah haah... haah" She kept breathing hard which creeped me out "Please uphold the conditions" I helped her stand up after I sheathed Azazel "I''m sorry... but I''ll have to disappoint you there... a man like you... I won''t let you go~" She hugged me "Damn it woman, you crazy" I struggled to break free from her embrace "Crazy for you~" She sent me a flying kiss which made me cringe so hard "I''m leaving!" I spoke out before running towards Cynthia and carrying her I ran out of the arena and Astarotia was powerless to stop it I stopped after we arrived back at the guild, I took another robe from my room and put it on. Cynthia and I are going on a simple mission today [A new species of monsters have been found in the forest south of this city thereby causing some of the goblins to move out and explore areas to move in, the area around the forest is no longer safe so your mission is to exterminate 20 goblins Class: D Class mission Reward: 500 copper coins This mission is sent out by the City hall] I took the mission and had it stamped before I left with Cynthia, I want to visit Alissa but I''m betting she''s too busy with her research with Liliana... I really am jealous Cynthia and I soon arrived at the forest, we always met a party of 5 goblins so after killing 4 groups of Goblins, we finally won. I cut their ears and placed it on the quest form. The quest form swallowed the goblin ear and increased the number of goblins I killed until it reached 20, this quest took us 4 hours because we hardly saw groups of goblins... We were on our way back when we heard screams of terror come from the forest, I immediately unsheathed Azazel and had Cynthia stand behind me. An adventurer who had no arms came running out of the bush, his blood sprayed everywhere but he didn''t care, he just kept running and running leaving a bloody trail. I was not concerned about him, I was concerned about whatever was chasing him... my questions were soon answered, a 6-foot human male came out of the bushes. You can''t even call him a human anymore, his rib cage was torn open, revealing his beating heart, his arms were turned into a scythe made out of bones, his jaws was gone while his neck was slashed open which left the tongue hanging... and on his head was a Formar Cynthia resisted the urge to puke and aimed her staff at the monster "Cynthia, relax, don''t let fear take over you" I gave the best advice I could "Ok!" She pumped herself up I ran forwards and cut off its legs, the monster dropped to the ground and started crawling its way towards Cynthia by stabbing its scythe-like arms on the ground. I need to let Cynthia have this experience so I only stood there while my hands were tightly gripping Azazel, Cynthia didn''t disappoint and sent a [Lightning] at the monster''s back which killed it "You alright?" I asked "Those things make me puke" She covered her mouth and nose "Understandable" I''ve seen someone shit their pants the moment they saw these... abominations "Did you fight monsters like these in the past?" She looked at me and asked "Yeah, let''s go! there might be more popping up if we don''t move!" I pulled her and started running back to the city Looks like war is coming Entry no. 28 Cynthia and I were both running towards the gates but they were raised before we could even enter "OI! you fucking cunts! we''re still here!" I roared out at the two archers above the walls "Fuck off! we''re only following orders!" One of the two archers replied "What the hell is that order?" I asked "Not to let anyone or anything in!" Looks like we can''t enter through here, I could''ve just run up the walls and killed them but they''ve done nothing wrong. I princess carried Cynthia and ran along the walls, looking for a blind spot where there are no guards. After some running, I saw that the northern wall was least guarded because most of them have already run towards the southern wall where the Formars will be attacking, I found my chance and ran up the walls before jumping to the other side and stabbing Azazel to the wall to ease our fall. It generated sparks and noise but the guards were unable to hear or notice it, we safely landed and I quickly started running towards Aegis. We finally returned to Aegis and was met with Lea''s questions "What happened?" She frantically asked "Formars, they''re coming" I briefly stated before letting down Cynthia "That explains the sudden meeting, you were outside right? tell me what you saw" Lea asked me "We didn''t stick around because I didn''t want us to be surrounded so we quickly escaped" I replied and Lea looked at Cynthia for an explanation "That thing was disgusting if there were more of them then it will truly turn into a scene from hell" Cynthia spoke out "...do you think we should help?" Lea looked at me and asked "I prefer you guys watch from a safe distance" I stated "...Why?" "You almost know nothing about those things, I would explain them to you guys but I''ve got no time so it''s better to learn from experience" "Then what''s the best advice you could give to all those who are going to be participating in the fight?" "Don''t be a hero, don''t be arrogant. Use the walls and attack from a distance with magic, everyone lacks experience when it comes to fighting off those abominations" "Alright, I need you to come with me" Lea looked at me "Why?" I asked "I still wish to reduce casualties if I can and you can definitely stand your ground against those things" Lea was really kind, this is something that most people have but only Lea would go so far for people she doesn''t know "If I do that, won''t they start suspecting?" "I already got that covered, I''ve already spread rumors of you being a traveling master swordsman" "What? when did you do that?" I looked at her in surprise, did she predict something like this would happen "I did it a week ago, this would be some kind of a fall back plan in case people would start suspecting your origins. I never thought I''d use it like this though..." She smiled "You scare me sometimes" I laughed and nodded As a soldier, I can''t ignore the lives of these people here and who knows, perhaps some pathetic adventurer that will participate in this war might become a great person in the future. When that time comes, he will be a big help to fighting off the bugs... ''Lilith, energy levels?'' I asked ''DK''s energy level is 78%, your core is 90%'' She quickly replied "Let me call for some back up" I went to the ship to grab Guardian 1 and 5 I entered the ship and saw the two research buddies engrossed in their research "Alissa, please be careful, Formar''s have started attacking this city" I want to warn her in case something goes wrong, and also because she''s my lover "...sure..." Alissa replied without looking back I sighed and called out to Guardian 1 and 5 "Are you guys fully charged?" I asked "90% energy, would you like us to recharge?" The two Guardians synchronized on their reply "No, it''s good, wear the robes I got you to hide yourselves and prepare for battle" I ordered out, the two Guardians quickly went to one side of the ship to get the robes "Guardian 2" I called out to Guardian 2 who was at the door "Reporting, how may I serve" Guardian 2 saluted "Fix Behemoth, can you do that?" I asked "Affirmative, although I am in need of parts" "Do what you can"This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Affirmative" Guardian 1 and 5 arrived while wearing a robe that covered their entire body "Let''s go" I started running back to Aegis'' gates while the two Guardians followed "You''re here!" Lea waved at us from a distance "Ok, we''re ready to go" I spoke out as soon as I arrived next to her "Okay, let''s go, the others are waiting" She replied "Alright" Lea and I entered a carriage while Guardians 1 and 2 were the coachmen, we hurried towards the south gate and stopped at a hastily constructed base of operations. Lea and I left the carriage and she pulled me towards the largest tent, we both entered while I ordered the two Guardians to wait for us at the carriage. Inside the tent were Astarotia and 3 burly men that I don''t know "Oh, Lea, you''re here... and this is?" the oldest of the burly men asked Lea, he was bald but his beard reached up to his chest. He was as large as a bear and had a huge pike on his back "Uncle Mardoth, this is Zeno, the wandering swordsman I talked about" Lea was respectful towards this Mardoth "Oh! nice to finally meet you, I am Mardoth, Guild leader of Spearhead" Mardoth smiled with his which was riddled with scars as he presented his large arm for a handshake Spearhead was the third strongest guild here at Lugrus city and was the fifth strongest in the international guild''s rankings "The pleasure is all mine" I nodded as I shook, his palm was at least 2 as large as mine "Wandering swordsman? Ha! where''d you get that joke from, I bet he''s just a bumbling buffoon hiding in his pathetic mask" the middle-aged man spoke, he was not as large as Mardoth but he gave off a similar aura "Shut it Raiz" Lea looked at the man with contempt Raiz carried a sword on his back and had a badge of the guild "Elegante", the fourth strongest guild here in Lugrus and third in the international rankings. Elegante is a guild of swordsmen and women that pursue perfection in their swords art "Isn''t that giving a bad name to buffoons?" the last man spoke out, unlike Raiz, he wore no armor and had a large axe on his back "Raizar and Raiz, can''t you just shut up?" Mardoth spoke out Raizar, he must be the guild leader of "Red army" guild here in Lugrus, the sixth strongest guild in Lugrus and in the international rankings "Hmm~ are you bullying my little Zeno?" Astarotia finally spoke out and it silenced the entire room, what the hell? "Astarotia, could you repeat what you said?" Raiz looked surprised and asked "You and Raizar really are brothers, a bunch of idiots, let me tell you something, don''t bully my little Zeno here" She pointed at me, how obsessed is she with me?! The two guild leaders went silent and just sat in their seats with crestfallen expressions "Alrigh~ now that we have that taken care of, why don''t we address the problem at hand" Astarotia announced "Wait, where are the other guild leaders?" Lea asked "They''re not here, they left some time ago" Astarotia blankly replied and Lea meekly sat lowered her hand "Lea warned us before about this but you guys ignored her, isn''t it about time we listened to her?" Mardoth spoke out "Indeed, Lea was first to present that weird specimen to us" Astarotia nodded "I can''t say much but Zeno here can, he''s had a few encounters with these monsters" Lea looked at me "Oh? please Zeno, help us" Mardoth looked at me and asked "Right, I''ve seen these monsters in my travels before, they''re parasitic creatures that take control of any living organism they find. They reshape the body into something that they can properly control, not only that, they also strengthen the body during this process" "Hehe, strengthened or not, it''s not something that I can''t cut!" Raizar arrogantly flexed his arms I ignored him and continued my explanation "After reshaping, the body now becomes a powerful predator immune to arrows and weak physical attacks so my only advice is to stick to the walls and attack from a distance with magic" "such are the ways of pathetic men" Raiz looked at me and mocked me Astarotia slammed her fist at the round marble table which caused it to break and fall apart, her actions shocked the two brothers "Didn''t I tell you to shut up?" Astarotia looked at Raiz "I-I''m sorry!" Raiz hurriedly apologized Seriously... what power does this woman have? "Alright, since there are no better plans, let''s go with Zeno''s" Astarotia quickly regained her smile and nodded We all left and Astarotia led Raizar, Raiz, and Mardoth towards the frontline while Lea and I fetched the two Guardians while we headed for the spot where all of Aegis'' members were gathered "Alright, our job is simple, Cythia, Ella, and Liralei, your job is to attack with magic from a distance, Fujo, and Rick, all you have to do is protect the two women in case something goes wrong. Our objective is to observe the enemy while we defend this city... prepare yourselves because this might make you lose your lunch" Lea announced "What about Zeno?" Rick asked "He''s also here to protect" Lea replied The horns sounded and we saw hundreds of Goblins coming out of the forest, the magicians were about to attack but Astarotia stopped them "Don''t attack!" Astarotia roared out After all the goblins left the forest, they started frantically heading for the castle but suddenly numerous Formars came out of the forest and butchered everything they came across. Limbs and heads flew while blood dyed the grass red, the goblins screamed and whimpered as they were slowly dissected, dismembered and devoured by the Formars. All of the adventurers puked at this horrendous sight, even Lea had to cover her mouth... the others couldn''t take it and started fleeing while some only puked "Don''t fear them! if you flee now you will be considered traitors!" Astarotia strictly announced "But those things! those things aren''t even monsters!" waves of protest were heard from the adventurers Typical human nature, fear something that you don''t know or understand, I looked at everyone''s panic-stricken face, they''re afraid... at this point, I won''t be surprised if they all flee One man threw away his weapon and ran away and soon more people followed "STOP!" Astarotia roared out but she can''t control the situation anymore More people fled as time passed by, at this rate, no one will be left to defend the walls "You bunch of Cunts!" I roared out before jumping down the walls and running towards a few Formars I am now facing three Formars, all of them had the same body structure, both hands are scythes while their chest was open as their internal organs dangled out for everyone to see. They were first to move as one started crawling while the second and third ran towards me, the first to arrive was the third Formar, it tried to slash me but cut off its arms before cutting it diagonally in half. The first Formar pounced from behind, the exposed ribs acted as teeth that tried to chomp me. ''Lilith! use [Illusion strike!]'' I requested ''Acknowledged!'' I heard Lilith''s reply shortly after I jumped to the side and saw an illusion of me where I once stood, the first Formar bit empty air and crashed on the ground. I saw the second Formar swing his scythe made out of bones at me but I only moved to back to dodge as I left another illusion for the Formar to attack, it cut empty air and I used this chance to pull its arms before kicking his ankles which caused it to lose its balance and fall forward. The Formar hit the ground as I held on to its right arm, I twisted it and broke it before I raised my leg and stomped on its head with all my might, bones and bits of brains flew out as I pulled out his right arm before vigorously swinging it behind me. I hit the first Formar that pounced on me straight on its head which caused it to once again crash on the ground, its surprise attack failed and I didn''t miss this chance to grab its leg as it tried to stand back up, I did a cobra lock and broke off its right leg before using the protruding bone from it to stab the Formar on the head. All three enemies were now killed, I wanted to show off, I wanted to tell the adventurers that these are monsters that can be killed... it''s the reason why I used hand to hand combat on two Formars My plan worked and the adventurer''s morale was boosted, I ran back towards the gate that opened to welcome me back inside. The Formars tried to pursue but were killed under the barrage of hundreds of magic Entry no.29 I checked my stats [Lvl: 49 Swordsman Exp: 1457/ 2500 ] The Formars didn''t give any exp. it was understandable because they were once humans and the bugs weren''t originally from this planet "You were so manly out there~" Astarotia was quick to approach me "I only did it to boost the adventurer''s morale" I blankly replied "Wait, didn''t have a deal?" I asked "I never agreed to it, probably" She laughed "Zeno! that was amazing!" Lea and the others arrived "Yeah, how did you get so strong? well not as strong as I am" Rick laughed "Alright, let him rest" Marcus pulled everyone away from me I sat down and leaned on the wall, Mage''s still kept firing their magic on the Formars while warriors stood guard at the gate. Cynthia gave me a flask that had water in it "Why would you go so far for people you don''t know?" Cynthia asked as she sat beside me "Doesn''t your family do the same?" I replied without even thinking, I wish I could take it back but it was already too late. I could only lower my head "It''s fine, I''m already over it. Yeah, as a part of the royal family, this is normal but I am no longer royalty. I can only look after those who are dear to me" Cynthia smiled at me "...I am a soldier, it''s only normal to save people from harm" I spoke out as I reminisced the times with platoon 90 "Even if they are ungrateful?" Looks like Cynthia is talking from experience "They didn''t ask to be saved from the beginning anyway" I don''t care about those ungrateful bunch "That''s some weird logic, so duty pushes you to do this?" She chuckled as she asked "To be honest... I don''t know anymore, it was duty at first but now... I guess the more living people, the more people to fight off these bugs in the future" This is for the future of this planet "By doing this, people will idolize you and make false expectations... what are you going to do when that happens?" "Who cares about what they think" I laughed, all soldiers were treated as crap while generals and leaders were given honors and medals She leaned on my shoulder, I didn''t really mind because we''re partners ''...Zeno, detecting some weird frequency, it''s a call! it''s calling all the Formars back!'' Lilith alerted me ''... so they''re ready for an invasion...'' Formars were generally bugs that acted on instinct, the appearance of a bug that commands them on the frontline only means that the bugs are ready for an assault ''What are we going to do?'' Lilith asked ''Isn''t it obvious? we''ll follow them and find their base, does DK have enough energy?'' ''DK still has 80%'' ''That''s more than enough'' "Cynthia, I have to go" I patted her head before I stood up "Is it alright if I come with you?" She askedThis narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Don''t worry, there won''t be any fight" she was probably worried about me "...Alright, please come back safe" "Thanks" I left and headed for the gates, the warriors at the gate were weirded out at my request to let me out but they still complied after seeing my performance earlier. I walked out of the gates and saw the Formars fleeing into the forest, I wish I still have my complete gear, I could''ve planted a tracking bug on one of them. I followed them as all the Formars crept through the forest with their deformed limbs, it didn''t take too long before we arrived at the desolate side of the forest. They all entered a large cave, that must be where they set up a base. I looked around some more and found a debris of the hive on the west of the cave, I cautiously entered and found a few corpses of soldiers like me. Their weapons were with them but most of them were already broken, the only thing I found useful was a single M4A1-1000. This was modeled after the old M4A1, just like my energy desert Eagle, this also uses energy and recharges itself after some time. It was my lucky day, who would''ve thought that I''d find a weapon like this here. I tried to push my luck and snooped around some more, all I found were these: 14 - Energy grenades 4 - Fire grenade 4 - flash bangs 5 - Sphere Blast shields 1 - memory stick 5 complete set of Nexus The Nexus was the military armor all soldiers wore, it was made of tough materials that could withstand an attack from a Formar. Some of the Nexus''s parts from the soldiers were cracked and broken due to the crash so I took all of the reusable parts from the dead soldiers while I left the broken ones. The memory stick was on one of the soldiers'' helmet, I didn''t really know why there was a memory stick there but I still took it. There''s a player back at the ship, I could look at its contents there. Carrying all of the things here is going to be hard, not because they were but because I only had two hands. I strapped all the equipment on me while I tore off one of the floor plates where I place all of the Nexus armor parts that were neatly stacked, I carried the floor plate and left the Hive debris with caution. I walked to the edge of the forest and waited for night to fall before sneaking back in with all the equipment I''ve recovered, I returned to the ship and had Guardian 2 do some maintenance on the Nexus armors and the M4A1. Faulty equipment was as good as going to the battlefield with a weapon that can''t kill "How''s it going? had dinner yet?" I removed DK and asked Alissa who was busy with her research "I''m good, you go ahead" her eyes never left the monitor I placed the chair beside her before sitting on it and laying my head on the table "Alissa..." I tried to find words to speak but nothing comes to mind "...?" She looked at me with baggy eyes before she realized something "I''m so sorry!" She quickly apologized "Why?" I asked "Because... I''ve been ignoring you these past few days" "Oh... yeah, you were" I chuckled "It''s just that this "magic" made me so curious I had to research it" "It''s fine, as long as you give me time every now and then" She didn''t reply and just looked at me before she hugged me "I''m really sorry" She apologized as she kept stroking my hair "Come on, let''s eat" I princess carried her to one side before taking out refrigerated food and placing it in the oven We ate dinner together as I shared stories of my adventures these past few days while she shared her research and discoveries, times like these were the best ????? In a castle far away from Lugrus "My king, Caith city has fallen" A knight reported "Another city in the north falls... is it the same with the villages that were attacked?" The King asked "Yes my King, no gold was stolen... whatever those creatures were, they only craved massacre..." The knight had a crestfallen expression "Alright, you may leave" The King gestured with his hands "Yes my King" the knight left "Councilor, did the research team find anything?" The King called out and a man came out from the shadows "I''m sorry my King but the research team was fruitless on their task, these new creatures are just..." "*sigh* they just came out of nowhere and started destroying all the villages..." The King rubbed his forehead "I heard news my King" the councilor spoke out "Oh? tell me then" "The same creatures attacked the southern city, Lugrus" "Not in the south too..." "But!" "But?" "They successfully defended the city" "That''s good, at least the people in the north are smarter than those in the south" "The city would''ve fallen if not for the courageous action of one swordsman" "Oh...who is this swordsman?" "A wandering swordsman, we don''t know his name but people started calling him sword head or red-eyed demon, he came to Lugrus and joined the guild Aegis" "He joined a guild, that''s too bad. Royal decree from our ancestors prohibits us from messing with people that joined a guild unless we have a proper reason to do so" "Indeed, he was called sword head because of two protruding blades on his helmet while the red-eyed demon title was from the blood red glowing eyes that his helmet wears" "...Investigate him" "As you wish" Entry no. 30 I woke up the next day and took a bath before putting DK back on, Lea told me yesterday that she was going to attend another meeting, she asked me to go with her since I''ve made a huge impact on everyone. All I could do was helplessly agree. "You good to go?" Lea asked me "Yeah" We both met up at the guild gate before we headed for the city hall where the meeting was being held. We entered a private room within the guild and saw the guild leaders from yesterday "Hey there!" Mardoth was quick to greet us "Morning" Lea greeted Mardoth while I only nodded my head We sat down and waited for a while before Astarotia came in. "Good morning" Astarotia greeted everyone "Yesterday''s battle was a huge success thanks to Zeno, now, the task at hand is to destroy the base of these monsters. I''ve sent a scout and he said that these monsters are using a cave in the south as a base. They''re rapidly multiplying as we speak, we made a mistake last time of sending numbers but this time we will be sending qualified adventurers. I request all of you to send your best members" Astarotia requested "Fine I will send in 10 of my best" Raiz announced "I''ll also send 10" Raizar followed up "...Zeno, please" Lea requested "Sure" I nodded "I''ll send in 5 because most of my men are out on their own missions..." Mardoth scratched his head "I''ll be coming too" Astarotia smiled before announcing Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings."The subjugation squad will meet up at the city hall entrance tomorrow, make necessary preparations" Astarotia quickly left Lea and I left under the resentful gaze of Raiz and Raizar, I made it back to the ship and had lunch with Alissa before checking on Guardian 2''s progress "How is it?" I asked guardian 2 who was keeping himself busy outside the ship "Everything is in working condition, no problems here sir" Guardian 2 was quick to reply as he presented me the M4A1 I aimed it at a tree and started firing, I kept firing at the tree until all 30 energy bullets were depleted. It took half a minute to recharge itself which is a huge setback but I''ve got to make do with what I''ve got. "Did you learn how to create an M4A1 from giving it maintenance?" If I''m not mistaken, Guardian''s have a system called ''Self-Learning'' system "Affirmative, however, I need multiple parts to construct the M4A1. My success rate at first will be 49%, however, I will learn as I create more" "Alright, thanks" I nodded my head before my eyes landed on a Nexus armor made for females "I''ll be taking this" I took the nexus Armor "Oh yeah, can you reshape the Nexus armor to fit Dr.Alissa?" I asked "Negative, insufficient tools" Guardian 2 shook his head "I see, that''s too bad" I left the scene with the M4A1 strapped on my back I started polishing my aim in the forest, using the birds as my target when Cynthia suddenly came "Hey, what are you doing?" She looked at me and asked "Practicing" I sat down on a fallen tree "I heard about tomorrow" Cynthia sat beside me "No" I quickly declined, we are attacking a base, I don''t know what else is in there except for the Formars "I won''t take that for an answer" "Cynthia, I don''t want you to die" "I don''t want you to go and there alone either" "I''ve got allies coming with me" "I highly doubt you consider them allies" I was surprised at what she said, I couldn''t utter a reply because she was spot on. They may have the same mission as mine but I really can''t trust them... yet "I''m one the people you only trust" Cynthia pointed at herself "There''s the Guardians though" "Aren''t they defending the ship?" "...Alright, you can come but you will have to be beside me at all times" "Yes!" She nodded vigorously "Alright, wear this" I gave her the Nexus armor, I knew this would happen "Let''s meet up early tomorrow" Cynthia left with the Nexus armor while humming I''ll take Guardian 5 with me so he can watch over Cynthia I slept peacefully that night and started my day with my daily exercise. We met up with everyone after that, all of them were weirded out by the two companions I brought along with me. It was Cynthia and Guardian 5 wearing the same Nexus armor Entry no. 31 "Are you guys from Aegis?" A skinny man with a rapier asked "Yeah, we''re from Aeigis" I replied "Hehe, better watch your backs who knows what ''accidents'' may happen during the subjugation mission" he laughed I didn''t really care, instead, I anticipate his reaction when his companions get ripped apart in front of him. We waited for a few minutes before Astarotia came "Zeno? Who are your companions?" Astarotia asked "This is Cynthia while this is uhm... Fives" I introduced Cynthia and Guardian 5 to Astarotia "Cynthia? Did Lea approve of you coming here?" Astarotia asked Cynthia. "We came to an agreement" Cynthia answered "I won''t ask any further then" Astarotia looked at Guardian 5 next "I followed sir. Zeno to this land" Guardian 5''s voice was still a bit robotic "Oh? Is Zeno a high ranking man from your land?" Astarotia didn''t seem to be bothered by Guardian 5''s voice "He was very well known soldier" Guardian 5 replied "Oh? So he was a soldier" Astarotia smiled before looking at everyone "It''s time we go" Astarotia announced before riding the horse she brought with her There was already a horse for everyone, all of them were prepared by Astarotia. Astarotia took the lead as we ventured deeper into the forest, we passed by some skeletons of dead animals along with a bloody trail that led straight to the cave where we are heading. After some time, we finally arrived. "Everyone stick together, watch each other''s back" Astarotia strictly ordered We left the horses at the entrance before Cynthia and Astarotia released a light ball that provided vision while I activated my night vision, we started exploring the cave as the smell of blood and guts grew more and more repugnant as we descended. ''Zeno, 12 o''clock, at the ceiling!'' Lilith alerted me I quickly looked above and saw a Formar on all fours crawling, I quickly took out my desert eagle and started shooting at it. It fell down after I hit its arms and feet, it tried to stand back up but Guardian 5 beheaded it before it could even move. Everyone was shocked while Astarotia had her fingers on her chin "I didn''t detect it, that''s weird, I always set up a magic sphere around me to detect any monster that tries to approach..." Astarotia muttered "That''s because these aren''t monsters" I answered her question "What? Then what are they?" She asked "Monsters are born from this world''s magic but these things aren''t, you can consider them to be closer to an animal" everything was based on Cynthia''s explanation of monsters and my understanding of this world "Is that so? Then this will be a very troublesome task" she massaged her forehead We started walking deeper and deeper ''Zeno at your twelve, a swarm is coming. Bug number 34: large scarabs and a few more Formars'' Lilith alerted me again I looked at everyone and it looked like they didn''t notice the oncoming danger "They''re coming!" I announced as I took out the M4A1 strapped on my back The M4A1 had an ACOG sight and a forward grip attachment along with an energy bullet counter "Hah? Coming? I don''t see anything! Remove that crappy helmet and look again!" The man with a rapier laughed, mocking jeers soon followed after "Shut up!" Astarotia quickly got mad as two blazing balls came out of her hand "Zeno, where are they?" She asked as she looked at me "Front" just as my voice fell, the ground shook and scarabs as large as a dog came swarming as a few Formars followed behind There''s at least a 100 scarabs and 14 Formars coming at us. I started shooting as each bullet took out a scarab, my bullet always pierced through their tough shells before destroying their brains. I always aimed for the head and it looks like my marksmanship hasn''t gone rusty. Everyone from the axe and spear guild quickly formed a defensive line as the swordsmen positioned themselves at the back, my M4A1 was on cooldown so I took out my desert eagle and continued shooting as Astarotia kept throwing blazing fireballs while Cynthia used [Lightning]. They finally arrived at the defensive line but their numbles have dwindled down to 43 scarabs and 6 Formars, the people from Mardoth''s guild took out their large shields and started repelling the attacks from the scarab but the men from the Axe guild got too arrogant and ran forwards with their large axe. The result was catastrophic, their attacks could kill a few scarabs but they were outnumbered so they soon got torn apart. This struck fear into the swordsmen but the people from Mardoth''s guild stayed strong and continued to repel the scarabs, I ran forward and brandished Azazel as I mowed down the scarabs to ease the pressure on the Mardoth''s men. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.I tore through the swarm, crippling or killing a scarab in a single strike, I have to keep moving so that I won''t be surrounded. I jumped up and stabbed the scarab underneath me before tightly gripping Azazel before sending out a [Crescent wave] that tore through the scarabs that were striking the shields of the spearmen, I noticed a scarab raise its legs behind me. I was about to block it but a spearman tackled it with his shield, the scarab lost its balance and fell, I didn''t miss this chance and stabbed its head. We both looked at each other and nodded our heads before I started my onslaught while he and the other spearmen pushed forward. "Get back!" Astarotia called out Everyone quickly moved behind her as two blazing snakes rose from the ground and coiled around her "Pesky little bugs, burn! [Dance of the burning snakes]!" Astarotia pushed both her palms forward and the two snakes around her blasted forward with mouths agape The two snakes started to coil as they tore through numerous enemies, only the Formars were left after Astarotia''s attack. 3 Formars ran forward with scythes raised up high, I took the one in the middle while the spearman took the one on the right, the swordsmen were left to take care of the Formar that came attacking from the left. I was facing a mutated Formar that had two bodies, one was responsible for attacking and navigation while the other was responsible for movement because it was the one that the other Formar rode on. Their bodies were connected at the waist, they rushed forward as it attacked with its scythe. I took out my M4A1 from my back and started shooting at its head, it had no choice but to use the scythe to block my attack. It couldn''t see where it was going so it kept charging forward, I rolled to the side to escape its charge before shooting down its arms for a leg. The Formar lost its balance and crashed face first to the ground, I emptied the M4A1''s energy bullet on the back of its head before stabbing the other head with Azazel. I looked at the spearmen and they seem to need a bit of assistance, the Formar kept flinging its scythe sidewards, their shields couldn''t take it and just broke apart so all they can do is jump back but due to their heavy armors, the Formar still managed to injure them. I ran towards the formar before sliding and cutting both its knees, the Formar was about to fall to the ground but I stabbed Azazel to the ground to stop myself from sliding before rotating around Azazel and sending a kick towards the Formars back that caused it to fly towards the spearmen in an ark, the spearmen raised their spears and 10 spears stopped the Formars descent. I looked at the swordsman side and what I saw was just disgusting, there were limbs and blood everywhere. Only 4 of the original 10 were now left to deal with the Formar that still had a decapitated head on its mouth, the man with a rapier fled with his wet pants and the other three swordsmen followed. The Formar burst forward before slicing one of the swordsmen vertically, the Formar was about to give chase but I stopped it by shooting its head with my desert eagle. My attack wounded the Formar on its head but it wasn''t enough to kill it, it changed its target to me and charged with both scythes scraping on the ground. I too ran forward with Azazel on my right hand while the desert eagle was on my left, Azazel met with the Formars left scythe but I only dodged when it attacked its right scythe. This continued on for a while until I finally found a chance when it raised its right scythe, I delivered a quick strike that severed his right arm. He swung his left scythe but I jumped up to dodge before stabbing Azazel on the ground, keeping the left scythe in its place. It tried to bite me but I aimed my desert eagle on its mouth and emptied all my bullets, the battle was finished. "Zeno, are you ok?" Cynthia asked as green light emanated from her right arm "I''m fine, heal the others" I replied as I walked towards the group "The men from Raizar''s guild has been wiped out while Raiz''s wussed out" Astarotia wrote on her small book "... you guys return and report everything that happened here" Astarotia looked a the spearmen and announced "But Ms.Astarotia, we can still fight" a spearman spoke out "No, we''re not fighting, not for now at least. We''ll only gather some info, you guys go back" she replied The spearman struggled a bit before nodding his head before leading all the supermen out the cave. "So? What do you think?" Astarotia looked at me and asked "This is better, we would attract less attention in small a group but this also means that we could get killed if we are caught" I briefly replied "Alright, let''s proceed with caution then" I led the way as Lilith automatically mapped out the areas we passed through, we met with a few Formars but we quickly silenced them. We found a nest as we traversed the 3rd underground floor. "...what are these?" Astarotia asked as she stared at the amber like egg that had the size of a small oven "An egg obviously" I looked around in case there''s a guard "Why do you have to be so mean~" Astarotia tapped on my helm "Let''s break them" I brought out my gun and started shooting Cynthia, Astarotia, and Guardian 5 started breaking each egg in their own ways, 10 minutes after, all eggs were now broken. There were at least 300 of those eggs here, we found another set of stairs leading down while we were destroying the eggs and now that that''s done, we can finally descend. We cautiously went down and saw an entire swarm of giant ants heading straight for us "Run, NOW!" we all started running as the ants toppled anything that blocked their path After some continuous running, we finally got out of the cave. "Don''t stop now" Astarotia had her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath "Give me five minutes" She replied "Those ants will need 3 to turn you into meat paste!" I carried her and caught up with Guardian 5 and Cynthia Cynthia wasn''t tired because of the Nexus armor, it may be military armor but it has features that help the user use less energy but have twice the effect. We saw the city gates just as Cynthia was starting to get tired "Open the gates!" Astarotia shouted out The gates soon opened and we entered "Ready the mages we may have company!" She quickly instructed as Cynthia and I sat down to rest ''Lilith, how much energy does DK have?'' I asked ''78%'' she quickly replied "These are amazing" Cynthia suddenly spoke out "You getting used to it?" I asked "Yeah, it''s a bit weird at first but I''ll get used to it. Is this what it feels like in your armor?" Cynthia asked "You could say that" I chuckled as I knocked on her helm She removed her helmet and shook her head left and right, beads of sweat streamed down her face as she fixed her hair. "I''ve been waiting to ask this, what''s that on your back" Astarotia came out of nowhere and asked as she sat beside me "You can call it a bow, it was made back home" I lied "It shoots weird blue beads?" Astarotia was still curious "It''s concentrated mana" It is easier to explain using words she knows "That''s amazing! Is it alright if you make more of these?" She requested with puppy eyes "Can''t, materials needed are only found back home" "That''s too bad" she quickly gave up and just leaned her head on my shoulders I was about to stop her but Cynthia spoke out "Don''t get too intimate with him" Cynthia spoke out as she stared daggers at Astarotia "Oh? Who are you to tell me that? Are you Zeno''s lover?" Astarotia shot back as she looked down at Cynthia Cynthia could only grit her teeth and pull me away from her "Hey! What''re you doing?!" Astarotia got mad and pulled me "Cut it out" I stood up and ran up the walls because Lilith alerted me of another swarm coming I looked at the forest and saw several ants come out before an entire swarm showed itself "Prepare for battle!" A sentry roared out as he blew the horn that echoed out throughout the entire city. Entry no. 32 I looked at the forest and noticed several Hercules beetles the size of a fully grown man come out of the forest, the queen of that hive is really pissed. "...I think we pissed someone or something off" Astarotia spoke out as she arrived next to me "Aren''t you supposed to be tired?" I asked "I was pretending so you will carry me~" "...seriously?" This woman... =_= "Hehe, you won''t pay attention to me so you forced me to do so~" She hopped next to me and tapped on my forehead "I''ll pursue this issue later, let''s concentrate on the enemy in front of us" "Alright, what''s the plan?" Astarotia asked "Same as the last time hit them with magic, don''t let them get close" "That''s going to be a problem" Astarotia rubbed her forehead "What do you mean?" I asked "The mages... they''re too slow to even respond" I looked around us and noticed that only a few mages actually arrived, we have to stall for time. "Guardian 5, provide cover fire" I called out Guardian 5 and gave him my M4A1 I ran down and came out of the city walls, Guardian 5 stayed above the wall along with Astarotia. ''Lilith, enemy count'' I requested Lilith ''30 Hercules Hive beetles, 5 Formars, and 15 Soldier ants'' "Astarotia! Fives! aim for the Ants and those humanoid creatures!" I shouted out at Astarotia Astarotia only nodded her head and sent wave after wave of fireballs at the enemies. The Soldier ants and Formars were a bit fast so they''re going to be a problem but the Hercules warrior beetles are a bit slow so they''re not going to pose much of a threat unless they get close to the walls ''Lilith, Speed mode'' ''Request acknowledged'' Dk''s usually red glow turned blue as it''s speed reached a whole new level, I ran passed the Formars and Soldier Ants before arriving in front of the Hercules beetles. ''Lilith, switch to strength'' ''Switching... switching complete!'' DK''s blue glow turned yellowish, I raised Azazel up and swung him down at the head of one the beetles. I cut through without even the slightest resistance, the sharpness of Azazel and the strength boosted DK is a deadly combo. The Beetle collapsed lifelessly on the ground, the other beetles saw their fallen comrade and started heading towards me. They trampled everything they came across, their pincers opened up wide and tried to cut me in half but I only jumped back to evade. I was completely surrounded by 4 Hercules beetles, while the other was still running towards me at a snail''s pace. The beetle in front of me opened it''s pincers wide and tried to crush me but I quickly moved to the side just as it hit the spot where I used to be, I swung Azazel down and broke it''s lower horn before stabbing its head. The beetle collapsed with a thud as the other three attacked me all at the same time, but I used [Illusion strike] before jumping back. The beetle in the middle saw an illusion of me on the beetle on its right so it started crushing its own ally, the two beetle were busy with each other so killing the last of the three was fairly easy. "KYAAA!" I was about to kill the other two beetles but I heard a shout from a distance I looked at the source of the shout and found a young girl holding a basket of fruit and vegetables, she was being chased by one of the beetles.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ''Lilith, switch to speed and get ready to revert back to strength!'' ''Affirmative'' I ran towards the beetle that was chasing the young girl. ''Lilith!'' ''Switching!'' I kicked the beetles head just as DK''s glow turned yellow, half of the bug''s head caved in. "Run, now!" I spoke to the young lady without even turning back The beetle had a hard time keeping its balance as it kept shaking its head, I found a chance and slipped underneath it before gutting its defenseless stomach with Azazel. I was covered in its gooey blue blood but I ignored it as I started shooting some beetles down with my desert eagle, it didn''t provide much damage but its a different story if I shoot their legs. ''Lilith, how many more?'' ''There are 13 Hercules beetles, the Soldier Ants and Formars have been wiped out'' ''Thanks'' Astarotia and the others can take care of the other 10 bugs that headed straight for the castle walls, the other two headed for me but what about the last one. I looked around and saw the last beetle fleeing the battle, will it call for help? I''ve never had much experience against these bugs because they''re mainly on the frontline while our squad focused on missions that involve infiltration and target destruction. ''Lilith, is this a common behavior?'' I asked ''Accessing database... Please wait'' ''Take your time'' I brandished Azazel and started chasing after the fleeing beetle ''1 match found'' Lilith alerted me when I was halfway towards the beetle ''Hercules beetles are known to have retreated battles in order to call in reinforcements'' ''Got it, Thanks!'' My Desert Eagle was fully recharged and I aimed it at the beetle''s 8 legs and started shooting, the Beetle has been fully subdued and I''m free to kill it however I want but I still have two beetles moving at a snail pace chasing after me. I held Azazel with both hands before switching to speed and running forward, I held Azazel with both hands before jumping up and arriving behind one of the beetles. I switched to strength and easily cut through the tough shell of the beetle, the last beetle tried to retaliate but it only died. I looked at the escaping beetle earlier, it was struggling to crawl forward. I walked beside it and was about to stab its head but someone stopped me. "Zeno, don''t!" Astarotia shouted out as she ran towards me "Why?" I asked "Because we need this thing for experimentation, it''s rare to have a live specimen" Astarotia looked at the legless beetle "You guys take care of the transportation" I only said those words before swinging Azazel to remove the blood on it before sheathing it and hanging it on my back "Hey, hey! you expect a fragile woman like me to carry such a heavy bug?" Astarotia hold on to my hand "You can obliterate an entire swarm of monsters, if you call that weak then all of the men in this city are a bunch of pussies" I shot back "Come on, aren''t you a gentleman?" Astarotia didn''t give up and walked up in front of me "I am a gentleman but only to my lover" I walked to the side "Aren''t I your lover?" Astarotia followed me "No way in hell" I replied without turning back "Why are you like this? a woman is chasing you yet you keep rejecting her~" Astarotia asked "Why are you so obsessed with me?" I asked "Hmm, let me think~... you can call it attraction?" "I really don''t care just please stop" I helplessly sighed "Aren''t you curious~?" Astarotia stood in front of me and bent her body forwards, making sure I can see her cleavage as she cutely asked "If it makes you stop harassing me then go ahead" I looked to the side as I replied "Hehe~" Astarotia let out a victorious chuckle before standing beside me "You know that I''m strong right?" Astarotia asked "Yeah but I don''t know just how strong" I replied as I started walking "You''ll find out soon enough, Because of my strength, the men around me all seemed so inferior... My friends started having lovers yet I''m still alone, I want to have a lover but with the way I look at men, it was almost impossible. Then I fell in love, I will do anything for him" I looked at Astarotia who was smiling at me "A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G" Astarotia slowly said those words "Riiiggghhttt, if so then please leave me alone" I helplessly replied Astarotia could only chuckle before Cynthia came "Zeno!" Cynthia called out I only raised my hand and waved at her, she quickly ran towards our spot and quickly got into the space between me and Astarotia. "Great, a meddler" Astarotia muttered under her breathe "Hmm?" Cynthia looked at Astarotia as she smiled "Nothing~" Astarotia also smiled Two ladies were smiling but the atmosphere was tense ''Lilith, got any advice?'' I requested help because I have no experience in stopping catfights ''Please follow everything that I say'' ''Alright'' "Ladies, please stop fighting over me. Come to my place and all of us can have some "Fun"" I recited everything that Lilith said but... ""What?"" Cynthia and Astarotia looked at me with surprise "...What" My brain finally processed everything and instant regret quickly hit me "Oh~ underneath that hard and stoic attitude of yours is actually a lusty personality" Astarotia smiled as she held both her breasts up in front of me "A-Ah... Zeno is just kidding!" Cynthia stuttered as she spoke out "Yes! it was a joke to stop you guys from fighting!" A way of escape fell on my lap so I quickly grabbed onto it "Really? he seemed pretty serious to me~" Astarotia was drawing circles on my chest with her finger "Quit it!" Cynthia pulled her away from me They both bickered until we returned to the city Entry no. 33 I returned to the ship and removed DK with the help of Alissa, she started running a scan on DK. "...Something''s wrong" Alissa spoke out as she looked at the monitor "What is it?" I asked "Tell me something, is there something going on with DK recently?" "No, everything is fine when I use DK" "Look at this" Alissa beckoned me and I looked at the monitor "See this?" She pointed at the monitor that had no display "There''s nothing on it" I replied "That''s just it, nothing, DK''s energy levels should be shown here if DK had no energy, there should at least be some red bar at the bottom and if DK was full of energy then, the bar would reach up to the top of the monitor... There is something really wrong with DK" Alissa and I were contemplating what to do next when the radar within the ship rang "I''ll check it" Alissa went to the control room "Zeno! trouble!" Alissa shouted soon after "What''s wrong?" I quickly asked "Nicrophorus class!" "What?!" Nicrophorus class bug, they were as large as a fully grown elephant. These bugs burrow into the ground and create a tunnel into the heart of a city that had low defenses, this is the reason why most of the planets they invaded fell easily. They were also capable of spitting out their own digestive juices which instantly melts human skin. I looked at the radar and saw that the Nicrophorus has already reached the center of the city "PREPARE TO LEAVE, NOW!" I quickly put on my helmet and notified all of the Guardians through radio I went out of the ship after wearing DK, Azazel was strapped on my back "Where are you going?!" Alissa shouted out "I''m going to warn everyone!" ''Lilith, activate speed mode'' ''Acknowledged'' I ran back to the guild office "Zeno? what''s wrong? you seem to be in a hurry" Lea asked "No time to explain, tell everyone to evacuate the city, NOW!" I explained "What? I can''t just tell anyone to evacuate without a reason and didn''t you guys deflect the oncoming attackers?" Lea asked "This time it''s different, they built an underground tunnel and they will soon invade!" I explained to the best of my capabilities Lea was silent before running out to the veranda and casting a spell, she fired a fire that released a bright light when it reached the skies. Minutes after, the light vanished and came the sound of people rushing to leave their homes "What was that?" I asked "It''s what we use to warn everyone of an impending danger, although its use needs to be approved by all the guild masters within the city" Lea explained The door soon swung open and Astarotia quickly came in "What the hell was that for?! did you even get permission to use that?!" Astarotia was mad "Zeno said that it was an emergency" Lea answered "It''s true, this city is going to fall and there''s nothing we can do to stop it" I backed Lea upUnauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "How? Didn''t we successfully defend the city?" Astarotia calmed down "No-" I was about to explain but the sudden earthquake caught me off-guard "Goddamnit, It''s coming! Astarotia, lead any available men to the center of the city!" I announced before jumping out the window ''Lilith, can you detect how many enemies there are underground?" I asked ''Negative'' She replied Damn it I quickly called back to the ship ''All guardians, report energy levels'' ''Guardian 1 reporting, 90% energy'' ''Guardian 2 reporting, 87% energy'' ''Guardian 3 reporting, 90% energy'' ''Guardian 4 reporting, 88% energy'' ''Guardian 5 reporting, 58% energy'' ''Good, Guardian 1, I require your assistance, 2,3, and 4, you guys defend the ship, 5 recharge your batteries'' I gave out my orders ''What about me?'' I heard Alissa''s voice ''Steer the ship here and make sure that it''s invisible, just drop 1 off before heading to a safe place'' I requested ''Got it!'' Alissa replied before cutting off I passed by panicking villagers, they only took what they can before leaving... this sudden evacuation is causing a riot but I can''t help any of them right now, I have to meet the attackers or else they''ll be in much more trouble than they already are. I reached the center of the city and noticed large cracks all around the streets. Another earthquake came as something underneath is doing its best to surface, I brought out my M4A1 and aimed. Another earthquake came as the cobblestone on the ground broke apart, the ground opened as a large Beetle came bursting out sending debris everywhere. The moment it popped out, I started shooting at its head. It still hasn''t fully surfaced because half of its body is still stuck underground, it started struggling to get its lower half out. This is my chance to stop an invasion, I aimed at four of its exposed legs and started shooting them. I had to empty all of my bullets on one leg before proceeding to cut the other 3 down with Azazel, I tried to get close but it won''t let me. I took out my Desert Eagle and just started shooting it from a distance, I managed to damage one of its legs but it won''t be enough. Suddenly, the shipped appeared above the beetle before 1 jumped down and tore off one of its legs. The ship then vanished and left the scene, the beetle flailed both of its legs in pain. I ran forward with Azazel in hand, the beetle tried to attack Guardian 1 but 1 jumped out of its striking range. It then changed to me as its target, it raised both of its front legs to attack me but I did a front roll and evaded it. It tried to raise its legs back up but 1 jumped out of nowhere and slashed one of the legs off, 1 landed on the ground and clasped both of its hands. I placed my foot in his hands before he gave me a boost and tossed me up high enough to cut down the only scarab leg left. The beetle opened its mouth and digestive came splashing out, 1 jumped back and avoided the attack, I, on the other hand, landed not too far away from the attack. The cobblestone let out an awful smelling smoke as the digestive juices started to melt the stone. "What the hell is that?!" Mardoth came from the side along with multiple spearmen "Keep your distance and watch out for its spit!" I warned them The beetle opened its mouth once again and was about to attack but a fireball hit its mouth forcing it to shut close, I looked at one of the roofs of the houses and noticed Astarotia there The beetle kept rampaging and wiggling its body as we attacked it, Mardoth and his men threw spears while Astarotia attacked with her fireballs. The beetle was about to die but the unexpected happened, Digestive juices gushed out of its mouth and flowed down its body, melting it enough for the body to fall back into the hole and allow the enemies from within to surface "Goddamnit, find a way to seal the hole!" Astarotia roared out Honestly, it was a bit hard to do so, the hole was 10 meters wide thanks to the beetle''s constant struggling and digestive juices People with ragged clothes and damaged bodies started walking out of the hole, everyone was on guard but me? I started shooting them down... I already know what''s coming but these guys... I don''t want them to see what''s going to happen next "Zeno! calm down, they''re survivors!" Mardoth shouted out but I still fired as I replied "Do you think a survivor would just pop out of a tunnel created to invade?" I roared out before continuing "If you want to save them, kill them now!" "N-No! I''m still ok!" one of the people that came out shouted but I quickly silenced him "Demon!" "He''s crazy!" "Why is he shooting us?! we''re humans too!" The people that came out started to condemn me, even some of the spearmen spoke out. But then, a bug''s wing popped out on one of the survivors back, the survivor kept screaming in pain until another popped out. The wings started flapping and carried the survivor up as he screamed in confusion, pain, and terror. When he got high enough, his back exploded open, revealing a fly... or more specifically, a zombie fly Zombie Fly, unlike other parasites I saw, are very aggressive, the moment the female injects its eggs inside you, the larvae quickly takes control of your mind as it feeds on your body until it matured enough, once that happens it will burst out of your body, leaving you to die. The survivor fell down with his organs on full display, the people started panicking and started running in different directions. "Goddamnit, contain them and kill them! don''t let anyone escape!" I roared out before shooting down the zombie fly that just emerged The spearmen were confused but Mardoth took the lead and forced them to form a circle, the bloodbath began as the spearmen killed the survivors. They apologized each time they killed a survivor while the survivor screamed in anguish as they cursed at the spearmen, saying that they will go to hell or they''ll remember this and stuff like that. There was no attack after that, the queen of that Hive probably thought that the people here had no idea on what is inside those survivors... good thing I was here, if I wasn''t then this city would''ve been overrun by flys and the eggs implanted to the other people would amass an army for the next city Entry no. 34 ''Zeno to Alissa, can you hear me?'' I called to notify them that it was safe to come back ''Loud and clear'' I heard Alissa''s reply soon after ''Things have calmed down back here, you guys can come back'' ''Got it'' "1, damage report" I approached Guardian 1 who was wearing a robe behind everyone''s back "Slight damage, My Legs were damaged from the fall, repairable, it will take 3 days" "Good Job, return to the mother ship and have Guardian 2 repair your leg" "Roger" Guardian silently left after that "Zeno! there you are, where is your ally?" Astarotia called from behind me "He went back home to rest" I replied "Oh..." Astarotia bit her lips and tried to think of something but in the end, she sighed and looked at me with puppy eyes "...What?" I sensed that my job wasn''t quite finished "Help us seal the hole... pretty please?" She started acting like a spoiled little brat begging for her favorite candy which utterly shocked Mardoth and the other spearmen "Hahaha... no" I chuckled before giving a monotonous reply "Why?!" Astarotia puffed her cheeks and kept flailing her arms while throwing a tantrum This caused all the men to fall back with foams on their mouth "What''s with the dramatic reactions?" I looked at Mardoth who had white eyes He pulled me close and whispered in my ears ''Goddamnit, didn''t you know that Astarotia is known for being a monster?!'' ''whut?'' ''She''s punished and tortured countless people, there was this one time she cut off a man''s hand that tried to grope her'' I gulped. I compared Astarotia to their descriptions and honestly, it scares me ''haha, good joke... please tell me it''s a joke'' I laughed nervously ''I wish it was'' Mardoth spoke out before moving away and pushing me towards Astarotia "What did you talk about?" She asked "Nothing... I have to go" I was about to run but she held my arm with both her arms... she''s quite strong "Where are you going?" She asked "To take care of business" I replied before shaking her off and running awayequipment I finally reached the ship and quickly entered, there I saw guardian 1 who had no legs and is in sleep mode while Guardian 2 was busy fixing the legs. Guardian 3 and 4 were quietly standing guard by the door and 5 was recharging "Good work" Alissa greeted me and helped take off my helm "Thanks" "You look a little pale, did something happen?" Alissa askedThis story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Nothing, just a bit tired from the fight" I replied as I took off the entire armor "Oh, then please take a good rest" She pushed me to a room and closed the door I looked around and noticed that the room was actually Alissa''s bedroom "Take a bath before sleeping!" I heard her shout out from the other side I did as I was told and took a bath... it feels so nice taking a warm bath. I came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, I accidentally glanced at a table and saw a picture of us along with the entire platoon. I looked at the photo and couldn''t help but remember all the good memories with my friends but the pain and regret soon followed so I returned the photo to the table and just landed on the bed It was soft, comfy, and also smelled like Alissa... it was such a good feeling that I fell asleep before I even noticed. I woke up the next day and found Alissa sound asleep beside me, I carefully stood up and covered her with a blanket before leaving the room without making a sound. Outside was Cynthia patiently waiting "Oh, didn''t know you were here" I spoke to Cynthia "I just arrived" She replied "Can I get you anything? Coffee or tea?" "I''m good with tea" I made a coffee for myself with the help of a coffee machine as I heated up some water for some tea, the coffee was ready at the same time the water was boiling so I made the tea for Cynthia before taking my cup in the coffee machine. I also bought some bread, the coffee, tea, and bread were all bought in the city "What brings you here?" I asked "Astarotia pestered me to come get you" She replied with clear anger in her tone "oh... did she perhaps disturb you in your sleep?" I would be pretty pissed off too if someone disturbed my sleep "No, nothing like that" She waved both of her hands "Then what is it?" "It''s just that I really hate her go..." The rest was said under her breath "You hate her?" I asked "You can say that" "Oh, well... wanna help me with whatever task I''m going to be given?" I requested "Yes" Cynthia smiled "Let me just leave a recording for Alissa" I took out a recorder from a cabinet and started speaking ''Morning Alissa, I got called to the city early in the morning, it probably has something to do with the hole that scarab left behind. Love you, be back as soon as I can'' I pressed the button and left the recorder on her table I pressed a button and one of the hexagon-shaped containers opened, I took out my DK armor and wore them before taking Azazel that was also within the container. "Same job as yesterday, 2, keep working on 1, 3 and 4 will be on guard duty while 5 will be on standby" I gave out the orders before leaving with Cynthia "I still can''t get used to it" She said "What is?" I asked "With you and your amazing pieces of equipment" "Oh, I personally think that your magic is amazing" "How so?" "The ability to control different elements is amazing in my perspective" "Shame that you can''t use magic" Cynthia bitterly smiled "A shame indeed" "Hey... is that a fire?" Cynthia pointed at the center of the city as a black smoke started to rise to the sky "Let''s go check it out" "You go ahead, I didn''t expect that I''d be coming with you so I didn''t wear the armor you gave me" "Alright, meet me there then" ''Lilith, speed'' ''...'' No reply came ''Lilith?'' I asked ''Speed mode activated'' I soon heard her voice ''Is there something wrong Lilith?'' I asked ''Negative, I only needed a moment to optimize DK''s capabilities'' ''Is that so? thanks then'' ''No problem'' I ran towards the center, occasionally passing by people who kept waving at me I reached the center and found Astarotia kicking the asses of the people from the sword and ax guild "What the?" I thought there was an emergency but seeing those men running around naked with their heads on fire shocked me, someone should give that man some pants before someone scoops their eyes out "Zeno, you''re finally here" Astarotia smiled and hopped over to me "Uhm. You called me?" I made a quick decision of forgetting everything I saw, mostly due to the naked men "Yes, those incompetent fools just can''t get the job right" Astarotia pointed at the hole that was halfway filled I sighed and switched to strength before picking up the debris of some broken houses and the debris of the street itself. It took me a while but by midday, the hole was filled. Cynthia and Astarotia had a competition on cheering but in the end came to a draw after I got mad at them for hindering me instead of helping. I was tired mentally so I went back to the ship to re-energize myself, it wasn''t long until Cynthia came knocking with a letter in hand. The letter had the royal seal on it which surprised me, I carefully opened and read it loud under the two attentive women "To The Man Known as Blade Knight It has come to our attention that you''ve been the one responsible for victories against the unknown creatures that have invaded our lands, we wish to meet you in person so that we may be to share information and hopefully, device countermeasures. -General Gram" "General Gram?" I asked Cynthia "He''s a well-known general due to his good nature, it was said that he wanted to stop the invasion of my kingdom, however, he was sent to fight a war in the opposite direction" Cynthia explained "Oh, he''s a good guy... one thing though, how do I meet him? He didn''t say anything in the letter" I spoke out "About that... it has been rumored lately that he''s coming here" Cynthia replied "Oh? what are the odds" "This is where his family lives" Entry no. 35 So Rio city is General Gram''s home city? and according to the letter, other cities have been attacked. Is the Hive much larger than I initially thought? Did they manage to create tunnels different cities under our noses? If so then I really need to have a word with General Gram. It took three days until General Gram arrived and let me tell you, the people really welcomed him. The entire city celebrated at his arrival, I wanted to meet him but the streets were so crowded that not even water can pass through so I left and just waited for things to calm down. It took the entire day for everything to calm down, I asked around for General Gram''s home and they all told me the same place... The Dutch Mansion, where Cynthia and I had our first goblin extermination. I notified Alissa where I was going so that she won''t worry about me. I made my way to the Dutch mansion, I knocked on the gate and a butler respectfully opened the gate for me. "Welcome sir Blade Knight, we''ve been expecting you" The Butler bowed respectfully before leading the way. I was then led to a guest room that was filled with fancy decorations, the chair was made out of wood that was intricately designed and it also had a comfy cushion for my buttocks. It didn''t take long until a 6-foot tall man to enter, he wore simple clothing. His beard covered his neck and his hair was cut short. "Blade Knight" He sat on the seat in front of me "General Gram" I nodded my head "Good to finally meet you, you are here to discuss about the invaders, yes?" "Yes" "Where should I start, hmm. Okay, 5 years ago the sky was ripped open. Everyone panicked, it came out of nowhere and everyone thought that the demon king has made a powerful move but in the end, a huge chunk of ice fell down. The ice fell down and destroyed a small village, no one really knew what happened after that, only that the church used every means possible to retrieve that chunk of ice, even the King himself doesn''t know the reason why the church went into such means" "How is this related?" I asked "You may not be here then but if you were, the same thing happened days before the first sight of the unknown creatures" "Oh, that makes sense, please continue" I calmly replied but deep inside my mind was in chaos 5 years ago?! if it was 5 years ago then the bugs might''ve already created a stronghold on this planet. It will take an entire army of soldiers just to even have a slight chance of defeating them but the people of this world don''t have the equipment we had in the future.