《The Demon Lord is Bored》 Prologue: Grego Drand. Grego Drand was not worried. For him, a Tier 9 Quester, the highest rank, subjugating a Demon Lord would not be difficult. Rather, he was confused as to why everyone else was so scared. Humans had vanquished countless Demon Lord¡¯s with minimal casualties before (of course, he would not be a casualty). Grego was confident he would return to his beautiful harem in his beautiful mansion. Needless to say, Grego was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. But, he did not know that. Currently, he was seated around a fire with other Tier 9 and some Tier 8 Adventurers. Some of them held looks of arrogance, others were meek. In total, in his section of the raid (which, of course, he was leading) was fifteen people. There were four other squads. Sixty highly skilled humans. Their specialties ranging from Lancers to Mages. The number did not seem to be very many, as they were attacking an entire Demon Lord¡¯s Castle, but it was sufficient. Grego was the Number Two in his kingdom of Milon. A well-known country for its powerful Adventurers. His nickname was ¡®Bloody Beserker¡¯ for his viciousness on the battlefield. Grego used a battle axe, it was huge and made of the finest material. Yet, even with its heaviness, Grego practically danced across the battlefield with agility he should not possess. The blade was so sharp that even when you simply touched it, blood would be drawn. One could not help but watch in awe as he easily mowed down opponents with a few swings of his weapon. Grego was everyone''s dream-man. Not only was he strong, he was handsome. Luscious golden locks, clear blue eyes, a stubborn jaw, and full lips. He fit the hero persona to a T. Grego had a charming smile that just made a person feel secure. "You all worry for naught," Grego said in a confident tone. "It''s a simple subjugation mission." There was a chorus of laughs at his input. "Only you would call it a simple mission," Reiner Grond stated. "This Demon Lord had already wiped out countless subjugation raids." "Pah! They were weak!" was Grego''s response. Thus, the next morning they proceeded. The raid easily entered the Demon Lord¡¯s lair and climbed up higher and higher. The demons that were there were low in ranking but numerous in number. So, what really slowed them down, was the sheer amount of enemies. This has got be a joke, thought Grego as he beheaded ten goblins with a mighty swing. They arrived at a grand set of obsidian doors with absolutely no casualties. No one had but minimal scrapes on their bodies. Grego kicked open the great doors. ¡°Demon Lord! We have come to slay you!¡± his deep voice rang out through the ruined throne room. ¡°Um~¡± a tired sounding voice answered. ¡°Could you come back later?¡± A yawn. ¡°I just woke up from my nap, you see.¡± Every Quester had a look of surprise on their face. What was with that lame introduction? Was he trying to be funny? ¡°Your words will not fool me!¡± Grego pretended to be undaunted. ¡°Eh? I¡¯m not really trying to fool you,¡± laughter, ¡°but let¡¯s just be friends, okay? I really hate fighting. The smell of blood makes me sick.¡± Grego¡¯s perfect face twitched. ¡°If you don¡¯t take the first move, we will!¡± Grego began to move toward the figure that sat on a pitiful looking throne. The closer he got, the more pitiful the figure became. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. All Demon Lords Grego had seen (and slayed) had all been objects of fear. Dark, leathery skin, crooked horns, sometimes large wings that created tornados with a single flap. But this Demon Lord? He looked like an unkempt twenty-year-old. He had a nice face, it was rather feminine, also. One of his crimson eyes was covered by a black eyepatch. His hair was long and completely black, with a crimson streak through it. ¡°Is this a joke?¡± Grego found himself repeating out loud. This Demon Lord looked worthless. The Demon Lord raised a hand and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that kind of mean?¡± He had a weak smile on his face and a ¡®What can you do?¡¯ expression on his face. All of the Adventurer¡¯s had now gotten close enough to see the Useless Demon Lord. Everything about him screamed weak. He didn¡¯t have an oppressive aura, he looked thin, he wore simple black gear... ¡°Ah! If all of you stare at me like that, I get nervous!¡± ¡°Grego... this must be a fake. The real Demon Lord is hiding somewhere,¡± a woman with ocean blue hair hypothesized. ¡°Yes, that must be it.¡± ¡°Hey,¡± suddenly a darkness entered the ¡®Demon Lord¡¯s¡¯ eyes, ¡°if you keep insulting me, I¡¯ll get mad, y¡¯know?¡± A tiny bit of bloodlust escaped him. In an instant, the Adventurers readied their weapons. The tiny bit that had escaped installed a great fear within their very being. This, this was the real deal. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to stop playing around.¡± The Demon Lord cracked his neck. He now let all of his aura flow out. The female Quester who had spoken earlier screamed loudly. Fear. This was not a normal Demon Lord. Grego, even with fear plaguing him, boldly attacked the Demon Lord. Just as he swung his axe, his entire body froze. ¡°Wait, wait! I have to do my introduction now.¡± A sick smile spread across his face. ¡°Hello, pitiful humans, my name is the Demon Lord Erebus. The reason why I let you come here so easily is because I enjoy killing you all myself. Please let me see your disgusting true forms. Please let me see you abandon your so-called comrades to save your own miserable hides.¡± Grego was released from his imprisonment. His axe hit the Demon Lord¡¯s neck. The attack did nothing. Erebus raised a single finger, rather dramatically, and flicked the axe. The flick sent Grego crashing into the wall with a sickening splat. Grego, the Bloody Berserker, was now dead. He died an uneventful death. ¡°Weak.¡± In desperation, as they knew they had already lost (seeing as the strongest one of them all had easily been disposed of), the Adventurers courageously attacked the monster. And he decimated them. It was not a battle deserving detail, it could not even be considered a battle. No, let¡¯s just say, to preserve their honor that we will omit the details. The end result was limbs, blood, and entrails littered throughout the old throneroom. The Demon Lord Erebus covered his nose and made a disgusted noise. ¡°As I thought, I really hate the smell of blood.¡± Chapter One: A Decision Hello! Um, thank you for reading. As I said in the description, I''m not really trying to be comedic so if you see any comedy please know that it''s not really intentional? I''m not really sure how to say it. It will start off as light-hearted for the first 3-4 chapters because it hasn''t picked up yet... Anyway, I don''t plan on hiding anything on my main character Erebus. It will be explained in a few chapters. Also, I''m new to this site so please be gentle with me. I hope you enjoy! The Demon Lord Erebus sat on his throne. His eyes were closed as he was taking another nap. He frequently took naps, he rather enjoyed the blissfulness of being unconscious. When he slept, it would bring him back to the old days when he was young. His nap was short lived, however, when a white-haired woman entered the room. She was beautiful, simply put. Her white hair cascaded down to her hips and shimmered like diamonds, her eyes were like two sapphires that shone brightly. She was too pure for a place like this. An old, dark, and dreary castle. Her pale shoulders were exposed as the flowy light green gown, the translucent material did nothing to hide her womanly (flat-chested) figure underneath. Which was strange, seeing as the castle was dreadfully cold. The elegant curve of her neck was revealed which lead up to her doll-like face with her big eyes and seashell pink lips. The gorgeous woman¡¯s name was Tear of the Moon Goddess, in short, Tear. As if to symbolize her name, a blue tear drop was painted on her smooth cheek. ¡°My Lord,¡± she said, dropping into a deep curtsy. When she bowed her head, her cascading hair seemed to glitter even more. Also, a rather adorable blush had started to color her face. Erebus opened one lazy eye. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Tear.¡± ¡°If I may have a word?¡± Her beautiful voice resounded throughout the room. Erebus responded with a noncommittal noise. ¡°Thank you, my Lord.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really say yes...¡± Tear continued on anyway, ¡°We have received word that the humans want a truce. After you killed the raid lead by Grego Drand, they seem to have given up all hope on subjugating you.¡± ¡°Is that a good thing? I think that¡¯s a good thing. Not that I really care, do what you see fit.¡± ¡°If you give me that much freedom, I¡¯ll go wild.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it more fun that way?¡± Erebus laughed upon seeing the evil look that began to spread across her face. ¡°That was a joke. Don¡¯t go wild, you get scary.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°What do the others want to do?¡± ¡°They wish to accept it. After all, humans are annoying. It¡¯s annoying having to continuously kill them. No fun at all.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erebus placed his chin in his hand, a thoughtful look crossing his handsome face. ¡°What do you wish for?¡± ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t it easier to just accept? Like the others said, having to kill them is seriously annoying. They¡¯re all weak.¡± ¡°Your power is overwhelming,¡± Tear couldn¡¯t help but amend his words. The humans weren¡¯t weak, her master was just too powerful for mortals to ever reach. He had lived since the planet¡¯s beginning which was at least ten thousand years ago. The amount of power he had amassed in that time was enough to obliterate the entire planet. ¡°True, maybe I should create someone capable of defeating me.¡± Of course, Erebus was not the strongest entity on this planet but, he was certainly among the top five. Creating someone capable of defeating him would be... ¡°Impossible. It would take thousands of years to make a being like that, and you would have grown even stronger in that time.¡± Erebus closed his eyes. What a solitary existence he lived, he didn¡¯t have any friends. Though he had Tear and the others, they were not friends. They were subordinates. Subordinates who listened to his every word with no complaints, subordinates who he always had to seem all mighty in front of. ¡°Ah... I should make some friends.¡± ¡°Friends? I am your friend.¡± ¡°We both know that¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°I love Master,¡± Tear argued indignantly. She had been with him for five hundred years, her fear had faded and morphed into a (twisted) love for him. To get it out there now, Tear was an extreme masochist for her master. It would please her greatly if were to step on her back and call her a filthy mongrel. The clan Tear hailed from all had those tendencies, actually... Ah, how wonderful, thought Tear as she imagined such a thing. ¡°What¡¯s with that creepy expression...¡± Tear was making the face a lovely woman should never make. It was truly perverted. ¡°But thanks, I guess. I¡¯m not really sure if I want to be loved by you, though.¡± ¡°Is that so? Please, punish me then for having such indecent feelings!¡± This is exactly why he didn¡¯t want to be loved by her. Erebus was definitely not a sexual sadist. ¡°Dismissed.¡± Tear¡¯s face had morphed into something truly disgusting. ¡°U-understood!¡± The masochist scuttled out of the room. Watching this, Erebus decided that he should make friends. All of his subordinates were... creepy. They had become an unwanted harem. All with strange obsessions pointed at him. Though some masked it better than others. There was Tear¡¯s partner-in-crime, Stone. He always wanted to dress Erebus up in cutesy clothing then ¡®eat him up¡¯. The only normal(?) one would be Lilian. A pink-haired, pink-eyed, bunny-eared woman who adopted the personality of a pragmatic (kuudere) woman. That being said, Erebus had walked in on her hugging (and doing other things) dolls that looked like him. Erebus shivered at the thought. They were no good. Loyal but no good. With these thoughts in mind, Erebus stood up. He would make friends with someone. Preferably normal. Or at least cure his boredom. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Erebus left the room, the cape he wore swished menacingly behind him. Erebus, sadly, did not look menacing at all (even though he thought he did). ¡°Lord Erebus,¡± a deep resounding voice said. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± Erebus turned his head to see something that looked like it should be the Demon Lord. Its skin was dark blue and it stood nearly three meters tall with leathery wings folded on its back. Two thick, crooked horns sprouted from its bald head; on the face there were six eyes, three on each side with black sclera and amethyst pupils. It had a thick, flat nose and large lips. Its huge figure was completed by bulging muscles and a greatsword on its hips.This creature¡¯s name was Magnus. Stone¡¯s elder brother. Even though they¡¯re referred to as a male, the ¡®brothers¡¯ were sexless. They lacked any type of reproductive organs. ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°Bored!¡± roared Magnus, the entire castle shook. ¡°This... this is terrible,¡± Magnus dropped down to his knees, ¡°for our Lord to experience such a thing. Tragic! Truly tragic! I will provide my sword a sheathe inside of my body if that shall entertain our Lord! ¡± Erebus made a complicated expression at this. ¡°This is weird. Definitely weird. Actually, stop doing that.¡± What did I do to deserve these strange beings? Did I mess up in a past life? Is this Divine Retribution? These kind of thoughts ran through Erebus¡¯ mind. Magnus leapt to his feet. ¡°Shall I gather some humans for you to slaughter, then?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m going out for a bit. Maybe a couple decades.¡± Magnus¡¯ brows drew together. ¡°For what reason?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°I see! Let me accompany you!¡± No way. That¡¯d defeat the purpose of my leaving. Those were his unvoiced thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I must gather the others and tell them!¡± With that, Magnus disappeared quickly. ¡°I told the wrong person. Didn¡¯t I?¡± Erebus looked sadly off into the distance. He headed back to the throne room, as it would now become a long and drawn out process. He knew instantly that he would have to take at least two of them, that way they wouldn¡¯t complain. Within moments, they arrived. Magnus, he controlled the defense of the outer castle. If they managed to get past the traps set outside his brother Stone, would deal with it. Vyne, a handsome humanoid demon. He, due to his sadistic streak, was in charge of getting (torturing) information out of prisoners. Tear, the Overseer. She would bring all the information Lilian and Vyne gathered to Erebus. She was essentially the middle-man. This was mostly because Lilian talked too much in her explanations and Vyne went into too much detail. Lilian, she would handle anything and everything political. Surprisingly, the Demon Lords of the world had to deal with a lot of issues. Like land disputes, there were a lot of those. She would only pass major issues over to Tear to deliver to Erebus. ¡°My Lord,¡± Vyne began, dropping to his knees. ¡°We received word from Magnus that you wished to leave.¡± ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± Magnus let out a pained sound. ¡°Shall I accompany you, My Lord? I, unlike the others, have reached a stagnant in my job.¡± Vyne volunteered himself to come. Erebus didn¡¯t have any particular issue with Vyne coming, seeing as he was the only one who knew how to control himself. ¡°Nonsense! I shall come!¡± Tear instantly intervened. ¡°But you are the Second-In-Command,¡± Lilian said coldly. ¡°If Lord Erebus leaves, then you are who we report to.¡± She pushed up her glasses. ¡°Vyne is the best choice.¡± ¡°No way!¡± wailed Stone. ¡°He¡¯ll get to have love-love moments with Lord Erebus.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a chance.¡± Vyne gave Stone a harsh glare. ¡°I am unworthy of such a thing.¡± Erebus made another complicated expression. So gender wasn¡¯t the issue? Meaning, if he was worthy, he¡¯d go all out? ¡°You are all troubling Lord Erebus.¡± Lilian seemed to be the only one to notice how uncomfortable Erebus was growing. ¡°Lord Erebus! Let me come instead!¡± Tear ran up and grasped his hand. ¡°Put Lilian in-charge.¡± ¡°I see... that could work. Seeing as you are already unsuited for the position.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s unsuited?¡± Tear turned, her eyes glowing with anger directed at Lilian. ¡°Lord Erebus, take Tear and me.¡± Vyne nodded, stopping the two before they fought. ¡°Lilian can handle it very well without Tear.¡± ¡°But! I want to come instead!¡± Stone whined. ¡°You¡¯re unsuited,¡± Lilian hissed. Erebus pressed his fingers against his temples as their arguing continued. ¡°You¡¯re all being annoying.¡± A silence fell. They had angered him slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll take Vyne and Tear. Lilian, you will be in-charge of the affairs. Seeing as we will establish a peace treaty with the humans, we should not have to worry about any raids. If they do come, you three are more than enough. ¡°Lilian, seeing as you¡¯re a necromancer, you may use the corpses of the most recent raid if you think you will lack manpower.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be giving you this communication stone. With it, you¡¯ll be able to reach us no matter how far away we are. If there is an emergency, use it.¡± Lilian nodded, accepting the small opal stone from Erebus. ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be heading out. I don¡¯t know how long we¡¯ll be gone. No more than a decade or two, though.¡± Lilian allowed a small smile to spread on her beautiful face. ¡°Understood, My Lord.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Erebus signalled for Vyne and Tear to follow him. Erebus let out a sigh, this was not at all what he wanted. How troublesome. Chapter Two: The Exciting Adventure Begins! The Kingdom of Milon was established seven centuries prior to this date. Within no time at all, it became a world power. The land it was established on had an abundance of natural resources and newly discovered dungeons and labyrinths, leaving them with no shortage of wealth. And because of the dungeons and labyrinths, powerful Questers from across the world came pouring in. Milon was known for its beauty landscape and powerful monsters that lurked in the thick forest which were rich with mana. The abundant mana in this country went through a cycle. Because of these cycles ¡®months¡¯ were created. There were four: The first was the highest peak, the mana levels surged causing the monsters to run rampant. In this time, the casualty rate of Questers was the highest. The second month, the mana levels began to lower, though, they were still high enough to cause distress in the monsters. On the third month, the levels were finally at the average for the world. It was a peaceful period and it lasted the longest out of the four. During this time, towns and cities flourished. The fourth month experienced the most change, at first the levels were at record-setting lows before they started to rise up once more. During the times of low, the mana that normally kept the earth rich would dry up, causing many crop-failures. On the morning of the third season out of the four, three figures made their way into the capital of Milon. One was a handsome man with light brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck. His ears were slightly pointed and his golden eyes had somewhat of an inhuman gleam to them. He was tall and well-built, not overly so, though. He had a nicely made face, but his sensuous lips were drawn in a disapproving frown. Next to him was a woman with glittering hair and eyes with a face constructed by the Heavens. She had nice legs and a round butt yet her chest could be mistaken as a young man¡¯s. She was currently talking to the frowning man with an annoyed expression on her face. And finally, there was a worthless looking person. Even though he, too, had a handsome face. He had dead-fish eyes, even though only one crimson orb was revealed. His hair was plaited in a single thick braid that reached his chest, and there was a bright red streak in there, too. He was taller than the frowning man and his figure was also well-constructed... but he just gave off an air of uselessness. A bottom-feeder. He seemed out of place next to the two elegant others. ¡°Lord Erebus--¡± ¡°Erebus,¡± he corrected Vyne. ¡°Erebus,¡± Vyne said with some difficulty, ¡°are you sure becoming a Quester will cure your boredom?¡± ¡°You! You dare doubt Lo- Erebus¡¯ judgment?¡± The two had been arguing for the entire journey on this subject. Whenever Vyne would attempt to get Erebus¡¯ answer, Tear would intervene. The only time they had stopped arguing was when they had bought a change of clothes to appear more human. Vyne had cast a glamor on himself to lessen his demonic appearance. Normally, he would have wings, two small horns protruding from his forehead, a tail, and slitted pupils. Tear, since she had a completely human appearance, only had to change her revealing clothes. Though, she had gone for a dress with a plunging neckline and slit on both sides that went all the way up to her hips along with knee-high boots with a two-inch heel. And there was no saving Erebus¡¯ useless aura. They could only give him some decent clothing. The trio, when they arrived, entered the Capital easily, the guards at the gates only asked for ID. Which Vyne had easily created with his [Illusion Creator]. It was his specialty as a demon, he was able to create an illusion out of anything. He could make a pile of leaves look like a mound of gold. That being said, in a few minutes the magic would wear off, revealing its true form. Nonetheless, it was a useful skill. Along with his [Illusion Creator], Vyne was skilled with a sword. Making him a deadly enemy to fight. This was because during battle Vyne was capable of making his enemy see things that weren¡¯t actually there and confusing them completely. He was a person even Erebus didn¡¯t want to face off against. Tear hailed from the Clan of the Moon Goddess, which when it still existed, was known for producing immortal Huntress. Tear was a [Magical Archer] meaning that she did not use a traditional bow or arrow. It was a structure made completely out of her mana that shot off mana arrows capable of destroying small villages in a single shot. Finally, Erebus, though he couldn¡¯t use is [Lost Magic: Void] without causing a massive catastrophe, settled as a dual-blade wielder. Though he wasn¡¯t as adept with the blade as Vyne was, seeing as he was primarily a mage, so to speak, he was still powerful enough to rival master swordsmen. When they had practiced basic formations by fighting lesser monsters, they had proven to be extremely efficient. But, since none of them could use their full power (they wanted to blend in as moderately powerful humans), it was slower than they were used to. Which, in other words, was ended a battle within seconds. In the current time, the trio found the Quester¡¯s Guild and entered the large building. Large was an understatement. It was like a miniature castle. The architectural structure of it provided a certain ethereal feeling. According to the information Vyne had gathered, the renovations were due to Grego Drand. He had provided them with enough funds to redo the entire structure. ¡°Is this what I get for killing him...¡± Erebus said softly so that only he could hear. Grego had turned out to be a pretty decent guy, he had heard many people expressing their sadness that he had been murdered. It wasn¡¯t Erebus¡¯ fault, right? Grego came and tried to kill him. Self-defense, self-defense! Ignoring the dark cloud that had settled over Erebus, the trio had gained nearly everyone¡¯s attention. Mostly because they were all annoyingly good looking, even the depressed/useless one. Tear received a few catcalls as they made their way to the front desk. And, much to their dismay, a few female Questers examined Erebus¡¯ and Vyne¡¯s backsides. ¡°Hello, welcome to the Capital¡¯s Quester¡¯s Guild,¡± the large-chested receptionist said with a smile. Her dark brown hair was set on top of her head in a high ponytail. ¡°Do you wish to apply as new Questers?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Vyne answered, stepping up. He was the only (semi) reliable person in their group. Seeing as Tear was wholly focused on Erebus, and Erebus had a habit of half-assing things. The receptionist nodded. ¡°Please go up to the second floor. When you are done there, you may come back down and immediately accept a Quest to go out on.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Vyne gave her a dazzling smile. The receptionist blushed at the beauty of it. ¡°Y-you¡¯re welcome!¡± ¡°As I thought,¡± Erebus began as they walked away. ¡°Vyne¡¯s charm works on everyone.¡± ¡°Charm?¡± ¡°Even I¡¯ve fallen for it.¡± Vyne¡¯s eyes brighten instantly. ¡°L-Lord!¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking.¡± Tear makes a saddened (yet aroused) face at being ignored by Erebus. ¡°Hello,¡± the receptionist at the next floor greeted. This time was a male blonde with a pleasant face. He already had three blank cards prepared and spread out in front of him. ¡°Please place a drop of your blood on a card and your Quester¡¯s ID will be made. By doing this, you agree to abide the rules I will provide now. ¡°In the Quester¡¯s Guidebook, there are two major rules to abide by. One: No killing fellow Questers, unless they have been labeled [Red], a criminal. Also, you may not kill any non-Quest related humans. Two: The only way to get rid of a Quest is by dying or being labeled [Red], where you can be Hunted. You cannot abandon any Quest. More or less, everything falls underneath those two categories. There are other rules, if you want to learn them, read the Guidebook. Do you agree to these rules?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Yes,¡± the trio responded in unison. They each placed a drop of their own blood onto the silver cards. Within moments, glowing words burned themselves onto the plate. Erebus let out a soft ¡®oo¡¯ as he watched them form. Seeing this, the receptionist continued. ¡°In the Quester¡¯s Guild, there are nine rankings. Tier 1, being the lowest, to Tier 9, being the highest. By completing a certain amount of Quest and you move throughout the rankings. For example, Tier 1 to Tier 2 requires 200 Rank. Quest offer money and also Rank. The average Tier 1 Quest gives 10-20 Rank. The rewards given increase with every Tier. Also, being a party does not lessen the amount of Rank you receive.¡± ¡°So, basically, if you want to become successful, do a lot of Quest?¡± Vyne questioned. ¡°It evens out the playing field. That way connections cannot be utilized to gain Tiers.¡± He made a face like something along the lines of that had happened before. ¡°Would you like me to continue or do you understand the basics?¡± ¡°We understand the basics. The rest is in the Guidebook, correct?¡± ¡°Yes. If you ever have anymore questions, please come back.¡± The receptionist bowed to the trio as they left. Tear examined her ID card. ¡°We¡¯ll need to keep these concealed. The information on them is kind of...¡± Their IDs read as followed: Name: Tear of the Moon Goddess Age: 617 Race: High Human Tier: 1 Status: Silver Title: The Huntress Name: Erebus Age: Maximum Limit Exceeded Race: Dragon Tier: 1 Status: Silver Title: Demon Lord, 5th Seat of the Council Name: Vyne Age: 1,201 Race: Demon Tier: 1 Status: Silver Title: Illusion Master ¡°Hey... what exactly is their Maximum Limit...¡± Erebus made a face. He wasn¡¯t that old. As the card said, he belonged to the race that boasted the most power of them all, as they had existed the longest. Erebus was not the strongest of his race, though his strength ranked among the top ten, making him a member of the Dragon Council. Even though he looked like a human currently, his true form was that of a massive dragon with a wingspan of one mile. ¡°I see what you mean,¡± Vyne said, skillfully ignoring his Lord. ¡°Our ages are far too old for any human and High Humans died (were massacred) off some time ago. Also, Erebus and I are from non-human heritage...¡± ¡°Well, depending on how we hold it, we can hide our age and title. It shouldn¡¯t prove to be that difficult concealing it.¡± Tear examined the cared. ¡°Though, this is pretty amazing. The magic imbued in this card could tell what our Titles are.¡± Erebus nodded in agreement.¡°This Quester thing sounds fun... at least, more fun than just sitting around all day. And waiting decades for some humans to try and challenge me.¡± By the way, Erebus had already given up hope on making friends. Having Vyne and Tear with him would make that an impossible task. ¡°Indeed, this will be a nice pastime.¡± Vyne, who had no shortage of beings (even though he said he did) to torture, already had a nice pastime. ¡°Isn¡¯t it way too easy to become a Quester?¡± Tear input. ¡°I mean, we just said we wanted to join and they let us. ¡± ¡°For a fee,¡± Vyne said. Though it wasn¡¯t mentioned, they each had to pay 1 gold coin to join. ¡°Because if you do anything that¡¯ll label you as [Red] you get hunted down instantly.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Vyne said as they made their way to the Quest Board. ¡°I¡¯m assuming your Status will change if you become a [Red] instead of [Silver]...¡± ¡°That¡¯d make sense,¡± Tear nodded. ¡°Also, from the information I gathered as we were traveling, Tier 9 Questers are rare.¡± ¡°The Rank needed must be a large amount.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s because of the Quest difficulty. Tier 1 Questers probably get easy Quest to deal with more or less. But being Tier 8 or 9 would be more along the lines of death being a large part of every Quest. Seeing as how it was Tier 9 and 8 Questers that came to subjugate us,¡± Erebus explained. ¡°I see. So you¡¯re saying Tier 7 would be more common?¡± Tear nodded. ¡°It¡¯s mere speculation.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s quickly get out of Tier 1,¡± Vyne suggested. ¡°It should be easy.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Tear agreed. She wanted to quickly go through the Tiers so she could get lost in a dungeon and have Erebus come and save her. Tear gets a dreamy look in her eye as she continued to think of those types of things. A shiver passed through Erebus. ----------- ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± ¡°I apologize, Lord Erebus.¡± Tear frowned. ¡°Tier 1 Quest are rather dull.¡± All day they had been doing simple Quest, they had managed to get to Tier 2. Tier 1 Quest required no fighting at all but rather gathering and things of the like. They even had to find a cat. They found that forming a party was the easiest way to go about this. Each of them accepted a quest solo. But since they were in a party, they were able to gain Rank 3x as faster, as it was shared equally. ¡°When I looked at the Quest Board, it seems that Tier 3 Quests are where you¡¯re able to begin fighting,¡± Vyne said as they entered a classy (expensive) inn. Erebus let out a sigh. ¡°Boring, boring.¡± They walked towards the inns receptionist. ¡°One room please. Three beds or two.¡± ¡°T-two!¡± Tear automatically shouted. ¡°Two beds will be fine.¡± ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t really mind sleeping in the same bed as Vyne but I thought he¡¯d want his own.¡± ¡°I see. That is true, it will be uncomfortable if we have to share a bed, Erebus.¡± The receptionist gave them a confused expression. ¡°W-wait! I was suggesting Erebus and I share a bed.¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯ll be tight, we can fit, Vyne.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this indescribable feeling in my heart right now?¡± Vyne touched his chest. ¡°Tonight... I¡¯ll become a man.¡± Erebus casted a shy look at Vyne. ¡°Hey! Why are you ignoring me? And what are you two talking about doing while someone else is in the room?¡± The receptionist truly looked frightened, to her, this wasn¡¯t amusing. Erebus then turned to the receptionist with a serious expression. ¡°We¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°O-of course. Three beds then?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Vyne said. ¡°That¡¯ll be 5 gold.¡± Erebus carefully pulled 5 coins out of his swollen wallet (a Demon Lord amasses a certain amount of wealth, this was but a small portion) and gave them to the receptionist. The receptionist wished them a good stay as the trio left the first floor. ¡°Ah, Lord Erebus, we¡¯ve gotten so dirty. Perhaps we should take a bath together?¡± Tear suggested with a modest face. ¡°Stop trying to do such indecent things to Lord Erebus!¡± ¡°If you want to take a bath with me, that¡¯s fine.¡± Tear blushed. ¡°Would you even push my head underwater until I could barely breathe and then bring me up at the moment before I lose consciousness and kiss me?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that way too extreme? I take that back. I¡¯m not bathing with you.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Thus ended their lackluster day. With this chapter, it ends what I already had written. I''m working on chapter three so it should be out soon. Please tell me any thoughts, concerns, or things of the like. Sorry if it starts out a little slow, I''m building up to the main events. Chapter Three: A Small Explaination The next morning, after Erebus had pulled himself out of Tear¡¯s grasp (she had crawled into his bed), he headed down to the Quester¡¯s Guild with Vyne. Tear told them that she would work on gathering some more information. Vyne had lectured them both on how ignorance would not help them get anywhere. Since they had basically lived as recluses for hundreds of years (a thousand or so for Erebus) they lacked the ¡®common sense¡¯ that everyone else had. So, to fix this ignorance, Tear was sent out to gather the fundamental knowledge. And, the reason he didn¡¯t go information gathering with Tear, is because he didn¡¯t trust Erebus on his own. Erebus had a habit of drifting off to find places to nap (like a cat of some sorts) and abandoning his duties. ¡°Ah, so boring, this world is so boring.¡± ¡°Indeed, there hasn¡¯t been anything interesting. Perhaps we should incite a fight at the Guild? That would prove entertaining.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that troublesome thinking? Humans are no fun to fight. Their entire race is painfully weak.¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t mean us fighting, I mean them fighting each other. Some of my methods of gaining (torturing) information from others include making them experience betrayal.¡± ¡°Oh... so if Vyne wanted, you could start a war? That¡¯d be fun.¡± Vyne laughed loudly. ¡°Indeed! That would be great!¡± Even though I think you¡¯re overestimating me too much, Vyne thought to himself. ¡°As I thought, Vyne is certainly amazing. If I was a woman I¡¯d marry you. No! My love for you transcends such barriers.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Even though Erebus said these types of things, he was aromantic. He called those types of emotions ¡®trivial¡¯ and ¡®an annoyance¡¯. ¡°Anyway, Erebus, should we aim to get Tier 3 today?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯ll prove more entertaining, correct?¡± Vyne nodded, displaying a somewhat smug expression. ¡°Yes, and at Tier 5, we¡¯ll be able to go explore dungeons. Last night, I went back to the Quester¡¯s Guild to gain even more information.¡± Erebus applauded Vyne¡¯s quick information gathering. ¡°Good job, good job.¡± Vyne looked happy to be praised by his master. ¡°Of course! If I provided my Lord with anything else, I would be unworthy!¡± They entered the Quester¡¯s Guild. ¡°I noticed this before, Erebus, but this place has a wonderful flow of mana.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Erebus tilted back his head, ¡°it has such a relaxing feel to it.¡± Inside of the Quester¡¯s Guild, due to the enchanted materials it was built with and mana stones embedded in the ceiling to provide light, it had its own flow of mana called a ¡®channel¡¯. A channel would be formed if there was a large quantity of mana existing in an area. Also, two channels can blend together and become a ¡®linkage¡¯. Then some linkages form a ¡®composite¡¯... it eventually becomes a jumble too irritating to decipher. Anyway, the channel was typically influenced by the auras of those inside of it. For example, in a dungeon which is full of hostiles, the channel there had an unsettling feel to it. Inside of the Guild, however, the aura was tranquil. Though, many times, some Questers would get into fights that would disturb the tranquility and create a menacing atmosphere, the raging auras would eventually calm down. An aura, by the way, was emitted by every living thing. It was, in a simple explanation, mana affected by the living entity. Mana flows in and out of everything, and when it flows through living things, auras are created. The aura that they emit is similar to a channel, but it is influenced by their emotion. So, if a person gets angry, their aura changes into that of anger, also. Similar to channels, aura is felt by others. Aura can be controlled if you are skillful enough. The best example of this would be when Erebus. Erebus, who is constantly bored and lazing about, emits a useless aura. Which is why everyone finds him to be ¡®worthless¡¯. But, Erebus is capable of withholding his aura since his true aura is that of a creature nearly as old as the planet they lived on. In other words, he purposefully emits an aura of a wimp. It¡¯s a strange concept to explain but, more or less, that¡¯s how it works. Back to the duo, they both had their eyes closed as the peaceful mana channel flowed around them. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt this relaxed in a while,¡± Erebus admitted, opening his eye. Vyne nodded his agreement. ¡°Moving on, let¡¯s find some high reward Tier 2 Quest.¡± The two made their way over to the crowded Quest Board, which was surrounded by tough looking men and women. There was one female who had a long scar stretching from her left temple cutting across her face diagonally to her chin. She had shorn her hair into a buzz-cut, and well... she looked manlier than some of the guys standing there. She looked like she spent all of her free-time lifting weights and crushing the skulls of unfortunate passersby. When she saw Vyne and Erebus, she let out a large laugh. ¡°Hello there!¡± she began in her gravelly voice. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you two before!¡± Vyne¡¯s eye twitched. She was incredibly loud. ¡°We just applied yesterday.¡± ¡°I see! I see!¡± she boomed. She stuck out a beefy hand. ¡°My name¡¯s Heather, Tier 8 Quester.¡± Erebus shook her hand enthusiastically. ¡°Pleasure to meet you, I¡¯m Erebus.¡± ¡°Ohoho! What a firm shake for a scrawny looking man.¡± The two who got along surprisingly well shared a laugh. Vyne, who seemed to be saddened by being left out, introduced himself, ¡°My name is Vyne. Erebus and I are both Tier 2 Questers.¡± ¡°And you say you just applied yesterday!¡± a man with a shiny bald head input. ¡°Amazing.¡± The others around them all agreed. Gaining a Tier in less than a day was certainly a feat, no matter how low the Tier was. ¡°We had another friend with us, so it wasn¡¯t too difficult.¡± Vyne smiled kindly at them all. Heather laughed again, undoubtedly rupturing the eardrums of the fellow next to her. ¡°And humble, too!¡± Vyne twitched again. He wanted to get a Quest and leave already. Erebus, on the other hand, was doing his signature head-scratch and ¡®What can you do?¡¯ smile. ¡°Eh? Your compliments are making me blush.¡± Heather, upon seeing this, forced Erebus into an embrace against her muscled chest. ¡°How adorable!¡± Vyne was doing his very best at not beheading her for laying her filthy, lower-life form, disgusting, unworthy, worthless (the list goes on) hands on his master. It was almost commendable on how he kept his bloodlust restrained. Though, he was making plans to go out tonight and relieve his stress by playing with some poor soul on the street. He wouldn¡¯t kill quickly them, that was too easy. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ah, he couldn¡¯t wait to see the moment the life left their eyes and the last breath escaped their filthy lips. It was those kinds of thoughts that kept him calm. During Vyne¡¯s vivid day-dreaming, Erebus had been lead off by Heather and a couple of other Questers to a table. Heather would laugh every now and then and smack Erebus on the back with enough force to break a small child¡¯s spine. ¡°So, you decided to become a Quester because you were bored?¡± the bald man from earlier questioned. His name was Luke and he was a battle-mage with a kind heart. ¡°Haha yep~¡± Erebus left out the fact that he was a Dragon/Demon Lord who had existed for a long... long... long time. ¡°How amusing.¡± Heather laughed and gave him another bone-crushing ¡®pat¡¯ on the back. At this moment, even though Heather acted so light-hearted, she was amazed by how strong this young fellow was. She had subtly been increasing the power of her pats on the back and he didn¡¯t show the slightest recognition of pain. Vyne came over and sat with them, even though he didn¡¯t want to. ¡°He has always decided to do things on a whim like that,¡± he said, adopting the role of a childhood friend. A side-note, Vyne¡¯s acting skills were amazing. Perhaps it was because of his hobby (he had to lure in his victims, I mean, companions somehow) but he had perfected the personality types of many varieties. Erebus laughed and continued to rub the back of his head. ¡°Where do you hail from?¡± A black-haired man by the name of Mur asked the two. ¡°The Lower continent.¡± Vyne didn¡¯t hesitate. Mur raised an eyebrow and let out a low whistle. The Lower Continent was known for having monsters even more vicious than the ones in Milon. The dungeon and labyrinths were also more difficult. Heather nodded, that would explain why her ¡®pats¡¯ had no effect on Erebus. Little did she know, it was mentioned just for that. It would be their explanation for why they were so strong, they would just mention Lower Continent, and people would understand. Since he had sensed a change in the atmosphere, Vyne suggested to Erebus that they head out on their Quest. Erebus, who had also noticed how they had drawn the attention of other Questers with the mention of the lower continent, agreed to this. They said their goodbyes and left. ¡°To think the Lower Continent would illicit such a response,¡± Erebus said. Vyne nodded. ¡°From what I heard last night, the condition of the place has grown even worse within the past centuries.