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Small villages started to getting raided and destroyed, we were baffled, what kind of savage creature would leave such a mess. Every village they attacked was always dyed in crimson blood with limbs and innards as decorations hanged on the roofs of houses or was just scattered on the ground" The butler from earlier came in and served us tea. "We started stationing guards to different villages, some survived the attack but some didn''t, however, they were also as good as dead. The fear struck them deep and caused them to lost sanity, we now know that this was a serious matter so we decided to form different parties composed of strong and experienced soldiers to investigate this matter. Most of them came back, they reported what they discovered. The Generals, Aids, Councilors, and researchers all discussed this matter in which we all agreed upon that our new enemies are similar to that of a bug colony. We''ve located some of their bases or hives as they call it but all attempts of attack has failed" Gram just rubs his forehead with his fingers "So basically, you want me to tell you guys everything I know about them?" I asked "Indeed, you''ve been the only one successful in defeating these creatures" "First off, simple steel won''t kill them, their shells are too hard" "That fact has already been proven true after hundreds of soldiers fled with broken swords and missing limbs" "Secondly, they have the ability to plant a parasite within anyone, these parasites will control the host and will serve as a spy or a soldier, so far, there''s only three of these that I know" Those are the Zombie fly, Gordian Worm, and Paradoxum Worm "Is there any way of distinguishing an infected human from another?" Gram asked "...for the Zombie fly, an infected human will still be able to control himself but once the time comes, they will die and from their corpse comes a fly that will kidnap other people to infect. As for the Gordian Worm, they''re mostly around rivers and large bodies of water except for the ocean. As for the Paradoxum worm... eyes, their eyes, the eyes of the infected will appear to be the most beautiful jewel" I told him the most important things "Is there more you''d like to add?" Gram asked I looked at him and noticed that he has been taking notes this entire time. "They will use your own people against you, you must be resolved to kill your fellow comrade when the time comes" Gram pauses for a minute but continues writing "It''s true that they operate much like that of a colony, a queen rules over the workers, If you want to have a chance in defeating them, you must send a party of strong warriors to kill the queen. This must be done while most of her workers or soldiers are out in a war" I suggested "What happens if we kill the queen?" Gram asked "The soldiers and workers with no queen to follow will just do nothing or will just kill themselves" I replied "How will they know?" "All of the bugs will have a special connection to their queen" "Alright, is it okay to ask you to come with me to the castle? we could really use your brains in devising strategies" Gram requested "No, I can''t be responsible for the lives of thousands or millions of people" I spoke out bitterly Not all of our missions went successfully, millions of lives were lost due to our mistakes. I can sometimes dream of them, happily living their lives if only we had succeeded. It was one of the reasons I resolved to myself never to fail a mission. "Oh, I almost forgot, I''m going on a little dungeon run, it would be really nice to have you as my companion" Gram smilled and asked "It would be an honor" I replied "Great, then we will go tomorrow" Entry no. 36 The next day, I made sure all my gear was in working order before heading out. When I left the ship, Cynthia was outside waiting for me in the armor I gave her. "You ready?" I asked Cynthia "Yes" She nodded and followed me I asked her yesterday if she wanted to come with me and she immediately agreed. It has been a while since we went to a dungeon, what was the purpose of this again? If we reach the bottom can we get unlimited treasures? I seriously forgot. We met up with General Gram at the entrance of an unknown dungeon just south of the city, He also brought another knight with him but the knight''s body build seems to be that of a woman. I can''t really see her face and her entire body is covered with armor "Oh, I see you brought your own companion as well, this is my daughter, Brunhilde" Gram introduced the knight to us She took off her helmet and revealed her face to us, she was fair with slanted eyes. The color of her eye was glacial blue which complements her cold personality, I can say this confidently because I can see that she doesn''t even see us in her eyes "Right... My daughter is a bit cold but please, bear with her" Gram apologized "This is Cynthia" I also introduced Cynthia to them Cynthia took off her helm and had a stare off with Brunhilde Gram and I noticed the strained atmosphere between the two women, Gram stepped in and tried to lighten the mood but he miserably failed "Let''s just move on" I suggested "Right..." Gram agreed We all head into the dungeon with me and Gram as the vanguards while the other two girls were at the back. We cautiously moved forward and descended the dungeon with ease until the 20th floor, that was when things suddenly went south We were traversing the hallway when I noticed a small circle, 24 inches in diameter, on the floor, it was well hidden and hard to detect. I stopped the party and brought out my desert eagle, Gram and Brunhilde was a bit curious about what I brought out, it was the first time I drew out my gun since we entered the dungeon I shot the center of the circle, the circle quickly rose and out came pincers, the pincers were coming fast ''Lilith! strength!'' ''Acknowledged'' I felt strength rush through my body and quickly stopped both of the pincers from closing, I ripped the pincers off. The larvae started thrashing before retreating back to its hole, it was a Tiger beetle larvae. It burrows on the ground and patiently waits for its prey when a prey comes along, it pops out and crushes the prey with its pincers before dragging it back to the holeStolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "What was that?!" Gram was on guard and was tightly gripping his sword with both hands "One of the invaders" I replied "But... how come it''s here?" Gram asked as he studied the now burrowed beetle "I don''t know but it seems to be using the dungeon as a place to grow" This is bad, why are there tiger beetle larvae in here. "If that is so... then..." Gram muttered "They can grow their larvae in a dungeon with unlimited food supply" I spoke out "You say that they are still in a larvae stage, what will happen if they mature?" Brunhilde who was quiet the entire time finally spoke out "They will turn into a Tiger beetle, Tiger beetles are roughly the size of a grown adult and are extremely fast. If you face one, never turn your back on it" I briefly explained to them I looked at the whole and noticed it peeking, it seems like it''s about to... "Gram!" I roared out before jumping out The tiger beetle larvae popped out of its hole and curled its body into a circle midair, it activated its defense mechanism. I kicked the side of its body and caused it to slam on the wall, it reverted back to its worm-like appearance and landed on the ground. Gram didn''t miss this chance and kept slashing it, Brunhilde also helped and continuously stabbed it with her rapier The Tiger beetle died just as I landed on the ground, Gram looked at me "They do that when they''re cornered" I explained "Should''ve told me that earlier" He replied as he poked at the dead beetle "My bad" I apologized ''Lilith, why didn''t you warn me, is your scanner malfunctioning again?'' I asked ''I apologize, however, my scanner is fully functioning, its just there''s something in here that''s preventing me from using it'' ''What is it?'' ''Something in the atmosphere, mana'' ''I thought you already collected enough data?'' ''The mana in this dungeon is different'' ''Damn, how long until you collect enough data?'' ''12 hours more'' ''Is it only in this dungeon?'' ''Yes, however, I am unsure about the other dungeons'' "Should we head back?" I asked I cannot risk going in blind "No, I think we should investigate" Gram spoke out "I agree with father, who knows how many more of these are in this dungeon. We should kill them while they''re still weak" Brunhilde backed Gram up It is true, these beetles will be a problem once they''ve become an adult. Looks like I''ll rely on my experience and reflexes. "Alright, we should continue on then" I spoke out We continued on our path and encountered more and more larvae as we made our way to the stairs leading down to the 21st underground floor. When we finally saw the stairs, a fully grown tiger beetle tried to attack us from the back. Brunhilde and Cynthia managed to dodge in time but Gram got knocked into the wall, it then headed for me but I switched to speed and had a game of tag with it. I suddenly stopped and jumped back towards the tiger beetle who was heading my way, it couldn''t stop at the speed it was at and just opened its mandibles wide to bite me but Azazel''s reach was longer. I split its head in half before it could even bite me, I rolled on the ground covered with dust and sand, I picked myself up and walked towards the carcass of the beetle. The tiger beetle was green in color, had large bulging eyes and had mandibles that were small but can deliver a very painful blow. The entire party came over and studied the dead bug "You weren''t joking when you said it was fast" Gram knocked on the area around his chest where there was an obvious dent "You okay?" I asked "Yeah" Gram replied "We really need to destroy the larvae inside this dungeon" Brunhilde spoke out "Let''s go down then" I suggested and they all agreed We went down to the 21st floor but didn''t find any more larvae "Strange, I can''t seem to find any" Gram spoke out "We won''t find any larvae here" I spoke out "Why?" Brunhilde asked "The Tiger beetle larvae prefer sand over dirt" "Then we should head back up" Gram spoke out "Why?" I asked "I''ve been on this dungeon before, the 15th floor to the 20th floor are the only areas with sand" "You''ve conquered this dungeon?" I asked "No, I only reached up to 51st floor and even if there are sandy areas below that floor, I highly doubt these larvae have the strength to fight the beasts that stalk that floor" Gram explained "Oh... then, we should depart" We all left, Gram even grabbed the dead Tiger beetle and larvae, according to him, he will send the carcasses to the castle so that the researchers can study them. Entry no. 37 We returned to the city just as the sun was about to set. "Please come and eat dinner with us" Gram requested after putting the corpses of the tiger beetle and larvae in a large carriage "I apologize but I''ll have to dec-" I was about to decline but Gram raised his arm to stop me from speaking "I insist" "...Then we''ll accept your offer" We followed Gram and Brunhilde back to their home when we arrived, there was already dinner waiting for us. They started eating, only I was the one who was looking at the food in front of me. My mask opened up and revealed my mouth but not my face, the two people who were eating with me was a bit surprised by my actions. "I apologize, however, I made a vow not to show my face" I lied "Ah, that''s a shame" Gram bitterly smiled We all ate and after that, headed to the guest room to have a little rest. Gram was satisfied watching the fire burn in the fireplace while Cynthia grabbed a book from a nearby bookshelf and started reading it, I too took a book and sat in the chair by the fireplace. I opened the book and was about to start reading but Brunhilde suddenly took the book and looked at me seriously "Is there a problem?" I asked "I''d like to have a match against you" She seriously gazed at me "...I''d love to but I''m a bit tired" "I''m not taking no for an answer" I looked at Gram and he shifted his head away while whistling... so this was his plan, that sneaky old man "*sigh* At least give me something to look forward to if I win" I helplessly sighed "I''ll hear any request you say" She replied "Okay, let''s take this outside our backyard" Gram smiled and started walking out Cynthia, Brunhilde, and I followed. Brunhilde and I was now facing each other "Alright, I''ll be the judge of this fight, there will be no cheating and whoever admits their defeat first loses" Brunhilde pulled out her rapier and took her stance, I too took my stance with one hand holding Azazel''s handle and the other tightly grasping the sheath. I already Brunhilde''s fighting style, she attacks swift and fast, her rapier always striking the area with least defense. "Ready... GO!" Gram raised his arm and quickly swung it down, it was the signal for the beginning of our battle Brunhilde dashed forward and used a skill "Swashbuckle!" she started stabbing with her rapier, her speed was so fast that it left afterimages ''Lilith, speed'' ''Acknowledged'' Her attack was fast but I managed to parry each and every of her attack which shocked her, She jumped back and started concentrating her strength on her next attack. "[Pierce]!" Her rapier gave off a golden glow before she unleashed the attack on me The golden glow turned into a thin streak of light that quickly headed for my chest "[Crescent wave]!" I responded with a skill of my own Our skills clashed and ended up with my slash besting her pierce, she jumped to the side to evade but I was already there. I swung down my sword and she was forced to evade, my attack pushed her back. She bit her lips and vanished, I noticed her appear behind me. "[Swashbuckle]!" She used her skill [Spatial Rip] I used the mini-teleporter installed within Dk I vanished and appeared above Brunhilde, I spun around and punched out. Her instincts kicked in and she jumped back without even looking up, my hands dug deep into the ground and I notice her grit her teeth. I stood up as she raised her arm that held her rapier, she slid her free hand on the body of the rapier and I noticed a change in the rapier. ''Lilith'' ''Affirmative, the rapier seems to be wrapped in fiery red mana'' ''This seems to be similar to Azazel''s ability'' ''Yes, although Azazel uses electrical energy'' Lilith replied "Here I come! [Heartpiercer, Swashbuckle!]" She once again vanished and this time, appeared on my left side but it''s too late, I already saw the weakness of her [Swashbuckle] When she uses her skill, she turns into an almost unnoticeable smoke, wherever the smoke is, that''s where she will be appearing. Her rapier produced afterimages as she kept attacking but all was in vain, all of her attacks were parried. I dashed towards her while she was still shocked by the events, I swung Azazel but stopped when it was inches away from her neck.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "...I lost" She bitterly admitted her defeat "Haha, any more than that, I would''ve intervened" Gram spoke out, I also notice Gram holding his sword "That was a good match, however, we must be on our way" I spoke out, Alissa might be worried about me "Okay, okay but please come back tomorrow because I still have something I wish to discuss with you" Gram replied "Sure, why not" I nodded before leaving Cynthia followed behind me. I returned to the ship with a tired body, I removed Dk and headed for the examination room that Alissa and the guardian recently installed. I''m surprised that they managed to make this. According to Alissa, the other Guardians made time and created an additional room using the scraps of metal from the ship we salvaged, even the scanner in the room was salvaged in the ship. I laid down on the cold steel bed and let the scanner do its job "Officer Zeno, you have been through multiple strenous events for the past months. We suggest you take a day off to relax" The computerized voice stated its findings "*Sigh* I too think so Zeno, you have yet to actually take a good rest" Alissa took my shirt and handed it to me "Even if I wanted to, I can''t. The bugs grow in numbers and power as we speak, I also have to meet with a general tomorrow, I will give him useful tips on combating the bugs" I replied with a bitter smile, I want to relax too but I can''t, not yet. "Wait, what? why?" Alissa asked "It seems that the bugs have been here for far longer than we both have, they''ve made several bases and are starting to take over the world, although they are not yet going all out, it''s only a matter of time" "...That is bad... but please, take care of yourself okay?" Alissa leaned her head on my shoulder, the smell of her shampoo filling my nose gave me a good feeling "Of course I will" We ate together and slept together that night, Alissa wanted to spend time with me even if it was only sleeping bed. I too wanted the same because we both shared a feeling, that feeling was, of course, love, but there was another feeling and that was a feeling of loneliness. We were both tossed here from the future, sure there are other people here and there but they can never replace those who we were with. This is a bit hard for the both of us right now but we''ll get used to it The next day, I left after having a nice coffee with Alissa. Lilia suddenly came barging in and had breakfast with us, where was she these past few days? Oh well, she''s the only friend Alissa has right now that shares a common interest in researching and studying so I left as to not disturb the two lab coat wearers. I arrived at the mansion all alone, the butler from yesterday opened the gates and led me inside a room. I entered and was surprised to see Gram and Astarotia waiting. "Am I disturbing you guys?" I awkwardly asked "That''s mean~ you know I only have you in my heart" Astarotia teased "I have a wife" Gram laughed heartily "Moving on, we were discussing on a method to attack the base or hive of these monsters" Astarotia spoke out "Wait, we''re going back?" I asked "Yes, we cannot afford to allow an enemy base this close to our cities and villages" Astarotia replied True, the more time given to those things, the stronger they get "Then, who are participating?" I asked "I want you, Fives, Cynthia, General Gram, Royal Knight Brunhilde to join in, of course I''m coming along as well" Astarota smiled "I don''t want Cynthia to come because she still lacks the experience and strength" I don''t want anyone to die, call me paranoid but I don''t care "But you gave her that armor to compensate for it right? and besides, I already called her" Astarotia mischievously smiled "What?" I looked behind me and saw Cynthia wearing the nexus armor and was quietly waiting "I am thankful and happy that you are worried about me but... I won''t sit back and watch you risk your life, I will fight with you" Cynthia confidently spoke out "... give me a second alone" I sighed and left the room and connected to the ship ''Guardian five, respond'' ''Guardian five, received and awaiting command'' ''Come to my location, fully charged and armed'' ''Yes sir'' I cut transmission there and returned to the room "I called Fives, he should be heading here soon" I spoke out "Okay then, the plan is simple, attack their base and kill the queen" Gram announced "Let''s please do this stealthily" I requested "Of course we will be as quiet as we can" Astarotia smiled We discussed even further and after it was done, we had a simple coffee while waiting for Fives The door soon opened and revealed a cloacked man with red eyes that glowed under the cover of the hood "Hmmm, my butler didn''t led you here which means you broke in" Gram chuckled Fives was quiet and just bowed "Alright, let''s get this show on the road" Gram left and knocked on the other room Brunhilde came out wearing her armor, Gram went in and came out wearing a new set of armor "We''ll be using the tunnel they dug" Gram spoke out before we headed for the center of the city. I noticed that there was now a small hole that could fit 5-6 people, it was tightly guarded "Let''s go" Astarotia spoke out Gram, Fives, and I were first to jump down, the women then came after us. They all lit up torches while Fives, and I used our night vision. Cynthia was also wearing the nexus armor so I pushed a small button near her right ear which activated the night vision, she was surprised but she kept quiet about it. We walked for almost half an hour when Lilith warned me ''Zeno, Formars heading your way, 10-15 of them'' Lilith warned me "Fives, kill anything that gets past me" I spoke out and grabbed everyone''s attention "They''re coming, stand back" I pulled out my M4A1 and aimed at the ceiling In the darkness came the sound of claws stabbing on hard ground, they were weak at first but it started growing stronger and stronger until they showed themselves. Humans that mutated to have insect legs popping out their backs were crawling all over the ceilings, their jaws also opened up so wide that you''d thought they were snakes instead I started shooting them down, 2 managed to get past me but Fives easily took care of them. I checked once more and when I found out that there was no wave coming, I urged everyone to continue forward Gram was tense, Brunhilde was quietly following us, Astarotia had three fireballs rotating above her head, ready to strike anytime while Cynthia was looking from time to time, making sure that we won''t get attacked from behind. We walked silently and finally found our way out of the tunnel but when we did, we were met with several Formars, we made quick work of them and moved on. Lilith mapped the entire place, we were almost lost but thanks to it, we managed to find our way towards what we think is the queen''s room We made sure everything was okay before carefully opening the door, inside was a 10-foot Hercules beetle with the body structure of a human. "You... You''re the one who previously killed our beloved queen! Why have you come here?!" He roared out "Blade Knight, do you know him?" Gram asked "I don''t" I emotionlessly replied, all of them looks the same to me but it''s different if they take over a human body. "YOU, ZENO!!" He roared out and grabbed all of the weapons nearby which was weapons crafted from a Prey Mantis He kept swinging the weapons like a madman, I could only jump back and evade. Brunhilde found an opening and used [Swashbuckle] She appeared at the right side of the Hercules beetle and barraged his body with piercing attacks, he got pushed back and Gram appeared behind him "[Skull splitter]!" He swung his sword down with full force "Your weapons are useless!" He used his arm to block the attack, the sword didn''t penetrate the armor but it didn''t break the sword either "You''re dead!" The beetle roared out before swinging the sight towards Gram''s neck but I managed to tackle him away and used [Crescent slash], My crescent slash came bursting out and sliced off one of the beetle''s arm. "MOTHERFUCKER!" He angrily shouted out as another pair of arms grew out underneath his arms His two hands brandished a scythe each while the last one pulled out a hook from his back "Killing you will be fun" He laughed Entry no. 38 He breathed hot air before running towards me, I brought out my M4 and started shooting at him, he had no choice but to use the weapons he has as a shield. This is my chance, I threw my M4 towards Fives, he shot all the remaining ammo. It gave me enough time to slip through the beetles'' defenses, I stood behind him and pulled one of his two legs. His face landed on the cold ground, I performed a scorpion deathlock. Fives impaled one the beetles'' arms while he held the two in place, Gram and Brunhilde didn''t miss this chance and started stabbing the downed beetle, it didn''t take long until it was on its last breath "I will remember this, in this cycle and the next one, I will keep on hunting you down until I pull off your head Cyborg!" He roared out before I stick my desert eagle in his mouth and shot his brain off "Cyborg? What''s that?" Gram asked "They''re a different kind of humans" I answered his question "Different kind? how so?" Gram once again asked "You can say that they were brutally trained in order to combat these bugs" I lied but the part about brutal training is true, horrifyingly true "And you''re one of these cyborgs?" This time, Brunhilde asked "Yeah" I nodded ''Lilith, please scan the area'' ''Scanning...'' "So where do we go from here? this guy doesn''t seem to be the queen" Gram poked at the dead body of the human-like beetle "I''m still figuring it out but for now, please try to use his weapons" I requested "These scythes are a bit heavy but they are very sharp. I''m not proficient in handling this kind of weapon so I will stick with my sword" Gram bitterly replied "Me too" Brunhilde also stuck to her weapon "Fives?" I asked "Change in weapon accepted" He held one of the scythes while the other was on his back ''Scanning complete, there''s a hollow area underneath us. The queen is likely to be there'' Lilith reported ''Alright, good job'' I thanked her ''Please be careful, I detected multiple heat signatures, they''re most probably guards'' ''Got it'' I took my M4 from fives before notifying every one of Lilith''s findings "Hmm, let me chant a spell" Astarotia spoke out after listening to what I said "At my signal, break the ground in front of me" Astarotia requested, we could only nodThis story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Half a minute passed before Astarotia opened her eyes "Now!" She screamed Gram, Brunhilde, Cynthia, Fives, and I used our attacks on the ground causing it to break down and reveal a cavern underneath. "BATHE IN CRIMSON FLAME, [EXPLOSION]!" Astarotia pointed her arms inside the cavern The dark hole suddenly turned crimson red as Astarotia''s spell wreaked havoc within the cavern, we all jumped away as the ground underneath us started to fall down. A few seconds pass and Astarotia''s spell died down, I peeked inside and saw that everything within the cavern turned black. ''Lilith, anything survived that blast?'' I asked ''...Yes, in the center'' She replied I looked at the center but all I saw was a huge circular bulge but when I looked closer, I saw that 5 beetles huddled together and used their bodies as a shield to protect whatever they were protecting. "They''re still alive!" I alerted everyone before jumping into the pit. Gram, Brunhilde, and Fives jumped down while Cynthia and Astarotia started chanting their spells. The Bugs started separated from each other and gave me a clear view of what we''re up against Zephorus beetles also known as Ironclad Beetles, they have an extremely tough exoskeleton that is hard to penetrate, they are mostly a vanguard for an invasion and it would take a railgun just to pierce through its shell but this bug has a weakness we can use, they have a very soft stomach so even without a railgun, we have a chance at taking them down. Three bugs separated from the other two and headed in different directions, one going towards Gram and Brunhilde and the other two heading towards us "Their weakness is their stomach, hit them there and hit them hard" I shouted out I aimed for the legs of the Ironclad beetle that headed toward me, I emptied my entire 30 bullet charges on it before it broke off. The beetle lost its balance and collapsed on the ground ''Lilith, strength!'' I shouted out ''Right away'' I felt strength course through my body, I ran and punched the side of the beetle that tried to get up, it flopped over and exposed its stomach to me. I didn''t miss this chance and with Azazel, I gutted its stomach open. I looked at Fives but he doesn''t seem to have any trouble with it but Gram and Brunhilde aren''t making any progress, they were getting tired but the beetle they were facing was still energetic. They''re bound to collapse sooner or later due to exhaustion ''Fives, toss me one of the scythes'' I used my radio Fives tossed the scythe he was using towards me, I grabbed the handle and quickly headed towards Gram and Brunhilde. Once close enough, I slid on the ground and swung the scythe towards the legs of the Zephorus they were facing. I cut off all three of its legs on the left side of its body causing it to collapse, I quickly stood up and punched the side of its body to flip it over. I succeeded and allowed Gram and Brunhilde to kill the Zephorus. Fives was also done with its job, I looked at the other two beetles guarding what appears to be dog-sized larva...the larvae was covered with intricate designs and was colored in different colors. It''s a queen larva, the ground underneath of the Zephorus beetle broke open and fire erupted from it. The poor beetle didn''t even have a chance to move as the fire cooked it from the inside. The other beetle was struck by lightning in the head, it didn''t penetrate its shell but I''m pretty sure that that attack fried its brains I now look at the queen larva that is struggling to wriggle away "...Tell me, how large is your hive?" I stopped it in its tracks and asked "Hehe... I never thought a cyborg followed me all the way here but no matter, my sisters will kill you" Its voice was a mixture of several female voices "Sisters? What the hell?" I was surprised, this explains it. They probably all came at the same time that I did but in several locations which is why the attacks came from all over the place "Correct, the queen is not yet decided but know this, we will only continue the queen''s ceremony once you, the killer of our mother will die... It''s a pity that I won''t see that day but I hope you will scream loud enough for me to hear you from the depths of hell" The larva then gave off a bright glow before exploding, killing itself Noises of bugs running amock echoed throughout the hive seconds after the death of their queen, they are all currently killing each other in a bloody frenzy. They will kill anything they see so it''s best to leave this place Entry no. 39 "RUN!" I shouted out the obvious but how the hell are we supposed to get away from this cavern, the only way is to jump up from where we came. Damn it, I should''ve upgraded DK before heading off to kill the queen back then. The upgraded DK should''ve had more features that will come in handy in different kinds of situations. ''Zeno! please find a way to escape, I''m detecting multiple burrowing bugs coming!'' Lilith alerted me I looked around and noticed that the ground everywhere is showing crack Goddamnit! "Everyone! gather around me!" I shouted out, Gram, Brunhilde, and Fives followed my request "Astarotia! chant an explosive spell underneath me!!" I shouted out, Astarotia nodded and started chanting a spell I clasped my hand together and kneeled "Come on, I''ll toss you up!" I looked at the people around me, I was still in my strength mode so this should be easy Fives was first to follow my request, he placed his foot on my clasped arm and I tossed him up. Fives did a backflip before landing beside Cynthia ''Protect Cynthia!'' I gave out my order through the radio He saluted before brandishing his energy sword Brunhilde was next, I tossed her towards Astarotia''s location. I did the same with Gram, I quickly ran and took the hollowed out Zephorus bug. "Zeno! I''m going to cast it now!" Astarotia shouted out I looked underneath and saw the ground crack as a reddish light came out from the cracks, I placed the exoskeleton underneath me. The ground exploded and sent the exoskeleton I was riding up in the air, I jumped from the shell and landed near Cynthia "Let''s go!" I shouted out before leading the way, everyone else followed closely behind me I followed the route that led to the exit ''Zeno, left'' Lilith alerted me I ducked and grabbed whatever tried to pounce on my face, it was a Formar parasite. I slammed it on the ground and crushed it with my foot ''Above!'' I brought my pistol and shot the ceiling and soon enough, a small larva filled with holes fell. I sheathed Azazel and returned my pistol back to its holster near my left chest. I grabbed the M4 from my back and continued running ''something approaching on your right!'' I stopped by the fork on the route and aimed my M4 I soon spotted a disfigured human crawling my way, I pulled the trigger twice and killed it. I continued running forward ''A hole above! multiple enemies'' I slid and aimed my M4, I saw the small hole along with the numerous burrowing beetles erupting out of it. I emptied my entire bullet charge on them before proceeding forward, I put the M4 behind my back and pulled out my pistol.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ''Three more Formars in front'' I aimed while running and shot down all three of them ''Another one, a soldier ant!'' I threw my pistol that was currently charging towards Fives before quickly pulling out Azazel and stabbing the large-headed ant that came pouncing towards me ''A huge blockade of worker ants coming up!'' "Astarotia, Cynthia, chant your spells!" I requested without looking back Gram and Brunhilde was a bit curious as to why I asked this since there was nothing in front of us but as we proceeded further they understood, in front of us was a huge wall of worker ants. They were all biting each other, luckily, Astarotia and Cynthia''s spell were ready the moment the wall came into their vision "Get back!" Astarotia shouted out before unleashing a fiery snake that burned through the wall of ants Cynthia also unleashed her spell, the lightning she unleashed coiled around Astarotia''s fire snake. The entire wall of ants were wiped off the face of the earth and we were free to move forward, we didn''t waste any time and ran forward. I once again equipped my M4 since it fully recharged itself ''Behind our backs!'' Lilith warned me "DUCK!" I shouted before turning around and aiming Everyone ducked and I saw multiple Formars with scythes raised up high, I shot them all down. Brunhilde also used her abilities. My M4 was once again out of charge so I returned it and held Azazel, we continued running forward. ''...Zeno, Guardian Five and Cynthia can still keep these up but...'' Lilith spoke out I looked behind and saw Astarotia, Brunhilde, and Gram were all in a struggle to catch their breaths. "I''m too old for this..." Gram spoke out as he supported himself with his sword "I thought... *wheeze* my training was enough..." Brunhilde struggled to stand. "Please... carry me in your arms again" Astarotia seems to still have some energy left ''Lilith, run some calculations on how much time we have left before this hive becomes a frenzied battlefield'' ''I already did so earlier, you can see the timer in the upper left corner of your screen'' I looked and I can see that we still have 10 minutes and 26 seconds "5-minute break" I spoke out They all sat down on the ground and did their best to hasten their recovery, Gram wolfed down some food he brought along while Brunhilde drank some water from her flask "Five, scout the area ahead" I ordered out Fives nodded and walked forward until we couldn''t see him, I, on the other hand, made Lilith scan the area to make sure that everyone can rest in peace Fives returned 2 minutes later and reported "The Area ahead is safe, no bugs or Formar controlled humans" Fives reported "You guys good to go?" I asked "Let''s go" Astarotia spoke out Gram and Brunhilde nodded, they stood up. We jogged forward this time. Good thing that nothing hindered us in our journey this time and we soon found ourselves traversing the tunnel towards the center of the city but nothing always goes my way. In front of us was a Nicrophorus beetle completely blocking the way, it started shooting its digestive juices at our entire group. Gram with his experience allowed him to react fast enough, Astarotia, Fives, and Cynthia already knew what was coming and jumped back but Brunhilde... couldn''t I had no choice but to take on the attack for her, I hugged her and let my back face the beetle. I felt something burn on my back, my DK armor was broken through and I can feel my entire back sting with pain. It hurts, it seriously hurts. "B-Blade Knight! are you ok?!" Brunhilde''s stoic face broke and she started to get worried about my condition "I''m good, just a little damaged" I stood up and faced the beetle "Fives, distract it!" I roared out before enduring the pain and running forward Guardian Five grabbed its attention by shooting it in the face with the pistol, I quickly approached it and switched to strength. I gripped Azazel with all my strength and activated its ability, Azazel was then covered with a super-heated plasma. I threw Azazel like a spear and it pierced the head of the Necrophus beetle, I jumped up and gripped Azazel before using my weight to pull Azazel down causing it to enlarge the deep cut that was already in the Necrophus'' head I fell on the ground just as the Necrophus collapsed, there was now a small opening above its head. ''Lilith, scan the damage'' I spoke out ''DK''s back armor has been breached, we already started the reconstruction process and will need about three days and almost all of DK''s energy to completely restore the Damaged area'' DK retained a self-healing ability from the material it was made of, Lilith activated that and started reconstruction of the damaged area. Five''s and Cynthia was first to support me as we all left, we all left the tunnel. Everyone outside had their eyes on me, they all whispered. "We succeeded in our mission but only thanks to the Blade Knight!" Gram shouted out Everyone looked at each other before raising their weapons and shouting in joy Entry no. 40 "But don''t celebrate just yet, we only killed their queen, their army is now in disarray and they''re all wild animals that run on extinct, they will kill everything they see. Now, form a group, each group has to have 10 people whose levels are above 30" Gram shouted out Everyone followed his orders and started moving out, one group stayed behind in case some Bugs come out of the hole we came out from. "A-Are you okay?" Brunhilde checked the wound on my back "I''m okay really, I''m only in a bit of pain" I replied "I-I''m really sorry... b-because of my... of my..." Brunhilde can''t even complete her sentence "It''s okay, I''m alive aren''t I? Now go and take some rest" I pushed her away Brunhilde looked at me, she''s clearly still worried about me but she nodded and left "I''m sorry about my daughter, whenever someone gets harmed because of her, she becomes like that" Gram came and explained as he scratched his head. "Is that so?" I asked ''Lilith, did you scan her?'' I asked ''Yes, Brunhilde seems to have had exhibited signs of trauma, shock, confusion, and sadness'' Lilith reported "Yeah, it''s the reason she trains so hard every day, she doesn''t want anyone to get hurt because of her" Gram explained "Ah, I see, please tell her that I''m alright" I spoke out before Fives and Cynthia supported me We headed towards the ship, Guardian Four was outside guarding the ship The door opened "Zeno, what took you so... long?" Alissa stood up from her seat and greeted me but she saw me being supported by Fives and Cynthia "Officer Zeno''s back has been damaged by a Nicrophus beetle''s digestive juices" Five reported "Take him to the examination room" Alissa was calm but I can see her arms shake Fives and Cynthia carefully removed DK before supporting me inside the examination room. I laid on my stomach on the steel bed and let the scanner scan my back. "Scanning complete; Officer Zeno has sustained 3rd-degree burns on his back, permission to heal the wounds" The computer laid down its findings "Permission granted" Alissa quickly replied The area underneath me opened up and a transparent cylinder came out, the steel bed moved back and entered the cylinder. The cylinder then closed, multiple tubes came out and attached themselves to the cylinder. Water came pouring in as another tube came in and started producing air, I took it and inserted it into my mouth The cylinder was filled with water, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "What is happening to him?" Cynthia asked Alissa "He''s submerged in a water with multiple healing properties, He has to soak himself in that water for at least a day" Alissa explained "But won''t he drown?" Cynthia asked once again "No, see that tube in his mouth, it''s providing him oxygen" "Oh... you really have sophisticated pieces of equipment" "When you''re faced with such monsters, you have no choice but to adapt don''t you?" Alissa bitterly smiled "...Say... you and Zeno are lovers right?" Cynthia nervously asked "Yes... *sigh* that womanizer" Alissa smiled "I''m sorry... I didn''t mean to intrude on your relationship" Cynthia apologized "Actually... in our tim- country I mean, Polygamy is accepted" Alissa smiled "What... but Zeno doesn''t seem to be that interested in me..." Cynthia belittled herself "Actually, he sees you as someone who can trust, if you ask me, that''s a huge step towards his heart, you just have to make your feelings reach his dense heart. I''ll also tell him that I''m okay with Polygamy" Alissa patted Cynthia''s back "I-I... I''m speechless... I can''t find the words to say" "Does it start with a Thank and ends with a you?" Alissa smiled "Thank you is not enough... I will forever be grateful to you..." Cynthia hugged Alissa "Whoa there, you still have a long way to go and basing on Lilith''s data, I seem to have found a rival" Alissa smiled as she looked at the monitor "A rival?" Cynthia was surprised, she looked at the monitor and saw two faces. She couldn''t recognize the first person but the second person was Brunhilde "Brunhilde has feelings for Zeno?" Cynthia asked "Not yet, She seems to have her eyes on Zeno. She''s curious about him but at the same time, grateful for saving her life" "Doesn''t that amount to being friends?" Cynthia spoke out "Indeed but they will soon start to spend time together during missions and this Brunhilde just might fall in love with him" "...True" "So shall we form an Alliance?" Alissa smiled "An Alliance?" "The ZWT which stands for Zeno Wife Tests" Alissa proudly brought out a huge glass panel and started writing on it "...I''m not his wife..." Cynthia blushed "Alright then, ZWFT, Zeno Future Wife Tests!" Alissa didn''t give up "I give up..." Cynthia admitted defeat "I always win~" Alissa smiled and looked at the monitor before mumbling in a weak tone "But not against her..." "Hm?" "It was nothing" "Oh... if so then I must go... I''m tired" Cynthia started leaving "Oh, Please leave the nexus armor here" Cynthia was silent "Don''t worry, I''ll ask one of the Guardians to do some maintenance on it" Alissa reassured her "Okay then, thank you" "You can change in that room" Alissa pointed towards their bedroom Cynthia entered and came out moments later, she gave the armor to Guardian 2 who was waiting outside. Cynthia then left the ship and headed to her room back in the guild, she went to the main hall and was greeted by Lea "Hey, Welcome back, I heard you succeeded in your mission but Zeno got hurt, how is he?" Lea asked "He''s alright, he just needs some time to recover" Cynthia replied "Oh... well? wanna go to my room and talk about it?" Lea spoke out "Talk about what?" Cynthia had a huge question mark above her head "About how much you like Zeno or how much you hate other women oogling him" Lea chuckled "...It has become a habit, I apologize for always straining your ears" Cynthia was embarrassed "No, I enjoy it, don''t worry" Lea started walking up the stairs and opened the door "Well? I have some tea ready" "Thanks!" Cynthia entered the room ??? In a certain mountain "...One of my sisters has died" A small golden larva spoke out Its voice echoed throughout the entire cavern "...My queen, how can you say so?" A man asked, the man was covered in yellow armor that had black lining all over. He had two small wings similar to that of a fly, he also had a large stinger in his right arm. "We sisters are connected to each other, we may not be able to communicate but we can sense if one of us dies" The Larva replied "Isn''t that great, one has already died, less competition" "I agree with that logic but the fact that these humans with their barbaric weapons killed a queen who is protected by her minions is making me... uncomfortable" "Don''t worry my queen, as soon as you emerge from that state, we can increase the number of royal guards to protect you" "Yes... I have nothing to be afraid of... just a few more days and I''ll be out of this dark cave... heh... hehe... HAHAHA" Her laughter reverberated in the cavern. A small yellowish glow came out from a hexagon shaped hole and then another... soon the entire cavern was lit Entry no. 41 I woke up to Cynthia tapping on the glass, I looked at timer in the corner of my eyes and noticed that an entire day has passed. It''s 10:00 Am, I''m must be really tired to have overslept. I connected my radio to Guardian 1 who was standing guard inside the examination room, I also asked him to put me in speaker. "What''re you doing?" Guardian 1 approached Cynthia by my order "Ah? Zeno''s voice? but you''re in there..." Cynthia was pointing at me in the recovery cylinder while looking at Guardian 1 suspiciously "This? I''m communicating through Guardian 1 since I''m unable to speak to you" "Oh... Is that so? this feels really weird..." "Yeah... anyway, is there something you want to say?" I asked "Yes, actually, Brunhilde came to the guild early this morning to check on your condition but we had no choice but to turn her away since you''re no longer staying there" "Oh... did she leave a message?" I asked "Yes, she wanted to apologize personally and wanted to take care of you, she even brought multiple healing potions" "Can''t do anything about that" I *sighed* "How''s your recovery? I want to heal you but..." Cynthia stopped midway "Oh, It''s okay, I will just have to stay here for one more hour and I''ll be completely healed" I turned around and showed her the skin on my back that was fully healed "See?" "Wow... even our healing spells can only close the wound and not completely heal the skin" Cynthia was amazed "Well, go ahead and get some coffee or tea" "Then, I''ll be waiting outside" Cynthia left the room "Officer Zeno, you seem to have attracted another female" Guardian 1 spoke to me "She''s a good friend" I replied "Officer Zeno, you dense motherfucker" "...What kind of personality did they give you?" I asked "According to my programmer, my personality seems to be that of a really honest and jealous person" "...So were you being honest or jealous?" I asked "BOTH!" Guardian 1''s eyes glowed red I sighed and just closed my eyes, sure our technology has come so far but the people who made them are still weird I woke up to as the water within the cylinder was being drained, I removed the tube in my mouth and patiently waited for the water to be completely drained. A few moments later, there was no longer any water and the cylinder split open. I left and took the clothes that Guardian 1 gave me, I was only wearing my boxers so I need to quickly change. "Oi, don''t look" I spoke to Guardian 1 Guardian 1 left the room, I looked to the side and noticed a mirror, I was completely visible on the other side. I pulled the curtains and quickly changed my clothes.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I left the room and was surprised to see that Alissa had already prepared breakfast for me, I noticed that her hair was completely ruffled and her polo shirt... wait... that''s my polo shirt... anyway, the buttons were mismatched. She was probably up all night studying something and woke up when I was done recovering. "*sigh* Thanks but look at yourself *chuckle*" I smoothened her hair out with my hand Alissa blushed and quickly pushed me away "That''s cheating..." Alissa started braiding her hair "Haha, let''s have breakfast then" I chuckled Cynthia, Alissa and I had breakfast together We had fried chicken, I''m surprised that Alissa managed to create some breading mix and bread crumbs, I asked her about it but all she said was "science!" Well, that''s her answer. I went outside for a bit while Alissa and Cynthia were happily speaking to each other. I started mulling over the situation we were currently in, that larvae said sisters so there must be more of them, the only problem is how many queens are out there? I have no idea where to start, I have no clues but what I do know is that I need more equipment and firepower... as time goes on, the bugs will start mutating and evolving into their more stronger forms... I also fear that they start mutating into a new kind of species due to the mana present in the air. This is really frustrating, I''ve checked with the all the information we had and found out that there so many blueprints of weapons but we lack most of the materials needed... arghh this is really frustrating... I looked at the sun, and there it hit me... most of the equipment we use require a power reactor or power source but what if we create something that can harness natural energy? We still lack information on mana but there are energies present here that we''ve already studied for hundreds of years. I quickly went in and looked at Alissa, the look on her face says that she knew an idea had struck me. "What do you have in mind?" Alissa asked "Ultra-violet cannon!" I told her my idea and I can see a smirk appear on her face... she really loves building something out of scratch so this will be something she will enjoy "I''ll work on the blueprints!" She smiled and went into our room "What was that all about?" Cynthia was baffled "Oh, we''re developing a weapon" I chuckled, it''s been a while since I saw Alissa so pumped up "A weapon? is it alright if I help build it?" Cynthia asked "Sure thing" I ruffled her hair and laughed "But for now, why don''t we go back to the guild" Since DK was still damaged, I wore the Nexus armor but still wore the DK helmet. We left the ship and returned to the Guild I looked at the counter and saw Marcus "Hey there Zeno, it''s been a while huh" Marcus chuckled "Yeah, where are the others?" I asked "The guild participated in a hunt or more like cleaning up your mess" Marcus laughed "...I''m very sorry" I felt slightly guilty and partially worried about them "Nah, don''t worry, they''re strong people and besides, Lea went with them" "Oh, that''s a relief then" I sighed "Well... seems like Lea has been happier recently" Marcus said those words out of the blue "Why do you say so?" I asked "Look at this" Marcus pulled out a ton of documents "What''s this supposed to be?" I asked "Her piled up work" Marcus smiled "Thank you for breaking my image of her" I didn''t know Lea was a workaholic "No, not that, see, ever since you''ve become famous, more young adventurers started applying here" Marcus chuckled "Oh... I see" I could only reply with those words "Well, you''ll understand soon but for now, General Gram came by earlier and asked you to swing by his place earlier. According to him, there''s something important he wishes to discuss with you" "Thanks" I thanked Marcus before leaving with Cynthia We both left and headed for Gram''s place, we were led to the guest room by the butler, Gram came to greet us moments after Gram sat in the chair in front of me, he looked very serious so this must be something big. "Blade Knight, I wish for your assistance in a matter that has been wreaking havoc in the northern cities" Gram requested. "Uhm, Do you have more information?" I asked "Yes, well, a plague has been found in the northern cities, people have been dying here and there... we have no idea what caused it, people are panicking, they keep saying that these invaders are the angels of God sent to cleanse this world of humanity" Gram massaged his forehead "Is that all the info?" I asked "Yes, sadly, this is all new to us and the researchers are too afraid to even get close to an infected person... or a corpse" "I see... well, I can''t get any information standing around here... why don''t we go?" I can at least have Lilith scan the area "Great! when are we leaving?" Gram asked "I''ll just get my stuff ready" "Then, this afternoon, we shall leave for Morbus city in the north, it will take about a month" Gram "Why don''t you guys go ahead, I have another method of getting there" I laughed "Oh... then I''ll meet you there, here, take this, it''s a proof that you''ve been given authorization on the problem" He gave me a small badge shaped like a shield "Thanks, we''ll be on our way then" I took the badge and left Entry no. 42 Cynthia and I left, I connected to Alissa''s private radio frequency and started speaking to her "Alissa, can you hear me?" "Yeah, loud and clear" "We''re traveling north, towards Morbus city, it seems that some kind of disease or plague appeared there" "Do you think it''s a disease caused by the presence of the bugs?" Alissa asked "I don''t know but if it is, we must help them" "That''s going to be hard, I mean, don''t we lack materials?" "Yes, we do lack materials and ingredients so we''ll just contain it" "Kill the infected and the cause?" Alissa sighed "Yes" "Ok, I''ll ask Guardian 1 to prepare the necessary stuff you need but don''t expect much" "Thanks" I went back to the guild and notified Marcus, he nodded and gave us a few advice. I looked at Cynthia, she looked at me and shook her head, she doesn''t want to be left behind. We returned to the ship and there I saw Guardian 5 holding a small circular radar the size of a cup, Guardian 5 gave it to us. Alissa came out of the room soon after and started explaining. "What you have there is a radar that can detect a pathogen in the air in a one-kilometer radius, you can also place a liquid or a solid in the middle of the radar. Once scanned, the info will be sent back to ship''s computer. I will analyze it and gave you necessary steps" Alissa finished her explanation and returned to the room "Guardian 3, head north to Morbus city" I gave out Guardian 3''s orders "Acknowledged, time of arrival: 2 hours" Cynthia and I headed to the kitchen and had a small snack, we passed the time by talking to each other. "Officer Zeno, we''ve arrived, touching down in a nearby forest in 3... 2... 1..." We landed in a dense forest near Morbus city Cynthia and I left the ship, we quickly headed for Morbus city "I''ve had a flash of inspiration so I''m leaving the data analyzation to Lilith instead" Alissa used her radio to speak to me "Oh, thanks for letting me know" I replied I took out the radar from that was hanging around my waist and pressed the button "Scan" The screen turned to black and soon after the scanning process began, I looked at it and it was only displaying 1%. This will take some time. Morbus city, a city with stone walls that reach up to a two-story building, all the houses here are made out of stones or wood. This city is known for providing fresh-water fishes, there''s a huge lake just north up here where they catch fishes to send to different cities. Cynthia and I entered the city, I showed the badge to a guard and he quickly asked me to go to the city hall with him. We headed for the city hall and was taken to a guest room, an old man soon entered and greeted us "Hello, I am Rawl, the chief of this city" "Hello, I am Zeno, this is my companion Cynthia" I know Cynthia isn''t much of a talker so I introduced her "Oh, so you''re the rumored blade knight, it''s nice to finally meet you" Rawl patted my shoulder "The honor is all mine" "May I ask where General Gram is? this badge was issued to him by the King and is proof of being the one responsible for solving the problem that we are experiencing" Rawl asked "He had sent me first, he''ll be coming after... probably three weeks" I estimated "Oh... then, if he trusts you then so will I" "Can I please have some information on whatever''s happening?" "Right, I''m sure you''ve heard from General Gram but a plague has been appeared here and is causing mass panic, the infected will first feel dizzy then they will start eating more than they usually do but they still became thin after some time, after that they eventually die because of hunger. This is all that we discovered, all the other researchers left in fear of being infected but three researchers stayed behind because they wish to end this plague" Rawl reportedThe author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "I see, can I meet these researchers?" I asked "Sure, they''re camping outside the city" Rawl led the way, we soon left the city and found ourselves in an old house just outside the walls He entered the house, the house was empty and the only furniture was a huge closet. He entered it and pulled out a rope, a hidden pathway opened beside the closet, it led downstairs. We followed the pathway and entered a huge room filled with different glass jars containing different kinds of internal organs. I looked at the center, three people were there, discussing something The researchers were wearing an apron that reached up to their necks. bloodstained gloves, and a mask that covered their entire face. "Hey guys, the help that the King sent have arrived" Rawl spoke out They looked up and walked away from the corpse, they removed the clothes they were wearing and introduced themselves one by one "I am the lead researcher Sucy Keys" the middle-aged woman with a short orange hair introduced herself first "I am Allan, a good friend of Sucy" the middle-aged man with a lanky body and bowl-cut hair was next "I am Stacy, Sucy''s sister and also an apprentice alchemist" the young teen had long orange hair that reached up to her waist "I am Zeno and this is my companion, Cynthia" I also introduced us "Thanks for responding to our plea for help" Stacy spoke out "Anything new?" Rawl asked "*sigh* sadly, no, we''ve been observing the infected people but found nothing..." Stacy sadly replied "Is it alright for me to take I look?" I spoke out "Oh, please do" Allan led me to a room where there was a young woman, thin to the bone, she was asleep and her stomach was constantly rumbling ''Lilith, how''s the scan going?'' ''We''re at 97% time to completion, 30 seconds'' ''Alright, please notify me when it''s done'' ''Roger'' I checked the woman''s pulse, it was weak. I checked her temperature... it was normal... "Allan, is it alright if I check her body?" I asked Allan who was standing behind me "It''s fine" He replied I removed the blanket and removed her clothes, I got a good look at her body and she''s literally almost a skeleton. I checked for any wounds or something like yellowish spots or greenish bruises, any symptom but nothing... maybe this is a new kind of plague... ''Scanning complete, the air is 100% clean, there was no harmful bacteria or viruses found'' Lilith reported I wish I had the scanner back at the ship so I can do a full body scan... I sighed and left the room with Allan "Found anything?" Rawl asked "No, nothing" I shook my head "I see, that''s too bad" I can see disappointment in Rawl''s eyes "When did this plague start?" I asked "About a week ago" Sucy replied "I see..." Okay just a week ago, it didn''t spread through the air so it must''ve been through contact with infected people... no, looking at the healthy researchers here, that''s impossible. So we move on to the next one... food "Did the infected people eat anything that must''ve caused the infection?" I asked "We''ve already checked that out but all the infected people ate different kinds of food like fish and meat, those who weren''t infected usually ate vegetables" Allan replied "So all the infected here are the ones who ate meat and fish?" "Yes" "So it came from the animals... it''s not transferable by contact too..." I murmured "I''m going to go out and observe the surroundings" I made a decision "Alright" Sucy nodded I left with Cynthia and headed for a local barn, the animals here were either cows, bulls, or chicken... and they were all fed grass and corn which are vegetables... it doesn''t make any sense I walked around and noticed that some of the houses here have water jars while the other houses do not. That''s where it hit me, there is one thing that the animals and humans took in. It isn''t air but water, they all drink water so the cause must be there. I started walking back to the house when I saw people throwing stones at a small black kitten, I was going to move on but I saw pity in Cynthia''s eyes. I quickly shielded the small cat from the stones and shouted at the people "What the hell are you doing?" I asked "What do you mean what?! those cat''s are the reason we have this plague!" one man angrily shouted "What proof do you have!" I shot back "It''s what the church said!" another woman replied to my question. "And you consider that evidence?! what if the church told everyone that it was you who caused the plague, will you enjoy stones in your face?" My words shut everyone up "Y-Yeah well that''s just a what-if scenario" These hard-headed idiots "Alright, you win, if I take this kitten out of the city, I''m sure the plague will just vanish" I spoke out before leaving One person threw a stone at me from behind by I caught it and threw it back to his face These people are too stupid and too angry to convince The little kitten purred in my arms, it''s head is wounded and is a bit malnourished. I gave it to Cynthia and she quickly healed it, she hugged it tightly. I can''t see her face right now but I can hear muffled sobs, she must have a soft spot for kittens We returned to the old house with the kitten in tow, Sucy approached me and asked "Any luck?" "Yeah, I think I know the cause" I replied Everyone''s eyes lit up "Is it the cat?" Allan asked as he looked at the kitten in Cynthia''s embrace Cynthia quickly covered the kitten with her body, her stance on this one is clear "No, not the cats but the water" "Water? how?" Sucy asked "Those who ate vegetables were never infected but the animals that you eat in the barn eat vegetables" I pointed out "Okay, I can see where you''re going with this but do you have proof?" Sucy asked "I don''t but I have a hunch... and it''s a really bad hunch" "Well? what do you think chief?" Sucy looked at Rawl "We''ve tried everything... and at this point, I''m willing to give anything a try" Rawl spoke out "Okay, what do you suggest we do?" Sucy looked at me "I need a large bathtub filled with water, I''ll show you guys" I replied "It will take some time" Sucy nodded "Don''t worry, I still have something to do anyway" I left with Cynthia We headed for the lake in the north, it was huge it was as large as a football field. I scooped out a small amount of water and placed it in the center of the scanner ''Lilith, please scan the liquid'' ''Scanning, time of completion: 60 seconds...'' Cynthia and I patiently waited ''Scanning complete, we''ve found something in the water!'' Lilith reported ''Well? what is it?" I eagerly asked ''Chordodes Formosanus...'' ''I knew it...'' Entry no. 43 Chordodes Formosanus, one of the parasites that I mentioned when I was talking to Gram. They''re basically a super tapeworm, unlike the aggressive zombie fly, a Formosanus lets itself get eaten by a fish, it then controls the fish so that they could be eaten by humans or animals on land. If it gets eaten by an animal, it will then proceed to control that animal and lets it get eaten by a human. Once inside a human, they will eat everything except for major organs that keeps its host alive. Once matured, they will then control the host back to water where they will pop out of the host''s stomach to lay eggs back in the river, thus, continuing the cycle but I already asked Rawl and he said that no infected went near the water. The host must''ve been too weak to even stand or walk so they just died along with their host. I returned to the old house, everyone was waiting for me, there was a large bathtub filled with water in the middle of the room. "Please grab one of the infected" I requested "Alright" Allan nodded and entered one of the 12 rooms He soon came out with a middle-aged man who was so thin it was like looking at a skeleton with a skin "Please enter the bathtub" I requested the infected man and he nodded Allan supported him, the man was now in the bathtub, the water reaching his chest. "Now, what you''re about to see is a bit disturbing, Cynthia, please be ready to cast your healing magic" I announced before requesting Cynthia "Allan, please hold him down" I asked Allan before pulling out Azazel "...I-It HURTS!" Then out of nowhere, the infected man who looked lifeless suddenly screamed Everyone watched him struggle, Allan is having trouble restraining him so Rawl helped him. The man flailed his arms and he kept thrashing about in the bathtub until something popped out of his stomachThe genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. The Formosanus is very unique because when they are within their hosts they always restrain their growth but once outside, they rapidly grow to be as thick as grown man''s arms, they''re also thrice as long as an adult. The Formosanus kept wriggling its small body and started to grow as it left the man''s ruptured stomach, the bathtub instantly turned red as the Formosanus opened its jaws and showed its shark-like teeth. I quickly beheaded it, the man was already long gone. Everyone needed some time to digest the information but after finding a "cure" for the disease, they''ll be eager to use it on everyone that is infected. This method was used to trick the Formansus inside the host''s body, making it think that it is already within a river, once they show their heads, our weapons will the there to greet them. "Prepare bathtubs, all of the infected must be cured as soon as we can" Rawl quickly went out after saying those words All of us, Cynthia, Allan, Sucy and her sister, left the house after extracting the parasite within the stomachs of the infected that were within the rooms of the underground research lab We went to the city square and noticed hundreds of infected people supported by their loved ones, Rawl announced about the antidote and the person who made it. Everyone was eager to try it out but Rawl stopped them and asked for everyone to await the arrival of the adventurers he called Adventurers came, there were almost 50 of them, that''s when the extraction started. Some people had their own bathtubs while other the other infected were putting up the small pothole filled with water that the earth mages made. Screams of pain and anguish were heard all around, the mages had a hard time healing the infected so I figured I should help "Are you going to help them?" Rawl asked "Yes, I can be considered as a combat medic" I replied "Combat Medic? you mean combat doctors?" Rawl once again asked "No, I''m a combat medic" "What''s the difference?" Rawl looked at me "This" I replied before stabbing the heart of one of the infected people "What the hell?! I thought you were a medic?!" Rawl angrily shouted but it was quickly drowned by the agonizing screams "A doctor''s job is to save lives, while a medic''s role is to give the patient the greatest comfort as they die" Rawl sighed and shook his head "For a young man, it sounds like you''ve been through so much" "You have no idea" I replied Entry no. 44 My actions were seen by people and they clearly disapprove of my methods. "What the hell are you doing?!" Asked one adventurer "What''s best" I replied without looking back and killed another man who was in a very critical condition "What the hell?! what do you mean best? You''re just killing people!" He grabbed my shoulder "Can you heal him?" I pointed at a man who was roaring in pain "NO! but a healer can!" He ran and pulled one of the healers before asking the healer to heal the infected guy that I pointed out The healer was a bit angry for being dragged but he still healed the infected man. "See!" He had a smug smile "Congratulations, you did the best, now the man that was being healed by the healer you dragged here is dead, you must be proud of yourself" I replied as I pointed at a corpse in a bathtub "...W-What?" He looked at the corpse "You''re a murderer now" "I-I didn''t mean it..." He stepped back "If so then step back and watch" I left him and killed a worm that popped out of corpse beside me It was total and utter chaos, good thing that before the operation, the non-infected civilians were forbidden from witnessing the operation. When we were done, the clean city square turned into a butcher''s playground, you can see blood and intestines scattered everywhere. Most adventurers already left during the operation so those who stayed were either puking, scarred mentally, or was just quietly cleaning the blood off their weapons, the family members soon arrived and were scared shitless of the sight in front of them, they were struck with fear but they still approached their now worm free family member but not everyone was happy. The family of those who didn''t make it cried their hearts out beside the bathtub of their beloved, ignoring the fact that blood was everywhere. Rawl sighed and asked some people to start digging graves, he also prepared for a feast tonight, not to celebrate but to honor those who didn''t live through this calamity Cynthia and I left, Rawl offered us a house that was once occupied but the owners died from the disease. We accepted it and quickly entered it to get some rest, soon after, Rawl knocked on the door. I opened it and asked him to come in, we headed for the small guest room. The guest room was pretty simple, two large sofa''s with a rectangular table in between them, a table on the side that had a vase filled with flowers. Cynthia came in and distributed some coffee''s and snacks "...I''ll get straight to the point, is there any way to cleanse the lake?" Rawl asked "No, not with the equipment you have" I shook my head "Then... what do you suggest we do?" Rawl was lost, he had no idea what to do since this is all new to him "Do not drink water from the lake unless that water was boiled, also, put a fence around the lake" I advised "Hmm, if you say so" He put his fingers on his chin before leaving after he said those words A few hours later, I heard shouts from the outside so I peeked and saw a mob gathered around this houseThe tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Come out murderer!" A random man shouted "Yeah! you killed my husband!" This time, a woman shouted "Come and receive your punishment!!" Another random man shouted I knew this would happen, the loss of a loved one can get you so frustrated it affects your way of thinking. All you need is one person to snap and the rest will follow, they will put the blame on one person and then proceed to take action while thinking that they''re doing the world a favor. I walked out and faced the mob, there were almost 30 of them here, each carrying either a pitchfork or a torch "Finally shown yourself eh, demon?" One man spoke out "Demon!" "Die!" "You murderer deserve to die a painful death!" One man came running while holding a pitchfork He tried to stab me but I moved to the side and evaded the attack, I then knee his stomach before slapping his face "You are all a bunch of idiots" I remarked "What the hell did you say?!" Another man tried to attack me with his torch but I punched his stomach before he could even swing "Tch!, let''s kill his companion instead! maybe then he''ll understand the pain of losing someone dear to him!" One man suggested and I noticed everyone agree This... There''s a limit to my patience you know Do you even know what you''re saying? I snapped after they all nodded their heads ''Lilith, speed'' ''Yes'' I quickly grabbed the man that suggested it and knocked him out, everyone was surprised but they surrounded me and tried to attack me. A 1 vs. 26? this would be a slaughter... for the 26 people that is I kept knocking everyone out with a punch or a kick, I didn''t care if they were a man or a woman, the fact that they threatened to kill Cynthia is enough reason for me to kill them After some time, the entire mob was now down on the ground, they were all moaning in pain. I grabbed the man who suggested the idea of hurting Cynthia and dragged him by his hair, I kept on dragging him and arrived near the infected lake, I threw him in and pulled him out after five minutes. I then returned to the house, the mob was still on the ground, I dug a small pothole by stomping on the ground while in strength mode, I carried a water tank and filled the pothole with water. I then pushed the man in and restrained him, he started screaming which awoke all of the people that joined the mob. "Well? go and call a healer" I suggested One man ran to call a healer while the rest helplessly watched as the man suffered in pain and agony "Save him please" I remarked as I sat there and watched them "P-Please!! the healer!! tell them to come quick!!" He stretched out his arms but everyone took a step back "Please! it hurts so mu-so.... So MuCH!!!" He kept punching his stomach as he screamed, teardrops already formed in the corner of his eyes "Wow, you guys are really sick, why aren''t you helping him? do you guys enjoy watching him suffer?" I mocked Everyone responded differently to my jeers, some had bitter smiles while the others were condemning me in their minds for being such an asshole in this situation. "AAAARRGGGHH!!!" The man in the pothole stretched his body with his stomach pointing towards the sky, he tore off his clothes and started scratching his stomach to the point that he''s peeling the skin off with just his nails "Wonder how long the healer will take" I was still mocking them "SHUT UP!" One of the people watching got mad and shouted at me "You think this is funny?! he''s dying for fuck''s sake! how can you still act like that!" A woman shot back "Oh, I''ll tell you something funny, it''s the fact that you''re all watching him suffer without doing anything, at least close your eyes and not eye him so much" I shot back They were silenced by my words, minutes after the man that ran earlier returned but no healer was with him "I-I''m sorry but all the healers are resting, they all ran out of mana and collapsed in the hospitals!" The man came bearing bad news "NOOO! NOT LIKE THIS!!" The man in the pool panicked, both his arms tightly gripping his hair, tears and snot flowed down his face He kept screaming as the people from the mob watched helplessly "Ah- aa... A...AHHHHHHHH!" A worm popped out of his stomach and started growing but stopped after it was as fat as a child''s arm It kept wriggling, struggling to remove itself from the stomach from where it fed "I''ll give you money!! pl-pleaaaaaSEE heeelLLppPP mmMMEeeeE!!" Another came bursting out of his stomach He kept screaming until he died, I killed the two worms that came out of his stomach. Everyone else but me was on their knees and were all throwing up on the ground "See why I killed those who can''t be saved?" I mocked them, sure doing this is the worst way of teaching them but I don''t care, as for the soldier''s rule of protecting civilians, I pushed that down to second and prioritized the safety of the people close to me They all glared at me but couldn''t say anything "Try to hurt my companion again and I will toss you in the river" I warned them before entering the house Entry no. 45 I returned inside the house and noticed that Cynthia was quietly sipping tea in the corner but I saw her hands shake, she must''ve been shaken by the mob outside "Don''t worry, I won''t let them hurt you" I ruffled her hair "What? Oh... it''s not that..." Cynthia was surprised and tried to correct me but in the end, she chose to be silent. I can see a slight smile on her face though If it''s not that then what then? women are weird. ''Lilith, how''s DK''s repair going?'' I asked Lilith as I sat and sip tea ''DK''s recovery is at 39%'' Lilith replied ''Oh! I forgot!'' Something suddenly crossed my mind as I looked outside through the window ''What is it?'' Lilith asked curiously ''[Status]'' I muttered under my breath, I''ve been too busy with all these bugs that I forgot that I was in another world... I looked at my level and I was level 63, huh... it jumped that far? was it when I was with Gram inside that dungeon? I was lost in my thoughts when I heard people screaming outside Is it another mob? I peeked through the window and was shocked at the sight... A huge 10-foot tall two-headed chubby is currently crushing the townsmen, it was fat and held a large log of wood, it wore no armor and only had some cloth to cover its ass and its ding-dong. ''What the hell is that!'' I asked Lilith ''I''ve sent a photo of it to Dr. Alissa! please await her reply!'' Lilith alerted ''Zeno! can you hear me?'' Alissa connected to me ''Yeah, are you seeing this?'' I asked ''Those things are called Ogres but this Ogre, in particular, is called an Ogre Magi, it can cast magic so be careful when facing it. It''s generally leveled around 40-50'' Alissa explained ''Where''d you get this info?'' I asked ''Unlike someone who''s too busy with bugs, I actually asked two friends of mine to share books of monsters'' Alissa replied proudlyThis content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ''Where would I be without you'' I chuckled before jumping out the window with Azazel in tow "Hey, two-headed chub, over here!" I shouted to gain its attention but what I saw surprised me On its two faces are two Formars... The Ogre roared and its chubby stomach opened up to show multiple sharp bones ready to eat anything alive I forgot that there are also magical lifeforms and beasts in here! ''Zeno! energy building up above you!'' Lilith warned me I looked above and saw a dark cloud form, I jumped to the side just as a thunderbolt fell from the sky. I looked at the Ogre and it was getting ready to cast another spell, I ran forward and activated Azazel''s ability. The Ogre stopped casting its spell and just pounced forward with its gaping belly, I raised Azazel high and swung it down [Plasma Slash!] A crescent wave made out of plasma energy quickly sliced through the Ogre and cut it in half. The two Formar''s abandoned their and tried to run away but I shot them down, the Ogre started to melt and turn into steam. It dropped a loincloth and a wooden club I looked at the river... maybe it wasn''t the people here that continued the cycle of Chordodes Formosanus, maybe it''s the magical beasts! "Cynthia, call Rawl" I requested Cynthia who came out of the house Cynthia nodded and ran The house we were staying in was pretty close to the city gates, I should be able to find a way up on top of the wall. I looked around and saw a wooden ladder, I climbed up and kept looking around ''Lilith, help me scan the area'' ''Already on it'' I patiently waited for the result, half a minute later, Lilith gave me the news ''I found 4-5 lifeforms in that dense forest'' ''are they humans?'' I asked ''No, I used the heartbeat sensor and excluded those the same and lower of a human''s heartbeat so those are most likely Magical lifeforms native to this land'' ''Five, Guardian Five, are you ready for combat?'' I connected to Guardian Five ''Yes, I am at full energy'' Guardian Five replied ''Then be ready, I might need you to come out and fight'' ''Yes sir!'' I cut off the transmission "Zeno! I''ve brought Rawl" Cynthia shouted I should connect her to my DK helm I went down and faced Rawl "Is there a dungeon around here?" I asked "Thank you for taking care of the Ogre Magi, I don''t recall any dungeons around here... if it''s about the Ogre, I heard that there was a dungeon far north of here where Frost Ogres spawn" "Is that so...? hmm, then, how did an Ogre Magi come all the way here without arousing any suspicion?" The only method I know is through warp gates, an artificial wormhole that our scientists created but the Bugs have no idea on how to create one so they invade and control a warp gate "I don''t know, normally, adventurers would''ve already hunted it down... unless..." Rawl placed his arm on his chin "Unless what?" I asked "Unless the cities in the north were destroyed... it makes sense now..." "Tell me what you discovered" I spoke to him "We were all fed lies... the King told us that rumors of the northern city falling are but a rumor... that''s why no one was allowed to go to the northern city, he told us that they''ve converted it to a stronghold since the Demons have created a base in the northern mountain range" "Okay, so your King is lying to you" Nothing new to me, politicians are always like that "But what can he gain by lying to us?" Rawl muttered I heard a loud roar from outside the walls so I quickly climbed the ladder to take a look and sure enough, there were four Ogres (One headed) running towards the city, I zoomed in and found Formars stuck in their heads ''Five, come here with my M4 and Desert Eagle, now!'' I connected to Guardian Five and ordered ''Yes sir!'' "Cynthia, prepare for a fight" I shouted Entry no. 46 The four ogres were 9-feet tall and held large wooden clubs, Rawl quickly hired some adventurers to deal with them. I need to proceed with caution when it comes to unknown enemies but the adventurers took these Ogres as regular Ogres A party of four people stepped forward "We''ll take care of the one that is charging ahead, it''s all alone so we can easily take care of it" The adventurer held a mace "Don''t, you''ll die" I warned them "Who asked for your opinion, you might be a bigshot in your city but in this city, I call the shots" He arrogantly remarked before running forward with his party His party was composed of him, the leader, a 6-foot tall man who held a shield as large as him, and two lanky men who held staffs. The man with a shield took the Ogre''s attention and tried to receive its attack, he raised his shield and received a heavy swing from the ogre. The leader of the party appeared behind the Ogre and attacked the back of the Ogre, the Ogre tried to move but two roots held his arms in place. The leader of the party was happily tenderizing the back of the Ogre when its back suddenly opened and out came sharp bones, he jumped back but still received a wound on his shoulder "What the fuck?!" The leader of the party was clearly shocked "Kill that thing, we can''t hold on any longer!" The two mages shouted out Suddenly, the Ogre''s mouth split half all the way to its belly and just completely ingested the shield in front of it before spitting it out. The shield was riddled with holes and you can clearly see some parts of it have already melted, the man without his shield tried to flee but a long tongue coiled around his body and pulled him back to the Ogre, the Ogre''s stomach opened and multiple bones came out and completely pierced different parts of the man''s body before pulling it inside its belly Everyone was horrified of this scene, some adventurers even retreated while those who stayed behind grit their teeth and started planning on how to deal with these abominations "Guardian Five has arrived, awaiting command" Guardian Five came from behind, he was wearing a hood and a cloak that covered his entire bodyUnauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Where''re my guns?" I asked "Right here sir" Five pulled out my M4 from his back and my Desert Eagle on his holster "Use the Desert Eagle" "Yes sir" "Cynthia, please support me" I requested Cynthia who was beside me "Yes" She nodded "Five''s let''s go" I dashed forward and Five followed behind The roots that were constricting the ogre was broken and the Ogre was free to move again, the mages and the leader of the party ran away. How can you leave your party member like that? I thought to myself as I ran past by them The Ogre now has me on its sight and attacked by swinging the huge log of wood it was holding, I jumped to the side and cut off its left leg, the Ogre lost its balance and fell down. It tried to push itself up but Fives cut off its right arm, the Formar on its head got mad and forced a mutation where the bones on the left leg and right arm grew to be large spikes. It stood up but it was suddenly hit by a huge thunderbolt, its head was fried and so was the Formar on top of it. I gave Cynthia a thumbs up before pulling out my M4 and started shooting the heads of the Ogres that were heading towards us, they tried using the wooden log they hold as a shield but my energy bullets still pierced through it and destroyed the Formars, Five''s also used the Desert Eagle The battle was over and I moved back to Cynthia, these Ogre''s dropped nothing unlike the Ogre Magi from earlier... so as long as the Formar is connected to the body of the monster, it won''t drop anything. I need to tell this to Alissa The adventurers started clapping when I returned and that''s when I noticed someone drooling... He/She gave me the creeps. I couldn''t see really well because his/her face and entire body is covered by a cloak just like Fives Rawl thanked me and gave me some gold before leaving along with all the adventurers but the person drooling earlier remained, Cynthia noticed that I was a bit uncomfortable "Hey, you, get out of here" Cynthia was completely cold "I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to stare, it''s just that the Blade-Knight''s weapon is so perplexing..." The person behind the cloak apologized and introduced herself "I am Panday, a blacksmith nice to meet you" She was 4.9 feet tall, had a literal washboard chest and her hair was a c-cut. "I told you to scram!" Cynthia didn''t care "...I''m sorry" She apologized before leaving with dark clouds hanging over her head "Wait, you''re a blacksmith right?" I asked "Yes!" That dark cloud turned into a rainbow as she turned around and replied to me I can ask her for some information mostly about minerals, sure there are books but what''s better than actual blacksmith teaching you? "I''ll let you see my blade in one condition" "AGREED!" She was quick to nod her head "I want your soul!" is what I was about to say because she was so eager but I stopped myself "Tell me all the minerals that you know and their uses" I stated my condition "Yes, yes, now sword, show me" She came running and Cynthia came for a block by tripping her with her wand "Let''s please go to your place" I spoke to back of her head because her face was kissing the ground "Agreed" she replied in a pained voice Entry no. 47 Panday took us back to her place, it was a small house made out of stone, it was a one-story house. She shoved us in and quickly closed the doors, she lit up some candles and led the way downstairs, her house seems to have an underground area. "Please sit here!" She pulled out two chairs and made us sit there It was still dark underground with only her candle to illuminate the room, I can use my night vision but won''t that spoil the surprise? I''m actually curious to see what''s in here. She threw the candle in a forge and fire quickly fills the forge, the fire in the forge seems to be the fuse that sparked flames in the torches that were all over the room, the dark basement was suddenly illuminated in a way I''ve never seen before and honestly, I''m a bit mesmerized. "Please put your sword here" Panday pulled a stone table with excitement "Our deal" I replied She sighed and pulled out a scroll made out of parchment, she placed it on the table and showed its contents to us. "I don''t why you''re asking something so basic but listen up cause I''m gonna tell you all I know!" She smiled but her eyes were always on Azazel She reminds me of a kid whos smiling at their parents just to get some candy when they''re at a supermarket ''Lilith, broadcast this to Alissa'' I spoke to Lilith ''Yes'' She briefly replied "Okay, let''s start with Reppoc, it is the weakest mineral and one of the most common, it''s usually used to create cooking utensils. Next is Revlis, concentrated Revlis will be turned to Silver coins. Revlis can also be used to create Silver weapons and armor. Then there''s Dlog, concentrated Dlog are turned to Gold coins, they''re only good for currency because weapons made out of Dlog are weak and brittle. After that is Nori, Nori is pretty common and are useful in different things, they can be used to make house decorations, kitchen utensils, or armor and weapons. Next to Nori is Steel, concentrated Nori will turn to Steel, Steel is just like Nori, it has multiple uses. That''s for the common to rare minerals, now we''re moving on to rarer minerals!" Panday smiled, again, her eyes are on Azazel ''Alissa, you getting this?'' I askedThe tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ''Yeah, thanks, this is very useful'' Alissa was a bit cheerful "First off is Diamond! it''s very rare and is used as a centerpiece to any jewelry, it is very tough and hard to melt so you can rarely come across a diamond sword!" "Then there''s Ybur, a red gem that is usually chipped and turned into a jewelry by an experienced artisan. "After that is, Edaj, a green gem and just like Ybur, it is turned into jewelry by an experienced artisan" "Now listen, the last two minerals are very rare and hard to come across... First is Obelisk! an obelisk forms when lava and holy water mix, of course, people brought multiple buckets of holy waters in a volcano and tried to create an Obelisk but they all failed so it is said that coming across even a small pebble of Obelisk is a lifetime of fortune. The Obelisk is extremely tough and is extremely hard to melt, some of the strongest warriors have an equipment made out of Obelisk, according to rumors, their weapons were forged from dragon fire! it can also be a sign of wealth so those rich people have at least an accessory that has an Obelisk in it. After Obelisk is something called Nature stone, a Nature stone can only be found in the Sea of Trees in the Elven territory. It is hard to access it because unknown creatures stalk the Sea of Trees, legend has it that once you enter, you can never go back. Hundreds of heroes forced their way in but none of them returned, one at least returned... well his hand is a part of him... No one knows the exact use of a Nature stone but it is said that it can breathe life back to the dead And that concludes our lesson, monster bones can also be used to forge weapons but since we''re only talking about Minerals, let''s end it there!" Panday... she''s smiling but I can see drool in corner of her lips "Alright, a deal''s a deal" I unsheathed Azazel and placed it on top of the table after she wrapped up the parchment "OOH!! I''ve never seen material like this!! this isn''t Steel nor Obelisk but it''s black in color... It''s alright if I hammer it right?! it''s okay right?! this is part of our deal right?!" I can actually see stars twinkle in her eyes "*sigh* Just once okay" I reluctantly agreed "Just once is fine! hehe hehe HEHE!" Panday pulled out a huge hammer beside the forge She slammed it down, I was too shocked to even react... is it because a small person like her can carry a hammer larger than her or the fact that she is clearly insane in the membrane... reminds of the AI development team in charge of creating female robots... The hammer hit Azazel and the hammer clearly shook, the shock was transferred to Panday, she chuckled and threw away the hammer. She checked Azazel for any deformities with her hands that were still shaking from the shock. I took Azazel back and sheathed it, I''m afraid that she''s going to do more crazy experiments "WHY?!" Life left Panday the moment I took the sword back "I''m afraid you''ll hurt yourself" I sighed "N-No, A-At least tell me the material used!!" She got on her knees and held my legs Cynthia had enough and started poking Panday with her wand "Get off him!" Cynthia was so pissed off "Cynthia, relax... I got this" No, I''m never good with people like these "The Material used is native to my homeland, it is always kept a secret from outsiders so I can''t tell you" I shrug her off and started running away Cynthia and I left the house and soon after, Panday came out with a large backpack, I can even see some frying pan hanging at the side "What are you doing?" I asked, my eyes twitched for a moment there "I''m going to your homeland!" She said with a cheerful smile "Goodluck!" I left, I''m too tired for this, she''ll soon realize that she has no idea where I am and it''s dangerous outside the city Cynthia and I returned to the house, she prepared some tea and even massaged me as we waited for the water to boil Entry no. 48 Almost One and a half week has passed since we arrived here, my job here was done and the problem was solved but I was still waiting for Gram to arrive. He said he''d be heading straight here, I could''ve just gone back to the city after I did my job but won''t Gram be shocked? so I plan to wait for his arrival and report the good news to him, I also asked Rawl not to tell Gram that I came here more than a week earlier, I lied that to him that I left the city about a month ago. It was honestly boring, after the attacks of the Ogres, nothing else came so Cynthia and I spent the morning drinking tea and her teaching me how to write letters while I head back to the ship in the afternoon to sleep with Alissa. And finally the next day, Gram arrived riding a horse along with Brunhilde, Rawl greeted them and reported everything that happened "Oh, good thing that Zeno took care of the issue" Gram smiled as he drank the tea We were currently in a high-class guest room in Rawl''s mansion. "Yes, we are very thankful for him, without him, this city would''ve already been razed to the ground even if we survived the incident with those stomach worms" Rawl spoke out as he brought out a bag full of gold coins along with a western double-edged sword, the sword sheath was riddled with intricate designs. I received the bag of coin and placed it beside my chair, well I can give it to Cynthia but I can''t have her carry such a heavy bag of coins. "Still though, Zeno came much earlier if I remember correctly, how did you come here?" Brunhilde asked "Oh about that, we used specially trained horses" I hope Brunhilde buys it. Brunhilde looks at me and takes a minute to think, she was about to say something but she stopped herself. "Well, I want to rest for a bit since we haven''t had much of a rest due to our travels. Zeno, since we''re here, why don''t we move on to the north?" Gram tried inviting me I need to choose... what to do? I can go back to the guild but what do I do there? the bug problem there is as good as gone with the queen dead if I go up north, there''s a chance for me to discover another Hive. "Which reminds me General Gram, I may be overstepping my boundaries a bit but what happened to the northern cities, please tell me the truth" Rawl looked at Gram straight in the eyes "*sigh* I don''t intend to keep it a secret but I''ve been ordered to keep quiet about it, all you need to know is that you all have to arm yourselves or better yet, just evacuate" Gram honestly replied before turning to me and asking "Now you know that something''s up, will you still be coming?" "Of course I''m coming, Cynthia, you have a choice, I can take you back to the guild before heading north with Gram" I asked Cynthia, I really want her to stay and accompany me but I don''t want to her get hurt or worse... die "I''ll follow you anywhere, even to hell" Cynthia replied with conviction "Then it''s decided... I really am thankful that you decided to come" Gram thanked me "Don''t worry about it" I waved my hands We discussed a few more things before leaving Rawl''s mansion ''Alissa, we''re continuing up north, we think there might be a hive there that needs extermination'' I spoke to Alissa through my radio ''Okay but take Guardian Five with you, I''m heading off to space, I''m done with our little project!'' Alissa happily replied ''That''s great! how long will you be gone?'' I asked ''About 2 days, by the way, thanks Zeno, if it wasn''t for that material discussion you had, I wouldn''t have been able to finish our project this fast After learning the minerals available, Alissa quickly asked me to buy tons of Steel that were used in the construction of our projectThis story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ''Will you be leaving immediately?'' ''Yeah, I can''t really wait to send this baby up in its orbit. I''ve already sent Guardian Five your way, he''s carrying Cynthia''s Nexus Armor and your Guns, is DK fully charged?'' ''Yeah, I got enough juice to last me a month'' ''Alright then, see you later, Dr. Alissa, out'' She cut the transmission Come back safe I prayed underneath my breath ''Lilith, can you scan Five''s location?'' ''Yes, Five is close, just in front of you'' Moments later, I saw a Guardian Five arrive, Five was wearing a long robe with its face hidden by the hood Cynthia received the Nexus armor which was neatly packed in a briefcase while I received my M4 and desert eagle. We headed back home and just enjoyed a good rest, we will be leaving early tomorrow so after having dinner, Cynthia and I went to bed in our own separate rooms, Guardian Five was given guard duty. The next morning, Cynthia, Fives, and I left the city together with Gram and Brunhilde "I''ve already sent a letter back to your guild about this, the King has personally hired you to join me on this quest" Gram smiled as he pat my back We were all riding a carriage, Gram is the coachman and I accompany him. Brunhilde and Cynthia are inside the carriage while Guardian Five is sitting at the back Our next destination is Blaz city, a large city that has almost 200,000 people living in it. The city itself is under siege and we were given the task to help them, the King has sent a limited number of reinforcements because there were more cities other than Blaz that was under attack. Looks like they''re now starting their advance, I need to get this mission done in just a few days so I can move on to the next Hive... We finally arrived at Blaz city, the city walls were 60 feet high and made out of stone the inside of the city was in shambles, almost all of the houses had a hole in it. The houses had walls of stone and a roof made out of wood, they were almost 3-story high. Wherever I look around, I can always see blood. I saw a corpse nearby so I jumped down from the carriage and studied it, the body was so dried up that it looks like a mummy. It might look old but this body is still fresh, I checked for any puncture wounds and I saw one up on this guys head. His internal organs and all of his blood were sucked out through his head... the size of the hole was as large as a tennis ball. ''Lilith, do you think this is a bee?'' I asked Lilith ''Yes, this is the work of a Giant bee, only they suck out the internal organs and blood'' ''Then basing from the old records, their Hive should be found in a mountain'' I looked around and spotted a huge mountain ''Yes but we can''t be sure'' ''Yeah, I know, we need to check if that mountain has a large cliff'' "What do you think?" Gram asked me "Bees, Blood Bees, they suck out everything inside a human and just leave the body behind. The blood and internal organs harvested will be turned into Blood Honey which is their main source of food" I explained "So they''re large Bees?" Brunhilde came out of the carriage and asked "Yes, as large as a fully grown pig and instead of yellow-black stripes, they have red-black stripes" I described to them the appearance of a blood bee "Aerial battle huh... I''m no good with bows" Brunhilde shook her head "You don''t have to be good with bows, as long as we can drag them to the ground, we can kill them" I spoke out "How do we do that?" Gram asked "Easy, just create black smoke when they attack, they''ll start flying closer to the ground because they want to escape the black smoke and when that time comes, we kill them" I explained "Welcome General Gram, Knight commander Brunhilde... and... Blade Knight!" A guard respectfully approached us The guard was a bit smaller than me, his armor was covered in blood, his helmet has cracks here and there. "Thank you for defending this city" Gram patted the young soldier''s shoulders "These words are wasted on me General, there are more soldiers who are more deserving of your praise" "Don''t belittle yourself young lad, you''ve survived this long so you too deserve this" "Thank you" "Then what were about to say?" "Ah, the City lord has heard of your arrival and has asked you to come as soon as possible" "That''ll have to wait" I inturrupted them "What is it?" Gram asked "They''re coming! tell the men to burn anything as long is it''s not a live person!" I told the young soldier before heading in the direction of attack Everyone else followed, It was midday and the scorching sun is taking their toll on the wounded and weary soldiers who were still working and defending the city. I climbed the north-west wall and looked over the horizon, I soon saw, almost 100 bees making their way here... They''re a bit far so we have a few minutes to create a defense no... it won''t make it... some sacrifices have to be made in order to kill the attackers. I don''t like the sound of it but it''s better than letting the bees live and ''Harvesting'' more people I ran back down and told everyone about the issue "Gram, we need to place wood and more burnable material at every corner of city, I also need to know where is the most populated area" I spoke to Gram Gram and I approached a nearby guard, according to him, the area with most population is the city hall, there''s a large underground basement there in case of an attack. There''s enough food there to keep 1000 full for an entire month, Gram stayed behind and told the city guards about my request Brunhilde, Cynthia, Guardian Five, and I headed for the city center where the city hall was located. The Blood Bees look at the world differently than most bugs, they look at everything like that of a thermal vision We need to defend the city hall until Gram and the others finish my request Entry no. 49 We arrived at the city hall just as the bees went past the city''s walls, all of us raced to the roof. The city hall was a large square shaped building with a dome roof, Cynthia stayed in the center while Guardian Five, Brunhilde, and I formed a triangular formation. Cynthia is responsible for healing and magical attack. ''Lilith, how many attackers do we have?'' I asked ''We have at least 86 Bees here, the other fourteen went to different locations in the city'' Lilith notified me ''The soldiers can take care of the other fourteen'' A large stinger protruded from the bees'' mouth, they''re prepared for battle. The fighting style of the blood bees is pretty simple, they will charge and try to impale you with the stinger that came out of their mouth, after doing so, they''ll pull you out and will hook you to the other stinger which is located around their arse. "They won''t go all at once, they will try to attack one by one as to not cause friendly fire amongst themselves because once they''ve charged, it''s hard for them to steer left and right" I notified Cynthia and Brunhilde They both nodded and kept the info in their minds Three Bees lowered their altitude and charged towards us, I killed the attacking bee by shooting off its head, it didn''t even reach me. Brunhilde jumped to the side and impaled the bee''s head with her rapier the moment the bee passed her. Guardian Five didn''t even bother to evade it sliced the bee in half, Cynthia was attacking the other bees with her [Lightning]. Wave after wave of bees attacked, we''ve already killed half of them when the bee''s started to eerily buzz around ''They''re being called back by their queen!'' Lilith informed me ''I hope those guys are ready!'' "Do it!" I gave Brunhilde the signal Brunhilde took out a horn from her waist and used it, the horn was loud, very loud. Soon black smoke erupted from the city''s walls, the bees tried to escape but black smoke hindered them, they tried to fly a little lower but they soon hit the city wall. Some tried to fly through the smoke but they all fell after suffering harsh effects from the smoke. They were basically sitting ducks waiting to be killed Some of the bees already realized the situation and decided to just kill everyone, a cornered mouse will bite as they say. We took care of the bees that tried to attack the city hall, we were victorious but as for the other soldiers, I can''t say the same. Some got impaled in the head while others were hanging from some dead bees'' arse. After the battle, the fire was extinguished and the surviving soldiers celebrated, Gram wrote a letter to the King, according to him, this is their first-ever victory against the invaders in the northern region. The survivors in the city hall''s basement came out and were evacuated, each of them was struck with fear, the children closed their eyes whenever they passed by a mangled corpse, be that of a person''s an animal''s or one of their attackers. I sighed at this sight, I walked away and went to a tent where a meeting will be held between me, General Gram, and this city''s Lord or chiefThis content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I was earlier than the rest so I sat down and organized all of my thoughts and ideas, minutes later, Gram came along with the city lord. "Hello, I am Julius Grant, I am the Lord of this City" Julius introduced himself Julius'' age is around 25-27, he has short blonde hair. He''s atleast 6 foot tall and has a good body build "Zeno" I did the same only in a less noble fashion "Let''s take a seat and get this meeting underway" Grant took a seat "You can see our situation is pretty dire, I would''ve welcomed you with a feast but as you can see... it might''ve been us on the menu" Julius apologized "Come on, who has time for feasts when we''re at war" Gram patted his back "These invaders... I''ve never seen them before, they appeared out of nowhere and started attacking us, the city put up a good fight. We can''t damage them with your regular arrows but the ballistas managed to take down hundreds of them but alas, the ballistas broke one night and from then, we were unable to push them back" Julius still has a look of anger on his face "Broke?" Gram asked "Yes, we suspected that someone sabotaged the ballistas, we''ve already asked the guards who were on duty that night but all they say is that they remember nothing" Julius rubbed his forehead "What do you think Zeno?" Gram asked me Gram started calling me by my name after I told them to stop calling me blade knight... it''s really weird I don''t think this is the work of a bug, I''ve already asked Lilith and her database shows no result but who knows "I''m not sure but we can''t rule out the possibility of this being the work of a bug. I''ll have to investigate first before I can come to a conclusion" I replied "Then let me take you to the ballistas, I didn''t let anyone go near it other than our investigators" Julius stood up We left the tent and headed for the city walls, each of the city walls has three rooms that contain a ballista that shoots large arrows. Each ballista was thoroughly destroyed, it wasn''t slashed in any way so this isn''t the work of a Formar. It was demolished by a blunt weapon ''Lilith, scan'' ''Scanning...'' I walked around while waiting for Lilith to finish scanning ''Done, 0 traces of this being the work of a bug. I''ve found an outline of what seems to be a circular hammer underneath the wreckage'' ''Thanks!'' I started to remove the broken pieces of the ballista until I found a slight outline of a hammer on the ground, the use must''ve used too much force and caused the hammer to hit the ground "What do you think?" I asked as I pointed at the still faint markings on the ground "This shape... only the church''s paladins use this kind of hammer" Gram spoke out as his he traced the marking on the ground with his finger "The church? why would they do this?" Julius asked, he was angry but he was trying to calm himself down to stop himself from making any unnecessary acyions "I don''t know, but I''ll have to take a look at the paladin''s weapon in order to make sure" I said "Let''s go to the church then, they''ve already evacuated but let''s hope that they left something behind" Julius walked away I noticed that Gram was thinking of something, I pat his back and asked "Discovered anything?" I asked "N-Nothing, let''s get going" He stood up and left ''Lilith?'' ''Yes, his heart rate increased when he heard the word ''Discovered'' Subject: Gram seems to be hiding something, please proceed with caution'' Lilith warned me Gram is righteous guy, why would he try to hide something when he knows that this might cause more innocent lives to be lost We all walked towards the church, the Church was large, the walls were pure white. Julius broke the chains that shut the two doors before pushing it open. The insides of the church was dyed in different colors due to the multiple stained glass around the ceiling and walls, the stained glass all had different designs but one thing was certain, they are all depictions of their "God" We walked inside and went past the podium, Julius pulled a lever hidden behind a vase of flowers. A trap door opened near the podium, it showed a set of stairs leading down. We walked downstairs and found a training ground, thankfully there were still some weapons that was left behind. Most of the weapons were double-edged swords "Over here" Julius beckoned us as he pointed at a hammer with a long handle ''Match found, this is the weapon used'' Lilith alerted me, so it was the church after all but why? "Those follish bastards!" Julius snapped "*Sigh* I didn''t think this would happen" Gram shook his head Entry no. 50 "Isn''t it about time you tell us what you know Gram?" I''ve spent some time with Gram but I can''t forgive him if he chooses to withhold information from us. Sometimes during a war, it is your ally that will cause your own downfall. I''ve seen people die because of their allies. Who am I to talk about this, I took in Cynthia without even batting an eye and I would try to save her whenever she''s in trouble... seems like I still have my own weakness. "I''m sorry I''ve been silent this whole time, I just had to make sure... info suggests that these... invaders... they seem to mimic the "God" that the church worships, the church considers that these "Invaders" are angels sent to kill those who are unfaithful" Gram stated "So you''re saying the church has betrayed us?!" Julius furiously inquired "No, the church is currently cut in half, those who believe that their "God" has ascended and those that don''t" Gram explained "How do we differentiate the two?" I asked "Those who didn''t stayed" Gram replied "There still might be some spies that stayed behind" I pointed out an obvious fact "I know, we''re working on it" Gram replied "Tch, what''s done is done, getting angry now won''t bring back the dead but I''ll forever remember this incident..." Julius calmed himself down "Good choice, we''ll have to prepare for another attack because once the queen discovers that her harvest is short, she''ll send in more attackers" I advised "Yeah, let''s go back to the tent and device a strategy, I''ll be counting on Gram''s experience and Zeno''s intelligence" Julius nodded We all walked back to the tent just as the sun was setting, the soldiers were now on the ground, sleeping peacefully, I can''t really approve of such a behavior like this but after what they''ve been through, I guess they deserve to at least vent their stress. We all sat down, Gram and Julius was sitting together on the sofa while I was all alone in the opposite, there was a table in between us with a map of the entire city "All the survivors have been evacuated?" I asked "Yes, all that''s left are soldiers" Julius nodded "Are you a soldier?" I asked "A soldier is a someone willing to fight in the frontlines to protect those who chose to otherwise" Julius stated "A good response" I nodded before continuing "Since the survivors have escaped, all we need to focus on now is surviving and not letting the bees get past us. I suggest that we concentrate our defense in the city hall, those bees will be attracted to places with more population... as for the defense, that''s Gram''s job" "Yes, the City hall is the best place to set a defense" Gram nodded as he studied the map "Why don''t we just stick by the walls?" Julius asked "Simple, those bees have wings and even if they didn''t, your walls'' structure is a bit... damaged" I replied "...Yes, I failed to consider that" Julius felt a bit embarrassed after forgetting the obviousIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "They''re number will probably double in the next wave... We have limited resources and reinforcements... how''s the food supply?" I asked "Enough to keep us fed for an entire year, not counting the fact that each battle we face will cause us to lose more men" Julius replied "Okay, I''ve already made plans for the defense, what will you do Zeno?" Gram asked "We have little information on our enemy, I want to go ahead and find out" I replied "Okay, as for me, I''ll be dealing with stuff like rations, clothing, and housing" Julius spoke out We all had our assigned jobs, we all left the tent with a plan in my mind. Although this plan will be affected depending on what I find in my scouting mission... it''s either we flee, we fight, or we die and I''m not going with the last option I returned to a tent that was made for Cynthia and I, according to the soldiers, they thought Cynthia and I were lovers. I just shook my head and entered the house only to find Cynthia changing "I''m sorry, I didn''t knock" I apologized after I quickly closed the entrance to the tent "It''s alright" I heard her reply "I''m going to scout ahead, find out about the enemy we''re facing" I told her of my plans "Can I come with?" Cynthia asked "I''m sorry" I have my stealth while she does not "... I see, then please return safely" "Don''t worry" I was about to leave when a hand popped out of the tent and held my hand "Please be safe" I can feel worry in Cynthia''s voice "I''ll come back without a scratch" I reassured her Her hands let go of mine and I was free to leave ''Guardian Five, your mission is to protect Cynthia, in case of any battle, protect Cynthia at all costs'' I gave Guardian Five a mission before I left the city and started heading north on foot, according to Julius, the Horses left were taken by the bees I wanted to contact Alissa but she''s still in space, I wonder how she''s doing with our little project The night was cold yet I didn''t stop, I kept walking forward with mountain as my objective ''Lilith, talk to me'' The silence was torture so I asked my companion ''Hmm, I don''t have anything to talk about, how about you?'' She asked ''As an AI, do you dream?'' I asked ''No, we AI''s never sleep until we''ve been shut down, we will continue to think and process'' She replied ''Isn''t that a bit hard?'' ''No, this isn''t hard at all'' ''Let me rephrase it, isn''t it a bit sad, being unable to dream?'' A dream is one of the things in life that pushes humans forward even if they''re faced with problems ''We were programmed to assist you, our lives, our very existence is all for you, isn''t that why you created us?'' She got me there ''But what if you were programmed to dream? would you be happy?'' I asked ''I can''t feel happiness only satisfaction, I''m guessing this is true for other AI''s, if another AI was programmed to dream then it feels satisfaction from doing so, it is the same us as feeling satisfaction because we''ve done what we were created to do'' ''So basically, your program is your life''s objective'' ''Correct, if I''m not mistaken, a dream is almost the same as a life''s objective'' ''There''s more to dreaming you know?'' I chuckled ''What is it?'' Lilith asked ''You can have more than one dream, do you have anything you wish for?'' I asked ''Hmmm, I wish for your dreams to come true'' Lilith replied ''That''s nice but why won''t you be selfish for once?'' ''I can''t be selfish, it''s not in my program'' ''Then I''ll have to ask Alissa to reprogram you'' ''Please do not do so, it is tampering with the work of my developer unless you have his permission which you don''t'' ''You can''t say no'' And Lilith went silent, I can''t find any more topics so I just enjoyed my walk under the stars. Things like these will really make you think about things... Even though Alissa and I are stuck here, faced with these armies of bugs... the fact that we''re together kinda makes it all worth it you know? but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth I mean, I can''t be enjoying my time here with Alissa as hundreds of innocent people are being torn to shreds ''Why don''t you be selfish?'' Lilith was listening to my thoughts and commented ''Selfish huh, don''t worry, I''ll always save Alissa when she''s in danger, even at the cost of thousands of people''s lives'' I replied ''Isn''t that illogical?'' Lilith replied ''We humans are illogical to begin with, women are even more so'' I chuckled I miss opening up to someone, even though Lilith is an AI, the fact, that she''s in my head makes me feel like I''ve known her for a long time. Of course I''ve opened up to Alissa, as for Cynthia, I might be soon... But having more people to open up to is always a nice feeling, finding a comrade when the entire world is against you, something like that The sun was rising when I finally arrived at my destination ''Lilith, how far did I walk?'' I asked ''About 10 Kilometers'' ''Energy levels'' ''DK is at 89% Your Core is at 89%'' Alright, let''s investigate what we''re up against Entry no. 51 I trekked the hill and with the help of Lilith''s scanners, I was able to trace the Hive. The mountain was split cleanly in half, according to info I previously gathered, a strange blue light called "God''s sword" split the mountain in half. In one side of the mountain is a large hole, this hole is the entrance to the Blood bee hive but I found something else In the depths of the split is a wreckage of the SC. Mirigai, a spaceship almost as large as Warden. Mirigai is mainly responsible for weapons manufacturing... so the Blue light is probably Mirigai''s superweapon called ''CEOB or Concentrated energy blast''. I can go and check it out or scout the hive before scavenging the Mirigai... In the end, I decided with scavenging Mirigai firstcannibalism I''m lucky, I could find a transport ship, update the map and set it on autopilot towards our camp outside Blaz city with all the stuff I found. Jumping down would be stupid, the mountain is at least 285 meters high and I''m at the peak. Look''s like it''s another long and grueling way walking down, Lilith lowered my temperature so that I won''t be detected by the blood bees so my journey down was peaceful. I didn''t encounter any animals, looks like the forest has been cleaned by the blood bees. The journey going up and down took me an entire day, I was a bit tired even if my joints are mechanical. I was now in the split, the ground was burned black, time passed but plants are yet to grow in this burned ground. I looked up and detected a few bees scouting around, I stuck close to the walls and made my way towards the ship. Unlike Warden, Mirigai seems to be in a much better condition but when I went in, the insides were full of rotting organs but the bodies from where they originated are nowhere to be found. I walked forwards, not minding the fact that I stepped on something molding and rotting, the experience? well, it was like stepping on marshmallows only they aren''t that spongy and would squirt a few blood and maggots. The outer passageways were lit by the moon, light found it''s way through the glass and cracked ceilings of the ship. The doors were all opened, I''m actually thankful that it is because the energy inside the ship is totally dried out. The automatic doors won''t open. I entered the inner area where Mirigai''s crewmen live, I tried to look around but all I found were pictures of the crewmen and various people which I think are their family members. I found nothing useful and left the inner area, I headed back to the outer passageways and headed for the hangar but the door was shut tight, there even signs of it being forced open by a crowbar. I switched to strength and pried it open with the crowbar I found lying near the door, the door was now opened. I was bombarded with the sight of rotting corpses, even with DK filtering the air I breathe, the memory of the smell of thousands of corpses all came back... I checked out their bodies, some were killed by blunt weapons such as a fire hydrant or a hammer while others died from a stab wound from a kitchen knife. On further inspection of the room, all of the escape pods were gone and all the food supplies were out which meant that the people inside turned to cannibalism in order to survive...This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. There was not even a single ship inside so I left, Lilith guided me to the control room where I found a few plasma grenades, these plasma grenades will stick to anything before it explodes. I found a military bag and carefully placed the three plasma grenades inside, I left the control room and proceeded to the weapons development area in the centermost part of the ship I thought I could find weapons here but all I found were defective guns, every weapon crate I opened either contained a defective weapon or was just plain empty. I almost gave up when I saw a door that had signs of being forcefully opened, I entered the small room and found a single weapon. The energy lock of the create was still on so I removed my helmet and allowed it to scan my eyes. This box is called the Weapon crate Vr. 5 it has it''s own independent energy source, and has multiple safelocks and can is programmable to choose those who can open it. "Officer Zeno, you are not authorized to use this weapon" Is all it said "Command Override, We are at a state of emergency, Mirigai is currently under attack" I stated "Connecting to ship''s network to verify claim, unable to connect, Mirigai has lost power and all of its abilities to conduct proper defensive measures, initiating manual scan... scanning, please wait" Whatever is inside must be good for them to install so much security measures "Scanning complete, multiple corpses detected. Access Granted. Following Silver edge program, in the event of Mirigai''s fall, Silver edge''s ownership will be transferred to the first human to find it" The box opened and revealed a long katana covered in silvery glow and intricate dragon etchings "Officer Zeno Abaddon, you are now the owner of Silver Edge, Silver edge was created from the fangs of the Mercurian Predator, a species of dinosaurs that are rarely found in planets close to the sun" The Silver edge''s sheath floated and attached itself on my belt, I took the sword and it is light, I swung it and tried to cut the door open, the door was cut through like a hot knife through butter. ''The Silver edge seems to have an ability called ''Break'''' Lilith informed me ''Tell me it''s effects'' ''Just as Azazel, it will drain energy from the user in order to produce said ability. Silver edge will be coated in electricity that will interfere with any living being''s nervous system causing them to be unable to move or have impaired movements'' ''That''s a nice ability'' I smiled There was nothing else for me to take here so I left the Military bag I found and left it inside before looking leaving Mirigai, I will take it later once scavenge the ship for its parts later. I can already hear Alissa saying that she will make a ship out the stuff we get I started climbing up, the wall since the hive''s entrance is in between the bottom and the peak of the mountain... it took me a good 1 hour to climb it before finally reaching the hole, I carefully went in because I''ll be as good as dead once I''m detected. Lilith still activated DK''s cooling capabilities, I carefully roamed the hive while Lilith mapped the place out. I soon came across a large room with so many rotting human shells, we call them human shells because after the Worker Blood bees are done with them, they''re all literally just skin and bones. The difference between a Blood Bee soldier and a Worker blood bee is that the former has red and black stripes while the latter is purely red in color. Some people were alive as their insides were sucked out of them through their stomach''s, they all screamed in pain and terror, they all wished to be saved but no one is coming for them. I can''t save them, all I can do is end their misery but doing so will give me away. I''m sorry but you''ll have to endure this. I left because Lilith informed of some strange activities at the Hive''s entrance Entry no. 52 ''Hurry'' Lilith urged me ''I''m almost there'' I made my way towards the entrance, making sure that I don''t arouse the suspicion In the next right turn, that''s the entrance. I slowed down and stuck my body close to the wall. ''Lilith, use "Worm"'' I requested ''Deploying Worm'' The area around DK''s leg opened up and allowed a tiny mechanical worm to come out, on one side is the camera, the other is a transmitter. ''Lilith, control it'' ''Roger'' The worm crawled and peeked on whatever is on the other side, Lilith streamed the video to me. There were... almost 30 men? no, they had horns on their heads. They look like humans except for the horn, pale white skin, and hollow looking eyes. ''Lilith... what are they?'' This is my first time seeing such creatures ''I''ve checked my database, this is what they call a "Demon" as Cynthia has stated, they''re one of the species that try to fight off or eradicate the human population'' ''But why are they here... and why aren''t the blood bees attacking them?'' ''I don''t know, lacking data'' ''We''ll just have to watch'' The demons were patiently waiting, after a few minutes, I heard a slight buzz, it soon turned into a loud one. Out of nowhere, something huge landed on the ground, the dust caused me to be unable to identify the creature. The dust settled and I now have a full view of something that I really hate, a King Each hive will follow a Queen but the Queen will always have a King, a King is the Hive''s second most powerful warrior. The King I''m currently seeing is 7 feet tall, has the build of a human body, covered in exoskeleton shell, is equipped with two large stingers on both hands and a scorpion-like tail. Too bad I can''t hear what they''re saying but... they shook hands... did they come to an agreement? do the demons have an alliance with the bugs? if so then this could spell trouble. "Whos there?!" The King swiftly looked at our direction Lilith managed to burrow the worm in a small hole The King stared for a couple more seconds before turning his head, the demons left and the King flew away. I want to leave the worm here to monitor the activity within the hive but its transmitter is able to reach a few meters. When I was sure it was clear, I quickly ran outside and climbed up. I need to talk to Gram, this is the worst case scenario not because the Bugs and Demons are cooperating but because the Bugs will only gain more powerful pawns, they never ally themselves with anyone or anything, they will just backstab the demons and let the Formars transform them into their mindless slaves, once done, the Bugs will have an army of mutated demons that know no fear or pain.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I kept running until my feet were tired. If I keep going, I should be there by midnight. I sat down on a nearby tree, my journey back to the city will be delayed by a few minutes because I need a break. A King, there''s also a high chance that the Queen will send her King to invade the city... If that happens... I stood up and started running again, I need to be back in the city, I need to be there for when the next wave comes. It was midnight when I returned, thankfully, the city was still safe. The gate opened and I was allowed to enter, I quickly went to Gram''s tent. "Gram, you awake?" I spoke as soon as I reached his tent "Yeah, come on in" A reply soon came I entered and saw Gram sitting on his bed wearing his sleepwear "How''d the scouting job work out?" He asked "Bad, terribly bad" "As they say, no news is good news" "I saw the demons... I think they might be cooperating with the invaders" "... Tell me, do you think these invaders will backstab the demons?" Gram asked "Yes" "Then we might still be alright, the demons are also going to backstab the invaders. They might be friendly towards each other but underneath, they''re bot cautious of the other party. This is a weakness we can exploit" "But to make sure, I think we need to find ourselves an ally" I trust Gram but I think he''s underestimating this matter "Yes, I do think so too but the only ones we can ally ourselves with is the Protectors of the forest" Gram sighed "Is there a problem?" I asked "They despise humans" "I see... We need to discuss this at another time because there''s something else" "What is it?" Gram asked with a grim face "I found a King, their strongest warrior, there might be a chance that the King will be leading the next attack" "This is bad, we already lack forces and the next wave will be led by their strongest warrior..." "Then evacuate, we can''t let the men die here for no reason" "I can''t" Gram replied "Why? is it the pride of a general?" "*sigh* no, If we retreat now, the villages at the back will also evacuate but they won''t make it in time, this city is the last wall that protects the entire country, if this last wall is conquered then... it will be only a matter of time till the Kingdom falls" "I''m sorry, I just don''t want any pointless deaths" "Don''t worry, I understand, for the sake of the people, some sacrifices have to be made..." I really hate these kinds of choices, choices that will force you to lose something... I don''t know the people of the Kingdom but I sometimes ask myself if they outweigh the good men here, I mean, not every citizen is good right? "Zeno, could you please leave? I don''t want to be rude but I need to prepare for the next attack" "I see, good night then" "Good night" I left the room and returned to my tent, I saw Cynthia quietly sitting on her bed "Can''t sleep?" I asked "Yes" Cynthia replied with a nod I placed down Azazel and Silver edge beside the bed before lying down "Something bothering you?" Cynthia asked "What makes you say that?" I asked "You just seem a bit off today" "I''m probably just tired from scouting" "Please Zeno, we''re partners, you can rely on me" "I''m sorry... even though I said it, It seems I''m the one with the trust issues..." I really am ashamed "I know, you can''t open up to me because of the fear of losing me one day right?" Cynthia sat on my bed and took off my helm "Don''t worry, no matter what happens... I''ll always be with you" She hugged me, it felt nice... but I pushed her back "Cynthia... I already love Alissa, I''m really sorry" Her feelings reached me but... I can''t accept it "No, it doesn''t matter, as long as you''re okay with me being beside you" She shook her head "Of course I''m okay with it" I pat her head "Then... is there a chance that you''ll fall for me?" She asked with as her eyes started to moisten... It really took her a lot of courage to do this I looked at Cynthia and thought hard, a human is very fickle, being with Cynthia was fun the entire time... though she might be a bit overprotective at times "No..." Tears rolled down Cynthia''s cheek, she tried hard to smile but that smile turned upside down as she hid her face and muffled all of her cries It was my turn to hug her "Not now but maybe someday" Cynthia looked at me with moist eyes, still bewildered by the words I spoke, it took some time for her to process it but in the end, she smiled. Entry no. 53 The next morning, I woke up to the clamor of soldiers... just another day in my life. I didn''t take off DK last night and just went to sleep as is. "Zeno, you up?" I heard Gram call out from outside "Yeah, tell me how many enemies we got?" I asked "No, we don''t have any enemies" Gram replied with a chuckle "What? then what is that loud clamor for?" I asked "The first prince has come to visit us" "The first prince?" Cynthia may have forgiven the royal family but she will not forget, neither will I. The royal family is a very complicated family... The King has three wives, each has wife has produced a son but only the first wife, the queen, has given birth to a female. According to Cynthia, the son of the second wife was the one who committed the mistake of selling her off as a slave. "Oh... is there any need of me being present?" I asked, I''d like to stay away from these kinds of people as much as possible. "Yes, you are the leading warrior aren''t you?" I looked at the other bed and saw Cynthia deep in her sleep "Is Brunhilde free?" "Yeah, why?" "Could I ask her to watch over Cynthia? Cynthia and the royal family is kinda a bad mix" "Alright, go to the southern gate" Gram left I wrote a little note and left it on the table, I left the tent and headed for the southern gate Gram was already waiting along with Julius, there is at least 20 here who are in a parallel line, they were all holding up a pole with the Kingdom''s flag. "You''re here" Gram welcomed me "Yeah, Julius, you don''t seem happy about this visit" I noticed that Julius has a very dissatisfied expression "Yeah, I apologize but the point of this visit is to show that the first prince "Cares" he''s just here to win the hearts of the people and gain more support" Julius spoke his mind in front of the Kingdom''s general "Way to take the magic away" Gram laughed and continued "Be that as it may, we still need to welcome him right?" "Yeah" Julius loosened up The door opened and soon five knights riding a fully armored horse first came in, then a carriage, lastly, another five knights on horseback. The carriage stopped in front of us three, the door opened and out came the prince The prince had short blonde hair, has a normal body build. He''s wearing a golden armor and was caped in velvet red "General Gram, City Lord Julius, and... who are you?" He asked me with arrogance ''I''ve detected a specter stone on him'' Lilith alerted meThe narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "I am known as the Blade Knight" I''m trying to keep cool here but a specter stone here? what the hell ''Where is it? calculate the possibility of specter stones being located on this planet'' Specter stone can only be found on a planet that has aged for almost 10 Billion years, they were called specter stones because they were the result of a vengeful spirit combining with a diamond that has aged for 4 billion years... most of the vengeful spirits were the wives of the fallen soldiers, they fused with their wedding ring and started to wreak havoc be it the bugs or the humans. We dispersed them with electromagnetic blasters, they all left behind a dark black stone that turns to diamond once the sun shines on it but turns to a transparent stone when exposed to the moonlight. Thanks to a human''s positive thinking, rumors started to spread that if you give the person you love a specter stone, it means love eternal even after death. Of course, Alissa and her team already discovered that this was the result of the bugs experimenting with the ''Soul'' of a human. ''There is zero possibility of a specter stone appearing here, even if mana and ghost-like monsters exist in this world'' ''I see'' ''The specter stone is around his chest, most likely a necklace'' "So you''re the rumored black knight, I expected you to be a bit more dashing" He chuckled "Haha, is that so? I''m sorry to disappoint you, I have one question though, is the prince perchance wearing a necklace?" "Yes, It is the gift of the church to me before they got split in half, a pity" The prince pulled out his necklace and it was revealed to me, a small specter stone... memories came rushing back, I remember this necklace, it''s the same as Vicereines! what the hell?! ''Zeno, your emotions!'' Lilith tried to remind but How? Why? why is Vicereine''s necklace here?! ''Zeno calm down, I''ve detected a huge swarm of blood bee''s coming here!'' ''Ah... yes... I''m sorry Lilith'' I monotonously replied "Hey, Blade Knight? don''t you know it''s rude to not answer when being asked?" The prince stood in front of me and kept kicking my foot "If I were you, I''d get out of here" I stated lifelessly "Ha? are you a fucking moron? are you making a prince leave? how dare you! guards! seize him!" The prince shouted out "Wait, my prince, this must be some kind of misunderstanding" Gram tried to protect me "Misunderstanding? are you kidding me? his statement was loud and clear!" The prince replied in a tone full of anger The ten knights surrounded me and had their lance only inches away from my neck "Julius, Gram, they''re coming, it''s best to make the prince leave" I stated "What?! men, to your battle stations!" Julius trusted me and ordered his men "Are you sure Zeno?" Gram asked "Yes" "Prince, you must leave, we cannot guarantee your safety if you stay here" Gram requested "Fine, but he''s coming with me, he already warned you of an attack, his job''s done" The Prince mischievously smiled One knight dismounted and had produced a metal choker connected to a chain I pulled out Azazel and swiftly destroyed all the lances pointed at me "You see here, you are not my prince, treat me rudely again and I''ll make sure that you won''t be receiving help from me ever again" I stated furiously I don''t see myself as a very strong person because there are multiple times that I''ve been helpless... the bomb and Vicereine, Johny and the teleportation device... Mordred and Abel But they do need my expertise if they wish to have a chance of beating these "Invaders" "Ha? you think you''re so important? Arrest him!" He roared out The knight with a chain stepped forward but was then impaled by a stinger... "A-Augh" He coughed blood before he was taken away screaming The blood bee''s strike fast, I warned them but the Knights were too concentrated on me to even notice an attack "What the hell is that?!" The prince started panicking "These are our enemies, now please leave!" Gram pleaded before pulling out his sword The prince quickly entered his carriage they quickly left but not without sustaining damage, out of the 10 knights, only four survived, the carriage was also badly damaged "You could''ve saved the other six knights," Gram asked "No, the blood bee''s saved 4 knights and a prince from me" I replied "...I know that the prince was rude but what set you off?" He asked "Forget about that, they need our help back at the city hall" Gram and I ran and found the city hall under heavy siege from almost 400 blood bees, they were barely surviving "HAHA! YOU CYBORG! I never thought that I''d be able to avenge the previous king this early!" The Blood Bee King I saw before landed right in front of me and Gram "A friend of yours?" Gram asked "Nope, never seen him" I replied "What a joke, I remember you!" The Bee King pointed at me What he said was true, if the Queens inherit the throne, the Kings inherit the previous King''s memories. I was the one who killed the last bee King so he knows who I am "Go ahead Gram, I''ll take care of this mime" I needed to take out my anger anyway Entry no. 54 We were just outside the city hall, Cynthia, Brunhilde, Fives, and the other soldiers were having a hard time fending off the attackers. Gram ran past the King and swiftly aided everyone, now I''m face to face with this Bee King "You remember how I killed the previous King?" I chuckled "Heh, trying to taunt me are you? I won''t fall for it!" His wings started to flap as he levitated off the ground, he quickly headed straight towards me at a bullets speed. With both of his stingers on hand, he started to assault me with multiple stabs but I manage to dodge every attack. "...slippery as always, come servants!" He called out 5 of the attacking bees quickly descended and attacked me all at once but they were all shot down by Cynthia''s [Lightning], I gave her a nod before looking at the King, he may not have teeth but I can imagine him grinding them right now I heard a scream from above and noticed that the soldiers were slowly being overrun "Throw them down!" The King commanded One man was thrown down and was stabbed in the chest by the King before being thrown into the ground just outside the entrance of the city hall, the wound wasn''t deep but I''m more concerned on the poison Gram rushed down to save the bleeding man "GRAM! Don''t go anywhere near him!" I shouted out "N-No! please save me General!" the soldier shouted out "Don''t worry young lad, I''m coming!" Gram once again started running "Gram, don''t get close to him, trust me" I didn''t shout but it was loud enough "General! It hurts!" Gram was torn between helping the soldier and believing in me, in the end, he chose to step back and threw some bandages over to the soldier The young soldier''s chest begun to bulge as he struggled to remove his chest plate, he managed to succeed in doing so but his shirt was already torn apart due to the chest rapidly expanding "Au-AAA-AHHH!!" He kept screaming in pain until his chest exploded His chest exploded, his rib cage clearly torn apart. Gram''s expression turned Grim before he ran back up This was a poison natural to Bee Kings "Haha, I always have fun watching them explode" The King chuckled I pointed my M4 at him and started shooting, he nimbly dodged "Fives, catch!" I threw the M4 and Desert Eagle towards Fives I can''t hit the King with my guns so it''s better to let him come close and slash him to pieces besides, the people above seriously needs helpThe narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Well come on King, my sword isn''t going to bathe itself" I unsheathed Azazel "Cocky prick" He charged once again but this time continued to rush forwards after I dodged his attack He swiftly turned around and launched another charge at me, I used [Crescent Slash] and sent an attack towards him but he ascended a bit, just enough to evade my attack. I expected this and followed up with a [Spatial Rip], I teleported just above him and used another skill, [Illusion strike]. He managed to react and stabbed the illusion with the stinger on his back, this was my chance. I appeared beside him and was just about to cut off his head. He reacted on instinct and used both his antennae as a whip that clashed with Azazel, I cut off his antennae but he managed to dodge just in time before swiftly retreating. He started to touch his head to feel if his antennae were really sliced off of him, when he confirmed it, he started to get really mad "You Cyborg! how dare you cut off my antennae?!" "Didn''t seem like you were using it" "I''ll make you pay!" He once again levitated and charged towards me He attacked using both stingers on his hands but I managed to block it with Azazel, I was pushed a few meters before I stopped his charge. He then used the stinger on his back and tried to attack my head but I only leaned left and right as my sword was blocking his two hands ''Lilith, use Azazel''s ability'' ''Roger!'' Azazel started to glow blood red as powerful energy coated the sword, the King felt danger and swiftly jumped back "My turn" I arrogantly declared I sent a [Crescent wave] as a distraction before switching to speed type, he dodged the crescent wave but he fell to my illusion strike. He started attacking empty air and once I was close enough, I slashed his back, the wing managed to survive but his back now has a gaping slice "ARGH!" He roared out in a frenzy and started attacking me, his sense of reason, gone. I dodged all of his attacks and found a chance to attack, I swung my sword downward but he blocked it by crossing bot his arms and using the stingers as a shield. He kicked me and I was sent flying inside the city hall, I managed to recover. The city hall was a tight space and it will be hard for the King to fly around inside The King wasn''t thinking straight due to rage and swiftly followed me inside, I managed to block it but I was pushed back, I started running to the sides, the King was hot on my tail. I stabbed Azazel to the ground, I left a deep mark as I slowed down before using [Illusion strike] and jumping back. The King then appeared above me, he rained down his fists but the one on the receiving end was another illusion from my [Illusion strike]. I jumped above him and stabbed the King on his back ''Lilith, strength!'' ''Got it!'' I impaled the Azazel through the King''s back, his chest, and firmly locking him down on the ground, it must be the pain but some reasoning went back to him "If I can''t kill you *cough* I will kill your friends!" He forcefully moved to the side, he managed but at the cost of Azazel slicing through half of his chest The King didn''t waste any time and jumped up, breaking the ceiling and heading for the roof. I didn''t have time to pull Azazel out and just unsheathed Silver edge before jumping up with the aid of strength mode I looked up and saw the King aiming his rear stinger towards Cynthia before firing it ''Zeno, Kill the King you won''t make it in time to save Cynthia!'' Lilith advised ''No! I won''t let anyone die!'' I fully know well just how strong that poison is and even if I Lilith tells me it''s impossible, I will still try Everything seems to have slowed down but I still kept running... if that stinger reaches Cynthia... I don''t even want to imagine what will happen. Lilith was right, I can already see me not making it but... I will try! No more deaths! I promised myself that! The stinger was halfway when Fives suddenly came out of nowhere and blocked the Stinger with his energy blade, seconds later, the energy blade ran out of energy, so much energy was expanded just to block that stinger The stinger went through Five''s right shoulder, he managed to buy me a few seconds! I managed to push Cynthia away in the nick of time and blocking the stinger with Silver edge, I was pushed back but in the end, the stinger fell just as the King collapsed on the ground It was always known that Bee class bugs will die in a few short moments after discharging their rear stinger ''Zeno, left shoulder and left arm has sustained damage, the force of the stinger was too much and caused a few cracks within the left arm'' ''How long will the repair take?'' ''One day'' ''Alright, thanks'' The surviving Blood Bees started fleeing since their leader has died, this will surely cause the queen to get mad Entry no. 55 The bees that were fleeing started to turn back and attack soldiers in a frenzy, the queen must have sensed the death of his king and personally ordered her children to attack us. I held Silver edge with both arms but my left arm malfunctioned and let go of the sword, I can only use my right hand now "Five, damage report" I looked at the Guardian kneeling on the Ground "Sustained heavy damage, Energy blade is at 0%" Fives replied as it grabbed the arm that was torn off "Return to our tent and try to patch yourself up, once the ship returns, immediately get yourself repaired" I ordered "Roger!" Fives left "Is he okay?" Cynthia approached me with a worried look "Yes, don''t worry he''s ok" I replied Cynthia looked at me with a saddened face, something tells me that she''s blaming her own weakness. "Don''t worry, we''re all ok" I patted her head before running off to kill the bees that kept attacking It took us a while, we lost 40 soldiers, 30 are injured while 10 are currently struggling between life and death. "Your arm..." Cynthia looked at my arm that was releasing a few sparks every now and then I quickly wrapped a cloth around it "I''ll get this fixed once Alissa comes back" I replied "Hmm? what''s wrong with your arm Zeno?" Brunhilde covered in sweat and bee blood approached us "I just took some hits while taking on that guy" I pointed at dead king "Oh... that guy, I saw a glimpse of your fight earlier... it was... eye-opening, I must train harder" Brunhilde stated "Hmm, how do you usually train?" I asked "I always do a one thousand rapier thrusts in the morning, after that I run laps around the house or have a spar with my peers" "Peers?" I didn''t see anyone with her "They''re all royal guards back