¡± For more information, Stone and Magnus had both been Demon Lords in the Lower Continent. When Erebus had gone there to meet a certain person, the arrogant Lords had challenged him. They were arrogant because they had become the only existing Lords in the Lower Continent, they had completely wiped out the others. Their strength was truly something to be reckoned with. He dominated them in battle. Thus, they became his servants and formed their creepy obsession over him. It was also why Erebus wasn¡¯t particularly bothered by leaving the castle with only three to protect it. All of them possessed strength of a Demon Lord, as they used to be Demon Lords. He had subjugated them all in similar ways, save for Tear. She joined when Erebus had passed through her clan¡¯s territory. That goes to say, any Quester raid sent to his castle, would be destroyed with the power of five Demon Lords. The reason it was five was because Erebus was a Dragon rank. Ah, Demon Lord is just a ranking. The top three hostility rankings were: Demon Lord, Demon Emperor, Dragon. The reason why Stone and the four others who were beaten down by Erebus lost their rankings as Demon Lord is because they became his minions. Minions don¡¯t have rankings. That being said, the humans didn¡¯t know Erebus was of Dragon rank, so they wrongly labeled him as a Demon Lord. And because of their pride, they refused to label him as a Demon Emperor. With that being explained, the Lower Continent was also dubbed the Demon Continent because of the sheer amount of powerful entities existing there. Magnus and Stone weren¡¯t powerful enough to overthrow the Demon Emperor that existed there. By the way, the Demon Emperor, was who Erebus was going to visit. He was the closest thing to a friend Erebus had. Anyway, the Lower Continent was the most dangerous place in this world other than the Dragon Realm. To put it into scale, a common monster in the Lower Continent was at Epic rank, two steps below Demon Lord. Actually to get it out of the way the rankings, from lowest to highest were: Lower Terror Terror Epic Demon Demon Lord Demon Emperor Dragon There were even more specifications within the lower ranks but the details are too minute to bother with. At Terror Rank, the monster was capable of becoming a Tier 4 Quest. Lower Terror was Tier 3. So, if you wanted to survive the Lower Continent, you¡¯d have to be Tier 7. These kind of details are important among the Questers, every monster had to be classified correctly, or a lot of people could die. ¡°Tier 7, huh,¡± Heather said softly (or at normal volume for the average person) as the two left the building. ¡°They could become something amazing.¡± Luke also watched them leave. ¡°To be born in the Lower Continent... I wonder what their story is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better not to pry, you old man.¡± Heather ¡®patted¡¯ him on the back. Heather had explored the Lower Continent before, it was where she received the scar. Mur stayed silent. He, unlike the others, had felt the very subtle bloodlust Vyne had been giving off. It was enough to make him fear for his life. Dangerous, he concluded. Those two are dangerous. I tried to explain as much as I could because it''d be really confusing later on if I didn''t. Please let me know if it''s all clear or not because as I a writer I tend to overlook things. Tell me if my explanation is a little clunky, I wasn''t sure how to put it all into words. Chapter Four: Head Out Squad ¡°Thank you for your assistance,¡± an elderly man said as he bowed to Erebus, Vyne, and Tear. The trio had finished guarding the coming-of-age party for a young lady named Rosaline. ¡°It was no problem.¡± Tear put on her best ¡®proper lady¡¯ smile ignoring the fact that her outfit screamed of promiscuous. Even though, she covered up her exposed (non-existent) cleavage with a black bra at Vyne¡¯s request. If she bent at certain angles, you would be able to see her ¡®goodies¡¯. Which was undoubtedly a ploy to get Erebus¡¯ attention, as she... enjoyed a certain ¡®freedom¡¯. However, Erebus had absolutely no interest in her whatsoever, so she only drew lecherous gazes of married and single men. They left after many more thanks from the old man. Their destination was the Quester¡¯s Guild, as they had to turn in the completed Quest Form to gain their rewards. It was another safety measure installed by the Guild so that Questers couldn¡¯t get more than they deserved. That being said, clients could still ¡®drop¡¯ a few extra coins on the ground. By the way, two weeks had passed and they were now Tier 3 Questers. Getting out of Tier 2 proved to be more troublesome, as the Quest there took a day or two to complete. Such as escorting merchants to nearby towns and then heading back to the Guild to turn it in. The amount required to get to Tier 2 to 3 was 600 Rank, and with each Quest giving at minimum 30, it was an a meddlesome task. Even though they leveled 3x faster, you could only accept one Quest at a time. When they entered the Guild, Heather, and co. greeted them cheerfully (save for Mur who still had a suspicious expression) and congratulated them on completing their job with no issues. ¡°So this is the other one you were talking about?¡± Heather asked in reference to Tear. ¡°Yes,¡± Vyne answered, wondering why in the world this woman was still here. And why she felt the need to talk to them. He quickly turned in their Quest Form to the receptionist, her name was Miranda, and she gave them their 100 silver reward. Rank was added to their cards when she swiped it through a strange metallic stone with a grove thin enough for the card to pass through it. ¡°Here you go,¡± she said, blushing slightly as she handed the card to Vyne. His smile from the other day still lingered in her mind. ¡°Thank you.¡± Vyne was too annoyed to give her another dazzling, pretty-boy smile. Erebus said goodbye to Heather and co. and followed Vyne out like a lost puppy. If you didn¡¯t know any better, you would think that Erebus was Vyne¡¯s subordinate, not the other way around. Tear, also, followed Vyne out like a puppy. Heather and co. laughed at the funny sight. Erebus¡¯ and Heather¡¯s relationship had grown into a strange friendship if it could be called one. For Erebus, he saw her as a child. And for Heather, well, she saw Erebus as a child. They were correct by their own view-points. To Heather, a forty-something-year-old woman, Erebus, who looked to be around twenty-two, was a child. And for Erebus who was... old, Heather was a child. Their relationship was something like that. It was strange, to say it simply. Erebus was currently walking with Tear glued to his side, his arm pressed against her chest as she clung to it like a lifeline. Vyne, who couldn¡¯t bear to see his master put through such a thing, berated Tear for her indecent behavior. Erebus found himself smiling slightly, he was seeing the two in a different light. To him, they were like young children bickering. It was a sight where you couldn¡¯t help but smile at their close relationship, no matter how much they proclaimed to ¡®hate¡¯ each other. ¡°Honestly, to cling to our master like that! You¡¯re like a leech,¡± Vyne was currently saying. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that, you sexual sadist? Quit bitching about it. Lord Erebus doesn¡¯t have a problem with me!¡± To say that they were like ¡®children bickering¡¯ was a bit of an understatement. The terms exchanged were rated M. ¡°Who¡¯s the bitch? You lower-life form, don¡¯t get ahead of yourself! Just because you¡¯re dubbed a ¡®High¡¯ Human doesn¡¯t change the fact you¡¯re just a variant of a species no better than a piece of shit.¡± ¡°Now, now,¡± Erebus cooed, like the mature(?) adult he was. ¡°No need to fight. Tear isn¡¯t bothering me, Vyne. You may calm down.¡± ¡°I-I see, I apologize.¡± If Vyne was given the opportunity, he would have dropped to the ground and licked his master¡¯s shoes. The three arrived at the inn that they had been staying at for 5 gold a night. The receptionist was rather surprised by the wealth they had. For the amount, the average lower Tier Quester made, 70 gold coins was enough to put them in debt for a year or even more with living expenses.. For Erebus, however, 70 gold did not even create an indent in the wealth he still had in his castle. Each of them had left with a sack of about 200 gold, and the amount increased the amount of jobs they did. The average Tier 3 job gave around 100 silver. And 1,000 silver was worth 1 gold coin. 1,000 copper was worth 1 silver. Basically, metals were very much sought after. Which is why Questers often went to subjugate Demon Lords because they always had immense wealth. And the riches Dragon ranks had was out of this world. Even though he didn¡¯t act like it, Erebus, like all dragons, enjoyed wealth. Whenever he¡¯d see a rare jewel, he had to have it. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just wealth dragons enjoyed. They also like knowledge, so they were known to be the wisest of the species, only coming second to the elven races. So, even though he rarely, if ever showed it, Erebus was also rather intelligent. He was known for his ability to see through things easily. Meaning that, Tear¡¯s intentions towards him were all too clear. And he simply didn¡¯t care because he held no romantic interest for her, or for anyone. Dragons were also known for being self-centered, they honestly cared for themselves and no one else. Though he wasn¡¯t heartless, Erebus was the same. He was arrogant, and had every right to be so. Who wouldn¡¯t be? When they had enough power to put the world in ruins. This wasn¡¯t bovarism, no, this was the pure and simple truth. He, as a member of the dragon race, was above the others. For Erebus, things like Questing were done for fun. For his own self-enjoyment. If anyone got in the way of that, he would cut them down without a second-thought. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Perhaps the other Questers knew this, even though it was unconsciously. Normally, there would be a hazing for the new Questers but Erebus and his subordinates experienced no such thing. They were welcomed with open arms. It was truly an interesting thing to see, to say the least. The subconscious submissive behavior the humans had adapted to those more powerful than they. Or, maybe I¡¯m just assuming things. Currently, Erebus and co. were laying on their beds, asleep. Even though none of them were particularly tired, it was just their way of passing time until morning came. Though, some nights, Vyne would sneak out to go ¡®play¡¯. And some nights, Tear would attempt to grope her sleeping master, only to be kicked in the face and sent flying. This type of play didn¡¯t deter her, if anything, it excited her even more. A truly fearsome opponent. One where if you tried to beat them down, they would just get more rowdy. A moment of silence for Erebus¡¯ struggle. Moving on, the morning came silently. It came in the form of warm, golden rays filtering their way through the expensive curtains of their room. Tear who had, once again, curled up in the same bed as Erebus, was the first to awaken. Erebus then awoke, then Vyne. They got ready in a comfortable silence. Erebus adjusted the heavy jacket he wore, Tear miraculously ¡®forgot¡¯ some important pieces to put on, and Vyne cleaned his dirtied knife, which he had yet again, found some blood on it. A new widow¡¯s weeping could be heard not too far from their inn. Vyne, who seemed unusually relieved, headed down the stairs first. Then followed by Tear, who had attached herself to Erebus. They each ate a miniscule breakfast. Mostly because they did not survive on food like humans did. They only ate because it would be strange if they didn¡¯t. Humans had to eat food because they couldn¡¯t ¡®use¡¯ mana, so to speak. Since they couldn¡¯t properly use mana, they were incapable of transforming its energy into sustenance to survive on. Since Tear was a High Human, however, she was capable of this task. Even though her version of it was not as natural as breathing, like it was for Vyne and Erebus. Races that were created with an invisible ¡®organ¡¯ that processed the mana into their energy. This was also why they were naturally stronger than the humans. Another example of how mana is transformed, is magic. Magic is essentially funneling mana and changing its form into something different. Such as water. Even though it wasn¡¯t really water, it gained the properties of it. Humans, if they drank the magical water, would die instantly. Vyne found this out through his experiments. This is also why humans needed to cast magic circles, they were incapable of sending large amounts of mana through their bodies. If they were to do so, they would die. Another experiment by Vyne. Even though he had heard of these things, he really had to test it out on his own. Like, he really, really had to see it. Perhaps he could conduct another experiment to see what happens when a magic circle is placed directly on a human body and the mana is channeled through that and then into their body. Would it still kill them instantly? Would the death be slower? Would it not kill them at all? Would a person who is a mage have a different reaction than your average joe? Vyne rubbed his chin in deep thought. He had a lot of material to research. Erebus, on the other hand, was day-dreaming, as always. While ignoring the jealous stares he received from the other men in the inn. All of them because of the beauty dangling off of him like an extra limb. Tear was currently rubbing her face against his arm affectionately. If you were an outsider looking in, you¡¯d instantly assume that they were a couple. But to Erebus, it was more ¡®commensalism¡¯, he didn¡¯t really care that she was touching him, and Tear was able to be close to her master. After their breakfast, they instantly headed to the Quester¡¯s Guild. The reason why they had become Questers seemed to be working, as Erebus stopped complaining of being bored. And, there was no call from Lilian, meaning that everything was going well, or close to it, on their end. Today, they accepted their first fighting Quest. The rewards were 200 Silver and 90 Rank. ¡°Hooh...¡± Erebus, Vyne, and Tear all let out the same sound. This was the highest reaping Quest they¡¯ve ever seen (that wasn¡¯t above their rank). It was truly a sight to behold. This would be their debut. ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Erebus said excitedly. He, obviously, wasn¡¯t daunted by the fact that they needed to fight Thornback Wolves and gather their metallic fur. Thornback Wolves were weak individually, but they came in packs of at least twenty. They were called Thornback due to their fur, which was actually a pretty durable metal, that stuck straight up on their back like thorns. They were the lowest rank by themselves, but when gathered together, could be considered Terror rank. Vyne snatched the Quest off the Board and smiled, it was a real one this time. His master was truly entertained. ¡°They¡¯re located in the Lower Mountain. About half a times travel from here if we walk.¡± Erebus, like a child, bolted out of the Quester¡¯s Guild, full of excitement. This was fun! When was the last time he got to have fun? Tear eagerly followed her master out of the Guild. If her master was happy, then she was happy. The crew headed out towards the Lower Mountain, which was south of the Capital. The land was on the outside of a vast mountain range, which had lead to it being undiscovered for thousands of years. The mountain range stretched from the bottom of the Main Continent, all the way to the Northeast. In the area that was blocked off by the range, lay Milon. Even though the area Erebus and the others were headed towards was called the ¡®Lower Mountain¡¯ it was because it was was at the lower edge of the Kingdom. No more than that. Erebus smiled broadly as they exited the large capital. This was the true beginning of his adventure. I''ll try to release as many chapters as I can in a day while still keeping the same quality. Thank you for your feedback. Chapter Five: Thornback Wolves When they reached the Lower Mountain, it was nighttime so they set up a camp. If they were ordinary Questers, they would have someone on watch. But since they weren¡¯t ordinary, all of them went to sleep. Vyne was so skilled at scaring things away even when he was sleeping, that nothing came to attack them. That was a joke. It was more along the lines of the creatures in the Lower Mountain weren¡¯t stupid. Even in this dense forest full of mana, they knew that the trio was dangerous. They weren¡¯t like the other humans that came into their territory. The others would always have one stay away on look out. But these ones weren¡¯t afraid of being attacked in the night. That was enough to keep the creatures from attacking. Instead, they watched. They watched the strange humans who slept peacefully as if they were within the confines of their safe Capital. Tear awoke first. Tonight, she had managed to hold herself back from entering Erebus¡¯ makeshift bed. She began to focus, her eyes were wide open, but it was like she wasn¡¯t looking at anything. Her aura basically disappeared and she emitted a strange glow instead. Tear was currently transforming magic into useable energy. Even though she was a High Human who had practiced this technique for many years (600 to be exact), she still needed absolute focus. If she messed up, it could stop her from ever being able to use magic ever again. What she was currently doing involved many small details to create a larger whole. She broke down the mana that flowed in her body and transformed it into energy. Unlike Vyne and Erebus who did this process naturally, she had to do it manually. When she had first started learning this, as it was a technique passed through her clan, she had vomited blood and became immobile for seven Milon months. It took her one hundred years to master the skill. It was only shortly after that when she had encountered Erebus after she had lost her way. Even though she didn¡¯t notice due to the trance-like state she had entered, Vyne and Erebus were both watching her with interested looks. Despite the fact that they had seen her do this many times, it never ceases to amaze them. They were careful not to disturb her, though. One time, Lilian had forced Tear to wake up, which caused Tear to start violently coughing up blood and spasming. Erebus, who had never experienced such a thing, felt a strange emotion well up in him as he watched her suffer. It was a feeling of helplessness. No matter what they did, they couldn¡¯t help her. She had managed to calm down after a while, but she had fallen asleep for a week. Tear finally finished the converting and her eyes came back into focus. ¡°Lord Erebus, Vyne.¡± She gave them her greetings with a tired smile. ¡°This seems to be putting more strain on you than usual,¡± Erebus noticed. ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t need to use the skill for a couple weeks. In that short amount of time, my body became weak.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It drained more energy than it normally does. I¡¯ll be fine within a few moments.¡± ¡°I can pour some energy into you,¡± Vyne offered with a little too much excitement. Without a doubt, he was thinking of using her as an experiment. He didn¡¯t really care if she was suffering, the only reason he didn¡¯t disturb her is because it would bother Lord Erebus. Ah, what a tragic loss. Tear would have created such lovely research material. Since she was a High Human, she healed faster. Meaning that if he made a little incision here and there it would heal within moments... Would it leave a scar? He wondered if he could ask her to become research material for the betterment of Lord Erebus¡¯ knowledge. ¡°No,¡± Erebus and Tear said. They both knew what he was thinking. Erebus more than Tear, as he had been given long lectures from Vyne before on some of his experiments. Like, did you know that when you force mana into a certain spot of a human¡¯s body, the human doesn¡¯t die 1/10 times. 10% chance! Instead, where you forced the mana into their body the flesh and everything underneath are disintegrated instead. Even though they experience excruciating pain, they¡¯re still alive. How wonderful! The thought of it creates this indescribable feeling of happiness instead of me, Lord Erebus! Of course, the lecture did not stop there. Vyne even wrote a ten paged book on the subject for his master. A truly wonderful subordinate. Yes, Lord Erebus was blessed to have him. Tear and Erebus were currently taking down the tent they had set up, both of them ignoring Vyne¡¯s incoherent rambling. ¡°My Lord,¡± Tear began, ¡°I noticed this last night, but it would seem we¡¯re being watched by the creatures of this forest.¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Erebus shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°They don¡¯t know what we are.¡± Tear accepted his bland explanation without any complaint. If her master says it is so, then it must be so. It was that faulty logic that she followed. The trio began to head out, Vyne, the efficient servant he was, had bought a map of Milon. It was a map created by Questers who had gone out and explored the area thoroughly. The map included the location of dungeons, labyrinths, and major groupings of monsters. The map had cost a whopping 100 gold, 300 silver, and 500 copper. ¡°Here,¡± Vyne said. They had gone about a quarter of a mile into the Lower Mountain¡¯s forest. There was a pack of sixteen Thornback wolves, each of them 1-2 meters in length with a muscular body. ¡°Tear, shoot them down. You¡¯ll do the least amount of damage to their fur,¡± Erebus commanded. She nodded, she readied her stance and a glowing, golden bow and arrow appeared in her hand. She fired of sixteen perfectly aimed mana arrows. Each of them hit their mark on the center of the forehead. The wolves collapsed after staggering around. Erebus and Vyne both applauded her aim. ¡°Let¡¯s skin these then find another pack, the Quest calls for thirty.¡± They did so, each of them wearing an expression of boredom. Carefully removing the tough hide from the body without damaging the fur too much. Then, they would clean off the hide and set it by a fire to dry. The process took them roughly an hour or so, mostly because Vyne was used to such things. Flaying, that is. ¡°This isn¡¯t fun at all,¡± Erebus said after they finished removing the hide off of every single wolf. ¡°I apologize, Master.¡± Vyne frowned. ¡°It would seem that Tier 5 is where the fun begins.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tear carefully placed the hides into a bag. ¡°Dungeon exploration.¡± Erebus¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°I¡¯ve never entered a dungeon before.¡± Vyne, upon hearing this, took it to be his duty to explain everything to his master. ¡°The Kingdom of Milon is still flourishing because of these dungeons, none of them have ever been completed because of their difficulty level. By the time parties reach a certain level, there are too many casualties for them to continue on. ¡°People rarely die during these Quest but there are a lot of injuries.¡± ¡°I see, I see,¡± Erebus nodded his head. ¡°Then, let¡¯s be the first to complete a dungeon.¡± ¡°Of course! Lord Erebus can easily finish a dungeon.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Tear, not wanting to be left out, joined in on the laughter, ¡°Hahaha!¡± It was an entertaining sight. Each of them were in the same pose, with their feet shoulder-width apart and hands on their hip, head tilted back. A truly magnificent bond, I think I¡¯m tearing up. ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡± Erebus shouted, once more full of energy. ¡°Let¡¯s!¡± his two minions chirped. Thus, they found another pack of seventeen wolves. Tear easily killed them with her skill, and they began to remove the skin. When they finished, it was about an hour until the sun would set again. And since they didn¡¯t want to keep the hides over night, they moved much faster than the did the last time. Cutting the already half-day of travel into another half allowed them to arrive as the sky was darkening. The guards allowed them to enter without asking for ID because they had seen them so many times. Erebus was basically bouncing down the street. They only needed a couple more Quest and they¡¯d reach Tier 4! After Tier 4 was Tier 5. Which meant that they could go explore dungeons. He was bursting at the seams with excitement. You couldn¡¯t blame him for being so giddy, he had been cooped up in his castle for the past three hundred years or so. Ah, now that he thought about it, that would be happening soon. That put an end to his parade. Another five hundred years had passed so rapidly... No! He couldn¡¯t let this get him down. Erebus stood up straight again, he would have as much fun as he could before that. In his opinion, it was a wonderful plan. I have a question for everyone. Which would you like first: A history on the Dragons or the High Human history? Please tell me, they''re interchangeable in the plotline. You''re going to get both either way, but which would you prefer to have first? This arc isn''t over yet, though. Chapter Six: Betting 101 Erebus was not okay. Erebus was only Tier 4. He wanted to be Tier 5. Vyne was currently out ¡®gathering more information¡¯ and Tear was out cold. Mostly because Vyne had hit a pressure point in her neck so that she¡¯d leave Erebus alone. This left Erebus to his thoughts, and what thoughts they were. He remembered his past, but that was a story for another time. Erebus decided, that he, too, would go outside. He couldn¡¯t let Tear and Vyne do all the information gathering. He was the Leader after all! With newfound confidence as a Leader, Erebus exited the inn. And was instantly confused. Erebus, a dragon who had existed basically since this world was created, had no idea how to gather information. He never had to gather information, it was always brought to him. He scratched his neck. He was useless. Nay! Erebus was intelligent. He could figure this business out. He will do this. Erebus patted himself on the back. You got this, he told himself. Thus, once again, with newfound confidence, Erebus began to walk. Even though he said he was going to gather information, he had no clue what to gather information on. Perhaps magic? Dungeons? Labyrinths? The other continents? Ah, he knew what to do. The library. It was the simple, obvious solution. A library would undoubtedly carry the information he wished to get. Erebus, for what it was worth, knew the basic layout of this world. There were five major continents, ignoring any islands: The Main Continent was located in the center of all the other continents. It was the largest of the five continents. The Main Continent is where the majority of all the races lived, mostly because the other continents had ferocious monsters lurking around. Directly beneath the Main Continent, across the sea for about a month or so of journey, was the Lower Continent or the Demon Continent. The Lower Continent was the second-largest compared to the Main Continent and the second most dangerous in comparison to the Dragon Continent. As the name stated, the Dragon Continent was where the majority of the dragon race lived. It was located west of the Main Continent. The continent itself wasn¡¯t very welcoming to begin with, it was considered to be Hell. It was the only continent that remained the same since the planet¡¯s creation. The sky there was said to be red all day and all night. Erebus didn¡¯t think the continent was very dangerous, being a dragon himself. There was Tartarus, a small continent located between the Dragon Continent and the Lower Continent. The demon race lived there, similar to the dragons, no one dared disturb them. It was a watered down version of the Dragon Continent, more or less. Finally, there was the Pure Continent. It was where the angelic race lived, the only race said to be more arrogant than the dragons. The Pure Continent was located northeast of the Main Continent. The angels kept to themselves, only coming out every now and then to attempt to vanquish the demons in Tartarus. That was the layout of this world, save for a couple small islands too miniscule to be considered continents. By the way, the sea folk had complete dominance over the ocean, which consumed nearly 80% of this world. Erebus figured that not much had changed since then. From what he heard from Vyne he was pretty solid on the dungeons and labyrinths. So the only thing would be magic? It was constantly changing through the centuries. The magic Erebus used, was an example of that. Each of the dragons in the Council used [Lost Magic]. It was a magic that only they could use properly, but a few races had tried, it wasn¡¯t as powerful as the originals, but it was still noteworthy. But, those individuals capable of using the magic, died off. Thus making it a [Lost Magic]. This had happened a few thousand years ago, so he wasn¡¯t really concerned about that aspect. Erebus scratched his head. He didn¡¯t really think enough would have changed within three hundred years for it to be something to study. The Questers that had tried (and failed) to subjugate him, had used magic he was familiar with. There were some variant types, but such a thing was natural. He sighed. There was nothing for him to gather information on. Vyne and Tear had already got the major things out of the way. Erebus pouted, that was no fun. ¡°Hey! Erebus!¡± a familiar booming voice called, Erebus turned to see the manly woman by the name of Heather approaching him. She was with Mur, Luke, and another woman Erebus hadn¡¯t met with. The group approached him, reeking of alcohol. ¡°Hello,¡± he responded with a wave. ¡°Mur, Luke, Heather and...¡± ¡°Ern,¡± the woman with dark green hair answered. She was an elf with a decent face and a kind smile. ¡°I just joined their party for the dungeon they¡¯re exploring in three days.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Dungeon?¡± Erebus perked up. ¡°Oh no, you have to be Tier 5 if you want to come with us.¡± Heather shook her head, even though she knew he¡¯d be strong enough to come. ¡°No problem!¡± Erebus said. ¡°We¡¯ll get to Tier 5 in three days.¡± Mur scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re barely Tier 4.¡± A shrug. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Mur narrowed his eyes at Erebus. ¡°If you get to Tier 5 in three days, you and your little party can come with us.¡± ¡°Is this what they call a bet?¡± Erebus looked interested. A bet sounded like fun, especially since he would win it. ¡°Not really,¡± Heather said. ¡°How about we make it one then!¡± she laughed and smacked Ern on the back. Ern made a pain expression at this. ¡°Sure.¡± Erebus was excited. He had made bets before, but they haven¡¯t been completed yet, seeing as they were rather long-lasting bets. ¡°All right... if you get to Tier 5 in three days, we¡¯ll let you join in our dungeon exploration. If you don¡¯t, you owe us each 10 gold.¡± ¡°10 gold!¡± Ern cried. ¡°Tier 4 Questers don¡¯t make that much.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Luke said. ¡°They¡¯re staying at Riverside Inn.¡± ¡°Riverside...¡± Ern¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re rich?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± Erebus didn¡¯t think that the inn was expensive but apparently it was. ¡°Haha! He supposes!¡± Heather laughed. Mur scoffed once again. ¡°So, at least I know that when I come to cash in the bet, you¡¯ll have the money.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t plan on losing,¡± Erebus said, his face growing serious. Erebus had lost to no one in his entire life. He wouldn¡¯t start now. If he did lose, Vyne would probably kill Heather and co. for embarrassing his master. Mur laughed. He clearly thought that Erebus had no change of winning. No matter how skilled Erebus thought he was, he could not reach Tier 5 by himself within a three days. Mur¡¯s reasoning was solid. At least, as solid as a slightly tipsy man could get. But Erebus was not planning on doing Tier 4 Quest by himself. Mur had overlooked the fact that Erebus could utilize Tear and Vyne to gain Rank 3x faster. And he also didn¡¯t have the knowledge that Erebus, Tear, and Vyne did not have to sleep or eat. They could go Questing for three straight days. Erebus had already thought of all of this. It was his wisdom of as a dragon coming into play. Mur was underestimating Erebus. Erebus would reach Tier 5. He now had an even greater motivation: Not losing. To him, Mur was an arrogant child who needed to be put in his place. Yes, this child had even tried to challenge him. Erebus felt a small bit of anger at Mur. Erebus, despite his laid-back attitude, did not take kindly to being mocked. He found the most rewarding Tier 4 Quest he could, which required him to slay a gryphon that was terrorizing a small village two hours from the Capital. Erebus pressed his hand to the bracelet he wore on his wrist. Tear, Vyne. It was a stone similar to the one he had given Lilian, only this one had a much shorter range and could only be used nine or so times before the magic was completely drained. Yes, Lord Erebus, both of them responded at the same time. Within three days we are reaching Tier 5. Start accepting high reward Quest now and head out to do them. Understood, Lord Erebus. Like the perfect subordinates they were, they did not question his sudden hurriedness, and accepted their duty. Erebus left the Guild and headed towards the Quest location. He felt very entertained at the moment, he couldn¡¯t wait to see the child¡¯s face when he realized that he had lost the moment he accepted the bet. Erebus supposed that this was a strike of luck, they had never been in any hurry to go through the Tiers, so Mur must¡¯ve thought that was as fast as they could go (seeing as it¡¯s already warpspeed compared to the other Questers). He laughed. Laughed, laughed, and laughed. What an idiot. Didn¡¯t he think the bet through in the slightest? ¡°Truly entertaining, absolutely entertaining. Who knew that idiots could be so much fun?¡± I''m enjoying writing this story, so I hope you''re enjoying reading it. I plan on writing even more chapters today so prepare yourselves. When I start writing, I can''t stop until I get exhausted. Chapter Seven: Questing I''m handing out these chapters like candy during Halloween Night. Forian was a small village located south-east of the capital. It was a village that was wholly focused on agriculture. The village was surrounded by fields of a fruit called Foria, a sweet fruit that had the shape of a sphere and was pink on the outside and blue on the inside. This fruit was not only loved by humans but also the creatures of the forest. Many of times, they would have to call Questers to come exterminate the creatures that had begun to eat their crops. The Quest Erebus received was one of those. A gryphon had decided that it enjoyed the taste of the Foria fruit and now wouldn¡¯t let the villagers get near their fields to harvest. Erebus was now staring down said gryphon. The gryphon was injured, Erebus realised this instantly. It had a limp in its walk and blood on its great wings. Something had injured the gryphon, which would make it difficult for it to hunt. So, the gryphon decided to survive off of something it didn¡¯t have to hunt. That much was obvious within five minutes of entering the village. Even Erebus felt slight (very slight) remorse for having to kill the creature that was just trying to survive. Thus, the two enemies charged at each other. Erebus wielding his dual-blades, and the gryphon wielding claws sharp enough to cut through metal like butter. Erebus swung his sword and proceeded to take one of the gryphon¡¯s wings. The creature shrieked in pain and drew back, blood now gushing from where its wing was normally attached. Erebus hadn¡¯t been aiming for the wing, he was aiming for its head. But the gryphon had managed to avoid the sure death by twisting its body. The gryphon glared at Erebus. Erebus glared back. ¡°Could you just die already? You¡¯re wasting my time,¡± Erebus said in a different language. It was the language that all the magic races used. The gryphon made what could be a noise of surprise. How did this human know their language? No... this ¡®human¡¯ had been giving off strange vibes the entire time. Could it be... you aren¡¯t human? the gryphon made use of its telepathy. Erebus¡¯ answer was a shrug. ¡°No matter what I am, I am going to complete this Quest. You are my enemy,¡± he said in the musical sounding language. The gryphon, upon hearing that, attempted to stand tall with pride. Then let us fight, strange human. The two charged at each other again, and this time, one died. Erebus'' swords cleaved the beast cleanly in half. The gryphon, like all other monsters, upon death, disintegrated into a pile of shimmering dust that was blown away by the wind. Erebus wiped the blood of the gryphon off his face. ¡°Thank you for your sacrifice,¡± this time he spoke in neither magic race nor human tongue, instead it was the first language: the language of dragons. The villagers who had been watching the two fight, now came out of their homes to thank Erebus for his duty. ¡°It¡¯s no problem,¡± Erebus said after being thanked profusely by them. One man had even gone so far to kowtow in front of Erebus. ¡°Please, accept our gifts,¡± a woman begged, holding out a small chest that fit in the palm of both her hands. Erebus shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything that deserves any more than the reward the Guild will give me.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the woman lowered her hands. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Erebus nodded his head slightly before leaving them. Erebus, the moment he got out of their sight, began to run at a speed that left him invisible to the untrained eye. He had no time to waste with travel, he had to get to Tier 5 within three days. No, in less than three days. That way he could prove that he could get to Tier 5 in three days but faster than that. Yes, that would surely show Mur his place. Erebus slowed down to a normal jogging place when he reached the Capital within ten minutes of leaving Forian. The guards greeted Erebus with kindness and asked if the Quest went well. After exchanging pleasantries with the guards, Erebus quickly made his way to the Guild to turn in the Quest. Miranda opened her eyes in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re fast.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Erebus responded with his signature move. ¡°Haha, I try to be.¡± ¡°You guys are really efficient, Vyne and Tear did a few Quest on their own, too. Do you guys even sleep?¡± ¡°Of course we do!¡± A round of applause Erebus for lying straight through his teeth. Miranda gave Erebus the monetary reward with a smile. ¡°If you guys do six more Quest at this speed, you¡¯ll be Tier 5.¡± Six more, huh, Erebus thought. ¡°Wow! Time sure does fly,¡± he said. ¡°Indeed. Good luck, Erebus,¡± Miranda spoke encouraging words that had no effect on him. Erebus nodded his thanks before exiting the Guild. He would have to pat Vyne and Tear on the head for working hard later on. Tear, as if she sensed praise from her master, began to work even faster. She was currently doing a Quest asking for the claws of a Tornid Bear. She had accepted this particular Quest because it was something called a ¡®repeatable¡¯. Basically, if a quest required ten of something, and you brought in thirty. You would bring in 3x the reward. That being said, there was a maximum for how many times you could do it, and the rewards were lower than an average Quest. Repeatables were extremely rare. Along with their rareness, they were quickly snatched off the Board if they were seen. Tear had to knock a few Questers out in order to get the Quest. The repeatable she was doing currently had a maximum of four. She was currently filling the quota needed for three. On the other side of the forest, Vyne was gathering a plant that only bloomed during the third month. The only reason why it was a Tier 4 Quest was because it was pretty deep within the forest. The trio was simply put, amazing. Even though the tasks they were doing seemed mundane, they were things that most Questers couldn¡¯t do solo. Yet they completed them easily. And by the second day, they were one Quest away from being Tier 5. A monumental occasion. Not only for them but for the Questers. No one had ever gotten Tier 5 within such a short amount of time. Tear, Erebus, and Vyne were currently examining the Quest Board. Erebus pulled the Quest off the board. It required them to kill Terror rank monster in the forest. ¡°Let¡¯s do it,¡± Erebus said, removing the Quest from the Board. The trio exited the Guild, unaware of the amazed stares that were focused on them. Once again, for the umpteenth time within the span of two days, the guards said goodbye to the trio of Questers. Tear laughed. ¡°For that human to underestimate our master. He will learn of his ignorance very soon.¡± ¡°It saddens me that I wasn¡¯t allowed to play him.¡± Vyne had such a saddened expression on his face. Erebus, ignoring both of them, began to move at his high speed once more, he had no time to waste. That child would learn. He wasn¡¯t driven by the urge to kill all those who defied him like his subordinates were. No, he needed the child to live in shame. To know that he was inferior. That was what Erebus wanted. Those who defied him always made the sleeping rage in him awaken ever so slightly. ¡°It is here, my lord.¡± Vyne stopped moving. In the clearing a few meters from them, a large creature was feasting. Its fur was completely red and it had two thick arms that reached the ground. The creatures elongated body was hunched over so it wasn¡¯t possible to see its face. Tear raised her bow. ¡°I will take care of it, Lord Erebus.¡± ¡°No, allow me.¡± Vyne stepped up. Erebus sighed. He didn¡¯t feel like dealing with either of them so he raised his hand and the Terror rank creature was sucked into itself. Leaving a swirling sphere of darkness in its place. ¡°Amazing,¡± Tear said softly. She had only seen her master¡¯s magic a few times before but the silent destruction never ceased to amaze her. His magic didn¡¯t make any noise, it didn¡¯t have any presence. It just appeared and death followed. She felt a shiver run down her spine. Vyne, too, stared at the sphere with a mix of admiration and fear. ¡°We¡¯re heading back,¡± Erebus turned his head to stare at the two, his expression completely blank. The two dropped down to their knees, bowing their heads. ¡°Yes, Lord Erebus.¡± Chapter Eight: Preparation Mur was red in the face and spluttering.¡°T-two days? It only took you two days?¡± ¡°Hooh...¡± Heather let out a sound of amazement. ¡°I expected nothing less from you three.¡± ¡°Truly amazing,¡± Ern said. Vyne wore an expression that read: Of course it¡¯s amazing, my master completed it after all. Mur was still in a state of shock. ¡°How! How is that possible?¡± Erebus tilted his head and smiled, but it had a certain ferociousness to it. ¡°Secret.¡± Luke laughed. ¡°I do believe we have to hold up on our side of the bet and allow you to join in on our dungeon exploration.¡± Once more, childish glee appeared on Erebus¡¯ face. ¡°We¡¯ve never explored a dungeon before.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Heather laughed boisterously. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll get to learn from a pro!¡± The two began to laugh. ¡°You must¡¯ve done this through trickery,¡± Mur spat. ¡°We didn¡¯t,¡± Tear said in a stern voice. ¡°Are you implying that we cheated?¡± She began to release her bloodlust. If her master gave her the word, Tear would tear off his head without hesitation. But Tear, technically, you did trick them. ¡°Oh, stop being a sore loser, you old bear!¡± Heather ¡®patted¡¯ him on the back. ¡°We ain¡¯t got nothing to lose with them joining in! Anyway, I want people who can reach Tier 5 within two days on my team! Haha!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll head out tomorrow,¡± Luke said, covering his ears. The poor man was seated next to Heather as she laughed. ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon located near the sea. They call it the Passageway because its location.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that place before,¡± Vyne said. ¡°It¡¯s said to be a Demon ranked dungeon.¡± Luke made a sound of agreement. ¡°The monsters there are Epic rank and lower, there isn¡¯t actually any Demon rank monsters. It¡¯s just because there¡¯s a lot of them that the danger is upped.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Vyne said. The system that the humans had created made the classification of things easier, that was for sure. The trio left after Erebus was satisfied after seeing Mur¡¯s miserable face. They had embarrassed him like Erebus wanted. By the way, the reason why there isn¡¯t a problem with lower Tiers entering higher rank dungeons is because as long as they enter with a party that¡¯s the Quester equivalent or higher of the dungeon¡¯s rank. Since Heather and co. were Tier 8, there wasn¡¯t a problem with the trio joining in. ¡°This will be exciting,¡± Tear said as they unlocked the door to their room. ¡°My clan had a dungeon in our lands but I never got the opportunity to explore it.