at the Kingdom" "Oh, then how about this, I''ll train with you someday" "Really? I''ll be looking forward to that day. Well then, I''ll excuse myself... Cynthia, wanna come with? we''re both covered in sweat" "Yeah, I''m coming" Cynthia repliedUnauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The two women left, I saw Gram sitting in the corner so I approached him "Something on your mind?" Gram seems to be troubled so I asked him "...What did you first think" He asked me "Sorry what?" I didn''t get the question "What did you first think when you first saw a human explode in front of you, I mean, although I''m a soldier, I only saw people get stabbed or get brutally beaten to death but someone exploding right in front of your eyes?" "To be honest, I didn''t know what to think, I was young back then when were attacked... it all happened so fast but one thing''s for sure, all there was in my mind was the need for strength" "Yes, the need for strength, so you can avenge your fallen comrades" "No, I needed strength to protect other people from the same fate I suffered" I pat his back "Funny how a youngster like you is more mature than I am" "War forced me to grow up" "War huh" Gram looked at the dead men before standing up and stating " I''m going to clean up this mess, you go have your arm looked up" Gram noticed me gripping my cloth-covered arm I did as I was told and headed for the tent, I sat down on the bed, I saw Five just beside the entrance on standby mode ''Zeno, Zeno, can you hear me?'' I received a message from Alissa ''Yeah, loud and clear, everything went well?'' I asked ''Perfect but you know, I saw smoke rising from the city when I was landing, everything okay there?'' ''Yeah, Fives and I are a little damaged though, can you get Guardian 2 ready so he can repair Five asap?'' ''Got it, we''re in the forest just south of the city, meet us there'' ''Alright'' Guardian Five and I walked for a few minutes before reaching the forest, Alissa sent me the location of the ship and Lilith guided us. The moment Five went in, he was quickly taken to the repair room where Guardian Two will repair him, as for me, I was pulled in the examination room I took off DK, Lilith was responsible for DK''s self-repairing system while my arm was being taken care of Alissa. She carefully removed my arm started repairing it, I fell asleep without noticing it I woke up five hours later and noticed that Alissa was asleep in her own table, my arm was beside her head on the table. I re-attached it and a pre-recorded message played on her computer "Zeno, I don''t know when you''ll wake up so I just left this message in case I fall asleep. The cracks in your arm have been fully repaired but at the cost of using most of our materials... this war is really taking a toll on me and whenever I see you seriously injured I... just please stay safe okay?" I can''t promise anything, I can only strive to survive each battle much like what I did in the past, only difference is that I now have someone waiting for me I carried Alissa to our room and laid her on the bed, I ordered Guardian 1 and 4 to guard the ship while Guardian 3 will be patrolling outside I left the ship and returned to the city, all the corpses have been cleaned up, they''re currently burning the corpses. I returned to my tent and saw Azazel beside Cynthia who was currently sleeping, I didn''t want to disturb her so I left after taking Azazel with me. Julius and Gram were back at the tent where we held meetings, it''s what the soldier I asked said I went to the tent and saw Julius who seems to be in a good mood "Something happened?" I asked "Yeah, people back at our city sent us reinforcements" Gram answered my question "That''s good" I nodded "Indeed, because we lost half of our troops in the last battle" Julius remarked "You guys planning something?" I asked "No, we''re taking a break, please come and join us" Julius replied "No, I''m going to walk a bit, get some things off my mind" I replied I left the tent and just started wandering off, I''m still thinking about the specter stone that Vicereine owned. What is happening here? How did Vicereines necklace get here? was she taken here just as what happened to us? no, if so then she would''ve died when the bomb exploded, as for the necklace... it could withstand the blast. I must know the origin of that necklace, that bomb would''ve probably had a large blast radius, I can go an ask Gram, something big couldn''t have missed his ears right? I returned to the tent but was surprised at the "Guest" Entry no. 56 Astarotia was patiently waiting on the sofa and sipping tea "Oh Zeno, glad to see your still fine" Astarotia smiled sweetly at me, Julius and Gram noticed something imaginary and left "Well, come and sit beside me, we''ve got some catching up to do... you just suddenly left without even telling me" Astarotia walked stood up and pulled me "Please no" it was all I can say "Oh you, you make it sound like I''m forcing you" She chuckled and her grip became stronger I was forced to sit on the sofa with her but I was suddenly alarmed by Lilith ''Zeno, there''s something wrong, my heartbeat scanner shows almost 30 life forms entered the city after two heartbeats vanished, I presume those two heartbeats are the guards'' Lilith notified me "I''m sorry Astarotia but something came up" I stood up and left I heard something break behind me as I left so I hurried, I left the tent and headed for the northern gate. When I got there it was quiet, the guard towers were empty and clean except for that one drop of blood that Lilith pointed out. ''Lilith, where are they?'' I asked I only investigated the guard house to make sure if the scanner is properly working ''They''ve surrounded you, once you leave the guard tower you''ll come face to face with one of them'' ''Got it, thanks'' I was angry, the guardhouse was too clean for it to be the work of a bug so it might be humans. We''re at war, we should be helping each other. Now who is their target... me? is it the prince who sent them? or is it Julius, he seems pretty righteous and free-spoken, maybe he''s offended people in the past? Gram? well a team of 30 assassins can kill a single general... Astarotia? she did recently come here.... Only one way to find out, I went out. What I expected to be a human turned out to be a demon "Blade-Knight, I''ve heard rumors of you" The demon wore light clothes, I can see two small daggers on each of his hand, each dagger had this purple liquid flowing down from it "Who sent you?" I asked "Our Lord has sent us, now DIE!" He shouted out before throwing both daggers Lilith predicted the trajectory and I was able to evade it, I pulled out my pistol from the holster just tied on my left leg and shot the demon in his head Another demon appeared behind me and swung a cutlass, aiming for my neck. I pinched the sword with my right arm and broke it before kicking the attacker''s ribcage, I broke his entire ribcage before sending him off Three more appeared but they all looked fully armored with each warrior holding a long-sword and a shield, they slowly approached me with their shields raised, they were prepared for what I was going to throw but little did they know that my weapons were not from their timeline. I shot through their shields with my pistol and the three of them collapsed on the ground. ''Zeno, arrows at 10 o''clock'' Lilith warned meIf you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I did a front roll before aiming my pistol at the roof of one of the houses, I spotted an archer and shot him down. ''Zeno, more arrows coming from your six, five more archers at the roof of each house behind you'' I turned around and slashed all of the arrows with Azazel, I pulled out my M4 that was on my back and shot them all down. I noticed three more red dots coming from behind me, I re-equipped Azazel before facing those three men. They all jumped with weapons ready to be swung down "[Crescent slash]" I used my skill and sliced them all in half ''Zeno behind you, unknown mana activity! be careful!'' I looked behind me and saw a spell was being conjured, the mage fired a dark spear. I moved to the side and evaded it but the dark spear did a 360 turn before heading towards me again... I want to try something out The spear was getting near me by the second and when it was close enough, I slashed it in half with Azazel. I faced the wizard who was surprised, he started conjuring another spell but I pulled out my pistol and shot him dead. Half of the demons that infiltrated the city are now dead ''Lilith, where are the others?'' ''They''re still around you'' "Well? come on out, I already know you bastards are out there" I shouted out "Arrogant cunt" from out of the shadows came out a demon with a flaming sword, he seems to be their leader "Well? come to actually give me a battle worthwhile?" I arrogantly asked "If it''s a battle you want, it''s a battle you get!" He held his sword with both hands and ran towards me Three more warriors appeared behind him, six archers appeared on top rooftops, two mages started casting a spell while behind the warriors and finally, three assassins are charging from behind. Their leader was first to arrive, he swung his sword down but I held I held his right hand with my left before hitting his face with the hilt of my sword, I kneed his stomach before tossing him behind me. "[Crescent slash]" I sent another crescent clash towards the three charging men in front they all jumped I turned around and faced the assassins, they tossed their poison-coated daggers but I moved to the side, evading the daggers and arrows. Two dark spears came from above but I only needed to move my body a bit in order to dodge the attack, the spears impaled the ground and vanished The three assassins caught up with me and engaged in close quarters combat only to get their heads chopped off, the warriors came just as the last assassin lost his life. They surrounded me in a triangular formation and tried to stab me with their swords all at once, I dodged it by ducking before sweeping my leg and causing them all to fall down. Two of them tried to stand back up only to meet Azazel and having a small hole in their head, the last one rolled and stood back up but was shot down by my M4 Arrows rained down, I quickly switched to speed and moved away before shooting down all the archers and the mages Their leader didn''t give up and tried to stab me behind my back but a lightning bolt hit him and rendered him unconscious, I looked behind and saw Cynthia "You alright?" She asked "I''m fine, thanks. How did you know I was fighting?" I replied before asking "I asked Astarotia, she said you suddenly left, so I looked around and noticed two dark spears fly above the sky before falling down in the northern gate" "Thanks for the back up" I patted her head She just snuggles next to me like a small kitten which I find very cute "We saw a lightning bolt, did something happen?" Gram suddenly came running and asked, with him was Julius and Astarotia "Detain that demon and interrogate him, we need to know who sent him" I pointed at the demon with the flaming sword "Good lord, you really made a mess" Julius looked around and saw the corpses of demons scattered all over the ground "I''m really sorry after you had the men cleaned up the place" I apologized "It''s okay, just remind me never to fight you okay?" He chuckled "Ahhh, Zeno so strong, besting these lowly beasts" Astarotia came in-between me and Cynthia Astarotia hugged me while Cynthia was fuming with anger, Cynthia raised her staff and tried to whack Astarotia but Astarotia quickly moved away "Don''t you think it''s bad manners to come in-between lovers?" Astarotia asked Cynthia ''Lilith, strength'' ''Roger'' I flicked Astarotia''s forehead, she was now on the ground holding her forehead that was emitting smoke I walked away, heading back to the ship. I need some coffee... I walk past the city square where all of the corpses were burned, I saw skeletons and exoskeletons in the pile of ashes... I suddenly had an idea I dug through the pile and took found the body of the King, his body was burned but most of his parts were still intact ''Lilith, strength'' ''Done'' I yanked out the stingers from both his hands, these materials are hard to break. The people of this time won''t be able to melt it but we can I ran back to the ship with the stingers in hand, I''ll ask Alissa to make some weapons out of them Entry no. 57 "Make weapons out of them? We used the same materials from dead bugs in the past but I simply don''t have the equipment" Alissa shot down my idea I sighed and placed the stingers on the examination table "I''m sorry, I knew that we didn''t have the equipment but I thought you''d still be able to make it work" "Hmmm, I can make it work if... I do this... yes, maybe I can but don''t get your hopes up, the best I can do is create simple weapons out of them" Alissa patted my head "Yes" "Alright, give me some time and Lilith, I''ll need her assistance" "Alright" ''Lilith, you heard the lady" ''Transferring to computer ALISSA, transfer complete'' Lilith faded away and appeared on Alissa''s monitor'' "AI Lilith, ready to assist" Lilith spoke out "Well, I''m going to be busy, you should go out" Alissa pushed me out of the ship This is pretty normal, Alissa usually loves working alone but that doesn''t mean she wants to be alone, sometimes, she just ties me down to a chair and talks to me as she does what she does I got to prepare for the Queen''s attack, she will avenge her King. I mean, if she didn''t care, she would''ve had the bees retreat but instead made them go berserk on us, either that or she''s playing with my head I returned to our tent and saw Cynthia quietly cleaning my bed "Thanks" I thanked her, now I know why bed always smells like flowers "No problem, I didn''t have much to do anyway. Oh, Gram told me to call you back to the strategic tent once you''ve returned" She notified me "Is that so? then, wanna come with?" "Yes!" We left together and arrived at the tent, there are no guards here because Julius told them to guard the city instead despite their pleading to protect the city lord Cynthia and I entered, we saw Julius, Gram, and Astarotia quietly sipping tea "Now that you''re here, let''s get this started" Gram stood up "Alright, let''s go" Julius followed "*sigh* can''t I have tea with my darling?" Astarotia stood up We all followed them to a separate tent just behind the strategic tent, inside was the demon tied to a wooden chair. He was now awake The demon looked at everyone but his stare lasted much longer at Astarotia, I sensed hostility when he stared at everyone but at Astarotia? I didn''t sense anything "Well then, hello there, you know who I am but who are you?" Gram asked "I am Reiggor, a strong and proud warrior of the hellfire demon clan" "Alright Reiggor, why did you attack our city, well except for the fact that our races are trying to kill each other" Gram asked "The reason is simple, we loathe you, we can''t wait to erase your race''s existence" Reiggor smiled "You know, if you wanted to attack, you would''ve sent an army, I know your demon lord, he''s a very cautious person" Julius stated "An army? why would we send an army to destroy a city that has a very little population" Reiggor replied "Stupid, I know you wouldn''t send much but a team of 30 demons? I expected more from your demon lord" Julius replied to Reiggor "Don''t you dare mock our lord!" Reiggor lost in and tried to attack Julius but the chains firmly locked him in place "Boys, boys, let a woman''s charm do this" Astarotia smiled and pushed everyone out of the tent A few minutes passed and Astarotia came out "Their target was Gram, they knew that the city has fallen to ruins, they also knew that Gram was here" She announced "I''m sorry, it''s because that I-" Gram was about to apologize to Julius but he stopped himStolen novel; please report. "No, without you, a lot more people would''ve died, you should know this by now" "I know, I just feel like I could''ve saved more" Gram replied I returned inside and noticed the demon, sleeping but the small droplets of blood on his neck didn''t escape my sight This "woman''s charm" is deadly, in more ways than one ''Oh yeah, Alissa, can you please tell me the status of our Project Sunstrike?'' I asked Alissa through the radio ''Project sunstrike is available for use, you can use it once a day, once used it will need a recharge time of 24 hours so be careful okay? try saying ''code, Eye in the sky'''' ''Okay'' Eye in the sky A small sun appeared on my monitor, I tried pointing my finger and a small reddish circle appeared on the spot I pointed at ''If you say obliterate, the area that you''ve pointed at will be hit by the sunstrike'' Alissa followed up ''Got it, thanks'' ''Also, I installed a dish so we can communicate with each other, wherever you are, well, except in deep areas such as deep underwater or deep underground'' ''Nice'' ''I know right, now worship me'' ''You really love attention don''t you'' ''Yes, yes I do'' I just chuckled and started heading for the strategic meeting but we heard an announcement, an arrogant announcement "You filthy humans shall face my wrath, line your head so that I can pierce through them easily!" "What the?" Gram looked around but saw nothing "A queens announcement huh..." I muttered "Queen? then we have to get ready!" Julius started running "Cynthia, let''s go!" I looked at her She nodded and followed me towards the northern gate, a queen was right there with an army of 100 blood bee "Cynthia, get inside one of the houses and support me with magic, just be careful alright?" Cynthia is strong, I trust her "Yes" She disappeared in one of the houses I pulled out Azazel, Silver edge was strapped on my back just like my M4, my pistol was in a holster on my right leg. Core energy 90% DK 90% Silver edge 98% Azazel 70% Well, just like old times "Cyborg?! what are you doing here?!" She furiusly askd "I''m here to take your head, same as I did with your King" I arrogantly spoke out ''System does not have the aid of an AI, switching to manual voice commands'' ''System switch to Speed'' I muttered ''Switching, switching in 3 2 1 Switching complete'' "DIE!" She pointed her fingers at me and the army of 100 bees started swarming I started running around, using the houses as obstacles and turning left and right randomly while shooting down the bees, anything that got close got slashed by Azazel. I can take on a hundred blood bees in this environment but not in an open space like their hive, they swarm all over me and raise the temperature to the point that I''ll be cooked alive My M4 and pistol lost all their charge and are recharging, I saw a tight space between two buildings, I jumped in between and surely enough the Bees got stuck [Crescent slash]! I swung down Azazel and unleashed a large arc that decimated the bees that tried to chase after me "MY CHILDREN! HOW DARE YOU!" the queen roared out and flew above the building She was just a large blood bee with multiple wings and stingers sticking out of her rear, she won''t be able to chase me down here so she''ll smoke me out She pointed her rear at me and fired 20 stingers headed straight towards me, I was forced to run. All of the stingers didn''t hit me but I''m back out in the open, I need to keep moving until help arrives Three blood bee''s attempted to attack me but got shot down by [Lightning] "Meddling bitch!" The queen eyed Cynthia "Oh no you don''t!" I threw Azazel as strong as I can and was able to hit her abdomen "ARGGHHH!" She roared out in pain Kite her, all I need now is kite her away ''System, enemy count'' ''Enemy count: 67 blood bees, 1 queen'' I need to kill more blood bees if I want to use the Sunstrike without any distractions, I started running away as the queen removed Azazel and threw it away ''System, activate Azazel''s GPS'' ''Activating, Activated'' I now know where Azazel is I kept running as the blood bees and the queen chased me soon enough, fireballs rained down along with arrows. Astarotia, along with a number of archers were on top of the rooftops "Now!" Gram shouted and spearmen broke through house''s windows and stabbed more blood bees before taking them down "Useless children, only my King is really worthy of being with me" The queen was disgusted at her own children''s weakness "Well that King is now dead" I taunted "I will take your head for it" She charged through the bloodbath of men and bees "Come and claim my head then" I jumped on one rooftop then to another, taking the queen far away from the battle I stopped at the city square where it was deserted except for the pile of bones and ash "You finally stopped, did you finally resign to your fate?" The queen chuckled "You know, a queen''s strength comes from her colony and not with her abilities alone" I stated "Heh, lecturing about what a queen is?" She laughed "You are a failure, like that King of yours underneath you" "What?" She looked down and saw the dead King on top of the pile "You really are asking for it heh..heh... I''LLKILLYOU!" ''Obliterate'' A huge ray of concentrated sunlight came crashing down, it completely enveloped the 13-feet tall queen. It was not only hot, it was also blinding, the attack blast lasted for 2 seconds before dying down. The now pile of ashes and bones turned to nothing just like the queen, it even left a 5-meter deep hole into the ground ''Zeno, did you use the project sunstrike? I detected a major ultraviolet ray near the city, you okay?'' Alissa asked ''Just roasted a queen with it, you want some?'' I asked ''...hmm, I''m probably breathing in the said queen so no thanks'' She chuckled I laughed with her as I retrieved Azazel and rejoining the battle, we won in the end but at the cost of 3 spearmen, the rest, injured "We killed their queen, it''s finally over..." Juliues sighed "No, not yet, their hive still has a few children, a queen will rise from them so it''s best to strike now" I suggested "Then... let''s go" Astarotia spoke out "No, I''m doing this alone" I stopped her "Why?" Astarotia asked "It''s better this way, and who knows, an army of demons might come and attack" I replied "What he said is true, let''s sit this one out" Gram patted Astarotia''s shoulder ''Alissa, I need a ride, we''re heading towards the northern mountain where the blood beehive is'' The reason I didn''t want anyone to come is that so we can create a makeshift base to scavenge the fallen ship Mirigai Cynthia might want to come too, I''ll ask her later ''Sorry Zeno, know how I''m melting the materials... well I detached the ship''s thrusters and turned them to fire blasters'' Alissa apologized ''I''m not even mad, that''s amazing'' I praised her ''hehe'' Looks like I''m using a horse, but the horses were already harvested by the blood bees... looks like I''m walking... again Entry no. 58 I walked past the broken down northern gate when I was stopped by Cynthia "Where are you going?" She asked "I''m off to kill what''s left of the bees" I replied "I''m coming" She looked deep into my eyes "Alright" Even if I say no, she won''t take it for an answer Cynthia and I left together, I saw her put on a helm, the Nexus helm. I didn''t notice earlier because she was wearing a robe that covers most of her body but it looks like she wore the nexus armor underneath, she just didn''t wear the helm It took us an entire day but we arrived at dawn "Look below" I pointed at the ship below "Is that another one of your ships?" Cynthia asked "Yes" "Any survivors?" Cynthia asked "No" "Oh... I see" She had a disappointed look on her face "Let''s go" I patted her back and entered the hive I already mapped this place except for the queen''s chambers, I found the bloodycomb. The bloodycomb is a mass of prismatic blood and wax cells mixed together to form a cell where the blood bees store their larva, they also store blood honey there. Each cell had a pupe nearing their maturity, too bad we''re here. Cynthia and I destroyed the entire bloodcomb, and I tell you, it was literally a bloodbath. Cynthia and I then continued to the harvesting chamber where we sought to find survivors, too bad everyone here has already been sucked dry. We continued forward and reached the Queen''s quarters. I pushed the sticky wax and blood door and saw a lake of blood with a flower in the middle, inside the flower was a red larva, the next queen I presume. "Cynthia, you do it" "[Lightning]!" Cynthia pointed her palm towards the flower and a lightning snake came bursting out of her palm The lightning hit the larva that was now burning along with the flower, the flower sank into the blood river as we left. We can turn this cave into our temporary base as long as we don''t go further down ''Alissa, I found Mirigai, no survivors but we can scavenge the entire ship'' ''Mirigai? I heard they developed a weapon... wait a minute was that the sword you had with you?'' ''Yeah'' ''Good, we might find an equipment there we can use to develop weapons'' ''Yeah, it''s what I need the most right now... and if possible, to upgrade DK'' ''Yeah, you''re facing multiple colonies alone...'' ''Not alone, I have you guys with me right?'' ''I''ll do my best to be of help!'' ''I know you will'' I disconnected but... I started hearing static, this is weird, I continued listening to the static but it only lasted for 5 seconds Weird, this is the first time this has happened. Cynthia and I destroyed the pathway heading towards the bloodcomb, harvesting room, and the queen''s quarters. Those are places that no one should thread Cynthia and I went entered Mirigai in the meantime, I directed her towards the captain''s luxurious sleeping quarters where she took a nap, as for me, I''ll try to make this place a bit more presentable. I turned on the tap and discovered that the ship still has water in it. I headed for the hangar and pulled out a nearby fire hose, I turned the large valve and just blasted the bloody room with water. I turned the valve again when I was satisfied, though the hangar still stinks. I went to the dining hall and into the kitchen. I opened the cold room since the vegetables have already rottenIf you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The ice inside still kept the meat fresh, I took out a few frozen chicken and boiled them in a pot in order to de-freeze them, let me tell you, cooking with a night vision is too weird. I had to turn on my night vision since it was so dark I checked for rice and thankfully, there were still 6 six sacks of rice that I can cook. I took some rice and cooked them in a rice cooker before turning my attention to the boiling pot After de-freezing the chicken, I cut it into small pieces before dipping it in egg and my spice mix. The spice mix was composed of: 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons onion salt 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon celery salt 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram I deep-fried the chicken to perfection, I put them on a clean plate checking the rice. The rice will be ready in a few minutes so for now, I took a few plates, some spoon and for, a bottle of gravy, and the plate full of fried chicken to the room where Cynthia was sleeping I entered the room and she was still peacefully sleeping, I can understand since she''s sleeping in a nice comfy waterbed, she also seems to love the comforter. I placed the food on the table before retrieving the rice cooker. I gently nudge Cynthia as I called her name to wake her up, she sat up with squinted eyes and messy hair "Come on, let''s eat" I pointed at the food on the table "Oh... it''s that fried thing that Alissa cooked right?" Cynthia asked "Yes, it''s fried chicken" She stood up and took a seat, I followed her. We started eating together and the look on her face when she chews on the scrumptious chicken is just amusing "Here, try dipping it in this sauce" I pushed the saucer filled with gravy towards her She dipped the drumstick and ate it with delight After a few minutes, we finished eating. There was still a lot of fried chicken that we can eat later, also some of them are for Alissa. ''Zeno, you there?'' I just landed near Mirigai ''Yeah, I''m coming out now'' ''Gotcha'' Cynthia and I left after I covered the food with a large bowl. "Hello Cynthia" Alissa greeted Cynthia with a smile "Hello" they both smiled at each other like they already knew each other for years "Shame to see Mirigai in this state" Alissa sighed "Well, can we save Mirigai or turn her into something else?" Like Alissa, it hurts to see a comrade fall into this sorry state The ships were always there to provide us a home, to provide protection during missions where we were pinned down. They''re basically a companion to us "I''ll see what I can do... reviving Mirigai is obviously impossible for now since we lack so much resource and workforce..." Alissa sadly informed "I understand" "Oh yeah, here are the weapons you need" Alissa called Guardian 5 who was holding a large briefcase I opened it and found 2 sharp rapiers, one longsword, and one shortsword "I already knew who those are for, they''re for your friends right? I also made extra swords for the guardians" Alissa smiled "Thanks, see the reason why I praise you" I chuckled "Though there are some things I''m not capable yet like for example... a magic rod for Cynthia" "Yet" I smiled "Yes, I believe in you succeeding" Cynthia cheered Alissa on "Thanks" Alissa smiled "Well, time to get to work, Guardian one, you''re on patrol duty, Guardian two, concentrate on fixing Guardian Five, as for Guardian three and four, follow us inside" I gave the orders Alissa led the way, she checked on equipment that was still usable, as for me Guardian three, and four, we got to do the grunt job and carry the said equipment out. Here''s the list of equipment we got 1 - IC unit for medical purposes 1 - Multi-purpose Analyser (Liquid/Solid/Gas) 1 - Electronic stove and rice cooker 1 - Oven 1 - Refrigerator 1 - High-end computer set It was all the equipment we can get as for parts, we took off a few Jet thrusters, grabbed some raw materials in the weapons development After moving the stuff, I looked around but found no Alissa, only the Cynthia who was taking a break. As for Guardian Three and Four, they were expanding the ship, they''ve already broken the walls and are re-attaching the Jet thrusters from Mirigai. They''re using their energy blades to melt the mineral-coated shielded arc electrode welding rods. I went inside Mirigai again, maybe Alissa wanted to take a few more things but I found her rummaging in the weapons development lab. "Come on... there''s gotta be a few of them here" She muttered as searched through broken shelves "Finally, got you!" She took down a wall clock and pressed the button hidden beneath it A trap door opened and a chunk of Vibranium showed itself "Yes, this is perfect... I have all the materials, I can now upgrade D... Zeno?" She turned around and looked at me with a surprised face "Thank you" I hugged her She goes through so much effort for me "It''s fine really, I got the materials, now we can upgrade DK" "Yes" I carried the heavy chunk of Vibranium ore for her We stayed for three days until the ship was upgraded, it now had so much room, there was also a room for Cynthia now. I gave the entire DK armor set to Alissa, she wanted to upgrade DK as soon as possible so I was stuck with a nexus armor which doesn''t support AI''s so Lilith was supporting Alissa in any way she can. I can''t do anything anymore to help so I started patrolling the area, it was getting dark so I was about to return and leave the rest to the Guardians but I saw a flicker of light over by the forest, the forest was thick and dark so the flicker was visible. Are beasts and monsters around here starting to return because the blood bees have gone extinct? no, it''s a bit too early. Then are those made by intelligent life forms? a goblin, a human? but it was only a flicker it seemed like a torch was lit up but was quickly extinguished... the wind isn''t that strong either... I''ll go and investigate. ''Guardian 1, take over my spot and continue patrolling the area, Guardian 3, protect the entrance, Guardian 4 protect the inside'' I connected my radio to the three Guardians ''Roger'' ''Roger'' ''Affirmative'' I used the night vision as soon as I entered the forest, I silently walked onwards to the spot to where the flicker was Entry no. 59 I hid underneath the bushes when my surrounding suddenly turned warmer, I tried to move away but the area I was about to move to was burned "Who''s there?!" I heard a shout from the distance, this voice I stood up and looked at the mage who shouted "Astarotia, what are you doing here?" I asked "Oh! Zeno, what a relief, you were gone for three days... we feared something might''ve happened" Astarotia replied with a worried face before waving her hand Multiple warriors appeared from the bushes around her "It''s okay now, we can return to the city" I stated, I can''t let them see Mirigai nor the ship we''re living in "Alright then, you guys head back first" Astarotia ordered the warriors to leave "Well? what are we waiting for?" I asked, before walking past her "Hey Zeno, why is your armor different? I don''t recall you bringing any spare armor" Astarotia asked "This? Oh... I had Cynthia bring it to me" I lied "Cynthia? so where is she?" Astarotia started suspecting me "She returned to our Guild to report" "Really?... just to make sure, I''ll go to the mountain" She turned her back and started heading for the mountain "No, you can''t the mountain still reeks of the carnage that the invaders left, surely a nice woman like you doesn''t like the smell of blood" I persuaded her "Of course I don''t" Astarotia smiled before continuing "But this is my job" She continued walking "Astarotia, don''t. Let''s just head back okay? leave the investigating to Julius and Gram" Even if I warn everyone now, they won''t be able to hide a large ship like Mirigai "So you really are hiding something" Astarotia eyed me "Are you a spy from the demons?" Fire started emerging from the ground around her "A spy? where did you get that conclusion?" Why would she think I''m a spy? "First of all, you came from an ''Unknown Land'', use weapons we have never seen and you seem to be uninterested in me! a beautiful woman!" She emphasized her last point "I''m telling you the truth okay?" I have no idea how to convince her "Fine, you''re from another land but there''s one belief here, whoever is stronger, he or she is right" "So you want a match?" "Precisely, if I win, I get to see what you''re hiding" "And if I win?" "You can have me forever" "I decline" "Fine, state what you want, my body? my riches? state it as long as I have it or am capable of doing it" I can''t really make Astarotia do anything for me so what should I do? I looked at her and remember everything has done and it came to me "Reason" I stated "What?" "Tell me the reason why you''ve been so clingy to me, I can''t really tell if you''re doing so just to get something out of me or whatever" "Alright, it''s a deal then" She licked her lips She pointed her palms toward me and a fireball headed straight for me, I sliced it in half but Astarotia was now nowhere to be foundEnjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I''ve seen her fight, I''ll be in trouble if I were to underestimate her. I activated Azazel''s ability, I looked around and saw another flicker of flame before a fireball headed straight towards me. I sliced it in half once again, my lower armor felt a bit hot so I looked underneath and saw a pentagram of flame underneath me. It was too late to dodge, a pillar of flame spewed out of the circle and I was unable to escape... if only I had DK I could''ve used [Spatial rip] to escape I looked at the armor''s limit, the Nexus armor displays the limit of damage it can handle. It was 100% when I got it from the ship but now it was down to 87%, the Nexus armor endured the flame but my body was still affected by the heat I saw a small fireball float and levitate by the dark forest, it started moving as if running. I predicted the path it was going to take and sent a [Crescent slash], Astarotia who was carrying the flame should''ve seen it coming and dodged but surprisingly, the fire still kept moving... something was weird. I quickly pressed a button by the neck of the Nexus armor and switched my night vision to thermal vision, I discovered that no one was carrying the flame and was just randomly heading to places. I looked behind me and saw Astarotia''s figure. I switched back to night vision I can now see Astarotia, I headed towards her with Azazel in hand, she smile and I knew something bad is going to happen. She stomped her feet and another fire pillar rose inches in front of me, good thing I stopped in time but a burning sensation hit my back... the fireball from ealier She got me good "Is this all you''ve got? honestly, I''m a bit disappointed" "Did you really have high hopes" "Yes" "Sorry to disappoint" I used [Illusion strike] and jumped back after leaving an Illusion of me in front of her "Illusion huh, too bad, I''ve already encountered so much of them" Astarotia spun around as fire spew from her arms, the illusion was hit and so was I. The illusion vanished and I was revealed. the trees and bushes around was in flames, no point in using my night vision now "See, I got you~" She sent to flaming snakes towards me The snakes were as thick as a grown man''s arm but Azazel cut through them like they were made out of paper Calm down, this is your first time fighting a mage... well, except that witch. Take this slow and analyze her. She can spew flames from any part of her body, so attacking close range is hard but she also has magic that can target objects from far away... these mages are a cheat. "Oh, if you''re not moving then I will!" Astarotia stomped her foot and a fire pillar appeared but this time, she pushed it with her palm and the pillar headed straight towards me "What the hell?!" I was surprised but I managed to dodge in time "So you have no experience fighting mages?" She chuckled She stomped her foot again but this time, three pillars came bursting out. She pushed the pillars and it all headed straight towards me, they merged into one large pillar, making sure that I can''t jump to the side. I raised Azazel up "[Crescent Slash]" A large arc cut through the pillar, the fire pillar went past me and burned a large chunk of the forest behind me I looked at Astarotia and her breathing is starting to get rough... she''s getting tired. I headed straight towards her, I''ll just force her to use her attacks and tire her out She pointed her palms toward me and chanted, I stabbed Azazel on the ground before using another [Crescent slash], an Arc burst out and sliced through the ground scattering dust all over. Astarotia jumped to the side and aimed her palm towards me She released a large blazing snake that tore through the ground, it completely ate me, well the illusion I left behind. I appeared behind her and swung my sword, I stopped when Azazel was centimeters away from her neck "Yield" "...How?" She asked "I''ll tell you next time, now, what about our bet" "...Fine, Jeez, I was right after all" She patted the dust off her dress before walking towards a tree that wasn''t burned She sat down underneath the tree and I had no choice but to sit in front of her "Zeno, have you ever gotten anything you asked for?" She asked me "No, I''m poor back in my home, I had to work for it" "I see... well, where do I start? First of all, the moment I was born, I was cursed, hated due to my affinity with fire, also my blood" "Blood? are you half noble or something like that?" "No... it''s complicated, anyway, I grew up with no parents, I was homeless, when I was hungry, I stole, when I was cold, I burned anything I saw... nobody argued with me, I was happy, whenever I want something I just take it but there''s this one man who I can''t take" She paused for a bit and looked at the stars before looking at me "That man, he was amazing from the moment I saw him. It was love at first sight, I am willing to give anything, even my life" Astarotia stood up and started walking away "Now you know my reason" She smiled "...so you''re a street thug?" I joked, I want to lift the heavy atmosphere from earlier "NO! that was in the past! I am now a blooming woman in love" She smiled as she beckoned me ''Zeno to transport ship, something came up and I have to head back to the city, don''t worry'' ''Zeno, I told you to call it Mini-Warden!'' Alissa quickly corrected me ''Alright, alright, you really miss your ship huh'' ''Yup, take care okay? call me tomorrow'' ''Okay'' ''Uhm... It feels weird using this but... take care'' Cynthia also bid farewell ''Gotcha'' I replied Astarotia and I walked through the dark forest, she lit the pathway with a fireball dancing around her. Is it weird for me to say this but Astarotia actually looks attractive. Her tight red dress that clung to her body, her face that glowed with the fire she controlled... it was even more emphasized by the darkness around us What the hell?! you already have Alissa, snap out of it... there''s also Cynthia, don''t tell me I''m turning into one of those rich bastards that had 30+ wives from my timeline I slapped myself as we walked on the tight narrow footpath, Astarotia, weirded out by my actions yet found it amusing only chuckled and hopped ahead of me. For the first time, I can confidently say She looks more beautiful if she smiles this way Entry no. 60 "Well... this is surprising..." I looked at Gram and Brunhilde who was done preparing their stuff, it was all stuffed inside their carriage "About time, we''re leaving for the main city now, you should come with us" Gram beckoned me "I''m sorry but due to circumstances I can''t say, I need to stay in this city for a bit" I reasoned "Oh... okay then, we''ll wait with you" Brunhilde followed up "Pardon?" I asked "Yeah, we''ve already delayed our trip for 3 days, waiting any longer won''t make a difference" Gram smiled "I see, then, thank you" They can go first to be honest but if they want to stay, then why not "Why is your armor different" Gram asked "It broke during the last fight but don''t worry, Cynthia took it to get it repaired," I thought of a good excuse for Cynthia''s absence "Is that so? is that why you want to stay and wait?" Brunhilde asked "Yeah" "Then we won''t ask any further, come, let''s have tea inside" Gram pulled me into their tent 2 days passed and it was so boring, all I did was roam around and watch the soldiers clear away the debris of the City wall or the houses that were destroyed during the attacks I was lying in bed early in the morning checking my core energy when I got a call. ''Zeno, done... we'' Alissa sounded lifeless ''Thanks... you okay?'' I asked It was always like this, Alissa was the type to rush something when building it then celebrate while being so tired that she falls asleep midway ''Come ASAP, we have to celebrate'' She requested ''Sure, wait for me'' I should ask Lilith for some good chicken soup recipes so that I can cook something for Alissa I left the city unnoticed and kept running until I reached Mirigai... which was buried underneath the soil, how did they even pull this off? I looked to the side and saw Guardian 1 using the Behemoth battle robot, it was now fully repaired and was equipped with a large make-shift shovel I entered the ''Mini-Warden'' ship and headed straight to Alissa''s computer "Lilith" I spoke out "Zeno, welcome back" She replied "Listen, could you give me a good chicken soup recipe, something that uses whatever ingredient we have" "Hmmm, found multiple results, picking 1 based on reviews and ratings... I narrowed it down to one, please follow my instructions"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Alright" I headed to the kitchen and started cooking the said soup, after 30 minutes, the chicken soup was done. I took a bowl, filled it with the soup, placed it on a tray along with a spoon before heading to our room The door automatically opened and there, Alissa was peacefully... snoring loudly while in her lab coat with her belly button exposed "Alissa, wake up, I made you chicken soup" I nudged her awake Alissa sat down slowly, she squinted her eyes before seeing the food in front of her and without any hesitation, immediately took the spoon and started gorging on the food "Slow down, it''s hot" I didn''t react fast enough She put the spoon in her mouth and looked at me emotionlessly, seconds later, her eyes got teary as she spat the spoon out and cried. I can only chuckle and place the tray on the table beside the rectangular waterbed "Ift hurfts" She stuck her tongue out I didn''t know what to do an can only blow on her tongue The door to our room automatically opened and there I saw Cynthia, sweating with a modern gym outfit "I-I-I-I didn''t mean to disturb you!" She tried to run away but "Stoffffp!" Alissa shouted... my heart melted "Comf twy thwis shoup" She beckoned Cynthia I wanted to say that there was more in the kitchen but these two girls seem to enjoy each other''s company, oh well, I can just get more later if they empty the bowl Cynthia took the spoon from the floor and entered the comfort room inside our room, she rinsed it before coming out and tasting the soup for herself "...ish ghood" She hid her face as she complimented me So wait, Alissa isn''t talking like that because her tongue got burnt? "Zeno, your brand new DK-enhanced custom armor is downstairs...Lilith will show you... as for me, good night" Alissa took the comforter and buried herself on the bed... Cynthia looked at me and smiled before running off "I''m a bit sweaty, I''ll take a shower before I join you" So our new place also has a gym huh... I walked downstairs and back to Alissa''s computer "Lilith, show me the new DK" "On the room to the right, just inside the newly made, weapons room" She instructed I entered the said room and in the corner of the room was a large capsule with a keyboard on it... this is clearly an escape pod made to fit only one person, they probably got this inside Mirigai ''Input identity'' it was written on its small monitor ''Soldier Number 0001556, Zeno Abbadon of project CY'' ''Identity confirmed'' The capsule opened and DK was revealed to me, I already removed the Nexus armor before cooking the soup so all I need now is to wear it but... I stink, I haven''t taken a bath for... I forgot I left the room and headed for the public bathroom nearby, I took a quick shower before drying myself and wearing new clothes. I returned to the weapons room and equipped DK ''DK, start up'' DK was still turned off so I had to turn it on via voice command The dark monitor lit up followed by system checks, everything was in working order and soon afterward, I started moving. I headed back to Alissa''s pc in order to retake the AI that helps me ''Lilith, display all upgrades'' ''Okay'' The new DK seems to have mini jet thrusters located on the sole of the feet, elbows, and shoulders. Also, the energy shield which wraps around DK has been enhanced, DK can also discharge a mini gamma ray from the palms of each arm but there''s one line that piqued my interest ''During the event of the user suffering a heavy blow which leads to certain death, the user has a choice to go into a cryostasis mode'' So in the end, I need someone to bail me out if ever I go into a cryostasis mode in the middle of a war. That was all the upgrades there was for DK, it may not be much but I''m happy, at least my survival rate has gone up Cynthia entered the room, wearing her usual mage robe "Gram and Brunhilde asked us to go with them back to the central city" I asked "I''m okay with it" "Alright, let''s go then, I think I''ve made them wait for so long already" I chuckled before pressing the record button on Alissa''s computer "Time, 1300 hours, date, 8th of September, year, unknown. Alissa, we''re moving out and heading for the central city, I will try to make good relationships with the King there so we can combat the bugs with the full support of the Kingdom. See ya later, love you" I pressed the stop button before heading out with Cynthia "You wearing the armor?" I asked "Yes, the helmet is hidden in my satchel" She pointed at the bag on her hip We both left the ship and headed straight back to meet up with Gram and Brunhilde, of course I have the briefcase with me, it contained two rapiers and one longsword Entry no. 61 We returned to the city by midnight, Gram and Brunhilde insisted that we immediately leave for the journey. Gram was with me in the coach man''s seat, steering the horse while the two young women slept inside. "Say, what''s in the luggage you''ve brought" Gram asked "A little surprise" I replied mysteriously Gram only looked at me and had a wide grin "Ah, I never expected a bride token to come this early, Zeno, you waste no time huh" Gram laughed heartily as he pat my back "Pardon?" I had no idea what he was talking about ''Lilith, a little help here'' ''Bride token - property or money brought by the groom as a gift for the parents of the bride that has recently married or is going to marry'' Lilith explained monotonously ''What'' It took some time to process but I immediately corrected the misunderstanding "Gram, it''s a simple gift" "A simple gift? come on you must be joking" Gram chuckled "Nope, not joking" "I see... I understand" Gram replied with a downcast face and teary eyes Yup, I corrected the misunderstanding beautifully, at least no woman is crying "Then Zeno, please be my little angel''s husband!" Gram clung to me "What the? shouldn''t you be objecting instead?!" "Indeed I should but you''re worthy of her and as things stand, Brunhilde won''t be finding herself a good man in the future!" "What do you mean" "She''s too much of a tomboy, she seems feminine when she''s with you!" "What do you mean a tomboy?" I asked but then it struck me A woman, in heavy armor, trains hard every day, usually stoic most of the timeUnauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "I think you should''ve noticed by now that she only shows her feminine side to you" Yes, she usually smiles when I talk to her, I also noticed that when I wasn''t talking to her, any man that tried to approach got severely nagged at, including her father Gram "I''m really sorry Gram but I already have someone I love" I replied "Someone you love? meaning only one person?" Gram asked "Yes" He smiled and gave a strong pat on my back before giving me a thumbs up while showing his pearly whites, thank goodness he understands "Polygamy is OK!" He declared "...Even if you say that... the decision is up to her" I give up, and based on Brunhilde''s personality, she would want to strive for number one so there''s no way she would chase after a taken man like me "She w-" Gram didn''t finish his sentence because a rapier popped of the carriage and was only inches away from his ears "Dad, please stop" It was monotonous but I felt the rage from "N-Now now dear... daddy is trying to fish a man for you" The rapier returned inside the carriage slowly, Gram heaved a sigh of relief but a hand soon broke through the hole the rapier created and grabbed a hold of Gram''s neck "You know dad, I can get a man on my own" Brunhilde''s grip started to tighten as Gram''s eyes started to roll up "G-Got it, my dear strong and beautiful daughter" She let go of her grip "Zeno, please switch places with me, you''re tired from traveling right?" Brunhilde''s voice and tone is telling me that I can''t reject "Y-Yeah, sure" I can only awkwardly reply It feels like visiting a friend in their house but you''re friends suddenly get''s nagged at by their parents, you can only sit there awkwardly but it''s a different story if it''s a close friend because you''d be laughing your ass off at their misery The carriage stopped and I switched places with Brunhilde, when I entered the carriage, Cynthia was awkwardly sitting inside, seems like we both went through the same thing. "Come on, let''s sleep" I chuckled and picked up the blanket on the seat The bed was a flat wooden board hanging on the wall with a chain, it was large enough for two people so Cynthia and I slept together. I took off the shoulder guard and armguard on my right arm so that Cynthia can use it as a pillow since the pillow is just a block of wood, my right arm will be numb tomorrow We ignored the father-daughter quarrel outside and just enjoyed our rest The next day, Cynthia and I woke up to some wild boar being roasted. We all happily ate roasted pork together as Gram started sharing Brunhilde''s most embarrassing moments, Brunhilde couldn''t take it and kept slapping Gram in the face. Cynthia and I could only chuckle, half a week passed by so fast and without any hitch, we arrived at the city of our destination King''s city, the city''s walls were 60 feet high, the city has four corners where there are 80 feet towers with multiple guards roaming it. The city is divided into three sectors, the low-class sector where you can find most of the slaves and poor people. The middle-class is where the market is located and also where people with stable jobs live. Lastly, the high-class, which is close to the King''s castle in the center of the city, everyone there is rich, have high positions. In the low-class, most of the houses are shabby and can fall apart at any moment. In the middle-class, the houses usually reach 2 stories and are made of bricks and wood. The high-class area is usually filled with mansions, with their own personal guards and whatnot Gram and Brunhilde were on the coachman''s spot so they easily went in the city without any baggage checks, Cynthia and I were hiding inside the carriage. We headed for the castle and Cynthia wore the helmet along with a long robe that covered her body, she also wore the hood. Entry no. 62 We were led inside, the inside of the castle was what you''d expect from a royalty, the only difference is, the inside was decorated with the king''s portrait. It was all over the place and honestly, I''m surprised that he didn''t run out of poses. Each door had 2 guards on each side, and those guards seem to be watching my every move. At the door to the throne room where the King is waiting, one of the guards there walk towards me inspected me with his eyes. He''s taller and his full plated armor only added to his "Intimidation", I looked at him straight in the eyes. Gram pulled the guard away while Brunhilde told the guard off, I can only chuckle at him as he grit his teeth in embarrassment. Gram entered first because he would notify of our arrival and if allowed, we will see the King. I held Cynthia''s hand to assure her that nothing bad will happen... to the King I hope. Gram soon came out with an apologetic face, something must''ve happened "I''m sorry Zeno... the King has asked me to head east towards the bamboo forest, according to reports, there have been frequent earthquakes around there" Gram notified me "I see, we can''t meet the King if we don''t take care of this right?" I asked "Yes and I''m only allowed to watch over you guys this time" Gram was downcast "So he''s testing me?" I chuckled "Stupid King" Cynthia remarked "Hey! what did you say about our King?!" The guard who I had a staring match earlier aimed his pike at Cynthia''s head I held the pike and broke it in half "Next time, it will be you" I warned him before pulling Cynthia away We left the castle in a hurry only to stop in a public park near the castle inside the high-class area. The park was wide and it its center was a large circular fountain that had the statue of the King holding out his sword, Cynthia sighed and looked up at me "I''m sorry, you were probably trying to gain the trust of the King right?" She apologized "No, I wasn''t. I only need this Kingdom''s support not the King''s trust, an enemy of my friend is also my enemy" I knocked on her helmet before sitting down on one of the benches I still have to wait for Gram since he''s going to watch us investigate this phenomenon, Cynthia sat beside me and under the shade of the tree, we enjoyed the peace and serenity the park had to offer A few minutes later, Gram and Brunhilde walked up to us. "So this is where you guys are, as for the mission, we''re ready to go anytime" Gram stated "Cynthia, you good to go?" I asked "Yes" She nodded and grabbed the magic rod that she leaned on the bench ''Lilith, did you map out the castle?" I asked ''Only to the places you''ve been through such as the entrance, halls leading to the King''s throne and the ballroom which you passed by'' ''I see, we might need this map in the future so keep mapping out the places we''ve never been through'' ''Automatically'' Gram got a carriage and headed for the Bamboo forest in the east which was 12 kilometers a day and would take half the day to travel. We arrived in the afternoon ''Lilith, scan the area please'' ''Multiple lifeforms, insects, birds, rodents, but no monsters'' ''Alright, thanks'' I know what''s inside the forest but I still have to tread carefully I slowly walked into the forest, Cynthia, Gram, and Brunhilde behind me. The bamboo''s reached up to 30 ft in height, they were thick and healthy. It''s a good thing there was a footpath because if there wasn''t, I would have to cut through them. A few minutes of walking and a strange bamboo caught my attention, unlike others, this one was pitch black and was covered in mosses, it had no limbs and no shoot surrounding itThis story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ''Lilith, scan this one, it seems... oddly familiar'' ''Running scans, please wait'' I stood up and the ground started to rumble, a small scale earthquake was taking place. Gram, Brunhilde, and Cynthia ducked down while I held on to a nearby bamboo. I am having serious deja vu moments here. ''Zeno, move out of the area, we''ve misjudged the bamboo'' Lilith warned me "Move!" I picked up Cynthia and started moving away from the area Running during an earthquake is hard, I ran through the footpath awkwardly. Gram and Brunhilde were puzzled yet they still followed me back, we''ve distanced ourselves from the black bamboo just us the earthquake stopped but another black bamboo popped up out in the middle of the footpath near the other black bamboo and this time, it is not swaying to the wind. ''Zeno, we''re in a centipede brood site'' Lilith warned me ''So that thing there is a nest?!'' ''Yes, immediate action is required'' Lilith suggested "Gram, please get ready" I requested, I have no idea as to what stage the eggs are Gram and Brunhilde brought out their weapons, Cynthia was holding her rod ''Eye in the sky'' I voiced out a command under my breath The small sun icon appeared and I pointed at the spot in between the two black bamboo or the centipede''s legs "What are you saying?" Gram asked Crap, I forgot Gram and the others were near me "Listen Gram, you have to chant to use your spells right?" "Not all, some spells can be used without the use of a chant although they''re not really powerful" Gram replied "We also do the same thing back in our homeland" I replied before continuing "In brightest day through blackest night, fear my all-encompassing might, Obliterate!" Gram and Brunhilde was shocked to see me chant as a pillar of light struck the ground where I pointed, it was too bright for Brunhilde and Gram so they had to cover the light by sticking out their arms and blocking it from their eyes The light show lasted for 5 seconds but the damage done was massive, the ground has been dug up and the Centipede brood was scooped out of the ground. The mother was torn in half and was struggling to get away, as for the children, they were a month old. The young centipedes had about 6-8 legs and their numbers reached up to 38, almost half was decimated from my attack earlier, the others that survived was thrown away by the blast "Get them!" I shouted before running forward with Azazel in hand Lilith estimated that 17 of the young centipedes survived the blast, as for the mother, she was as good as dead. The young centipedes were at least 12 foot long and 12-inches wide, they still haven''t developed the shells on their back yet but "Be careful, their bites are poisonous, also, be careful of the gas they will emit, smash the head and move on to the next" I warned everyone before splitting a centipede in half Gram easily broke the heads by other smashing them with his shield or splitting it open with his sword, as for Brunhilde, she stabbed their heads before backing away. Cynthia fried the centipede''s head with her [Lightning], after a few minutes we were done with cleaning up the rest of the enemies "Everyone alright?" Cynthia asked "I got a scratch from debris flying around during the blast" Brunhilde raised her arm and showed her left arm which had a small scrape Cynthia quickly healed her scrape "I should''ve warned you, I''m sorry" I apologized but was met with Brunhilde''s pat on the shoulder "Not only are you a strong warrior, you are also a terrifying mage" She chuckled "Ah no, that was just something I-" I looked at Brunhilde and she seems to have a lot of respect for me, I can''t carelessly make up reasons here "I learned it through hard work, so you must work hard too" If I were too modest, it would be like I''m mocking her hard work "Yes" She replied energetically as Gram wiped imaginary tears from his eyes "Ah, my daughter is so lucky" He remarked and soon after, a pebble hit his head I could only chuckle but then, the ground rumbled once again but this time, a centipede appeared from the ground not far from here, she dug out of the ground as her children came burrowing out around her. The centipede children had developed their shells, are 24 foot long and 13 inches wide... I can take on the Centipede mother alone but can Cynthia and the others take care of the others? "Let''s go back to the carriage!" I pointed towards the footpath leading back outside of the forest Everyone nodded before running, I let them go first so I can watch the rear. We reached the carriage and I brought out the briefcase "I wanted to give these in a more festive time but that''ll have to wait" I opened the briefcase and revealed the weapons inside "Use them" I gave the weapons to Cynthia and Brunhilde They held the weapons and was surprised, they both looked at each other and nodded "I''ll take care of the big one, can you take care of others?" I asked Gram and Brunhilde "Of course we can" Gram replied "No problem, be careful" Brunhilde warned me "Thanks, Cynthia, get on top of the carriage and provide support" Cynthia nodded I''ll have to kite away the mother centipede because the gas she will release covers a large amount of area and I can''t let Gram and the others get affected by it. The gas is not poisonous but it is pungent and can cause nausea ''Lilith, switch to speed'' ''Switching, switch complete'' The reddish glow of DK turned green, maybe I should test the thrusters too Like an arrow released, I shot back into the forest, decimating any centipede that dared to block my path. I headed straight for the Centipede mother and delivered a knee to its head, some shells fell off as the mother centipede was pushed back. The length of the centipede should be around 4 school bus and is almost 6 foot wide It stood up with a roar and tried to bite down, I jumped to the side but the centipede raised its spiky tail and slammed it down, I can''t take this attack so I rolled to the side before jumping on her back and switching to strength before impaling Azazel on the tail. The centipede was unable to move it''s tail so I ran up towards its body with Silver edge, the centipede knew what I was going to do so it kept struggling and spinning its body. Its movements paid off and pulled out Azazel from the ground which prevented the centipede from moving around, I was thrown off and I landed on the ground. I quickly stood up and readied my stance against the centipede that stood up, its jaws dripping with poison Entry no. 63 ''The right frame of DK has some minor damages in it, please refrain doing such actions again'' Lilith notified me ''Sorry, couldn''t resist'' I chuckled before leaping back The Centipede slammed its tail, the moment it hit the ground. I jumped in and pulled Azazel out, I retreated and watched the centipede closely. It started to emit a thick green smoke, it kept releasing it as it headed straight towards me, destroying any bamboo that blocks its way. It opened its jaws wide and tried to bite me but I jumped up, the centipede bit the ground. I activated Azazel''s ability as I fell down, leaving a trail of reddish light [Crescent slash] I slashed down, the released energy cut through the shell and exposed the soft head of the centipede I held Azazel with both hands as I aimed for the exposed head ''Zeno, to your right!'' Lilith warned me I immediately defended my right side without even looking and soon enough, I felt a whip hit my body, shooting me down to the ground. The centipede used its antennae as a whip, the centipede then swung its spiky tail. I couldn''t get up in time and was swept away, the bamboos all around me broke my fall. The centipede started charging towards me again ''Lilith, ready the thrusters on the sole of my feet'' ''Got it!'' I jumped up just as the centipede dug its jaws deep into the ground, the thrusters underneath my feet boosted my jump and now I was currently 30 feet high in the air. Gravity then started pulling me back with my feet pointing towards the sky, I spun my body and held Azazel with both hands, this is my second attempt at that cracked head. The centipede looked up and tried to use its antennae as a whip ''Lilith, activate the thrusters on my shoulders!'' The thrusters on my shoulders shot me down faster, the centipede couldn''t even react when I stuck Azazel deep inside its head. [Crescent slash]! I slashed the sword with so much effort before unleashing a crescent wave of energy that tore through the body of the centipede. It collapsed on the ground, releasing blood everywhere. My job here is done, I just hope nothing bad has happened to the others. I switched to speed and headed for the carriage, the moment I got out of the carriage, I saw a centipede get bashed to the ground with Gram''s shield. They took down all of the centipedes without suffering much of a damage themselves, I heaved a sigh of relief and rejoined our group "Where did you get these weapons? are they weapons from your homeland?" Brunhilde asked as she stabbed the rapier, showing me how efficiently she uses it "You could say that" I replied "Is it too much if I ask for more?" Brunhilde asked "I''m sorry but that''s all I''ve got" I shook my headIf you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "...oh... I see" Brunhilde was naturally disappointed "*sigh* women, so hard to please, seriously, thanks for these weapons, they''re sharp, durable, and heavy" Gram swung the sword a couple of times "Heavy? mine is as light as a feather though" Brunhilde gave the rapier to Gram "Hmmm, true, it is light, maybe these were made custom for us?" Gram chuckled "Is what you wish but that''s impossible" Brunhilde chuckled along with her father I could only stay silent "...Don''t tell me they are" Gram noticed my silence He tried to make eye contact with me but I looked to the side out of habit "I need to meet the blacksmith who made these!" Brunhilde declared "I''m sorry but you can''t" I replied "Why?" Gram asked "She a reclusive person that concentrates on studying, having her make these weapons was something I personally asked her to do, if possible, I do not want to hinder her studies" I replied "I see, so is she from your country?" Brunhilde asked "Yes" I nodded "That''s too bad" Gram shook his head "Anyway, it''s starting to get dark, let''s move away from here and camp" I suggested "Alright, let''s go with that" Gram nodded and we all board the carriage with me and Gram in the coachman''s seat while the two women take a rest inside We found a good camping spot and set up our tents but there is a slight problem, one of the centipedes gnawed on the two tents that were neatly rolled up behind the carriage. Gram roasted some food that he brought for the journey, it was our dinner. Now it was time what to do with the sleeping arrangements "I suggest that my daughter and Zeno go to the same tent" Gram suggested ""No!"" Brunhilde and Cynthia answered at the same time I also said no but my voice was too weak to be even heard "Come on Brunhilde, I''m helping you out here" Gram tried to talk to her daughter "No, sleeping together in the same tent is something l-lovers do!" Brunhilde was flustered "As things stand, Cynthia will snatch Zeno away from you" Gram answered "No! I only did so because Zeno only has Alissa!" Cynthia probably got it in the moment and blurted some unnecessary stuff "Alissa?" Brunhilde looked at Cynthia and me "*sigh* she''s the woman I was talking about earlier, also, she''s my lover" I explained "I-I''m sorry Zeno... it''s just that Alissa asked me to watch over you, she told me that you''re too kind sometimes and asked me to protect from untrustworthy people" Cynthia explained "So I''m untrustworthy?!" Brunhilde was starting to get mad "I didn''t mean to say that" Cynthia replied "Then what do you mean?!" Brunhilde was fuming now "Let''s stop this, let''s just eat, Me and Cynthia will be in one tent, while you guys occupy the other, I was going to suggest that both Gram and I sleep in the same tent but after this situation, you two might just go at it in the middle of the night" I suggested "I too feel that that is for the best" Gram nodded After eating dinner, we separated and headed for our tents, I get the first watch, Cynthia is next, then Brunhilde, the last watch would be Gram The night passed without any problems, the next morning, we headed back into the bamboo forest. I just need to determine how many more centipede nests are in here, we walked for an hour when we saw bamboos covered in thick web with white ooze hanging from the webs "What''s this?" Gram asked as he touched one of the white ooze and smelling it, he was even about to lick it when I stopped him "...Gram... that''s uh... sperm... centipede sperm" I explained while stifling my laughter The two women who heard my explanation also stifled their laughter, Gram, on the other hand, was silent for a second. He looked at the ooze in his hands before looking at me, then realization struck him, he quickly threw the ooze on the ground as he kept washing his hands even though he''s wearing metal gloves Brunhilde couldn''t take it anymore and just started laughing out loud "Why didn''t you warn me earlier?!" Gram looked at me, his expression was like a man has just stabbed in the back by his best friend "Well, it was kinda funny at first" I looked to the side, avoiding eye contact at all costs After a good laugh, Gram asked "So what''s the deal with these sperms hanging on webs" "Male centipede weave a web where they leave their sperm for female centipede to use to impregnate themselves" I explained "Didn''t know dad was a female centipede" Brunhilde couldn''t help herself and teased her own father Gram kneeled to the ground, it felt like a thousand ton of stone just landed on his shoulders We kept exploring till midday and when we found nothing, we returned to the carriage and headed back to the castle Entry no. 64 We returned to the city in no less than a day, we were ready to report the problem when the carriage suddenly stopped midway the middle-class area. Brunhilde and Gram were in the coachman''s seat so I don''t know what was happening, I stepped out and was surprised to see Astarotia blocking the way. "What are you doing here?" I asked "I came here for you~" She smiled as she showed me a marriage form with my name, and Astarotia''s, only the spot for my signature was left blank "Haha, no" I replied as I took the form and gave to Cynthia who just left the carriage Cynthia read the contents and instantly tore the form in shreds Astarotia''s smile turned into a frown as she stared daggers at Cynthia, Cynthia shrugged her stare off. I was thinking of a way to mediate the two when a hooker walked past me, her eyes caught my attention. I felt like I was she was the one for me, I want to be with her, I want to make love with her... WAIT, what the hell am I thinking?! I grabbed the woman by her hands and pushed her against the wall, I inspected her eyes and was shocked to see that she''s infected with Leucochloridium paradoxum "Zeno?! why would you go with a slut instead of me?!" Astarotia was so surprised by my actions "Zeno... if you''re frustrated... I can" Cynthia started holding both her cheeks as she blushed from ear to ear I can understand Astarotia''s reaction but why is Cynthia acting like that "Oh boy" Gram chuckled "I won''t judge" Brunhilde nodded, seeming to understand something "You''re misunderstanding something!" I''d love to joke with them but this is a serious matter "What''s wrong?" Gram noticed my anger and stepped down "Ah~ so strong, so manly~ hey, want to mate with me~" The woman ran her hands over my body before landing on my the side of my helm The woman was breathing hard, she was also sweating and without any warning, used her other hand to raise her skirt and show us her soaked underwear "ugh how disgusting" Brunhilde turned away "Hands off my man!" Astarotia pulled away the hand that was touching me "Zeno, I''d love to take you seriously but are you showing off how much of a lady killer you are?" Gram stifled his laughter "I am not a womanizer, wait, that''s not the point! her eyes, look at her eyes!" I stated "Her eyes are pretty, it''s gold and I just want to look at them all day" Brunhilde turned around and inspected the woman "Tch, for a bitch, I do have to accept the fact that she''s got good eyes" Astarotia spat on the ground "Ah... I want... to mate with her..." Gram muttered "FATHER?!" Brunhilde shouted out Gram looked at Brunhilde and slapped himself "I''m sorry! I didn''t want to be unfaithful to your mother! it was just a spurt of the moment!" Gram kept slapping himself afterward "This is what I was talking about! she''s infected with the third parasite I was talking to you about!" I stated as the woman turned from in-heat to an animal that struggled to set herself free She kept struggling but I held her hands and pinned her against the wall, she tried kicking my body but to no effect "Their eyes are a weapon, if a woman is infected, she will aim for men and if men are infected, they will aim for women. This is a parasite that is spread through sexual intercourse. I don''t know what their aim is but they will keep mating with more and more people until they infect their target" I explainedStolen story; please report. "That explains! we''ve been tricked!" Astarotia seems to have come to a revelation and left on a hurry "Indeed, what she said is right, we must warn the King!" Gram spoke out "I''ll take her with us as evidence" Brunhilde stated "Alright, give me some rope to restrain her" I asked I was given a spare rope from the carriage and I tied the woman up before covering her eyes and tossing her in the carriage We made our way through the high-class area and entered the castle gates, we left the carriage and took the woman inside, we had a few troubles talking to the guards but in the end, we were allowed to see the King We entered the throne room, the entire room was decorated with statues of the King, not to mention those statues were made out of gold. The King was sitting on a throne that was decorated with lions, he held his head high and with an overbearing voice he announced "Welcome my guests, I am the King of this kingdom, Gram has told me of your exploits and I am happy to see that there are warriors like you in my Kingdom" He smiled I held Cynthia as I kneeled and greeted him "I am known as Zeno, this is my partner here... Mira" I stated "Hmm, I see but isn''t it common courtesy to remove your helmets?" He replied "I am sorry but from where I am from, we only show our faces to our loved ones" I reasoned with him "So you do not love me?" "It is not that I don''t, I only respect you" "Really now, guards! hold them and remove their helms!" The King shouted at the top of his lungs This is not good, I am fine showing my face but what about Cynthia? if they discover that the daughter of the Kingdom they conquered is alive, they will all kill her in fear of a coup "My King, let''s not be hasty, Zeno is from a different land as you know and he has respected our customs, why don''t we respect theirs" Gram tried to talk to the King "No, if he does respect our custom, he must show me his face, also that partners of his" The King stated as he licked his lips, he has his eyes on Cynthia I was disgusted, this King is just too much I stood up, two guards pointed their pike at my neck while two guards moved behind me and tried to remove my helm. In an instant, I pulled out Azazel and just destroyed their weapons "Oh? disobeying the orders of a king?" He chuckled Now that I look at him, he has white hair and a wrinkly face, he seems to be about 60-65 years old. A punchable face if I say so myself "You are not my King" I stated as I switched to strength "Zeno, no, please" Gram spoke to me "Gram, I respect you but this man has disrespected an important person to me, I will hold back since we''re friends but we''re leaving, anyone or anything that stands in my way will be torn to shreds" I stated as I started walking away, Cynthia followed behind me "Impudence! guards! take that man away, seal him up in the dungeon as for the woman, I''ll have to personally interrogate her!" The doors opened and the two guards from earlier blocked my way, they charged with both weapons aimed at my head. I switched to speed and moved in front, they missed their target so they tried to retreat but I already switched to strength and grabbed both their helms. I crushed their heads without even batting an eye before tossing them to the side I walked through the castle, heading for the exit. Even if I was hindered by guards, I still kept walking forward, killing anything that dared to block my way Screw that King, I will just have to find a way to fight off the bugs, maybe I should just go to my old style, assassination, that was what our platoon was for anyway. I left the castle, covered in blood ''Alissa, negotiations failed, reason, my own pride and beliefs. Please pick us up'' I used my radio ''Gotcha, tracking you via GPS... annnnd got your location, move to the forest south-east of you, I will pick you up there in less than 10 minutes'' She replied ''Thanks'' "Thank you Zeno" Cynthia stated out of the blue "Oh that? no worries" I chuckled She didn''t say anything more and just followed behind me, she may have hidden it but that smile on her face has been saved in my memory ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Inside the castle- "AN ARROGANT MAN! BRING ME MERCENARIES AND ASSASSINS, I''LL HAVE HIS HEAD!" The King kept throwing whatever his hands reached "My King, calm down" Gram talked to the King "Gram, I am disappointed, how could you bring such an arrogant and impudent man! and as for you Brunhilde, aren''t you a head royal guard?! I ordered the capture of that man and woman, why didn''t you stop them?!" "My King, I apologize but even if all the royal guards worked together, we are just ants compared to his strength, I prefer to stay alive to protect the King from the actual enemies I trained to defeat, the demons" Brunhilde stated coldly "TCH, so you''re like him huh?! well then EXECUTION FOR YOUR IMPUDENCE!" The King was mad "King, please reconsider!" Gram reasoned "...Yes, I am sorry, I lost it for a moment there, now, I have reconsidered and I will give Brunhilde, the royal guard two options, either she gets hanged privately or she accompanies me in bed tonight" The King declared Brunhilde had a look of disgust, she pulled out her rapier and aimed it at her neck, she was about to stab herself when she remembered the man who gave it to her, swiftly she left, chasing after the man "Get her Gram!" The King shouted Gram looked at the mad King, he pulled off the badge that he wore, the very badge that shows that he is a general of the Kingdom. "You are not my King" Gram parroted Zeno and threw the badge away before storming off but before he closed the door, he left a message "Did you see the pillar of light that descended upon bamboo forest?" Gram asked "What of it? my councilors stated that it is just the sun gracing the forest with its light" "Wrong, it was a powerful spell that Zeno used to decimate a threat that would''ve befall the Kingdom" Gram left "Fine! leave! I don''t need you! the demons have been very quiet lately anyways! and you! take that filthy slut out of my throne room!" The King pointed at a guard that was still suffering from Zeno''s punch Entry no. 65 "Zeno... may I suggest something?" Cynthia spoke as we walked in the middle of the city "Sure, what is it?" I asked "You need a force to combat those creatures right? that''s why you tried to get close to the King am I correct?" "Yeah, that was my plan but forget about it" Is she still sad? "Then... let''s retake my Kingdom back, as I''ve told you in the past, I''m the princess and sole heiress to the throne, if we can reclaim the Kingdom then I can raise you an army but please don''t misunderstand, I didn''t suggest this so I can have my old life back, I just want to help you in any way I can!" Cynthia explained with a tinge of nervousness I can only chuckle and reply "I know, we''ve been together for so long already, don''t worry, I trust you" I ruffled her hair She can only chuckle as she enjoyed my friendly gesture "Zeno!" I heard someone calling from behind and when I looked, I saw Brunhilde out of breath and covered in sweat "Brunhilde? you''re covered in sweat, what happened?" I asked Brunhilde stand upright before kneeling "Zeno, I''ve given up my position as a royal guard and am wanted as a criminal, my words may not hold weight or be untrustworthy since I''ve desecrated the royal oath of a knight but please hear me out" She stated as she lowered her head "Woah, Brunhilde, I will help you out in any way I can but please stand up" I have no idea why she''s kneeling but people are starting to stare at us "You see I-" She was interrupted by Gram who came running "Hey guys, nice to see you again" He''s also covered in sweat but he''s still smiling "Gram, is there anything I can help you with?" I asked "*sigh* I left my position" He stated, we were all shocked Gram is a good general but having a King like that... I think this for the best "What will you do now?" I asked "I am tired of fighting... I will leave with my family to a mansion far away" He replied "But dad, I-" Brunhilde protested but stopped halfway after Gram smiled at her "I know, you want to do something, I won''t stop you but if you ever miss us, you know where to find us" Gram chuckled as he pulled out the sword I gave him "I won''t be needing this anymore, you can keep it" Gram held the sword and tried to pass it to me but I pushed it back into his arms "Keep it, this is my gift to you and besides, you may need it to defend your family" I stated Gram nodded and returned the sword to its sheath "Well, I''m no good at goodbye''s so I''ll turn back and leave" Gram turned around and started walking "Gram! see you later!" I shouted "See you later uncle!" Cynthia also shouted, although weak, it was filled with her good thoughts Gram turned around and looked at us, his eyes were teary and nose was runny, he smiled with snot running down his nose, he may be a mature man but it does not mean that he can''t be sentimental I waved goodbye as he ran away "Brunhilde, let''s continue this outside the city" I suggested, if she''s a wanted criminal, the guards will chase after her So we left the city in a hurry, we stopped at the entrance of the forest where Alissa was going to land "Zeno, like my father stated, I have something to do and that is, to follow you!" She stated ''Lilith, I believe every word she said, it pains me to do this because she''s my friend but please'' I requestedIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ''Gotcha, analyzing... please wait...'' I stared at Brunhilde for a few seconds, staring deep into her eyes, she really is full of conviction. ''The result is Truth, Brunhilde is telling the truth'' Lilith replied ''Thanks'' "Brunhilde, if you choose to follow me you can never go back, think of this as signing a deal with the devil, you will be selling your life to me" I warned her, I want her to know what she''s getting into "I am willing" She stated full of conviction "Alright, welcome to the family" I patted her shoulders "...That''s it? no ceremony or blood oaths?" Brunhilde asked "I believe every word you said but if you want a ceremony, then we''ll do one on the ship" I stated as I entered the forest "Ship?" Brunhilde was puzzled We walked for a few minutes until we found a small clearing, I double checked the map and confirmed that this is the spot that Alissa is landing on Brunhilde was still confused but she still waited with us and soon enough, the trees started to rustle as we felt a strong gust of wind hit us "What''s happening?" Brunhilde asked "You''ll see" I pointed at the sky The ship disengaged the cloaking system and revealed itself, Brunhilde''s reaction? well she was shocked "What is that?! is that your ship?!" She asked "Yup" Her reaction was priceless The ship landed and the hatch opened, we entered. Brunhilde was still feeling a bit nervous inside. We entered the living room in the middle of the first floor, Cynthia sat on the sofa and placed her staff beside the sofa. Brunhilde nervously sat beside her, she still kept looking around, I can''t help but wonder if she''s curious of all the new things around her or scared of them because her reactions are a mix of fear and excitement. Guardian 1 soon came in and brought some tea and biscuits for the guest "A little something for our guest" He bowed before leaving "Thank you, Zeno, correct me if I''m wrong but wasn''t that your friend?" Brunhilde spoke "That''s a different guy" I laughed "What? their armors are the same though..." "They''re nonhumans" Alissa answered Brunhilde Alissa entered the room, wearing her usual turtleneck sweater coupled with a black skirt that reaches up to her knee and lab coat. She sat on the opposite sofa and grabbed one of the cookies before eating it with delight, I sat next to her "Brunhilde, this is my lover, Alissa, also the maker of those weapons" I stated "Oh! it is an honor to meet you ma''am!" She kneeled once again "Is she a knight?" Alissa whispered to me "Yes, also, she wants to join us, I trust her but to make it official for her, why don''t you do the ceremony like the ones in movies" I whispered back "Ooooh, I always wanted to do those, count me in" She smiled "So you want to join us, then, stay kneeling, Zeno, Azazel please" She stood up and acted high and mighty "As you wish ma''am" I went along with her and unsheathed Azazel "All Guardians, report to the living room, we will welcome a new member, a knight!" I announced and soon enough, all guardians marched inside "Woah... there''s five of them" Brunhilde was a bit overwhelmed All the Guardians stood behind Cynthia and raised their swords, Alissa stood in front of Brunhilde with Azazel in hand "State your name" Alissa asked "Brunhilde Von Dutchess" She answered with conviction "What is your purpose in joining us?" "I believe that your cause is just, to protect the people from the invaders of this land" "Now Brunhilde, your purpose is not entirely wrong and not entirely right either, in this war we fight, death is everywhere, you''re the type that wishes to save everyone she can but please understand, we can''t save everyone" Cynthia and I were behind Alissa, watching patiently "I... I know I can never save everyone but I still want to try" She replied "Such an innocent young woman, Zeno, protect her okay?" Alissa looked back "Don''t worry" I replied "You''ve given us your reason, it''s time for you to hear our oath" Once Alissa said that, I and the Guardians straightened our posture and we all stated together "In the face of terror, we will not fear, when confronted with evil, we will prevail. We are the Legion, we shall fight for humanity''s survival and we will not stop until our job is done" This is the Legionnaire''s oath, this is an oath all soldiers know, after that is the platoon oath. Although we don''t have our platoon now, I still remember my oath Alissa cut off Brunhilde''s cape with Azazel and took off all of her armor with difficulty "Give me your weapon" Alissa asked Alissa returned Azazel to me before taking the rapier from Brunhilde, she tapped the tip of the rapier on her left shoulder as she continued speaking "I now dub thee Brunhilde von Dutch" She tapped the tip of the rapier on Brunhilde''s right shoulder before holding the rapier with both hands and presenting it to her "A knight of our Legion" Brunhilde respectfully took the rapier and stood up She looked at her old armor on the ground, she was now wearing simple clothes "You''ve been stripped free of an old chain, now, we will prepare you a new armor but it may take a while for now, follow me, I''ve got a lot of spare clothes back in my room, I''ve already given Cynthia a lot of my spares but there''s still more" Alissa pulled Brunhilde away with a smile on her face According to Alissa, she took a lot of clothes back in Mirigai All the guardians sheathed their weapons and returned to their respected stations I looked at Cynthia "Let''s go cook up some food, we have to celebrate" I suggested "Yes" She smiled and we went to the kitchen I''m planning on cooking some fried chicken along with a salad, and as for Cynthia, she''s planning to cook a soup, which reminds me, I think there''s a blender in here... why don''t I scratch the salad and make some ice cream instead? "Hey Cynthia, we had some ceremony to welcome Brunhilde, I''m sorry I didn''t have much of a ceremony when I took you in" I was a bit embarrassed "It''s okay, the thing that matters is that you took me in, if you hadn''t, I would probably be dead or plotting a revenge" She chuckled "If you were to choose, which is more fulfilling being free out there or being here, killing those damned creatures with us?" I asked, I didn''t know why but I just asked it "Hmmm, if I were free out there, of course I would be happy but... it can never amount to the amount of joy that I''ve had and will have when I''m with you guys" She replied with a smile "Geez, you''re making me blush" I ruffled her hair as she chuckled Entry no. 66 The Ice cream was ready, the soup was done and the chickens were successfully fried, it may not be much but each was great foods. I placed the foods on the table and left the ice cream in the fridge as a dessert and as a surprise. I knocked on our room and notified Alissa and Brunhilde about our lunch, Alissa replied and returned to the living room and sat on the sofa, waiting for the two women. Cynthia sat in front of me and patiently waited A few minutes later, Alissa came in along with Brunhilde who was wearing a yellow sundress whos skirt reached up to her knees, she was blushing and was struggling hard to hide her body. "You look good in it" I complimented her not only because it looks good but also to boost her confidence. Brunhilde only hid behind Alissa, it seems it had the opposite effect. "Let''s eat~" Alissa held Brunhilde and walked towards the table Brunhilde sat beside Cynthia while Alissa sat beside me, I took off my helm and revealed my face to Brunhilde, she''s staying with us so there''s no point in hiding it, also, I trust her enough "Y-Y-You look so much younger than I thought!" Brunhilde pointed at me I can only stare at her and chuckle "Seriously, how old did you think I was?" I asked "At least about 30..." She meekly replied "That''s too old" Did I really seem that old to her?! "Haha, jokes aside, I''m hungry, let''s eat!" Alissa urged everyone to eat Brunhilde was curious about the fried chicken I cooked so Cynthia took a drumstick and placed it on her plate "It''s really good, also Zeno cooked that" Cynthia smiled "Really?" Brunhilde eyed the drumstick before stabbing it with her fork and taking a bite off it She looked gleeful as she savored the food, she couldn''t wait and took another bite "Take it slow and eat it with rice" I advised her She realized how ungraceful she looked and was embarrassed, we continued eating until everyone had their fill, the pot of soup was empty and so was the rice cooker and the plate of fried chicken. Everyone had a satisfied smile on their face "Dessert time" I stood up and headed for the fridge "Oh, I wonder what kind of dessert it is" Brunhilde was curious I took out a medium-sized transparent Tupperware filled with mango flavored ice cream, I took four bowls and placed them all on the table. Alissa was surprised, she looked at me before looking at the ice-cream "It''s mango" I chuckled "My favorite!" Alissa smiled before opening the Tupperware and taking a scoop She placed scooped the ice cream and placed it in everyone''s bowl, Cynthia and Brunhilde has never tasted ice cream before so they were a bit reluctantIf you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "It''s good, try it" Alissa encouraged the two They both took their spoons and ate, soon after, they started eating faster and faster "What''s this? it''s cold and soft yet very delicious" Brunhilde asked "It''s called ice cream" "Ice cream... will you make these in the future, are they hard to create?" Cynthia asked "I can make one if you ask me but make sure that you''ll tell me your favorite fruit" "Ok!" They both nodded Alissa was done with her portion and started eating some of mine "Hey, no fair" Alissa and I had a small sword fight involving our spoons In the end, I only got a small bite before giving the rest to Alissa who gave me the puppy eyes stare We were full and happy, I hate to do this but it has to be done "Now that we''re full, I''d like to discuss something, my plan to get the Kingdom''s support is a bust but Cynthia suggested that we take back her old Kingdom, Arcadia" I announced "Ohh, we''re staging a coup!" Alissa was excited "I thought the princess of Arcadia was sold as a se- *cough* war prisoner" Brunhilde corrected herself "My maid, pretended to be me, also, not a lot of people has seen my face, so fooling them was easy" Cynthia replied "Cynthia suggested that if ever she retakes the throne, she will lend us her utmost support, I''m in, how about you guys" I asked "Of course I''m in" Alissa smiled "I have decided to follow you so naturally I''m on board" Brunhilde also nodded "Okay, now, for a plan" I asked "What plan?" Alissa looked at me "A plan" I replied "We don''t need a plan, I know you want to go and assassinate whoever''s ruling that kingdom now but what impact will it make? people will just start to doubt the next one to ascend the throne so I suggest that we declare war in front of their doorsteps" Alissa pointed out "True" Brunhilde nodded "As for power, heh, they''ve got nothing on you" Alissa looked at me with a captivating smile "*sigh* Brunhilde, will the adventurer guilds try to help the Kingdom?" I asked "No, they will only help if they will receive a reward" She replied "I see, we''ll go with Alissa''s plan, strike them and strike them hard, after that, we will retake the castle and take down any connections with the other Kingdom" I stated Everyone nodded, ''All Guardians report!'' I called on all the Guardians All of the Guardians entered the room and saluted me "We are going to attack the castle, Guardian 1, 2, and 3, you guys are with me, 4 and 5 will protect Cynthia" "SIR YES SIR!" All the guardians replied in unison "Guardian 2, report the status of Warbot Behemoth" I asked "Sir, Behemoth has been successfully repaired, although lacking in projectile weapons, it can be outfitted with an outdated weapon such as a large sword" "Good, but do we have weapons for it?" I asked "Sir, Head tech developer Alissa created one not long ago from melting beams taken from Mirigai, sir" "Really?" I looked at Alissa "I was in the mood" She smiled "Thanks, this will be a huge help" I thanked that smart redhead "Also, please leave your Desert Eagle" Alissa requested "I left it in the armory, I''ll bring it to you later but what are you going to do with it?" I asked "Disassemble it, piece by piece and make a mold out of every part, I''ll try to reproduce them since we''ve got specially made metals taken from Mirigai''s body, the metal of this country cannot withstand the energy blast that the gun releases" "I see" "Well then dismissed, we''ll all see each other here in 2 hours, Cynthia, please come with me and tell me the location of your Kingdom" I requested Everyone left, Brunhilde left for the work out station while Alissa returned to her research lab, as for the Guardians, they all returned to their respective post "My Kingdom, Arcadia, is located south-east of the Kingdom, its walls reach up to 50 meters high, all created with stone and reinforced with magic. The main castle is located in the center of the city, it is protected by six towers that reach up to 70 meters high, the towers form a hexagon with the Royal Castle in the middle, each tower is protected by a Royal Mage whos levels usually reach up 60" Cynthia explained "How about the internal structure? do you still know it?" I asked "Yes, I will lead you to the throne room, as for the escape tunnels, it was all destroyed when I fled, I''m pretty sure that they''ve thought of constructing another set of escape routes but with my uncle''s greed, I bet that he''d rather spend the money on something else" "I see, thanks, please go and take a rest" I urged her Cynthia nodded and left, according to Alissa, she and Brunhilde now share the same room ''Guardians, here''s what we''re going to do, The mini-Warden will drop us off in front of the castle, I will lead the charge as Cynthia walks behind me, render your enemies unconscious try not to kill as much as possible'' I instructed all of the Guardians through the radio ''Sir yes sir!'' they all replied "Alright, Guardian 3, head 70 kilometers south-east, we have a Kingdom to reclaim" I announced "Time of arrival, 90 minutes" The mini-Warden took off Entry no. 67 I went back to our room after leaving DK in the armory to recharge, I laid down on the bed and let my weary body feel the soft sensation of the waterbed, that''s when I noticed how nice the bed smelled and how stinky I was. I stood up and headed for the bathroom, I removed my clothes and put them all in a basket. I took a cold shower before drowning my body in the bathtub filled with hot water. The sensation was great, how I missed soaking my body in hot water Though almost half my body is robotic, the parts that still have flesh and skin enjoyed the sensation, I wiped my body with a towel before wearing new clothes I got from the drawer near the bed. I was sleepy before but after taking a bath, I wanted to just drink hot coffee while sitting on a comfy sofa while enjoying the view outside I did just that and made myself some hot Barako, a coffee native to my homeland, it was utterly bitter but it''s the taste of home Cynthia also finishing her workout session sat on the sofa in front of me and drinking cold juice "Hey, come to think of it, I haven''t asked you how you were invaded, I mean, the two kingdoms are too far apart... oh, if you''re uncomfortable about it, you don''t have to answer" I spoke to Cynthia She shook her head before replying "The invasion started very subtle, they sent in spies to live all across the Kingdom, it took them a year but they managed to send in a huge amount of highly trained soldiers to blend in amongst the people of Arcadia. After that, during my birthday party, they came in as guests, the King came in with an escort of 20 people, 2 are his son, 1 his daughter and the rest are their private bodyguards. That night, the attack happened, we were all caught off guard, all of the hiding soldiers suddenly attacked and in the most critical places even, we couldn''t even counterattack" Cynthia explained "I see" I nodded my head as I imagined the entire thing play out and honestly, it left a bad taste in my mouth, it happened during Cynthia''s very own birthday The door opened and Brunhilde entered also wearing a workout attire, short tight pants coupled with a bra? I have no idea what''s it called Brunhilde sat beside Cynthia and drank some cold juice from her tumbler "Enjoying the place I hope" I spoke to Brunhilde "It''s amazing, I couldn''t believe it at first when Mrs. Alissa explained that your technology has far surpassed us but seeing all of these?" Brunhilde chuckled "I''m glad you''re enjoying yourself" I replied "I''ve been curious for a while now, Zeno, are you a half demon? because your eyes are black and glows red" She asked "No, I''m not a demon, I''m what you can call a cyborg, take a look at the Guardians, the ones you call a golem, to us, we call them robots, a mixture of robots and humans are called a cyborg" I explained, not only to Brunhilde but also to Cynthia "I see, so you''re a half-breed... it must be hard having two different parents" Brunhilde remarked "No, no, no, no, my parents are both human" I corrected her "Then, how are you half a robot and half a human?" Brunhilde asked "Through medical means, Alissa, performed the operation and turned me into a cyborg" I replied "Wh-what?" Looks like Brunhilde is confused "You see, human strength isn''t our best trait so we tried to combat the Colony or what you call the invaders through other means, which is technology, we developed weapons and robots to aid us in our battle, the robots were naturally more sturdy and more powerful so some people created a new breed of soldiers, the mixture of man and robots" I explained "I see... I get it, so you''re one of those new breeds, am I correct?" Brunhilde nodded, understanding my explanation "Yeah, but in the end, it all came down luck, ability, and proper use of equipment" I added "I think I get it now but... did you win the war in your homeland?" Brunhilde asked "We did, through countless sacrifice... although I never thought I''d end up here, even more, the survival of the previous Alpha Queen''s daughters" "But... if it took you guys so many sacrifices just to win... how will we fair?" Brunhilde grasped the situation I was in "I know, that''s why I''m planning train an elite squad, those who will follow me into the very core of each and every hive in order to kill their queen" I cannot train everyone so I''ll train a select few who will help me assassinate every queen... I still have no idea how many queens are out there but I need to take them down "I see... how about the robots with you?" Cynthia asked "They are indeed strong however, I need people stronger than them" I replied "I''ve already seen them fight... not even father can match up to one of them... just how strong do you need them to be?" Brunhilde asked "You''ve already compared their strength to people you know... I knew it... it will be hard however, we still have one of humanity''s strongest ability with us" "Intelligence? magic? your Technology?" Brunhilde tried to guess "Wrong, it''s the most basic one, the ability to adapt" I pointed out "Ability to adapt?" Brunhilde tilted her head "Yes, I can''t really explain it so I''m going to show you instead, one of the Guardians will keep on training with you and with time, you will be able to defeat them. We will soon develop a training room (After scrapping more materials from Mirigai) we will equip that room with cameras that will observe your training, we can then see your shortcomings with the aid of those cameras" I explained This was the norm for every base, so Mirigai should also have a training room, all we need to do is remove the tiles that can absorb shock and hope that the cameras are still intact. As for the program, Alissa can make one in just 5 hours. "Cynthia, let''s go take a bath" Brunhilde sniffed herself and looked at Cynthia who was also sweaty from the workout Cynthia also sniffed herself and her face turned red from embarrassment, actually they smell like jasmine, a natural woman''s scent but I don''t want to tell them that, they''d think I''m a creep or something They both stood up before running to their rooms I can only sip my coffee and go back to enjoying the view ''Zeno, Zeno, can you hear me?'' Alissa''s voice emanated from my built-in radio located on my left ear ''Loud and clear, what''s up'' I asked ''I''m currently working on the DK''s very own energy wings, once activated, it will propel you up and help you stay a lift as long as it has energy'' ''Oh, I didn''t know my personal armor had that extension'' ''Yeah, apparently it was still in its experimental stage but it was completed during the war with the King'' ''Oh... shame'' ''I know, so anyway... I need coffee, I''m too lazy to go out, please make me one'' ''Sure'' I got made her favorite hot coco, too bad we don''t have those tiny marshmallows. I entered her lab and gave the coffee to her, I tried not to look around since she hates it if I secretly look at the ''Gifts'' that she will give me, according to her, it spoils the surprise but she already told me what it was I returned back to the sofa and watched the scenery change, from a dense forest to a beach, maybe I was more tired than I thought because my vision started to blur before finally falling asleep. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The two women was done taking a bath together and wore a cotton white shirt with 3/4 jeans, they walked out of their rooms with their hairs wet and towel dangling on their necks They both wanted both headed for the living room to enjoy a hot drink after a bath, once the room opened, they were greeted with Zeno''s peaceful sleep. Cynthia quickly walked over and stared at Zeno''s face who was deep in slumber "He''s really tired huh" Brunhilde sat on the opposite sofa, she spoke to Cynthia but only loud enough for Cynthia to hear "Yes, he fought such powerful creatures we''ve never seen... not only that but the pressure of fighting all those monsters alone... I want to help him in any way I can but I can only take on the weaker ones" Cynthia sighed as she sat beside Brunhilde "Hey, cheer up, Zeno trusted us with the weaker ones, he believes in us which is why he can confidently fight the stronger ones with a peace of mind. I too want to help and I understand your feeling of being unable to but he presented us with the opportunity of being trained, we must grasp this opportunity" Brunhilde patted Cynthia''s back "Yeah... oh! I''m going to get something in my room" Cynthia stood up, realizing something, and ran back to their room Brunhilde stayed behind, waiting for the water to boilUnauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Cynthia soon returned with a blanket and an old model of a camera by Konnan "What''s that?" Brunhilde asked curiously "Alissa called it a camera, according to her, it flashes a light that captures the image seen through this camera''s eyes" Cynthia explained "Capture? you mean you''re going to trap Zeno inside that camera?" Brunhilde questioned "No, only the image, what we see in front of us" Cynthia sat on the sofa and held the camera with both hands, she looked at Zeno through the camera''s view finder and pressed the shutter button. There was a short flash before a photo of Zeno popped out and fell down the floor from a slot underneath the lens, Cynthia picked it up and blew at it for a few seconds before viewing the photo and revealing a satisfied smile, she proudly showed the photo to the curious Brunhilde "Wow, their special items are really amazing" Brunhilde commented "Indeed" Cynthia replied as she wrapped the blanket around Zeno''s body "Huh... he has jet black hair huh... also... isn''t it a bit long? should we cut it for him?" Brunhilde observed Zeno "Yeah, we should talk about that once we''re done with our mission" Cynthia replied The two women drank coffee before leaving and returning to their room ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up to an alarm from Guardian 3 "Officer Zeno, ten minutes till arrival, please prepare" Guardian 3 advised "Thanks" I replied as I stretched my body, I looked on my lap and found a blanket, a yellow blanket. Only Cynthia has a yellow blanket I stood up after folding the blanket and heading towards their room, I knocked on the door and was greeted by Brunhilde, she was wearing a nexus armor that was customized for her, Cynthia was also wearing her nexus armor and was only fixing her hair. "Thanks" I smiled as I handed over the blanket "It''s nothing" Cynthia received the blanket with two hands I headed for the Armory and wore DK, strapped Silver edge on my back along with my M4 before hanging Azazel on my waist ''Can everyone hear me?'' I spoke in the frequency that both Brunhilde and Cynthia''s nexus armors are connected to ''Cynthia here, I can here you... ah, how? here, press this button and speak'' I heard Cynthia''s reply ''Hello? Hello? can you hear me? wow! this is amazing!'' Brunhilde was excited and amazed ''Guardian 1, I hear you loud and clear'' Guardian 1 also replied ''Guardian 2, Roger sir, Awaiting command'' ''Guardian 3, Roger sir, Awaiting command'' ''Guardian 4, Roger sir, Awaiting command'' ''Guardian 5, Roger sir, Awaiting command'' ''Alissa, I can hear ya'' ''Alright, Cynthia, does your Kingdom have a magic circle that can detect any objects that land within?'' I asked Cynthia, I don''t want to make the same mistake with Lea ''Yes, we do'' Cynthia replied ''Okay then, Guardian 3, rise altitude and stop within the Death altitude'' ''Command received, All passengers, please hold on'' Guardian 3 replied as we ascended ''Everyone else, head over to the hatch'' I requested After a few minutes, the windows outside started showing crystallization, indicating that it was utterly cold outside Everyone except for Alissa and Guardian 3 is now gathered within the hatch, there were seats near the hatch and I requested everyone to sit down and strap themselves ''Guardian 3, are we above the Arcadia Castle?'' ''Yes sir'' ''Then, nosedive'' ''Roger'' The ship started descending, like a meteor crashing. ''Guardian 3, use the thrusters to slow down our descent when I give you the signal'' ''Roger'' "We are now reaching, 2000 meters above sea level" The ships own AI announced "1500" "1000" ''Do it'' ''Roger'' "500" The ship started to slow down "450" "300" "100" "90" "85" "60" The ship stopped at 60 and the hatch opened I ran and jumped down, Guardian 1 and two followed behind me ''Guardian 3 land the ship and immediately use the cloak'' ''Roger'' I used the thrusters to slow down my descent, I landed on the ground, in the center of a garden of roses. Guardian 1 and 2 however, left a pit when they landed beside me, guards, were alerted and in an instant, we were surrounded by 4 armored men holding pikes ''Brunhilde, Guardian 4, Guardian 5, Protect Cynthia as Cynthia proclaims her right to the throne in front of the masses'' ''Got it'' ''Roger'' ''Roger'' "Let''s go!" The thrusters on my back pushed me forward as I knocked out two of the guards who were in my way Guardian 1 took down one of the guards while Guardian 2 knocked the other one out, I kick the door open and looked left and right ''Hallway to the garden, clear'' I spoke out ''Roger, escorting VIP'' Guardian 4 replied as they walked out of the ship Cynthia was in the middle of Guardian 4 and 5 while Brunhilde was behind them Guardian 1 and 2 entered the hallway and each faced the left and right corridors ''Cynthia, where to?'' I asked ''Left'' "You heard her, let''s go" Guardian 1 advanced, I followed behind him, he stuck close to the wall and stopped before the turning point, I reached him and placed my hand on his shoulder I slowly walked forward and was instantly attacked, I blocked the spear with Azazel while Guardian 1 proceeded to break the spear in half, I moved forward and punched the man unconscious. I walked forward and opened a door, I was now in the main hallway, to the center on my right is a stair leading up, to my left is a large door ''Cynthia, I see a door in front of me, a stair to my right and a huge door to my left'' ''Stair, head straight after two doors and you''ll see the door to the throne room'' Cynthia replied ''Alright, be careful on your way now'' The doors to my left opened as 4 Knights entered and tried to attack us "Go forward officer, I got this" Guardian 1 remarked before charging towards the 4 Knights I followed Cynthia''s instruction and climbed up the stairs, there were two guards but I kicked one and slammed the other to the ground, I kicked the door open only to find 4 more guards that I had to knock down. I opened the door and was greeted by two more guards, only they wore a black armor unlike the others who wore silver. "Halt, who are you?" One of the blackguards asked "Princess Cynthia''s knight" I replied "Jack?" He replied "Jack is dead, I''m her new Knight, I''m here to help her reclaim the throne" "Then death to you!" One of the blackguards attacked while the other one stopped and kneeled The blackguard thrust his spear but I dodged it shot a punch aimed at his chest, he managed to dodge by the skin of his teeth but he couldn''t dodge the kick aimed at his ribs, blood flowed down from his helmet as he kneeled down before falling down to the ground "I am Lancer, a royal blackguard, my Loyalty is to the princess!" The other guard proclaimed "Good, wait here, the princess will be arriving shortly, I''ll have a little chat with the little uncle" I kicked the door open The room was quiet, on the throne was a fat man with long golden hair that reached up to his neck, he wore a golden armor with a lion as its design coupled with a red cape "Hello asshole" I greeted him "Who are you?" "I am but princess Cynthia''s knight" I replied "Cynthia? I sold her to a slave trader, did she manage to hire a poor knight with the money made from selling her body" The King laughed like a pig "Oh? Keep laughing, this the last time you''ll ever be able to do so" "Arrogant, GUARDS!" The King shouted out The two rooms on each side opened and 5 Black guards entered holding a shield and a sword, they formed a 10-man line in front of the King "I am here to reclaim the throne for the princess, those who do not wish to die, move away now, I do not wish for any needless loss to the princess'' warriors" I warned them The Guards looked at each other but in the end, they still stood firm. "Those who are still loyal to the old King, please move away" Cynthia appeared behind me and announced "Ha! The Bitch really lives!" The King kept roaring out, laughing like a deranged hyena "Brothers, he is not our King, lay down your arms, it is time that we uphold the oath we recited in front of the old King" Lancer also tried to convince the others "HAHA, LOYALTY? OATH? please, look at the blackguards, they managed to fuck so many royal ladies ever since I became the King there''s now way they''re going back to being priests that can only love their wives!" The King laughed "What?! DID YOU?!" Lancer shouted, asking his ''Brothers'' 4 of the Blackguards walked forward and turned around, they slowly walked backwards, towards our side while holding their shields up making sure that they won''t be attacked "Brother Lancer, I knew of it but I swear that I remained faithful to my wife" One of the Knights answered Lancer "I see, then my Brothers, it is time we fight for the Princess" Lancer held his spear with both hands "Sorry but, we got this, protect Princess Cynthia instead" I replied Guardian 1 and 2 walked forward and stood beside me, they pulled out a small rod that released a powerful energy which formed a sword, their energy swords I unsheathed Azazel "Last warning, if you don''t want to die, move away and stop protecting the jackass" This is my last warning One Knight moved away "KILL THE DESSERTER!" The King shouted The knight that moved away was about to be stabbed but I pinched the sword that almost cut through his back The Knight nervously looked back and saw the sword, centimeters away from his back, he immediately ran behind our side. I broke the sword, they might not have seen it earlier but I switched to speed the moment I gave them their final warning "What the?! Impossible, mages!!" The King roared out and 5 men came out from the door to the right "Commence enhancing!" The King ordered The 5 men chanted as the weapons of the 5 knights glowed red before a blazing fire covered each of them while their shields glowed yellow ''Alissa you getting this?'' I asked Alissa who was watching through a camera on DK''s helm ''Yeah, I''ve heard of this from Cynthia but this is my first time seeing one'' Alissa replied ''Alright'' I will proceed with caution "Brothers! protect the Princess!" Lancer shouted out and the knights formed a line in front of the princess with their shields held up ''Guardians, Brunhilde, your jobs didn''t change'' I announced ''Roger'' ''Roger'' ''Alright'' "ATTACK!" The King shouted out The Knights with enhanced weapons headed straight for me, two of them faced Guardian 1 and 2 while the other three headed towards me. One Knight slashed his sword downward but I moved to the side cut off his arm, I didn''t stop there and grabbed his head with my right arm before raising him up. He kept shouting, kicking me with his feet as he kept hitting my arm with his only hand. Energy gathered around my right gauntlet before releasing a gamma blast that made the head of the knight exploded, blood splattered, pieces of brains were scattered everywhere. The Knight fell down to the ground and lifelessly collapsed The other two knights were fazed, they nervously raised their shields up ''Strength'' I spoke to Lilith ''Switching... complete'' I moved forward and grabbed the two shields, I forcefully took it away from their hands before tossing it to the side, now without their shields, they shouted out in fear before trying to run away but they were blasted away by fireballs. "Tch, a bunch of bitches, useless, Mages, make it rain!" The King pointed ''Lilith, back to speed'' ''Switching... complete'' "Brothers, use your own spells!" Lancer commanded The Knights chanted and each of their shields gave off a white glow "Sir Knight, our shields won''t be able to take their magical attack for long" Lancer advised me "Got it" I nodded Five fireballs headed straight towards us, all of their trajectories was predicted and I slashed 3 of the fireballs, Guardians 1 and 2 took care of the other two. The thrusters on my back ignited and pushed me forward, I stabbed one mage before turning around and beheading the other, I pulled out Silver edge and killed off two mages on my right. One was left, he stumbled back, he cast a spell and it exploded in my body It didn''t hurt, honestly, it was so pathetic that it can''t even compare to Astarotia''s flame ''Lilith, damage report'' I asked ''0.1% damage'' ''Wow that''s really pathetic'' I grabbed the mage by the head with my right arm before punching his stomach, my strength was too much and I punched all the way through his back. I toss him to the side and headed for the King "NO!" He shouted out before pulling a lever beside the throne, a trap door above opened and a 10-foot monster made out of stone fell down, a golem I grabbed the Kings head "GO AHEAD, KILL ME! WE''LL SEE WHAT THE GOLEM WILL DO TO YOUR PRINCESS!" He laughed hysterically "Guardians!" I commanded Guardian 1 and 2 slashed off both of its legs, the Golem collapsed and tried to prop itself up with its arms but were also slashed off by the two guardians ''Sir'' Guardian 1 asked me through the radio ''Strike fear into the King'' I responded Guardian 2 stabbed the chest and pulled off its core while Guardian 1 tore off its head and raised it up like a trophy "W-W-W-W-Wait!! You want the throne?! take it!! please let me live!" He tried to negotiate, I looked at Cynthia Her eyes, they were dark, she had no pity left for this man, I can see that she wants to tear him to pieces but her promise with her parents keeps her from doing so I sighed and pulled the King by his hair "Lance, go get us a carriage, this Kingdom needs to see that the princess has returned" I spoke to Lance "Yes, sire!" He ran off "As for all of you, tell all of the Guards, soldiers, and mages that the princess is back, form an escort party, make sure that the carriage the princess will use will be protected" "YES SIRE!" They all replied before storming off Entry no. 68 We went outside the castle, Guardian 2 returned to the ship in order to guard it while the others continued on their assigned roles ''Zeno, the thing you did with the mage, it was gutwrenching'' Alissa commented ''Please stop, I don''t want to randomly laugh in the middle of our journey'' I struggle to hold back my laughter ''Sure, sure, I''ll save it for later'' Alissa replied before cutting off Cynthia entered a carriage along with Brunhilde and Guardian 5, the carriage was white in color, had intricate carvings of a stallion and a royal crown on top. One look and you''ll already know that the one inside is of royal blood, Lancer and Guardian 4 were the coachmen. I asked for another carriage where the King was crucified on top, the Coachman was me and Guardian 1 The gates opened and we ventured into the city, I looked around and noticed the desolate faces of people, the city was molding, the foods on the stalls all around seemed to be of low quality they small and overall lacks juiciness... what the hell happened to this city? The Knights started shouting at the top of their lungs "LONG LIVE THE RETURN OF PRINCESS CYNTHIA!" All of the people who heard their shouts immediately looked up and saw the crucified King, they all cheered in joy We kept traveled the entire city in half a day before returning to the castle, now it was time to wipe this city clean is what I thought but there was no need. According to Lance, this city used to host almost 500,000 people but after the invasion, most of the people left and only the loyal men and women stayed. We now number to less than 100,00 but it''s a good number, next on our business is retaking the 3 major cities that this Kingdom rules over, according to Lance, those three cities are controlled by the King of the other Kingdom. I stood up from my chair on top of a tower inside the castle before peeking out, I looked at the previous King still crucified on top of the carriage but this time, he''s received a fair amount of injuries since people kept throwing stuff at him, from rotten tomatoes to stone, some even threw feces. I''m just glad that none of it ever hit me Next issue is the quality of the soldiers, they''ve abused their strength and raped, steal, and more acts of violence but now they''re reflecting... of course it won''t be enough, I will break them, before training them up, the days of fun and relaxation has made them weak, it''s the same reason why a mage whos supposed to protect the King had almost no damage The door swung open and Cynthia entered, she was wearing a white dress that had rose embroidery and on top of her head was a tiara "Hey there, how are you holding up?" I asked "...I''m tired" She replied "I see, you should take a rest first" I was worried that she might collapse from exhaustion "Zeno... I have a request" She asked "Hmm? what is it?" "Zeno... please be my King" She asked, her face beet red "...Is it political stuff?" I asked, I don''t want to misunderstand "No... I mean, I really love you... I know that I''m just your partner and it''s wrong for me to be greedy and selfish... didn''t you already give me so much and yet... I can''t help... wanting more" Cynthia buried her face in her palms "Cynthia..." I looked at the young woman in front of me, as she hid her face and confessed her feelings, I looked deep into myself asking what Cynthia was to me, is she only a good friend? or do I love her? I want to give her my most sincere answerThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I slowly walk towards her, each step making me nervous, Alissa flashed in my mind, I love Alissa, she''s smart, witty, and kind, she''s also the reason why I''m alive right now Then I look at Cynthia, she''s sweet, there''s a hidden charm in her silence. That''s when I realize I I too love that side of her, her gentle smile or the delicious food she makes me... She''s been the one was with me ever since I started my journey here, she was never afraid even after discovering the monsters I faced nor the secrets I hide ''Alissa...'' ''Yes Zeno my dear love?'' ''I must confess'' ''You love Cynthia?'' ''What? how did you?'' ''You forgot to cut off the video stream'' ''I see... listen, I love you, I really do but I also want Cynthia... is it alright if I am greedy?'' I nervously asked ''There''s nothing more I want than to make you happy, I''m okay with Cynthia as long as you remember who you love the most'' She replied ''Alissa, please tell me the truth, I feel that you''re hiding something'' ''Zeno, let''s not talk about it okay? answer Cynthia don''t make her wait'' ''No, how can I have another lover if I don''t even know what''s going on with my most beloved'' ''...Zeno, I''m afraid, insecure, what if Cynthia snatches you away from me... I know she''s not like that yet my mind, it keeps telling me that I''ll lose you...'' I can hear muffled cries from her reply ''You know that won''t happen, remember what you tell me every time I go on a mission'' ''Come back?'' ''Yes, didn''t I always come back? it was your words that kept me clinging to life whenever I was faced with death, now Alissa, you own me, if you tell me to reject Cynthia I will, I don''t mind if you''re selfish I''ll love you either way'' I replied ''No, I''m okay with Cynthia, I want to make you happy and Cynthia can make you happy in her own special way however I too can make you happy in my own way, there may be bags under my eyes most of the time and I don''t usually fix my hair but still, I''ll win you over with these pathetic features of mine'' ''You won me over, years ago'' I chuckled ''Yes, so go on, I want to see a smiling Cynthia!'' "Cynthia, I''ll gladly be your King" Cynthia looked up, her eyes watery, her face dyed red. She couldn''t keep it in and hugged me as tight as she could "Zeno! I love you so much!" She hugged me tighter "I- Oh no... Zeno, can you please contact Doctor Alissa" Cynthia suddenly realized something ''Alissa, you heard her'' ''Put me on loudspeaker'' "Hello? Cynthia? Can you hear me? Zeno told me you wished to talk" "Yesh... uhmm I, I, confessed to Zeno!" "Oh? really, so why are you calling" "I- I want to let you know that... I''ll be his second wife... please accept me" "Sweety, of course I accept you, now come back to the ship and let me hug you..." I carried Cynthia and jumped down, I slowed my descent with the thrusters before running to the rose garden, the hatch opened and I headed for Alissa''s lab, the door opened and Alissa greeted us with a bear hug, she started to sniffle a bit Cynthia cried like a child and held on to Alissa "Thank you, thank you for accepting me" Cynthia repeated that over and over as she hugged us "Now, now, when''s the wedding... I want to join in too" Alissa replied "Ah... coronation is tomorrow, 2 months after that will be the wedding day" Cynthia replied "2 months, that''s a lot of time" Alissa smiled "I wish to prepare a good feast for everyone and as it turns out, my uncle has kept a huge amount of grains and gold hidden... I will redistribute them" Cynthia replied "Alright, I will help you with everything I can, Zeno, expand the Kingdom as fast as you can, we need to take down all of the three major cities asap" Alissa looked at me "Alright, for the future of our wedding" I laughed "Yes for our wedding" Cynthia nodded her head "Isn''t it getting hot in here, get a room" I heard a robotic voice from behind and saw Guardian 1 on his guard duty "Guardian 1, who programmed that into you?" I asked "The programme also dictates that if I see a scene like this, I am obligated to say the following: Go and explode" Guardian 1 remarked "That''s it, give me 500" Guardian 1 started doing push-ups on my command Everyone broke off from the hug, Alissa went back to planning on ways to help agriculture and as for me, I escorted Alissa back into her room "Guardians 2,3,4 report to the living room" The three guardians soon entered the living room "Awaiting command" They all spoke out in unison "This time, your task is to move to the three cities around the Kingdom, 10 Km to the north is Malph city, Guardian 2 and I will be going there, 13 Km to the east is Alphon city, Guardian 3 and Brunhilde will be going there, 16 Km west is Phon city, Guardian 4 and Lance will go there. Once there mark all of the enemies from the other Kingdom and assassinate them, our time period is one month so make sure to recharge yourself and your weapons today because we''re doing this mission tomorrow" I announced "Sir yes sir!" They immediately left Now, to tell this plan to Brunhilde and Lance. Entry no. 69 Cynthia ran away from the castle that night and slept with Alissa and me in our room, come to think of it, it''s been a while since I slept with Alissa It was a great night and when I went out, I was greeted with Brunhilde who was covered in sweat, she was probably training early in the morning again "You prepared?" I asked "I''ll miss your food" It was her answer "Don''t worry, it''s just a month, make sure to report daily using the Nexus armor okay? if something comes up, the mini warden will pick you up" I advised "Yes, thanks for your concern" She nodded before disappearing into their room I cooked breakfast, fried rice with some sunny side egg and bacon, Brunhilde ate a lot today, according to her, it''s the last time she''ll be eating good food for a month. Everyone had fun watching her eat with joy and sadness at the same time We all met at the castle gates, Guardian 4 was now with Lance, I already explained to Lance that Guardian 4 was a special Golem with sentient so that no problem will arise later. At exactly 10:00 am, we all set out on our journey. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside a dark castle somewhere~~ "Well? Thankfully we managed to cut off the root of the problem before more of our secrets were discovered, what about the man? where is he?" A man white hair and two horns asked a shadow behind him "I followed him all the way to the castle but he suddenly disappeared, as of now, I''m searching high and low for him" "I see, continue your search, such a strong warrior, we must pull him over to our side" "Yes" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in Aegis guild "Ho? Zeno took down huge monsters huh? I still wonder what happened to him" Lea asked Marcus "Beats me, according to what I''ve heard, he dissed the King and went on a rampage inside the castle after the King refused to respect his beliefs" Marcus chuckled "What an interesting guy, I really like that attitude" Lea laughed "Yet it''s because of that reason that we had to hide" Marcus stated "Yes, we are now being hunted, aw man, just when I thought things were going right" "Lea, I received a letter a few hours ago, it''s from General Gram, according to Gram, her daughter Brunhilde followed Zeno and Alissa to Arcadia, Brunhilde wrote it to General Gram so that he''d have an idea where they are" Marcus stated "I see, we can use this to buy our innocence" Lea replied Marcus stayed silent "But, I''m not kind of person, tell everyone to pack their stuff, we''re heading to Arcadia!" Lea announced "But what about our guild?" Marcus asked "We''ll have to abandon it for now, one day, we will come back and reclaim our guild, everyone''s safety comes first" "Spoken like a true guild leader" "That''s because I am a guild leader" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "*sigh* seriously? I knew there would be enemies here but men, they are pathetic, they''re too obese to even put up a fight" I mumbled on as I killed another spy from the Kingdom 2 weeks have passed since we arrived in this city, just like Arcadia''s city, the place was desolate, devoid of life. I''ve already killed the Lord who governs this city and am just picking off the other spies who are still around. The death of the Lord is still not announced because I had Guardian 2 pose as the city lord, copying his voice and pretending to be sick as he locked himself inside his room I also shared info with others, Brunhilde adapted the same strategy as I did and as for Lance, he lured spies and killed them off one by one after giving them a reason to leave the city, no one suspected the disappearances of the spies since they all told everyone that they were leaving. We''re making good progress, I only need to kill 4 more people while Brunhilde need to kill 7 and Lance needs to kill 8, the city Lord included Now the only thing left I have to do is lure them all in a meeting that the city Lord (Guardian 2) will hold, once they go to the designated place, they will all be as good as dead Guardian 2 effortlessly copied the dead city Lord''s handwriting and asked a courier to distribute the letters, the meeting will take place outside the city in the entrance of a forest at 12 midnight. It''s still 9 pm so I still have 3 hours to set up my ambush. I hid in a bush just a few meters away from a clearing where the meeting will be held. In the center of the clearing was Guardian 2 wearing a cloak and hood that covered his entire body including his head, we patiently await our guest until it was near 12. 4 men wrapped in cloak appeared "So about the disappearances of the other spies, what do we do about it?" One of the men spoke out as he walked closer to Guardian 2 "Is this everyone, I need to know if there are other spies who entered the city without telling me" Guardian 2 copied the voice of the dead City Lord "Yeah, about that, don''t worry about it, there are no spies who entered the city, were you suspecting that our King was silencing us? impossible, we are the ones providing them food forcefully taken from the people here haha" He laughed With my M4 I shot all 4 people in the head, they lifelessly collapsed and our job was over ''Alissa, I''m done here, please tell Cynthia to send someone trustworthy here to be the next city lord'' I requested ''Got it, basing on the others progress, they should also be done by tomorrow'' ''Great, by the way, how are things there?'' ''We started growing crops with fertilizer, I also invented a tool that a horse can pull in order to easily cultivate the soil, in addition, I''ve had Guardian 1 and 5 check on everyone in the city, making sure they were free of any parasites and also making sure that they were all loyal to Cynthia'' ''Wow, you''re amazing'' ''Of course I am'' ''Alright, goodnight, I''m hanging up'' ''Goodnight'' I stood up and examined the corpses, none of them seem to carry anything important. We discouraged everyone in Arcadia city to spread the news of Cynthia''s return but rumors started popping up, thankfully, we managed to retake 3 of the large cities around the Arcadia city. Compared to the other Kingdom who has at least 5 major cities, 12 mini-cities, and 36 Villages where 1 major city, 2 mini-cities, and 6 villages were lost to the colonies. 