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Vyne questioned. Even after knowing her for a few centuries, he had no idea what her background was other than that she was a High Human. Tear made a face and Vyne didn¡¯t pry into it. Perhaps if he cared a little more about her existence, he would have asked for her to go into greater detail. But he didn¡¯t. He still evaluated her as a lower-life form (pile of feces) so he didn¡¯t really care about her past in the slightest. Erebus, since he already knew of her past, didn¡¯t have any reason to ask her to elaborate either. They all went to their beds to sleep for the first time in two days. None of them were exhausted in the slightest, but they didn¡¯t have anything else to do other than sleep. On this night, however, Vyne didn¡¯t go out to have fun and Tear stayed in her bed. Even though, they both very much wanted to. When morning came in the form of buzzing voices and warm sunlight, the trio awoke with no difficulty. It could almost make a person jealous how easily they got up and began their morning routine. The only thing that changed was Tear putting on an outfit that didn¡¯t reveal 70% of her body. Instead, she went with brown leather pants, a cream colored jacket, and the same shoes as before. She always plaited her hair and wrapped it into a bulky bun. She did this because she believed the dungeon would require gear much more suitable. Her body wasn¡¯t nearly indestructible like Vyne and Erebus, so she needed some sort of protection. ¡°Heather and the others told us to meet them outside of town, they already have magic carriages prepared.¡± Vyne¡¯s disapproving frown once again formed on his face. ¡°Carriages?¡± ¡°They¡¯re only human,¡± was Erebus¡¯ logical answer. For the trio, carriages would do nothing but slow them down. But for normal humans, a magic carriage would be the fastest way of travel. Magic carriages looked like normal carriages, but they weren¡¯t. Like the name implies, they were fueled by magic. It had a magic circle where typically a mage would fill with their mana, allowing the carriage to move. It had two horses made of metal that when mana was injected into them, would move at 20mph. But since the carriages were exhausting for a single mage to use for the entire trip, they would typically have two to three mages who would change shifts to provide fuel for the carriage to move, that way the mage wouldn¡¯t collapse. For humans, it was useful. For creatures like Vyne, it was slow. Painfully so. ¡°Hello Erebus, Vyne!¡± Heather greeted when the trio arrived. ¡°Woah...¡± she rubbed her eyes and stared at Tear. ¡°Who¡¯s this!¡± ¡°Hah.¡± Tear let out a laugh that implied she didn¡¯t find Heather funny at all. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°Pleasure to see you, Tear,¡± Ern said, sensing the irritated aura Tear was beginning to give off. ¡°You¡¯re decent, I guess,¡± Tear responded with no hesitation. Ern displayed an expression of surprise before laughing calmly. ¡°Haha... do you hate me or something?¡± Tear looked at her with an unreadable expression. ¡°Not really. Though, I don¡¯t like you either. I wouldn¡¯t really care if you happened to die in the dungeon.¡± ¡°Haha...¡± Ern wasn¡¯t sure how to take that. The atmosphere had changed into that of awkwardness. Luke, sensing this, said, ¡°Let¡¯s get moving. I want to get to the dungeon before nightfall.¡± Praise our Savior Luke for ending the awkward silence! Everyone nodded and boarded the carriage. It was a quick loading because Erebus, Vyne, and Tear had brought nothing but a change of clothes, and the others had already begun packing before the trio had arrived. ¡°To the Passageway!¡± Luke shouted, and began pouring mana into the magic circle. ¡°To the Passageway!¡± six voices chirped back in unison. The carriage ride consisted of Tear complaining over Heather dominating Erebus¡¯ attention. As she had plopped right in the middle of Erebus and Tear. Then, when Tear would complain, Vyne would respond with: ¡°Shut up, whiny woman.¡± The others would laugh and say what a close relationship they had. The ride also contained Heather and co. telling about their younger days (save for Mur who was sulking silently) and all the crazy things that happened to them. Ern sometimes gave stories about her hometown, which would gift her piercing stares from Tear. The stares were neither pleasant nor menacing. Nonetheless, it made Ern squirm. Luke and Ern switched powering the carriage after an hour, and they continued doing so. Which lead to Luke resting his arm on Vyne¡¯s shoulder. Vyne resisted the urge to tear off Luke¡¯s arm. He thought that after this, his master should praise him. The head pat his master had given him when they reached Tier 5 renewed all of his motivation. Being praised by Master was truly magnificent. Yes, to receive that praise, he would resist the urge to tear Luke apart limb by limb... Vyne closed his eyes and imagined what Luke¡¯s screams of pain would sound like. Luke, even though he had no idea such thoughts were going through Vyne¡¯s head, found himself retracting his arm due to a strange feeling. When they arrived at the Passageway, the sky was beginning to darken. Since they weren¡¯t moving at full speed for the sake of preserving energy, it had taken them quite some time. They gout of of the carriage and stretched their legs. Even though they had taken a couple breaks along the way, they weren¡¯t long enough to truly relax their muscles. ¡°We¡¯ll rest tonight and then enter the dungeon first thing in the morning. Mur will handle the first watch,¡± Luke said after casting a magic that made the carriage shrink to a size that fit in the palm of his hand. Luke had adapted the role of the leader for their Quest. Mur nodded and unwrapped the spear he had on his back, he then leaned against a tree as the others began setting up camp. ¡°Tear, allow me to help you with that,¡± Ern said, walking over to Tear who was currently cooking some stew. Tear gave Ern the same look you give a child who doesn¡¯t know any better. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got it.¡± ¡°No, please, allow me to help, the others are all busy and I can¡¯t sit around doing nothing.¡± Tear opened her mouth to say something but Vyne intervened, ¡°Tear doesn¡¯t like cooking with others. She prefers to do it on her own.¡± Realization dawned on Ern¡¯s face. ¡°I apologize, then. I didn¡¯t know it was your personal preference.¡± Tear shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± What Vyne told Ern was a lie. Tear just didn¡¯t want to be close to Ern, and he picked up on that. No matter how much he claimed to hate her, he still looked out for her. How adorable. Erebus was thinking that as he watched the exchange. To him, Vyne and Tear were rather close friends, even though they insulted each other constantly. They respected(?) each other¡¯s boundaries. ¡°Tomorrow, you¡¯ll see some amazing things,¡± Heather said, materializing next to Erebus. Her voice was surprisingly soft and carried no trace of its usual boisterous nature. Erebus turned his head at this. ¡°Dungeons are splendid,¡± she explained, sitting down cross-legged next to him. ¡°They were formed naturally a very long time ago. It is hypothesized that they were the homes of the first race.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re so coveted. Actually, one time at the bottom of a dungeon, a sleeping dragon was found. I believe her name was Azure.¡± That was a name he hadn¡¯t heard in a while. ¡°That happened four hundred years ago? I think. She allowed us weaker races to take her belongings because she claimed that she had ¡®more than this small amount¡¯. Can you believe that?¡± Erebus laughed quietly. ¡°I cannot even fathom it.¡± I''m really excited to write these upcoming chapters. This is where all the fun starts... Ohoho! I hope you darlings enjoyed. Chapter Nine: The Newbies Woah, I wrote this chapter way faster than I expected to. Haha?? I''m just overflowing with creative juices. Anyway, here you go. I think that we can get this arc done today! ¡°Cool.¡± The party had arrived at the entrance to the Passageway, and upon seeing it, Tear said that. The entrance was a cave that had an opening like a gaping mouth with blue teeth. The ¡®teeth¡¯ were large chunks of crystals that reflected the lapis lazuli embedded in the walls. And the way that the light hit the cave caused all the jewels to shimmer brilliantly. ¡°It is very cool,¡± Heather agreed with her trademark laugh. Luke took off the thin-wired glasses he wore and placed them into his bag. ¡°Don¡¯t want them breaking,¡± he explained. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Erebus said, without any lack of excitement. Without any care for danger, the trio entered the dungeon. ¡°W-wait!¡± Heather and co. ran after the ambitious newbies. Didn¡¯t they know to check for traps? Even if it was your first time in a dungeon this was common knowledge. Erebus just laughed. ¡°Hurry up!¡± he told the others. Erebus didn¡¯t actually care if they were left behind, but he felt that would be rude since they were the reason he was allowed to enter this dungeon. Mur was appalled by their carelessness. How could they just storm into a dungeon! It wasn¡¯t an uncommon thing for Questers who had already entered, to set up traps at the beginning of the cave to ward off others who could ruin their share of the wealth. Since they couldn¡¯t let the newbies get hurt, they, too, had to ignore all caution and catch up to them. The trio was moving fast even though they were walking. Normally, in this situation, Heather would yell at them to wait. But they didn¡¯t know if that could draw the attention to the monsters lurking within the confines of this dungeon. Erebus sighed and stopped walking, allowing the other party to catch up with them. ¡°You guys. Walk. Really. Fast,¡± Ern panted. The elven race was not known for their stamina. Their natural endurance level was even lower than the humans. And since most elves ended up becoming mages due to their strong magical affinity, they rarely trained their body. Tear made a disgusted face at Ern¡¯s weakness. ¡°You should train your body more if that amount tires you out.¡± ¡°Uu~¡± Ern made a pitiful noise. What had she done to gain Tear¡¯s scorn? ¡°We apologize,¡± Vyne said (he wasn¡¯t at all sorry). ¡°We couldn¡¯t contain our excitement to explore this dungeon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine and all but you can¡¯t just run ahead. Dungeons are dangerous places, y¡¯know?¡± Heather reprimanded them in a motherly tone. ¡°Yes...¡± Erebus scratched his head. Of course, he didn¡¯t think it was a dangerous place. ¡°Good.¡± Heather nodded, glad that he understood. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start!¡± Luke proclaimed. ¡°Ignoring the fact that we¡¯re already in here!¡± Six pairs of hands clapped at this. Things like ¡®yay¡¯ and ¡®woo¡¯ were said also. Now that they had corralled the newbies, the pros were able to proceed cautiously. Even though this much has been explored already, it was dangerous to naively believe that everything would be okay. As mentioned before, a lot of meddlesome Questers set up traps in dungeons. And, a lot of monsters found these places to be great to live inside of. Currently, the party of seven was headed down a flight of marble stairs illuminated by torches of blue flame. The sound of water dripping could be heard in the distance and the water was reflected on the stone walls. The air smelled faintly of salty water. ¡°So we¡¯re inside of the ocean, huh,¡± Heather murmured. They had been in here for about an hour. They hadn¡¯t encountered any monsters except for a few non-hostiles who could care less about the party being there. She didn¡¯t question at all on how this dungeon worked. You just don¡¯t ask these types of things. It was the mindset of the people of this world. If a bear had wings and webbed feet, you don¡¯t wonder at all how that kind of thing was created. On a bright note, Erebus was thoroughly entertained. Even though nothing exciting had really happened, the prospect of exploring levels that no one had ever been to made the greed deep within him rise up. He was a dragon, after all. The entire race would flock at the opportunity to explore unfound riches. The party finally reached the end of the seemingly endless staircase. ¡°Be on your toes down here,¡± Mur said. The lighting, unlike upstairs, was few and far between in the form of the blue fire torches. Everything was barely illuminated to where they could make out the forms of the others. Erebus and Vyne, of course, could see in the darkness. The others, including Tear, couldn¡¯t. But, that being said, Tear and Ern could make out the area slightly better than the humans. ¡°We¡¯re at a real disadvantage here,¡± Luke said very softly, seeing as their voices echoed. ¡°If anything attacks us, we can barely see it.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I can make a mana torch,¡± Ern offered. It would be bright enough for them to see five steps ahead of themselves. ¡°That¡¯ll work,¡± Luke answered. ¡°It¡¯ll give us more lighting than we have currently.¡± Ern nodded and within a couple seconds a sphere burst out of her palms and floated ahead of them. The light it gave them was certainly helpful and they were able to proceed faster. After another hour or so, a scuttling noise could be heard. Heather thrust her arm out in front of the party. ¡°Something¡¯s ahead.¡± Luke nodded and tightened his grip on his wand. ¡°Battle stances,¡± he said softly. Everyone but Erebus and his group assumed defensive stances. ¡°Get ready,¡± Mur said, he adopted a stance for throwing his spear. The scuttling noise grew even closer. ¡°What the...¡± Ern said as a group of over ten crab-like monsters appeared. Even though they resembled crabs, their bodies were shaped similar to a human¡¯s. ¡®What the¡¯ was certainly right. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Kill ¡®em!¡± Heather said. Upon hearing that Mur threw his spear with such force, a small ¡®boom¡¯ could be heard. The spear barely cracked the shell of one of the crabs in the front. ¡°Damn,¡± Mur said as he yanked the spear back. It was attached to his wrist by a metal chain that was enchanted by magic, allowing it to stretch to a length of about twenty meters. Heather let out a small whistle. ¡°Tough shells.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Mur muttered. Tear aimed her bow, she was at a disadvantage in this small space. Her specialty was being able to shoot off many arrows at once with intense power but within this enclosed area, she could only shoot off so many without hitting the others. Vyne and Erebus were also at a similar disadvantage. Since they were acting as swordsmen, a small space wouldn¡¯t allow them to swing their swords freely. And Erebus couldn¡¯t use his magic with Heather and co. around. Nonetheless, the trio still fought with amazing power. But they held back even more in the presence of Heather and co. Ern began to fire off bolts of pure mana at the creates, even though their attack power individually wasn¡¯t too powerful, she succeeded in created a weak spot to where Mur could aim his spear. This time when Mur threw his spear, he added a slight spin to it, that way it would carve through the tough shells. Heather, being the monster she was, fought with her fist. On her knuckles were plates made of one of the strongest metals this world had, and sticking out of the plates were spikes. She also had similar plates on her elbows, knees, and her shoes. The spikes were retractable so she was able to wear her gear basically all the time. Currently, she had pinned down one of the crabs(?) and was repeatedly striking its face. With each punch, the head was burrowed deeper into the ground until blue blood splattered. She had crushed its skull like a beast. Luke was casting magic similar to Ern¡¯s only his had 10x more attack power. It took three bolts for him to break through the shell and kill a crab-human-thingy. The battle was ended relatively quickly. Vyne, Erebus, Heather, and Mur all wiped the blood off of their weapons before the group proceeded. Leaving behind the mounds of disintegrated monsters. ¡°Heather is scary,¡± Ern said with a laugh as they walked away. Heather had torn apart one of the crabs as if she was monster and it was the human. She had pinned it down first by shoving her foot through its body, then continued to yank off its limbs. In essence, overkill for no reason. ¡°Haha! Am I really?¡± Heather ¡®patted¡¯ Ern on the back. ¡°You¡¯re certainly strong,¡± Erebus said. He wasn¡¯t lying, he thought she had power a normal human wouldn¡¯t have. Her viciousness reminded him of a dragon on the council. He felt as if those two violent women would get along. Actually, the thought of them pairing up gave him shivers. They encountered another batch of the crabmen (we¡¯ll call them that for now) and dispatched of them easily. The party continued to move at a steady rate, only resting when they needed to. Vyne, feeling as resting was unnecessary, had trademark frown on his face whenever they would do so. Tear, on the other hand, like the times of rest because she could cling to her master. And Erebus simply did not care. They were currently walking down a narrow bridge that was basically falling apart. Underneath the was a dark abyss to who know where it lead. Erebus wanted to find out. So, with no regard for the lives of others and simply for the sake of him having fun, Erebus accidentally cut the ropes of the bridge. It was an easy task for him because he was at the rear of the group, no one would see him do so. ¡°Oops,¡± he said with a laugh that only he could hear. Chapter Ten: Accidents Happen ¡°Am I alive?¡± Heather¡¯s voice asked as she rolled onto her back. ¡°You landed on me so you¡¯re fine,¡± Mur¡¯s bitter voice responded. Everyone began to stand up slowly, all of them complaining of pain. But other than that, they were fine. No one¡¯s bones were broken though they certainly had bruises. Thanks (?) to Erebus¡¯ curiosity, they had fallen into uncharted territory. ¡°How deep did we fall,¡± Luke muttered as he casted a healing spell on his bruised body. Ern was doing the same for Mur, Heather, and Tear. Obviously, Erebus and Vyne were not injured. But they played the part anyway. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Heather answered worriedly. ¡°It would be our luck for the bridge to break, though.¡± All of them sighed in annoyance. ¡°There should be a way back up?¡± Ern said, looking towards the where they fell from. ¡°Meh, since we¡¯re down here, might as well explore.¡± Heather wiped the dirt off of her clothing. She got a chorus of agreement. Only Ern displayed a look of apprehensiveness. ¡°But we don¡¯t know what rank creatures are down this far. We may be stuck in here forever.¡± Heather chuckled. ¡°I doubt that last part.¡± She cracked her neck. ¡°It¡¯s better for us to keep moving, that much is for sure. Sitting here is like waiting for certain death. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°But the monsters!¡± Ern whined. Tear snapped her head in the direction of Ern. ¡°Are you an idiot or something? You four are Tier 8 Questers and Erebus, Vyne, and I come from the Demon Continent. If you¡¯re worried by that sort of thing you should quit.¡± Ern clamped her mouth shut. But her eyes showed defiance. ¡°Fine,¡± she said after a few moments of silence, everyone was waiting for her. ¡°Your worries are unfounded,¡± Vyne said, noticing that she was still reluctant. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What makes you think that there are even monsters down here? What makes you think that if there are monsters down here, that they¡¯re stronger than the ones upstairs?¡± ¡°What...¡± Ern narrowed her eyes in confusion. Her worries had made sense, at least in her mind. ¡°After around three hours of exploring, we only encountered two hostile parties. And they were the same type of monster. We haven¡¯t heard any of the other monster¡¯s moving around like we should have if there were any down here. In an area this large, the noise should echo. But we don¡¯t hear anything.¡± ¡°That logic is even faultier than mine,¡± Ern argued. Vyne shrugged. ¡°But it sounds better than worrying endlessly. Does it not?¡± Heather looked like she wanted to laugh. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with you there, Vyne.¡± The expression he wore in response to that was: Of course, you can¡¯t argue with my higher level thinking. Erebus, Mur, and Luke all could care less about what type of monsters lurked down here. They just wanted to explore. So, with that resolved (not really), they continued their expedition. Tear, claiming that she ¡®was afraid¡¯, clung to Erebus like a second skin as they traveled down a cave that had glowing mana stones embedded in the walls that gave the place an eerie glow. The area was also silent, too silent. The only noise was the tapping of their shoes on the damp rock and the distant sound of water running. ¡°This place sure is peaceful,¡± Heather exclaimed. ¡°Hard to believe it¡¯s a dungeon.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Mur agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt this laid-back while exploring a dungeon before.¡± Like the two said, nothing had happened. There had been a family of lizards one time, but the lizards simply watched them as they moved along. ¡°This place is creepy,¡± Ern refuted. ¡°It¡¯s giving me feelings, like, something bad will happen.¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t jinx us.¡± Luke gave Ern a meaningful glare. Didn¡¯t she know those types of words would undoubtedly cause something to happen? Sure enough, as if to mock them, a rumbling sound was heard. Followed by a loud roar and the sounds of thundering footsteps. ¡°This is your fault,¡± Tear said to Ern. Ern threw her hands up in the air. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would happen!¡± ¡°Run, run, run,¡± Heather yelled and began a stampede of her own (I¡¯m kidding). They all began to run, well, except for Erebus who was leisurely jogging yet still keeping up with their sprinting. ¡°What is with our luck?¡± Luke moaned. As a mage, he was not cut out for all this running. The same went for Ern, who had been picked up and placed on the back of Mur. Within a couple minutes of running, she had run out of steam. ¡°Haha! This is kind of fun,¡± Erebus said. He clearly felt no remorse for putting them in this type of situation. Repeat: Erebus is a dragon who mostly cares about himself and himself only. Vyne, extremely pleased to know his master was enjoying himself, agreed to this. ¡°Pick me up, I can¡¯t run any longer,¡± Tear lied. She knew that her master would surely save her... ¡°Can¡¯t have that,¡± Heather answered, and sweeped Tear into her arms princess-style. A look of horror crossed Tear¡¯s face. This isn¡¯t who she wanted to pick her up. Heather, who noticed this look but ignored it, continued to run with no problem. She had definitely done this so that Tear wouldn¡¯t be satisfied. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Vyne, upon noticing this, laughed mentally. Serves the wrench right for trying to get our master to carry her. They sure had a nice, easy-going atmosphere going despite the fact whatever was chasing them was getting closer and closer. It was mostly because they were sure they could defeat whatever came at them. It definitely wouldn¡¯t be a Dragon rank enemy, and the chances of it being Demon Lord or Demon Emperor were just as low. Meaning that it was an enemy they could deal with. Since Tear was an archer and Luke and Ern were mages, they weren¡¯t concerned about the numbers being too overwhelming. ¡°That¡¯s a dead-end ahead, is it not?¡± Ern said in an exhausted voice. Indeed, there was a heavy looking door there that would be impossible to push open in time to escape from the monsters. ¡°Seems like it,¡± Heather said, skidding to a stop. She placed down Tear delicately and then turned to face the now visible horde of monsters. Mur let out a whistle. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to be busy.¡± The horde consisted of: crab-men, smaller versions of the crab-men, very, very large versions of the crabmen, magical fish that were floating in the air with sharp teeth jutting out of their mouths. There were at least five hundred enemies in total. Luke made a pained sounded as he placed his hands on his thighs, breathing heavily. ¡°Ern, next time, keep your mouth shut.¡± ¡°S-sorry.¡± ¡°Luke, Ern, start prepping large-scale magic. Tear, make sure nothing gets close to them. Erebus, Vyne, Mur, and I will attempt to lower the numbers.¡± After mentioning this, Heather whispered something under her breathe, by doing this, the spikes snapped back out. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The four charged and Tear began to let off a torrent of arrows. The arrows weren¡¯t as strong as they normally were for two reasons: the first being the more arrows the first split into, the power was divided equally among them. The second was that she wanted Erebus to have fun playing. Vyne and Erebus began mowing down the front-lines, which consisted of the small crab-men. For the sake of time, they put more power into their swings, allowing them to cleave the creatures with little difficulty. Heather was attacking the enemies but it looked more like she was doing some type of spasmodic dance. But her partners in the dance weren¡¯t very lucky, seeing as she crushed their bodies and moved onto the next one. Finally, Mur was using his spear in a very nontraditional way that made a person wonder why he didn¡¯t just use a chain scythe instead. When Heather had asked him this during the younger days, Mur claimed it was because ¡®I look cool when I do it this way¡¯. Yes. That was his reasoning. The only ones who were standing there without attacking were Luke and Ern. They were currently drawing out a very large magic circle in the air and speaking in a difficult sounding language. When they finished, Ern shouted, ¡°Everyone draw back!¡± Without any seconds to spare, Erebus and the other members of the vanguard barely had enough time to jump back in time before the magic circle the two had drawn appeared over the still massive horde. Another circle appeared underneath the horde and it began to glow. The circles created a very high-pitched whistling noise before a beam of purple light engulfed the volume of the circles. When the light had appeared, a large crack followed it. And the light finally faded, only piles of dust were left in its wake. Erebus let out a low whistle. It was [Destruction Magic: Encircling Light], a high-ranked spell. The spell required a tremendous amount of mana to activate, so he was amazed they managed to do it in such a short time. Well, to say tremendous was more in reference to the races they belong to. I suppose I should give these children more credit, Erebus thought. They really have gotten stronger within these centuries. ¡°Or not,¡± Erebus said out loud. When he turned around, both of them were on the ground panting with exhaustion. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine after a few minutes of rest,¡± Luke said between breaths. ¡°I haven¡¯t used [Myth Magic] in a long time.¡± Ern laid her head on the ground. The magic rankings were as followed: Common Lord King Myth The strength of the [Lost Magic] was double that of Myth, though, when the dragons used it the strength raised to quadruple. The reason why is a story for another time, though. After a few minutes, the two mages were relatively back to normal. While they recuperating though, Heather and the others had worked on pushing open the heavy door. They had managed to get it open to the point where they could slide their bodies through, and when they did a booming voice that put Heather¡¯s to shame called out to them. ¡°Welcome! To see you have gotten this far means that you are worthy to challenge me to a fight!¡± There sat on a throne at least a story high, was a fish-man being who was even larger than that with a glowing triton in his hand. His name was Triton, the Exiled Emperor of the Seafolk. Chapter Eleven: A Favor This is the last chapter for today.. I really enjoyed writing these chapters, I suppose I''m like Erebus because I was pretty entertained. Hah. I''m so funny. I''ll be back tomorrow, but I won''t have as much free time as today. I''ll probably do a double release, though... Anyway, here you guys go. ¡°Um,¡± Heather said, ¡°no thanks.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Triton gasped. ¡°We just want to leave,¡± Mur continued. ¡°Could you tell us the way out?¡± Triton shifted uncomfortably in his throne. This was not the outcome he had planned. He had been waiting here for a couple centuries for somebody to come and challenge him. He was expecting people filled with greed to come to him and demand for his riches. Erebus sensed this so he said, ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t that unfair guys? Lord Triton has been waiting for so long, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Triton stared directly at Erebus. Heather made a face. ¡°But isn¡¯t this the end of the dungeon? We missed out on a lot of it, so I¡¯d rather go back and explore it from the beginning.¡± ¡°Oh...¡± Erebus nodded his understanding. ¡°That certainly makes sense.¡± Erebus turned his head to Triton. ¡°Will you show us the exit, then? Lord Triton.¡± The Exiled Emperor slammed his triton. ¡°Of course! But, I have one request.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Tear narrowed her eyes. ¡°And what would that be?¡± Erebus questioned. Heather and co. all shared looks of respect towards Erebus. He was conversing with the Exiled Emperor as if it was a normal day conversation. ¡°I need you to deliver something to a certain person.¡± Vyne narrowed his eyes. Did this lower-life form think his master was some type of errand-boy? ¡°What do you need us to deliver?¡± Heather piped up. Triton perked up. ¡°You¡¯ll do it?¡± ¡°Well... it depends.¡± Heather was a little apprehensive on what he wanted them to do. ¡°I need you to deliver a message to the Demon Emperor Yvick of the Lower Continent.¡± Heather¡¯s eyes bugged out. ¡°Wh--¡± ¡°We will do it.¡± Erebus didn¡¯t falter, this wasn¡¯t a big deal to him. Yvick was an acquaintance of his, after all. Luke turned his head toward Erebus. ¡°Erebus... there¡¯s no way you can do such a thing.¡± Vyne glared at Luke. ¡°We¡¯re from the Lower Continent, remember? Going there is no problem.¡± ¡°But...¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do it on our own,¡± Vyne said. ¡°These four aren¡¯t coming with us.¡± He pointed to Heather and co. ¡°I see!¡± Triton smiled (or at least it looked like one). ¡°You four may leave,¡± he said with a wave of his hand. A magic circle appeared underneath Heather and co. and they dropped through it. ¡°That¡¯s efficient,¡± Erebus said. Triton laughed. ¡°Hello, Erebus.¡± He rested his massive head on one hand. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a few centuries.¡± ¡°Thank you for playing along,¡± Erebus responded. ¡°Haha! I thought I recognized you when you all entered, but I knew who it was when I heard that voice.¡± Vyne made a face at Triton¡¯s booming voice. They get rid of one loud person to gain another. Vyne hated these type of personalities. ¡°What¡¯s the message you need us to deliver, fish?¡± Vyne tapped his foot impatiently. Triton sighed. ¡°Your personality is still terrible, Vyne. But it¡¯s still nice to see your face.¡± ¡°Pah, I can¡¯t say the same about you. I was hoping that you would have dried up and died by now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you by still being alive,¡± Triton said in a wry tone. ¡°After being exiled by my people I wandered around for a bit, but then I discovered this nice dungeon.¡± The exile Triton was talking about happened during the First Great War. A war that had raged on for a thousand years between all the races save for the dragons. The dragons had only joined in the end to finish the nuisance. Also, one of the races (the angelic race) had gotten cocky and tried to challenge the dragons. Triton was used as a scapegoat by his own ¡®loyal¡¯ subjects and exiled. When Triton had been wandering around for a century or two he had met Vyne, who at the time was only three centuries old. The two clashed instantly. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Triton and Erebus had met when Triton was the Emperor and then another time a few centuries ago. They had a decent relationship, mostly due to their equally laid-back personalities. Though, Triton was prone to anger even faster than Erebus. The only person Triton hadn¡¯t met was Tear, who he was currently examining with a mild interest. ¡°A High Human?¡± he said after a while. ¡°Yes,¡± Tear answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen one of your kind in a while... I apologize for what has happened.¡± Tear nodded her head in sadness. ¡°Thank you.¡± A silence settled over them. ¡°The message you wanted us to send the Yvick was?¡± Erebus questioned. He was actually looking forward to seeing Yvick, the last time they had spoke was after he dealt with Stone and Magnus. ¡°Ah, yes. I need you to tell him the weapon he wished for me to create was complete.¡± ¡°Oh?¡¯ Triton was known for his skill at creating powerful magical weapons. The one he held in his hand was an example of that. The triton¡¯s glow was due to the immense amount of mana poured into it. ¡°Look.¡± Triton stretched out a webbed hand and another magic circle appeared on the ground. Ever so slowly, a large lance and shield appeared. Both of them emitting a greenish glow and the metal that constructed them was completely black. The weapon had a powerful impact in the room as the mana in the air seemed to be sucked towards it. ¡°Wow...¡± Tear said silently. ¡°Yes, wow!¡± Triton exclaimed. ¡°I spent centuries crafting this magnificent set!¡± ¡°Yvick does certainly love things like these.¡± Erebus eyed the lance and shield with a small bit of disgust. It had a nasty feeling to it. ¡°What a repulsive creation.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it!¡± Triton sounded proud. ¡°I made it this way as per Yvick¡¯s request.¡± ¡°So why don¡¯t you just deliver it yourself?¡± Vyne snapped, they weren¡¯t his delivery-boys. ¡°I can¡¯t leave this dungeon! What if some more Questers come to challenge me?¡± ¡°Not my problem,¡± Vyne hissed. ¡°Quiet, Vyne.¡± Erebus walked towards the lance and shield. ¡°A visit to Yvick could prove entertaining,¡± he said, stopping directly in front of the two disgusting creations. ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡± Triton pressed, leaning forward slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a weapon, too, if you so desire Erebus?¡± ¡°No thanks,¡± Erebus declined almost instantly. He didn¡¯t want any of Triton¡¯s flashy weapons. ¡°Haha! What a shame.¡± Triton snapped his fingers and the lance and shield disappeared, and in their place to mana stones appeared. ¡°There you go. Please deliver it safely, and give Yvick my regards.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Erebus picked the small stones off the ground and placed the in the pouch he had attached to his hip. ¡°Send us out, your aura is sickening,¡± Vyne snapped. Being around Triton just put him in a bad mood. ¡°Very well!¡± Triton snapped his fingers and similar to Heather and co. magic circles appeared beneath them and they dropped through. It was a form of [Teleportation Magic]. A specialty magic for the Seafolk. The trio reappeared in the Quester¡¯s Guild. When they arrived, Heather and co. were already there. ¡°Erebus!¡± Heather jumped up and ran over to them. ¡°Are you all okay?¡± Vyne took a step back at her closeness. ¡°We¡¯re fine, the Exiled Emperor Triton had no intention of harming us.¡± Luke appeared next to her. ¡°You... you three are certainly amazing. To be fine after meeting the Exiled Emperor. He¡¯s known for his... anger.¡± Tear pretended to swoon a little. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯re very exhausted... if you could allow us to rest?¡± ¡°O-oh, yes, we¡¯ll speak more tomorrow.¡± She gave him a weak smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± They said their goodbyes and had to pry a teary Ern off of Vyne. Upon their leaving, Vyne gave Tear an approving look. ¡°You certainly improved your acting skills.¡± She smirked at him. ¡°Even though I absolutely despise you. You¡¯re a pretty good actor, so I used you as a role model.¡± Vyne laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should be honored or disgusted by you saying that.¡± Chapter Twelve: The High Humans Before we continue on the adventure Erebus, Tear, and Vyne are about to embark on, a bit of clarification is due. After all, Vyne would preach about how ignorance is unsightly. High Humans were a race hated by the elven race and the human race. To explain this would have to go back to the very beginnings of the elven race. A time when humans didn¡¯t exist. The elven race were created shortly after the angelic and demonic race came to be. They were the fourth race to be established in the world of Eirlok. The elves were known for their high magical affinity, an affinity only rivaled by the dragon race. This was because they were born inside of the forest, where some of the highest mana channels existed. But among their race there some disgraces. Disgraces who were unable to properly use mana. Those disgraces were shunned by the elves, so they eventually broke off and moved away from their homeland. After thousands of years the race, we know as humans were developed because of this. Humans were elves who experienced devolution and became completely incapable of using mana directly with their body. So, with that being said, High Humans were the previously mentioned disgraces of the elven race. The High Humans were the ones that didn¡¯t experience the same devolution rate due to the fact that some members of the ¡®pure¡¯ elven race came along with them during the mass exodus. The members of the ¡®pure¡¯ race came because they felt as if it was unfair to persecute them. This state of being in between the two caused the High Humans to receive scorn from both ends. The elves hated them for being disgraces and the humans hated them for being better than them. The two focused their unfair hatred onto the small High Human population. During the Second Great War that occurred a little over five hundred years, the High Human race was killed off. It wasn¡¯t the main focus of the war at all, rather it was something that happened and the other races chose to ignore it. The genocide was brushed under the rug. Tear was born around 620 years ago, during the nearing end of the Secret Great War. Her clan had managed to stay under the radar of the vicious humans and elves. Since every race on this planet but one was immortal, they tended to hold grudges. And the one that wasn¡¯t immortal managed to pass on their hatred throughout the generations. When Tear of the Moon Goddess was born, the war had been going on for three hundred years. Tear gained her name due to the drop of water that fell on her cheek after she had been delivered. Her parents names were Flower of the Moon Goddess and Blade of the Moon God. The Moon Goddess and Moon God clan¡¯s bloodline was the top among the High Humans. This was because the clan tried its best to prevent the devolution from happening too rapidly. They did this by restricting how many children a family could have, and how old the members of the family had to be to have a child. Still, Tear being a member of the later generation, was not able to harness a very large amount of mana in her body. Nonetheless, her family loved their beautiful child with all of their heart. They had no concerns over the bloodthirsty humans and elves coming to kill their clan. This was because the Moon Goddess and Moon God clan existed in the Lower Continent, within a forest dubbed the [Murderous Forest], due to the overwhelming amount of Demon ranked monsters there that would kill any existence there. The only reason the clan wasn¡¯t killed is because they, too, acted as the guardians of the forest. The forest had a very powerful mana channel, and this was due to the [Stone of the Moon Goddess and Moon God]. At least, that¡¯s what the clan called it. You can¡¯t help but admire their naming skills. The stone was located deep within the ground and was formed of pure mana and magic. The stone was about five meters in diameter. The mana from the stone was ¡®melting¡¯ so to say, and the ¡®water¡¯ that came out of it formed a spring. This spring had amazing magical properties, so they called it the [Moon Goddess¡¯ Blood], and would bathe their newborn children in the spring and this would enhance their tiny bodies. The clan was creating superhuman High Humans, basically. Tear was born and raised to the tender age of one hundred and ten inside of this clan. But, as I said before, the humans and elves were thirsty for blood and the High Humans would satisfy their taste. The [Murderous Forest] was lit on fire the day Tear turned one hundred and ten. It had been a joyous occasion in their clan, the daughter of their most skilled archer had reached the stage where she could be married (but not have children)! Flower, Tear¡¯s mother, made sure that Tear knew ceremonial dance that she would perform, this dance would signify her coming-of-age. Blade wasn¡¯t all too happy that his beautiful daughter could be snatched away from him, though. So, like a stereotypical dad, he protected her chastity like it was the [Stone of the Moon Goddess and Moon God]. Tear had just finished her dance when the trees lit and fire began to devour the entire forest. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. It was [Myth Magic: Inferno]. A fire impossible to put out and that would burn forever until the spell was canceled. Tear dropped the golden disc she held in her hand. The clansmen stopped clapping excitedly and turned to stare at the blazing forest. ¡°What... is this,¡± the clan leader said, his voice full of horror. The scouts of the clan came running back at full speed. ¡°It¡¯s the elf and human armies, Sir! They cast a spell and lit the entire forest on fire. They¡¯re coming for us.¡± The clan leader¡¯s face hardened. ¡°Prepare your arrows, my people! Fire, kill those bloodthirsty animals!¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡°Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±¡± Bows and arrows made purely out of mana appeared in the High Human¡¯s hands, they all released thousands of arrows at the same time. But there were only fifty or so High Humans in that village. They were not strong enough to fight against the thousands of humans and elves that were coming for their lives. They all knew this, and they still fought. Tear was one of those valiant warriors, even though she was still in her beautiful ceremony attire. Her face was impassive and focused on protecting this village. ¡°Tear,¡± Flower said, grabbing her arm. ¡°You need to leave.¡± ¡°What! Mother, I am strong enough to--¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t it!¡± Flower¡¯s sapphire eyes were full of fear. ¡°You need to survive, carry on the High Human bloodline.¡± ¡°Then, what about the others?¡± Her mother didn¡¯t hesitate, ¡°We¡¯re going to die.¡± ¡°Moth--¡± ¡°Let me speak, child. You need to leave because we can¡¯t all go with you. Do not worry, other young people like you are trying to escape, also. But you¡¯re not going in the same direction as them, it¡¯s easier to move as a single person. ¡°The continuation of the Moon Goddess and Moon God¡¯s bloodline depends on whether you all survive. I pray that you all are not killed.¡± Tear fought back her own tears. What was her mother saying? She wanted to her daughter to leave her to die? For what, the sake of continuing their bloodline? She wouldn¡¯t leave, she couldn¡¯t leave. Her family was more important than that. ¡°Go. Tear. We clansmen already discussed this in the small chance that humans and elves came to destroy us. You all are to escape.¡± Tear wanted to fight back, she wanted to yell no. But looking at her mother¡¯s determined face for undoubtedly the last time stopped her. Her mother was able to be so strong even with knowing that her death was coming. ¡°Please.¡± Tear bowed her head and lowered her bow. ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± She turned and ran with no destination in sight. She moved as fast as she possible could, ignoring the branches that cut her skin and how the rocks dug into her bare feet. Yes, she would do as her mother asked her to. Even if that meant becoming a slave, even if that meant selling her body and everything that she owned. She would do as her mother asked, no, she would do what her clan wanted. That was her only atonement for abandoning them. Tear traveled around the Lower Continent for seven years, she had no money, and the clothing she wore was apparently ¡®common material¡¯ . There were a few settlements scattered here and there that allowed Tear to stay for no money, they all had an inkling to what she was. But she wandered aimlessly until she met him. Yes, it was a certain night that she met him. Tear had just finished fighting a massive scorpion and was now laying flat on her back, breathing heavily. ¡°Um~¡± a male voice. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Tear instantly jumped back up and readied her bow, despite the fact she was ready to pass out. ¡°Who you!¡± she asked in broken human language. The Moon Goddess and Moon God clan all had their own language. She glared at the young man standing a meter or so away from her. In his hands he had a canteen of water and some food. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± he asked, holding out the goods. ¡°Thirsty?¡± ¡°Who you!¡± she shouted again. ¡°Danger? Poison? I kill!¡± ¡°Er, I¡¯d rather if you didn¡¯t try to kill me.¡± ¡°Enemy, I kill!¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m really not your enemy.¡± ¡°Then give me name.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it polite to give your name first?¡± He laughed and scratched his head. ¡°Polite? Useless man! Give me name.¡± He frowned. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Tear of the Moon Goddess!¡± ¡°Can I just call you Tear? That¡¯s a really long name.¡± ¡°Give me name.¡± ¡°Sorry, sorry. My name¡¯s Erebus.¡± He laughed again. ¡°I¡¯m here because I just came back from home. I went to go visit an old buddy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care! What your purpose, Erebus?¡± She prepped her arrow. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna attack you so you can put down your bow...¡± ¡°Purpose!¡± ¡°Um~ to help you? I guess...¡± He held out his free hand. ¡°Want to become my subordinate?¡± Please tell me of any mistakes that might contradict what I said earlier I made, I don''t notice these things. Chapter Thirteen: Mana Stones Erebus, a dragon who had existed for over ten thousand years, was not amused. The reason is because of this: In order to get to the Lower Continent from the Main Continent, you have to cross the ocean in a boat. Erebus does not like boats. Carriages, horses? He could deal with those. But boats were his natural enemy. He didn¡¯t like the entire concept of them. Erebus was a dragon whose natural enemy, you could say, was the sea. It was a trait that all dragons, except for the water dragons, shared. The dragons were creatures of the land and sky. The sea was not the land nor was it the sky. Meaning, he didn¡¯t like bobbing around on some man-made contraption located on the sea. Because of this, Erebus had suggested that he just transforms and flies there with them on his back but that was put down by Vyne. Vyne said, ¡°It¡¯ll draw too much attention.¡± Who was the leader again? Tear, of course, had no problem with the idea of riding Erebus, so she said nothing. So, this is why Erebus was not amused. He was currently looking out the window of the ship they had boarded with an expression that could only be described as pure disdain. Vyne, on the other hand, was comfortable seated in a plush chair while writing more on his research. It was a gift he planned on presenting Lord Erebus when he finished. Tear had gone out to the jewel shop that they had on board. In other words, they were all enjoying(?) themselves. ¡°How long until this ship reaches the harbor?¡± Erebus asked Vyne in a voice lacking any emotion. The voice of someone who had given up hope. ¡°Lord Erebus, we have another week.¡± The travel time from the Main Continent to the Lower Continent was a month. The trio had gotten on the ship to the Lower Continent three weeks ago. The ship wasn¡¯t a normal passenger ship but one for Questers. This was mostly because normal people simply did not go to the Lower Continent. They hired Questers to go there instead. Around this time of year, the ship isn¡¯t used as much, but a sizeable amount still came. Being in an enclosed for three weeks already made Erebus want to burst out of the place. At least when he lived in his castle he would go out in the area surrounding it every now and then and enjoyed a nice run. But this, this abomination did not allow him to do as so. He really wished he had just flown there... ¡°Lord Erebus, may I inquire what the Demon Emperor Yvick is like?¡± Vyne asked, he had never met the man before. ¡°Yvick, huh... he¡¯s a serious guy.¡± Vyne pressed his lips together tightly, he was hoping for more than that. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t be rude to him like you are to Triton, he isn¡¯t nearly as forgiving.¡± Vyne made a face. The reason he didn¡¯t get along with Triton was because of his frivolous attitude. He had been the same way with Erebus until he had angered the dragon. At the time, he didn¡¯t know Erebus was a dragon but instead a measly human, so he had insulted him. A violent shiver tore through Vyne. He would never challenge his master like that again. He could clearly remember the fear that was set into his body, rendering him immobile. That was the first time Vyne was ever afraid for his life. Frightening. Truly frightening. Erebus, as if he knew what Vyne was thinking, said, ¡°You should be fine as long as you keep your opinions to yourself.¡± ¡°I-I see...¡± Tear burst through the door, completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere. ¡°Master! Look at what I found!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Tear struck a pose that made even Erebus feel embarrassed for her. ¡°The [Magma Heart].¡± Erebus¡¯ eyebrows shot up in shock. The [Magma Heart] was a rock that only the Dragon Continent had. It was a brilliant scarlet in color with black veins throughout it and it emitted a soft red glow also. The rock was similar to the [Stone of the Moon Goddess and Moon God] but on a much smaller scale. ¡°Humans went on the Dragon Continent?¡± She shrugged. She had never been there either, but she knew the stone was from there because her master told her of it before. Even Vyne was interested. ¡°How were they able to get this rock? If I remember correctly, it¡¯s deep within the Dragon Continent.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Erebus nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a semi-rare rock in my home. But for other races, they would never be able to get it unless they went into the Dragon Continent.¡± Vyne pursed g his lips in thought. ¡°Perhaps a dragon sold it? It should sell for quite a lot. Tear, how much did you buy this for?¡± ¡°150 gold.¡± ¡°Only that much?¡± ¡°Well, the vendor said she wanted to get rid of it because it¡¯s cursed.¡± ¡°Cursed?¡± Vyne leapt from his chair. Cursed items were an amazing find. Erebus laughed. ¡°Calm down, it isn¡¯t cursed. The rock drains mana, that¡¯s probably why she said it¡¯s cursed.¡± Vyne turned his head towards Erebus, clearly wanting him to go into more detail. ¡°The stone is able to collect mana and when it reaches its maximum, all the mana it gathered is expelled in a burst. The stones fill up relatively quickly, too. The example I can give you is the weapon Triton made for Yvick. The material he used to make it is called: [Soul Stone]. It¡¯s another rock only made in the Dragon Continent but it drains even larger amounts of mana. It¡¯s called the [Soul Stone] because it drains the mana from inside of bodies too. So, when a target is hit by the lance, a portion of their mana is sucked. It¡¯s a disgusting weapon.¡± Erebus stopped himself from saying anymore on how revolting the weapon was. ¡°Is it the same with his trident?¡± Tear asked. ¡°Yes, only that material is from the Pure Continent. His is also a little different, it shoots off the mana it gathered. That¡¯s its main attack, not an added bonus.¡± ¡°Ooh,¡± Vyne and Tear both made sounds of understanding. Erebus displayed a proud expression. He enjoyed teaching the children about these things. ¡°Give me the stone, Tear,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Huh? Sure.¡± She handed him the [Magma Heart]. Without any hesitation, Erebus ate the stone. He chewed for a little with a thoughtful expression before swallowing. ¡°It was pretty dry, not enough mana stored yet.¡± ¡°W-what!¡± ¡°Lord Erebus?¡± Upon seeing their shocked expressions, Erebus laughed a little. ¡°The [Magma Heart] is food in the Dragon Continent. Same with the [Soul Stone], though, only higher level dragons can eat it.¡± Vyne made a face. ¡°You... eat rocks?¡± ¡°No, I eat mana stones.¡± Erebus patted his stomach. ¡°Dragons... eat mana stones?¡± ¡°Of course?¡± Erebus made a confused face. To him, this wasn¡¯t a big deal. Even the two eccentrics thought that eating mana stones was strange. They had never seen Erebus do this before. ¡°Is it possible for other races to eat it?¡± Vyne asked, an idea for an experiment popped into his mind. ¡°Probably. I wouldn¡¯t recommend it though.¡± Vyne ignored this. ¡°An amazing discovery. Yes, when we get back to the castle I will certainly work more on this.¡± He picked up his notepad and began to furiously scribble away. Tear, however, looked a little queasy. She could easily imagine a dragon eating the [Stone of the Moon Goddess and Moon God] without any remorse. The pride of her clan gone, just like that. With a content expression, Erebus leaned his head against the wall. It had been such a long time since he had eaten some [Magma Heart]. Perhaps he would go home with a little more enthusiasm, seeing as he¡¯d be able to eat to his heart¡¯s content. Even though he¡¯d have to deal with those troublesome dragons, it would be well worth the trip. Thoughts like these managed to consume all of Erebus¡¯ attention for the final week of journey to the Lower Continent. A dragon¡¯s attention span could be very amazing, seeing as it distracted him from the fact he was on a ship. Thinking of mana stones, maybe Yvick had some that he would give to Erebus. Taking mana from the atmosphere to survive had no flavor at all. Perhaps he should gather some when he returned to his continent. Decisions, decisions. So you guys got to learn more about the dragons! And Erebus might be returning to his home continent soon? What is this? Chapter Fourteen: A Truly Efficient Servant This is the last chapter for today. I''m busy for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I''ll try go get a double release, but it depends on my schedule. Anyway, please enjoy~ When the trio landed at the port city of Karun, Erebus basically sprinted out of the ship. He spread out his arms and spun around a couple times. ¡°Freedom!¡± he cried out. Needless to say, the strange man drew the stares of passersby. Was he okay? Mentally, that is. Now a handsome young man and beautiful young women were chasing after the strange man who was sprinting away, they were shouting, ¡°Wait! L-- Erebus! Wait!¡± Concerned expressions all around. Due to Erebus¡¯ impatience, the trio did not even spend five minutes in the town of Karun. They entered a desert. The Lower Continent was known for its strange terrain. Some places would be mountainous areas, others deserts, some were hidden oasis¡¯, and finally thick, lush forests. Indeed, a very strange continent. The particular desert they entered was named the [Scorpion Pass], due to the obscene amount of gigantic scorpions that lived in this area. ¡°Lord Erebus, do you even remember where we¡¯re going?¡± Vyne asked after they had caught up to Erebus. ¡°Of course I do. A dragon never forgets!¡± Erebus exclaimed proudly. Vyne quirked an eyebrow. Many times in the past Erebus ¡®forgot¡¯ certain things. Could it be that his master lied? Vanquish the thought! His master would never lie, to him, at least. ¡°Are you doubting Lord Erebus?¡± Tear narrowed her eyes at Vyne. Here we go again. ¡°No, I was simply wondering--¡± ¡°So you were doubting him!¡± ¡°--if he knew where we were going.¡± The two continued like that back and forth until Erebus shut them up. ¡°If you two argue like that in Yvick¡¯s presence, he¡¯ll kill you. He hates nuisances.¡± Erebus shook his head a little. ¡°He never did get along very well with Triton. What would you call it? Mutual respect, rather than friendship...¡± Erebus trailed off into his own thoughts. Hearing that, Vyne decided that he would very much like to meet Yvick. There was somebody out there who understood why he disliked Triton so much. ¡°Another amazing discovery...¡± ¡°Master,¡± Tear began, ¡°do you remember? We met in the [Scorpion Pass].¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Erebus remembered the barbaric Tear very clearly. When he had asked her to become his subordinate, she released a powerful mana arrow at him. Of course, Erebus pummeled her to the ground because of this. And it was because of that beating that Tear became so attached to him. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be the other way around? Isn¡¯t she supposed to hate him because he beat her? His subordinates were incredibly strange. Erebus didn¡¯t mind their odd characters, even though he complained like he did. He had grown up around weird people, after all. Very weird people, in fact. The water dragon Azure was one of them, she held the 8th seat in the Council. She had a strange habit of eating things that weren¡¯t meant to be eaten. Ah... a sad expression crossed Erebus¡¯ face. That reminded him of the time she ate his very precious stone. It wasn¡¯t even a mana stone... Erebus sighed, which drew the attention of Vyne and Tear. ¡°Is something wrong, Lord Erebus?¡± Vyne shouted even though Erebus was standing right next to him. ¡°Are you tired of walking? You can sit on my back and I¡¯ll walk on all fours!¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. No, really, Tear, stop that.¡± She had dropped down onto her hands and knees. ¡°But Master...¡± ¡°You¡¯re troubling me,¡± Erebus said. Upon hearing this, Tear gasped loudly and stood up instantly. ¡°I apologize.¡± She proceeded to bow to him in apology multiple times. ¡°It¡¯s fine, just don¡¯t do it again.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Vyne watched this scene with a look of disgust (at Tear, of course). How dare she trouble their master in such a way? ¡°Oh, that reminds me,¡± Erebus said turning to Vyne. ¡°Expel your glamor. Yvick doesn¡¯t know you, so it¡¯s better if you go in your true form.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Vyne did as he was told, his body shimmered for a moment and his true form appeared. Vyne flapped his wings a couple times. ¡°They¡¯ve grown a little stiff, it would seem.¡± The reason why Erebus said this was not only because Yvick hates glamors, but also because Vyne being in this form would ward off any monsters. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Thank you, monster repellent, Erebus thought to himself. Tear pouted. She was the only one in this trio who didn¡¯t have a second form. Damn this High Human blood of hers! With all of that out of the way, the trio proceeded. Erebus guided them through the [Scorpion Pass] with absolutely no difficulty due to Vyne warding off the monsters. A truly efficient servant. Immediately after the [Scorpion Pass] was a mountain valley called [Cockatrice Valley]. The names for areas in the Lower Continent were named so obviously so that any Questers would not encounter things they weren¡¯t prepared for. Cockatrices were ranked high due to their death-stare. Even dragons weren¡¯t wholly immune to it, though, the stare wouldn¡¯t kill them but rather freeze them for a while. But, if you simply closed your eyes while heading through this area, you would be fine. And there were a couple spells that blocked the cockatrices power. And it wasn¡¯t exactly hard to walk through, seeing as you just had to continue going straight. But don¡¯t turn your body in any way, you¡¯d lose your sense of direction. Within minutes of entering, the trio heard the noises of cockatrices running around. Saying things such as: ¡°I¡¯m so pretty, don¡¯t you want a look?¡± Of course, the cockatrices were ignored. At one point, a few tried to block their way. But Vyne was not having this, so he punted the cockatrices out of the way with brutal force. When he kicked them, you could hear the sound of their bones breaking at the impact before they were sent flying with a loud ¡®clap¡¯ that echoed through the mountains. That ended the cockatrices terrorizing the trio. None of them wanted to experience what the others did. Vyne was even scarier in his true form. If any cockatrice would be brave enough to sneak up behind them, it would get smacked by his whip-like tail. A truly efficient servant. Erebus nodded to himself as he thought of this. Tear, on the other hand, had latched onto Erebus¡¯ arm. Claiming she was ¡®afraid¡¯ of being separated. Thus, when they exited [Cockatrice Valley] she was forcibly removed from Erebus by Vyne. Because she didn¡¯t have to have her eyes closed, they wouldn¡¯t get separated. She made a pouty face and kicked rocks. They now entered [Poisonous Snake Forest]. Like the name implied, huge snakes lived in this forest. The majority of them could be found in trees. Not only did they have a powerful bite but it was loaded with a lethal poison. The snakes flicked their tongues as they watched the trio proceed. A few dead cockatrices had been sent flying into this forest, when they landed, a small crater would be formed and the ground shook at the impact. They wisely did not attempt to attack the group, seeing as they¡¯re the only ones who were coming through. And, the one with wings and a tail looked like it would have fun tearing them apart. Honestly, Vyne was a truly efficient servant. ¡°Here we are,¡± Erebus said with a proud smile. They stopped in front of a castle made of white stone with green moss and vines growing all along the sides of it. The trio walked across the rickety drawbridge and stopped at a grand set of doors. ¡°Should we knoc--¡± Erebus raised one foot and kicked open the wooden doors, sending them flying off their hinges. He whistled as if nothing had happened, and continued onwards. Vyne did not ask about knocking again. Tear looked like she wasn¡¯t sure whether she should laugh or cry. Wouldn¡¯t destroying his house ake Yvick mad? They entered the castle. Despite its outside, the inside was well kept and it had a nice peaceful mana current, similar to the one in the Quester¡¯s Guild. There were a few servants that upon seeing them, waved kindly. As if it was a completely normal thing. Shouldn¡¯t they get better security? Vyne thought. Without anyone stopping them, the trio entered the throne room. Seated on the throne was a humanoid demon with a tired expression on his face. His skin was dark brown with strange black tattoos on his bare arms, chest, and neck. Similar to Magnus and Stone, the Demon Emperor had black sclera, only his eyes were a vivid gold color and they lacked pupils. ¡°Erebus,¡± Yvick started in an exhausted tone, placing his hand on his forehead. ¡°Did you break my doors down again?¡± Chapter Fifteen: Yvick Currently, four people were seated at a circular table with gold embellishments. One was a man with a useless aura. The second was a woman with a beautiful face. The third was a pupiless, tired-looking man. The fourth was an elegant young man. They were respectively named: Erebus, Tear of the Moon Goddess, Yvick, and Vyne. Erebus, upon his request, had a plate full of small mana stones in front of him that he was happily eating. ¡°I see, so Triton finished the set for me.¡± Yvick folded his large hands on the table. On each of his fingers were at least five rings made of precious metals. ¡°May I have it?¡± Erebus reached into the pouch on his hip and then tossed the two black stones towards Yvick. ¡°Thank you.¡± Yvick pulled the stones that dangled on his earrings off and then replaced them with the new stones which instantly stuck to the metal. Yvick held the other two stones in his palm and crushed them. He opened his hands and allowed the fine dust to turn into liquid and dripped to the ground. ¡°I could¡¯ve eaten them,¡± Erebus said with a frown as he watched the wasted mana drip to the ground before being absorbed. ¡°Exactly why I crushed it.¡± Yvick¡¯s face remained impassive. ¡°Tch.¡± Erebus made a face. Tear and Vyne awkwardly shifted in their seats, they weren¡¯t sure how to act around Yvick. Erebus had said Yvick was serious but they hadn¡¯t been expecting this. The aura Yvick gave off had a sterness to it that made them keep their mouths clamped shut. He was nothing like Triton or Erebus who had much more easy-going personalities. ¡°So, Erebus, how have you been as of late?¡± ¡°I got bored so I became a Quester.¡± Yvick quirked an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep. It¡¯s the reason why I met Triton, he was at the bottom of one the dungeons we explored.¡± ¡°Hoh... there¡¯s a dungeon nearby. Perhaps you can explore it after your stay here.¡± ¡°Is there really?¡± Erebus perked up instantly. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been explored by the humans yet.¡± The excitement that had faded out of Erebus was back in full force. ¡°But, the entrance only opens every few months so you¡¯ll have to wait here.¡± Erebus leaned back in his chair and groaned loudly. ¡°I apologize,¡± Yvick said without any trace of truly being sorry. With a wave of his hand, Erebus dismissed Yvick¡¯s ¡®apology¡¯. ¡°Have you been in it yet?¡± ¡°I have no interest in those places. I¡¯m content with staying here and gathering knowledge. Though, the number of Questers coming to challenge me has increased a lot. Those humans sure are getting rowdy.¡± ¡°Indeed, they labeled me as a Demon Lord and kept sending raids to subjugate me.¡± Yvick laughed softly. ¡°A Demon Lord, eh?¡± ¡°Irony, I know.¡± ¡°That reminds me, are Stone and Magnus behaving well?¡± Yvick unfolded his hands and a serious expression settled on his face. ¡°Yes, the two are rather loyal fellows.¡± ¡°That is good, then.¡± The corners of his lips tilted upwards in a wry smile. ¡°If they weren¡¯t I¡¯d have to come and punish them.¡± Erebus laughed. He knew that Yvick wasn¡¯t joking. Yvick turned his intense gaze onto Tear and Vyne. ¡°Are these two also your subordinates?¡± ¡°I am Tear of the Moon Goddess.¡± ¡°Vyne of Tartarus.¡± The two bowed their heads respectively as they introduced themselves. ¡°Oh, the Moon clan? I see... I remember that clan. You lived in the [Murderous Forest]?¡± Tear¡¯s expression confirmed his question. ¡°A waste, truly. The elves and humans wronged the High Humans. I sent my men out to destroy their armies but I wasn¡¯t in time to save the clan.¡± He let out a sigh. ¡°I managed to protect your sacred stone, though. It is still there. The forest itself is recovering, also.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She was truly grateful. ¡°It is my duty as the Demon Emperor to do such things. I hope that there were other members of your tribe who managed to escape as well.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°My mother said they had others ran away, too.¡± ¡°Ah... let us hope they survived like you did.¡± ¡°I pray to the Moon Goddess and Moon God that they did.¡± A somber atmosphere settled over the four, even as Erebus and Yvick recounted stories from the past. Yvick even told the story of how he became the Demon Emperor of the Lower Continent: He was born in Tartarus. The demonic clan of Hulad-Ruhi was known for its superior strength and agility. His grandfather was the leader of the said clan, and Yvick was to be the heir because his father had been wounded and could no longer continue his career as a warrior of Hulad-Ruhi. So, Yvick was trained rigorously by the clan elders to prepare him for taking leadership of the clan. Yvick gained power and with that power he grew arrogant. In no time at all he had managed to pass his grandfather in terms of strength. To him, he would be an unstoppable force. Deciding this, Yvick challenged his grandfather to a duel, expecting to win easily. The loser of the duel would be exiled. Since Yvick thought he was going to win, that would mean his grandfather would be kicked out, leaving Yvick, the heir. He would become the clan leader if he won this. A young, rash, arrogant clan leader, that is. But Yvick lost to his grandfather. Yvick had never been a real fight in his entire life. He had never been attacked with the intent to kill. Compared to his grandfather, who had fought countless enemies stronger than him, Yvick was but a child. This outcome surprised Yvick to his very core. He thought that he would win yet the battle ended almost instantly. His grandfather hadn¡¯t given him any time to prepare, the second that the overseer of the duel told them to begin, his grandfather charged. Yvick met face to face with death before he was knocked out cold. When he awoke, as per the rules of the duel, Yvick was exiled from the Hulad-Ruhi. A now very humble Yvick decided to put himself through rigorous training, a training that he would have to alone. A part of his training was traveling the world and meeting people more powerful than he for the sake of growing even stronger. Actually, it was during this time, around two thousand years ago, that he met Erebus. He challenged Erebus to a duel after seeing him easily take down the monsters that had attacked him. Of course, Erebus defeated him with little to no difficulty. This lead to Yvick begging Erebus to train him, he wanted to grow strong like Erebus was. Surprisingly, Erebus agreed to this and trained Yvick for a year. Mostly due to his half-assed nature, Erebus stopped training Yvick because he was ¡®bored¡¯ of it. Still, in this short period, Yvick was able to grow immensely in strength. Erebus told Yvick he would be able to grow even stronger if he went to the Lower Continent and fought the monsters existing there. Yvick at this time, by the way, was already at Demon Lord in terms of physical strength. He went to the Lower Continent upon his teacher¡¯s request. And then, before he knew it, he had become a Demon Emperor. Erebus would still visit him from time to time. Yvick used to challenge Erebus to a duel every time that this happened. Soon enough, though, Yvick lost the hot-headedness of a young man, and started to invest his attention to gathering knowledge. He, of course, still trained but not to the same extent. He also stopped challenging Erebus. When Yvick finished his story, Tear, Erebus, and Vyne all applauded him. ¡°Then, Yvick, do you have a library that I could use?¡± Vyne was quite eager to see all of the information that Yvick had stored away. ¡°No.¡± Yvick tapped his skull. ¡°I keep it all in here.¡± Vyne frowned. That was not the answer he wanted. ¡°That was a joke.¡± Yvick stood up to his full height of about two and half meters and gestured for Vyne to follow him. ¡°Come, I will show you all of the knowledge I have amassed.¡± Chapter Sixteen: A Young Ladys Affections A large group of Questers were headed towards the Lower Continent¡¯s Demon Emperor Yvick¡¯s lair. It was a group of about two hundred Tier 8-9 Questers. After the recent embarrassment of a raid being crushed by a Demon Lord in the Main Continent and the loss of their second most powerful man by the name of Grego Drand, the Questers were now in full force attempting to subjugate any Demon Lord and Demon Emperor class. Four very familiar faces were included in this group. Their names happened to be Ern, Luke, Mur, and Heather. They had joined in this subjugation raid because they were vengeful. Erebus, Tear, and Vyne had undoubtedly been killed by the Demon Emperor, seeing as they hadn¡¯t returned to the Main Continent in five months. Heather was the one who suggested they joined the raid. She had sent a message to Ern, telling the young elf of this. Ern, who happened to have affections for Vyne, readily accepted this. She would avenge her lost love. She had worked up the courage to confess to him after he got back from the Lower Continent but that day had never come. How could she not fall in love with that man? Even though, he acted so cold towards Tear and, well, everyone but Erebus... sometimes a real smile would cross his handsome face. And that was what she fell in love with. She remembered how broad his shoulders were and how the muscles in his back would ripple every time he swung his sword. He was smart, beautiful, strong... She had fallen for him. But now he was dead. Without a doubt. When people disappear for months in the Lower Continent, no matter how strong they were supposed to be, they would always turn up dead. Or sometimes their corpses were never found. Ern tilted her chin up as they passed through the [Poisonous Snake Forest]. Soon, soon I will avenge you, she told the late Vyne. ¡°Are you all right?¡± the young man next to her asked. He had curly blonde hair and a goofy grin, his name was Griffin. ¡°Yes...¡± Ern smiled weakly at him. ¡°I¡¯m all right. I was just lost in my thoughts.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too distracted, this forest is dangerous.¡± Griffin¡¯s brown eyes were full of cautiousness. ¡°This is my first subjugation mission.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Ern tightened her grip on the wand she carried in her hand. She had never participated in the subjugations because they were trivial in her mind. If you take out one Demon Lord, another one would pop up again. But this time, this was personal. The group ahead of Ern and Griffin finished hacking the head off a long snake and then shouted out. ¡°The castle is within our sights! Another ten minutes until we destroy the menace!¡± A chorus of whoops. They were confident they would win. They had brought even more Questers than they normally would. But what they didn¡¯t know is that Yvick had taken more from his time with Erebus than fighting skills. Yvick knew that they were coming. And he was excited about their arrival, he had a new weapon to test out. The self-confident Questers crossed the drawbridge. For some reason, there wasn¡¯t a door but they didn¡¯t pay much attention to that. They entered the lair. The inside was well-kept, there were fresh flowers in pots, the walls had a fresh coat of paint on them. There was certainly a large mana build-up in here, but it had a nice feeling to it. Was this truly a Demon Emperor¡¯s lair? The Questers climbed up a set of spiraling stairs. Were they in the right place? Nothing had even come and attacked them. ¡°It¡¯s even scarier when nothing comes to us,¡± Griffin whispered to Ern who nodded in agreement. She almost said something in response, but she remembered what happened in the Passageway. If she said anything now, it would certainly take a turn for the worst. They stopped in front of a magnificent set of doors that lead into the throne room. ¡°Mages in the back, start preparing Myth classed to hit him with. The vanguard will keep his attention but just in case, I want mages who specialize in protective magic to block the ones working on the magic,¡± the leader of the entire raid said. Everyone nodded their understandings. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡± The doors opened every so slowly as if it was to increase the suspense even more. An ominous creaking sound filled the castle as the doors slid open. The throne room''s ceiling was made completely of glass which allowed the golden sunshine to hit the figure seated on the throne. On the stone table next to Yvick¡¯s throne, a figure lay. Its back was turned to them, it looked as if it was sleeping. The Demon Emperor Yvick smiled, to call it a smile was wrong, it was more of a snarl of some sorts. ¡°Welcome, fools.¡± Ern and her group of mages began prepping Myth ranked magic without any hesitation. Along with Ern¡¯s section of mages, three other groups were starting the Myth ranked magic¡¯s circle. Yvick watched this with detached interest. They were really going all out on him. Soon enough, his attention was dragged away by the charging vanguard. Swords, axes, and spears were all ready to cut him down. Yvick removed a red ring from his left pinky and threw it up in the air. ¡°Awaken and slaughter my enemies,¡± his deep voice said. The red ring trembled in the air before growing a pair of feathery rings and morphing into a scarlet gargoyle. In its hands was a mace. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Without hesitation, the gargoyle swung its mace. A Quester with a large shield instantly jumped to the front with amazing reaction speed and took the brunt of the blow. When the mace and shield connected, the foundation of the castle shook. Pieces of stone crumbled off of the wall. The sleeping figure shifted as if to block out the noise. ¡°Impressive,¡± Yvick said, placing his hand on his chin. The gargoyle continued to swing the mace and the Quester continued to take the blows. The vanguard moved around the two and once again charged towards Yvick. He let out a sigh and stood up. It seemed the toys he wore on his fingers would not be enough to deal with this group like it had for the previous ones. Yvick removed the mana stones on his earrings. Within in an instant, a lance and shield with a repulsive aura appeared in his hands. The group of Questers that had been charging towards him stopped upon their appearance. They weren¡¯t idiots, it wouldn¡¯t prove too good for them if they just charged at him without any care. ¡°Come on now.¡± Yvick smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid now. If you don¡¯t attack I will.¡± The Questers tightened the grip on their weapons and started to move again but they were a second too slow. Yvick struck the air with his lance, the Questers were sent flying backwards into the group on standby. ¡°Not as strong as I¡¯d like,¡± Yvick said to himself. When the vanguard came running at him again, Yvick, too, ran forward. Only, his speed caused the ground under his feet to crack as he flew towards them. He readied his lance again and then hit the space between him and the Questers. This time, the force put behind it was enough to send the vanguard and a few Questers behind them flying into the walls. When they fell to the ground, a good amount of them did not stand up again. Their skulls had cracked against the stone, the lucky few who had helmets on their heads were able to survive. Yvick cracked his knuckles and stared down the remaining Questers. Another vicious smile spread on his lips. ¡°The amount of strength I have to put into each swing is significantly less than my previous weapon, yet I get more power in each blow... I will let you all be my guinea pigs to see what else Triton¡¯s creation has in store.¡± The tattoos on Yvick¡¯s body began to glow and a clanking sound could be heard as thick plates began to grow out of his skin. The plates were black-blue in color and covered his entire body. His eyes were the only thing left uncovered. Longer plates were sprouted from his head like a type of hair. This transformation took about ten seconds to be completed. It was a sacred technique of the Hulad-Ruhi clan, only taught to the heirs to the clan leader position. On the Quester side, Heather¡¯s eyes widened upon hearing the name ¡®Triton¡¯. Was this the message the trio had delivered? This monstrous weapon. Her anger grew even more, so they had reached the Demon Emperor. But he must have killed them. Mur, who had also heard this, released his chained spear towards the man. He threw it with all of his power, hoping to pierce the armor plates that now covered his body. The spear collided with Yvick with a loud boom. Yvick slid back a little but otherwise, was unharmed. This is getting dangerous, Yvick thought to himself. If he lets this carry on any longer, he¡¯d surely be killed. Large magic circles appeared underneath and below Yvick. ¡°Oh dear,¡± he said, removing two golden rings from his right middle finger. ¡°Protect me.¡± Two translucent golden bubbles appeared around him. Yvick who knew this wouldn¡¯t be enough, also slammed his shield onto the ground. This caused the shield to grow and stretch around him, creating a black sphere with a viridian glow to surround him but still within the golden bubble. Four different types of Myth ranked crashed into Yvick¡¯s walls of defense. [Light Magic: Zeus¡¯ Lightning] [Destruction Magic: Encircling Light] [Water Magic: Tempest] [Destruction Magic: Shatter] The magic easily broke through the golden bubbles but the weapon that was designed to suck mana proved to be a more difficult task. A few cracks and fissures appeared and the black sphere also was destroyed but the power of the magic had been reduced to an amount that Yvick¡¯s armor could withhold. Yvick was standing there, the magic had hurt him but not enough that it would weak him significantly. ¡°Whew...¡± Heather rubbed her temple in annoyance. She wasn¡¯t expecting him to have so much defense that four Myth spells couldn¡¯t completely penetrate. A door slamming open drew the attention of everyone turned to see two figures enter the room. One was a beautiful woman with a painfully flat chest and the other was a humanoid demon. ¡°Just what is going on here? You¡¯ve disrupted my studies.¡± Yes, it was a very angry looking Vyne and a bored looking Tear. Hey lovies, I think I can get one more chapter out today. So keep your eyes peeled. Leave any thoughts you had below, constructive criticism helps out a lot. Chapter Seventeen: Betrayal Okay, so I wrote this way faster than I was expecting to. I might even be able to write two more chapters... hmm~ we''ll see. Anyway, this chapter is a little violent towards the end so be prepared. Vyne had been in the library reading a book on the topic of elves and magic. Tear was sitting next to him reading an old heroic tale, she normally would be with Erebus but he was currently sleeping in Yvick¡¯s throne room. So, she had joined Vyne is his routine trip to Yvick¡¯s grand library. The amount of information Yvick had gathered put Vyne¡¯s knowledge to shame. So, Vyne had spent nearly all of his time these past five months inside of this library. They had stayed so long because they were waiting for the dungeon to open. Vyne¡¯s studying had been ruined by a series of large booms and shakes. At first, he had tried to ignore it but it grew to the point where he could no longer turn a blind eye to this. He stood up and angrily stomped towards the throne room, and a lonely Tear followed him. Vyne had been expecting that a group of Questers had challenged Yvick. This was because of the conversation they had earlier where Yvick told them about the increased amount of people challenging him. For the sake of ending this quickly so he could go back to studying, Vyne planned on assisting Yvick. What he hadn¡¯t been expecting was a small voice to say, ¡°Vyne? Tear?¡± Oh no. This was bad, bad, bad. ¡°You¡¯re alive?¡± A small, green-haired elf stepped forward. Her cute face was full of surprise and apprehension. ¡°You... you¡¯re a demon?¡± Yvick frowned upon hearing this, it would seem this young elf knew his teacher¡¯s subordinates. Vyne sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. ¡°What a disaster.¡± On the other side, Tear pulled out her mana bow and fired a shot straight at Ern¡¯s face. ¡°Die, you damned elf.¡± Griffin leaped in front of Ern and took the arrow inside. ¡°Tch.¡± Tear had been itching for a reason to put an arrow through Ern¡¯s body. Now she had one, and she wouldn¡¯t let this moment pass. The attention of the Questers had been taken away by the pair that had recently entered. Yvick shook his head and clucked his tongue. ¡°This is a life or death battle, don¡¯t get distracted.¡± He threw the black rings on both his index fingers, within in an instant two gargoyles appeared and attacked the distracted Questers. The Questers by the gargoyles barely had any time to react and were killed instantly. Vyne cracked his knuckles. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to fight in a long time, perhaps this will help relieve some of my stress.¡± With a flap of his mighty wings, Vyne flew towards the Questers, a sword materializing in his hand. Tear began to fire off her arrows. The Questers attempted to get back into a formation, but they were completely messed up. It was a pitiful sight. Ern was crying and wailing over Griffin¡¯s dead body, Heather was taking on a green gargoyle that Yvick had sent out. Luke was with other mages preparing another blast for Myth magic. And finally, Mur was also fighting against gargoyles. On the other hand, Vyne, Tear, and Yvick were claiming the lives of many Questers with batting an eyelash. The figure, other known as Erebus, was now awake and watching the magic unfold. He had awoken when the Myth class magic was used. He didn¡¯t see any need to join in, so he just sat there. Ern was now standing up and countering Tear¡¯s arrows with blasts of magic. Tear lowered her arrow and smiled cruelly at Ern. ¡°I see, so you want to take me on by yourself.¡± A dagger made out of mana appeared in Tear¡¯s hand. ¡°Come.¡± Ern, who was not planning on taking Tear on by herself at all, hesitated. She had not been trained in hand-to-hand combat, but this woman killed Griffin! She began to stalk towards Tear, making her own blade of mana. ¡°I never did like you,¡± Ern spat. ¡°So you finally grew a spine.¡± The two women began to fight. Ern¡¯s movements were clumsy compared to Tear, but she managed to hold her own. This was due to her ability to dodge and block Tear¡¯s attacks. On the other side of the room, Heather had finished her battle with the gargoyle and stood up. She had received a few bruises but other than that she was fine. When she saw Ern and Tear fighting, she had the urge to join it, but Ern¡¯s aura could be felt from here. She was determined to win. She was proving to be a difficult opponent for Tear. She continued to survey the area, Mur had drawn back and was breathing heavily. A gargoyles ace had caught him in the stomach, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight any longer. A theurgist ran over to tend to his wounds but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to put him back on the battlefield. Heather had absolutely no confidence in winning against two people in this room: Vyne was skillfully taking on a group of about ten Questers, he wasn¡¯t struggling at all, it looked as if he was playing with them more than anything. Also, whenever a Quester would attempt to join in on the attack, he would look them in the eyes and they would drop to the ground writhing. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Yvick was smacking Questers into the wall with his shield and impaling others on the sharp point of his lance. Heather knew that she would not be able to defeat these two foes. Both of them were clearly not using their full strength and whatever injuries Yvick had were healed. And Luke... well, he was unfortunately too close to the gargoyles when they had attacked for the second time. This was a hopeless situation, she realized. If it had been Yvick by himself, they had a chance of winning. But now with two more in the fray... there was no chance. There was also Erebus who was sitting cross-legged watching all of this with a bored expression. She remembered seeing him fight before, he wasn¡¯t as skilled as Vyne was with the sword, that much was obvious. But he was still a sizeable opponent. But he was someone that she could defeat. Heather nodded to herself. She would take this man on, she also had some questions to ask him. She began to stride towards him, making her way through the battlefield. ¡°Erebus!¡± she shouted. He turned his head towards her, the bland expression still on his face. ¡°Hello, Heather. Would you like to sit here, also?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Tell me the truth, Erebus. What are you?¡± Heather¡¯s face was completely serious. ¡°For you to ask me such a difficult question.¡± Erebus scratched his head. ¡°Does it really matter what I am?¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t a human,¡± Heather said. ¡°You lied to us!¡± She was shaken by their betrayal. How could this young man with such an sweet smile do such a thing? Tear and Vyne, even though their personalities weren¡¯t exactly welcoming, had the same kind smiles. He smirked. ¡°I never said that I was a human. Neither did Vyne.¡± Heather balled up her fist. That much was true, but they had clearly deceived the others. ¡°I will be your opponent.¡± Erebus frowned. ¡°Trust me, child. You don¡¯t want me joining this fight.¡± She snarled. Heather swung her fist at Erebus with monstrous speed and strength. He dodged the blow by jumping off the stone table. Her fist broke through the stone as if it was made of glass. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you can dodge.¡± Erebus didn¡¯t have a weapon, and if her punch landed it would break his bones. She continued to send a torrent of blows at Erebus, which he avoided with just a hair¡¯s breadth. Heather was growing more confident in her chances of winning. As long as she prevented him from getting his hands on any type of weapon, she could do this. Oh, how poorly mistaken this child was. She didn¡¯t know that Erebus, too, had a bad habit of playing around. His sadism would only appear at certain times. Like this one. He enjoyed seeing the hope build up in their eyes before he crushed it. Brutally. This time, Erebus didn¡¯t avoid the kick that Heather delivered. He allowed her spike foot to connect with his face. Only, his face didn¡¯t cave in like it was supposed to. His body didn¡¯t even move in the slightest. ¡°Wha...¡± Heather gasped. Erebus laughed and wrapped his hand around her beefy ankle. Very slowly, he began to apply pressure. Heather, sensing the danger, began to try to yank her ankle from his grasp. What was with his strength? How did her kick do no damage? Pain. She could feel the bones in her ankle beginning to break under the intense pressure. She couldn¡¯t contain her shriek of pure agony. It wasn¡¯t due to the pain in her leg, no, it was from staring into Erebus¡¯ eyes. They held no emotion. Nothing. They were the eyes that only a dead person should have. This gaze of nothingness sent fear into Heather¡¯s very being. Heather¡¯s screams made everyone stop. Even Tear, who had Ern pinned down and was continuing to release powerful punches onto the elf¡¯s face. Ern¡¯s body was riddled with stab wounds and was bleeding profusely. Tear had obviously won but her hatred for the elven race made her continue. Even one¡¯s expression but the three who knew of Erebus¡¯ true nature were full of horror. A few people here had seen the trio here, though, they weren¡¯t as close to them like Heather and co. Erebus had been a docile person. He didn¡¯t crush people¡¯s ankles with no expression. Erebus released Heather¡¯s ankle and she fell to the ground, desperately trying to crawl away. He did not let her do this. Erebus brought his foot down onto her throat. Some couldn¡¯t help but avert their gaze as he snapped her neck. A disgusting noise of vertebrae breaking filled the air. The force caused a couple white bones be pushed out of her neck, they were slicked with crimson. A now lifeless Heather collapsed on her side. Erebus turned to the Questers with the same blank expression on his face. "Now, who''s next?" Chapter Eighteen: Erebus vs Questers Shazam! More Erebus to brighten your day. I read all your comments before I posted this chapter and I''m glad you guys were surprised. Mwahahaha... I''m a sinful woman. ¡°Tear, Vyne, and Yvick. You may leave, I will deal with the rest of these nuisances,¡± Erebus said in a bored voice. ¡°Understood.¡± They all bowed towards Erebus and moved away from the Questers they were fighting and left the room (they all wanted to stay, though). The Questers were in too much shock to react to their leaving. First, he brutally killed Heather, who he had been close to. Then, he commanded not only Tear and Vyne but a Demon Emperor. And they listened. Erebus stretched out his body, taking his sweet time. And no one dared attack him as he did this. A few had witnessed his fight with Heather before she had screamed, it was obvious he could keep up with Heather when she was fighting seriously. This was Heather who probably one of the strongest people in this raid. He finished stretching. ¡°Oh come on now, don¡¯t make this boring for me. I finally decided to fight and you all just stand there.¡± Erebus tapped his chin, his eyes landed on something. ¡°Ah, that¡¯ll work.¡± He disappeared from his spot and then was standing in front of a man wielding a battle axe. Said man was cleaved in half with a swing of Erebus¡¯ hand. The man¡¯s intestines were now spilling out on the ground, two pools of blood formed before melding together. Interesting enough, on the man¡¯s finger was a wedding ring. One woman began to wail loudly. ¡°Viktor! Viktor!¡± She charged at Erebus, not caring for her own life. Wow, my guess was right, Erebus thought to himself as he shoved his arm through her chest and yanked out her still beating heart. He threw the heart next to the dead man¡¯s face. Erebus stepped carefully over the lover¡¯s corpses and spread out his hands. ¡°Look at that, I just killed three people brutally. I must be a truly evil man, it¡¯s your duty as Questers to kill me.¡± A determined look set on the Questers faces. Yes, this was their job. They accepted this Quest knowing they could die... they couldn¡¯t let this monster escape. There was only about fifty of them left, but they would kill this monster or die trying. More came towards Erebus, letting out yells of anger as they struck at him. Five more corpses fell to the ground. A beastman attempted to impale Erebus with his spear, only to have Erebus yank it out of his hands and throw it back at him. Right between the man¡¯s eyes. With brutish strength, Erebus tore off the head of a nearby woman and tossed it aside. Another Quester charged at Erebus screaming loudly. His face was a mess, he was crying and snot was coming out of his nose. He was afraid, he had never felt so much fear in his life. Erebus kicked the man in the stomach, causing him to double over. Erebus then grabbed the back of his head and squeezed it so hard his skull was crushed. His face was still blank. His eyes held no emotion. But, a small smile was starting to form on his lips. Erebus¡¯ mask finally broke and he tossed his head back, laughing maniacally. ¡°Weak, weak! You¡¯re all weak! Where is your magic? Huh?¡± As if to answer his prayers, the mages released Myth classed magic on Erebus. It was another round of [Destruction Magic: Encircling Light]. The Questers watched in hope that he would die. No one could survive a point blank hit of Myth class right? Unlike Yvick, who had multiple shields to protect him, Erebus wore no gear. The light finally faded away, revealing Erebus. ¡°Weak. Is this how low Myth class magic has fallen?¡± One Quester let out a strangled laugh. Erebus was completely unharmed. But wait! Erebus¡¯ clothing was now ruined. He fell to the ground and sat cross-legged. ¡°This is disappointing. What have you all been doing?¡± His smile had disappeared. ¡°You¡¯re disgraces to mages.¡± A sphere similar to the one he had used the day he turned Tier 5 appeared in the palm of his hand. The black swirling mass drifted lazily over to the group of mages that had casted the Myth classed magic. The sphere broke into smaller ones and landed on the chest of each of the mages. ¡°Disappear.¡± And they did. A spear hit Erebus on the side of his head. It was pulled back with the sound of rattling chains. It was Mur. ¡°You,¡± Erebus said softly. Slowly, a sick smile spread across his face. ¡°Still the impudent child, I see.¡± Erebus snapped his fingers and a disc spinning rapidly flew straight towards Mur and cleanly removed his head from the rest of his body. Mur¡¯s body fell to the ground and his head rolled off a bit. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Erebus shook his head, that one always had annoyed him. Once again, a small purple sphere appeared in Erebus¡¯ hand. He tossed into the center of a group of about seven or so Questers. The skin on their bodies began to peel off, followed by their muscles, organs, and bones. The pieces of their body all entered the sphere. It grew larger, and more Questers entered its range. The growing sphere continued to suck up the Questers, including the corpses littered on the ground. It was Erebus¡¯ magic once again. This particular spell only took in organic materials and converted it to mana. The more mana took in, the larger the sphere grew. Within minutes, every organic thing that had been in the room had disappeared. Even the blood and corpses on the ground. Erebus wasn¡¯t affected because he cast the magic. This was the reason he had the other three leave the room, he didn¡¯t wish for them to die. The sphere had grown to be about eight meters in diameter before Erebus ended the spell with a wave of his hand. Erebus stood up once again and stretched. . That battle, if it could even be called one, was not fun at all. He should¡¯ve played with them a little more before casting his magic, whelp, too late now. He was still bored. When was that dungeon Yvick told him about going open again? Erebus had another couple days or so before that would come. Eh, he could just be a little late. That¡¯d be fine, wouldn¡¯t it? Erebus left the throne room. Which, by the way, was a rather interesting sight. Since Erebus had cast his magic, there wasn¡¯t a single living thing left. So, there was debris, holes, dents, and things of the like all around. It looked as if there hadn¡¯t been two hundred plus people in there but rather a stampede of something had passed through. Tear, Vyne, and a now unarmored Yvick were waiting for him outside of the room. Vyne snuck a glance into the room and blinked in surprise. His master had used his [Lost Magic: Void]... Erebus only used that when he wanted things to be over with already. ¡°Yvick, when does that dungeon you told us about open up?¡± Erebus asked as if he had not just slaughtered fifty or so people. If anyone were to look at this scene, they wouldn¡¯t know any wiser what the four had just done. Yvick tilted his head up, squinting his eyes as he thought. ¡°Midnight tomorrow. The Questers were a nice warm-up for you three before you entered, huh?¡± The trio shrugged. ¡°More or less,¡± Tear said. She wished she had been able to get a few more punches in on that damned elf¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back to my studies,¡± Vyne said. The only reason he came was to silence the irritating noises. ¡°Me too,¡± Tear chirped. What she was reading was a child¡¯s book, though... The two left and Yvick turned his gaze over to Erebus. ¡°Did you have fun?¡± ¡°A little bit.¡± Erebus poked the mana stones that were once again attached to Yvick¡¯s earrings. ¡°How did it work?¡± A look of glee crossed Yvick¡¯s face. ¡°Well, the strength difference is certainly colossal. The [Soul Stone] combined with Triton¡¯s superior blacksmithing skills created an amazing set for me. Even though we¡¯ve never fought before, he was able to create these to fit my style perfectly.¡± Maybe I should give that fish some more credit, Erebus thought. ¡°I see, that¡¯s good then.¡± ¡°Good? It¡¯s more than good! I could even last in a fight longer than five minutes with you!¡± The maximum limit Yvick was able to fight Erebus for was five minutes. Even though Erebus wasn¡¯t fighting seriously, it was still a feat. Erebus smiled. ¡°Want to try it?¡± Yvick took a step backwards. ¡°I wasn¡¯t challenging you. Fighting with you hurts, it hurts a lot.¡± Because he was a dragon, Erebus had immense physical strength. One of his punches when he was ¡®holding back¡¯ was equivalent to Heather¡¯s full strength blow. Yvick was only able to take multiple punches from Erebus when he was using his armor. Yvick didn¡¯t like getting hurt. He wasn¡¯t an M. If anything, he was more of an S. Erebus laughed at Yvick. ¡°I was joking. Fighting you hurts, too.¡± Did it really though, Erebus? Did it really hurt you that much? I think not. Yvick started to laugh nervously along with Erebus. He was clearly thinking similar thoughts. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go take another nap,¡± Erebus said and went off in search of a comfortable place to rest. What a tiresome day. One of the plans I made for later today ended up being canceled so I have time to write even more chapters! What is this? I hope you all enjoy because I sure as Hell had fun writing this (is that bad?) Chapter Nineteen: Finally! Another Dungeon Erebus was ecstatic. Yes! This day had come, this long awaited day he spent five months patiently waiting (taking naps to pass the time) for... Four familiar figures stood in front of the base of a tree. The roots of the tree had moved and formed something along the lines of a staircase, revealing the doors to a dungeon. The dungeon was located a quarter of a mile from Yvick¡¯s castle, deep within the [Poisonous Snake Forest]. A childish smile was spread on Erebus¡¯ face. This was uncharted territory! He (along with a couple others) would be the first to see it. This would aid his boredom, undoubtedly. ¡°Well, I will see you when you visit again.¡± Yvick waved to the trio as they descended the staircase into the ground. They waved back, all except for Erebus who was too busy pulling the door to the dungeon open. ¡°Slow down, Lord Erebus,¡± Vyne said. ¡°If you go through the dungeon too rapidly, it wouldn¡¯t be any fun.¡± Erebus froze and turned towards Vyne. ¡°You see, Lord Erebus, the enjoyment is within the suspense. It¡¯s within the thought of ¡®what lurks beyond¡¯. If you solve the mystery so quickly, what¡¯s the point?¡± Vyne continued. Erebus¡¯ eye widened and he nodded eagerly. ¡°I see! You are such an amazing subordinate.¡± Erebus patted Vyne on the head as if Vyne was a dog. Vyne, however, didn¡¯t seem to mind being praised this way. Instead, he tilted his head up and smiled a little. It was a face of enjoyment. Erebus had trained his subordinates well. Tear looked as if she wanted to be petted, too. So, Erebus stood there patting both of their heads. Yvick, still standing on top of the staircase, displayed a complicated expression. He was caught between wanting to be patted on the head by Erebus and believing that he passed that stage. ¡°Good job~¡± Erebus was saying as he continued to pat their heads. Yvick turned sharply on his heels and headed to his castle. If he stayed any longer, he¡¯d go down there with them. There was something about Erebus praising you that made you want to get praised him. Even I wanted to be praised by him. The trio started to move again after Erebus stopped patting his subordinate¡¯s heads. ¡°To the dungeon!¡± Erebus did a rendition of the deceased Luke. ¡°To the dungeon!¡± his now very much enthused servants cheered. They walked into the darkness. Vyne took the lead because Erebus would try to walk too fast. Tear, on the other hand, was currently holding Erebus¡¯ hand because she couldn¡¯t see in the pitch black. For a change, Vyne didn¡¯t complain about Tear¡¯s clinginess. It would seem that the previous praise from his master had calmed him down... only a little, though. The face he was making was not a pleasant one, but he kept his mouth shut. A bit of an improvement? Vyne, go to your happy place. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any monsters down here, correct?¡± Tear said after they walked for a good thirty minutes. ¡°Since the entrance only appears at certain times.¡± ¡°Hmm, maybe.¡± Erebus looked around. ¡°It¡¯s plausible. I suspect a few managed to get in, though. Not that they¡¯ll be a problem, though.¡± Vyne nodded his agreement. ¡°The dominant monster in this forest is the snakes, obviously. But it¡¯s not like others don¡¯t live here. We don¡¯t know who or what created this dungeon, so anything could happen.¡± Tear frowned. ¡°Well, this place gives me the creeps.¡± She couldn¡¯t see anything so it made sense. She couldn¡¯t barely make out the forms of Vyne and Erebus and there was absolutely no lighting anywhere. The place didn¡¯t even have a mana channel... ¡°It¡¯s nothing but stone walls and roots growing through the cracks,¡± Erebus explained. ¡®There are a couple bugs, too. Oh, and some flowers.¡± She scrunched her nose. His description helped her out a little bit. ¡°Well, it certainly isn¡¯t as glamorous as the Passageway,¡± Vyne said. ¡°Then again, it was created in a forest.¡± Erebus sighed. ¡°There¡¯s a hole ahead.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Vyne said and they stopped in front of the hole. The dirt flooring they had been walking on disappeared. It could be seen off in the distance, but it¡¯d be quite the jump. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Vyne could possibly make it if he was able to fly, but the walls were too close for him to spread his wings. And even Erebus couldn¡¯t jump that far. In other words, they had to go down. ¡°What¡¯s with this familiar situation?¡± Vyne muttered. Would there be another annoying person at the bottom of this dungeon? Erebus turned to Tear. ¡°Climb onto my back, we have to jump.¡± Her eyes widened with excitement. Without wasting any time, she got onto his back. With his help, of course, because she couldn¡¯t really see anything... Vyne jumped first, followed by Erebus and Tear. They were falling at an incredible rate... the ground was in sight. ¡°Oh my,¡± Vyne said and he instantly stretched out his wings. He stopped falling and was now flying in the air. He grabbed Tear by the jacket, and since she was holding onto Erebus like a giant leech, he was also stopped. On the ground, extremely pointy spikes were pointed up at any unsuspecting jumpers. ¡°Harsh,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Very.¡± Tear was able to see the spikes because of the torches lined on the walls. Vyne guided them to the very small sliver of the earth that wasn¡¯t covered in certain death. They had to press their backs against the wall and shuffle along the wall. The wall that seemed to have no end in sight. Tear, for once in her life, was glad that she had a flat chest. If she had breast... this would be an extremely uncomfortable journey. Even more uncomfortable than it already was. Even though the area of the spikes was about ten meters in length, another wall replaced them. This wall was much closer than before and had smaller versions of the spikes sticking out of it. There was barely any space between their bodies and the spikes. ¡°Who decided on the layout of this dungeon.¡± Vyne wore an expression of irritation. ¡°A sadist.¡± Hey, don¡¯t give sadist a bad label, Tear! Even Erebus looked uncomfortable in this place. Well, it was another dragon thing. They hated tight enclosed spaces. Remember, his true form has a wingspan of a mile. He enjoyed his freedom and this place certainly did not grant it. ¡°Ugh... this isn¡¯t fun.¡± He looked a little sick. ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon, right? Right? It¡¯s not like it could continue on for any longer, right?¡± Oh yes, Tear, it certainly does continue on for longer. Another two hours of shuffling, to be exact. When they finally burst out of the tightly enclosed space, they nearly fell off a cliff. It was a wide space where another forest could be seen. A river snaked through the forest and a waterfall was seen not too far off. ¡°Woah...¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®woah¡¯? We¡¯re going to have to jump off this cliff to go deeper in.¡± Vyne glared at Tear. And this forest wouldn¡¯t be fun. Vyne could tell that much from the loud echoing footsteps. Erebus jumped. ¡°W-wait! Lord Erebus!¡± Tear followed after. Vyne made a pained face and leaped off of the cliff. ¡°Woohoo!¡± Erebus shouted as he spread his arms and legs out. The drop was a rather long one. ¡°Eep! Vyne! Help!¡± Tear sobbed, she didn¡¯t have a nearly indestructible body like Erebus and she couldn¡¯t fly like Vyne. If she hit the ground at this speed, she¡¯d die. ¡°No way,¡± a cold response. Erebus paid no mind to Tear¡¯s endangered life. Falling like this reminded him of the sensation of flying. The wind against his face... Ah, truly wonderful. Meanwhile, Tear had done something similar to swimming in the air and latched onto Vyne¡¯s legs, then proceeded to crawl up his body and attached herself. ¡°Damned woman!¡± Vyne shouted but didn¡¯t shake her off. When the ground got close enough, he flapped out his wings again and descended gracefully BOOM! Erebus, on the other hand, pointed his legs at the ground and bent his knees a little. When he landed with a very loud impact, a sizeable crater was formed. Erebus stood up straight and lifted his arms directly over his head. Tear and Vyne clapped. ¡°Well done, Lord Erebus. A truly splendid landing.¡± Chapter Twenty: Finally! Another Dungeon (2) Erebus was currently sitting on top of a very large gorilla that was missing its head. Since there was no one around, Erebus didn¡¯t need to hold back. So all the monsters that attacked were dispatched with a swing of his mighty fist. Vyne and Tear were currently setting up a camp not too far off. They had been in the forest for a day now, they had found the way out of the forest but decided to explore that area after they sat down and rested for a little. Well, Erebus was still bursting with energy. Tear and Vyne were a little exhausted, though. This was mostly due to Erebus sprinting off to somewhere and they had to follow. He climbed off of the gorilla and headed over to the small camp that the duo had created. Vyne was reading a book that Yvick had leant him and Tear was brushing her hair. Erebus sat down and laid his head on Tear¡¯s lap to take a nap, much to her excitement. He did this because her lap was very soft, unlike Vyne¡¯s. Of course, he let her think whatever of it. By the way, the book Vyne was reading was on the subject of humans and magic circles. It would turn out that Yvick had done research on what happens to their bodies when magic circles were placed on directly. According to Yvick, the magic circle would be burned onto the skin where it was placed. For example, when he placed a magic circle for Common class magic on Subject 12¡¯s stomach, the circle burned into her skin. When he had a servant use healing magic on it, the burn would not heal. The human the circle was placed on, however, would experience excruciating pain. A few even died from it. The survival rate was about 1% if they didn¡¯t die from the shock. The mana that was poured into the magic circle would ultimately kill them. It goes on and on... it was a rather thick book. When Erebus awoke from his short nap, the trio started moving once again. The area that they were looking for was hidden behind the waterfall. It was a set of oaken doors that gave off a yellowish glow. ¡°Suspicious. This place is suspicious,¡± Vyne muttered. No matter how he looked at it, something they didn¡¯t want to deal with would be lurking beyond the doors. Erebus, as always, was not concerned. He pushed open the heavy doors with barely any effort and entered the room, Tear and Vyne followed him. They entered a room that was colossal in size. Everything was completely white. Large pillars at least fifty meters in height stretched up to the ceiling. ¡°Ugh,¡± Vyne groaned. ¡°No, no, that looks really dangerous,¡± Tear complained. ¡°Oo...¡± What they were referring to would be the magic circle three meters in diameter drawn out in blood on the white tile. The circle began to glow brightly and Vyne let out another groan. Why couldn¡¯t they just explore this place without an annoying obstacle? A large figure began to rise out of the ground. It was a set of armor about nine meters in size. The armor it was was completely black with dark red veins throughout it. The helmet was clearly empty except for two glowing fires that resembled eyes. In the hands of the empty armor was a broadsword that had a similar design to the rest of the armor. Completely black with red crackling. ¡°Interesting. Vyne, Tear, deal with it.¡± Erebus sat down on the ground, resting his elbow on his thighs as he propped his head up on his palm. ¡°Uu...¡± Tear¡¯s bow and arrow appeared. ¡°This won¡¯t be easy...¡± Vyne¡¯s sword materialized in his hand. ¡°Tear, support me.¡± ¡°Tch. Be lucky if I don¡¯t hit you in the back.¡± He glared at her but didn¡¯t say anything more. Vyne flapped his wings and began to fly at towards the armor with speed that made Erebus raise his eyebrows a little. So he¡¯s gotten faster, huh? Erebus thought as he watched this. Vyne swung his sword and the armor reacted to him with agility that it shouldn¡¯t have. A large thing like that shouldn¡¯t be able to move that fast. That¡¯s just cheating. The armor skillfully countered Vyne and sent the demon flying back. If Vyne didn¡¯t have his wings, he would¡¯ve been sent flying through the pillars. Tear released the arrow she had been building up before the armor had the chance to attack Vyne. Again, with blinding speed, the armor blocked the powerful mana arrow with its sword. But, the impact caused it to slid back a little. Vyne came at the armor again and swung his sword vertically, this time adding a little magic to it. It was a skill Vyne had acquired a few centuries ago. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. A blade of sheer pressurized air slashed at the armor. It caused a small scratch to appear straight down the middle, but that was about it. Tear fired off another arrow before the armor had time to recuperate. It was a solid hit like Vyne¡¯s, but it only made a tiny dent. ¡°What the hell is that armor made out of?¡± the two said at the same time. Erebus watched this expression of knowing. The armor was similar to Yvick¡¯s plates. Tear continued to fire off powerful arrows with rapid speed and Vyne sent multiple pressurized blades of air at the armor. The armor wasn¡¯t able to counter the hit but what did hit it didn¡¯t cause an immense damage. Tear and Vyne weren¡¯t stupid. They focused on a specific area of the armor to break, and that was its left shoulder. The armor was only using one hand to swing its sword and that was its left hand. Its strength could rival Erebus¡¯ seeing as the broadsword was incredibly heavy. When Vyne would get hit by it, even with blocking the brunt of the blow with his sword, he coughed up a little blood. ¡°Hmm.¡± Erebus watched as they successfully removed its shoulder. ¡°This is great training for those two, they¡¯re not used to opponents stronger than them.¡± The armor stood there for a moment before bending down to pick up its sword with its right hand. Tear and Vyne let out a simultaneous groan. Cheating. That¡¯s cheating. Erebus laughed a little at this, it was actually kind of entertaining to watch them struggle. They had grown a tad arrogant. The armor must be at Demon Emperor rank, a truly amazing foe. Even Erebus would have some difficulty destroying it, well, if he wasn¡¯t using his magic. Tear looked tired from shooting off so many arrows. She hadn¡¯t filled them with a small amount of mana like she normally did, this time she had poured large amounts of mana into the arrows. Each arrow had about the same amount of mana King class magic would require. No, she couldn¡¯t give up. Her master was watching her! Tear raised her arrow again with eyes full of determination and began to shoot off the arrows again. Vyne, too, was a little tired of using so much magic within a short amount of time. He readied his sword for another swing, anyway. They continued to fight the armor until they were completely exhausted. For some reason, they just couldn¡¯t get any more of its limbs to fall off. Erebus, seeing that their battle had reached a stagnant, stood up. He cracked his neck and stretched his muscles. ¡°Good job, you two. I will deal with the rest.¡± ¡°But Lord Erebus--¡± ¡°Stand back, Vyne,¡± Erebus said. Vyne bowed his head. ¡°Understood.¡± He and Tear both retreated and fell to the ground in exhaustion, breathing heavily. ¡°Hello~ you seem to have caused my subordinates a little more trouble than I was expecting,¡± Erebus greeted the armor. Its fiery eyes simply stared down at Erebus. ¡°I¡¯ll be destroying you now.¡± Erebus¡¯ signature vicious grin spread across his face and he began to walk towards the armor. As the shortened the distance, Erebus began to move faster and faster. When he reached a good speed, Erebus bent his knees and pushed off the ground. When he did so, a semi-deep depression was formed in the tile. Erebus shot like a bullet through the air. Erebus reached the maximum of his jump and began to drop. As he descended, Erebus drop-kicked the armor directly on the top of its head. The armor was not destroyed but it still started to fall forward. Erebus then swung his other leg into the side of its head and sent the armor flying through the pillars. The armor began to stand up slowly and began to run towards Erebus who was now standing on the ground. Every time its feet touched the ground, a large clap filled the air. Erebus grinned and met the armor half way. He put his full strength into his punch this time. The force blew the helmet off of the rest of the armor and it fell to the ground. When he landed on top of it, Erebus let out a little laugh. That was pretty fun. It had been such a long time since he was able to put his full force into a blow. Just as Erebus stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his head. Oh boy, had that much time passed already? A deep resounding voice said: You worthless runt. What do you think you¡¯re doing making all of us wait for your arrival? Chapter Twenty-One: Dragon Council This will be the last chapter for today... Thank you all for reading. There will be more tomorrow. Tear, Vyne, and Erebus were currently standing inside of a very large clearing. Erebus had the expression of a small child who had been caught stealing candy. ¡°The Dragon Council?¡± Tear asked, Erebus had never told her of this. Erebus scratched his head and sighed a little. ¡°We meet every five hundred years and discuss boring stuff.¡± They weren¡¯t able to finish the dungeon because Erebus had been scolded by a scary person. ¡°I see,¡± Tear said with a frown. ¡°You two return to the castle for now,¡± Erebus said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, I hope.¡± He pouted his lips, he really didn¡¯t want to go. ¡°At least I get to stretch my wings.¡± When Tear and Vyne had left, Erebus¡¯ figure began to glow and morph. The transformation looked as if it hurt, wings started to sprout out of his back and he fell to all fours. The structure of his bones began to shift and change and his body started to grow to a colossal size. In the place where Erebus had once stood, was now a dragon. The dragon was completely black in color with a single red streak through the middle of his body. The light that hit the dragon seemed to be sucked into the darkness. The eye that was normally covered by his eyepatch was revealed, it was a brilliant green in color. The dragon had such a grand aura that even Yvick, miles away, was able to feel it. Erebus stretched out his claws and flapped his wings a couple of times before lifting off into the sky. The reason Erebus needed to transform is because the Dragon Continent could only be reached by flight. And, well, if you weren¡¯t a dragon, you¡¯d get killed instantly. Erebus set off for the Dragon Continent with a flap of his mighty wings that created. He moved so fast that the moment you thought you laid eyes on his figure, he would be miles away. The land of the Lower Continent appeared and disappeared under him at a dizzying rate and then he was flying over the sea. Erebus would¡¯ve normally took a detour and flown around for longer, but that man had been rather angry when he told Erebus to ¡®get his ass over here¡¯. Such a shame, Erebus thought to himself. He would enjoy a time where he was able to stretch his wings. Erebus entered the domain of the dragons. The sky turned red, and the only clouds were those of soot. The land here was far more tumultus, there were volcanoes that were constantly flowing. Large pyres-castles were erected on the magma ridden ground, with spikes sticking out of them. Any dragon that was flying in the air would move out of the way of Erebus. Some would even do something similar to a bow while in the air. Erebus was royalty here. Erebus nodded at the dragons he passed and continued flying until he reached the largest pyre-castle out of them all. He slowly descended and landed on the designated area and morphed back into his human form. ¡°Ah,¡± Erebus said while stretching. It had taken him about ten minutes to cross over the Lower Continent, Tartarus, the sea in between, and the majority of the Dragon Continent. His attire was different from what he had worn in the dungeon. Instead, he on clothing similar to what he wore in his castle. Only, it was much more extravagant. Also, Erebus was no longer wearing his eyepatch, so his green eye was exposed. Erebus sighed and strode into the Council¡¯s room. ¡°Hello!¡± he greeted as if he wasn¡¯t late. He was welcomed(?) with six glares from six pairs of eyes. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± the voice that had scolded him earlier belonged to the 1st Seat of the Council: Rolut. He was a stern-looking man, he looked like he was around thirty-five but he was obviously older than that. His hair was completely white and fell to his shoulder in slight waves. His eyes were the same crimson as Erebus, though. ¡°Um~ sorry?¡± Erebus laughed as he took his seat. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t,¡± a woman growled. She had wild red hair and blue eyes. Her name was Lisset, the 3rd Seat of the Council. Also, she was the violent women Erebus thought Heather would get along with. A man with blue-grey hair sat next to her. His eyes were sky blue in color and cold. This was Frize, the 2nd Seat of the Council. ¡°Your personality has grown even worse, it would seem.¡± Erebus¡¯s head was smacked by the man next to him. Greur, the 6th Seat, was the male equivalent of Lisset. They weren¡¯t related yet they looked like twins. Sitting besides Greur was Massath, the 7th seat. He was the only one who competed with Erebus for the title of being ¡®useless¡¯. His brown hair was overgrown and unkempt and his face was currently resting on the Council¡¯s table. He was asleep. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The last four who didn¡¯t say anything were: Ayirn, the 4th seat, she was a pretty woman with golden hair and brown eyes. She had a sweet personality and forgave Erebus for his tardiness almost instantly. Azure, the 8th seat, had a chest that could rival Tear¡¯s in terms in flatness. She was had free-flowing azure hair and golden eyes. Midrn, the 9th seat, he was a pretty-boy who resembled Vyne. Only, he hated Erebus¡¯ because of his personality. Midrn was a serious man. Dissolve, the 10th seat, was Midrn¡¯s twin brother. Dissolve, however, didn¡¯t really care about anything. He rarely spoke and mostly kept to himself. Therefore, he could care less about Erebus being late. That was all of them, including Erebus who was the 5th seat. The gap between the members of the Council and the rest of the dragons was immense. It was because of this gap the other dragons treated them with the utmost respect. They were basically the royalty of the dragon race. ¡°So, now that that useless man is here, the 16th Council meeting will be starting,¡± Rolut said in his sonorous voice. Erebus clapped and cheered. This earned him even more glares. He raised his hands up in surrender. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Rolut continued gruffly, ¡°we will be discussing the state of this world, currently.¡± Serious faces (except for three) all around. Massath continued to sleep and no one bothered to wake him up. ¡°The humans are growing greedy again,¡± Lisset said, leaning back in her chair. ¡°They¡¯re starting to reach their claws out into our continent. I know a few dragons have been trading goods with them.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Erebus remembered something. ¡°What is it, Erebus?¡± Frize asked. ¡°When I was on a ship to the Lower Continent, one of my subordinates found a dealer selling a [Magma Heart].¡± Erebus scratched his head. ¡°I was wondering where they had gotten it.¡± ¡°What!¡± Midrn slammed his hands on the table, standing up straight. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to go ask the merchant where they got it from?¡± Erebus shrugged. ¡°If the races outside of ours get their hands on precious stones from our continent, everything could change,¡± Frize continued. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the powerful weapons Triton is able to craft with the stones he received from us and the Pure Continent!¡± Rolut furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Indeed, this is troublesome. We should make a decree stating no trading any materials only the Dragon Continent has.¡± Lisset nodded. ¡®That could work.¡± ¡°There¡¯s always the black market,¡± Azure said. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare challenge our authority,¡± Greur responded. ¡°They know what would happen if they did.¡± ¡°True.¡± Erebus zoned out during the rest of their conversation. Same with Massath, who had awoken during Frize¡¯s outburst. ¡°--wait. Erebus, why in Eirlok were you on a ship to the Lower Continent for,¡± Azure said suddenly. ¡°I¡¯ve been caught,¡± said Erebus in his monotonous voice. Rolut placed his hand on his forehead. ¡°Erebus, what did you do?¡± ¡°Hey, why are you assuming it¡¯s a bad thing.¡± ¡°Erebus!¡± ¡°Tch. I may have become a Quester.¡± ¡°A Quester, I see, you became a Quester,¡± Rolut said while laughing. ¡°Are you out of your mind, Erebus?¡± ¡°I was bored.¡± ¡°Bored!¡± Lisset shouted. ¡°Do you know what a headache it would be if the humans found out that a dragon, a member of the Council, no less, was a Quester?¡± Erebus shrugged. He didn¡¯t really care. ¡°We would have to deal with all their complaints. It would be worse than when they found a few dragons nesting in the Main Continent,¡± Lisset groaned. ¡°Meh,¡± Dissolve said. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t dare say anything that would be out of line. So it¡¯s fine isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yeah~ it¡¯s fine right?¡± Massath agreed. Yes, the careless ones had to stick together in this harsh world. ¡°Erebus, resign as a Quester,¡± Rolut commanded. ¡°Bu--¡± ¡°Do it.¡± His eyes flared with anger and Erebus clamped his mouth shut. ¡°Fine,¡± Erebus groaned. ¡°We¡¯ll continue tomorrow,¡± Rolut said, standing up. ¡°I already have a headache...¡± Thus, within thirty minutes of starting, the Council was adjourned till tomorrow. Chapter Twenty-Two: History Lesson Ehm, another explanation is needed. An explanation of this world and its races. The planet known as Eirlok was formed some twelve thousand years ago, meaning it was a young planet. Since it was so young, the world was still in disarray. There were seas of magma, chunks of the earth would collide with each other and create mountains that would turn into volcanoes when the lava came gushing out. The air was heavily polluted and the sky remained red. The first race to be created was the dragons. Beast born during the chaotic time that boasted the strongest abilities out of all the races. The second and third races were the angels and demons were born around the same time. It¡¯s a disputed fact about who came first. The angels were born from the light and the demons of the darkness. They were enemies since their very creation. The fourth race to be created was the elven race, they born to be the natural protectors of the new forests that were coming to be. The fifth race, also born to be the protectors of the forest, was the beastman race. The sixth race, the seafolk. As their name implied, they were born of the seas. The final race was the dwarven race, they were born in the mountains. The races all lived in harmony, kind of. The angelic and demonic races continued to fight with each other. But other than that, they mostly kept to themselves. Our focus is the first race, the dragons. Winged beasts that once ruled over the world. The first dragon ever created was the magma dragon, Rolut. Then came Frize, the dragon of air. Lisset, the dragon of earth. Ayirn, the dragon of life. Erebus, the dragon of void. Greur, the dragon of fire. Massath, the dragon of electricity. Azure, the dragon of oceans. Midrn, the dragon of poison. Dissolve, the dragon of acid. The ranking of the Council chairs was not only in terms of strength but in their order of creation. The difference between their strength wasn¡¯t a very large gap, but it was enough. If a dragon wanted to defeat the chair higher than them, they would end up dying during the fight along with the other if they managed to succeed. The ten original dragons lived by themselves for a thousand years. Their bodies were conditioned to deal with the chaotic world. The dragons lived in a time where mana did not even exist for five hundred years until it finally came into existence. The other races, along with thousands of dragons were born five hundred years after the creation of mana. The new races were significantly weaker than the original ten. This was due to the fact the world they were born into was far more peaceful than the one the ten had lived in. Mind-blowing amounts of mana were sucked into the beast. It strengthened them even more, and it continues to strengthen them. The original dragons were born without ¡®limits¡¯ like the other races and younger dragons would be. There was no end to the amount of mana they could take in. It was because they were born when mana didn¡¯t exist, so when it did come, they had a bottomless cup, so to speak. It would never be filled. The dragons started the practice of magic. The manipulation of mana. The natural affinities they had with the world became their specialized magic. The magic now called [Lost Magic]. Everything was fine until a war broke out two thousand years after the other races existing. There had been minor skirmishes here and there but nothing on this large of a scale. A few hot-headed younger dragons attacked a city of elves. This attack lead to the demons and angels starting to fight without reservation, seeing as the dragons had done so. It was like a domino effect until the races were now involved in the war rightfully named: The First War. The ten original dragons then formed the Council. They needed to deal with this, they didn¡¯t want the world they loved so much to be destroyed. It was a very different time on that day eight thousand years ago... A very angry Rolut was seated on top of a mountain. He was in his true form, as the dragons had not started their practice of shapeshifting at this time. Erebus along with Frize, Ayirn, and Lisseth came over to the fuming beast. The four all flapped their mighty wings and surrounded him. Each wearing expressions of worry. ¡°Those damned children!¡± Rolut yelled in the draconic language. It was a brutal language. The words sounded harsh and angry. ¡°To think that their stupidity would cause such a thing.¡± ¡°Calm down,¡± Ayirn said in a motherly tone (it still sounded very mean). ¡°They did not know what their actions would cause.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t pardon their behavior,¡± Frize snapped back. ¡°They should be punished,¡± Erebus suggested. He managed to scratch his head with a taloned ¡®hand¡¯. ¡°If we do that the--- Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Punishment isn¡¯t enough!¡± Lisseth shouted, cutting him off. ¡°The entire world is fighting, us punishing them would do nothing.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡± Erebus countered. ¡°I don¡¯t know! Something!¡± Lisseth glared at Erebus. ¡°Quit your bickering,¡± Rolut snarled. ¡°We will end this pointless fighting.¡± He lifted his head up high. ¡°We will not allow this continue.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting we fight their battle for them? It doesn¡¯t concern us. They will just kill themselves off, that¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erebus said. ¡°What do you mean it doesn¡¯t concern us? We¡¯re also in jeopardy,¡± Frize growled at Erebus, his eyes narrowing in contempt. Ever since he was created, Erebus had a careless attitude. He would dismiss anything if it proved too much of a hassle to deal with. Erebus let out a heavy sigh. ¡°We can try to negotiate peace,¡± Ayirn said. She never did like violence. ¡°That could work, couldn¡¯t it? We gather the leaders of each of the races and attempt to talk it out.