1 major city was heavily damaged and that was the city Julius protectedStolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. we still have 4 mini-cities and 12 villages that are being run by corrupt people, Cynthia will mobilize the army to take care of them. I left the corpse where they were, unburied. Guardian 2 and I immediately left Alphon city, our journey back will take a day on a horse. We returned to Arcadia city in the middle of the day, things have really changed around here. The gloomy atmosphere I once saw was replaced with hope, even though the vegetables and meat here have yet to improve in quality, at least the people are optimistic. I was going through Arcadia city in order to reach Arcadia castle in the center, whenever I pass by the townsfolk would kneel and greet me respectfully, the same was with the soldiers. I wondered why but I immediately found the answer to my question, I saw a poster of me with the words written: "The Princess'' Knight and his 6 followers" there were 6 shadows behind me whom I presume is the 5 Guardians and Brunhilde. I then reached the castle and saw the soldiers hard at training, I also have to train these people... I can leave that to Guardian 4 once he''s returned, all I need now is to find 5 people who will come along with me whenever I will assassinate a queen I asked Cynthia to give me recommendations on who to pick, I returned to my room inside the castle, just beside Cynthia''s royal bedroom, inside my room was a shit ton of paper, each has detailed description of a soldier. Looks like my job is not done. I went through all of the files until afternoon, I only stopped because Cynthia came back to the castle and had some tea with me. After that, she went back into the throne room to sort out some documents, as for me, I visited Alissa to see how she''s doing. I entered the ship still hidden within the rose garden, I entered her lab and found her creating a... large chainsaw "What is this for?" I asked, the chainsaw was even larger than me "A weapon for behemoth" Alissa chuckled "Nice, want something to drink?" I asked "Yeah, could go make me some iced tea" "Sure" I headed for the kitchen and made her Iced tea, I returned inside the lab and gave it to her, now that I have a proper look, doesn''t the lab room look a bit... empty? There was so much equipment in here the last time I entered "Hey Alissa, where''s are all the equipments? the lab seems a bit empty" I asked "Oh, about that, I asked Cynthia for a large yet hidden area, she said that behind the castle was a small building where all the stolen food was stashed, it is clean and empty now so Cynthia gave it to me" Alissa replied "Oh, that''s nice to hear, although it might not be that hidden" I remarked "Yeah, she apologized for that because the other places are just too small, oh well, I can just set up some traps and defense mechanisms" "I''ll try to help out" "Aww, that''s sweet, we can have some quality bonding setting up death traps that will blast any intruder to bits" Alissa chuckled "Please don''t say it like that" I also laughed That night, I slept with Alissa in our room The next day, I returned to my room only to see half of the documents that I left yesterday. I read half of the documents but none of them fit my requirements until I read 1 document that piqued my interest [ Reina Morg Female 19 Assassin Level: 67 She comes from a poor family in the slums] Detailed huh, oh well, I''ll test her out later I still need 4 more. I finished reading all the documents in the afternoon and only found 2 more suitable candidates [Melphis Arson Female 20 Arc Mage Level 70 She came from a rich family in Arcadia, she was dubbed the "Genius wizard" Due to her mastery of 3 elements which is a rare talent] [Albert Stein Male 30 Archer Level 75 Albert Stein comes from the village Alisto that Alphon city governs, he was a hunter since a child and has developed the ability to shoot down any foe from distances well over 5 kilometers] I headed for the throne room gave the three documents to Cynthia and asked her to call them, she furrowed her eyebrows and looked at me "Did you really look through all of the documents?" She asked "Yes, if you''re talking about your document that you inserted in there then it''s a no. You''re a soon to be queen now and I''m sure that the people around you won''t let you face any danger" I sighed and explained "Zeno, our promise" She looked me straight in the eye "...Let me think about it okay" I gave up too easily, my reasoning was based on the people''s opinions on her fighting and not mine anyway She nodded and called out to a guard, she gave him the document and told him to call the three soldiers asap. A few hours later, three people entered the room and kneeled "Good afternoon princess, I am Reina, at your service" A woman whose entire body is covered by a black cloak spoke out "Good afternoon future queen, I am Albert" Albert was wearing wolf pelt for his top "Hello your majesty, Melphis at your service" Melphis was wearing a robe and pointy hat, she was also holding a wooden rod that had 3 gems combined, Red, Blue, and Yellow "Rise, as you all know, I called you here for a reason, you will all be serving under my royal knight''s command" Cynthia spoke with the air of royalty "Excuse me for being rude but princess... is the royal knight trustworthy? I''ve heard rumors of him slaughtering people" Reina asked "He is kind yet evil, gentle yet ruthless, like everyone else, he has a line you must not cross, don''t incur his wrath" Cynthia explained the best she can "Alright, the princess still has things to do, let''s move to the training ground in front of the castle, I''d like to test all of your strengths" I stated They all nodded and left "Zeno, please think about it, okay?" Cynthia spoke to me "I will" I replied before leaving I left the castle and arrived into open ground, the training ground was the size of a basketball court with 10 feet wall fencing it, there are always mages here who cast a dome-like barrier in order to protect the onlookers who watch the training, seems like a battle arena to me I entered the field and looked at the 3 people in front, they stretched for a few minutes "Let me cast a barrier first, the mages here won''t be able to take on my attacks" Melphis stated before chanting a spell and creating a barrier "You guys ready?" I asked "There are some curious people" Melphis remarked as she looked around I noticed that a crowd has gathered on the seats above the 10-feet wall, one of them was Cynthia who was surrounded by 10 blackguards "The princess is watching, don''t show her anything embarrassing" Albert remarked before pulling the string of his bow without an arrow but a strange thing happened Once the bowstring was pulled an arrow appeared ''Alissa, watch this, Lilith, scan that thing'' I spoke to the Alissa and Lilith ''What is it? a fight? a mock battle?'' Alissa replied instantly ''Scanning... it seems to be an arrow composed of mana, DK can take it but please exercise caution'' Lilith replied ''Thanks Lilith, and yeah, this is a mock battle'' ''Alright, good luck'' Alissa cheered me on Albert shot the magic arrow, the trajectory was immediately predicted, I wanted to test it so with Azazel, I cut the arrow in half, the arrow vanished as soon as it was split into two Albert was astonished but he refused to give up, he immediately shot another two, which was once again, split in half "What the hell?!" Albert cursed before he started running, shooting arrows as he goes, I cut them all down ''Zeno, mana has compressed underneath your feet!'' Lilith warned me The ground around me raised up and locked my feet in place, I can easily escape this hold but I am curious as to what they will do. Melphis started chanting as Albert kept shooting me with his arrows which I still cut down, I noticed an attack behind me and I immediately used Azazel to block, soon enough two small blades collided with Azazel, I looked back and saw Reina, she clicked her tongue and jumped away "Don''t look away!" Albert shouted as he shot 5 arrows, I bent backward and dodged them "Try blocking this!" Reina appeared above me, I was still bending backward so she thought that it would be the perfect chance to attack me from above But I blocked her attack once again and threw her off, I stood up and prepared for their next wave of attack, my feet still being held down by the earth "Take him down!" Melphis shouted and soon enough two coiling dragons headed for me, it was fire and water [Crescent slash!] I used crescent slash and destroyed the attack, they were shocked and I was satisfied. I destroyed the earth holding me down by hitting it with the hilt of Azazel, now it''s my turn I switched to speed and instantly appeared behind Albert, he away as he shot two arrows, I split the arrows in half, good reflexes by the way. I moved forward and slashed aiming for his throat only to stop inches away from his skin. He conceded defeat and left the stage Melphis and Reina, I headed for Reina but the moment I reached her, she threw a smoke bomb. 6 Reina''s surrounded me and started attacking me all together but I dodged all of their attacks as I cut each and every Reina down. It''s hard to see which Reina is the real one but if I switch to thermal, it is easy to see that all of them don''t give off any heat All of the illusions vanished but Reina was nowhere to be found, suddenly, two hands emerged from the earth and held my feet. I was surprised for a moment before I looked above and saw Reina who threw multiple knives, cut them all down before preparing for her next attack but surprisingly, she pulled on a string and changed her course I looked in front and saw Melphis shooting off a large fireball that left a deep cut in the ground that has to have a radius of 24 inches, I used the thrusters on the sole of my feet and propelled myself up high, I now have a clear view on the ground so I used the thrusters on my shoulders and shot down like a meteor. I was aiming for Reina, she didn''t even notice my sudden attack, she only noticed it when Azazel''s tip was poking her back She sighed and left the arena, as for Melphis, she was tired, probably out of mana I won the mock battle, everyone was shouting and cheering. I left the arena and headed for the three people, they have potential, I just have to nurture them. Entry no. 70 "Good fight" I stated as I arrived at their circle "Call that a fight? it was a massacre" Albert replied "Really, how can you fight like that?" Reina asked as she played with her two knives "I haven''t exhausted my mana in long in time" Melphis remarked as she drank a bluish potion "You guys are good but you guys probably lost due to the relaxed lifestyle you''ve been having." I remarked "Yes, we have been taking it easy ever since he committed a coup" Albert replied as he nodded his head "Please train me" Reina cut to the point "I don''t know if you are able to train a mage like me but try to enlighten me" Melphis also had the same idea as Reina "Of course I''ll help you guys, what about you Albert?" I looked at Albert "As the saying goes, you can''t teach an old dog a new trick" He quoted "Really? because I believe in the saying: ''You learn something every day''" I replied with another quote "Touche" He laughed before nodding his head "Alright, I''m in" "Great, pack your bags because your all sleeping in the castle tonight" I stated before walking away So now I gotta prepare for tomorrow, okay, I need to analyze their shortcomings and think of a way to improve them First is Albert, I''ll test tomorrow how good of a shot he is from long distances but for now, I''ll concentrate on short-range combat. He knows how to move, he doesn''t remain stationary but he lacks... element. The arrows he shoots are made out of mana, elementless mana, if he can manage to add an element to it, it should prove to be a strong weapon, question is, what element does he have an affinity with Next is Reina, she knows close-range combat but her style is hit and run, I want to teach her to be able to stand up against foes, instead of hit and run, we''ll turn it into hit and evade. I''ll try to observe her style to see if there are more flaws that needs to be corrected Lastly Melphis, she can use 3 elements, unlike the others I saw who usually only stick to 1 element, she may be talented but she lacks mana and stamina, plus in the heat of battle, she''ll need to constantly move I asked a guard to prepare a dummy for me tomorrow, I will use it to test Albert''s accuracy I went back to my office on top of the tower and watched the hundreds of soldiers train I should also think of something for the soldiers. I wrote a note that is to be given to Cynthia, its contents were mainly about my need for a wide open space, preferably close to a lake, at least 500 soldiers, with the requirements that they do not bring a pet, anything that involves gambling, pornographic material (I saw artists draw nude women on a paper and selling it), a family member. They are also required to only bring their clothes and their sword, no armors, no shields I slept with Cynthia that night after I got permission from Alissa, it was a new experience sleeping with a woman that is not Alissa but it wasn''t a bad experience, frankly, it was great I woke up in the middle of the night due to some clammoring, I nudged Cynthia awake and notified her of the noise, I told her to wait there as I stood up from the bed and wore the DK armor that was placed on a table near the bed As soon as I walk out, a guard stopped me and notified "Sire, Ms. Brunhilde and Sir. Lance has returned from their quest" "I see, let them rest" I nodded before returning to the room "What was it?" Cynthia asked as she squinted her eyes "Brunhilde and Sir. Lance returned, we''ll talk to them tomorrow, for now, let''s get some sleep" I replied as I locked the room and took off DK "I see, please hurry back to bed, its cold" Cynthia replied before blushing, instantly regretting the words she spoke I only chuckled and returned to bed, of course I was wearing pajamas with a banana design, it was a gift from Alissa. Cynthia was wearing a nightgown that was made out of silk, white in color, and in no way transparent I woke up at exactly 5:00 am, I left the bed and wore the DK armor, I kissed Cynthia''s forehead before wearing my helmet. She woke up from my kiss and only smiled as a goodbye I left our room and headed for the first floor, I went past the Kitchen and headed for a room all the way back in the castle, this is where, Albert, Reina, and Melphis are staying, Albert was staying in one room while the two women stayed in the other room beside it. I opened the two doors and found them all peacefully sleeping and on the top of my lungs, I shouted "RISE AND SHINE MAGGOTS, HURRY UP AND MOVE BEFORE I TOSS YOU OUTSIDE WEARING YOUR PAJAMAS!" My voice was loud enough to wake them up and make them tumble, falling from their beds "Sir Zeno? isn''t it a bit too early?" Melphis asked as she rubbed her eyes "TOO EARLY? YOU SIGNED UP FOR THIS NOW CHANGE OR THERE WON''T BE BREAKFAST FOR YOU! 5 MINUTES" I remarked before shutting the door and waiting outside, five minutes later, all of them came out wearing their own unique training garbs A slim shirt and pants for Melphis, only pants for Albert, and Reina was wearing a ninja outfit "50 LAPS AROUND THE CASTLE! GO! GO! GO!" They didn''t complain and started runningThe narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I too ran with them as a part of my daily exercise, after 10 laps, Melphis started to lag behind, and in the end, we have to wait for 30 minutes until she finished running 50 laps. I looked at 3 people covered in sweat, Melphis was complaining at how she smells "Alright, go have breakfast, we still have a lot of stuff to do. Meet up at the training ground at 8" I remarked before heading off to dine with Cynthia Cynthia and I had a private breakfast where no one would disturb us, after breakfast, I headed back to the training ground. All three of the trainees arrived on time "Had a good rest?" I asked "Yes, please continue" Albert replied I nodded before pulling out Azazel and Silver edge, I stabbed them both on the ground. "I will not move away from here, you guys will have to engage me with no weapons in hand" I stated All three of them had no weapon except for Melphis who had a small wand hanging around her waist "Do I need to learn close range combat?" Melphis asked "Yes" I nodded "Why?" She asked "Try to attack me with your magic" I replied She started chanting while pointing her wand towards me but before she can finish, I was already holding her hand "What do you do now? wait pathetically for your demise?" I took the wand and tossed it aside Melphis nodded, I moved back to my spot, in between the two blades. I want them to be able to use the weapons that I left throughout the training ground, a wooden sword, a pole, and of course my two blades that I stabbed on the ground "Strike me with all you can, if you can''t take me down or make move from this spot then you lose, if you lose, that will cost you 100 push-ups" I was planning to make them do 100 push-ups anyway Albert and Reina got what I wanted to say and was fast enough to grab a nearby pole, they charged and tried to attack me both at the same time, too bad I blocked them. Melphis saw the actions of the two and grabbed a wooden sword, she charged ahead with no idea how to use it and kept swinging it around like a child. Melphis slashed the sword but I held her hand and flicked her forehead with my fingers She looked like she was about to cry but she threw the sword and grabbed the pole, using it, she kept thrusting with the pole but I kept on dodging them. Reina found a chance while I was distracted and pulled out Azazel, let''s see what you can do She raised it but it was too heavy for her, soon she was dragging it "Well? how is it, that sword weighs 60 pounds" I remarked as I see Reina struggling to raise the sword She quickly abandons Azazel and goes for the pole, like Melphis, she thrust from a distance, Albert copied them and I am now dodging all three attacks from them. I didn''t move back from my spot, I only dodged, those I couldn''t I hit the pole away with the back of my palm. This kept going on for half an hour until they were completely exhausted, they were all lying on the ground. I kneeled and asked them "You guys give up" "Yeah, what the hell man" Albert replied, out of breath "Okay, 5-minute break, after that, start doing 100-push-ups" I declared with a smile, they can''t see my smile though They all grumbled but after 5 minutes, they all struggled to get into position and with painful grunts, started pushing up "After this is another 5 laps around the castle" I declared as I counted their push-ups They all looked at me with dead eyes, I can see them screaming internally "GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?!" I asked with an overbearing tone "...no" Melphis meekly replied "WHAT?! I CAN''T HEAR YOU" I replied "NO!" Melphis screamed "GOOD, KEEP UP THE ENTHUSIASM" I nodded After an hour, they collapsed on the ground, they all kept complaining that their arms are aching "Your arms? well you guys are in luck because soon enough, so will your feet" I remarked as I kept on forcing them to do 5 laps They stood up with pained expressions and kept running, after 5 laps, they all collapsed. "GOOD JOB MAGGOTS, NOW GO AND HAVE LUNCH, BE BACK HERE AT 1 BE LATE AND ALL OF YOU WILL BE RUNNING 5 MORE LAPS" I remarked The pain and exhaustion vanished from their faces as they scampered away, heading for the kitchen I laughed at their fleeing backs, I headed for the private room where Cynthia and I will be having lunch On the dining table, Cynthia spoke "You really worked them hard huh" Cynthia chuckled "Believe me, I was still taking it easy" I replied "I see, I really am curious as to what you were doing, shouting at them and abusing them, you really aren''t that kind of person" Cynthia remarked "Yeah, what I''m doing is testing their spirit, strengthening their will and destroying their ego" I explained "...hmmm wait, is this how you were trained?" "Yup, only much more severe, I''m only doing basic training" I shivered at the thought of my old training, now that I think of it, they were so much more stricter with me just because I''m a cyborg, using the reason that I''m part robot, they beat me up so much and left me at death''s door Cynthia and I enjoyed our lunch together before parting ways I returned to the training ground 1 minute before 1 pm, the trio returned with satisfied smiles but as soon as they saw me, their smiles turned to frowns "You guys seem excited to see me" I chuckled "SIR ZENO, WE ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT HAPPY TO SEE YOU" Melphis spoke out her mind "OH GOOD, BECAUSE I AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU GUYS" I replied Reina and Albert looked at Melphis like she cost them their lives "NOW COME HERE ALBERT!" I requested Albert stepped forward, I grabbed the rope I prepared beforehand and bound his legs and arms "Here is the scenario, Albert is critically wounded and is unable to move, there are no healers around to take care of him, your job is to carry him around the castle, don''t drop him, if you let any part of his body touch the ground, you''ll have to carry him around the castle once more" I stated Reina and Melphis looked at Albert who was feeling very uncomfortable, Cynthia came "Princess, why are you here?" Melphis asked "I am here to see your training" She replied "Yes, we will never disappoint!" Reina nodded before holding Albert''s back Melphis held his feet and together, they started running, I jogged alongside them. They dropped about 4 times so that''s 4 more additional laps, after the first lap, I couldn''t leave Cynthia alone so I let one of the soldiers follow them. "What''s the point of this one?" She asked "It''s physical training for the women, as for Albert, it''s mental, I bet right now, that he''s feeling pity towards the women struggling to carry him and making promises to himself to never get himself critically injured" I replied "I see, say, Zeno, about what I said before..." Cynthia reminded me "Yeah... I''ve been thinking about it, in the end, you really have to join us after all. At first, I wanted Lance to be the 10nth but since we''re having the other trio and Brunhilde with us, I figured that your help as a healer will be vital for our survival" I assessed, sure there are more healers out there but I am yet to find one who is mentally strong like Cynthia, the moment they see a formar or any other insect, I bet they''ll shit their pants so until then, I''ll have Cynthia be a temporary member "Thanks!" She nodded "Cynthia, please know that you''re just a temporary member" I shot down her happiness and I can immediately see the disappointment in her eyes although she didn''t show it on her face "Listen Cynthia, I don''t want you in harm''s way" I talked to her "But I too feel the same, I don''t want you to get hurt and every time I see you wounded, my heart splits and shatters" I can''t find the right words to say, promising that I won''t get hurt will only hurt her in the future "Cynthia, please... do this for me" I asked her as I held both her hands "I can''t really come huh..." I can see moisture in her eyes "Listen, all you need to believe in is the fact that I don''t want you getting hurt or even suffering a scratch from them" I stated, I don''t want her to think that she lacks the ability when in fact she doesn''t "Alright... I will believe you" She wiped her eyes and stated I hugged her and pat her head "I''ll trust you ok? so please come back" Cynthia spoke out as she stifled her cries Please, don''t make me give you a promise I can''t keep, please... "I will, don''t worry" In the end, I''ve made a promise I can''t keep... But I guess all I have to do now is survive every battle I have to come home not only to Alissa but also to Cynthia With my will strengthened, I continued training the trio. Entry no. 71 The next day, Brunhilde came to join in the party. Cynthia also managed to find enough people who are willing to join the boot camp. The area is located 20 km south, Guardian 4 will be training all of them, also, 100 guards and 20 Blackguards will be protecting the trainees from monsters. Guardian 4 will be reporting daily, Lilith will analyze each report and will adjust the training programs based on the info she''ll collect. Alissa already came up with multiple training databases, all that Lilith has to do is look through each one. The training yesterday was mostly on physical development but how do I train a mage like Melphis, how do I strengthen her magic? I can''t expand her capacity because it only does through leveling, I certainly can''t push them in front of a monster as training because of the risks, even though I''ll be watching over them, you never know what might happen... like our last dungeon exploration with Gram. I guess I''ll have her meditate along with the others and see if it will help them improve "Alright, do any of you know any spells? well except for Melphis" I asked "I know some strengthening spells" Albert replied "As for me, I know some speed enhancing spells" Brunhilde also replied "Hmmm, I know some speed enhancing and illusion inducing spells" Reina stated "Melphis, what''s the spell that you have which requires long chant" I asked "That would be, twin dragons, the move I once used on you" She replied with a proud expression "Oh those two dragons huh, alright, everyone follow me" I headed for the rose garden, there''s a spot there that provides good cover from the sun There are 5 cushions there, everyone stood in front one of the cushion "Alright, all we''ll have to do is meditate for today, I want to see if I can help Melphis" I stated The trio had a look of relief, Brunhilde was just clueless as to why the trio was overjoyed "Alright, copy me" I stated, I sat down on the cushion and assumed the Quarter Lotus. I sat on the cushion with my legs loosely crossed and both feet resting below the opposite thigh. They copied me and awaited the next instruction "Alright, now chant all of the spells you know in your minds" I stated They closed their eyes and started chanting in silence, I don''t know if it will work but the smell of roses helped them relax. I see that they''re all deep in their meditation, I stood up and walked away. I went inside mini-Warden that is just parked nearby and just enjoyed relaxing all by myself "Oh? so you''re a Buddhist now" Alissa chuckled as she entered the living room while holding a hot cup of cocoThe narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "I''m atheist, you know that but I do respect their teachings" I smiled "Well you know where I stand" Alissa sat on the sofa beside me, she pulled my head and made me lie down on her lap "Your hair is long, should I cut it for you?" She asked "Yeah, I would be thankful" I replied "Also, your chin is a bit prickly" She smiled as she played with my chin where small strands of hair were starting to grow I immediately stood up and held her cheeks, I placed my chin on her cheeks and scratched them with my chin Alissa immediately pushed me away while holding her chin which was red from all the scratching, she went to the kitchen and got a scotch-brite. She held my face and started scratching it with the weapon she got in the sink Alissa and I had fun till lunch, I peeked on everyone and they still seem to be deep in meditation, forgetting the time. I wouldn''t want to disturb them so I stayed silent, Alissa and I had some curry for lunch It was 3 in the afternoon when I finally decided to disturb them, their stomachs grumbled the moment they opened their eyes "Go ahead and eat lunch, see you guys at the training ground after an hour" I stated They immediately left After one hour, we all regrouped in the training ground "Alright, let''s see if my experiment worked" I looked at everyone before continuing "Melphis, Albert, to the front" The two of them walked forward, I passed a wooden pole to Albert before jumping back "Melphis use that twin dragon on me, Albert, you strike Melphis with the wooden pole" I stated The two of them nodded, Melphis aimed both her palms at me and started chanting, as for Albert, he started hitting Melphis "Remember, try to dodge his attack while chanting" I reminded Melphis tried her best to dodge but she still got hit a few times though it didn''t stop her from finishing the chant "MOVE!" She shouted and Albert backed away A fire dragon came bursting out of her right while a water dragon shot out from her left, the two dragons coiled as they headed straight for me I pulled out Azazel and sent out a crescent slash, my attack managed to fend off the two dragons and canceled each other out "Well, did you improve in any way?" I asked Melphis Only she can see if she has improved or not "Yes, back then, I can''t finish the chant once I''m attacked, not only that, I can''t even dodge an attack while chanting and finally, I seem to be able to chant while moving at the same time," She stated "Great, as for everyone, try using your spells" Everyone did as I asked them "Any improvements?" I asked "I seem to be able to chant faster" Brunhilde was first to reply "The same with Ms. Brunhilde" Reina nodded "I seem to be able to finish the chant successful because every now and then, I make a mistake" Albert smiled "Good, now, all of you, come at me" I stated as I threw different weapons that they all prefer A wooden rapier for Brunhilde, a bow and arrow with blunt tips for Albert, two wooden knives for Reiner, and as for Melphis, she stuck with a wooden rod. My weapon of choice, a wooden sword They all attacked me at the same time, I fended off each and every arrow while evading speedy strikes from Brunhilde and Reiner. Melphis was just randomly swinging her wooden rod so it was fairly easy to dodge them After an hour, they were all on the ground "You know the deal, 200 push-ups this time"I stated They all grunted and started doing their push-ups, I kept count. After one and half an hour, they were all exhausted. Next is their legs, I made them do laps around the castle They were all tired as hell after 6 laps. It was almost 6 pm so I let them off easy and ended training there I slept with Cynthia that night and on the next day, we went monster hunting to test their skills, also, Cynthia asked me to see what''s happening since there were rumors of a tier 2 dragon wreaking havoc near Alphon city Here''s the info I got Tier 1 dragon: 1 - 19 feet in size, considered to be an infant Tier 2 dragon: 20 - 40 feet in size, a medium dragon Tier 3 dragon: 50 - 70 feet in size, a fully matured dragon Tier 4 dragon: 50 - 70 feet, only much more powerful Ancient dragon: 100 feet, Extremely rare and incredibly dangerous Entry no. 72 This is going to be a trip that will train all of us, I haven''t encountered any dragons in the past, I need to collect info about it and fight it one on one to gouge its strength, if possible, I''ll take it alive and have Alissa go crazy. Alissa hasn''t dissected anything in a while now andI''m sure she''d be thrilled to study an actual dragon, also, she''s been pestering me for a demon''s corpse. According to her, she wants to find out a demon''s anatomy Our destination is Macrom forest, it is north of Alphon city so we will have to stay there before heading to Macrom forest. I was armed with Azazel, Silver edge, and an M4, our party consists of me, Brunhilde, Reiner, Melphis, Albert, and Guardian 1. Guardian 1 was carrying 3 grenades and 1 Desert Eagle prototype that Alissa made It took us half a day to get to Alphon city from Arcadia, we all rode a horse of our own, we decided not to take much and will prepare all the stuff we need in Alphon city instead. In case we can''t handle the dragon, Behemoth is on standby, it''s been equipped with a chainsaw that Alissa has been working on. There are other equipment that was always with the Behemoth like the minigun attached on its back or the jet thrusters on its back but the minigun is out of ammo and the jet thruster is damaged so I''ll have to rely on the solar-powered chainsaw with the battery life of 2 hours (continuous usage) Alphon city is starting to improve, the once desolate city is starting to regain life, the people who always had bitter faces started to smile bit by bit. We headed for a huge market where we got some bread. meat, and vegetables. We will stay in Macrom forest for at least 2 days so this much is needed. I checked everyone in a local inn. "The new city lord should at least welcome the queen''s royal knight" Melphis muttered as we all walked the hallway of the inn, heading for our rooms "He doesn''t even know I''m here" I chuckled "What? why?" Brunhilde asked "You see, Alphon city is starting to recover and I bet that the new city lord is busy with everything, I don''t want to trouble him since we''re only passing by" I explained "That''s very considerate of you" Albert patted my shoulders "Anyway, let''s go to our rooms and get some rest, I bet you''re all tired from our trip" I stated before opening the door I got us 2 rooms with four beds in each room, of course men are sleeping separately from the women. It was still 3 in the afternoon so I told everyone to go enjoy themselves before returning at 6. They all left except for me, Brunhilde, Melphis, and Reiner went off to do "Women stuff" it''s what they told me, Albert went to a local weapon shop, as for Guardian 1, I ordered him to check on the city lord. It''s not that I don''t trust the person that Cynthia recommended, I just want to see if he''s up to the task I was a bit bored so I double checked on our food stocks and equipment till 5 pm. Everyone returned and we all had dinner together at a local pub beside the inn, Melphis strongly rejected but everyone preferred the pub so she can only endure in silence. I guess for a high-class lady like her, she wants to eat high-class food. We all slept and left early for Macrom forest, we arrived at exactly 9 am, took us 3 hours. We hired a carriage where Albert was the coachman, the women stayed inside along with our food stock while I was the vanguard and Guardian 1 as the rearguard. I already reviewed the video of the new city lord that Guardian 1 took, I can see that he''s a very hard worker so I guess Alphon is in good hands "Hey Zeno" Albert called out "What?" I replied, irritated "I''m sorry, sir" He apologized before correcting himself "Alright, what is it?" I asked "That companion of yours that came, the one wrapped in cloth, may I know who he is?" Albert asked politely "Oh, him, he''s a soldier of my homeland that came along with me" I replied "I see, I was a bit curious and worried since he wouldn''t speak to anyone" "That''s just normal for him" I replied as I looked ahead ''Lilith, anything on your scanners?'' I asked ''There''s something, a small group of 10 ahead, their heartbeats are strong and loud, after identifying with my thermal, I can see that they''re about 8 foot tall, with large body builds. My assessment, a group of ogres'' Lilith repliedThe author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ''I see, thanks'' "There''s a group ahead, we think it''s ogres, approach carefully" I stated, Melphis was about to ask my choice of words but after a small glare, she dropped the issue Brunhilde, Albert, Melphis, and Reiner nodded and approached the spot I pointed at, making sure to not make any noise as they go. We peered through the bushes and saw a group of ogres sitting around a campfire, they seem to be roasting an animal. "I and Uno (Guardian 1) will stay here, you guys go and eliminate them" I ordered Melphis started chanting while Albert pulled out two arrows. Brunhilde silently approached the group using every bush she came across as cover and as for Reiner, she quickly disappeared as soon as I finished my sentence. "Fireball!" Melphis finished her chanting and shot off a fireball the size of a basketball, she roasted one of the ogres. Albert fired two arrows which dug themselves deep into two ogres'' head, after the first two attacks, the ogre''s group finally stood up and prepared for battle. Reiner appeared behind the ogre who is out of the group''s sight before beheading it, Brunhilde popped out of the bush and just released a barrage of rapier thrusts to an unsuspecting ogre nearby. "Five down, five to go" I mumbled as I observed them The five ogre backed away and tried to flee but Reiner blocked their path, they issued a low grunt before charging ahead, attempting to trample Reiner who was in the way. Reiner clicked her tongue before popping a smoke bomb and retreating, the ogres ran inside the smoke screen, Brunhilde and the others quickly moved, making sure that Reiner was safe before killing the first ogre to get out of the smoke screen. The smoke might''ve obstructed their visions but not me, I can clearly see bodies tumbling around inside the smoke. The wind started to blow away the smoke as everyone prepared to attack the ogres, as soon as the smoke faded, the ogre''s continued their charge with no sense of direction. 2 ogres headed for Brunhilde while 1 headed for each member of the group Reiner used her shadow clone to confuse the ogre before piercing her blade through the temples of her target while Albert shot the ogre dead before even arriving in front of him and as for Brunhilde, she kept moving as she released waves after waves of slashes and thrusts, like a butterfly dancing in the wind, none of the ogress attack seem to hit her but her attacks always land Melphis though had a slight problem. She released another fireball but the ogre brushed it off with the stone club it dragged around, Melphis started dodging the heavy attacks as she chanted her next spell. After dodging 2 attacks, she got close to the ogre and released her spell on the ogre''s face. The ogre jumped back and repeatedly scratched its face, trying its hardest to kill the flames that were burning off its face, soon the ogre fell on his back as the fire died down, revealing a scorched head with no skin The monsters started to vanish and dropped a few items which were useless for us so we tossed it aside, we continued moving as we searched for clues as to where the dragon might be. We pressed on our journey. An hour after eating our lunch, we started to see withered trees. It is not necessarily a sign of a dragon but at least we found something, we pressed on carefully ''Zeno, I''ve detected an irregularity within the area'' Lilith stated ''What is it?'' I asked as I stopped our party, my hands gripping Azazel ''A few feet away from you, I detected energy that took the form of a human being'' Lilith stated ''Did you try thermal or echolocation?'' I asked, everyone was silent and tense ''I tried thermal but no heat signature was found and as for echolocation, I seem to be getting a small response in the spot I stated but when I use my radar, there really seems to be something in front of us'' ''I see'' I can try to release a [Crescent slash] to see if there really is something but I have no idea where the other party stand, they might be the so-called elves that live in the forests "I know you''re there, show yourself" I stated as I pulled out Azazel and pointing towards the spot of irregularity "Heh? A human actually detecting me without the aid of an elf sentry? this is new" We heard an arrogant voice as it showed itself Soon enough, it revealed itself to be a 5-foot lizardman, except its eyes were more like of a chameleon... so it''s a chameleon man? "What is your business with us?" I asked "Nothing really, I''m just a monster looking for some food" It replied "Oh? then please be continue on" I replied as I sheathed Azazel ''Zeno, be careful, it''s manaleon, a demon known to be very good at hiding themselves, they may be the best at it but their invisibility will break if they were to ever move'' Melphis whispered ''I see, thanks for your advice'' I replied "Yeah, thanks" The manaleon started walking away but it suddenly turned around and shout out its tongue In an instant, I pulled out Azazel and split the tongue in half before changing to speed and catching up with the manaleon. I grabbed its head and lifted it off the ground, it started to struggle, it''s feet kicking me with all its might "Well? isn''t it about time you talked? what are the demons doing here?" I asked "Do you own Macrom forest?" He asked with arrogance "Funny little guy" I chuckled before starting to tighten my grip "Ouch, ouch, ouch" The manaleon started to feel its head getting crushed "Well? still want to play as the smart guy?" I asked "Okay! okay! I got it! I''m here to investigate a dragon! a dragon!" It pleaded "Hold it, how can we trust your words, you manaleons always lie even after being captured" Brunhilde stated as her rapier stabbed the manaleon''s tail "MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE WOMAN!" The manaleon screamed ''Lilith, what say you?'' I asked ''Most probably a lie'' Lilith replied ''I see'' "Alright, Melphis, start a fire" I stated "Okay" Melphis nodded Albert and Melphis collected some woods before Melphis set it ablaze, I was still grabbing the manaleon by the head when I threw its body in the fire. It kept wriggling as it tried to escape its demise but whenever it got out of the fire, I grabbed him again and threw him back in, this kept going on until it finally died. Death by fire, this should be good enough ''Guardian 1, mark this spot on the map and have the ship recover this body for Alissa to dissect'' I talked to Guardian 1 through the radio ''Will you guys have lizard meat for dinner later after Dr. Alissa cuts it up?'' Guardian 1 asked ''Hey, it''s for science'' I replied ''You''re no fun sir'' "Excuse me sir but I could''ve killed it with one fireball" Melphis spoke out "Where''s the fun in that?" I replied I saw Melphis shudder for a second Entry no. 73 Deep in the mountains lies a castle shrouded in darkness, it''s surroundings filled with death and despair. This is the demon king''s castle The demon king sat on his skeletal throne, listening to the report of a manaleon "My king, one of the manaleons have died" A manaleon respectfully kneeled as he reported "I see, how many more manaleons are there to observe the target?" The king asked "My king, there are still 10 more that are still headed towards his location, the one that died was the one who just recently arrived at the location to observe the said target" "I see, report this to her, I still have to prepare for the invasion of the kingdom" The king dismissed the manaleon "Yes my king" The manaleon left and the king was left alone "The news of Arcadia''s sudden uprising and re-establishment is now widespread, they''ve retaken most of their cities, the only thing left is the small villages around. If you ever think that raising an army and invading Arcadia is a good choice then, you''ll be going home to a kingdom that''s been razed to the ground... dear king, I eagerly await what you will do" The king chuckled as he imagined the burning city While the demon king was enjoying the thought of destruction, deep within the King''s city, the king is also thinking of a plan to retake Arcadia "That princess suddenly pops out of nowhere and steals my kingdom... that woman will pay" The king grit his teeth as he drank wine from his cup "Father, let me lead an army to retake the city!" The first prince spoke out The king looked around, he noticed that he was surrounded by his two sons, his daughter, and all of his aides including his 9 generals "Hmmm, where is the spy that I sent out?" The king looked at one of his generals "My liege, he died, however, he managed to send out a report stating that the success of Arcadia''s uprising was due to the new queen''s personal knight" The General replied as he read out a piece of paper "And this knight is?" The king asked "He described him to be a knight who had two blades on his head, his eyes glowed red, and his ability to be equal to that of the now retired General Gram" "The Blade knight? I see..." The king placed his fingers on his chin, deep in thought "My liege, let us accompany the prince to retake Arcadia, they only managed to retake Arcadia due to their surprise attack and the Blackguards'' lack of ability" The general from earlier suggested "Indeed, now that you mention it, you did previously say that in the previous report. I''ve decided, my son will go with you, Magatama, Aira, and Rand, three level 100 warriors along with Meldy and Mag, two level 100 Arc wizards. It should be more than enough to deal with one knight, my son should be capable enough to lead the half of the army. As for the rest, continue on hunting down Aegis and the Cult of the Punishers. Put a reward for the capture of the Guild Aegis on the top 13 Guilds so that you can concentrate more on hunting down that damned cult that worships those invaders" The King stated "YES MY LIEGE!" All of the generals bowed down and left "Go, you are also dismissed" The king stated as he waved his hands "Yes father" The king''s children left The King was now left alone "Fucking bitch, she dares retake Arcadia and disturb me on my life of enjoyment with women, haaaaaaaah, I must calm down, I will take her body soon anyway, that kingdom is still recovering its strength and the journey of the army will take half a month, they will be retaking Alphon first and soon Arcadia castle. I must deal with this problem carefully for the demon king awaits his chance to exact his revenge, those damned elves and beastfolk won''t be helping me this time but if I use that... yes, it should work." The King smiled and stood up before heading to his room He opened the door and inside were women, shackled and tortured. The King smiled before closing the door, the women moved back in fear, however, the noise that their shackles made reminded them that there was no escape from their fate, all they could do us scream in their minds because screaming out would only turn the king on and will only fuel his desire to violate them ??? "You think this is the place?" I asked as I stood in front of a cave, the entrance was at least 30 feet high "This is the cave we''ve encountered with an entrance this high, I am not entirely sure but there is a high possibility" Brunhilde stated "Alright, it''s worth checking out. Reina, can you see in the dark?" I asked "Yes sir, as an assassin, it is an ability that we should master" She replied with confidence "Good, everyone else, set up a camp here and be prepared" I looked at Brunhilde before continuing "Listen to my warning" "Got it" Brunhilde nodded as she took out the Nexus helm from her backpack "What''s that?" Albert asked as he studied the helm "A helmet made in sir Zeno''s country" Brunhilde replied "I see, it''s design does share some similarities with sir Zeno''s" Albert replied "Let''s go Reina, Uno, you come too" I started walking inside the cave "Yes sir. [Night vision]" Reina replied and cast a spell onto herself before asking Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation."Sir, should I also cast the spell on you?" "No need, I already did so" I lied "Oh, I see" Reina looked at Uno who walked inside the cave, she guessed that he too must''ve cast a spell onto himself and just followed the group in Brunhilde wore the helm and pressed a button underneath the chin, the helmet tightened around her face until it was a perfect fit. "What a weird helmet" Albert stated as he studied the glowing lines all around the Nexus helm Brunhilde shrugged it off before speaking to Zeno ''Can you hear me Zeno?'' ''I can hear you, good, the signal here is good. I will warn you if ever the dragon tries to go out, fighting it inside the cave should be good since it cannot use its wings but this is my first time fighting a dragon, I am not sure if I can take it on'' I told her the truth ''Don''t worry, you can take it down without a problem'' ''I''ll believe you then, be careful outside'' I advised ''Got it'' Brunhilde replied before cutting the transmission The cave was pitch black but not to us, I looked around and saw stalactites and bats on the ceiling while the ground is filled with stalagmite and puddles of water. Droplets of water dropped on our head occasionally ''Zeno, I''ve scanned the area'' Lilith spoke out in response to my request as we entered the cave ''What did you find?'' I asked ''My heartbeat sensor won''t be much of help because of the bats above the ceiling, though my radar shows a huge object deep inside the cave'' ''Oh? calculate our ETA'' ''Basing on our current speed, 10 minutes'' ''Alright, let''s press on then'' I started walking faster ''There''s more'' ''What is it?'' ''The water... they seem to be more acidic than that from your standard cave'' ''Is there any damage to long exposure?'' I asked ''Yes, I believe that Reina will soon suffer skin damage. There''s also a low chance of her respiratory system being affected'' ''Alright, thanks for the report'' ''No problem... also, do you have some time? I need to show you a report'' ''I will make time after this'' I replied ''Alright'' "Reina, cover yourself" I looked behind and spoke to Reina who didn''t cover her head "Sir? I don''t get what you''re saying" She stated meekly "Cover your head properly, the air here and the water dropping on your head is a bit toxic, you may not feel something now, but soon you will" I replied as I pointed above "Yes sir" She listened to me and pulled out a cloth She wrapped her head, I nodded and continued walking, it may not be much but at least she''s got some protection. We moved carefully, making sure that we don''t let any droplet hit our heads until I finally saw a huge creature in front of me, it seems to be sleeping peacefully I looked at its surrounding and saw corpses, some of which were missing body parts, they don''t seem to be wearing any armor so I''m guessing that these people are villagers. I need to kill this guy instantly, we all approached carefully but out of nowhere "H-Help!!! HELP MEAAHHHHHH!!!!" A hand grabbed Reina''s foot, I looked behind and saw a man whose feet was dislocated, his face, stained with tears Reina was surprised before letting out a small whimper, the pressure of facing a dragon must''ve taken a toll on her mind which is why she can''t help letting out a small scream when she was spooked The dragon opened its eyes and roared ''Brunhilde, be prepared!'' I spoke before charging forward ''Zeno, heat started to gather around its lungs! be careful!'' Lilith warned I looked around and saw that we were inside a closed space, it would be deadly if it was to release a fire breath ''Strength now!'' I raised my arm and punched down as strength rushed to my body I managed to create a small pit where Guardian 1 tossed the spooked Reina, Guardian 1 and I jumped in ducked just as fire was breathed out of the dragon ''Brunhilde! move away from the cave''s entrance'' I am not sure if it would reach that far but I still warned them ''WOAH! what the hell is happening there!'' Brunhilde soon replied, I''m guessing the fire reached all the way there ''The dragon woke up'' I replied before peeking out The dragon started to move its body, the stalactite above us starting to fall down. Guardian 1 punched all of the stalactites that fell, as for me, I jumped out of the pit and brandished Azazel I changed to speed and ran towards the dragon it used its tail as a whip but I cut it in half. The surprised dragon let out a pained roar before grabbing one of the large stalagmites nearby and throwing it, if I were to dodge, Guardian 1 and Reina behind me would be hit. I had no choice but to cut it half. I destroyed the rock but as soon as I did so, the dragon came charging towards me, I rammed its head and continued charging out of the cave. I managed to grab onto its horn as it headed for the exit, it seemed to have noticed me and started to raise its head, my body hit a few stalactites but I held on and managed to stab its right eye We soon reached the exit where it kept hitting its head on the ground, hoping that I would get off. I jumped back but Azazel was still stuck in its right eye "HUMANS! HOW DARE YOU DISTURB MY SLUMBER!" It roared out in anger "It can talk?" I stated "Yeah, dragons can speak due to their intelligence being equal to that of a human''s" Brunhilde replied as she moved behind me "Where are the others?" Melphis asked as she pointed her rod towards the enraged dragon "They''re safe but they''re still inside" I replied as I pulled out Silver edge "Okay, [ICE PATH!" Melphis slammed her rod on the ground as sharp Ice protruded from the ground, heading for the dragon "PATHETIC!" It roared out as it clawed away any ice that protruded underneath it "I''ll make this simple, submit or die" A dragon that can talk? Alissa would be very much excited "A human? making me submit?! HOW INSOLENT!" It opened its mouth and let out a fireball the size of a car towards me "You made your choice" I replied before dodging the attack I switched to speed and instantly made my way underneath him, I jumped up and cut off one of its wings before landing on the ground. I turned around ran up its back before cutting off its other wing and jumping up, I switched to strength as I fell down. I clenched my fist and punched down, my fist hitting its head. The impact caused the dragon''s head to hit the ground with a loud thud as it left a small pit, I landed in front of it and squatted down before pulling out Azazel "I said yield" I tyrannically stated "WHO ARE YOU?!" The dragon asked as it raised its head, its body still wobbling from disorientation "A knight" I replied as I sheathed Silver edge "I will remember th..." The dragon collapsed ''Is it dead?'' I asked Lilith ''It is unconscious'' She replied after a slight pause "What the hell is with that power?!" Melphis asked as she studied the mark my fist left on its head "I work out" I chuckled "You''ll get used to it, worry not your little head" Brunhilde stated as she patted Melphis'' head "I may be small but I''m not a kid!" She replied with irritation "Haha, then stop acting like one" Albert chuckled as he walked out of the bushes "Hey, at least I took part in the battle unlike some adult who was hiding underneath the bushes" Melphis retorted "Look at the dragon''s foot" Albert smiled Melphis did so and sure enough, found 3 arrows hanging on its foot. The arrows didn''t dig themselves deep but considering the fact that they managed to pierce through the dragon''s scales is an amazing feat ''Cynthia, could you send someone to pick up an unconscious dragon?'' I asked on the radio ''I already notified Alphon city''s city lord of your mission, there is a large carriage for the dragon''s corpse. All you have to do is send a carrier pigeon with the message since it will be faster there instead of from here'' She replied "You guys got some carrier pigeon?" I asked "There''s one inside the carriage, let me get it" Albert headed for the carriage "Brunhilde, please write a request for the hauling of the dragon" I requested "Alright" Brunhilde followed Albert ''Thanks Cynthia'' She must''ve planned ahead ''No problem... still though, are you hurt? I made sure to ask Brunhilde to pack some painkilling medicine from the ship since no healing potion or magic can help you'' She was worried ''I''m alright, don''t worry'' I replied I heard a sigh of relief before she said her goodbye and cut off the call We could move around with a dragon''s successful capture, it should raise the people''s morale. As for the dragon''s pride? well he probably won''t be awake to see people see him tied down in a large carriage... probably Entry no. 74 Albert sent out the pigeon with the letter that Brunhilde made, according to Albert, it would take the pigeon an hour to arrive in Alphon, half an hour of preparation, as stated in the letter, and probably 4 hours for the entire party to get here so overall, that''s 5 hours and 30 minutes of free time. I looked at everyone who had happy faces, looks like it''s time to be an ass again "No breaks, all of you spar with each other, Uno will patrol the area while I stay with the dragon" I stated I watched the happy smiles turn to bitter ones, well, only Brunhilde was the one whos smile turned into a grin The sparing pairs were like this: Brunhilde vs. Reina Melphis vs. Albert The pairs drew some distance from each other before engaging in combat. Brunhilde and Reina fought with speedy attacks as their forte. Albert didn''t bother drawing his bow and engaged in close combat, Melphis also used her rod as a weapon and fought off Albert''s attacks. After half an hour of intense fighting, Brunhilde won but she suffered some injuries while Reina was down on the ground, struggling to catch her breath. Melphis and Albert had a draw with both sitting down on the ground, there wasn''t much of a damage between the two but they''ve both exhausted their stamina "GOOD JOB! NOW REST UP, AS FOR YOU BRUNHILDE, SINCE YOU''RE THE ONLY ONE LEFT STANDING, WE''LL HAVE TO FIGHT LATER" I announced with a shout, is this how the trainers do it? damn, my lungs hurt... if I had one After announcing that, everyone grinned at Brunhilde and surprisingly Brunhilde let out a confident smile which only pissed off the other three. I called Guardian 1 back so that he can watch over the dragon while Brunhilde and I have our match. After resting for an hour, Brunhilde was ready, the others? they were eagerly waiting for Brunhilde''s defeat. I readied my stance, I will fight Brunhilde bare handed while she''s using the Bee Rapier. "Come at me" I spoke out Brunhilde didn''t waste any second and dashed forward, she thrust forward. I used the back of my palm and fended off the attack, she didn''t stop and instead slid behind me before standing up and using her signature move, she rained down speedy rapier thrusts on my back but I moved to the side and her attack hit nothing but air. "[Greater speed enhancement]!" Brunhilde roared out as she was covered in a green light She started dashing forward, she attacked and as usual, I fended off the attack but this time, I sensed another attack on my left. I leaned back and evaded an attack, I sensed another attack but this time, I jumped up as Brunhilde''s leg swept the ground. I supported myself with my hand as I pushed myself up and back into the air. The ground underneath me was riddled with holes from Brunhilde''s attack I landed 6 feet away from Brunhilde "Use your ability" Brunhilde stated "Nope" I replied "Then I''ll force you!" She roared out before dashing forward, she started attacking, each attack leaving an after image. I couldn''t possibly fend off all of them so I instead, I moved and evaded the attacksThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. But wherever I go, an attack was sure to follow me, I got irritated so when I found the chance, I put more force on my next attack, once the back of my palm hit her rapier, she instantly lost balance and almost fell down. She managed to recover and pulled out another rapier, I did give her two Blood Bee rapiers. She threw one up in the air as she attacked with the rapier in her hand, I dodged every attack but soon I was forced to dodge another set of attacks that appeared above me. Brunhilde is really serious about this huh On her next attack, I pinched the rapier with my fingers. She abandoned the rapier and picked up the other, she continued her attack but I pinched the rapier again with my other hand. She was at loss so she abandoned her last weapon and just used her bare hands, I threw the weapons away before flicking her forehead "You lost" I stated as she sat down, exhausted "Strangely enough, I''m happy" She stated "The feeling is mutual" I chuckled "Still though, Brunhilde almost took you down" Melphis commented "Nah, If you observed carefully, Zeno wasn''t even attacking much, he only defended most of the time" Reina stated "Yeah, I agree with Reina" Albert followed up "No, come on Brunhilde, tell them that you almost beat Zeno" Melphis ignored the two "Yeah... as much as I''d like to believe that, I didn''t even have the slightest upper hand during the fight" Brunhilde smiled as she replied "But you had a chance, period" Melphis refused to back down "Yeah, Brunhilde and everyone here can defeat me if they train enough" I stated "That''s too high of a hurdle" Melphis replied "... do you guys know why I picked you?" I stated "We were curious at first but we almost forgot about it because of the harsh training" Albert replied "Well, I think it''s about time to tell you guys" I don''t want them to follow me to a battle without even knowing who they''re facing, if they will leave after I tell them, then I am ok with it "I haven''t seen any of them here but in the other country, there have been recent attacks by monsters unlike any other you guys have seen. They were called "Invaders" or "God''s Angels" but I call them, "The Colony" they''re a collection of large insects that crave for blood be it, humans, animals, monsters, or even they''re own ally. They are extremely dangerous if left alone" I explained "Which leaves the question... how do you know all of this" Melphis asked "They originally came from my country" I replied "Wait... so you''re not from any kingdom or village around here?" Albert was surprised "Yeah, believe it or not, I''m not from around here. I met Princess Cynthia back in the other country, from there we journeyed together until I helped her reclaim her throne" I stated "...So you''re not her own personal Knight?" Reina asked "I''m more of a friend" I nodded "Then this monsters, did you come here to kill them?" Albert asked "No, I didn''t come. I was taken, before I knew it, I was already here, I wanted to lead a peaceful life away from all the fighting but in the end, I was back to fighting" I sighed "Alright, tell us more about these creatures, if you consider them dangerous then we''re going to be in a lot of trouble" Reina spoke out "Like I said, they''re mostly overgrown insects but they have tough exoskeletons, the weapons you use right now won''t be enough to break through their defenses but they did seem to take damage from magic" I replied "Then... how can we non-mages fight them?" Reina asked "What do you think of Brunhilde''s rapiers?" I asked "They''re sharp, hard, and light, I can''t say more but they seem to be weapons of high quality" Reina replied "These rapiers are made out of one of the highest ranking among a colony, the King. I plan to go for them and gather enough material to arm everyone here" I explained "Just us huh... which means the army won''t be equipping any of those things... then, what will happen to them?" Albert asked "I want to hunt down each colony and kill their leader, their Queen. Once that is done, the entire colony will fall on itself. I wish to kill their Queen before they can even mobilize their army" I pointed "Then that means, we''re going to be assassins?" Reina stated "Yeah. Melphis is for the magical damage, Albert as our eyes and ranged support, Reina due to her background in assassination, and Brunhilde for her experience and talent" I pointed out everyone''s quirk "I see, I can understand why you''re training us so hard now" Albert nodded "I hope you guys won''t change your minds once we face them" Entry no. 75 ''Yo Cap, the dragon seems to be awake'' I heard a monotonous report I hurriedly look at the dragon and noticed it staring at me I hurriedly pulled out Azazel from his scabbard and dashed forward, the dragon reacted and tried to raise its body but it didn''t make it in time My blade was pointed at its neck before it can open its mouth and breathe fire "Stay down or you will die" I threatened "How dare you threaten me?!" The dragon raised its claws and swiped them ''Lilith, strength'' I jumped back before dashing forward again and with the aid of the thrusters, I managed to reach dragon''s head and land a straight punch on its snout. The dragon moved back as it shook its head in pain, I didn''t miss this chance and pursued the dragon before slashing the dragon''s left leg The dragon collapsed and looked at me in contempt "Looks like you won''t go down easy... why don''t we have a deal, If I beat you, you will have to follow me from now on but if you win, you''re free to go along with my corpse" I stated "Hooh? and here I thought dragons were arrogant" The dragon replied "I''ll take that as a yes? do you know any healing magic?" I asked "What? you don''t want me using healing magic?" The dragon stated "No, You can use it whenever you want, I just wanted to fight you uninjured" I stated my reason "That will be the cause of your death" The dragon looked at me, its eyes red with anger. Did it think that I was looking down on it? The dragon roared before being covered in greenish light, the wound on its leg was healed. It then proceeded to give me a despising look "Are you ready?" I ignored the stare and asked "Die human" It roared before flinging its tail, I dashed forward before jumping, I spun mid-air and brandished Azazel, I slashed as soon as I reached my striking range. The dragon used its wings as a shield, I slashed through the wing''s skin but what met me was a claw. I blocked with Azazel before being thrown, I recovered mid-air and managed to land on my feet. The dragon started to flap its wings in order to ascend to the air, however, the damage that the right wing sustained earlier disabled the dragon from escaping into the skies. It looked at me in anger before gathering fire in its lungs, I started moving just as the dragon released its fire breath. Its head followed me as I dashed, trying to escape the flames. The dragon stopped but our surroundings were on fire, luckily, Brunhilde and the others were safe. I switched to speed before bursting forward like a bullet, I reached the dragon and it tried to swallow me whole but I dashed to the side and sent a kick towards the side of its belly. I held Azazel like Brunhilde would hold her rapierThis tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Lilith predicted all of the Dragon''s weak spots and using that as a guide, I started stabbing. The dragon collapsed "HOW?!" The dragon wailed before lashing out its tail I jumped away before observing the dragon, did I hit any of its critical organs? maybe I went too far "CURSED HUMAN!" It roared before forcefully standing up and charging towards me, mouth agape I guess if it''s still that energetic then it should survive a couple more blows, I dashed forward, meeting the dragon''s charge head on. The dragon spewed fire but I raised my palm and countered with some gamma blasts, from the outside it seemed like the dragon was wrapped in fire while I was surrounded by dusts of crimson red and neon green. Using the thrusters on my back I propelled myself forward before tackling the dragon, the dragon was pushed back and was a bit fazed it kept shaking its head from side to side. I dashed forward before punching out, aiming for the dragon''s chest. My punch landed cleanly and left a deep mark before pushing the dragon and hitting the side of the mountain, it collapsed on the ground with a grunt "I win, I believe that we have a deal" I stated as I approached the dragon The dragon looked at me before forcefully standing up, it slashed its claws but it was not aimed at me but towards its own neck. I immediately switched to speed and grabbed the claw before stepping on the dragon''s neck "What the hell are you doing?" I asked "I cannot allow myself to be under a human" The dragon stated "Even if we had a deal?" "My pride won''t allow me to" "But I need you" The dragon looked at me as the hue of its eyes turned yellow "W-What?! a human as strong as you won''t be needing me" The dragon replied Wait, what? "My victory is by all means luck, you are strong, also I need your help" The dragon had a weird reaction to my words so I reused it in case it will trigger the same effect "So... someone needs me... human, we had a deal... I am Shinku" The dragon introduced itself "I am Zeno Abbadon, those back there are my companions" "Well then, since I am going to follow you, I will have to turn into a much more fitting form, also I will need to form a contract with master" Shinku gently put me down on the ground The dragon looked at me and uttered incoherent words, I guess they''re chants for a spell because I can hear Lilith talk about her sensors going haywire "Huh? did I make a mistake?" Shinku muttered "What''s wrong?" I asked "I can''t seem to feel any mana from you" Shinku stated "Ah, I don''t have mana" I monotonously replied "Something came up?" Brunhilde spoke out from behind me "Yes, Master Zeno doesn''t seem to have any mana" Shinku replied to Brunhilde before realizing something "Wait, aren''t you afraid of me human?" "Nope because Zeno is here" Brunhilde started observing Shinku from up close Shinku was a bit surprised and shy, I have no idea why I looked behind me and I noticed that the trio was observing from a distance, I beckoned them and they meekly approached "I see, so you wanted to form a contract with Zeno" Brunhilde stated "Yes... but" Shinku lowered his head in embarrassment "I see, I see. Well, is there any other way to form a contract?" I kinda understood the situation "Master, you managed to fire off that weird light earlier? since you don''t use mana, what did you use?" Shinku asked "I used this" I raised my arm just enough for everyone to see Coiling snakes of electricity wrapped themselves around my arm before vanishing "Oh! you use thunder!" Shinku spoke out "Yes" Close enough "Then... please imbue me with your.... power" Shinku stated as if I was going to take her first time I was grossed out, I am in no way into men but this has to be done... "T-Tell me how to do it" I asked, if I didn''t have my mask on, I''m sure my eyebrows would be twitching "You''ll have to-to... touch my chest and discharge" Shinku squirmed which sent chills down my spine I hesitated for a moment before placing my arms on Shinku''s chest, electricity started to coil around my arms as Shinku whimpered A few moments later, Shinku seemed to be wrapped in lightning. "Yes, I am now successfully a follower of Master Zeno" Shinku stated as he started transforming into a human? "What the hell?" I had no idea what was going on A few moments later, Shinku turned into a human, a blue hair white-eyed female human Wait, hold up, Shinku was a female? "You''re a female?" I asked, what the hell?! "The sacred dragon ritual?!" While the others had another question "...Yes" Shinku replied with embarrassment Entry no. 76 "I apologize for being rough with you!" I hurriedly apologized before stabbing Azazel on the ground and kneeling on one foot How could I rough up a... female... well it was a battle but still "Master?! please don''t apologize" Shinku pulled me up "I really am sorry, If I had known earlier, I would''ve been a bit gentler" I stated as I looked down "Master, that kind of belief will kill you in battle" Shinku corrected me "Y-Yeah, thanks for the warning" I''ve been told that several times in the past now but my answer is always the same "Anyway, I think we should move" Shinku stated "No, there''s a party coming to get us, just rest up for now" I spoke out "No, we should move, there''s a troublesome one that lives around here" Shinku looked from at the dense forest, anger apparent in her eyes "What? what do you mean?" I had no idea so I asked "I''m not the only dragon that lives here, there''s another dragon that terrorizes villages nearby, I managed to stop his last rampage but I think he will go out for another" Shinku explained "You''re not the one who attacked the townsfolk?" I asked "No, I would never, I won''t attack unless provoked... or in a bad mood like earlier" Shinku replied "I see, then where is this dragon? It is our mission to take it down" ''Zeno something is fast approaching!'' Lilith warned ''What? can you predict what it is?'' ''It is similar to the dragon Shinku'' ''So he''s come?'' "He''s coming! get back he utilizes corrosive poison!" Shinku quickly moved in front of everyone A dragon soon landed in front of us "Shinku, to be bested and enslaved by a human, how low have you fallen" The dragon was larger than Shinku, it was probably a tier 3 dragon The dragon had greenish scales, his mouth was filled with jagged teeth with overflowing green goo and green fume. "Nether, what are you doing?" Shinku asked "Well, I smelled the forest burn and you know just how much I crave destruction, good thing I recovered from that surprise from you, now I can have my revenge" Nether stated as vile smog was released from his wings Shinku immediately protected everyone with her wings, I grabbed Azazel before I jumped forward, the smog had no effects on me so I should be able to fight him "Let me see how strong is this human to make a prideful dragon submit!" Nether roared out and released a poisonous breath I hacked down and used [Crescent slash], my attack cut through the poison breath easily. It reached Nether and left a deep wound on his face, he kept shaking his head, blood spilling everywhere "WHAT THE HELL?!" Nether was outraged I need to keep his organs intact for Alissa to thoroughly examine his corpse later so I guess I''ll just let him bleed outUnauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I dashed forward and kept making deep wounds all over Nether''s body and soon enough, he collapsed on the ground. The blood flowing out his body started to corrode the ground, I wonder if the cart will hold up "Kh! how can a pathetic human with no magic be so powerful" Nether eyed me with its green eyes "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 10 km run everyday" I joked with a poker face though no one can see it "Surely you just, however, it is now over for all of your friends!" He opened his mouth before a huge smog of dark green gas was released from it, it headed for Shinku and the others I immediately moved in to block the smog, I faced Shinku as the thrusters on my back blasted away the smog. I looked at Nether who looked satisfied, if only he knew how his last attack failed "You all good?" I asked everyone "No one seems to be poisoned thanks to Shinku" Brunhilde reported I looked at Shinku''s wings and they seem to be corroded a bit "Potions, give them to Shinku, her wings are damaged" I stated "Got it, wait here a bit" Albert spoke out before running to the carriage 10 minutes later, he came back with a downcast face "No potions?" I asked, We bought some before heading out "No, it''s not that, it''s just that the horses died" He replied with a depressed face "Ah... the horses you liked huh, condolences" I replied as I patted his back in an attempt to comfort him, seriously though, he named the horses "Ah... Dashy and Rary, why did you have to go" Albert kept sulking as he gave the potion to Shinku, the entire picture seemed like extortion, I can''t help but laugh We all decided to rest as we await the arrival of the people who will come get the corpse A few hours later, they all came with their heads wrapped in cloth, well, I can''t argue with that, there was still some of Nether''s poison gas lingering the area, thankfully Shinku erected a barrier around us They all looked at the dragon before looking at me, I showed them Azazel which still had some greenish blood because Lilith kept asking me to analyze it They all nodded before starting to work on the corpse, instead of wrapping it in chains and carefully transporting it, they instead, stuck iron nails connected to chains, they had the horsed drag it. I can''t blame them though, the dragon''s blood is basically poison. It took us a while but we managed to drag the dragon all the way back to Alphon city where an arc priest blessed the corpse and erected a barrier around it so that the poison coming out of it wouldn''t spread, the people who dragged the corpse back had to get detoxified at the church while everyone in my party was just fine. The corpse was now being guarded by Alphon city''s elite guards while we were given some time to rest. We entered the inn we stayed in when we came to Alphon city, we all slept like logs, I woke up at 7 but others woke up at 12 am. We were asked by Alphon city''s lord to continue our journey, so we went on but we never forgot to drag the corpse of the dragon along with us, the people who saw it cheered. The journey back took half a week with the dragon now being moved to a cart ever since we left Alphon city, of course, we attracted a ton of attention, from travelers to monsters. The monsters tried to eat the said corpse because according to Brunhilde, it''ll help them transform into a much stronger creature, like how a caterpillar turns into a butterlfy, a metamorphosis When we reached the gates of Alphon city, the bells were rung as the iron gate started to lower itself, allowing us access to the city. The people kept cheering as the guard kept them from crowding the streets and blocking our pathway, we quickly headed for the castle where the dragon will be thoroughly examined by Alissa who still had no idea of my present for her. As soon as we entered the castle walls, I went ahead to the lab where Alissa is located, after some going through some defenses she set up like voice recognition and some birthday combinations, I entered the lab "Yo Alissa" I spoke to Alissa who was busy a large gun? cannon? whatever it was, it was being built by two robotic arms that Alissa was controlling "Oh hey, haven''t seen you in a while, so what''s up?" Alissa smiled as her fingers left the keyboard that controlled the robotic arms "I got a present for you" I smiled behind the mask "Oh? what is it?" She asked "I''ll surprise you, close your eyes" I stated "Ok" She smiled and closed her eyes, I gently pulled her hand We were heading outside, behind the castle where the dragon coprse was being pulled, I strictly ordered them that only those in my party are allowed to come behind the castle. It was also time for them to meet Alissa The door opened and sunshine hit our bodies "Outside?" Alissa muttered as she felt the sunlight hit her skin "Okay, now open them" I stated She slowly opened her eyes, she started staring at the dragon corpse while Albert, Reina, and Melphis were staring at her in shock. "Oh... oh... oh my" Alissa started blushing as she looked at me, she went full maiden mode "Sir Zeno..." Albert forcefully spoke out "Can I... cut him up, dice him, and examine him?" Alissa requested with puppy eyes as she pointed at the dragon though Albert thought it was him Alissa was referring to "It''s why I brought it" I nodded and Alber t immediately hid behind Reina "Oh, you guys... good evening, I am Alissa, Zeno''s fiance" Alissa introduced herself as the trio looked at me with astonishment What? think I can''t get a woman? Entry no. 77 "Didn''t think that sir. Zeno would be cheating on the queen" Melphis eyed me while Albert was giving me a thumbs up "Ohohoho, to be honest, I''m the first" Alissa spoke out as she covered her mouth and laughed "What? the Queen lost to madam Alissa??" Reina was blankly stared "Wait a minute, how did you even know about our relationship?" I asked "Sir is too busy with other stuff so it''s no wonder how you missed it, at first it was rumors but after seeing you interact with the Queen, we at least discovered something, also, it''s all thanks to our womanly instinct" Melphis proudly spoke out "I have finished explaining my matters to your Queen, what did I miss?" Shinku came out from around the corner "Oh? another woman? Zeno?" Alissa looked at me, her eyes, they were not smiling "Shinku here is also a dragon, you can interview her" I spoke out my true intentions "Is that so? well, that makes me happier" Alissa smiled "Well have you guys decided?" I asked if they have an answer to my previous question "Of course I''m joining the fight" Brunhilde nodded "I will fight" Reina also agreed "We''ll face them sooner or later anyway" Melphis stated "This old bones of mine will do its best" Albert chuckled "Now all of you know why I trained you, it''s also time for me to properly introduce myself, I trust that you guys will not disappoint me" I stated as I removed my helmet "I am Zeno Abaddon, a cyborg, part human, part robot" My hair and eyes that were pitch black, my irises that looked like a gear shone red "Robot? is that a new race?" Melphis asked "No, you call it Golems but we call it in our homeland "robots"" I explained "Sir Zeno, please, strip!" Reina asked without even blinking "I''m not an exhibitionist" I replied as I rubbed my forehead "N-No! I wanted to see all of your golem-ish parts!" Reina corrected me "Oh, so that''s what you meant, you scared me there for a moment" Albert chuckled I shook my head and removed DK''s right arm guard, I showed everyone my robotic arm, they all stared in wonder "That should be enough" I re-equipped the arm guard "This is my first time seeing something like that" Reina stated "Indeed, most of the golems we have are just lumps of rocks or steel iron stacked together" Melphis nodded I did show them my robotic arm which was covered with a human skin, of course it was only an imitation but my arm opened up and revealed the gears inside, steel tubes, wires and all that what-not so I can''t blame them for their comments "Wait, so did Zeno''s parents, a human and a golem... mate?" Melphis muttered "No, hell no" I immediately stopped Melphis'' fantasies before correcting her "I was once human who had these robotic parts attached to me, I sold my arm, my feet, and a few more things" "I... see, I apologize for bringing up a painful past" Melphis replied "Don''t worry about it, after I lost those things, I gained something..." I looked at Alissa before continuing "Far more valuable" Everyone looked at me before looking at Alissa who''s face was beet red "...*cough* *cough*" Albert reminded me that there were people around I immediately looked away from Alissa and glared at everyone It didn''t work, Melphis and Brunhilde were smiling while Reina was chasing something that flew out of her mouth and finally Shinku was just looking at us with a face that says ''I won''t disturb you'' "Alright, enough with this romance, I can''t take it anymore, I''m already diabetic from Zeno, any more and I''d be dead due to sugar rush" Alissa pulled Shinku inside the lab I looked at everyone, they all had a comforting smile "That''s just how she is, now, we have some training to do LINE UP AND START RUNNING" I shouted They all looked at me in wonder "THOSE WHO DON''T WILL HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE ROYAL PALACE''S BATHROOM!" They all started running, I could only laugh and follow them ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the castle, Cynthia, the Queen of Arcadia is busy tending to the matters of the KingdomThis tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "My Queen, we''ve received reports from our spy from the other Kingdom, a large army has been sent out to retake our old Kingdom" A knight respectfully kneeled "I see... how much of our army are available for war?" Cynthia asked "500 trainee guards and 100 Blackguards were lent to Royal Knight Zeno so we currently have 2000 men, half of them are trainees and as for the blackguards, we still have 400 but their duty is to protect the castle" The knight respectfully reported "Send all of the available soldiers to Alphon city, try to up the food production in the other two cities whilst evacuating the people of Alphon city, make sure to properly distribute the people into the two different cities, make sure not to separate the families" Cynthia ordered out "Yes, my Queen!" The knight stood up and stormed off ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It was currently 6 in the afternoon, I was storming inside the castle, I didn''t even bother to greet back the people who greeted me. I pushed open the doors and there I saw Cynthia sitting on her throne "I''m disappointed in you" I stated "Zeno... let me explain" Cynthia replied as she stood up and walked up towards me "Well?" I asked "I didn''t want to disturb your training... also, if it''s just an attack from the old Kingdom, I''m pretty sure it would only be a weak force" Cynthia explained "Is that it?" I replied as I raised my hand Cynthia closed her eyes, she was prepared to take what was coming I gently patted her head "Cynthia, why didn''t you tell me that those people are attacking... I would''ve helped out you know" "I really didn''t want to... be in your way" She seemed to have stifled her cry "Know what? let''s go home, let''s eat and hang out like old times, this castle life must''ve been stressing you out" I held her hand as she looked at me "Yes... I''d love that" Cynthia leaned on my chest "Still, it hurts me to think that you think of yourself as a baggage. Stop that, okay? you''re going to be my wife soon, I''ll share your troubles" But I will never allow you to get hurt nor allow you to fight the Colony... pretty hypocrite of me "Yes... I am your fiance" Cynthia seems to be blushing I pulled her out of the castle under the protests of some nobles I had no idea of, we headed for the ship where some of her dresses were. She changed clothes while I was patiently waiting in the living room, drinking tea. Cynthia came out with a yellow sundress, the skirt reached her knees. "You look amazing" I complimented her, I should''ve probably changed too "Thank you" Cynthia smiled sweetly as she grabbed my hand and started pulling me The plan is as follows, to travel the city incognito mode before finishing it with a movie in Alissa''s computer It''s 6:30 so our little walk should only take 30 minutes, we''ll eat out and head home, I especially asked Guardian 1 to fix Alissa''s 36-inch monitor so that when we get home, we can watch in the living room, I already asked Alissa if I can borrow her computer and she gave me an ok if I''ll take her on a date next, I planned to do so anyway. We left the ship together I know I said we planned to go incognito but... my armor was too eye-catching, I forgot that I am a royal knight so portraits of me have spread throughout the kingdom. People gathered around us wherever we go and in the end, I grabbed her and ran towards the city walls, that''s the only place where normal people can''t travel to. The guards tried to stop me as I approached the walls but once they got a better view of me, they stepped aside, I entered the city walls and ran up the stairs, Cynthia still in my arms, I looked at her and she seems to be enjoying it. After a few minutes of intense leg day, we reached the top. I gently let go of Cynthia before catching my breath. We walked together hand in hand, the sun has already set but it doesn''t mean that our time here together isn''t romantic. Just being alone was enough because we both found comfort and peace in each others presence We talked about the past till 7 "Let''s go eat dinner" I suggested "Yeah, I am a bit hungry" Cynthia replied I looked at her, I seriously should''ve brought a jacket, I could''ve lent it to her... oh well. "Come" I stated as I kneeled down "Eh?" She was surprised "Piggyback, unless you want to walk down those stairs" I chuckled She happily jumped on my back, I carried her all the way down. I took her to a local pub which had a good reputation, I won''t take her to a fancy restaurant since the food she gets in the castle is probably fancier. The doors seem to be that from the old texas west, I pushed it open and immediately grabbed the attention of all the people inside. "Oi, get back to drinkin, don''t disturb others!" A plump lady shouted out from behind the counter I walked towards her with Cynthia in hand "What do you want to eat?" I asked Cynthia "I''d like to eat the roasted beef" Cynthia stated as she looked at the hanged wooden board which had carvings of the food being sold "Then I''ll take the skewered porks" I looked at the lady She seems a bit responsive since she''s quiet "Q-Queen?" She shockingly spoke out Cynthia was wearing a large sun hat that went with her sundress so you can hardly notice her face but the lady seemed to have taken a closer look I immediately gestured her to keep quiet about it, she looked at me and nodded, she left the counter through a door near her, she seems to have left for the kitchen "Hey there lady, showing so much skin, why don''t you ditch this nobody and come with us" A hooligan approached us along with 3 more ruffians "Boy, get back to your table and eat or else I will make sure you won''t be able to" I warned them "Ohhhhh little knight here don''t know who he''s messing with" He chuckled, he grabbed Cynthia''s hands I immediately pulled his hand away from Cynthia''s, I looked at everyone and they seem to have remembered who I am "Young man, listen to his warning" One man spoke out "Shut up!" The hooligan angrily shouted out He pulled out his sword and tried to stab me but I pinched the body of the sword before snapping it in half "What the- HELCK?!" I punched his jaw and dislocated it He was on the ground holding his cheeks, he started crying in pain and the other 3 ruffians moved in to attack me. One of the ruffians flew away but it wasn''t because he drank red bull nor did he have wings, he was simply punched. The other two were then carried by a bear-like man, he was huge. He threw them out after a kick in the stomach "I apologize royal knight to have shown you such a bad time in our pub is a disgrace and a mistake on my part" He immediately apologized "Please don''t be sorry, these things are unavoidable" I replied "Thank you for your forgiveness" He nodded before entering the kitchen and bringing out our orders Cynthia and I ate together "It''s good" I complimented the plump lady and the bear-like man behind the counter They both seemed relieved, I looked at Cynthia, she seems to be enjoying her dinner We left the pub and headed for the ship, the movie of choice, Deadpool I want her to see what the past of my civilization looks like because it might be their future civilization As soon as we entered the ship, the only source of light were candles that headed for the living room, our path was also filled with rose petals. I looked to the side and saw Guardian 1 playing sweet violin music through the speakers as he acted like playing one without the instrument "Zeno... I feel so warm" Cynthia smiled as she grabbed me and hugged me tightly I took off my helm and held her hands, we walked together. We arrived in the living room, I removed DK completely and Guardian 1 took it and left the room as he said "Work hard" I felt the urge to punch his programmer She sat on the sofa, facing the monitor, I sat beside her. I turned on the computer and searched through 10 terabytes of movies that Alissa has on this flash drive she lent me, there''s more on her other flash drives We both watched Deadpool, it was fun, though I kept reminding her throughout the entire movie that it was only fiction Entry no. 78 The next day, we both left for the castle. I wore a royal cape for the first time, the cape was crimson red with an intricately embroidered Arcadia insignia. Cynthia was wearing her royal dress which is a purely white dress with so many frills, I held her hand as we walked together. "Cynthia, I''m going" I stated as we headed for the throne room "I see... then I''m not stopping you" She looked at me as she replied "If you ever get worried about me, go to Alissa, she can also keep you company" I replied "I will" She sat on her throne while all of the nobles kneeled ''Keep her safe'' I ordered to Guardian 2 who was hiding behind the throne where no one can see him ''Roger'' Guardian 2 replied "I have an announcement, my Royal Knight Zeno will lead the battle that will occur in Alphon city 3 days from now. Our enemy kingdom has chosen to wage war with us but don''t worry we will win" Cynthia announced "VICTORY WILL BE OURS!" All of the knights roared out, all the nobles can only sit still and kneel I can very much guess that the nobles here doubt our victory, 1000 men can''t fend off 5,000 men led by the prince which is also aided by some high leveled warriors and arc mages ''Lilith, change frequencies and connect to Alissa''s private radio'' ''Connecting.... connected'' ''Alissa, hear me?'' ''Loud and clear'' ''Behemoth, is it battle ready?'' I asked ''It''s full of energy, the makeshift chainsaw I created is good to go and the modified rail gun I got from Mirigai is also a-ok'' She happily replied ''Look''s like I''ll be needing it on a war, never thought I''d massacre people with it'' ''Hey, an enemy is an enemy right? this isn''t your first time murdering humans you know'' ''Yeah'' I cut off the call and stood up, I unsheathed Azazel "I will return victorious" I stated and left A carriage pulled by 2 horses were waiting outside, Albert was the coachman while Melphis, Brunhilde, and Reina were waiting inside. "Let''s go sir" Albert called out I sat beside Albert and we strode off, we were sent off by the Blackguards as the crowds cheered for us, wishing us victory We strode off and journeyed for a day, we reached Alphon city which was devoid of any civilians but was filled with vigorous soldiers, eager to fight for their kingdom. "THE ROYAL KNIGHT HAS ARRIVED! ALL MEN LINE UP!" I heard a scream from the watchtower All the soldiers stopped whatever they were doing and started lining up, I left the coachman''s seat and climbed up the tower. Upon reaching the top, I looked around and saw all of the soldiers, Lilith did a head count and the numbers reached a thousand men "ALL MEN, DIVIDE INTO DIFFERENT DIVISIONS! ONE DIVISION FOR MAGES, ONE FOR HEALERS, ONE FOR ARCHERS, AND ONE FOR VANGUARDS!" I roared outIf you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. They did as they were told and separated into different divisions "Good! I need a representative for each division, send out the ablest man or woman from the field you are in" I ordered out "From the archer''s division, 2nd only to Albert. Arvis reporting in!" A man who wore hood walked up and introduced himself "Sarah from the healer''s division!" Sara was a woman who wore a nun''s garb only with some armor plating "Jarg, from the vanguards" A very swoll man whos armors were barely covering his muscles walked forward "Apologies but the best mage in our division is Melphis" A man who wore a robe walked forward and stated "Good, Melphis! step forward and lead the mage division" I roared out as the carriage opened and Melphis walked out "Now listen, the war will happen two days from now and as I can see it, you are prepared but no amount of preparation can ensure a victory without any casualty, some of you will die, are you all prepared?" I asked "We are prepared!" Everyone shouted at the top of their lungs I nodded "GOOD, Now go back to what you were doing, be sure to rest properly the day before the war" I stated before leaving I checked on the equipment section where most of their big guns are stored, I only found 3 catapults and 3 ballistas, 6 huge boulders and 9 ballista arrows. This is all they got? I really will need Bahamuth I headed for the tent that was given to us, Brunhilde and the others went ahead and divided the small tent into small rooms which separated men from women. I looked at my own private spot and noticed that my M4 and Desert eagle was nicely laid down on the bed. I wrapped the guns up in cloth and hid them underneath the bed I headed for the mages division, Melphis was first to greet me "What brings you here sir?" She asked "Are all the mages able to enhance weapons?" I asked "Everyone can but they vary from type to type" She replied as she gave me a tour around the small field the size of a stadium "Alright, on the first wave of attack, I will need them to cast enhancements on the archer''s arrows, most preferably poison, if you can, please brew some poison so that the archers can dip their arrows in. Also, set aside half of them to raise a barrier" I stated "I will do my best but only alchemists can brew poisons, luckily for you, I studied a bit on alchemy" She proudly puffed up her almost non-existent chest "I will count on you" I replied We strolled the field together for a bit before I left her and headed for the warrior''s area, I met up with Jarg and informed him of something that shocked him "Wait, what do you mean we will stay inside the walls" He asked "It''s as I said, we welcome them and you will slaughter anyone who goes inside the city but you must remember to not step a foot beyond the walls" I ordered "But Royal Knight, we-" "Will you or will you not follow my orders, you may all be warriors but I am not willing to lose your lives in a small war" I stated, my tone unwilling to back down "I understand, I will follow your orders" Jarg backed down "Good, relay my orders to all of the warriors" I left and met up with Arvis "All archers are to be stationed above the walls, they will not shoot their arrows if I will not give out the order, understand?" I stated "We understand" Arvis nodded "Relay my orders to all archers" "Yes Royal Knight" He left I left and finally headed for the Healer''s area. They seem to be inside a church, praying. I entered and Sarah greeted me "See the buildings in the center of the city? clean all of them up until you have 100 buildings with at least 4 clean beds, all of the injured will be taken there" I ordered Sarah looked at everyone and nodded "Understand, I will take my leave to carry out your orders Royal Knight" She nodded "Go ahead" I replied "You heard the Royal Knight! let''s go!" She shouted inside the church and all of the priests and priestesses stood up. They all left I headed back to the tent and had a small talk with Brunhilde, she might know of their capabilities since she was a Royal Guard "Let me remember... They mostly have footmen but since they will be attacking, they will be using controlled beasts" "Controlled beasts?" I asked "Yeah, monsters that were captured, and brutally trained to follow their bidding" Brunhilde explained "Then what beasts do you think they will send?" I asked "Probably some war elephants, they''re 10-15 feet tall, equipped in armor with their tusks sharpened. Also, a small fort is built on top of them where archers will be stationed. Then there are some war lions, they''re mostly in the Coliseum but they''re going to use it here" She stated "How can you be so sure about the war lions" I asked "Those bastards love to see flesh being torn apart" She stated in disgust "I see, I have to apologize in advance" I replied "Why?" "Because when I''m done with them, it will be worse than that of an animal''s" I remarked "Oh? you don''t have to, in fact, I encourage you to, I will make my enemies suffer" She smiled, a crazed smile. Brunhilde seems to be different with her father around, it seems this the Brunhilde who doesn''t hold back Days passed with the training and preparation in progress and soon, our enemies came. "ALL MEN PREPARE FOR WAR!" I shouted as I stood on top of the wall Entry no. 79 I looked at our enemy, Alphon city was found in a clearing, surrounding it was a dense forest. The enemies started emerging one by one The sentry on in the watchtower rang the bell and everyone started to arm themselves I noticed a man riding a horse approaching Alphon city, he carried with him a white and red flag, a messenger I left the wall and headed in front of the gate in order to meet him "I bring a message from the first prince" He kneeled as he presented me with a letter I took it and read it, [ Give up and don''t resist unless you want to suffer and be tortured for the rest of your pathetic lives ] Very direct if I say so myself I crumpled the paper in front of the messenger''s eyes, my reply was obvious. He stood up and left I was still standing in front of the wall because I noticed a strange movement in the enemy army, 3 warriorsrode a horse to the center, they eyed me and beckoned me "That''s a challenge" Brunhilde who was wearing the nexus armor walked up and stated "A challenge like a 3 versus 3?" I asked "I don''t know, you and them can disgust it there" She replied "Alright, call Reina, the two of you will be coming with me" I stated "Got it" Brunhilde left and soon after, she returned with Reina "Let''s go" I stated as the 3 of us rode the 3 horses that Brunhilde brought with her We arrived at a clearing in between Alphon city and the attacking army, there stood 3 warriors covered in armor, a man stepped up and spoke out "We want this war to be of no bloodshed since the army here needs to fight the demons and invaders instead of some poorly built and pathetic excuse for an army" He arrogantly stated I ignored him and looked at the other two behind him before asking "So what do you propose?" "Fucking look at me you motherfucker!" The man earlier roared out as he pulled out his sword "Easy Rand, he''s just a weak level 81 Knight" From the two knights, a woman''s voice was present I will at least not kill you, I stated in my head "Aira, let''s just do this and fight him, a 3 versus 1" Rand stated "How did you even know my level" I asked "Heh, we managed to find Aegis too bad they escaped, but they did leave a book that noted all of your levels" Rand smiled "The Guildmaster''s book? I knew you guys were low but I didn''t know you would stoop this low" Brunhilde stated "This voice? Brunhilde? is that you? why did you defect to his their side?!" Aira asked with anger "This is my choice" Brunhilde stated "I see, then you will leave me no choice but to kill you after we kill him" Aira pulled out her sword Nope, not gonna show mercy, I''m going to kill her. I changed the previous statement in my head "So Mr.Royal Knight, a 3 versus 1 match" Rand once again asked "That''s unfair" Reina jumped in "Bitch, we outnumber you 10-1, I''m not negotiating, I''m ordering!" Rand arrogantly announced "Step back Reina, I will massacre them, don''t worry. Brunhilde, are you close with that woman?" I asked just to make sure "She''s someone I used to know" Brunhilde gave me her ok "A 3 versus 1 then, come at all at once, maybe you''ll last longer" I arrogantly remarked as I crossed my arms They all got mad and charged at me Rand was first to slash but I moved to the side and dodged it, Aira and the other guy glowed green, they seem to have enhanced their speeds. They started to move faster but far enough from actually being a threat to me, Aira moved in front of me while the other moved behind my back and finally Rand vanished but Lilith kept track of him through thermal vision Aira and her companion thrust their sword but I only spun around and pinched both of their swords before breaking them, I quickly grabbed the falling blade and stabbed the other guys head, the blade penetrated his steel helmet. He collapsed on the ground with blood flowing down the holes of his helmetTaken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Aira was shocked, she immediately backed away, I blocked an incoming attack on my left side, it came from Rand. His sword couldn''t even leave a scratch in my armguard, I punched his stomach before grabbing him and throwing him at Aira. Rand stood up immediately and saw the dead man on the ground "What the hell?! how can a level 81 knight kill a level 100 knight?!" He asked "Are you dumb? anyone would die if they had a fucking sword lodged in their heads too bad there''s nothing inside your head to even destroy" I mocked "You motherfucker!" He raised his arm and shot a small and pathetic fireball up in the sky He wanted to damage me then he should''ve shot it in my direction instead of the sky... unless... it''s a signal I was ready to shoot out a signal myself when 2 mages emerged from their formation, they started floating before flying to our direction. After 2 minutes, they arrived. I did nothing during that time, I was a bit curious as to what these two mages will do "MELDY! MAG! Help us kill him!" Rand shouted as soon as the 2 mages arrived "You did say it was 3 versus 1, oh well,4 versus 1 won''t change a thing" I stated ''Zeno... can you please try to spare Meldy? she''s a female mage, she''s a close friend of mine, I believe she will join us if I ask'' Brunhilde requested using the radio ''Alright, but if she doesn''t?'' ''Please don''t kill her, I promise she won''t betray us in any way possible'' ''Okay, I trust you'' "Which one of you is Meldy?" I asked "I-It''s me" One of the robed magicians replied, her voice a bit high and childish "Meldy, come with us" Brunhilde spoke out "Brunhilde?! Why are you here?! I was so worried about you when you suddenly dissappeared!" Meldy immediately removed her hood Meldy was a teenager whose age seemed to rage in between 15-17, she had blonde hair in twintails while her eyes were as blue as the ocean "Meldy, come with us, leave that pathetic kingdom and join us" Brunhilde continued to speak Meldy looked at us before looking back at the army, she seems to be weighing the strengths of the two armies but in the end, she shook her head and slapped her face, she ran towards Brunhilde''s side "Meldy you idiot!" Mag fired a fire spear that headed straight towards Meldy''s back I quickly moved and blocked the fire spear with Azazel which was still sheathed "Meldy! why would you defect to their side!" Aira asked in anger "Because she''s my friend and she needs my help!" Meldy replied as she hugged Brunhilde "What of your family?! The King will be sure to execute them!" Aira "A-Ah! m-my family" "Don''t worry... we''ll safely take them here!" Brunhilde reassured Meldy "I-I trust you!" Meldy nodded her head I commend their friendship and trust, as for the other guy who shot the fire spear, his head will roll down "Come at me, I will take you all down" I switched to agility I vanished and appeared behind Aira, I broke her leg before dragging her by the head and throwing her at the other mage called Mag Mag was casting a spell but he was disrupted and was forced to jump back, Rand shouted out before coming at me with his sword, I was about to meet his attack when the ground split open and out came two earth arms that held me down. I was rooted on the ground but it didn''t stop me from blocking Rand''s attack and punching him away "Fool! now collapse under my power! [Thunder struck]!" Mag shouted and a thunderous bolt hit me ''Absorbed energy, allocating stored energy to DK and to the core reactor'' Lilith spoke out with delight ''Excessive energy, I advise you to release it through a gamma ray'' Lilith once again spoke out "What?! it didn''t work?!" Mag was shocked "It''ll take more than that pathetic attack to damage me" I mocked "RAND! buy me some time!" Mag shouted out I was still locked by the two earth arms, I destroyed them simply by just moving Rand shoot off a light ray that didn''t cause me damage but Lilith seemed to have stated that the reactive energy armor deflected something "DIE!" He shouted as he swung his sword I grabbed the sword and was about to punch him in the stomach with my right arm but a chain of light shackled my hands, I managed to break the sword as Rand jumped away, he raised his hands as if to grab something as a fire spear formed. I looked back and it seems that the shackles were casted by Aira He threw it at me but it had no damage "That''s good enough! crash and burn, [Rock fall!]" Mag raised both his arms as Lilith detected a small meteorite heading straight for me It wasn''t locked on and the size of the meteorite was that of a baseball, is this a joke? I aimed my palms and shot off a gamma ray that instantly disintegrated the small pathetic rock Mag fell back in shock his hands shaking, pointing at me "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!" He shouted in madness I vanished before reappearing behind him, my hands underneath his chin "This is for attempting to kill our ally" I shot off a gamma ray, his head instantly blew up Blood and pieces of brain were scattered, as Rand run away. I caught up with him before slamming his face on the ground, I broke his legs before throwing him back to the corpse of Mag I raised Rand up, his face was stained with tears and blood, heck, even snot was running down his nose. I switched to strength before throwing towards their army, his body bounced off the ground multiple times The first bounce left a scrapped off most of his armors and clothing, the 2nd scrapped off the skin on his back along with some flesh that exposed his bones, the 3rd bounced caused his arms to dislocate, the 4th bounced caused his arms to completely detach and as for the 5th bounce, his neck broke before detaching and bouncing off to another direction. He left a bloody trail but in the end, his body (and head) managed to return to their army Aira looked at me in shock "M-Monster!" Aira pointed her finger at me, Brunhilde broke that finger "It''s rude to point at someone don''t you think?" Brunhilde stated "*sigh* Let me just end her" I approached Aira "N-No!" She screamed in terror "Why? you tried to kill me though" I asked "It-It was just orders!" She started to beg for her life "Then it''s the same for me, no hard feelings" I unsheathed Azazel "N-N-NO!!!" She screamed in terror as tears rolled down her eyes "Relax" I replied Aira seemed to have calmed down when I said that but I wasn''t done speaking "I''ll make your death painless" Fear returned to her eyes as she shook her head from side to side Meldy looked away as Azazel dug deep in Aira''s heart "At least you have a corpse to bury" I stated as I looked back at the enemy army I tied the corpses to the horses they used to get here before sending them back to the army except for Mag, he can rot here for all I care We rode the horses back to the city, Meldy rode with Brunhilde I observed Meldy and she seems to be afraid of me, Brunhilde chuckled and hugged her friend "Meldy, he''s a kind man though ruthless to his enemies, come on Zeno, don''t stare at her like that" Brunhilde stated "Sorry" I looked away before stating "Don''t worry Ms.Meldy, we''ll help your family escape" "T-Thank you kind sir" She replied with a smile though a little forced, it was a good start Entry no. 80 We arrived at the city, the horns of war sounded out, Albert, Melpihs, Brunhilde, Reina, Meldy, and surprisingly Shinku were on top of the city walls with me. I looked behind me, inside the city were soldiers but for me in the same line of work, I saw fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. They all have their own lives, it is why I want to save as many people as I can "Be strong, you all must go back to your friends and families!" I announced I looked at the enemy army as hundreds of magical circles appeared one by one behind the vanguards. I raised Azazel up high as I pointed at the behind the archer''s line where the mages are clustered together "With the power bested on to me (By Alissa), I shall destroy our foes so my allies can go home safe and unscathed! [Obliterate]!" I stabbed Azazel on the ground as a ray of light shot down from the skies "Melphis, cast the enhancement. ARCHERS! DIP YOUR ARROWS IN POISON!" I shouted The ray of light was blocked by a barrier but the barrier didn''t even last for a second and was destroyed as soon as it appeared, I can at least estimate that half or more of their mages died in that attack "FIRE!" I shouted A rain of arrows came from our army, the enemy forces were still dazed from my attack and didn''t react in time. The arrows hit most of the enemies with, the tips penetrating through the armors and scratching most of its victims but it was the poison which did the most damage A greenish light cloaked the enemy forces as they started to recover, they all charged. Tch, no choice! ''Guardian 3! dropped the armor!'' I commanded Guardian 3 who piloting the Mini warden above the skies, the ship was cloaked so it was impossible for the enemy to detect it Behemoth fell from the skies and landed in front of the gate "Meldy, have all of the mages cast a barrier around Alphon city, open the gates! and kill anything that enters!" I shouted out before jumping down ''Lilith, man Behemoth'' I requested ''Got it, connecting to Behemoth'' I arrived on the ground beside Behemoth, Brunhilde was right, there were at least 10 War elephants 20 feet large, they were absurdly huge and was plated with armor. Every step they took shook the ground and the tremors only grew stronger and stronger as they approached, I equipped my M4 that was strapped on my back, I shot down the horsemen who rode through the fields at a much faster pace ''DK manual command input, concentrate energy on the reactive armor'' ''Request acknowledged'' A mechanical voice different from Lilith''s replied ''Connection complete, full control of Behemoth, weapons system activated, defense mechanisms are properly functioning, energy is at 100% Reactive barrier activated, Chainsaw at 100% Railgun modified at 100% 1 minute of continuous energy blast'' Lilith stated ''Good, permission to engage, granted'' I smiled ''Permission received'' The rail gun on the Behemoth''s back moved up and was now on its shoulders, a ray of light was shot out and Lilith immediately swept it, decimating hundreds of the enemy vanguards ''Confirmed kill count 2,790 humans, 9 War elephants, 30 Lion-like Beasts 500 Horses, Railgun is out of energy. Including the 460 death count from earlier, the kill count is now 3,250. Enemies remaining: 1,750 Humans'' Lilith stated monotonously ''Alright, let''s go'' I ran forward, wheels popped up underneath Behemoth''s feet as the thrusters on its back pushed it forward The enemy forces were still advancing forward, what are with these guys? ''Lilith, head count'' ''Enemy forces advancing numbers estimate to at least 500 and 1 War elephant mounted by 4 men'' ''Where are the others? are they retreating?'' ''...Negative'' ''State the reason'' ''I have detected colony activity behind enemy lines as of now using Behemoth''s scanner'' ''What?!'' ''Out of 750 Enemy forces, 300 seems to be infected'' ''By what?'' ''Formars'' ''Any chance they brought other species?'' ''Scanners detect nothing, however, a thorough investigation is advised ''Got it, just ignore these 500 men and head for the back line, kill the formars, let none escape'' ''Orders received, let''s go!'' I jumped up and swung my sword down, I used [Crescent slash] and decimated most of the knights in a straight line, I was falling down as the enemy forces attacked me but I used [Spatial rip] and vanished, I appeared behind them but didn''t even bother to kill them, instead, I just continued dashing forward Behemoth proceeded to tackle the war elephant, it swung its chainsaw, the chainsaw managed to dig its teeth deep into the elephant''s flesh. Lilith revved up the chainsaw''s engine and it started to tear through the elephant''s flesh, the elephant struggled and started to ram its trunk that had a morning star connected to its end but it was a futile attempt In the end, Behemoth grabbed the elephant''s tusk and ripped away before stabbing them right into the elephant''s head, after that, it picked up the lodged chainsaw and with one swing, severed the head from the bodyThis tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ''DK manual command, switch to agility'' ''Command received, switching in 3.. 2.. switch complete'' I dashed through the ashen black field filled with burnt corpses, Behemoth was behind me, the enemy vanguards didn''t even bother to chase us and headed for the city I saw the Formars tearing through most of the archers but I soon discovered a similarity to all of them, they all seem to be priests and priestess, I distinguished them thanks to their clothing "KGH, you worshipers of that damned cult! why have you come here" I heard one of the archers shouted out "HAHA, We are here to kill the Prince!!" The formar infested priest replied as the blades that protruded on its back tore apart the archer It replied, this could only mean... partial transformation, these motherfuckers might''ve struck a deal with a queen and ordered her formars to only transform their bodies into weapons but with a snap of her fingers, the formars can take control of their hosts. In the end, they''re just playing themselves "Die!" I tore the Formar in half as I continued to dash I grabbed one formar and threw it behind me, Behemoth instantly revved up its chainsaw and destroyed it, bones, blood, guts, and pieces of their happiness flew everywhere. The very event drew the attention everyone, fear started to well up inside them Three formars jumped up, sharp bones protruded from their bodies, I sliced one of them in half as my left palm shot out a gamma blast that tore through the head of one the formars, finally, I stopped an attack for my head by grabbing the sharp bone. I pulled the last formar and tossed him back, Behemoth raised his foot and immediately squashed the unlucky formar The Formars all attacked me "You know, the formars in my past was dangerous because they can take hostages or use our equipment but here? You''re just an ant waiting to be crushed!" I dashed forward, braving the enemy charge All of the bones and blades that attacked me was either deflected or broken, their weapons aren''t enough to tear through DK''s armor Our fight was a bloody massacre, I was dyed in blood and guts, Behemoth, on the other hand, was splattered with blood because no formar can get past its chainsaw I saw a golden colored carriage fleeing by the distance, you think you can run away? I activated my thrusters and chased the carriage ''Lilith, you''re responsible here'' ''Order received'' I dashed forward and caught up with the carriage, I blocked their escape as 4 Golden knights attacked me Their blades couldn''t even reach me because my gun killed them "Little cunt of a prince, come out" I stated tyrannically The carriage door opened and out came a fear-stricken prince "W-What do you want?! hurt me and the entire Kingdom will hunt you down!" He threatened "Pathetic, 5000 men died in this war and only less than 500 reached the walls of Alphon city" "NO! THAT''S IMPOSSIBLE! I REFUSE TO BELIEVE IT! I KNOW, I''M DREAMING AREN''T I?!" He started to laugh like an idiot "Crazed cunt" I approached him, the moment I did so, he jumped back in fear I looked at the coachman who looked like a lowly soldier, he had both his hands covering his head I shook my head and slapped the prince, I didn''t even put much strength in it yet he fainted, I took the Spectre stone from his neck and tossed him inside the carriage ''Lilith, how are we there?'' ''I finished investigating and concluded that there''s 0% chance of anymore Colony life forms'' She replied ''Alright, call Guardian 3 and return Behemoth inside mini warden, after that, come back here'' ''Order received'' I killed the coachman and started heading to Alphon city using the carriage ''Guardian 3 to officer Zeno, Behemoth has been safely secured, returning to base'' ''Got it, good work'' I replied I strode through the valley battlefield, burnt ground and flesh visible yet I can''t smell them. I have once again led a massacre but it was them or the people of Arcadia, don''t hate me, I am just protecting the people from you guys This was nothing new to me, heck, I''ve even seen worlds filled with human colonies get decimated I entered the gates and was greeted by a wall of corpses, Brunhilde greeted me with blood splattered all over her body "Damage report" "No one died on our side but a few of them got injured, nothing life-threatening" She replied happily "Great" I nodded "EVERYONE CLEAN UP THIS MESS ALONG WITH ALL THE CORPSES OUTSIDE! JUST DIG A LARGE HOLE AND BURY THEM THERE!" A mass grave is what we need now, we can''t afford to have a disease due to the rotting flesh "YES MY LIEGE!" Everyone shouted out "Melphis, Meldy, Brunhilde, Reina, Shinku, Albert, ARVIS, JARG FRONT ROW!" I ordered Everyone except Brunhilde came running "Arvis and Jarg, take this carriage back to Arcadia castle, take 2 men each, inside is the 1st prince" I ordered as I left the carriage "YES SIR!" They immediately manned the carriage and left "As for the rest of you, grab a horse and come with me" I stated Everyone left and soon came riding a horse, Brunhilde also brought one for me We headed towards the area where we fought off the Formars "What the hell are these?" Melphis stated in disgust as she covered her nose "These are the things you''ll soon be facing, take a good long look because they won''t give you time to be disgusted the next time you meet them" I spoke out "They seem to be priests and priestess... do they worship a good or something?" Albert also noticed their clothings "They seem to be a part of a cult that worships the colony, these guys were just being used, the real thing is much more grotesque, these just have some minor mutations like sharp bone protruding from their backs, arms, chests, and legs, or just hardened skins" I explained "I see, these guys are already horrible to look at" Albert commented Meldy was already throwing up on the side "Still though... what happened here? these cuts didn''t seem to be from a sharp blade like sir Zeno''s instead, it seemed like a blunt blade tore through their bodies... also, some of them were squashed... did that large golem do this?" Reina analyzed "Correct, good investigation Reina" I gave her a thumbs up "But can you identify which ones I killed and which ones I didn''t?" It turned to a game "I can''t guess all of them but I''m betting that those monsters with bodies intact were the ones you killed" Reina replied "50/50, some of them had their bodies while some just turned to pools of blood and meat chunks" I chuckled "These are just pure abominations" Shinku commented "It''s nice to see you guys disgusted... now take a few bones and drag them back to Alphon" I ordered "Why?!" Melphis immediately protested "Albert, shoot your arrows on one of their skins" I requested Albert immediately pulled his bowstring and fired an arrow at one of the severed torso on the ground, the arrow bounced back "See? now Reina, take one of those shattered spiky bone and stab the same torso" Reina took the bone I pointed and stabbed the torso, blood spurted out of the wounds "Understand? their good materials for your weapons, leave the crafting to me" I explained They groaned a bit but in the end, they still took some bones" "Melphis, dig a large hole here" "Give me some space..." Melphis chanted and shot off a water dragon that dug deep into the ground before exploding "Thanks, go back to Alphon, I''ll take care of the rest here" They deserve a good rest, as for me, I''ll just be tossing some corpse in a hole ??? The battle started at 6 am and ended at 9 am, it was recorded to be the fastest large-scale war to end. The corpse cleaning took all day It was in the middle of the night, everyone was drunk in beer and happiness, they danced, they sang. I watched this with a smile on my face, men with large muscles, beards, and scars laughing like 6-year-old girls is really amusing Brunhilde was beating everyone in an arm wrestling challenge, Albert was dancing drunk, Melphis and Meldy was drinking colored water (Juice) while Shinku was eating most of the meat I was on top of the wall, a wine bottle on hand, I turned off my night vision to enjoy the view being lit by the moonlight, the night breeze which I can''t feel on my skin seems to have made its way to my heart, giving me a refreshing feeling, something that gave me a relief from the heated battle that I''ve had. I opened the wine bottle and drank without a cup "Drinking alone? for a strong man, you seem to be lonely" Reina appeared from the shadows "What brings you here? and for the record, I''m not alone" I have Alissa and Cynthia "Just the same as you, being vigilant" She replied "This one''s on me, go and enjoy yourself" I stated "Is that an order?" "It''s a request not as your captain but as your friend" I replied as I tossed the wine bottle to her "Thanks... I will" She smiled and gulped down the wine before running down I''ll just send out some scouts tomorrow to see if there are any more problems if there isn''t, we''re going back to Arcadia Entry no. 81 Before I went to get some rest, I ordered Albert who was sober to go scout out, with him was Reina and a bunch of soldiers. I headed to our tent and laid down on the cold hard wooden bed, it 6 am in the morning and the city was loitered with bodies of drunk soldiers while the others were busy dragging the said drunk to different tents. They had too much too drink An hour passed and I heard someone calling out "Sir Zeno, an emergency" I grumbled as I stood up, I still want some sleep I opened the cloth door and saw a scout from Albert and Reina''s party "What''s wrong?" I asked He doesn''t seem to be wounded so what could the emergency be? "We found a runaway guild, they seek shelter in our Kingdom, I know that all guilds have left Arcadia but is it okay to let them in?" He asked According to Cynthia, during the coup, in their final attempt, they tried to hire as many adventurers as they can but all of the guilds turned down their offer. Cynthia is the queen, so in the end, it''s her decision but checking it out won''t be a problem right? "Write a letter to the Queen" I ordered before heading for the northern walls where the said Guild was waiting outside the gates I arrived and saw Albert and Reina just beside the gates with their weapons in hand "Sir Zeno! we''ve been having trouble with these guys, they keep saying they know the Queen and the royal knight" Reina stated "Really? lower the gates then, I''d like to meet them" I nodded The guard pulled a lever as a slow monotonous sound of chain clanking can be heard I was able to see who the people was and to my surprise, it was Lea and the rest "What the? what are you guys doing here?" I asked "We''re here because we''re wanted back in the other kingdom" Lea smiled "...I''m sorry for pulling you guys into our problems" I bowed "Hey, raise your head, I wouldn''t be able to forgive you if we lost a member''s life, let''s be thankful that hasn''t happened" Lea patted my back "Then please, come in" I replied "You heard the man! let''s go!" Lea shouted as the carriage which was being manned by Marcus, started moving I haven''t really noticed until they entered the city but it seems like there was a second and a third carriage, the second was being led by Rick while the third was being manned by Fujo. The three carriages all entered and the gate was once again raised, everyone inside the carriage stepped out. Liralei, Rick, Ella, and Fujo... Liliana, Marcus, and Lea "It''s been a long time" I stated "Good to see that you''re still kicking" Rick patted my back "Good to see that my darling is still alive~" Fujo raised one foot as his right arm rested on his waist while the other had formed a peace sign over his eyes "Gole- ahem* it''s great that you''re still alive" Liliana nodded "I''m so happy!" Liralei had tears streaking down her eyes "Uhn" Ella only nodded "Good to see that you''re still well" Marcus smiled "Yeah, long time no see" Lea chuckled "Come on, I''ll lead you to an empty house, you guys must''ve had a rough journey" I started walking "Hey~ I''m still here you know~" I heard a familiar voice I looked back and the first carriage''s door opened, there I saw Astarotia in her red dress "What the?!" I was surprised "Awwww~ aren''t you happy to see me~" She smiled sweetly as she locked her arms around mine "*sigh* We kinda met her on our way here... she kinda helped us out a lot during tough times so Zeno... as a member of Aegis... please compensate her" Lea stated as she looked away while scratching her cheek "Compensate her with what?" I still have tons of money "Your body~" Astarotia puckered her lips "Haha... no" I pushed her lips away but I didn''t break away from her That was the best I can do to thank her "Awww~ oh well, I''m happy like this" Astarotia smiled I led them to an empty inn in the center of the city, good thing I had the medic crew clean this place up Everyone just laid down on their beds and instantly fell asleep, I asked the soldiers to take the horses inside the stable while their stuff is to be left on the building''s first floor. I quietly left as to not disturb their rest, I met with Reina "Anything else?" I asked "Nothing sir, we spotted no movements from at least 5 kilometers away" She reported "Good job, relay this to everyone, Alphon city will remain as a military stronghold, No civilian is to return here until further notice" I statedThis story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "I will" Reina left We captured the prince so it''s only logical for the King to go after him, I''ll leave the guards stationed here. I returned to my bed and went to sleep till late in the afternoon, I was woken up by the sound of clamor I hurriedly ran outside only to find out that Astarotia and Shinku was fighting, I immediately got in between them "What the hell is going on here?" I asked "S-She wanted to... molest master as he slept..." Shinku stated with embarrassment "You what?" I am utterly speechless "I mean... we''ve been far away from each other..." Astarotia didn''t even try to deny it "Shinku, good job. Astarotia, you do know that there''s a limit to everything" I stated "But-" She tried to talk back "But? depending on what you say here, I''ll cut off my connections with you" "I-I am very sorry, I will control myself from now on" She apologized "*sigh* Really?" "Yes!" "If it was the past, I would''ve enjoyed your company... too bad I''m already engaged" I chuckled as I entered the tent The cloth door shut the world outside as I laid down on my bed and soon enough, I heard a scream "WHAT?!" It was Astarotia''s I could only chuckle as I requested Lilith to play some acoustic music from the 2000''s I heard rumbling outside but after a while, everything calmed down and I was allowed to rest It was 7 pm when I left the tent, it was dark outside with only the moon and torches as our source of light. "Albert, anything happened while I slept?" I asked "Aside from a woman''s rampage, nothing" He reported "That so? well, prepare because we''re heading back home" I chuckled "Really? but what about the other soldiers?" He asked "They''re all staying here in Alphon city for a month, if we confirm from our spies that there''s no army coming to forcefully retake the prince then we would love to negotiate peacefully" I explained "And after that''s done, everyone will head back home right?" "That''s the plan" "Got it, I''ll go tell the others" He walked away I was just outside the tent, I started heading for the northern wall, I went up and felt the cold breeze. ''Lilith, connect to Alissa'' ''Connecting...'' ''*Beep* Alissa here, whatsup?'' ''Hey, I got the prince, did you guys get him safely?'' I asked ''Yeah, we got him, in a very embarrassing state'' ''What?'' ''He kept crying the entire time and when Cynthia threatened him, he went and pissed his pants, I mean seriously'' ''Damn, I feel sorry for the guy who had to clean that up'' I replied ''Well enough of that, how are things there?'' ''We''re going home tomorrow, also... I have a specter stone'' ''What? how?'' ''It doesn''t end there... the specter stone is Vicereine''s'' ''You... what?!'' Vicereine has always been a sensitive subject, finding something that can only be found in our timeline here and also finding that it belonged to our deceased friend is really too much to take in ''I... I need some... company'' Alissa replied, I can feel sadness and pain in her voice Vicereine and Alissa were the best buds, they would always share stuff together, they practically grew up together and considered each other sisters ''I know, that''s why I''m coming home'' ''Please come home faster'' ''I will'' I cut off the connection and stared at the dark empty field, it was still barren due to the last fight, a few flies were attracted but couldn''t seem to find the corpse ''Lilith... can you loosen the locks on my chest a bit'' I requested ''...done'' Dk chest plate opened up a bit, I pulled out my old dog tag. I raised it up as it let out a clanking sound It was my dog tag, it was roughed up in all places and beside it was Vicereine''s, hers were much cleaner and was in a better state a sharp contrast compared to my roughed up dog tag ''Zeno... I have a recording... you must see'' Lilith broke the silence ''A recording? sure, why not'' I agreed My monitor went dark, at first, all I heard was static but the darkness slowly vanished and I soon saw Vicereine Blood dripping down her head and mouth What the hell is this? ''Zeno... I love you'' She confessed as she took off my helmet What? this is just... why? all these time I thought she was kind to everyone because she was our captain The camera was on DK so she laid it on the floor, I still have a full view of my body leaning against the wall, two Bee king stinger sticking out of my chest. Vicereine snuggled close to me and kissed my mouth. Her red lips left a bloody mark ''I wanted you to at least be awake when I do this... it''s my first kiss you know'' She chuckled yet I saw tears run down her cheeks She picked up the camera and showed me the corpse of the King along with a bomb ''The bomb is set to explode in 60 seconds, I managed to grab the mini blackhole cube from Mirigai''s weapon development department, although it''s still a prototype. I''ll bet our chances on this one'' She pulled out a cube with a small button on top of it ''I have to do this, you won''t survive for long but I already called the medical team, all that''s left is to take care of this bomb but if I fail... at least I get to die with you... pretty selfish right? But if it works... please live and find love'' Vicereine struggled to raise her AWP railgun before blasting off a hole in the wall, everything was starting to get sucked out ''...Seriously Zeno...'' She kept saying some stuff but the vacuum of space caused it to be inaudible She pushed the bomb out before dragging the King''s corpse, she jumped out and used the King''s corpse as a plug to stop the suction ''Recording 02 of November 13th end'' Lilith''s voice snapped back to reality I see... I once again looked at Vicereine''s dog tag, the pain of loss flooded back Don''t worry Vicereine, I already have Alissa and Cynthia... you can feel relieved I spoke to myself as tears flowed down my eyes, my thoughts swirled around her words. What did she feel as she pushed the bomb into space, I don''t want to think about but my imagination just won''t stop I kept wiping the tears yet why won''t it stop? I try to think of happy memories but when I do, she was mostly in all of them. Alissa gave me my life and Vicereine taught me emotions when I thought I wouldn''t feel them anymore ''Hey Lilith...'' ''Yes Zeno?'' ''Do you feel sadness?'' ''I apologize however, I lack the chemical which the brain produces when humans feel ''Sadness'''' ''Is that so?'' ''Yes but we were programmed to feel ''Irritated'' like seeing a problem we can''t solve'' ''I see... then Lilith, tell me what you feel'' ''Irritation'' ''How so?'' ''Your emotions is on a very dangerous level and yet I have no idea how to help'' ''Really? then follow my instructions, it should help'' ''Please state the said remedy'' ''Play all of my saved memories with Vicereine, all the good times we''ve had'' ''I''ve found the said folder... I hope this will help even though my predictions only show this being more harmful than helpful'' ''Thanks'' It started with our first mission together, everyone was hurt and I only kept belittling their lack of abilities. Vicereine didn''t take it well and it caused us to have a fight, A swordsman versus a sniper, the match was decided before it even began, I won yet I feel that I''ve lost, looking at the tired woman in front of me. As an apology, I asked her out, I wanted to buy her something that she liked but in the end, she dragged me around all day At first I thought ''How can a woman spend so much?'' she literally blew through all of my savings but by the end of the day I seem to have noticed that she has such a radiant smile, sure it took me all day but at least I still noticed it (even though she smiled so much the entire day) We soon started to hang out, she asked me to train with her which I usually reject but after some constant talking and a whole lot of blackmailing, I agreed once. That once soon started to become occasional until it turned into an everyday routine Little did I know that my every day of ruthless training started turning into a light work out, she made me smile with her witty remarks. I always moved forward with the mindset to terminate the colony but she started changing that She always reminded me to protect instead of destroy, to be calm instead of chaotic... yet in the end, I couldn''t protect, in the end, I couldn''t be calm. When I lost her, all the lessons she taught me vanished, I charged the enemy colony the moment I found the opportunity. Thinking back then, she would''ve ripped out my arm and used it to slap me... I''m okay with that as long as she would be there... wishful thinking I drowned myself in the cold night breeze, the darkness and loneliness the night provided, and the all the emotions that came with opening a scar of the past I kept crying the entire night, Lilith would occasionally try to speak every now and then but in the end, she wouldn''t finish her sentence Before I noticed it, the sun has started to rise as everyone in my party started carrying their stuff out of the tent and into the carriage that was prepared I stood up with a grunt and lifelessly started walking, I feel so drained Entry no. 82 We all set out, Lea, Marcus, and everyone from Aegis also traveled with us. I was on the leading carriage and beside me was Albert, he was holding the reins. "...o?" "...no?" "Sir Zeno?" I heard Albert''s voice so I turned my head "I''m sorry, were you saying something?" I asked "I was asking if we could set up lunch here, it''s already 12" He replied I looked around, I noticed that we were surrounded by patches of grass, Albert was pointing at a large tree which provided a nice cover from the sun "Yeah, why don''t you guys go ahead, I feel kinda under the weather right now" I replied "If you say so" Albert left the carriage and notified everyone They all took out the necessary stuff for preparing lunch while I went inside the carriage, it was empty since they were cooking food outside. I laid down and just shut my eyes ??? "Hey, Sir Zeno has been a bit unresponsive" Albert spoke to Brunhilde "Hm? what do you mean?" Brunhilde asked "I kept talking to him the entire trip but he was just looking at the road, I thought he was being vigilant but I just found out that it wasn''t the case" "I see, I would also think so since that guy is practically the most cautious person I know... but what would trouble him to the point that he''s letting his guard down" Brunhilde stated as she started thinking "Aren''t you overthinking it? maybe he''s just sick or something" Melphis butted in "I hope that''s the case" Lea also spoke out "Oh! wait here" Brunhilde ran off to the back of the carriage, she opened her bag and took out the Nexus helm. She hid where no one could see her and connected the radio to Alissa She tried calling but after a few calls, there was no reply so Brunhilde decided to call Cynthia instead ''Hey there Brunhilde'' Cynthia replied to her call ''Oh good, Zeno has been a bit out of it during our trip back to Arcadia castle, I''ve tried calling Alissa but she hasn''t responded''The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ''What do you mean out of it? is he sick or something?'' ''I don''t know, I''ll try asking'' ''I''ll be waiting'' Brunhilde removed the helmet and peeked inside the carriage, she saw Zeno laying on the seats, asleep. ''He seems to be sleeping, maybe he really is sick'' ''Okay, please let him rest, I''ll go and ask Alissa later'' ''Alright, wait a minute, aren''t you busy?'' ''I''m currently taking a break in my room, it''s a good thing I saw the Nexus armor blinking'' ''I see... wait, Zeno stood up'' Brunhilde quickly moved outside the carriage and observed as Zeno walked out, he dashed forward and without warning, hacked his sword down at an empty spot near the tree "Sir Zeno, what are you doing?!" Albert was first to react as he moved in to stop Zeno "You''ll see" Zeno replied as he grabbed something and smashed it to the ground, the ground seemed to have caved in and little by little, a form of a creature was seen. It was seen a manaleon, everyone was surprised. The manaleon spewed out blood from his mouth "Will you be more cooperative than your other friends?" Zeno asked, there was a coldness in his tone that none of the people who knew him ever heard "To hell with you" The manaleon chuckled "I can say the same to you" Zeno aimed his palm at the manaleon before his palm discharged a bluish light that disintegrated the head of the manaleon "I''m a bit out of it today, sorry to have shown you guys a disgusting sight during your break time" Zeno apologized before returning to the carriage Everyone was stunned and could only recover when the door to the carriage was closed ''Cynthia... There is something definitely up with Zeno today'' But there was no reply, Brunhilde called out a few more times until Cynthia replied ''I''m sorry, I tried to talk with Alissa but the door to her room was locked, also Guardian said that Alissa seems to be a bit tired and wants to be left alone'' Cynthia explained ''*sigh* why don''t you try talking to Zeno himself, aren''t you guys close?'' ''I will do that'' Brunhilde took off her helmet and returned it before going back to the group who was discussing something "Well? what happened?" Albert was first to ask "I have no idea but someone is going to talk to him soon, I just hope that Zeno will open up to her" Brunhilde replied "Tch, Zeno is a bit down! it''s my job to go relieve him!" Astarotia quickly moved and ran inside the carriage Shinku tried to stop her but Brunhilde grabbed her "I''m a bit interested in what she can do" Brunhilde stated with a smile "But master is..." Shinku kept pointing at the carriage with a saddened face "Ah..." Brunhilde came to a realization before apologizing "I''m sorry, I thought you were going to stop Astarotia, my bad!" It''s been seconds since Astarotia entered the carriage but she wasn''t kicked out which was weird for the group Brunhilde moved in and peeked, to her surprise, she saw Zeno''s head resting on top of Astarotia''s lap. Brunhilde perked her ears up and listened to their conversation "What are you doing?" Zeno asked "I''m comforting you, what else" Astarotia replied with a smile "I-" Zeno paused for a bit "Was my gloominess that obvious?" "Most of us here have never seen you so gloomy before so we were sure something was up" "I see, I apologize for worrying you" Zeno stated "You don''t have to be, in fact, it''s kind of a relief you know? seeing someone as strong as you actually having worries" "That''s just rude, I''m a human being too you know" Astarotia chuckled before continuing "Didn''t seem like that in the past" "*Sigh* I don''t even have the energy to deal with you" Zeno for the first time, resigned to his fate "If you could only be like this, it would be so much more easier on me" Astarotia chuckled as she patted Zeno''s head which was still wearing his helmet Entry no. 83 The group soon decided to keep moving, the women all went back inside the carriage as Albert manned the horses alone, inside the carriage, Shinku kept staring daggers at Astarotia who was enjoying the now asleep Zeno on her lap while the other women only kept silent in order not to disturb the sleep of their captain, it was a silent ride for everyone. The sun was starting to set when they stopped in a clearing, there were no forest nor villages nearby. Albert, Melphis, and Meldy set up the tents while Shinku and Astarotia kept watch. Brunhilde and Reina gathered woods for the fire, they managed to collect nothing and in the end, just used dried up grass and some spare woods tied behind the carriage, they all roasted some meat skewers for dinner. They wanted their captain to eat with them but surprisingly, he was still asleep, so after eating, Albert, with the help of Brunhilde and Shinku, carried the heavily armored captain to his and Albert''s tent In the middle of the night, Brunhilde couldn''t sleep so she went out of her and Reina''s tent to enjoy the night sky. She kept contemplating about their captain''s behavior, him being so gloomy for the first time, she didn''t what to do. How to cheer him up? what would make him happy? it was these questions that made her doubt if she really knew Zeno, and to be honest, she has no idea about him at all, only that he is strong and kind "Can''t sleep?" Brunhilde heard a voice from behind, she looked back and discovered Astarotia, holding a mug filled with hot tea "How did you even brew that?" She asked "I''m a fire mage remember?" Astarotia chuckled as she sat beside her and sipped her tea "Hey, you like Zeno right?" Brunhilde asked Astarotia "Yeah" Astarotia replied "Then, tell me, what do you know about the man you like" Brunhilde asked "To be honest, I haven''t even seen his face" Astarotia chuckled "Well at least tell me how you came to like him" "Well, when I first saw him, I was curious, his armor, his weapon, everything about him was different from the rest but with interaction, I noticed that he seemed a bit of a soldier" "What do you mean a soldier?" "Have you seen soldiers?"A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Of course I have" "Then what can you say about them?" "They''re people who trained to protect the city and its people from harm" "That is correct but Zeno? when he fought, I felt similar determination coming from him, only, it was like he was desperate" "Desperate?" "Yes, he always wanted to win, to not lose, that is something I can see as a flaw" "I kind of... don''t see it that way" Brunhilde replied as she thought to herself ''Astarotia was correct that Zeno is desperate but the reason is different'' "Oh? how so?" "You say that he doesn''t want to lose correct? is it because of the saying you can never win without losing? or is it the saying that failure is the mother of success. Either way, I only think that Zeno has already failed and lost so many things that he no longer wants to lose anymore" Brunhilde gave Astarotia a piece of her mind "I see... if you put it that way, it does make sense... Umu, it seems I was wrong about you after all, tell me, did he show you his face?" "Uhmm that..." Brunhilde paused as she thought of a reason but before she can even reply, Astarotia followed up "It''s okay, it must really mean he trusts you, I too am curious as to what he looks like but I''ll be happier if he shows it to me himself" Astarotia smiled "You know, if you weren''t being so difficult..." Brunhilde murmured "What was that?" Astarotia asked "Nothing, nothing at all" "*sigh* if he were to accept me, I''d rather show him who I am so that when he accepts me, I''ll know that he''s accepted me" "You thought this through" Brunhilde stated "What does that suppose to mean, muscle-headed ex-Royal Guard captain" "Nothing at all miss analyzer and seducer of the 13 council" "Well, it''s about time we head back to sleep, we still have a lot of stuff to do tomorrow" Brunhilde stood up "You mean sitting around the carriage right?" Astarotia patted her rear "It''s hard work you know" "Indeed it is" Astarotia replied as the two women headed off different directions ??? I woke up at 5 am, the usual time. I kept moping yesterday but I feel much better now, I talked with Cynthia last night and she kept asking me what the problem was, she was my soon to be bride and we''ve been together for so long so I told her a bit of my past involving Vicereine, she understood what Alissa and I felt and she cheered me up. I am grateful to her for doing so. It was only half a days journey till we reach Arcadia kingdom, I walked out of my tent and stretched. "Oh, not feeling gloomy anymore I see" I heard Astarotia comment "Yeah, thanks for cheering me up yesterday" I replied "You don''t have to thank me for anything, I did it because I wanted to" She smiled sweetly "I don''t know how to respond to that" I honestly don''t "Then, come and love me" She opened up her arms and kept beckoning me for an embrace "Hahaha" I laughed before monotonously saying "No" "No fair~" Astarotia puffed her cheeks "So early" I heard someone yawn, I looked and saw Lea "Morning" I called out to her "Oh hey, mornin, it''s so early in the morning and your already arguing?" Lea stated as she rubbed her eyes "Lover''s quarrel~" Fujo peeked out from his and Rick''s tent and happily commented "Nope, I''m already engaged sooo" I looked at Astarotia before continuing with a grin "I can''t be with Astarotia" "No!!" Astarotia had her hands on her head and shouted out Entry no. 84 Peaceful, it was so peaceful, we passed by so many little villages under our protection, in each village, improvement can be obviously seen, the people''s faces that used to be dreary and malnourished seemed to have improved. I am really happy that their conditions and lifestyle are improving. The people who saw our carriage that carried the symbol of Arcadia started kneeling, I am not accustomed to it so it felt weird, the only thing I could do was imagine that it was their way of giving a salute, something I''m more familiar with. We''ve arrived sooner than I expected, the gates Arcadia welcomed us, the moment it did, I was greeted with a festive mood. A huge band of bards using different instruments welcomed us to a loud yet harmonious sound, the people kept throwing rose petals as we passed by the streets. Is there an ongoing festival? I asked myself that question but the cheers from the crowd said otherwise "The Royal Knight fought off a massive army! with him on our Kingdom, those greedy bastards won''t be able to lay their hands on our beloved land anymore!" A man shouted as he energetically threw rose petals from the rooftop of his home "Long live Arcadia!" Another woman wept as she threw petals "Oh? Zeno is a Royal Knight? interesting" Astarotia stared at me, I think she''s realized something, that''s why her eyes were so inquisitive "Hey cap''n, your guildmates are so overwhelmed!" Melphis grinned as she pointed at Lea and the others'' carriage It is true that the coachmen were a bit shy, even Rick who was usually narcissistic is now hiding his face in embarrassment but there''s always someone different, that''s right, Lea was standing on top of the carriage and was waving the Aegis flag while advertising our guild Marcus tried to pull her down but she nagged at him and forced him to advertise along with her I could only chuckle at the sight of this This scene kept going until we reached Arcadia castle, the steel gates lowered and formed a bridge across the small lake around the castle, we strode in. Cynthia was there, waiting for us so I immediately left the carriage and kneeled in front of her, she is the Royal Queen "Rise my Knight" She spoke out, this really feels different, she''s usually acting the way she likes when she''s around us but right now she''s just covered in the air of royalty, guess I found a new side of her I stood up, amidst the stares of so many nobles and guards "Let us give our people a festival, a day to celebrate not only our freedom but also to enjoy the fact that we will never be under their clutches again!" She announced All of the nobles, fat or thin, tall or small, bearded or not started clapping. "Tonight, there will be a royal feast! everyone is invited, tell the chefs to start cooking, also call all of the local chefs to help us out so that we can achieve this feat" Cynthia stated "But my Queen, inviting everyone is a bit..." One of the nobles spoke out "I did say invite everyone, yes? if you''re worried about the space then don''t worry, all of the nobles shall feast in the royal castle while everyone will enjoy themselves in the garden" Cynthia explained "I-I see, I am sorry to have doubted your decision my Queen" The man backed out while rubbing both his hands "Cynthia... what about the secret ship and Alissa''s lab, aren''t they located around the Garden?" I whisperedThe story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "I''ve already posted guards there that will stop anyone from entering" She replied with a whisper "I see, thanks" "It''s alright, go and see Alissa, I''ll talk to Guildmaster and the others" "Alright, see you then" I walked away without anyone noticing and quickly headed for the lab, the security has gone much more sophisticated than the last time I was here. There was actually a Nikola Death Ray here, although it was hidden and deactivated, once it''s turned on, no living thing can enter the lab. I passed through all security checks such as eye scan and voice analyzers without a hitch and soon arrived at the underground Alissa lab I went to her room and saw Alissa there, typing something on her laptop "You''re finally here" Alissa stopped what she was doing and closed the laptop "I''m sorry it took so long" I apologized and hugged her "No, I''m as long as you''re back, everything is fine" I heard her whimper for a bit "Here, take a look at the stone" From the pockets on my belt, I pulled out the Specter stone Alissa carefully took it and stared at it before looking at me, I can see tears forming in her eyes "No, I can''t, not yet" She wiped her eyes and looked at me, she''s resolved but the question is what? what caused her to have resolve "I need to show you something" She pulled out of the room and inside the lab "Do you see this?" Alissa pointed at a large transparent tube I looked at it and inside was a weird creature, octopus-ish but it strangely had some exoskeleton on its back, also, instead of suction cups on its tentacles, it had hooks much like of cockroach "This is a mind-eater, a very rare demon. I''ve asked Alissa for information concerning the monsters and demons of this world, she searched through their library and used her authority as a queen to open up hidden archives, in the end, she got me this, a demonology book, an incomplete record of demons in the past recorded by warriors and scribes of the Arcadia kingdom" Alissa showed me a book that had an animal''s skin for cover, it was brown, something leathery but there were no words on the cover just plain brown. She flipped it and showed me a drawing of the said creature, I read its name and its description "A monster of unknown origin, it has appeared time and time again in order to eat the brains of any intelligent creature so that they will know what their prey did, for something that looks like an octopus, they use their spiky tentacles to move swiftly on land, they jump on their unsuspecting prey and wrap their tentacles all over their target''s head. After that, a tube-ish spike will protrude from its rear and will stab itself on the target''s head. It will suck out the brain before jumping off and hiding in the darkness, digesting the knowledge it has taken before targeting another" After reading it, I spoke out what I thought was weird "Unknown origin? how come they haven''t discovered its origin?" I asked "That''s because they''re not from this world or should I say, Timeline" "What?" I realized something, the reason that thing looked so familiar but I hoped it wasn''t true "Zeno, we didn''t go to another world, we went back in time, that mind eater is the first generation of the Formars" Alissa explained "And the colony?" If we went back in time... then what about the colony? "I have a theory for it, listen to this. A monster, most probably a bug class, have come in contact with a radioactive chemical from one of our crashed ships that caused it to mutate" Alissa stated "And here''s the second, my loop theory. Perhaps the queens now are what they call the founders, in the colony, there was a legend that there were queens who fought amongst each other, they ravaged any living creature they came in contact with, their war grew and caused the planet itself to die due to their toxins. The planet exploded and pieces of its land scattered throughout their galaxy, some microbes, frozen in Ice, might''ve followed their genetic makeup and with Darwin''s law of natural selection, started to adapt to whichever hell they landed" "Which do you think is truer?" I asked "To be honest, I''m betting my chances on my first theory, the time loop theory is too much for me because if it was true, shouldn''t the colony cease to exist? I mean, you can''t give birth from the future to the past" "But... on the slight chance that it really was the 2nd theory... does this mean that everything will just recreate itself in the future?" "I really hope not... I''m hoping that we are the monkey wrench thrown in this entire loop" "A monkey wrench huh? I... I really am not good with this sciency stuff" I wracked my head but nothing seemed to make sense anymore "I know... that''s why you should just concentrate on doing what you do best and I''ll do my own stuff, your battles are just as equally hard as my struggle to find an answer" Alissa paused for a bit as she leaned her head on my chest and continued "We support each other our relationship is perfect if you ask me" "I couldn''t agree more" We both hugged each other, the Specter stone on the table, the first generation of formars in that tube, there''s just so much going on yet the woman in front of me, she could grab all of my attention with a single motion while washing away all of my worries with a single loving gesture Nothing makes sense but at least I''m sure of one thing There''s no way in hell I''m going to allow anyone close to me to face danger Entry no. 85 Reunion Alissa and I talked to each other until noon, surprisingly, no one disturbed us. I think I should thank Cynthia later for giving us this opportunity I wanted to talk more with Alissa but in the end, I had to leave her lab and attend the feast that was going to happen just this evening. I headed for Cynthia''s throne room and saw here there I kneeled and greeted her "All of you leave us alone" She stated, all of the guards, the maids, and the nobles left "I said all of you" She repeated herself and dark shadows left the room "Are we clear?" Cynthia asked me "Yup, no one''s here except us" I stood up and walked closer, I hugged her tight as I spoke to her ear "Thanks for everything" She hugged me back as she replied "You don''t have to thank me" "I know I don''t but still, saying it out is much better than keeping quiet, isn''t it?" "Yes" She nodded her head "How''s the preparation of the feast going?" I asked "Everything''s doing fine, although I am troubled by a news that the spy I sent out reported to me just this lunch" "What is it?" "According to the spy, the Kingdom and Church both sent out a spy, to be more specific, the Kingdom sent 3 people while the church sent out 1" "Really? have you tracked them?" I asked "No, I must say they''re quite skilled, all of the people I sent to follow them has stopped reporting" "I see, where''s the last location they''ve been seen?" "The last place was when they left their border" "I''ll see what I can do" It''s going to be hard to go from only that "Thank you but for now, let''s concentrate on the feast, let''s go and prepare" Cynthia pulled me by the hand and we headed for her room Inside her room, gowns and dresses were everywhere from sparkly white to gloomy black, she started picking, she took off her royal gown, although she was still wearing a corset and underwear, I still turned back "You do know I''m here right?" I asked "Yes, and as for my body, we''re going to be married anyway so you''re free to look" She mischievously laughed and continued picking a dress I normally don''t see this side of her so why not indulge it? For the first time in a long while, I followed my manly desires and watched Cynthia change, every move she made was to seduce me. I enjoyed every moment of it, She finished changing from her white royal dress to a sunflower yellow. As for me, I refuse to remove my armor she only drapped a yellow cape around my neck. We were now ready and we moved out. We walked down a floor where we can have a full view of the feast going on inside the castle, also, if move out to the veranda, it would provide us an unobstructed sight of the people enjoying the feast outside. It was our job to announce to start off the feast outside since the nobles have already started mingling with each other and started eating the food. Cynthia walked out, I followed behind her. All eyes were on Cynthia as she started to give a speech, Cynthia also told me to give a speech for our victory at the war at Alphon city. "The fight could never have been won without the efforts of everyone, to everyone who works tirelessly for the sake of Arcadia Kingdom, I thank you" Is what I said in my speech Everyone cheered as they chanted "Long live Arcadia!" The feast started and they all went at it, no holds barred. A commotion occurred inside the castle, all the nobles seem to have been attracted to something but I can''t really see what it is since I was standing beside Cynthia who was now sitting on a throne that was moved from the throne room to the second floor Soon the person of interest showed herself, it was Astarotia. She seductively moved with her velvet red dress, each action catches the eyes of the male nobles while the ladies were murmuring to themselves, seemingly badmouthing Astarotia.