¡± Lisseth snorted. ¡°Like that¡¯ll work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than not trying at all,¡± Ayirn responded. An emerald green dragon stared down a topaz colored one. The two didn¡¯t get along. Not in the slightest. Ayirn was a gentle soul and Lisseth was the opposite. They were similar to Erebus and Midrn. Except, Erebus didn¡¯t really care about Midrn. ¡°We will try it. It is better than taking the lives of thousands,¡± Rolut sighed the words. ¡°Frize, go contact the leader¡¯s of the races.¡± Frize was chosen because he was the only dragon capable of speaking the language the other races used. ¡°Yes,¡± Frize answered bitterly. He didn¡¯t think it was a very good plan either, nonetheless, the white dragon flapped his wings and flew off. ¡°Erebus, take Azure and Massath to deal with the war if the attempt at peace doesn¡¯t work. Show them the true strength of the dragons. Let them learn their place.¡± ¡°I will go tell them.¡± Erebus left, something that resembled a smile on his scaly face. This would prove to be more entertaining than he thought. Lisset turned to Rolut. ¡°I would have been a better choice to send, Erebus does not care nearly enough to handle this properly.¡± Rolut shook his head. ¡°You doubt Erebus too much Lisset. Even though he acts like a fool, Erebus frightens even me when he grows serious.¡± ------------------ The negotiations failed. That much was obvious, the races were all to angry to end the war like that. They wanted blood, and lots of it. A fun fact, because of his size, Frize became the first dragon to shape-shift into something that resembled humans, a race too small in number to be included in the war. They were the High Humans, though, not enough time had passed. He couldn¡¯t fit into the neutral territory they were meeting on. When Frize returned to his continent, not only did he bring news of the failed negotiations but he also showed the new form. The only downside to the form is that they could only maximize around 60% of the strength they had in their original form. He assumed this was because it did not have the same muscle mass and wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the strain. Thus, the ten original dragons all stood in the area that would become the Council room while in their new form. It was more convenient for them to be this size, though, they didn¡¯t have chairs or a table to sit at. ¡°We should have expected this outcome,¡± Rolut said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that they were so angry,¡± Ayrin whispered softly. Frize shook his head. ¡°I was barely able to keep them from killing each other. It seems that their anger will not be soothed by pretty words.¡± ¡°I will deal with it,¡± Erebus said. A surprisingly serious expression on his face. Now that they were in these forms, they were able to emote much more. Erebus¡¯ face was one of determination. ¡°Massath, Azure, as I told you before, you two are under my command. We will end this war. We will show them the superiority of the dragon race. They do not understand, they are ignorant.¡± Massath and Azure kneeled and crossed their arms over their chest. ¡°Understood.¡± The three left the room, all morphing back into dragons before flying away. Their destination was the Main Continent, where the majority of the war was being fought. It was the dragon race that had started the war. And it would be the dragon race that ended the war. I had a tough time writing this chapter. I knew what I wanted to write, but I just couldn''t write it in a way that I liked. I finally got it, though. Woohoo~ It''s a flashback arc! Chapter Twenty-three: Let Them Learn Three figures stood on top of a mountain that overlooked the Capital of the elven race. One was a short woman with blue hair that flowed around her body like water. Her pixie-like face was comprised of big golden eyes and small, cupid-bow lips. Even though she had the appearance of a child, she managed to give off an aura that could only be described as dangerous. Next to the small woman was a man with curly brown hair. He was tall and gangly, there were dark bags under his forest green eyes and he looked as if he hadn¡¯t slept in days. He barely gave off any aura, he was a rather unnoticeable fellow. Finally, the third as a young man with a blank expression on his androgynous face. His black hair that fell onto his chest was stick straight with a crimson streak. His eyes were mitch-matched, one being a vivid crimson and the other bright green. His aura, however, didn¡¯t fit in with his blank expression. It oppressive and gave off a danger even greater than the woman¡¯s. ¡°What a beautiful city,¡± Azure said with a smile. It truly was a beautiful place, it was located inside of a forest. There different colored orbs of lights floating in the air, the lights were reflected off of the glass structures. The members of the elven race could be seen strolling around leisurely, completely unaware of the bloodbath that was happening everywhere else. ¡°It¡¯s almost disgusting how ignorant they are,¡± Massath muttered. When they had been flying, they had passed over the armies of the warring races. People were getting killed mercilessly out there. ¡°Still a beautiful city, I wasn¡¯t talking about the people in there.¡± Massath whipped around and glared at Azure, opening his mouth to say more. Erebus sighed. ¡°If you start arguing, I¡¯ll kill you both.¡± The two shut up. Even if they could overpower Erebus because it¡¯d be 2v1, his magic creeped them out. A lot. ¡°Tch.¡± Azure turned her head. ¡°So,¡± Massath started. ¡°Will you be doing the honors, Erebus, or shall we?¡± Erebus shook his head. ¡°I will deal with this one.¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Azure smiled. ¡°Teach them of their inferiority,¡± Massath said viciously. ¡°They¡¯ll make the perfect example,¡± Erebus said, raising up his right hand. Erebus¡¯ green eye began to glow brightly and a 1x1 cube appeared in his hand. Azure and Massath watched with interest as he sent the cube into the air, directly over the city. ¡°Activate.¡± It was [Void Magic: Devourer]. A much larger version of what he would use on the Questers eight thousand years in the future. The cube flattened and stretched itself out before like a vacuum, everything began to be sucked towards the Devourer. The vacuum itself made no noise, but the buildings did. So did the elves screeching loudly as they tried to run away. But there was no escaping. Families were torn apart, their children literally yanked from their hands. But worry not, the parents followed soon after. Within minutes of his magic being activated, the Elven Capital was devoured. The vacuum retracted back into a small sphere and then exploded. The explosion still made no noise, but a black dome swallowed the area where the capital used to stand. The only remnant of its existence was the large crater that was left. Just like that, a city that took hundreds of years to create was gone. Just like that, thousands of lives were gone. ¡°Remind me to stay on your good side,¡± Azure said with a laugh. She surveyed the area with a blend of fear and amazement. He had destroyed this entire place and he didn¡¯t show the slightest bit of exhaustion or remorse. Erebus laughed. ¡°I have no intention of fighting other dragons, that¡¯d be dangerous.¡± Massath let out a low whistle. ¡°Even if you say that...¡± Massath was a little afraid, even though he had known Erebus for three thousand years or so, Erebus had never used his magic in front of the others. ¡°Now, I wonder how long it¡¯ll take for the news to spread,¡± Erebus smirked. Massath shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure others saw what happened. The Capital is rather big, after all.¡± Azure nodded in agreement. ¡°What next?¡± Their job was to end this war. But it wasn¡¯t just that, it was to show the absolute superiority of the dragon race over the others so that something like this wouldn¡¯t happen again. Or, if it did, they would know not to anger the dragons. It wasn¡¯t like the dragons cared that the races were killing each other, the dragons cared about the planet they lived on. They were its ultimate protectors and anyone who endangered it would be slaughtered. The young dragons who ultimately started this war would be killed as well. When Erebus had mentioned their ¡®punishment¡¯, he was talking about taking their lives. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Yes, a fearsome race indeed. Well, at least the originals were. The other dragons simply listened to their superiors. They weren¡¯t idiots, they didn¡¯t want to be killed for insubordination. ¡°We will eradicate the troops nearby. Then we will go to Tartarus and destroy their capital and their army. We will do the same for every race.¡± ¡°And if they surrender?¡± Azure questioned. ¡°That does not matter. Those children shall learn their place,¡± Erebus said darkly. ¡°We¡¯re heading out. Massath, you will destroy the armies nearby. Azure, when he is finished, we shall head to Tartarus and you will handle them.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°We will remain in these forms. If we¡¯re able to destroy them easily at 60% of our full power, it will prove even more of how weak they are compared to us.¡± Erebus began to walk away. Even though he wasn¡¯t acting like it, he was having a lot of fun. He had never been able to use his power in such a way. Rather, he was never able to use it at all. The dragons never fought each other. Everything was a natural instinct, they were born with the knowledge of how to destroy. A truly fearsome race. The three ancient dragons began to move, their destination was the warring armies not too far off. They didn¡¯t know which races army they were and they didn¡¯t care, either. ¡°Shall we make a grand entrance?¡± Massath asked when they came to the plain where two armies clashed. ¡°What a wonderful plan.¡± Erebus smiled at Massath. ¡°Ooh, ooh, I know!¡± Azure said cheerfully, clapping her hands in excitement. ¡°We appear in the middle of the battlefield, right?¡± Massath and Erebus nodded. ¡°And then we introduce ourselves as dragons. And then when we do that, Massath starts destroying everything.¡± Azure threw up her hands, a wild glee in her eyes. ¡°How does that sound?¡± ¡°Clich¨¦,¡± Massath answered. ¡°I don¡¯t have any ideas myself,¡± Erebus said. Azure placed her hands on her hips. ¡°So, no complaints?¡± She completely ignored Massath¡¯s input. He sighed and brushed a curl out of his face. ¡°I guess it¡¯s okay. Better than nothing.¡± Massath cracked his knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going, then.¡± The three all moved at the same time, weaving their way through the fighting. They were like blurs on the battlefield. In no time at all, they appeared in front of all the troops. The soldiers nearby instantly drew back. These three had strange auras, especially the two with black and blue hair. They weren¡¯t elves and they definitely weren¡¯t demons. The angelic race? No, they didn¡¯t have the telltale wings. They weren¡¯t from the seafolk, that was obvious. They were too tall to be dwarves and their features too normal for them to be beastmen. Dragons? No, dragons did not look like this. And why would dragons be here, anyway? The dragons, even though they instigated this war, had done nothing but attempt a peace treaty. ¡°Who are you?¡± the Commander of the Elves questioned. He fought on the frontlines with his men, he believed that it was only right this way. He was different from the Commander of the Demons, who had drawn back after their meet. If he wanted his men to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their race. He would do the same. The woman curtseyed, even though she wasn¡¯t wearing a dress. ¡°Azure, the 8th dragon.¡± ¡°The 7th dragon, Massath,¡± the one with a commoner aura said in a sleepy voice. The one with the most oppressive aura bowed mockingly. ¡°Erebus, the 5th dragon.¡± ¡°Do well to remember our names when you go back to tell your leader what happened,¡± Azure said. ¡°We¡¯re sparring this one?¡± Massath asked Erebus. ¡°Someone has to tell their leader what happened. We will do the same for the other side.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± the commander snarled. They were basically ignoring him. ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll be killing everybody here. Worry not, your life will be spared for our purposes.¡± Erebus spread out his arms and tilted his head slightly. ¡°Wh--¡± ¡°Begin, Massath,¡± Erebus commanded. ¡°Understood.¡± Massath snapped his fingers, a bolt of lightning came from the sky and struck the battlefield. Ello, loves. Upon reading the review of Vocaloid, I realized I did mess up in some places. I didn''t mean to say that Erebus was the 4th chair in the Council, that was a typo I never noticed. Also, as for the descriptions, I''m really bad at describing characters (their appearance and personality). I never go into detail, I apologize. I tend to rely heavily on indirect characterization. I''ll try to be more descriptive here on out. Thank you for your review~ it''s really helpful. Chapter Twenty-Four: Three Dragons The lightning that came down from the sky struck the side of the demons. After the first strike, thousands more came raining down. In the area that the lightning bolts struck, the bodies of the soldiers were instantly incinerated to blackened corpses. Absolute carnage. Massath wasn¡¯t expecting to be able to have this much power at only 60% of his original strength. But Massath wasn¡¯t done. He raised his hand a sword made out of electricity appeared in his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s try this out~¡± He swung the sword, and when he did so, the sword grew in size until it was about a mile long. The sword sliced cleanly through the elves that were in its path. The sword then dissipated, upon that, waves of golden electricity passed through the elves. The elves that were in the ¡®splash-zone¡¯, were also electrocuted to a crisp. Their bodies collapsed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± the Commander of the Elves shouted, the man was currently being held down by Azure. She had him pinned on the ground and held his hands behind his back. ¡°Stop, I surrender! We surrender!¡± Azure smacked his head on the ground. ¡°Be quiet.¡± Massath ignored the angry elf and continued to slaughter the thousands of men that were gathered single-handedly. He was taking his time, though, unlike Erebus, he wanted to test out his abilities and how much he could do without being exhausted. By the way, Erebus had left earlier to capture the Commander of the Demons so that he wouldn¡¯t be accidentally killed during Massath¡¯s attack. That¡¯d be troublesome. Honestly. ¡°Hm...¡± Massath stretched out his hand and expelled a shot off a ball of electricity. He was using Erebus as an example. The ball landed in the center of the elven army. It exploded and electrocuted everyone. The ones farther from the epicenter, however, didn¡¯t die. ¡°I see... so the voltage decreases with the distance. Strange... maybe it is because the electricity is just mana in another form... It has properties like electricity, but it truly isn¡¯t.¡± Massath continued to mutter his findings under his breath as he slaughtered all of his enemies. They were proving to be great subjects to test his power on. There were a lot of them, and the large field suited Massath¡¯s ability the best. During this time, a very angry Erebus appeared holding a demon by the scruff of his neck. He tossed the bruised and bloodied commander onto the ground while wearing a disgusted face. Azure quirked an eyebrow. She thought the plan was to bring him here unharmed, not to beat him until his face ¡°He tried to attack me,¡± Erebus explained. ¡°Bad decision,¡± she laughed. Erebus wasn¡¯t known for being the calmest person of them all. He didn¡¯t like being underestimated, such things angered him. It was like the time when a couple youngsters attempted to challenge Erebus to a duel. Rolut had to pry Erebus off of them... ¡°These damn impudent brats, they¡¯re getting on my nerves.¡± He gave the demon another kick to the stomach. ¡°True.¡± Azure looked down at the one she pinned down easily. ¡°They¡¯re really weak, though.¡± ¡°Or perhaps we¡¯re too strong.¡± The tone of Erebus¡¯ face had a tinge of sadness to it. ¡°Perhaps we are.¡± Azure, too, sounded dejected. Even if they were meant to be the protectors of this world, it was lonely standing at the top. Erebus turned his attention back to Massath, who had annihilated about 80% of the two armies combined. ¡°He¡¯s taking so long.¡± ¡°I apologize,¡± an unapologetic Massath said. ¡°Should I speed it up? I was just testing the extent of my power.¡± Massath grasped the head of a brave soldier who had gotten past the heaps of blackened corpses and shocked him with lethal voltage. ¡°If you would so please.¡± Erebus waved his hand and sat down on top of the demon commander. The demon commander made a wonderful chair, the wings were a little uncomfortable but other than that it was a great place to sit. Massath tossed the soldier aside and let out a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s see... how should I handle this?¡± ¡°Quickly,¡± Azure supplied with a smirk. Even though she said this, Azure didn¡¯t really care about how long he was taking. She, too, planned on enjoying her job. ¡°Hah.¡± Massath scrunched his face up in thought. He raised his hand up to the sky and shot up a volt into the sky. Lightning started to rain from the sky. The lightning rain did not fall onto the small group, though. It was a rather interesting sight, the lightning would jeer off its path before it fell on them. It was like they were holding a very large umbrella. ¡°This works, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Massath asked. ¡°I guess,¡± Azure and Erebus both said. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Massath sighed once again. Tough crowd. Within another ten minutes, the rest of the soldiers were killed. A few had deserted, not wanting to be murdered, but the job had still been done. That much was to be expected, so they didn¡¯t go out of their way to chase the deserters. It would be in the dragons favor if the deserters told others of what they had seen, too. The commanders were lucky to be alive. That man, who looked so scrawny, was capable of destroying two armies of more or less ten thousand men. And he didn¡¯t look exhausted from the effort. ¡°Well, then,¡± Erebus said to the commanders. ¡°Go tell your kings, your generals, whomever, that both armies were killed by a single dragon. And if you lie,¡± a vicious smile appeared on his face, ¡°trust me, I will know.¡± The commanders nodded their heads in semi-understanding. The three had been speaking in a mix of a strange language that the commanders didn¡¯t know and the common language. They could only understand the main idea of what the dragons were saying. It was a similar situation for the three dragons. They only understood bits and pieces of the common language, but it was enough for communication. ¡°Erebus, you¡¯re rather sneaky,¡± Azure said as she watched the two men scramble away. He quirked an eyebrow. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You killed their king earlier. You destroyed the Elven Capital earlier, remember?¡± Azure answered. Erebus laughed, he tossed back his head. ¡°Oh, I did do that! What a shame, it seems he¡¯ll have no place to go to.¡± Erebus bent over, clutching his stomach in hysterical laughter. Massath frowned. ¡°And we¡¯ll be headed to Tartarus soon... we¡¯ll obviously get there before that commander does either. Don¡¯t tell me, Erebus, you planned for this to happen?¡± ¡°Not at all. But what an entertaining turn out. Haha!¡± Erebus continued to laugh. That was funny. A real knee-slapper. Erebus finally gained his composure and stood up straight. ¡°We¡¯re heading out. Azure, it¡¯s your turn.¡± Azure smiled and curtseyed again. ¡°You¡¯ll have to let me do this my own way, I have a taste for dramatics unlike you two.¡± The two men agreed. They didn¡¯t care how she did it, as long as she got it done. She clapped her hands together. ¡°That¡¯s good! Very good.¡± The three dragons shifted back into their original. Massath looked much better in his original form, he didn¡¯t look as if he¡¯d been living in a basement for his entire life in this shape. Electricity was crackling off of his golden body and a small beard was on his chin. His arms were small enough that he could be mistaken as a wyvern at first glance. Azure was larger, which was a plus for her. The reason she was named Azure was obvious, as her curvy body, except for the flesh on her wings, was a deep azure in color. She had an elegant look to her, perhaps it was the way she held her head high and tilted her chin up ever so slightly. Erebus nodded at the two. ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± They flapped their wings and lifted up into the air, flying away from the bloody battlefield. As per usual, they moved at a blinding speed. Their bodies were perfectly designed to optimize speed. They weren¡¯t even moving at their full speed, as they had no reason to rush. The trio flew in a triangle formation: Erebus in the front, Azure behind him to the left, and Massath the right. If one were to look up from the ground at their underbellies, it would be a rather awe-inspiring sight. Three majestic beast jetting through the air. But their intentions were not pure. They were out for the blood for all those who had endangered this planet. They wouldn¡¯t stop until they reigned complete dominance once more. It wasn¡¯t like the dragons had any interest in ruling this planet, they just wanted to protect it. And it¡¯d be the safest with them in the top. The dragons flew over the ocean. Tartarus appeared before them. Its appearance was similar to the Dragon Continent, but it was a joke compared to the original. There was a far smaller amount of violent volcanoes and tectonic plates here. The ground was composed of the black solid lava that had been cooled quite some time ago. It was a small continent, it was more of an overgrown island if anything. ¡°So, what are you planning?¡± Massath asked as they flew over an army of demons that were headed towards the ships on the coast. He questioned her because she showed no intention of going down to attack. ¡°I don¡¯t want those small fries, not yet, at least.¡± Her golden eyes glinted eagerly. ¡°What I want is the heads the of demon rulers.¡± Chapter Twenty-Five: Azure vs Laufeia The trio landed on the steps leading up to the grand castle of the demons. They had shifted forms while in the sky and then dropped to the ground. Of course, their sturdy bodies were unharmed. The castle fit in with the rest of Tartarus. Its gates were created out of tall spears with heads jammed on the tips. The heads must¡¯ve been recently placed, as the blood still oozed out. The staircase leading up to the castle were made out of onyx. The rest of the building had a skeletal-like structure. If it wasn¡¯t for the black windows that blocked the light, it would be possible to see right inside of the castle. Azure instantly started walking, throwing open the doors to the castle. ¡°Hello!¡± she called out. ¡°Where, oh, where are you~¡± What¡¯s with her? Massath pondered. Azure had been acting strange this entire time. She normally would be quiet, just watching the events unfold. But when the three had been sent out by Rolut, she changed. Could it be that Erebus had rubbed off on her? With that hidden sadistic personality of his. Water did take the form of the container it was in, after all. What an annoying personality, he thought. What would it be called? A social chameleon? Or was this her true behavior? He wasn¡¯t really sure, though. Massath watched as she quickly dispatched the guards that came running towards them, weapons ready to pierce their bodies. She was using her water affinity to surround their heads with bubbles of water. Soon enough, the guards would suffocate from the lack of air to breathe. When they fell to the ground, the bubbles would burst. Because she did this, the ground became slippery very rapidly. Not that they cared, though. It didn¡¯t fare to well for the guards that came running, they would slip on the water from when the bubbles had burst, and then fall onto their bums. Azure would waste no time with surrounding their heads with the deadly spheres. The way she was using her magic was efficient. Though, it wouldn¡¯t work on the seafolk who lived in the ocean. Erebus, Massath, and Azure continued to walk through the halls of the demon castle. Azure yawned dramatically as she drowned five more guards that came sprinting at the trio. Azure sighed then said, ¡°I hope their Queen is stronger than this...¡± ¡°Queen?¡± Erebus tilted his head as he stepped over a corpse daintily. ¡°Mmhm~ didn¡¯t you know their ruler was female?¡± Azure answered, giving him a look of surprise. ¡°I never cared enough to find out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Massath joked. ¡°Huh? Are you trying to say something about me?¡± ¡°Your personality already speaks volumes.¡± ¡°Like you can talk, this is the longest you¡¯ve been awake for centuries.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Shut up, you two.¡± Azure glared at the pair. ¡°You¡¯re disrupting my concentration.¡± Despite the fact that Azure¡¯s magic was being cast so quickly, it took a lot of her concentration to form the bubble around their heads and keep it from bursting. Her magic was more fragile than Erebus¡¯ and Massath who had sheer destructive power. ¡°Sorry,¡± the duo chirped. They both chuckled a little under their breath, their ¡®bickering¡¯ was a play. ¡°Is this where the Queen is?¡± Azure asked after they arrived in front of double doors that reached all the way up to the ceiling. The knockers were made out of the bones of some animal. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Erebus answered. The dragons, at the time, didn¡¯t have a lot of buildings. And they definitely didn¡¯t have any castles. They were truly ignorant on the layout. They had just been taking random turns. ¡°Shall we find out?¡± Massath questioned. ¡°Allow me the honors,¡± Azure said with another curtsey. She pushed open the doors with a strength that a child-like body shouldn¡¯t have. The doors normally took two, fully grown demons to push open. They stepped inside with Azure in the lead. Within in an instant of the entering, a blaze of fire engulfed Azure. Massath and Erebus instantly drew back, but Azure wasn¡¯t as lucky, seeing as she was a couple steps ahead. The fire was created of a magic that would be ranked between Myth and Lost strength. Azure was screaming in agony. In the blaze, you could see her figure drop to the floor while clutching her head. A woman who was standing in front of the throne smiled. She had wavy blonde hair that fell to her ankles. Her face was perfectly shaped, her lips painted with a shade of mulberry were twisted into a smirk. She had three eyes, all of them completely black. Two crooked horns jutted out of the sides of her head. Two small black wings were visible, it seemed that they were attached to her lower back. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. In her hand, she held a staff with three mana stones placed on top of each other. She was the Demon Queen, Laufeia. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you three ever since you entered. It¡¯s a pity I was only able to catch one of you with my magic.¡± ¡°You damned bitch!¡± Azure roared when the fire finally faded. Burns covered her entire body, but they were healing rapidly. Smoke rose off of her burnt skin. If Azure had been in her dragon form, the damage would have barely been enough to cause her pain. But in this form, she did not have the fire-resistant scales coating her entire body. Erebus sighed and turned to Massath. ¡°It seemed we won¡¯t be finished fast enough to catch the army. Go deal with them now, you may use your true strength. It¡¯ll be quicker that way.¡± Massath nodded at Erebus and left. Azure launched herself at Laufeia, the two woman collided and broke through the stone walls of the castle, they kept going until they reached the outside, they were now in the courtyard. The ground shook violently as the two exchanged blows. Erebus couldn¡¯t help but let out another sigh. He climbed through the now destroyed castle at a leisurely pace. Azure had gotten the toughest opponent of them all. One reason was because Laufeia knew that they were coming. The second being that Laufeia was powerful enough to rule over nearly the entire demonic race. She wasn¡¯t a small fry like the others had been. Though, I wasn¡¯t expecting her to be powerful enough to do that much damage to Azure, Erebus thought when he finally reached them. Laufeia was rapidly firing off magic that would be later classified as Myth rank towards Azure. Azure dodged the bolts with amazing speed while using her own magic to attack Laufeia. She was going all out. It seems we¡¯ve underestimated the leaders a little bit too much, Erebus realized as he continued to watch the two exchange blows. Laufeia was proving to be a difficult opponent for Azure. He was sure that Azure could ultimately beat Laufeia but it would take awhile. Azure sent blades of pressurized water towards Laufeia. The Demon Queen would block some of the blades with her staff, but a few got past and sliced her skin like it was butter, blood splurted out of the injuries. Laufeia¡¯s skin was not weak. She had been able to receive hits from the sharpest of blades and only receive a scratch. Whatever this woman was, Laufeia thought, was certainly dangerous. If she hadn¡¯t been prepared to battle, she would have died a long time ago. If she managed to defeat this one, there would still be two more. She tossed a quick glance over at Erebus. He was sitting with his legs stretched out and arms crossed behind his back as he leaned against the castle¡¯s walls. Oh no, where had the other man gone? Laufeia despaired. In her moment of distraction, Azure landed a drop kick on Laufeia¡¯s head. The impact sent Laufeia, who had been floating in the air, to the ground. Laufeia hacked up blue blood as she rolled off of her back. She had to get out of the cavity that had formed when she hit the earth. But Azure wasn¡¯t letting her get back up. She dropped out of the sky and landed on Laufeia¡¯s back. Laufeia made a bloodcurdling inhuman screech. She bucked violently under Azure, until she was able to knock the dragon off. She wasted no time on firing more bolts at Azure, who was working on standing back up. They hit Azure, they did a decent amount of damage but that would be healed shortly. Laufeia¡¯s aim, however, was not to injure Azure, but rather to climb out of the cavity. She dragged herself onto even ground, breathing heavily. Undoubtedly, Azure had fractured Laufeia¡¯s spine when she fell onto her back. Laufeia used her staff as support as she stood up shakily. Blue blood trickled from the corners of her mouth and the multiple gouges she had received from Azure¡¯s attacks. Azure walked out of the cavity, a sweet smile on her face. The wounds Laufeia had given here were nearly completely healed. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re capable of, Demon Queen Laufeia?¡± Azure spread out her arms. ¡°Because that was just our warm-up.¡± ¡°Pft,¡± Erebus laughed silently. ¡°She sure talks a lot of smack for someone who was struggling a couple minutes ago.¡± Chapter Twenty-Six: Azure vs Laufeia (2) Wow, we''re already at chapter 26? Time sure does fly by. Your excitement for reading the chapters I produce really keeps me motivated to keep writing. Thanks for your support! It brings a smile to this old(?) ladies face. Laufeia let out another screech and began to throw javelins made out of mana at Azure. Azure shook her head and deflected the attacks. ¡°Sloppy. You¡¯re getting sloppy, Laufeia.¡± Laufeia held out her staff and a tiger-like creature made out of mana flew towards Azure. Its jaws clamped around her small waist before it flung her into the gardens. ¡°Ouch.¡± Azure stood up and dusted the dirt off of her tunic. ¡°That one hurt, Laufeia.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± Laufeia began to shoot off bolts in rapid succession with one hand as she prepped another attack in her other. A beam of green light slammed into Azure. The brightness of the light caused Erebus to shield his eyes, but Laufeia kept her eyes peeled. The light faded, revealing Azure who was pretend yawning. She had reinforced her body with mana this time. She wouldn¡¯t be fooled twice. ¡°Boring~ that was nothing compared to what you first hit me with. Come on now, Laufeia.¡± ¡°What the hell are you made out of?¡± Laufeia screamed. This was insane. For her magic, which came only second to the dragons, to do no damage at all. She was one of the best magicians in the entire world. Wait, dragons? ¡°Are you a dragon?¡± Laufeia asked, fear entering her body.A regular dragon would¡¯ve been killed by now, which meant she must be. ¡°One of the originals...¡± She began to back away. It was starting to make sense. For her magic to do so little damage. If her opponent was one of the original dragons then she had absolutely no chance of winning. Certain death. Azure smirked. She spoke in the draconic language, ¡°Took the fool long enough.¡± She created ten more blades of water. This time, the child would die. Laufeia began to shake her head. ¡°I surrender, I surrender! Okay? I surrender!¡± She didn¡¯t want to die. She still had so much to live for. Azure shook her head. ¡°Sorry, my dear, but you¡¯re one of the examples.¡± She switched back to the mix of the dragon and common language. ¡°Example?¡± Laufeia didn¡¯t like the sound of that. Azure made a face. She didn¡¯t see the need to tell the woman, but she answered anyway, ¡°Of our power.¡± ¡°Please, spare me, mighty dragon,¡± Laufeia begged, she fell to her knees on the ground. ¡°I will spread the word of your power to my people. I will make sure they never challenge you again. That¡¯s what you wanted, correct?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Azure was listening now. ¡°Yes. I will do it myself.¡± Laufeia¡¯s forehead was touching the ground, she was groveling. ¡°Is that okay, Erebus?¡± Azure asked, turning towards him. ¡°If we do it that way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he responded. Their job was to show the gap between dragons and everyone else, a gap that would never disappear. ¡°It¡¯s too late for her army, though. Massath has dealt with them.¡± During Laufeia and Azure¡¯s battle, flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance. He had eradicated the army, as Erebus told him to do. Laufeia made a strangled sound. ¡°I have failed my people. I will live in shame, but I will still be alive.¡± She had overestimated her power, she thought that she would be enough to deal with these three. She hadn¡¯t accounted for one being able to destroy her entire army. How many lives were lost? ¡°Shame?¡± Azure smirked. ¡°That gives me an idea.¡± She walked over towards Laufeia. ¡°What! Are you going to kill me?¡± Laufeia lurched backwards, her feet kicking up dirt as she moved. ¡°No, relax.¡± Azure bent down next to the Queen. With brute force, she snapped off one of Laufeia¡¯s horns. Laufeia screamed in pain. ¡°Why?¡± she whimpered, touching the jagged stump where her horn used to be. ¡°Uh, if I remember correctly, in demon tradition, horns are very important, right? A symbol of pride.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The Demon Queen nodded. ¡°Then that¡¯s why!¡± She twirled the horn around before throwing it up in the area and slicing it with her water blades. The Queen made another strangled sound as she watched the pieces fall to the ground. ¡°I¡¯m ready to leave,¡± Azure said to Erebus as if she hadn¡¯t destroyed the Queen¡¯s pride. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Massath.¡± Massath, go deal with the dwarves and beastmen. Azure and I will be heading to the Pure Continent, then we¡¯ll deal with the seafolk. What? I have to go by myself? You¡¯ll be fine~ Wait a mi-- Erebus ended the telepathic communication. ¡°Massath said that he will head back to the Main Continent and deal with the dwarves and beastmen,¡± Erebus told Azure. ¡°So... we¡¯ll be handling the seafolk and the angels?¡± ¡°Yeah, Massath¡¯s magic is definitely going to backfire when we¡¯re in the water. I don¡¯t want to be shocked.¡± ¡°Ah... true,¡± Azure nodded her understanding. ¡°Hey, one-horned demon, where¡¯s a very, very large clearing?¡± ¡°A c-clearing?¡± Laufeia asked. ¡°Yes, a c-clearing,¡± Azure mocked her stutter. Laufeia scrunched her face up in thought. ¡°A couple miles north. I believe there¡¯s a large clearing there.¡± Erebus and Azure nodded then disappeared in the blink of an eye. The two bolted through the woods. Laufeia let out a sigh of relief. They scared her, especially the one named Erebus. The entire time Azure had been fighting her, that one¡¯s face remained blank. And the aura he had... She was too focused on battling Azure before, but she was able to sense his power afterwards. He would¡¯ve crushed her. He was completely unlike Azure. She could tell that much from his aura. I am truly fortunate he hadn¡¯t been the one I fought, she thought as two dragons flew past her overhead. They were flying low enough that their speed created a strong gust. Azure and Erebus headed towards the Pure Continent. They wondered if the leader there would give in just like Laufeia had. The dragons didn¡¯t really care whether the ones they fought lived or not. They just wanted them to understand the draconic superiority. They could care less about anything else. If the people came to understand the difference between the dragons and the rest, then they wouldn¡¯t dare step out of their boundaries. They would keep their wars to themselves. And they wouldn¡¯t dare jeapordize this world ever again. If they did, well, the dragons would step in once again. Erebus laughed a little. ¡°What is it?¡± Azure asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is fun? We¡¯ve never been able to use our power, ever. It¡¯s interesting to see how powerful we are.¡± ¡°Eh... I suppose it is.¡± Azure had thought of this before, it was rather intriguing. ¡°Rolut and the others are missing out, they should have came, too.¡± Deep down, Erebus didn¡¯t want them to come, seeing as they¡¯d take away some of the enemies he¡¯d get to fight. ¡°Well, they have to keep watch over our continent, still.¡± ¡°Haha... what a boring job.¡± Azure agreed. The prospect of sitting at home waiting was not appealing to her in the slightest. She was glad Rolut had chosen her to go. And she was glad that Erebus was the one in charge of them. If it had been any of the other stiffs, she wouldn¡¯t be enjoying herself this much. ¡°Sadly, it¡¯ll be ending soon,¡± she said after a while. They were passing over the passageway that would connect to a continent that would become known as the Lower Continent. Currently, no races lived there. It was all of the monsters. Erebus¡¯ dancing eyes sombered. ¡°What a mood-killer you are, Azure.¡± She laughed silently and shook her head. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ending It All Castles floating in the sky on top of massive clouds. Beings flew in the air with pure white wings, a few even had glittering golden ones. On the ground, cities made out of gold and other precious materials stood proudly. This place was known as the Pure Continent. The home of the angels. Two dragons entered this continent. It was Erebus¡¯ turn once more, and he didn¡¯t have a taste for dramatics like Azure did. He would get this overwith quickly, just like he did with the Elven capital. Erebus didn¡¯t really care if the angelic race, or any race for that reason (save for the dragons) were to die out completely. ¡°Shift into your smaller form and stay on my head,¡± Erebus told Azure. If she didn¡¯t, she would be hurt by his magic, too. ¡°All right~¡± Azure shifted and landed on top of Erebus¡¯ crested head. His scales were rough and dug into her skin. ¡°This isn¡¯t comfortable in the slightest,¡± she complained. ¡°Do you wanna die?¡± ¡°No.¡± Azure pouted. ¡°Then don¡¯t whine.¡± Ten or so figures were flying towards Erebus and Azure. Erebus sighed. ¡°Look what you¡¯ve caused by delaying me.¡± ¡°Dragons! State your business here,¡± the leader of the pack of angels said. He was a handsome man. The rest of the angels were like him, their faces resembled the carvings of greek statues. Aquiline noses, full lips... An annoyingly good-looking bunch. Erebus raised up his arm and pointed a talon at the guards. ¡°Please die,¡± he said. A small blackish purple sphere appeared on the tip of his talon before releasing a beam that sheared the angels in half. Their bodies fell from the sky, falling towards the ground until they landed with a sickening splat. Azure, who was now laying on her stomach, watched this scene and shook her head. ¡°So messy.¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± More beams shot out from the sphere that rested on the tip of his talon. The beams cut through buildings and bodies alike. Erebus raised his free arm, a black disc appeared in the palm of his hand. He released the spinning disc and it tore through the floating castles. I see... being in my true form does really change the feel of everything. I¡¯m able to cast my stronger magic without the help of the [Eye of Void], Erebus thought. The [Eye of the Void] was in reference to his green eye. He was born blind in one eye, and that was his green one. But when mana came into existence, the eye was filled with the substance. He is able to ¡®see¡¯ mana because of this. He could see it in its concentrated form. It¡¯s distracting normally, so he¡¯d typically have his eye closed. Since Erebus¡¯ magic needed the most mana out of all the original dragons, he was unable to cast it without the help of his [Eye of Void] when in his weaker form. Erebus wasn¡¯t able to use his magic for an extended amount of time, even he, a dragon with endless mana, would feel tired after using it. It was his fatal flaw. Which is why Erebus did not want to use his magic for a long time. He had to dispatch of his enemies quickly or else he would be weakened significantly. Erebus continued to destroy the Pure Continent and any angel that dared get near him. Thirty minutes passed since they had arrived. A little over half of the continent was destroyed. ¡°You can stop now,¡± Azure said. ¡°Before you kill everyone. And don¡¯t exhaust yourself now, we still have another place to visit.¡± The Pure Continent had been remodeled by Erebus. Cities had collapsed, some pillars landed on top of angels. The castles floating in the sky had been put into ruins... His power was frightening. ¡°All right,¡± Erebus agreed. He had gone a little(?) overboard with his display of power. ¡°There should be a few left alive, though.¡± ¡°Our aim isn¡¯t to kill off the entire race,¡± Azure sighed. ¡°Idiot.¡± Erebus shook his head, causing her to fly off. Her figure went plummeting downwards. ¡°You asshole!¡± a long, curvy dragon began to fly towards Erebus at a dangerous speed. Azure showed no intent of slowing down. ¡°What if I didn¡¯t transform in time, huh?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Erebus gasped. He just realized this now. Azure collided with Erebus, the force created a sonic boom. Azure wasted no time to start hitting him on the head with her tail. ¡°Ow,¡± Erebus whined. She didn¡¯t have to hit him that hard... She continued to smack him with her tail. ¡°I almost died. I really almost died!¡± Her golden eyes were full of anger. Azure barely had enough time to transform before she would have hit the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d fall off,¡± he lied. Azure chopped the top of his head. ¡°You did, you liar. What was that for? I¡¯m still young, y¡¯know? I still have a lot to live for.¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Well, you called me an idiot,¡± he muttered. ¡°You are an idiot! A huge one. Who throws people off their head while they¡¯re miles in the air?¡± Erebus raised a guilty hand. ¡°Asshole,¡± Azure said, getting another hit in there. ¡°I¡¯m telling Rolut that you did that to me. He¡¯ll get mad at you~¡± ¡°W-wait! Anything but that. Rolut¡¯s scary when he¡¯s mad. Ah... I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Azure nodded happily. ¡°I¡¯ll get you back. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Eh... nothing too extreme please.¡± ¡°You almost killed me.¡± ¡°It was an accident.¡± ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. I¡¯ll really get you back good...¡± This would ultimately lead to Azure heading Erebus¡¯ prized jewel. She had seen it in his cave before. Fufu... he¡¯d suffer like she did. Erebus, Azure, Massath said through the dragon¡¯s telepathic link. Yes the two answered him. I handled the dwarves and beastmen. They were a little difficult but I''m done. Did you finish up at the Pure Continent? Yep, Erebus dealt with them. I think it¡¯ll take a while until they¡¯re able to stand up straight again. I see, well, I¡¯ll meet you guys back at the Dragon Continent. Good luck with dealing with the seafolk, they¡¯re a rowdy bunch. Oh, don''t worry about that, Erebus laughed. Well, then, I won''t The link ended. ¡°Whew,¡± Azure said, she had calmed down now. ¡°How are we going to do this? You can¡¯t breathe underwater.¡± ¡°I will give you something to destroy them with, you can bring it to their Capital and release it there. It should be enough.¡± Azure nodded. ¡°Understood, let¡¯s get going, then.¡± They began to fly once more. ¡°Where exactly is their Capital?¡± Azure asked after a while. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Erebus answered with a laugh. ¡°Guess you¡¯ll find out soon enough, right, Azure?¡± ¡°I have to go in blind...¡± she muttered to herself. Erebus laughed boisterously. ¡°Good luck!¡± ¡°Shut up, idiot.¡± The two stopped moving and now hovered over the wide expanse of the ocean. ¡°Take this,¡± Erebus said, creating a rather large sphere on the palm of his hand. ¡°When you find the Capital, release and and get as far away as possible. Tell me that you¡¯re a safe distance away and I will activate the magic.¡± Azure stared at the sphere with a look of suspicion. ¡°It won¡¯t hurt me, will it?¡± She had seen what his magic could do... ¡°It hasn¡¯t been activated yet. It¡¯s harmless.¡± He tossed the ball at her and she caught it in her hands. ¡°Ugh... everything about this sphere just gives me a bad feeling.¡± It was nearly weightless. There was a swirling reddish mist around the sphere that gave her an ominous feeling. ¡°Just go,¡± Erebus commanded her. Azure pressed the cool ball against her scaly chest and then dove underwater. She folded her wings tightly against her body as she swam, her snake-like body moved through the ocean smoothly. Azure saw a few mermaids heading towards some place. She stayed back a distance where they couldn¡¯t see her but she could see them. The dragon was hoping that they¡¯d lead her to the Capital... it¡¯d be perfect if they did. A city rose up in the distance, its design was similar to the Pure Continent. All the buildings resembled castles. Seafolk swam in and out of the city. This is it, right? Azure wondered and began to slacken her grip on the ball. She surrounded the ball with her own magic and sent it flying until it floated over the city of the seafolk. She figured it was similar to what Erebus used on the elves. Azure began to swim towards the surface rapidly, and the moment she burst out of the sea she contacted Erebus. I¡¯m safe. Good. She didn¡¯t stop flying away, though. She didn¡¯t know how much power he had loaded that thing with. It was a good thing, too. A large, black dome burst out of the ocean. It emitted a reddish glow. If Azure had stayed where she was earlier, she would have died. The ones that had been within its area weren¡¯t so lucky. The war was over. I''m sad to say that this is the conclusion of our flashback arc Chapter Twenty-Eight: Decree Wassup! For some reason, when I was writing this chapter, I imagined Azure, Erebus, Massath, Dissolve, and Rolut doing the Ginyu Force pose... Don''t judge me. Please. Back in the present day, it was the second day and the continuation of the Dragon Council meeting. Rolut sat at the head of the long table while massaging his temples. The headache he received from the previous day had faded to a dull throb. ¡°Now then, continuing on with the issue of the trading of our mana stones.¡± He closely resembled a man who had put under too much stress. Dark eyebrows yet prematurely white hair... Lisset crossed her arms and glared at Erebus. ¡°Thanks to this fool, we lost one of our possible leads.¡± ¡°Eh? Why are you blaming me... there was no way that I would have known,¡± Erebus whined. ¡°I¡¯m not omnipotent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m with the others on this one, Erebus,¡± Azure said. ¡°You should have gone to the vendor who was selling the stone.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°The vendor thought the [Magma Heart] was a cursed item, there¡¯s no way they would have known if was from the Dragon Continent if they thought it was cursed.¡± ¡°Well, they had to get it from somewhere,¡± she argued. ¡°The [Magma Heart] is only produced here! None of the other continents have a suitable environment.¡± ¡°Erebus, you must understand the danger it poses if other races were able to get their hands on the stones that we have here.¡± Rolut folded his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly. ¡°Pah, there are only two people in this entire world that have items created of our resources. And only one of those people knows how to forge it.¡± Erebus shook his head. These old ladies(?) were getting their panties in a bunch. They needed to calm down. ¡°You¡¯re referring to Triton the Exiled Emperor and the Demon Emperor Yvick, correct?¡± Frize questioned. When Erebus nodded he continued, ¡°Triton has received our permission to use the [Soul Stone] to craft a weapon for Yvick. But, he is not the only blacksmithing mastermind. There are others who would be able to forge weapons or magical items out of the stones. And if they do that...¡± ¡°You¡¯re afraid of them making weapons strong enough to rival our power,¡± Erebus concluded. ¡°Rival? No. Provide a very difficult opponent to defeat? Yes. If enough of them ganged up together, the gap between our power and their power would be lessened significantly.¡± ¡°You seem to be under the assumption that they would instantly use this power against us.¡± ¡°Erebus,¡± Ayirn intervened in her sweet voice. ¡°It would be naive to assume that they wouldn¡¯t. The only reason they listen to us is because they¡¯re afraid of us. If their 0% chance of winning turns into a .4% chance, they will take it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Believe what you want, then. The others may try to challenge our authority but the lower dragons will not. If we make the decree banning the sale of mana stones from our continent, they will listen.¡± Rolut said, ¡°And if they don¡¯t obey, the punishment, as always, is death.¡± The other members of the Council nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Hmm... shall we make an announcement then?¡± Frize asked. When Rolut nodded, Frize stood up and walked out to the platform. The rest of the Council followed behind him. Greur stepped forward and inhaled deeply. The nine other original dragons clapped their hands over their ears. ¡°Gather around you fools!¡± Greur¡¯s powerful voice boomed across the Dragon Continent. Triton¡¯s boisterous voice would be a whisper compared to Greur¡¯s shout. ¡°If you don¡¯t get over here within two minutes, I¡¯ll kill all the stragglers!¡± That was not an empty threat. The sound of thousands of wings beating could be heard and soon, all of the dragons of the Dragon Continent came. It was a magnificent sight, there were so many different types of dragons. Some were wyverns, others resembled the Japanese and Chinese dragons of our world. The color of their metallic scales different from the shades of the rainbow and everything in between. There were thousands of them, all beating their wings in near unison. They surrounded the perimeter of the Dragon Council¡¯s castle. It was Rolut¡¯s turn to address them now. The ancient dragon stepped forward, his back ramrod straight, head held high. ¡°Greetings, children.¡± ¡°Greetings, 1st Dragon Rolut,¡± the thousands of dragons all said, their voices melding together into one. ¡°The mana stones of our continent have reached the others,¡± Rolut began. ¡°Does anyone know how this happened?¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A few dragons tossed glances at others. ¡°Would one of you care to step forward and explain to me why? What danger this poses?¡± No one came forward. ¡°Shall I enlighten you, then?¡± ¡°I will explain it, my lord,¡± a timid voice called out. If Rolut explained it... someone would definitely die during his demonstration. ¡°Step forward, child,¡± Rolut said. A small dragon with stumpy limbs came forward. His scales were white and speckled with purple. His big blue eyes had a cute effect on his small face. He was a rather adorable fellow. The kind of dragon that would be given away as plushies for small children. In fact, if they started selling toys based off this one, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d make a fortune. ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Weryn, my lord.¡± ¡°Teach your brethren, Weryn.¡± Weryn nodded his tiny head at Rolut. ¡°The mana stones of the Dragon Continent are unique to only the Dragon Continent. No other continent is capable of producing these stones. ¡°The stones, when forced into a magical item or a weapon, are extremely powerful. If the other races were to get their hands onto these mana stones and craft them, the dragon race existence would be threatened. That is how dangerous the sale of these mana stones is.¡± Rolut smiled kindly. ¡°Good job, Weryn. Come down here.¡± Rolut gestured for the small dragon to land next to him. ¡°Y-yes.¡± Weryn was a little afraid, but he still descended gracefully next to Rolut. ¡°Shift,¡± Rolut told him. The small dragon¡¯s form glimmered and morphed until a young boy of about seven or so stood there with magenta colored hair and big blue eyes. Freckles dotted his small face which held a childish androgynous to it, from the frailty of his cheekbones and the plumpness of his lips. Too cute. Ayirn looked like she wanted to run over and rub her face against his. His appearance awoke the mother hen deep within her. Rolut placed his hand on Weryn¡¯s head and patted his head (it seems Erebus isn¡¯t the only one with a habit of patting others) as he continued to speak, ¡°As the young Weryn said, mana stones going to other continents puts us in grave danger. From here on out, the sale of mana stones is banned. If anyone is found selling mana stones, the 5th dragon Erebus will deal with them.¡± Wait? Me? Erebus thought, but his face didn¡¯t portray his surprise. I didn¡¯t sign up for that. I didn¡¯t ask for this! Erebus¡¯ eyes focused in on Rolut. Damn old man... The other dragons weren¡¯t experiencing the same surprise. They didn¡¯t know Erebus to be a careless man. They knew him as this: a dragon whose face was always blank, even when he had grown angry and beat anyone who challenged him to a bloody pulp. It took the strongest dragon, Rolut, to calm down an enraged Erebus. They had also heard about his exploits along with Massath and Azure during the First War. Scary, Erebus was scary. ¡°Do you all understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± all of the dragons said. ¡°You may leave.¡± The mass of dragons began to spread out back to their homes. Their wings still beating in near unison. Rolut¡¯s hand stayed on Weryn¡¯s head. The young dragon was a little worried. He would be spending time with the ten original dragons. Rolut had patted his head. He was in the presence of royalty! What did they want from him? He was afraid. Weryn cast a glance at the ten dragons. Rolut was practically guiding Weryn around without removing his hand from his head. Frize looked slightly relieved and was speaking to Lisset looked annoyed, like she always did. She was leaning against a wall while tapping her foot impatiently. Ayirn was braiding Azure¡¯s long hair and talking to her animatedly. They resembled two schoolgirls who were spending the night in the same house. Erebus, Massath, and Dissolve were all looking up at the sky while talking about something. It didn¡¯t look to be very serious, considering the fact they would laugh every now and then. Finally, Midrn and Greur were talking to Rolut, who still had his hand on Weryn¡¯s head. ¡°Um~ L-Lord Rolut... is there a reason I¡¯m still here?¡± Weryn asked timidly. He was only a couple centuries old, he felt extremely daunted by all of them. ¡°D-do you still need me for something?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± All the dragons turned their powerful gazes to the small child. They had forgotten Weryn was there. Chapter Twenty-Eight.5: Another Day A woman wearing high-waisted puffy shorts and an oversized robe was headed down a corridor. The sound of her sandals clapping against the cold stone echoed throughout. She walked with purpose in her stride. She was a member of the beastmen race, the rabbit-kind specifically. Two ivory bunny-ears sprouted from her short, wavy pink hair that was chopped bluntly at her chin. Her beautiful face was set in a serious expression, her eyes were the same bright pink of her hair but her pupils were gold and formed a four-point star. Her pale skin also had a pinkish tint to it. Her name was Lilian. The cold-hearted servant of the Demon Lord Erebus. She was currently serving as the interim leader until Lord Erebus would return. Lilian had to deal with countless things as the interim leader. One would be the meetings with other Demon Lords who were constantly involved in land disputes. Lord Erebus would normally attend these meetings with her. But, since he wasn¡¯t here, she had to deal with the fools by herself. She shook her head and let out a sigh. She was currently headed to deal with another fool who had returned not too long ago. A fool by the name of Vyne. Lilian¡¯s hands tightened into a fist at her side. That idiot had kidnapped one of the wives of a nearby Demon Lord. For one of his experiments, no doubt about that. Lilian hoped the poor girl was still alive. She had seen a couple of end results from Vyne¡¯s experimenting(torture), they were gruesome. Lilian unlocked the door to the dungeon and called out, ¡°Vyne? Where are you at?¡± ¡°Lilian, to what do I owe this honor?¡± Vyne said, appearing in front of her. The look on his face said it was anything but an honor to see her. There was blood on the smock he wore over his clothes and he was wiping even more blood off of his hands and onto a towel. ¡°Where¡¯s your latest experiment at?¡± Vyne¡¯s eyes filled with apprehension. ¡°Since when are you interested in my experiments?¡± ¡°Ever since you started kidnapping the wives of important people.¡± ¡°Oops?¡± Vyne raised his hands in a ¡®what can you do¡¯ manner. He clearly didn¡¯t care in the slightest. ¡°Show me the experiment.¡± He sighed and turned back around. ¡°Come.¡± The two walked down a torchlit hallway until they arrived at one of the last cells in the dungeon. Lilian scrunched her nose up, the air reeked of the metallic scent of fresh blood. Just what has this idiot been doing? ¡°Here we are,¡± Vyne said, pushing open the cell. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d want to give her back to the important person, though. She looks a little different. She may have broken, also. She stopped screaming.¡± To say she looked a ¡®little¡¯ different was an understatement. She was dangling from the bar on the ceiling, thick iron bars clamped around her wrist. The bars had irritated the skin causing it to be red and some of it even started to peel. Her eyes were covered with a black cloth, tear marks stained her bloodied cheeks. Her purple body was completely naked. Including the skin in some places, patches had been removed revealing the muscle that lay underneath. There were multiple incisions along her body that had been stitched shut neatly. Underneath the stitches, small circles were emitting a glow. ¡°Vyne...¡± Lilian pressed her hand to her temple. ¡°Just what were you testing?¡± ¡°Revolutionary things, my dear,¡± he answered proudly. ¡°I was testing how mana stones with healing properties affect the body. The progress is a little slow but, in some areas where I removed the skin, if it was close enough to a stone that I placed in her body, the skin would grow back within a couple hours without scabbing over.¡± ¡°Intriguing.¡± ¡°Not done yet! The skin that regrew was much tougher than the normal skin on her body.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Not only did the mana stones heal her body perfectly. The mana stones reinforced the spots that were healed!¡± ¡°Intriguing,¡± Lilian said again. Vyne grinned. ¡°Not. Done. Yet.¡± He wagged his finger in her face with every word. Lilian heaved out a sigh. ¡°What else, Vyne?¡± ¡°I found out from Lord Erebus that dragons were able to digest mana stones. So I thought to myself, what about the other races? The lady here is a member of the demon race. Thanks to her, I was able to find out that demons, too, can digest the mana stones. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°But! Whereas Lord Erebus felt no pain from eating the mana stones, the test subject did. She was hacking up blood for the longest time.¡± Vyne¡¯s eyes were lit with delight as if it was the most interesting thing. ¡°It was incredibly painful for her.¡± ¡°Your point?¡± Lilian just wanted to get out of here. The smell, coupled with the kidnapped woman¡¯s appearance, was starting to make her sick. ¡°The mana stones are toxic to the demon race. And probably to the other races, too. I wish I could test it out but getting my hands on an angel could prove to be a little tricky but may--¡± ¡°Vyne,¡± Lilian interrupted. ¡°Where exactly did you get this test subject, dare I ask...¡± He clapped his hands together. ¡°Well, I, uh, well.¡± He pressed his lips together in a thin line, forming a hyphen. ¡°I found her?¡± ¡°Is that what you¡¯re going with?¡± Lilian asked monotonously. Vyne crossed his arms. ¡°Does it really matter where I got her from? It¡¯s fine, I swear.¡± Lilian¡¯s cool gaze didn¡¯t change at all. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°One of the guestrooms,¡± he muttered. ¡°So you knew exactly what you were doing.¡± Vyne glanced at his test subject. ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be so trusting. This is a life lesson.¡± Vyne had acted he was in love with the woman. They had been messing around ever since she arrived for the annual Demon Lord meeting. The wife had no problem with being with such a handsome man, her husband closely resembled a rat... it was a nice change. So, when Vyne had changed their usual meeting place, she was none the wiser as to what was going to happen. Lilian continued to stare evenly at Vyne after he explained everything. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you have an affair with a married woman or if you used said woman for an experiment. Do it in such a way so I won¡¯t have to deal with it.¡± Vyne nodded. ¡°Besides, you wouldn¡¯t want to trouble Lord Erebus when he returns, would you?¡± The demon fell to the ground. ¡°I... I have done the ultimate sin.¡± He clutched his heart. ¡°To cause Lord Erebus trouble...¡± She knew how to manipulate the others, that was for sure. ¡°As long as you understand.¡± She left the dungeon cell. Vyne would be more careful with how he got his test subjects. ¡°Get her wounds healed even faster and make sure she doesn¡¯t speak about what happened. That¡¯d cause us even more trouble.¡± Vyne nodded his head once more, he was still in shock. Lillian headed up the stairs back to the lower level of the castle. She could tell the Demon Lord that his wife was fine and would be back within a couple of days. It was close enough to the truth, and she was sure that Vyne would make it so the woman wouldn¡¯t speak of what happened to her. She would tell him tomorrow, she was exhausted now. Lilian passed by Tear, Magnus, and Stone who each stopped her so that they could have a discussion. It was more of Lilian being corralled by them and listening to their complaints about how annoying the visiting Demon Lords were. After Lilian managed to wrestle herself away from them, she pushed the doors open and stumbled inside of her room. It was not what would be expected of her to live in. It was a fearsome room, actually. There were paintings of Erebus on the walls, even the bedspread was a picture of Erebus in his dragon form. Lined up on the headboard of her bed were multiple plushies of Erebus. The plushies were... everywhere. On shelves on her wall, on her dressers, on the floor. There was even a suspicious area that looked like an altar dedicated to Erebus. She had done this all herself. Lilian fell onto her bed, grabbing a near life-size doll of Erebus and hugging it closely to her body, rubbing her cheek against the soft head. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s so lonely with you, Lord Erebus. Come back soon.¡± Lilian squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Another day at the estate of the Demon Lord Erebus came to a close. Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Dragon Named Weryn Sorry it took so long for the update, things were a little hectic so I barely had any time to write. Please enjoy~ Back in the Dragon Continent, a beautiful relationship had been formed. Yes, a truly beautiful relationship. One between a young dragon and one who had existed since the birth of this world. ¡°M-Master Erebus! I¡¯m here,¡± the voice of a small child called out. A boy with magenta hair peeked his head into a cave. His skinny arms were wrapped around a bag full of mana stones. His round cheeks were slightly tinged with red and he was somewhat out of breath. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Weryn,¡± a sleepy voice responded. ¡°Come on in.¡± Weryn ran into the room. ¡°I¡¯ve brought your mana stones that you asked for.¡± He put the heavy bag down onto the stone floor. ¡°Thanks~¡± Erebus said, jumping down from the top of the boulder where he sat reading a book. The boulder he was sitting on was surrounded by mana stones that gave off a soft green light. Weryn smiled. ¡°You¡¯re welcome!¡± Weryn had been rewarded(?) with Erebus becoming his ¡®mentor¡¯. Meaning that Weryn basically followed Erebus around everywhere. It was mostly because they needed somebody to keep an eye on the careless dragon. Rolut had seen this as the perfect opportunity to keep Erebus under surveillance before he did anything else stupid. Weryn, who didn¡¯t really get this concept, was just happy to be able to be so close to one of his idols. His mother had told him so many stories about the Dragon Council and what happened during the First War... Erebus was like a superhero to the young child. Weryn watched as Erebus tossed the mana stones into his mouth like it was nothing at all. So cool... Lord Erebus was so cool. Weryn could hardly eat one mana stone because the mana was far too much for his little body to practice at once. But Erebus was going through them like candy. Erebus, upon seeing Weryn¡¯s look, thought that he wanted some so he held out a handful. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°O-oh! Thank you, Lord Erebus. But I can¡¯t eat those, my body is too weak.¡± Weryn looked down at his shoes. ¡°Too weak?¡± Erebus asked, tilting his head a little. Weryn shuffled. ¡°I, uh, can¡¯t process that much mana in such a short amount of time, Lord Erebus.¡± The elder dragon scratched his head. Is this his duty as a mentor to teach this young dragon? He didn¡¯t really want to teach him, though, Rolut had forced the child upon Erebus. He looked back down at Weryn who was staring at him with such admiration filling his innocent eyes... not good. Not good at all, Erebus wasn¡¯t good with these types of people. ¡°How about I teach you something?¡± Erebus gritted out. He remembered the time when he had trained Yvick, he was a terrible teacher. It was mostly him defeating Yvick easily and then telling him what he did wrong. But it wasn¡¯t like he could be so rough with a kid. He¡¯d get scolded by Ayirn if he was mean to Weryn. She was scarier than Rolut when it came to these things. ¡°R-really?¡± Weryn perked up, even more hopefulness entered his eyes. Erebus gnashed his teeth together. What was with those eyes? Ah... if you stare at me in such a way I¡¯ll get embarrassed, you know? Erebus shifted his gaze away from Weryn. ¡°Yeah,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°Anything you want to know.¡± ¡°Then, teach me how to destroy an entire army like you did! Mom told me about it, it was so cool.¡± Long-shot. That was definitely a long-shot. There was no way he could ever use magic that powerful. Erebus made a complicated expression. Upon seeing this, Weryn said in a small voice, ¡°It¡¯s no good?¡± His eyes full of hopefulness gazed upwards at Erebus. His mother had taught him some dangerous techniques. ¡°Something else?¡± Erebus asked with some difficulty. ¡°I¡¯m not sure your body will be able to handle it.¡± Weryn pouted his lips and squinted his eyes in concentration. ¡°What else...¡± He tapped his foot. Something that I can do, preferably. ¡°Then teach me how to cast basic magic.¡± Erebus¡¯ expression faltered a little. He didn¡¯t know much of any other magic... well, the basics should be fine, right? If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Sure,¡± Erebus said. Weryn¡¯s face lit up once more and the young dragon grabbed Erebus¡¯ hand. ¡°Yay! Thank you, Master Erebus.¡± Erebus scratched his head with his free hand. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really. Didn¡¯t your parents teach you anything, though?¡± The young dragon shook his head. ¡°My father is a terrible teacher and my mother only knows healing magic. I want to learn attack magic...¡± ¡°I see.¡± Erebus rubbed his chin for a little. ¡°We can get started on learning the basics tomorrow.¡± Weryn¡¯s eyes started to shine even more. ¡°That reminds me, Lord Erebus. Are we going to see the Dragon Tournament?¡± Erebus¡¯ eye twitched. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to one before, obviously, haha...¡± Weryn laughed. Neither have I, Erebus thought. He completely ignored those types of things, they were annoying. The Dragon Tournament happened every one thousand years were the best warriors of the dragon race (excluding Council members) would compete in many different types of games. Erebus had managed to not come to a single one, they weren¡¯t mandatory like Council meetings so there was no need for him to attend. ¡°Uh...¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Tournament is amazing. Uwah~ I really wanna see it happen.¡± Erebus nervously scratched his neck. ¡°About that...¡± Weryn tilted his head slightly. ¡°Hm?¡± Those eyes. It¡¯s those eyes again. ¡°O-Of course, we¡¯re going to go to the Dragon Tournament!¡± Erebus said, placing his hands on his hips and laughing. Amazing. Erebus¡¯ weakness would be something so common... the puppy dog eyes. Weryn smiled broadly. ¡°As I thought, Lord Erebus is amazing! I¡¯ll get to see the Tournament in the special seats for the Dragon Council. Mom and Dad would only get the boring seats for commoners...¡± This kid was surprisingly manipulative. He had a bright future ahead of him. He was able to utilize his childish appearance so well. Erebus nodded and laughed again. As said before, he hasn''t been to a single Dragon Tournament. He had no idea of the layout or seating. Nor did he particularly care if Weryn was using him. I guess it makes sense that the council members get their own special seats, Erebus thought to himself. "It¡¯s going to be so awesome.¡± Weryn clapped his hands together. ¡°And Master Erebus is going to teach me basic magic...¡± The young boy spread his arms out and spun around in circles around the dimly lit cave, his face was bright with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Weryn stopped spinning and turned to Erebus. ¡°I heard that all the participants are super-powerful. Is that true?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never been.¡± The child gasped. ¡°Seriously? Aren¡¯t you really old, though?¡± He placed his hands on his hip and tilted his head, a confused expression on his face. ¡°Like, you were alive before the Tournament even came to be. Isn¡¯t that kind of lame if you never went?¡± Erebus¡¯ eye twitched again. Sure, he was old. That didn¡¯t mean that it had to be pointed out in such a blatant manner. That kid would have a tongue sharp enough to rival Lisset when he grew older. There was no way he could let that happen. The world didn¡¯t need another foul-mouthed dragon. Erebus would teach him the correct way to grow up. Yes, to be exactly like him. ¡°Listen, Weryn. I have a life lesson for you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Erebus bent down so that they were eye-level. A completely serious expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s okay to ignore things that you don¡¯t care about. You don¡¯t have to do anything if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s not what my mom to--¡± Erebus clamped his hands on Weryn¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m your mentor, okay? It¡¯s your duty as a student to listen to me. What I say is the truth of this world.¡± Weryn¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The truth of this world?¡± Erebus nodded his head rapidly. ¡°If you allow yourself to think otherwise, you¡¯ll find out things won¡¯t work out too well.¡± The child¡¯s head bobbed up and down. ¡°Understood!¡± Erebus patted Weryn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°The only thing you need to worry about is finding the cure to your boredom. And that¡¯s called fun.¡± Chapter Thirty: Training ¡°No good. Do it again.¡± Two figures were currently standing in a caldera. One was a small boy struggling to make the golden blob in his hand take shape. The other was a feminine man with a stern expression on his face. ¡°This is really hard,¡± Weryn complained loudly. He had a problem with having the mana take form. He could get the mana to concentrate in one place yet he couldn¡¯t get it to change its properties so it could be correctly referred to as magic. Erebus stood with his arms crossed and eyes slightly narrowed. He had left his [Eye of Void] uncovered so he could watch Weryn¡¯s progress. The boy was capable of wielding large amounts of mana, he just couldn¡¯t grasp the concept of changing its properties. ¡°Listen,¡± Erebus sighed after the umpteenth attempt to make a small fire. ¡°Stop thinking of mana as just mana.¡± Weryn still displayed a confused expression. ¡°Watch.¡± Weryn focused his eyes onto Erebus¡¯ outstretched palm. A small blob of mana manifested in his hand before changing shape. It was a fire, then it changed into a puff of smoke that molded itself into solid ice. The ice then molded itself into two figures that were dancing in the air. The ice figures danced as if they were real until they figures melted into water then turned into dust. The dust then transformed into a slight breeze that ruffled Weryn¡¯s cowlick. ¡°Woah.¡± ¡°Yes, woah,¡± Erebus responded. ¡°Mana can take on the form of anything if you will it to. It can become the most devastating weapon or the softest touch. If you never understand that, you won¡¯t be able to wield it properly.¡± Weryn stared at Erebus in awe. He normally acted like a dolt... but he was actually a decent teacher. He told Weryn what was wrong and how to fix it. ¡°I-I¡¯ll try again,¡± Weryn said with newfound confidence. He stuck out his hand again and focused his attention on the blob of mana that formed. ¡°No. You¡¯re trying too hard,¡± Erebus scolded. ¡°Just will it to change and it will obey. The dragon race, despite the elves protest, have the strongest affinity with magic. We don¡¯t have to force it.¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± ¡°Close your eyes. Stop staring at the mana like it¡¯s some type of unidentified creature.¡± Weryn obeyed and closed his eyes. In the darkness, Erebus¡¯ voice surrounded him. ¡°What do you want the mana to become?¡± ¡°An ice dragon! Like the figures you made,¡± Weryn answered. The figures had been so pretty. ¡°Imagine the form you want it to take. How big should it be? How cold is the ice when you touch it? What is its purpose for taking that form?¡± Erebus¡¯ omnipresent voice questioned. Weryn squeezed his eyes tighter. Did Erebus put this much thought in when he performed his magic? It had been so flawless and moved on quickly, there was not nearly enough time to think of all of this. There was no way he could ever reach that level. ¡°Just do it.¡± Erebus, who had noticed Weryn¡¯s hesitation, was not amused. He could see the confused shifting of the mana as Weryn tried to use it. The young child had obviously underestimated the amount of sheer concentration and skill it took to become a skilled mage. The detail that you spent in learning magic while in your beginning stages is the most important. These were the habits that you would carry on throughout the rest of your life. When you learn how to cast magic, you can¡¯t unlearn that way. You can only strive to improve it. Meaning, if you failed at learning at how to cast magic properly when you were first starting off, you would never be better than that. At least, not by very much. Which was why Erebus found this to be the most important part. If you didn¡¯t spend enough time and effort during the earlier stages, you could never become a powerful mage. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Erebus asked Weryn as the boy continued to struggle. ¡°Huh?¡± Weryn opened his eyes and stared at Erebus in a bemused manner. ¡°What is running through your mind as you try to manipulate the mana?¡± he rephrased his initial question. ¡°It¡¯s a little embarrassing to say out loud.¡± Erebus shook his head in irritation. ¡°Say it. If you ever want to learn how to use magic, that is.¡± Weryn¡¯s cheeks reddened a little. ¡°Uu~ I was thinking about how I wanted to be able to cast magic like Master Erebus one day.¡± ¡°Useless thoughts. Vanquish them, you¡¯ll never reach that level.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Weryn¡¯s eyes widened in shock. Erebus shook his head again. He was able to see Weryn¡¯s mana flow, it was certainly a sizeable amount that would turn him into a powerful man. Mana flow, by the way, is how much mana circulates through your body. People with more oppressive auras, so to speak, typically boasted a stronger mana flow than those without. Anyway, he would never reach the level of the originals. It was a gap that would never be bridged. The originals were a bottomless cup to how much mana could be in their body, the others were not. They may have deep ¡®cups¡¯, but there was a bottom to that. It was the same for Weryn, his potential was great but he would never become that strong. ¡°It has nothing to do with you being incapable of forming magic now if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s more of your bodies physical limit, you¡¯ll never be able to cast magic of that intensity. And if you do break that limit, you will die. Instantly. Do not bite off more than you can chew, understood?¡± Weryn nodded his head dejectedly. The elder dragon sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re weak. I¡¯m able to see how much you can utilize, and, trust me, it¡¯s quite the amount.¡± ¡°Thank you for humbling me, Master Erebus.¡± Weryn bowed, he was truly grateful. It was childish for him to think that he would ever be able to be as powerful as Master Erebus, it was physically impossible for him to do so. ¡°Now, now, Erebus. Don¡¯t be so rough on the child,¡± a female voice said before Erebus could respond. The two turned their heads to the new arrival. A curvaceous woman wearing form-fitting leather gear walked towards them. Her golden hair was in a braided high ponytail that swung at her lower back. The woman had a plain but pretty and soothing brown eyes. ¡°Ayirn,¡± Erebus said dryly. ¡°A pleasure to see you. What brings you here?¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°I came to see what you two were doing. I heard that you were actually going to teach him magic, so I wanted to see his progress.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®actually¡¯? I¡¯m his mentor.¡± Ayirn shrugged and nodded her head at Weryn who was staring at her unabashedly. ¡°Let me see what you can cast.¡± ¡°U-um...¡± ¡°He can¡¯t get the mana to take form. I¡¯ve been trying to teach him.¡± She let out a small gasp and covered her mouth. ¡°Oh my, he can¡¯t achieve form yet?¡± ¡°He¡¯s filled his mind with pointless things,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°Hmm...¡± Ayirn drummed her fingers on her lips as she thought. ¡°Erebus probably gave you some really vague explanation, right?¡± ¡°It was not vague.¡± Erebus glared at her. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°How about this, I want you to make me a flower out of magic. I don¡¯t care how you form it, I just want a pretty flower to look at.¡± Weryn nodded his head then closed his eyes once again. Maybe an ice dragon was too complicated for his skillset right now, an ice flower would work better! He didn¡¯t really understand the concept of ¡®willing¡¯ the mana to take form so he just repeated the mantra ¡®pretty ice flower, pretty ice flower¡¯ in his head. Something cold was in his hands. Weryn cracked an eye open to see an ice rose in the palm of his hand. A large smile broke out on his face. He had succeeded! ¡°Thank you,¡± Ayirn said, taking the flower from his hand and examining it. ¡°I see... his natural talent lies within ice magic.¡± ¡°So it would seem.¡± Erebus and Ayirn appraised the magic with skilled eyes. Even though they had such laid-back personalities, they were some of the best mages in the entire world. ¡°A little rough but doable,¡± Ayirn muttered as she spun the rose around. ¡°It¡¯s rather good for his first attempt.¡± Erebus nodded in agreement. ¡°If he really trains hard, he could become an amazing mage.¡± Weryn¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement. They were praising him, these two masterminds were praising him! A novice among novices! ¡°Well then, I shall be taking my leave. I just wanted to see how you two were doing.¡± She started to walk away before stopping. ¡°Oh, Erebus, you¡¯re staying to see this year¡¯s tournament? I presume.¡± Erebus made a face. ¡°Indeed I am.¡± A small smile flitted at her pearl-colored lips. ¡°I see, well, goodbye for now.¡± Weryn was still basking in the glory of his success as the female dragon walked away. Chapter Thirty-One: Let the Games Begin! ¡°My dragon brethren!¡± a voice boomed loudly. ¡°I am proud to announce the commencement of our 8th Dragon Tournament!¡± Erebus plugged his ears as thunderous applause and cheering filled the volcano. The Dragon Tournament was held inside of an extinct volcano. And thanks to Lisset, stands had been formed in the rocky walls. The stands were located around the entire perimeter of the volcano and mana stones were put into the walls to serve as the lighting for the otherwise mostly dark area. A metal flooring was suspended over the chasm where lava used to exist. And at the four sides of the flooring, a metal bridge was connected that lead into a dark cave. The cave was where the competitors would enter and exit. The members of the Council had the best seating in the entire place, they were only elevated slightly above the flooring where the other dragons would fight/compete. A large portion of the tournament required actually (non-lethal) fighting between the opposing sides, but there were other games that involved no violence (it wasn¡¯t against the rules to use violence in these games, though). As usual, basically all of the dragons on the continent would come to the Tournament. It was a huge occasion in dragon tradition. For the dragons, strength was put in even heavier emphasis. The Tournament exemplified this. But you couldn¡¯t win with brute strength, you had to be cunning, too. The Tournament lasted for five days, the winners would receive a prize from the Dragon Council. The awards varied from time to time with what was most valuable and such. Despite the fact that the Tournament was only five days long after a thousand years of waiting, it was supposedly ¡®well worth¡¯ it. But Erebus had absolutely no interest in the Tournament. To him, it was pointless. To him, it wasn¡¯t even entertaining. Where was the fun in watching other people fight or play games? It¡¯d be far more entertaining if he could just join in. Ah, he wanted to go home and take naps again in peace. Well, ignoring the extremely eccentric people around him. ¡°Woah! Master Erebus, look at that guy,¡± Weryn said, pointing to a beefy looking man that was now staging on the metal floor. Across from him was an equally beefy looking man. Their muscles had muscles. ¡°Why are they so disgustingly huge,¡± Azure complained next to Erebus. She shook her head. ¡°What is this event?¡± He had missed the announcement, more like, he had stopped listening and used his refined skill of ignoring everything around him. ¡°It¡¯s the first day! They start to narrow down the crowd that joined the festival until they get down to the top one hundred. There are normally two hundred who passed preliminaries. This part last for two days,¡± Weryn explained. Hey, hey! How much did this kid study? ¡°Is that so?¡± Erebus responded in an uninterested voice. ¡°Yeah!¡± Weryn clappsed his hands excitedly and whooped along with the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m really excited to see their fighting, I¡¯ve never seen actually battles. They get to use their magic and everything!¡± Erebus nodded uninterestedly. He could honestly care less. He doubted these children would inspire any awe inside of him. Well, he¡¯d check it out. Erebus lifted the eyepatch over his left eye and focused it on the two individuals. Weryn, upon seeing this, looked over in confusion. White wisp were flowing out and in of their bodies. He couldn¡¯t see their bodies but rather the mana inside that was shaped like their bodies. Everything else seemed to be blurred by a white fog that was flowing and moving. A normal person would have a hard time making out the differences, but Erebus had trained his eyes. This substance was mana. It was typically invisible to the naked eye. Erebus¡¯ ability was amazing, not only could he see mana, but he could differentiate between it, too. The mana flow between the two of them wasn¡¯t as high as Weryn¡¯s. But then again, Weryn would be what they called a ¡®natural-talent¡¯. The two were about equal in their mana flow, so the superiority of magic power wouldn¡¯t differ too much. Hmm... maybe this could be interesting, Erebus thought. He had witnessed plenty of real life battles, but he had never bothered analyzing them. ¡°What was that?¡± Weryn asked curiously when Erebus let go of the eyepatch. He had seen Erebus lift his eyepatch revealing the emerald eye beneath, but he didn¡¯t know why. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s something that allows me to see mana.¡± ¡°See mana!¡± Weryn gasped, drawing the attention of the other Council members. Erebus had never explained his eye to them, even after thousands of years. He had only given them the vague answer of: it helps me with things. They hadn¡¯t really pressed for him to go into more detail. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Even the sharp-faced Lisset, who was normally uninterested in Erebus, was looking over curiously. ¡°What... why is everyone looking at me so intently?¡± Erebus asked. Not only was Lisset looking, but also Midrn. His golden-green eyes were filled with interest. Even Massath and Dissolve! The renowned slackers were interested in the properties of Erebus¡¯ eye. ¡°Your eye,¡± Rolut explained, he was seated between Azure and Lisset. ¡°We¡¯re interested.¡± Erebus touched his eyepatch lightly. ¡°For everyone to look at me like this, I think my heart¡¯s beating a little faster.¡± ¡°Just explain it,¡± Lisset snapped. Erebus raised his hands up in surrender. ¡°Okay, okay~¡± He tapped his chin. ¡°Let¡¯s see... I was born blind in one eye-¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Weryn asked, cutting off Erebus. The other dragons had known this piece of information already so they weren¡¯t really surprised. ¡°Ah... this was a really long time ago. But when mana came into this world, I--¡± ¡°You were alive before mana came into existence?