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She made her way towards us and she bowed, "Hello there Queen Cynthia" "Astarotia, I heard you''ve come with the Aegis Guild, I thank you for taking good care of them during their travels" Cynthia replied "Oh, it''s nothing really, hey, it seems that you guys wear matching outfits" Astarotia smiled, her eyes weren''t "Yes, so it would seem" Cynthia coldly answered "I heard Zeno was engaged, don''t tell me it was you" Astarotia knew that kicking around the bush would be a waste of energy so she cut to the point "Let''s go honey" Out of nowhere, a hand held mine, I looked and it was Alissa She also wore a yellow dress, her hair that was usually messy was now fixed in a ponytail, the nape of her neck that I don''t usually see was shown everytime her hair swayed, it was wonderful "Is it alright if I walk around with Zeno?" Alissa looked at Cynthia Cynthia could warmly smile and nod her head, Astarotia was thrown off course, she thought that I was engaged with Cynthia, which I really am, but now thinks that Alissa is the one I''m engaged with, which is also true Alissa pulled me around and we both enjoyed eating the food I heard a beep and Alissa quickly pulled out a sensor from her small pouch, she looked at it before pressing a button and relaying a message. "Send it to Zeno" "Send what?" I asked "A report, it seems that Guardian 1 who is walking around in the shadows, has detected presences which he deemed hostile" "I see" I received the report that a group of five men and one woman was currently hidden amongst the crowd outside, I looked at the photo that Guardian 1 took and noticed that the men dressed arrogantly, most of them had a sword hanging on either their waist or on their back. The woman though was different, she wore a cape that covered her entire body, I can''t seem to see any weapon on her thanks to the cape ''Keep surveying them and have Guardian 2 do your job'' I ordered out ''Roger-'' Guardian 1 replied but I heard a swish at the end of it, like a gust of air hit him ''Guardian 1, respond, respond Guardian 1'' I continued to contact him, Alissa noticed something was wrong and stood closely ''I have met with some resistance, the men are no problem but the woman-'' the transmission was cut off from there and I already knew something bad has happened ''Guardian 3 bring me Azazel and Silver edge, Guardian 4, escort Alissa back to her lab, Guardian 5 watch over Cynthia!'' I ordered out as I ran towards Cynthia, I told her the situation and she also started moving, Cynthia and Alissa will be moving back to Alissa''s lab where it is safe ''Lilith, display the map and mark the location where Guardian 1 is!'' I requested ''Got it!'' The map was displayed, it showed where I was, where Alissa, Cynthia, and all the Guardians were, they were all moving quickly except for 1, it said G1. Guardian 1, I hope nothing bad has happened to him. The location was just outside the city walls, it''s good that it''s outside where there was no one since everyone in the city went to the feast, I ran towards the gate, the guardsmen were baffled by my sudden arrival but nonetheless opened the gates for me. I kept running and soon noticed Guardian 2 running on top of the rooftops, I stopped and he gave me the two swords "Thanks, now go above the walls, scout the area for any more hostiles" I ordered I continued running and soon saw Guardian 1 on the ground, the right arm was torn off, its eyes flickered red and with as oil dripped from his right shoulder "Escape, go back to the others and get yourself patched up" I was maddened, the 5 men were playing around with his torn hand "Hello there Royal Knight, I heard you were strong" One of the men smiled as he threw the torn robotic arm towards me, I caught it and laid it carefully on the ground before pulling out Azazel "Nah, it''s just rumors, I don''t know what magic he used but basing from the thing that dripped off the other thing''s arm, I''m guessing he isn''t human" Another guy spoke out "So you think he''s a demon?" They kept bantering on, I didn''t even care, I watched them carefully. They tore Guardian 1''s arm, something that only an elite class bug can do "Enough of this, let''s just kill the Royal Knight and recover the prince" One of the men stopped the banter before pulling out his sword and running towards me But their movement was slow, he attacked but it was a random slash, it wasn''t aimed at any part of my vital organ. Maybe a feint? a distraction? I took my eyes off him for a second and looked at the other four, they only seem to be standing there I got fed up and punched him in the stomach before throwing him towards the other four, they caught him before they pulled out their swords and running towards me. They kept attacking but... did they really defeat Guardian 1 with this level of combat power? One man tried to stab me on my back but I moved to the side and grabbed his head before smashing his face on the ground, I pulled off his head along with his spine before crushing it. The sight was horrendous, the other four was shocked which I used to my advantage. I charged, they responded with an angry roar which was drowned by the festive shouts from the feast. They all attacked at once, I stabbed one of the men as the other three attacked me with their swords, their swords bounced off my armor and even cracked. I tore the man in half before grabbing the other two by the neck and shooting off a gamma ray which disintegrated their heads as their necks shoot off a spray of blood. The last guy collapsed and started crawling back, he was the guy who played with Guardian 1''s arm. I picked up Guardian 1''s arm and used it to slap the guy "Who are you?" I asked "I-I am a spy from the King!" He immediately replied "A spy from the King? I thought there was three" "T-The other two were spies that we met up with at the border!" He explained but I notice a grin on his mouth ''Zeno! energy blast heading your way! move away!'' Lilith warned I immediately jumped to the side, I saw a bluish energy blast hit the man and leave a large hole in his stomach, Lilith warned me of an another attack. I activated Azazel''s energy coating and blocked the energy blast with Azazel The sun has already set and my surroundings were starting to get dark, I was about to turn my night vision on when Lilith immediately turned maxed out my energy barrier. I heard a ping on my shoulder, I turned to the side The cape on her back swayed with the wind The bluish Valkyrie01 armor gave off a neon blue glow contrary to my DK''s red A familiar face, even if it was covered by her mask, even if her hair was cut short. The glow of those eyes, I will never forget them Vicereine? Entry no. 86 I took a step forward *ping* another shot hit my chest but was deflected by the energy barrier "Vicereine, you''re alive" *ping* I took another step forward *ping* "Why are you shooting me, I''m your ally" *ping* I moved closer and closer She pressed something on her gauntlets I saw a bluish energy head my way, it''s from one of the windows of the houses, it''s Vicereine''s customized hybrid rail-AWP gun, it has an immobilized function where it can be left somewhere and be remotely controlled I swung Azazel and destroyed the shot "Vicereine, come on, we''ve missed you, both Alissa and I" I held out my hand towards her She moved her hands and two energy claws appeared from her hands, she swung them and my left arm was grazed "No, it is you who must come with me, let''s go back to the Kingdom" She held out her hand Back to the Kingdom? why? did they perhaps fool Vicereine into thinking that Arcadia is evil? alright, I''ll go with her back to the Kingdom, I''ll convince her that she''s being fooled and pull her back here I was about to reach out to her hand when Astarotia shot a fireball "The church''s holy maiden and dark stalker, what are you doing here?" Astarotia asked as she lit up a fire on both her hands "Astarotia, she''s my friend, don''t fight her" I held Astarotia''s shoulders "What do you mean?" Astarotia looked back at me before staring at Vicereine, she seemed to have noticed something and chuckled "Of course, your armor looks the same" But she still didn''t kill the fire dancing on her hand, moreover, she even made them grow larger "Enough of this, let''s go back to the Kingdom Bladeknight" Vicereine walked towards me She held out her hand, I grabbed her hand before taking her down "I thought you might''ve been fooled but you already know who I am which begs the question, why would you call me Blade Knight?" I paused for a bit before continuing "Which means you''ve been brainwashed" Vicereine looked me dead in the eyes as I locked her on the ground I detected another energy blast towards my back, how? I could''ve sworn I made sure she couldn''t press the gauntlet I had no choice but to block the attack since if I moved, the shot would''ve hit Astarotia. Vicereine took this chance and escaped I want to chase after her but multiple shots were fired and I was forced back ''Lilith, hack into her Valkyrie01 suit and track her''This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ''I''ve already did ever since your arm touched her gauntlets'' ''Good job'' ''No problem, but I also downloaded some files from her left ''Eyeris'''' ''Wait, she recorded something?'' I asked ''Yes'' ''I''ll watch them later, for now, let''s move back'' "You''re friends with the holy maiden?" Astarotia asked "Yes, and her name is Vicereine" "Not anymore, she''s Akasha now, the assassin and holy maiden of the Church" Astarotia shot back "What do you mean?" I asked, the church? "Well, 3 years ago, a huge meteor fell from the skies" She paused before continuing "Is what the news say but actually, that meteor was no rock and was instead a huge glacier of ice. The skies opened up and dropped that huge ice somewhere remote" "The skies opened up?" "Yeah, like a dark hole opened up and threw out that ice, anyway, the church was first to go there. They took the chunk of ice and secretly moved away. What''s left of the chunk of ice? well, an unknown monster was inside it... wait, now that I think about it, it looks familiar to those that we are fighting" "That''s because they are! that''s a Hercules King, where is it?" I asked "No one dared to go close it since the church used their power to make that place their own, they even talked to the King into playing along with them" "This is bad, who knows what will happen if they get a hold of a Hercules King carcass" Astarotia doesn''t know how dire the situation was but based on the tension in my tone, she knows it is something worse than she originally thought She coughed and tried to talk about other things "So, why aren''t you chasing after her? you think she was your friend but was she trying to kill you?" "She wouldn''t at least the person in my memories won''t, also, I have a feeling we''ll meet each other again, for now, I''ve gotta make sure that Alissa and Cynthia are safe, things get out of hand just when the battle ends" I stated "Have you had experience with those things? you seem to be overthinking to me" "Well, once we''ve had a huge war for a little city. We won and everyone was happy yet at night, remnants of the enemy forces dug deep underground and feasted on everyone as they slept, regretfully, I was out on patrol and when I returned, our outpost was in flames, everyone, soldier or not was fleeing. I know I couldn''t have done much even if I returned earlier but at least I could''ve saved more lives, even if it was only a little" I shared a bit of my past with Astarotia "You" Astarotia paused, seemingly looking for words to say "Not everyone can be saved" "I know, I''ve had that happen to me too many times already" I sighed "Would it cheer you up if it was your lover who said it?" She asked "She doesn''t have to say anything, I only need a small haven, I''m only human, even I fear, hate, and lose myself. All I need is her presence and a small gesture, a simple sign that she loves me and she''s there for me" I looked at Astarotia as I ruffled her hair before continuing "But you''re different, you''re annoying and a huge pain in the ass but I don''t mind having you around" "Sorry for being a huge pain in the ass when I literally helped you a couple of times" She sarcastically said as she removed the constraints of her and just set it free "Thanks for all you''ve done, when you''re in trouble, I''ll be sure to help you out" I gave her my thanks "Really? when I do, I''ll be screaming your name with a fervent expression of love on my eyes" "Please don''t, I''d be embarrassed to death" We both chuckled as we walked back to the feast, the night went by, for the nobles and the townspeople, it was an enjoyable feast, to some elite guards and myself, it was a night where we had to conduct a full-scale investigation The next day, all the dead spies were buried, the prince was punched by Alissa until he spoke out what he knew of the church''s holy maiden Akasha, the name of the holy maiden, during the past two years, have been assassinating the Kingdom''s threats one after another, she''s also the reason why the demons can''t advance through. She was away on a huge crusade to recover the north-western lands during my stay in the kingdom so we missed each other There''s also a reason why I didn''t chase her, the only reason I could think of as to why she would attack me is either, she''s not Vicereine which is highly unlikely or she''s forgotten who I am Alissa is currently tracking her, watching her from above, once she leads us where their base is, we''ll go in and kill whoever is giving her orders and try to make her remember our past. Whatever happens after that will be up to Vicereine, if she returns to us, I''ll be happy, if she doesn''t, then I will have to take. Her. Down. I need to live on the present and not on the past, I''ve got Alissa and Cynthia now and the Kingdom along with the church which Vicereine works with is a huge threat to their lives. I might be acting cold but to be honest, I have no idea if I can really fight her. I know what I need to do yet once again, my emotions are getting the best of me Entry no. 87 I went back inside mini-warden and asked Lilith to play the video she downloaded It all started with static, everything was dark, the sound was just random gibberish until I heard a loud crash. Then everything started to clear up, I can now see through Eyeris, Vicereine''s equipment that was usually on her right eye, it''s supposed to help her detect enemies through thick smoke and walls with the help of thermal and heartbeat sensors, it can also track footsteps and fingerprints if the need arises Vicereine really seemed to be encased in ice. Nothing happened for the first and two weeks, the Eyeris still had a lot of juice left since the sunlight penetrating the ice seems to be recharging the Eyeris even if it was slow A man covered in a white robe approached the ice chunk, he kept studying it and soon six more people approached, they all wore the same white robe that was intricately designed with golden thread They cast a spell and started melting the ice with fire until Vicereine fell forwards, they caught her and started checking for signs of life. Once they confirmed that she was alive, they started to carry her away from the ice chunk. They journeyed for a few days and I soon saw a huge chapel, they carried her inside and removed her clothes and armor. A few nuns came in and gave her a bath, as for the Eyeris, it was carried along with all of the equipment she had, Valkyrie01 armor, customized rail-AWP gun, twin energy blade, and finally, the E-Glock 001 All equipment was placed on a table, all of the white-robed men started having a heated discussion as to what to do with the woman they found and ultimately, decided to see if she has any use for their church, so, they spoke to Vicereine that''s where it ended. Nothing happened much so I skipped forward until the battery died, the area was deep underground so the sunlight didn''t reach the equipment. There was nothing else so Lilith closed the video and I''m back to staring at the living room of the mini-Warden, I was about to move out when I heard Alissa on my radio ''Zeno! Zeno! we''ve got a problem'' ''What? calm down and tell me'' ''I''ve just got word from Cynthia that the other Kingdom is currently under attack so I double checked Vicereine''s location, she''s on her way back, at this rate, it will take her at least four days'' ''So? what do you want to do? if it were me, I''d use mini-Warden and chase after her'' I asked her ''I would do the same, let the other Kingdom rot so for now, why don''t you come and recharge, I''ll have Guardian 3 prepare the mini-warden'' ''Got it'' I rushed out and immediately went to her lab, I saw the charging station and just laid down there, Alissa came and attached a huge wire on my back. Charging both DK and my own core energy will take about a day, normally, it would only take half a day but Alissa is going to do some maintenance on my robotic arms and on DK. I powered down and went to sleep, I woke up to Alissa''s hasty pushing "Is there something wrong?" I asked as I pushed myself up "V-Vicereine, she suddenly appeared inside the enemy Kingdom" "What? do they have teleportation magic?" I asked "I''ve asked Alissa once and she said that teleportation magic was possible but no mage in Arcadia is capable of using it" "Then there''s no time to waste, how long was I out?" "About 16 hours, your core is at 80% and your DK is at 90%, I''ve already done full maintenance on your body and on DK" "Alright, thanks. Is mini-Warden good to go?" "Yeah, go on, also, take these, plasma grenades, I''ve managed to replicate 10 of them" "Thanks"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I immediately wore my armor and left, the enemy kingdom is under siege, I would never help them under normal circumstances but Vicereine is there right now. Alright, my mission for now is to just save her and move her back here. The ship was already fired up and ready to go when I arrived, Guardian 3 was piloting it. We immediately left and set course for Vicereine''s location, we moved at the highest speed possible After just 30 minutes, we arrived at the enemy kingdom, it was filled utter chaos, monsters of different classes run rampant but upon closer look, it wasn''t only them who was joining in on the carnage. Formars were everywhere, this royal city became their colosseum where 3 factions ran rampant. They dyed everything red, all of the city''s guards, though they outnumber the other forces, they kept getting torn apart piece by piece. We reached the castle where Vicereine is, I soon saw her, she was fighting off six demons at once, she also seemed to have taken a blow on her armor. We closed in "Hah, so this is the power of the holy maiden? give me a break!" one of the demons, a minotaur, laughed as it raised its ax and slammed it down toward Vicereine "Get back Vicereine, I''ll take care of this!" I''ll take these demons down I blocked the minotaurs attack and moved forward at speeds he couldn''t keep up, I moved behind him and grabbed his horn with my right hand, my left hand was aimed towards his neck. I fired a gamma blast and just tore his head off Blood splashed everywhere as the minotaur''s body collapsed, as for his head, I just threw it on the ground like it was nothing "Damn it! who is he?! take him down now!" One of the demons, an undead mage, roared out All of the other four, a vampire, a dark druid, a headless knight, and a four-armed ogre rushed towards me. The vampire with her sharp claws, swung at my neck but I dodged it by bending backwards, the headless knight swept his sword, aiming at my feet so I did a backflip, the four-armed ogre came from above and kept raining down punches and I had no choice but to keep backflipping away, finally, I noticed a sapling sprout on the ground where I landed, I jumped up before thorny vines emerged from the ground and tried to restrain me The vampire once again tried to attack but I countered her charge with a gamma blast but she turned to hundreds of bats and moved behind me "Vampiric art, [Slash of Death]!" She kept swinging her claws on my back but they can''t penetrate DK''s tough armor The ogre appeared in front of me and like a minigun, he kept raining punches on my body ''Lilith, switch to speed'' ''Switching... complete'' I timed my escape perfectly, just when they were about to continue their onslaught, I vanished from their sights. I appeared behind the ogre, he noticed my presence and tried to punch with both his arms on the left but I cut them off and continued to slash Azazel towards his neck but I had no choice but to stop and back away since thorny vines tried to restrain me again "Stay still! [Sleeping forest]" The ground shook, from the stone pavement grew a tree, a dark and dreary tree. More and more trees with black leaves started to grow from the ground, our surrounding that was filled with debris of houses and other man-made structures was turned into a dark forest ''Night vision activated'' Lilith announced I looked behind me and saw Vicereine, holding her waist ''Assess her current situation'' ''Scanning, please wait'' No one moved, each forces trying to plan out what to do next ''Scanning complete, Vicereine''s health condition is priority 4, she suffered some cuts and bruises, she''s broken 2 ribs, also, she is fatigued, I suggest we give her medical attention and let her rest after this battle'' ''Thanks'' I looked at the enemy forces, they were on guard towards me, I''ve fought almost all of them, except for that undead mage, he seems to be chanting something since his mouth kept moving, also, Lilith detected the concentration of mana all around his body I charged forward, I have to get Vicereine away from here as soon as possible Thorny vines grew everywhere and tried to restrain me but they can''t keep up with my speed so the dark Druid had no choice but to erect a wall of trees in order to slow me down, it didn''t have much effect since I tore everything down. I was about to reach them when another tree wall stood between us, I tore it down but on the other side, saw the ogre, he regrew his arms and now all of his arms were shining in a golden light "Fall before my might! [Ogre punch!]" he punched out as the golden light escaped his arms and headed towards me [Spatial rip] I vanished appeared behind the group, the ones who moved quickly were the vampire and the headless knight, they tried to attack me but I blasted them away with gamma rays They both flew on opposite sides and crashed into a tree, the thrusters on my back ignited as I dashed forward and with a single slash, torn the ogre in half. ''Zeno, the mage disappeared and reappeared behind Vicereine!'' Lilith alerted me I looked behind and saw the undead mage holding Vicereine "Goddamnit, I''m left no choice!" He roared out as he continued chanting I dashed forward but out of nowhere, a hand grabbed my foot, I looked down and saw the ogre with no left body parts I used spatial rip and appeared behind the undead mage, the ogre''s arms who teleported along with me was still on grabbing on to my foot I swung Azazel down but another set of thorny vines stopped me from finishing my attack ''LILITH, STRENGTH NOW!'' ''Switching... complete'' I tore through the vines with sheer force, my blade was about to reach his head but he vanished I looked at the other demons, they also started vanishing. I punched the ground in frustration but I heard a voice "To be able to push us, the Demon Lord''s six Generals to this state, you really are dangerous as she said" Demon Lord? that''s it, I''m going to their base and I''ll take Vicereine with me Entry no. 88 ''Alissa, I''m going after Vicereine, send me her location'' ''No, she''s too far right now, use the mini-Warden instead, Guardian 3 will take you to where she is, safely extract her without arousing anyone''s suspicion'' ''I will'' I was in the middle of the dark forest, it will be hard for Guardian 3 to land hereElfso I ran out of the forest, cutting through any tree that blocked my path. It will take Guardian 3 three minutes to get here so I''ll have to wait. I''m walking through all this chaos, people are dying here and there, I sighed, blame your own stupid king for this. I pulled out my sword and started all the formars withing my Area "GET OUT WHILE I''M STILL HERE!" I shouted as I tore off the head of a formar The townspeople who were saved started fleeing, seemingly heading for the gates of the town where they can escape from this death filled city I guarded the survivors as they ran through the burning buildings and torn pieces of flesh on the ground, the gates were already torn down "GO! GO! GO!" They ran away as I kept shouting them to leave Everyone left and Lilith reminded me ''The mini-Warden is just outside the city'' ''Thanks'' I walked when a group of demi-humans started walking in, not that I care, if they want to loot this city then so be it "Halt, who are you, why are you leaving this city" One of the demi-humans, a half-lion asked me "I am but a warrior fleeing a city in flames" I responded "And you still call yourself a warrior?" He looked at me with contempt I ignored him and continued walking away, he has his priorities, I have mine. "Enough Lionel, we still have to answer to the King''s calls" A female elf responded and paused before continuing "Even if we don''t want to associate ourselves" "Tch, that King just used some underhanded tactics!" A wolf-man replied this time "Shut it, it wasn''t underhanded, all clans just owe the King" A female tiger woman stated Not my problem, you guys be you, and I''ll just mind my own business "Hey, if I''m not mistaken, you''re the blade knight right?" The elf turned around and asked ''Lilith, go invisible'' ''Activating stealth'' I vanished and the elf started shouting "Please listen, I heard you can combat those disgusting creatures, we wish that you''d help us" ''Don''t disengage the stealth'' I requested before replying to the elf "So you''re being attacked by them? and by the looks of it, the King is helping you, this Kingdom is my enemy if you''re associated with them, doesn''t that mean that you''re also my enemy?" I don''t want to let my guard down "I know but please, we do not want to owe that King any more than we do because every day, it feels like we''re digging our own grave" She took a deep breathe and continued "Please, I will pay you with everything I have to save my people and all of the demi-humans'' clans" I looked back and saw the desperation in her green eyes "Meet up with the queen of Arcadia, you want me to help, speak to her" "Thank you!" I moved away from the scene and entered the mini-Warden that was waiting in the forest We moved at the fastest permissible speed "Captain Zeno, we will arrive at the enemy base in four minutes" Guardian 3 stated "Got it" As we moved closer and closer to the enemy base, I noticed the plant life give off the feeling of death, they were all wilted and dry "Captain, I apologize however, I can not land on this terrain, I suggest aerial drop" "Alright, good enough, open the hatch, after I drop down, look for the closest place to land and wait for me" I responded The hatch opened up and I jumped down ''Lilith, engage thrusters to counter my dropping speed when I am close to the ground'' ''Calculating speed, velocity, and time required to reach the ground'' ''Calculation complete, activating thrusters in 3... 2... 1... Activating stealth and firing the thrusters on the sole and the palm'' My descent was slowed down and I landed on the ground without any problems ''Lilith, scan the area, map it out for pathways and any enemy'' ''Engaging sonic radar'' Lilith, released continuous waves and mapped out the entire place to me, at first it is weird since the area is covered in fog but thankfully, unlike any other areas, the mana isn''t interfering with the radar I now had the map and Vicereine''s location, with that in mind, I walked forward A few steps and I saw a dark dreary castle, the area, according to Lilith, lacks mana in the air. Any other place always had at least, a decent amount of mana in the air but this place, it''s just empty air ''Activate speed'' The dark red glow on my armor turned green but my stealth mode wasn''t broken, I dashed forward, Lilith has scanned the place enough for me to know that Vicereine is being held underground. The castle had 6 floors and a tower that reaches 9, it has underground floors that reach up to 4, Vicereine is currently held up at 4A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The only pathway seems to be a set of stairs hidden behind a statue on the 2nd floor, there were a few enemies on the second floor but the first floor seems to be heavily guarded. I slipped through all of the minotaur guards on the first floor as I made my way towards the second, the guards are 10 feet tall and are carrying an ax their size. The second floor was guarded by headless knights, they roamed every now and then but they usually stay in one spot, I found the statue, there was no one here but the scanners say otherwise. On top of the ceilings lay an Arachnid, it was lurking in the shadows. I can''t access the stairs leading down unless I push the statue but doing so will attract the Arachnid so I''ll have to silence it first. I aimed my right palm towards its head and released a shot of gamma energy, it caused my stealth mode to be broken but the shot hit it''s head as its body fell down on the ground. I pushed the statue and saw the stairs leading down, I dashed down. The 1st underground floor only seems to be inhabited by prisoners and guards, the guards were just a bunch of moving statues, they need not rest nor food, they only follow one order they were given, make sure the prisoners don''t escape. I moved quietly past them, my invisibility still proved useful even in this environment of mana, slipping past the guards and ignoring the wailing prisoners, I moved down. I would usually try to save the prisoners but I don''t have that luxury right now, I''m sorry but you''ll just have to accept your fates. The 2nd underground floor seemed a bit more... morbid, a pool as large as a basketball court was filled with boiling hot blood, it was dark crimson in color and would occasionally spew bubbles. I noticed that the prisoners upstairs would be pulled down to this floor before being beheaded and thrown in the pool, some demon would just throw the prisoner alive and enjoy their ear-piercing screams of pain and despair. The 3rd floor was filled with different rooms, each room had 2 bunk beds, I''m guessing this is the demons sleep area Moving down to the last underground floor, it was filled with statue guards moving about, they were all molded in the shape of a minotaur, a race of ox men with ox heads and lower body while possessing the torso and intelligence of humans. After a couple of zig-zag pathways, I arrived in front of a huge door, it was unguarded that I thought I was being lured into a trap. I pushed open the door and saw a dark room, only one spot was illuminated and that was in a chair made of human skeletons, seated on it was Vicereine, her arms and legs were bound to the chair. She was unconscious so I quickly moved to free her but as I thought, it would not be easy. A dark lance came out of nowhere and I was forced to stop my advance, I looked at the area where it came from, my thermal scanner shows nothing and my radar seems to be affected by the mana in the air. I pulled out Azazel and prepared myself for a battle but what came after was nothing but trouble, a dark drill seemed to have made their way behind and me and shot out, luckily, Lilith detected the abnormal fluctuation of energy behind me. I jumped up just in time only to be met with a whip slash from behind, I was pushed back and managed to recover mid air. "Hehe, time for revenge" From behind the darkness came out the undead mage who teleported Vicereine away "You shall pay for the death of our comrade!" Followed by a headless knight "I will make you my pet" And finally, the female vampire I looked at them with disgust before stating "All of a sudden you guys seem chatty" "Heh, Blade Knight, I don''t care if you had otherworldly abilities but in here, in our domain you mean nothing!" The dark mage roared out as Lilith read the dense mana in the air gather all around him before shooting off countless tendrils of darkness I fended them off by blasting off a gamma ray from my left palm, the throttles behind me shot me forward. The headless knight met my charge head-on, he barely managed to make it in time but he successfully blocked my advance, I had no choice but to take to the skies, my mission here is to safely rescue Vicereine, not to battle these demons, who knows, they might''ve already reported and are just buying time for back up. I reached the ceiling and made my way towards Vicereine but I was stopped by an army of bats, I tried to shake them off but they kept hanging on to my armor and are trying to weigh me down but in the end, it was a whip being pulled down by the vampire and the headless knight that dragged me to the ground. I couldn''t take it anymore, I need to save Vicereine as soon as I can but not with them guarding her. ''Lilith, change to strength and discharge an electric current to electrocute the bats hanging on to the armor'' ''Got it!'' I felt strength surge through me as an electric current was discharged from DK, the bats fell off as I tugged on the whip. The vampire flew towards me but she managed to let go of her whip midway but I already expected it, using the whip, her very own weapon, I lashed it and it directly hit her body causing her to hit the walls I crouched and did a leg sweep behind me, Lilith warned me and as I finished my sweep, the leg of the Headless knight got swept causing him to fall over. I immediately stood up and aimed my palm towards his body and released a strong gamma blast "You motherfucker!" The mage roared out as he clapped both his hands and released a dark snake towards me, The shadow snake shot towards me at breakneck speed with jaws open wide, I immediately charged my Azazel and sent a [Crescent slash] towards the snake, cutting it in half. My attack didn''t stop there, it kept going and hit the mage who reacted late, his left arm was the price he had to pay for his slow movements The mage kept wailing on the floor as his blood sprayed all over the place, I immediately changed to agility and kicked the mage''s body away. I started to take off the shackles that constrained Vicereine, seriously, so much thing happened and here she is, sleeping like a child "NO WAY IN HELL IT IS GOING TO END LIKE THIS!" I saw the mage running towards me, his body started bulging ''Zeno, mana is being compressed inside his body, he will explode like a nuke anytime soon!'' Lilith warned me ''What the hell?! immediately concentrate all energy to our defensive system!'' ''I already did it!'' I hugged Vicereine, covering her with my body. The explosion was strong, pixels of blood shot out as I felt waves of shockwave hit my body, with all the energy I have, I raised my foot and dug them deep into the ground, making sure that the shockwave doesn''t push us towards the wall ''Energy is immediately going down! we are currently at 70%'' Lilith advised ''How long does this energy blast last?!'' ''I don''t know!'' It seems that it wasn''t just as simple as the explosion of compressed mana, more like a spell that he used at the cost of his life so I can expect this blast of energy to keep on going ''The left shoulder joints have been affected by the blast! it is rendered useless!'' I looked at my left arm and saw sparks from the joints, it lost energy and just started to dangle lifelessly, so with my right arm, I hugged her closer The blast wave finally ended "Old man Kal!" The headless knight roared out I looked at his direction and noticed that he''s sticking on the wall, I ignored him and carried Vicereine with my right arm ''Guardian 3, prepare to leave'' ''Yes sir! but please hurry, I''ve encountered resistance, they managed to see through our cloaking'' ''What?! how long can you hold out?'' ''I can hold out for 6 more minutes sir'' ''Use all the weapon installed on the mini warden, also, you can see my M4 inside our room'' ''Got it sir!'' ''Lilith, use the cloaking system'' ''The cloaking device is slightly damaged and will need more energy to function, if we are to use it until we reach the ship, it will leave us with no energy!'' ''It''s alright, do it'' We suddenly vanished from the scene I carried her all the way to the ships, as I made my way towards the ship, I saw hundreds of demons heading towards the same direction as I am. "You little asshole, you think I couldn''t see through your tricks?!" I heard a roar and looked towards the sky I saw a man wearing dark robes covering his entire body, all of the demons looked at him with respect as they roared "ALL HAIL THE DEMON LORD!" He aimed his palm towards me and shot out a huge fireball towards my direction ''Disengage the cloaking device and concentrate on the jet thrusters on my back!'' ''I got it!'' ''Fire us off!'' The jet thrusters on my back ignited and pushed me towards the mini-warden "Catch Vicereine!" I threw Vicereine towards Guardian 3 who immediately caught her The jet thrusters on my back died as I crashed on the ground halfway towards the mini warden, DK started losing his shine as I felt the armor getting a bit heavier. I looked behind me and noticed a huge thunderstorm brewing on the demon lord''s arms, he aimed it towards me and with a smirk, released a tornado filled with lightning. "GO! GO! Leave me!" I roared out towards guardian 3, they''ll get caught in the storm if they don''t leave ''Lilith, take half of my core energy and use DK''s shield at the last moment then using what''s left of my core, use it to activate DK''s life-saving system!'' ''A-Acknowledged!'' I closed my eyes as the similar beeping sound rang out in my head, telling me that my core energy is hitting dangerous levels 1 second 2 second 3 second Why hasn''t it hit my body yet? "Don''t you dare give up now!" I opened up my eyes and saw Astarotia, raising a firewall to block the oncoming attack She hurriedly ran towards me and carried me towards the ship Entry no. 89 Astarotia supported me as we both limped towards the ship, to my surprise, Alissa and Cynthia were there, they both provided cover fire for us. "H... How did you guys get here?" It was even a struggle just to speak "Heh... I used teleportation though 2 more extra people took a huge chunk off my mana" Astarotia too seemed to be struggling "What?! USELESS BITCH!" The demon king roared out as he came crashing towards us He raised his arms and formed 7 lances of darkness, with a flick of his arm, the lances headed straight towards us Alissa and Cynthia managed to shoot down 3, by their trajectory, the other 2 would hit Astarotia while 1 would hit me. I pushed Astarotia away and unsheathed Azazel, the hilt deflected 1 lance ''Lilith, activate the Blast shield at the places where the lances will hit!'' ''There''s not enough energy!'' ''Then take more from my core!'' 1 lance was deflected from my chest while the other managed to break through my shield and took a huge chunk off my helmet I was lucky to still have my head in place "JUST FUCKING DIE!" He roared out as he arrived in front of me and tried to kick my waist I managed to block without much problem all thanks to the shock distribution feature of DK, he realized that trying to kill me was pointless so he changed his target to Astarotia who was on the ground For the first time, I saw fear in Astarotia''s eyes, she kept crawling back as she muttered ''No, please forgive me'' ''Lilith, thrusters!'' ''It is the last of your energy, after a single thrust, you will only be left with 1%!'' ''DO IT!'' The thrusters on my back shot me in front of Astarotia just as the demon lord stabbed the lance towards her chest, the lance pierced me and I immediately grabbed hold of it to prevent it from reaching Astarotia who was behind me "You motherfucker!" He roared out as another lance appeared on his other arm "GET LOST MOTHERFUCKER!" I shouted as I aimed my palm towards his chest and discharged a gamma blast that sent him flying I looked at my chest, blood flowed down as my vision kept switching from dark to red to static, the similar beep kept repeating in my head but this time it''s notifying me that my body is badly damaged... no good, I''m going to collapse but if I collapse now, I will be as good as dead Call it something that was developed through countless battles, I always struggled to stand straight even if I was out of energy, even if the pain was unbearable, I had to stand up, I won''t fall, I can''t afford to ??? "GRAB ZENO NOW!" Alissa shouted out to Guardian 3 as she pulled the fear-stricken Astarotia towards the ship Guardian 3 managed to carry the now immobile Zeno inside the ship, the hatch closed and they blasted off as soon as they did "What is wrong with him?!" Cynthia asked in a panic as she kept tugging on Zeno''s arm "Zeno! Zeno! can you hear me?! it''s Alissa, it''s okay, you''re safe, there are no more monsters... you" Alissa struggled to keep her tears from rolling before continuing " You can lay down now, there''s no more harm, there''s no more pain" At Alissa''s voice, Zeno''s body seemed to have relaxed and collapsed but before he hit the ground, Guardian 3 managed to catch him and carefully laid him down "Guardian 3, transfer all medical knowledge from Guardian 4 to your system!" Alissa commanded as she manually took off the locks from DK "Transfering Data, due to the lack of communication devices in the planet, transfer rate has been affected by 90% estimated time of transfer, 2 minutes" "JUST GET THE NECESSARY DATA FOR A SUPPORTING ROLE!" Alissa shouted "Acknowledged, estimated transfer time, 20 seconds'' "Cynthia! hit Zeno''s body with a small amount of lightning magic!" "Got it!" Cynthia clapped her hands just as Alissa asked her to and carefully placed her palms on top of Zeno''s chest and discharged a small bolt of lightningSupport the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Thanks, now 3, give me that scalpel!" "Roger!" Alissa tore through the nano suit that Zeno wore and revealed his chest, Cynthia could only gasp at what she saw, Zeno''s body was riddled with scars and burns. Blood flowed out of Zeno''s pierced chest along with a black liquid which was used as an artificial blood for the mechanical parts of his body. Alissa carefully cut open his chest and with precise movement, moved the skin, revealing the extensive damage that his body received. One rib was broken and pierced his lung, Alissa moved and removed the shards of bones, she then poured a weird red liquid all over the wounded part, this was one of the most life-saving tools that were created for cyborgs, Flesh nanotech, it''s role was simple, to be applied on any part of the body which was critically wounded, the nanotech will then transform itself into the flesh and will close the wound, everything will be restored even the smallest blood veins. This was Flesh nanotech though amazing has 1 fatal setback and that is it can only be used on a specific cyborg The nanotech Alissa used was made solely for Zeno, the nanotech inside has stored Zeno''s body information thereby enabling it to immediately shape itself to any part of Zeno''s flesh as long as there''s enough nanotech that is Alissa then moved to Zeno''s core which was his heart, it was part machine and it was part flesh, it was barely beating and is only able to do so thanks to the machine''s aid, Alissa then ordered Guardian 3 to take the mobile energy bank from the ship''s emergency supplies Guardian 3 moved to a corner and carried a box the size of a small chest, connected to it were 2 wires that were colored red and black. Alissa took them and carefully inserted them into two openings on Zeno''s heart, she pressed a button on the box and it lit up as clear surges of energy transferred to Zeno''s heart, the weak pumping machine started to thump more energetically. "Is he going to be okay?" Cynthia asked worriedly "Yeah, he''s going to be okay, as long as his wounds close and his heart keeps beating, he will be okay, now for the hard part" "Guardian 3, carry Zeno towards our room" Alissa ordered before looking at Cynthia "Can you please carry Vicereine towards your room? I''ll speak to her once she wakes up" Alissa requested, Cynthia looked at Vicereine who was lying peacefully beside Zeno, she carried her and moved her towards her room "Well? isn''t it about time you snap out of it?" Alissa looked at Astarotia who was holding her head in the corner "I- I- I got Zeno, I-no, I mustn''t! but, but I must! no, no, I won''t!''" Astarotia kept muttering, Alissa moved and hugged her "It''s okay, you''re fine, Zeno is okay now but I need you to come with me to our room, let''s watch over Zeno, okay?" Alissa smiled Astarotia calmed herself down as she looked at that smile, a smile that was forced. Astarotia looked at Alissa and noticed that tiredness in her face. Astarotia nodded and with each other as a support, they moved towards the room The ship managed to return to Arcadia kingdom, Zeno was immediately carried towards the examination room with the help of Guardian 1 and 2 while Vicereine was restrained somewhere, Guardian 3,4 and 5 were charged to watch over her. Alissa immediately started to run tests on Zeno''s brain, if anything were to happen to his brain, what''s the point of healing his body? Alissa released a sigh of relief as she discovered that nothing was wrong with his brain. Alissa closed the open chest and poured Flesh nanotech on the wound, seconds later, the wound was gone. Zeno was now peacefully sleeping on the medical bed as Astarotia caressed his face, Alissa sat on the chair next to the bed and just fell asleep. Astarotia caressed Zeno''s face, she combed his hair with her hands. She smiled sweetly as she continued doing this action over and over again, she never got tired nor did she ever got bored, this repetitive action seemed like it can go on forever, Astarotia too wished this moment would go on forever ??? The next day, Vicereine seemed to have woken up, she struggled at first but in the end, she gave up since all of her weapons and equipment were taken away from her Alissa entered the door and spoke to her, they were both face to face inside Alissa and Zeno''s room. Guardian 1,2 and 3 were all on guard against Vicereine "Vicereine, it''s fine, I won''t hurt you" Alissa spoke softly "I am not Vicereine" Vicereine replied with anger "Perhaps now you believe so but soon, you will remember" Alissa stood up as Guardian 5 pushed a monitor inside the room Alissa sat beside Vicereine which greatly weirded her out "Aren''t you afraid I''ll take you as a hostage?" Vicereine asked "I''m not afraid, I know you won''t hurt me" Alissa confidently smiled A montage of Vicereine and her squad was played, Vicereine watched on and started gasping, who was that woman on that weird square shaped device? was that really her? was the person beside her really telling the truth? They seem to have battled countless monsters along with different people but the one that caught her eyes was the man with a sword, he was the only man who held a sword whenever he charged into the battle, she watched on as the man and herself cooperated through different situations, there were even times where the monitor turned black and only played recordings of their conversations "Come with me" Alissa stood up and held Vicereine''s hands Vicereine was confused, she didn''t know what to do nor what to think, according to her memories, she was brought up from an orphanage, she was raised to be a devout follower of the church, she never once asked if what she''s doing was right, she only moved But what will she believe? a storm brew inside Vicereines mind "Vicereine, trust me" Alissa smiled Vicereine couldn''t feel but assured, it was different from the cold tone of orders that come from the mouths of the different saints in the church She stood up without even knowing it and followed her towards what seems to be a medical ward, they entered and Vicereine saw a man lying peacefully on the bed she felt pain inside her heart, she was confused, why would she feel so? does she know the man lying on the bed? "Wh-Who is he?" Vicereine asked with a shaky tone, the pain was unbearable for her "Don''t you remember? he''s the man you love" Alissa smiled "Don''t you dare come close to him" Cynthia blocked Vicereine "I- I need to know if he''s okay" Vicereine was too confused to even think straight so in the end, she went with her feelings, and that is to watch over the man lying on the bed "He''s in that state no thanks to you" Cynthia glared at Vicereine Vicereine bit her lips and bowed her head, Cynthia''s words seemed to have made her think of what happened after she was kidnapped if what the woman in front of her said was true, then the reason the man is lying down on that bed right now was because of her! it caused her more pain, without a place to vent it, she can only shed tears without even knowing She collapsed on the ground and started wailing, she kept voicing out his name, though she didn''t know herself, she kept saying his name Alissa patted Cynthia''s shoulders "I''ll take it from here, I''ll make sure no harm happens to Zeno" Cynthia softened her gaze towards Alissa and even more so when she looked at Zeno, in the end, she left the room Entry no. 90 d a "Who is he? tell me!" Vicereine grabbed Alissa by the collar as she frantically asked "Calm down!" Alissa shouted "How can I be calm?! I am feeling so afraid, pained, and distraught that I don''t know what to do" Vicereine replied "*sigh* I meant the Guardians, calm down" Alissa replied as she released a sigh Guardian 1,2, and 3 were currently holding their swords and were pointing them at Vicereine, hearing the command of Alissa, they had no choice but to retract their swords. Vicereine looked around and was once again hit by reality, she was currently a prisoner somewhere. She feels a deep sense of caring and love towards the man who was lying down by the bed in front of her, she was talking to a stranger yet why did she feel so close with the woman in front of her She released her grip on Alissa''s collar and wiped the tears off of her face, she looked for a seat nearby and helped herself. "So? who am I really? from what I know, I was picked up by the church and was raised to be the perfect weapon for the church with utmost devotion to our God, Solaire" Alissa looked at all of the Guardian''s before signaling them out of the room. Cynthia went inside as soon as the Guardians left, it was planned beforehand. Alissa sat on the bed before speaking "Just as you saw on all the videos, you are the captain and Zeno here was your subordinate" "So you mean this man is Blade Knight?" "Yeah" "I see and? why does the... video" Vicereine clearly is unfamiliar with the word so she had trouble saying it "uh, look so different?" "That''s because all three of us are not from this timeline, we''re from the future, also all of those creatures you''ve been calling "invaders" were our enemies that somehow got transported here" "I see, I''ve been wondering about their origins for some time now" "Yeah, as you can see in the videos, you both were together, the last members of your squad" "Yeah, and the so-called captain almost killed her own last member" Cynthia showed displeasureIf you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "I''m sorry okay?!" Vicereine might''ve seemed calm but her actions showed otherwise "No amount of apologies can forgive you for all the pain you''ve caused Zeno, do you realize how pained he was when he was forced to fight you?!" Cynthia herself wasn''t backing down "Enough already, everything you say is both true but nothing can change the past, let''s just wait for him to wake up okay? for now, why don''t I answer all of Vicereine''s questions" Cynthia clicked her tongue in displeasure while Vicereine glared at her Alissa only sighed "Uh, is this the wrong time to wake up?" ??? Ugh, my body feels so goddamn heavy, it''s been ages and my body once again felt so painful. Even breathing is a pain "gfkds;hfdmh;" What was that? "Skij;ojgd!" My hearing doesn''t seem so good ''Command: Restore hearing system'' ''Restoring system, detected several issues, E.A.R. S seems to have been damaged to the previous battle but it seems to have been repaired. Start E.A.R.S?'' ''Yes'' ''Starting, please wait'' ''Run body scan'' Might as well run all tests while I''m at it ''Running body scan'' ''E.A.R.S start up completed'' ''Scan results Body: okay Limbs: okay I. R. I. S: okay Core System and programmes: okay'' All seems okay I slowly opened my eyes and seem a standoff between Vicereine and Cynthia with Alissa stopping them "Uh, is this the wrong time to wake up?" I asked and they looked at me with weird eyes "You''re awake!" Cynthia was first to hug me "Easy" I chuckled as I ruffled her hair, I looked at Alissa before asking "How long have I been down?" "2 days" Alissa mechanically replied before shaking her head, she quickly hugged me as she smiled "Vicereine? I''m glad you''re okay" I looked at Vicereine and smiled Vicereine looked at me with a weird glint in her eyes "Vicereine? are you okay? you seem pale" I continued asking She hurriedly stood up and slapped me in the face "Why are you always looking after me and not after yourself?!" She screamed those words at me I couldn''t help but reminisce this, it always happens during missions where her spot gets compromised, I always rush to help her Vicereine closed her mouth with both hands before looking at me with eyes wide open "Why did I say that?" "Why''d you do that?!" Cynthia hurriedly checked my cheeks while Alissa was just flabbergasted "It''s okay, I''m fine" I laughed before looking at Vicereine, clearly she''s still under amnesia But something struck me, she moved and did something by reflex, maybe I can make her remember by doing something like this "Vicereine, why does your left eye twitch when you lie?" I asked "I don''t lie! how many times do I have to tell you?!" Vicereine reflexively replied as her left eye twitched twice Again, Alissa looked at Vicereine with a shocked expression, she also seemed to have understood my purpose "Why did I?" Vicereine again closed her mouth "Vicereine, can you remember now?" I asked "No! I am not Vicereine!" I shouted in a deafening tone "SQUAD LEADER REPORT IN!" "SQUAD CAPTAIN REPORTING IN!" Vicereine shouted in response before glaring at me "Who are you?!" "SQUAD LEADER, WHERE IS THE WRITTEN REPORT?!" Alissa asked this time "I made Zeno do all the paperwork ma''am!" Vicereine replied "Why am I saying all these?!" "Vicereine, mind if I touch your AWP?" I asked "DON''T YOU DARE!" She once again replied reflexively "SQUAD LEADER, WHY IS OFFICER ZENO LATE?!" "I MADE HIM BUY ME MY GROCERIES, MA''AM" "AS PUNISHMENT, GET DOWN AND GIVE ME 50!" "BUT MA''AM, I DON''T HAVE ANY MONEY" "AS ALWAYS BEING A SMARTASS! NOW DROP AND GIVE ME 100!" Vicereine reflexively started doing push-ups, I couldn''t help but smile, a scene I thought that would only play in my memory now seems to be in front of me Entry no. 91 Vicereine was done with her push-ups and was catching her breath as she sat on the chair, her eyes releasing a dangerous glint "Come on Vicereine, aren''t you a bit perplexed at your own actions?" I asked "My name is not Vicereine" She replied with a huff I sighed and looked at Alissa and helplessly sighed "Lilith, are you there?" I spoke, my voice seemingly not directed at anyone "Here" From the corner of the room, Lilith''s voice came out of the speaker "Play song 320" I requested with a laugh A song started playing, a song from the 1990''s, at first, Vicereine was humming but she soon started tapping her leg, Alissa also enjoyed the song while Cynthia was listening to each and every word. The chorus was coming and this is where the pain starts ?Near, Far, wherever you are!? ?I believe that the heart will go on? ?Once more, you open the door!? At this point, Vicereine stood up and sang, never have I heard a voice so painful to the human ears, I can even see Cynthia covering her ears in pain while Alissa was bitterly smiling ?And you''re here, in my heat and my heart will go on and on~? I gave my pillow to Cynthia, she didn''t even think twice before taking it and covering her head. Her actions made me chuckle, endure Cynthia, you''re almost there After singing her heart out, Vicereine covered her mouth with red cheeks "Alissa, what''s your assessment?" I asked while chuckling "P-Passable" Alissa answered but her stuttering showed what she really thought "Really? I always thought it was much more worse" I replied Vicereine could only look at us in embarrassment, "Hey Lilith, play that video, the one you showed me before" It was Vicereine''s message to me before she leaped out of the ship along with the bomb and King corpse "Permission to bring a monitor to your room" Lilith replied "Go ahead" A few seconds after, Guardian 1 came in while pushing a monitor, he connected it to a power outlet nearby before inserting a cable from his head to the monitor. The video played, Vicereine and my battle against the Hercules King, the three stingers that pierced through my body. The death of the King after I took a direct punch and firmly grabbed on to him, locking him in place while Vicereine finished him off to the last part where Vicereine confessed to me and left a crimson mark on my lips that trailed down to my chin and lastly, when she jumped out while dragging the bomb with her Vicereine watched all of this along with everyone, the one that reacted the most was Alissa. I can only pat her head and let her use my chest as her own tissue, it was a bit weird since a cold liquid and sticky snot was on my bare chest. Afterwards, Vicereine looked at me "Is it really true?" She looked at me with confusion on her eyes I beckoned her over and she surprisingly complied, I held her head and hugged her firmly, I stroked her hair and with the softest tone I could muster I spoke "I know it''s confusing, I won''t force you to remember anymore, believe what you will" Forcing her to remember will only make it harder for her, what will she feel if Alissa smiled at her but she had no memory of being with her yet she knows they both share a deep bond? won''t her heart be crushed? "Let''s take things slow okay?" I asked She could only nod in reply I smiled as I ruffled her hair "Hey..." Vicereine voiced outYou might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Hm?" "Did you just rub my cheek on the snot your friend left on your chest?" She asked in an annoyed tone "So I''ve been seen through..." I replied in a disappointed tone "You!" Vicereine angrily punched on my chest, it was adorable yet it hurt "*sigh* I am really happy that you woke up Zeno but we''ve got a few problems" Alissa spoke out I looked at her, the expression on her face says something like ''I didn''t want to ruin the mood but it had to be said'' I nodded and replied, tell me what is it? ??? In the strategic room of the castle In the middle of the room on top of a large circular table was the entire map of Arcadia country and it''s surrounding area, on the north side of the map was a huge red flag along with a skull banner, on the west side is another red flag but this time, a banner of a lion "We''re surrounded sire, I suggest a strategic retreat and hold up in the castle, it is our best defensive line as of now" A general suggested as he looked at me "Nonsense, we can''t show weakness to our enemy!" This time, a woman clad in armor rebutted Two sides with 2 generals on each side have opposing opinions, one wants to defend our first city or our first line of defense while the other wants us to abandon the first city and defend the main castle "So what are you going to do about the troops stationed in the city? I know we still haven''t given the return order for the refugees to return back to the city" The woman clad in armor asked "Zerraria, I know you grew up in the city and wish to defend it but some sacrifices have to be made. As for the soldiers in the city, we''ll have them retreat back to the main castle, they''ll bolster our defense" The man who wore priest robes replied "Grand healer Zircon, that suggestion is good but the morale of the enemy will soar while the enemy morale will rise" Zerraria replied "Not if we instill the soldiers with the right mindset that this is only a strategic retreat" The armored man from earlier replied to Zerraria''s words "You think our people are stupid? no, they will start to think of different things coupled with the paranoia of two enemies soon besieging us, only god will know what they''ll imagine!" A woman who looked like a scholar complete with a book and a pair of glasses replied "Enough, the reason why the four of you are generals is that you all balance out each other, Zircon and Armon is strong with logical tactics while you Zerraria and Elina can easily understand the hearts of people, you need to find a way together not bicker with each other" Cynthia silenced the entire group with her voice The generals looked at each other in silence, they started looking at each, their expressions bittersweet. I can see it in their expressions, they already know that they can''t find a way that will win satisfy both parties needs, one way or another, one opinion must be chosen and not both I started thinking of a way, the enemy troops are after the prince so logically thinking, throwing the prince at them should shoo them away but I can''t help but doubt them, as for the other opposing army, they''re filled with bugs, all of them are from the Nerubian family The Nerubian family is mostly composed of beetle, their King is the Hercules King beetle. Their main army is composed of the Nerubian roamers, the Nerubian roamers have a tough exoskeleton and have evolved to become human-like in shape, they have sharp blade arms and spike on their backs, they can jump up and turn their bodies mid-air to perform a body slam, the unlucky life form to ever meet the body slam will have a couple of holes through their bodies Next up is the Nerubian crawlers, unlike the roamers, these creatures have a lower half of a beetle while their upper body is like that of a human but it''s still covered in bug scales, basically they''re like centaurs except their horse body is that of a beetle''s. They wield blades that were extracted from dead Nerubian roamers'' bodies And then there are the Nerubian plasma-chargers, they''re the behemoth''s of the army with a size of at least 30 feet but they''re main roles are siege bombers, they stab their 6 legs deep on the ground, open their huge jaws and then release a huge blob of acid 4 feet in radius. It may be small but its corrosive effects are dangerous, they''re perfect for opening holes in these stone walls. They can shoot their blobs around 10 kilometers. Their evolved kind can shoot up plasma blasts instead that will have an explosion effect but good thing after surveying them from the skies, they don''t have the evolved kinds We can negotiate with one but we can''t with the other, it''s obvious what to do "Let''s defend our first city" I spoke out Zircon and Armon looked at me with weird expressions while Zerraria and Elina were ecstatic "Please royal knight, rethink this" Armon spoke out Basically, I, as a royal knight can only stay quiet in these kinds of stuff but I''m a bit special according to Cynthia so the generals have to listen to my opinion "I''m pretty sure about my decision, we can negotiate with the lions since they only want their prince back as for those bloodthirsty invaders, they only wish for rivers of blood to flow" I stated my reasoning Zircon and Armon went silent for a couple of seconds and then nodded "If the royal knight thinks so then we also agree" Zircon stated while Armon nodded his head "Thank you for listening to my opinions, I leave the defense to you guys, as for me, I will be leading a team of attacks, we will leave the city and we will set up different ambush areas in order to whittle them down while retreating to the first city" I suggested, our target first should be the Nerubian plasma-chargers since they can break down our walls "Alright, we leave that task to you while we will fortifying the city walls" Zircon smiled "I''ll negotiate with the lions" Elina pumped herself up Looks, like everything is decided then ''Lilith, aim and fire'' Shortly enough, there was a small light pillar from the sky and then a loud boom ''Confirmed kill, 2 plasma-chargers, 500 roamers and 36 crawlers. 58 more plasma-chargers, 10,500 roamers and 554 more crawlers'' Lilith reply came buzzing in "S-Sir Royal Knight, you... was that your work?" Elina stated with a slight fear in her heart "Yup, that should boost some morale" I nodded my head