¡± Weryn gasped. ¡°My eye filled with mana. Like a mana stone of some sorts, I¡¯m now able to see mana through it. Through many years of trial, I¡¯m able to use my eye as a mana supplement.¡± The Council members nodded their heads in acceptance, it was a rather useful tool. Weryn, on the other hand, his eyes were filled with pure admiration. ¡°So cool...¡± he said. His focus on the battle that had started during Erebus¡¯ explanation had completely shifted. It was almost amazing how a child¡¯s mind works. During his training sessions with Erebus, they could only go for so until Weryn was completely distracted and started slacking off. Within a day or two, Weryn had more or less all of the basic magic. Well, the magic itself was extremely easy for the average person so a prodigy would have absolutely no difficulty in learning it after they got passed the first stages. Once Weryn had broken down his barrier of forming magic, he was able to cast it effortlessly. It was still a little rough but it was still amazing. Erebus genuinely thought Weryn would have a chance against a mage with high combat experience. He picked up things quickly. Anyway, the battle between the two competitors was fierce. The speed that they were exchanging blows would be invisible to the human eye. But for the dragon race, they were mediocre. Slightly better than the rest, maybe. The two clearly weren¡¯t the cream of the crop. One of the competitors had a bald head and the other had a golden mane of hair. They will now be affectionately known as Baldy and Goldie. Baldy was currently attempting to back Goldie into a tough spot. But Goldie wasn¡¯t having that. Goldie didn¡¯t allow Baldy to pin him into a corner where he could fall off of the arena. If he was pushed off the metal platform, it¡¯d be an instant loss. Baldy delivered a beautiful high kick but Goldie turned his body and blocked with both arms up. Goldie responded with two punches which Baldy, too, blocked. It continued like this. They weren¡¯t landing any hits on each other. The battle was at a stagnant, one of them would need to overwhelm the other in order to win. Baldy and Goldie finally broke away from each other and started to circle each other. They were going to change tactics, it would seem. Goldie was the one who charged first this time. He rapidly fired off bullets of earth magic with his left hand and wrapped the bullets with air magic from his right. The air magic increased the speed and piercing power of the bullets. Solid tactic in order to pierce the other¡¯s mana shield, Erebus thought as he watched this unfold. Weryn, too, was watching this with interest. Even though he didn¡¯t say it, his true intention was to gather information on how to use his magic offensively. It¡¯s not like he could ask Erebus, a person who was specialized in magic he could never dream of using. Erebus had helped him with the basics but that was all. He could teach Weryn physically combat. But... Weryn wasn¡¯t really sure if he wanted to spar against Erebus. Oh, didn¡¯t Erebus have other servants? Weryn was coming with him to his castle under Rolut¡¯s request (demand, he wanted to keep eyes on Erebus). Maybe they could teach him physical combat... Weryn snapped himself out of his thoughts. He could worry about that later, right now, he had to focus on learning on how to fight with magic second-hand. Baldy was losing. He wasn¡¯t able to keep up with Goldie¡¯s rapid fire. His magic was too slow to keep up. Goldie finally knocked Baldy off of the arena, the other man fell and landed on the catch net underneath. ¡°Dammit!¡± Badly¡¯s roar of frustration rung throughout the volcano. Chapter Thirty-Two: Close Match Sorry for the delay, here you guys go! Please enjoy Weryn bobbed through the stands that were filled completely for the second day of the tournament. He had arrived a little late because of his mother scolding him for practicing magic inside of the house. Weryn had put a hole in the roof when he tested out the earth and wind bullet from the first battle yesterday. All of the rest had been just as entertaining or even greater. The way they used magic was amazing. The weaker ones supplemented their magic by putting multiple types into one shot. The stronger delivered powerful blows that would make the arena shake a little bit. Yes, it had truly been an amazing time. Master Erebus and other members of the Council had even offered up criticisms. Even though they talked to each other, Weryn was listening in to gain even more insight. Erebus looked up when the young dragon had arrived before closing his eye again. Despite the noise, Erebus still managed to take a nap. Truly commendable, not even Massath could sleep through all of this noise. Instead, the homeless-looking man was staring tiredly at the arena. If any of Erebus¡¯ servants were here, they would have applauded him wholeheartedly. ¡°Master Erebus, aren¡¯t you excited about all of this?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± he answered. Erebus yawned and stretched. Seemed like the kid wouldn¡¯t be letting him sleep any longer. Weryn cast his gaze downward for a moment before directing his attention to the ongoing battle. Erebus, too, was watching the battle with bored yet appraising eyes. He didn¡¯t exactly care about the battle like Weryn did, but it was a temporary fix for his boredom. The individuals fighting right now were far more skilled than the ones previous to them. There wasn¡¯t a single wasted movement or moment of hesitation. Their attacks were decisive. Erebus nodded his head in approval, they were skilled. Judging from their attacks, they had been through countless life-or-death situations. One was a woman with teal hair and tanned skin, her body was lithe and tall. She was facing off against a man with dark red hair cut wildly and a slim, sinewy body. The difference between their skill wasn¡¯t too much. The woman was stronger in terms of magic but the man in pure physical strength. If she hadn¡¯t dodged his attacks with agility, she would¡¯ve been defeated a long time ago. The same thing went for him. The ancient dragon found himself starting to feel the anticipation and excitement that the others were experiencing. This was surprisingly interesting, after all! Every time a spell or fist would miss by a hair¡¯s breadth, Erebus¡¯ fist would tighten. If a fist or spell did land, he restrained himself from cheering with the rest of the crowd. Intense. This battle was intense. Neither party was losing or winning. The woman wiped the sweat from her brow when the two stopped exchanging blows. Then they went at it again, she shot off magic with rapid succession and he managed to destroy it with his fist augmented with mana. The man¡¯s movements were so fluid he looked as if he was dancing. ¡°They¡¯re doing very well, don¡¯t you think, Erebus?¡± Azure asked from next to him. She looked up at him with a playful gleam in her golden eyes. ¡°Indeed, I wasn¡¯t expecting to see people of their quality.¡± It had thoroughly surprised him. He had thought of the Tournament as an annoying, childish game. But they had changed his mind. It was easy to tell that they were taking this very seriously. Azure combed a hand through her hair. ¡°Haha, so you underestimated this festival?¡± Erebus chuckled a little. ¡°I suppose that you could say that about. It¡¯s more entertaining to watch than I had thought.¡± ¡°Eh? Does it make you wanna spar with me?¡± Azure said playfully, nudging him with her elbow. ¡°When was the last time you got to fight a worthy opponent? Huh?¡± Erebus rubbed his chin. ¡°Ah...¡± When Azure saw Erebus was seriously contemplating this, she shook her hands furiously. ¡°No, no, no. I was kidding, that was a joke. I don¡¯t want to fight you, not in the slightest.¡± Weryn turned his head at this. ¡°You two are going to fight?¡± Other members of the Council turned their heads around from the match. ¡°Really? Erebus and Azure are planning on having a spar?¡± Frize asked. The Dragon Councils had never fought each other. The last time one of them had sparred with each other... sheesh, had it already been that long? Time sure does fly. ¡°W-wait,¡± Azure tried to say. Erebus cracked his neck. ¡°I haven¡¯t sparred in a long time. It¡¯ll be fun, right, Azure?¡± Her face was turning paler. ¡°I wasn¡¯t reall--¡± This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°That does sound like it¡¯d be fun,¡± Rolut intervened. ¡°Haha! Perhaps it could be shown in the Tournament. These children will be able to see something interesting.¡± Her opportunity to get out of this was closing. ¡°I-I¡¯m afraid a battle between Erebus and me wouldn¡¯t be too entertaining to watch. Maybe Lisset or someone could fight!¡± Lisset guffawed. Her expression read absolute confusion. ¡°Why are you involving me in this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not very skilled in hand-to-hand combat,¡± Azure laughed, pushing the responsibility onto Lisset. Dragons were rather stubborn creatures. Once they got their minds on something, they wouldn¡¯t stop. Meaning, now that it was out there, it would be impossible for Azure not to fight Erebus. That is unless she volunteered someone else. A dark smile spread across Azure¡¯s face. ¡°Oh, that does make sense.¡± Rolut crossed his arms. ¡°Do that instead!¡± ¡°B-but, Rolut!¡± Lisset cried. She wasn¡¯t confident in her abilities to defeat Erebus. The only way she could possibly win is if they were fighting for real. All the original dragons were more or less equal in power, after all. Unlike Erebus, she did not fight very often. To fight after so many decades of being dormant wouldn¡¯t prove too well for her. That would be a very embarrassing situation to lose in. ¡°Ugh...¡± Lisset groaned. Everyone was looking at her expectantly. ¡°I can¡¯t fight against Erebus in a battle of magic!¡± Her saving grace. Yes, his magic was created for the sole purpose of destroying. It could never be used in a light matter. She couldn¡¯t fight him like that... ¡°I know some other magic,¡± Erebus said. He was getting excited, it had been so long until he¡¯d been able to fight against someone of his caliber. ¡°...¡± Lisset buried her face in her hands, the red curly mass of her hair provided a shield to her face. What was this, why was this happening to her? Even though she knew Erebus was an ultimate slacker, his fighting abilities were top tier. In terms of sheer power, her¡¯s was greater. But Erebus could bridge that gap with his actually skill... She could win but it¡¯d be hard. Very hard. Lisset steeled herself. She could do this! Or at least, the match could end in a draw. While Lisset was having a silent conversation with herself, everyone else had directed their attention back to the battle. For them, the situation was settled, so there wasn¡¯t any need to focus on it. The man and woman were still going at it. Their perseverance was, without a doubt, amazing. Both of them were exhausted but neither gave up. The man attempted to kick her, but she would dodge and start using magic to keep the distance between them. At first glance, she had the advantage. He was clearly specialized in close combat, so if he couldn¡¯t get near her, he couldn¡¯t hit her. But there was a downside to using so much mana. She was using her mana faster than it was regenerating, she¡¯d be incapable of casting magic strong enough to hold him back soon enough. He would use that as his chance. He could win as long as he waited her out. But, that being said, if any of her magic hit him solidly, he would be out. He didn¡¯t have enough energy to stand back up if he was knocked down. If he was down for five seconds, the match would end. He couldn¡¯t let her magic hit him. But that was hard. She had opted for speed rather than power. Though the bolts weren¡¯t extremely powerful, she was firing them off rapidly and in large numbers. The quickness that she was sending the magic at him was starting to exceed his capabilities to keep up. He was too tired to keep blocking for too much longer. This would be a close match. The woman let out a roar of pure desperation and managed to start shooting off her magic even faster. Her opponent started to panic. He couldn¡¯t keep up. He desperately tried to dodge the attacks but he couldn¡¯t. A bolt of magic hit him in the chest. It wasn¡¯t enough to knock him down, but it was enough to break through his defenses. The moment the first hit, the other bolts came, slamming into his body and causing him to fall flat on the ground. The entire stage shook at the impact of him falling. The woman put her hands on her knees as she breathed heavily. ¡°1!¡± the announcer began his countdown. ¡°2!¡± ¡°3!¡± the crowd joined in. The man remained on the ground, struggling to stand. ¡°4!¡± His arms shook and collapsed. ¡°5!¡± ¡°The match has been decided! The winner is Fia!¡± Chapter Thirty-Three: Third Day The highly anticipated third day. If it was even possible, the amount of dragons in the stands grew even more. Yells, shouts, excitement! It was due to the two figures walking out onto the metal platform that was suspended in the air. One was a woman with red hair so vivid it was almost like a living flame, the wild hair surrounded her sharp, impish face. She could have been considered beautiful, but her face was too harsh for that. Even her bright blue eyes had a sharp gleam to them. Her thin lips were pressed into an even thinner line. She wore plain gear, a simple cropped shirt and shorts, her toned stomach was revealed, along with her modest cleavage. The muscles in her thighs flexed as she walked. The aura she radiated could install a fear even in the greatest of warriors. Across from her was a good-looking man. His androgynistic features were alluring, from the fullness of his ruby lips to his long eyelashes. His left eye was covered by a black eyepatch but the other was revealed and a beautiful crimson in color. His cheekbones were high and defined and his skin was smooth and pale. The paleness of his skin stood out starkly against his pitch black hair and attire. A red streak went through his hair and twisted itself through the braid that fell to his chest. His lips were pulled into an arrogant smirk. His aura was similar to the woman¡¯s but far more restrained in its bloodlust. It was similar to a lion stalking its prey. Their names were respectively Lisset and Erebus. ¡°It¡¯s the moment we¡¯ve all been waiting for!¡± the announcer boomed over the loudspeaker. The crowd roared in response. ¡°A battle between the strongest beings on Eirlok, members of the Dragon Council.¡± He took a breath. ¡°Lisset and Erebus!¡± The crowd roared once more, the volcano seemed to shake with the noise. Many were stomping their feet on the ground and clapping their hands as they whooped and shouted. The mana channel inside of the volcano could only be described as excited. It was exuberant as it jolted everyone and roused them even more. ¡°They¡¯re quite loud, aren¡¯t they?¡± Erebus asked Lisset, his smirk growing even larger. The redhead simply glared at him. ¡°What do you expect? They¡¯ve never seen us actually fighting. Not that either of us will be serious, though.¡± ¡°The time limit for this match is twenty minutes! A fast-paced battle, the highlight of this century!¡± the announcer continued in his grandiose voice. They had set a short time limit because Lisset and Erebus could literally fight for days without a winner being declared. So, if none of them won in the time limit, it would obviously be called a draw. Also, they had to continue on with the Tournament, Erebus and Lisset were essentially the opening act. It was probably a bad idea though, seeing as they would undoubtedly outshine the other competitors. The announcer took a deep breath before shouting, ¡°Begin!¡± Everyone leaned forward in their seats, eyes peeled. They couldn¡¯t miss a single thing, this was an excellent opportunity. Lisset raised her hand and pillars of earth shot from the stands, all aimed at Erebus. She planned to win with magic. She wasn¡¯t as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as he was. But since Erebus couldn¡¯t use his magic, she had the advantage on that field. The crowd gasped. Such high-level magic straight out the gate! And she did it so effortlessly. Even though, it didn¡¯t look like much, to command that much earth at once required a staggering amount of mana. Lisset had done so as if it was the simplest thing on the planet. Even though the velocity of the pillars was incredibly, Erebus easily dodged them. He leaped into the air, successfully avoiding the attack. The pillars slammed into each other, cracks forming in the earth. It was enough power to kill a person. But to harm one of the original dragons? Hardly so. ¡°Tch,¡± Lisset clucked her tongue. She pointed her finger upwards and pillars sprouted out of the original ones, all aimed at Erebus who was descending from his jump. Another gasp from the crowd. Splendid execution. Such a flawless attack. Erebus, however, was not amused in the slightest. He swung his leg at the pillars, successfully shattering them. Lisset was expecting this, though, the shards of earth instantly sharpened and once again shot at Erebus. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and activated his magic that sucked up the projectiles. Erebus landed on the platform, completely unharmed. Everyone in the crowd was simply amazed. Such control from both of them! They did such difficult task as if it was nothing. Unbelievable. Was this the power of the original dragons? They weren¡¯t even trying and this only 60% of their original power. Some members of the audience found their bodies shaking in fear a little bit. No one other than the members of the Dragon Council were at this level. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lisset slammed her palms against the platform and metal spikes rose. Erebus, once again, leaped into the air to avoid the attack. The spikes rose even taller, though. This was crazy. She was able to manipulate metal, too. Even among the most accomplished earth mages, only a few were able to use that kind of magic. Even fewer were able to do it without breaking a sweat. A smile pulled at the corners of Lisset¡¯s mouth. She could manipulate stone, dirt, metal, etc (not that she was bragging, of course). Erebus did something that surprised her. He used the spikes as a launching pad to send himself towards her. Lisset instantly raised a barrier to protect herself, but he broke through it. Without wasting a moment, Erebus engaged her in hand-to-hand combat. Shit! Lisset roared in her mind. She needed to get a distance between them once again. Even though it didn¡¯t look like she was struggling to fight Erebus in close combat, she was. His movements were far faster and more refined than her own. She was keeping up purely based on instinct. Lisset really didn¡¯t want one of his attacks to land. She would definitely bruise. Maybe Airyn would heal her, afterwards... Weryn was leaning forward in his seat, clutching the railing. Amazing! His master was amazing. Despite the intensity of the battle, only five minutes had passed. Lisset managed to get Erebus away from her by making the spikes shoot of metal projectiles at him. Of course, the projectiles were weak (enough to kill a normal person) but it was enough to make him draw back. She retracted the spikes back into the ground and smiled at him. It was not a smile, it was a snarl. Lisset looked like an amazon warrior, with her crazy hair and ferocious attacks. Erebus still had a confident aura about him. Neither of them were exactly worried, if anything, they were having fun. Even Erebus! One of Lisset¡¯s spikes had managed to scratch his cheek, drawing blood. When was the last time he had bleed? His blood was boiling. This was incredibly entertaining. They may have been playing around, but at the same time they weren¡¯t joking. Erebus decided to go on the offense. Except for he had charged her, Lisset had been the aggressor. Other than his speciality, Erebus was rather adept at wind magic. Erebus surrounded Lisset with a vortex of cutting, pressurized air. The attack sliced at her tough skin, and bright blood spilled from her injuries. An animalistic smile spread across Lisset¡¯s face. Her reaction to bleeding was the same as Erebus¡¯. With a swipe of her hand, Lisset dispelled Erebus¡¯ magic. It wasn¡¯t hard, he didn¡¯t put a lot of mana into it. Everyone in the crowd was close to crying. This battle was amazing, words were nearly incapable of describing the intensity of it. It moved them to tears. Their technique was beautiful, their magic was flawless. Their movements were precise and filled with malicious intent. Even if this was just a spar, the two took fighting seriously. Even if they didn¡¯t put all their power into it, they were wholly invested in it. They believed a battle should be fought with honor. Even the lazy Erebus had this mindset. Those who risk their lives are to be respected. So, even if he didn¡¯t act like it, Erebus respected the ones he battled in the duration of his life. Lisset and Erebus were exchanging blows at an alarming rate, whenever Erebus would close in for hand-to-hand combat, Lisset would react accordingly. They knew how to adapt quickly in a battle. Nineteen minutes passed with no sign of a winner. Erebus was greatly hindered by his inability to use his specialized magic but it was enough to keep up with Lisset. Even though she technically had the advantage, Erebus was too skilled to be taken down by that. He bridged the gap with quick-thinking and experience. Lisset may have been a powerful opponent but she lacked the same experience Erebus had gained. The last thirty seconds. Everyone was completely silent, not wanting to ruin the moment. Lisset attempted to push Erebus into a corner, but there wasn¡¯t enough time. The same was for Erebus, he couldn¡¯t get close enough to defeat her in close combat. ¡°10!¡± the announcer started his countdown. Lisset and Erebus didn¡¯t slow down, though. Their movements were too quick to keep up with. Erebus was blocking and deflected earth magic and attacking Lisset. ¡°3!¡± ¡°2~¡± Erebus closed in on Lisset. ¡°1!¡± He froze, his hand stretched to knock her off. Lisset smirked at Erebus, her eyes full of laughter. He had come this close to winning. Their match ended in a draw. Chapter Thirty-Four: The Tournament Continues After Erebus¡¯ and Lisset¡¯s match, the day just was not the same. No competitors were able to equal the amount of skill and power shown earlier. The two had set the bar unbelievably high and no one could reach it. So, even though the audience was still excited, it didn¡¯t match the previous roars and shouts. If anything, the reaction (using the term loosely) now could be called docile in comparison to earlier.. Even the jubilant Weryn was hardly focused on the ongoing games. He was too busy recalling the match... his master was unbelievably skilled! He remembered when he naively thought he could reach the level of Erebus. But, during the match, he realized that was impossible. Just like Erebus had told him. Weryn tightened his fist at his sides. He would still become the very best he could ever be. Yes, he wouldn¡¯t let his inability to become that strong hinder any of his progress. Erebus (who, by the way, wasn¡¯t in the best of moods after losing to Lisset) noticed a change in Weryn almost instantly. So did the surrounding dragons, even though the young boy didn¡¯t notice it, his aura had shifted. Confidence. Determination. Rolut smiled softly. The boy displayed so much promise already. To give off such an aura! The focus of everyone else, though, was on the current game occurring. It was definitely designed for wind magic specialist, but if the specialist of other elementals and various types of magic knew how to use their own properly, the playing field would be leveled. In essence, it was designed to weed out all of those who weren¡¯t skilled or proficient enough in magic. They may have called the first and second day the ones designated for picking out the competition; however, the truth was, everyday but the last was made to take out the weaklings. It was due to the fifth¡¯s day event. The ultimate battle royale, the scene of the Tournament shifted to the humungous caldera that Erebus and Weryn had practiced in previously. All of the last twenty-five competitors would fight until there was one left standing. It wasn¡¯t an all out brawl, though. It was the use of knowledge and tactic to defeat their opponent. Those who would attack aimlessly with the intent of knocking out everyone else would quickly lose. Anyway, the current event was one where groups of ten competitors would have to leap in the air and retrieve floating mana balls that were worth certain amounts of points. Blue balls were twenty points, the highest. Green balls were fifteen points. Yellow balls were ten points. Red balls worth five points. Since it wasn¡¯t against the rules or a penalty, they were allowed to steal balls from others and also knock others out of the way of retrieving the balls. Only five would succeed with the highest scores and move onto the next round. Often enough, teams would be formed among the competitors. Some would hand their balls to their ¡®star player¡¯ who would proceed to the next day. They were rather efficient in this way, and nobody cared about the tactics they used to win in the slightest. There were currently one hundred competitors, so there were ten matches in total. By the end of day three, only fifty would be left. The matches were each thirty minutes long. Of course, the games varied, but they were all based on the same points system. The specified colored objects were all worth equal amounts throughout the games. The same conditions, with fewer numbers, applied for the fourth day. Until only twenty-five competitors were left for the battle royale. The current game was the last of the day. And it was intense. The only star player in this match was Fia, the teal-haired beauty was allied with two others. They were hoarding the highest ranking balls, and no one was strong enough to combat all three at once while defending their own stock. The seven others fought amongst each other. Even the crowd wasn¡¯t focused on Fia and her crew but rather the seven who were viciously attacking each other and stealing balls. A man with vivid pink hair with streaks of white and ghostly pale skin was currently dominating the air. With skill, he managed to keep all the others away from him and secure his own spot. He had enough balls that would allow him to scrape into the next round, and he was also stealing the balls from those who would attack him. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Fierce. Two women were battling each other in the air, one was standing on a small pillar of the earth and the other was on a disc of water that resembled a surfboard of some sorts. The one with the earth pillar would jump into the air occasionally and secure a couple balls before falling back down. However, the other woman had noticed this and was now attempting her best to prevent the other from getting any more points. They were firing magic at each other, stealing balls, grabbing balls that floated in the air, all at the same time. Their skill was fearsome, but their magic wasn¡¯t as flawless as Erebus¡¯ and Lisset¡¯s, so the crowd didn¡¯t find them particularly amazing. The other four were engaged in similar activities. It was more of a: this kind of thing is expected, isn¡¯t it? That was the atmosphere coming from the audience as they watched the events unfold. The announcer was the most amazing of them all, in my opinion. He was narrating everything that was happening without missing a single second. He flawlessly switched over between the fighting competitors. His voice containing the same amount of excitement and energy throughout. Not once did his voice crack! As a fellow commentator, my heart is warmed by watching such a magnificent sight. Erebus, however, did not appreciate it. He was currently asleep, his eye closed and head hanging low. Amazing, to be able to fall asleep during such an intense battle. Even the Napping King Massath couldn¡¯t accomplish such a feat. Massath¡¯s eyes were focused on the match, full of sadness. Why had he come here? Why could he not sleep as soundly as Erebus? Why had he come here! Another tragedy played out, Massath¡¯s internal and eternal struggle of resting. Five minutes left in the round. The battle intensifies. The announcer¡¯s voice manages to gather even more energy! A break-through. ¡°Fia is in the lead with a total of twenty blues, nine greens, ten yellows, and five reds! A total of 660 points, amazing!¡± The audience whooped and began to roar once more. The volcano shook as their feet stomped against the ground and they clapped their hands in an erratic rhythm. Erebus cracked open his eye at the noise. Two more minutes. ¡°Currently in second place, Lucas! A total of 590 points! The gap between first and second is immense.¡± Lucas was the pink-haired man. More roaring. It sounded like a stampede of millions of animals was currently passing through. Fia and her group stopped grabbing balls, the other two now surrounded her, prepped to fight in case the others turned and jumped them. ¡°Myra in third place, 545 points!¡± Myra was the water mage. ¡°Lyra in fourth place, 515 points!¡± Ironically enough, the water mage and earth mage were sisters competing to beat each other. ¡°Mayx in fifth place, 490 points!¡± Mayx was a mage specialized in utilizing sound. He was a rather annoying opponent to face. A minute left. The rankings were more or less set in place, the other competitors were too far behind to catch up, but they tried anyway. A desperate struggle was occurring. The top five were attempting to maintain their position while the other three attacked them madly. They had to get to the battle royale! It was the ultimate privilege for any dragon. The winners of the tournament had almost had the same amount of fame as the embers of the Council. Belonging to a rather greedy race, of course they wanted fame, glory, and money. Mostly money. The siren ending the battle blared loudly, accompanied with the endless shouting of the audience, the sound was deafening. Erebus, once again, clamped his hands over his ears and let out a groan of annoyance. Ehm, I would just like to thank everyone who read, followed, favorited, rated, whatever. I know that the amount I have is miniscule compared to others, but it really means a lot to me that there are people out there enjoying my writing. You guys are awesome! God... I''m such a dolt. Chapter Thirty-Five: One More Day Erebus was currently inside of his cave, more specifically, in the large alcove designated as the library. He sat on the edge of the opening, his legs swinging as he read an old book with yellowing, wrinkled pages. The language was that of the dragons. Books were placed haphazardly on the stone shelves, many threatening to fall off. The binds of the books were worn from age, many were wrapped in cloth to preserve the ancient knowledge. Erebus spent a decent quantity of his lifetime reading. All varieties of books littered the shelves. From tall tales of heroes to biological research. He enjoyed all of them equally. The current book he was reading was a very, very old fiction about a hero who united the entire Main Continent. It was full of pathos and melodrama. He read it nonetheless. Its cliche settings didn¡¯t bother him in the slightest, not even the damsel-in-distress love interest. Ah, classical literature. He continued to read in the dim, green light provided by the mana stones. The only sound was coming from the rustling of the pages as he would flip them. Erebus would trace the fading ink with his elegant fingers as he read. A small smile twitched at his lips. He felt as if he had been whisked away into this world. Sadly, his happiness did not last for long. He had to attend the Dragon Tournament. Erebus marked the page he was on and set the book down, he had read it countless times before. But everytime he read it, it felt as if he learned something new. It was beautifully written. He placed the book on the stone and leaped down from the risen alcove. The fourth day of the Tournament was to be starting soon, and Eirlok forbid he was late. Erebus exited his cave, walking leisurely towards the volcano where the Tournament was held. Below the cliff he walked on, a river of lava was flowing smoothly. The brilliant red liquid rarely cooled down enough in the Dragon Continent to the point where it would solidify. Small dragons played with each other in the liquid, they would splash each other before lifting up in the sky, giggling. Then they would descend again into the lava. It was a rather adorable sight. Alas, Erebus completely ignored it. He continued to stride without batting a single eyelash at the heart-warming scene. Within minutes, the Dragon Tournament¡¯s volcano was within his sight. Erebus quickened his pace. A long line was formed at the volcano, dragons in the human forms were climbing the steps that would lead them up and over into the seating area. Lucky for Erebus, he was a member of the Council. The Council received their own special staircase where not a single soul walked. Erebus ascended the thousands of stairs without breaking a sweat or growing tired. He did so in a painfully short amount of time. Erebus then descended the steps that lead to the private seating for the Council. He took his seat between Weryn and Azure, who both greeted him in their respective ways. ¡°Good morning, Master!¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m surprised a bum like you managed to wake up early so many consecutive days.¡± Erebus, needless to say, only responded to Weryn¡¯s greeting with his own. Azure smirked at this and leaned back in her seat, satisfied. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the fourth day of the Dragon Tournament!¡± Shouts and whoops, the announcer allowed them to finish before saying, ¡°The first game occurring today is Snatch!¡± The crowd once again went wild, without even knowing the details of the game. They didn¡¯t really care, though, everything was so exciting! The announcer waited till they quieted down. ¡°The rules are as followed: Every contestant will start off with the amount of points that they earned yesterday. The contestants are wearing plates on their bodies, where every time it gets hit, they will lose twenty points! ¡°The match time is twenty minutes. Begin!¡± The announcer stopped speaking, but his voice continued to ring throughout the entire volcano. His words were followed by shouts and calls of exhilaration. Contestants that were had seen before in this round were: Lucas, Tye (formerly known as Blondie), and Myra. Similar to yesterday, each group had ten people. And five would not pass. Since there were fifty competitors left, there would be five different rounds. Only twenty-five would move on to fight in the battle royale. In this match, Lucas was favored to win. He was incredibly adept in keeping his enemies away from him and keep any magic from hitting him. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Since he knew this, the ghastly man smiled cruelly. All he had to do is keep the others away from him and lower their points so that he would have the highest. For the first few seconds of the match, the opponents all appraised each other. They weren¡¯t allowed to watch the other matches, so they didn¡¯t know what they were up against and couldn¡¯t prepare in advance. And it was also against the rules to gather information on their opponents. The match was completely random. The first to charge was a dragon with shimmery blue-green hair and vibrant lavender eyes. Her skin was tinted slightly by a yellow color. Other than her extravagant coloring, she was average in every way. Her name was Jura, and she was able to manipulate gravity. As amazing as the skill sounded, she couldn¡¯t manipulate it very much. She could only increase it or decrease the force by a small amount. Still, it was a rather helpful skill in combat. She could weigh her opponent down so that their movements were extremely slow, or she could cause them to float in the air, rendering them incapable of fighting. The dragon she charged was Chelse, a female dragon with a cherubic face but deadly skill. Chelse had come in first place for her match on the third day. Jura had a vengeance against Chelse because she came in second. The two clashed. Chelse grew vines from her palm that shot out at Jura, hoping to entrap her and cease her movements. Jura narrowly dodged the vines and continued to run at Chelse. Since those two had engaged each other, the rest of the competitors began to fight each other. Lucas versus Tye. Tye began to utilize his specialized magic which he hadn¡¯t use in his battle against Xalor (Baldy). His speciality was earth magic, stone, to be more specific. Lucas blocked the attacks deftly and sent his own blades of compressed air at Tye. If any were to touch the blonde man, he¡¯d surely be gravely injured. He would need instant medical attention, thus, disqualifying him from continuing. This damn freak is trying to kill me! Tye thought as he barely avoided the near fatal attacks. On another side of the huge platform, it was two versus one. Myra was currently handling two people who had teamed up against her. Lagios and Saphira, two fire mages. Myra attempted to fend them off desperately, but it was hard. She wasn¡¯t nearly as skilled or proficient in water magic as Azure. After all, Azure¡¯s magic was technically called [Lost Magic: Ruler of the Water]. Myra, however, received assistance from a righteous man by the name of Deneth. He was a fresh-faced newbie in the Tournament. The others had competed at least once before, but not made it to the battle royale. There were two others fighting each other, but their battle was not nearly as extravagant as the other¡¯s. Jura and Chelse were combatting each other with the best magic out of them all. Their execution was near perfect, and struck awe into the audience. These two were amazing! Not far behind Jura and Chelse, in terms of skill, was Lucas. Lucas had managed to scrape Tye, but it wasn¡¯t enough to incapacitate him. Tye was bleeding from multiple minor cuts, yet he wasn¡¯t disheartened. Lucas, unlike everyone else in the round, had managed to not be hit in one of his plates. He had the highest points out of them all. The air mage smirked and chuckled to himself quietly. These idiots had uselessly charged each other, but the best option was defense! Not offense. As long as you managed to keep your points, you would inevitably make it. Since it was only possible to lose points and not gain points, the wisest strategy was to maintain your original points. They were all so focused on fighting each other, they had forgotten about the main objective. The members of the Council had also noticed this. They were watching, their eyes full of laughter. The competitors had just made it harder on themselves by fighting and losing points. Lucas¡¯ strategy was the best out of them all. He didn¡¯t put himself in any danger, and as long as he was able to protect himself, he would pass. Thus, when the time ended, Lucas was in the first place. Followed by Chelse, Deneth, Saphira, and Jura, who barely managed to beat Myra in terms of points. On a side note, Erebus had slept through the entire match. Chapter Thirty-Six: Battle Royale Inside a large caldera, twenty-five people were standing side by side. Their backs ramrod straight and their heads held The mana channel was one of electrifying intensity. You could almost feel the pressure being exerted. On the field, two members of the Dragon Council stood. Erebus and Massath were the ¡®referees¡¯ of the match. Since the battle royale tended (always) to get too violent to the point where the participants lives were in danger, they were there to regulate any danger. A lot of competitors would actually try to kill each other in this match. Even with two members of the Dragon Council watching extremely closely, they thought they could get away with it. Erebus had been chosen as a referee because Rolut thought it was the perfect opportunity to put him to work. The announcer was also standing in the caldera, behind Erebus and Greur of course. He was a tall and skinny man with extremely spiky hair. He wore annoyingly sunglasses over his eyes. ¡°Ehm~¡± the announcer started. ¡°In less than a minute, the battle royale will be starting! Is everybody ready?¡± The crowd thundered in response. ¡°Then, competitors to your spots!¡± All of the members of the battle royale spread out as they were told to earlier. ¡°3,2,1, begin!¡± the announcer shouted when they were all in their proper places. Almost instantly, they all released magic that would be equivalent to King ranked. Superb, to achieve such power within seconds. The dragons truly put the other races to shame. Everyone had opted to use magic, seeing as close combat wouldn¡¯t be as efficient in reducing the numbers within the three hour time limit. Erebus and Massath raised a barrier in front of themselves to block the debris that came from the colliding powers. In the battle royale, it was expected that you go all out. If you didn¡¯t, well, it¡¯d just be boring to watch. The announcer was practically bursting at the seams as he explained everything that was going on. How he was able to see everything from his position was a mystery to the world. ¡°Fia has currently engaged the ice mage Misr! Two ice magic specialists going at it! Amazing, they¡¯re absolutely amazing! What do you think, Lord Erebus?¡± Erebus made a complicated expression. Why was he getting involved in this? He wasn¡¯t a commentator... Well, they had warned him about this. ¡°Their magic is rough still. The timing could be planned better and they¡¯re wasting energy on casting grand-looking magic when, in reality, it¡¯s just simple spells,¡± Erebus answered monotonously, his voice was amplified by the announcer¡¯s magic. The crowd grew silent. ¡°Uh...¡± The announcer was unsure how to bounce back. What a mood-killer. Was this Erebus¡¯ ultimate technique? ¡°What he meant was that even though they¡¯re still immature, their magic is still rather impressive,¡± Greur laughed, sending a glare at Erebus. Damn fool! Learn how to read the atmosphere. ¡°O-oh! Of course! Their magic even manages to impress members of the Dragon Council!¡± The audience once again went wild. A crash was avoided! The announcer made the mental decision not to ask for Erebus¡¯ input anymore. That would be a dangerous situation. Fia, upon hearing Erebus¡¯ critique, was embarrassed. She was being showy on purpose, but for him to call it out like that. Ah! Her face was turning red. How dare he embarrass her... Fia raged silently as she continued to battle her opponent. Erebus watched the battle without paying much attention, there was about an hour left. But everything seemed bleak to him. He honestly could care less now... Ah, he really wished someone would go out of control so that he could have some fun. Rolut told him he wasn¡¯t allowed to kill them, but making them permanently unable to fight was completely fine, right? Right? As long as they were alive. Erebus grinned viciously. That¡¯s right, children. Let the bloodlust take control, I¡¯m so bored... haha. Greur conspicuously kicked Erebus in the side. Erebus was currently sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and head resting on his hand. Erebus tilted over slightly when Greur kicked him. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Stand up,¡± Greur whispered. No matter how boring Erebus thought it was, it wasn¡¯t like he could just sit there on the ground! He was tarnishing the Dragon Council¡¯s pristine reputation. ¡°Eh~ no way, I¡¯m barely managing to stay awake. No way am I going to stand up.¡± Greur smiled tightly. ¡°Get the hell up before I destroy all the precious books in your cave.¡± With record-setting speed, Erebus was back up on his feet. No. Azure had already eaten his beloved mana stones so many years again. Now his books were in danger? What was this abuse he was receiving? ¡°Look, it¡¯s starting already.¡± Greur pointed to Lucas who was fighting a black-haired woman. ¡°I can feel their killing intent from here.¡± He was right. The two were undoubtedly aiming to kill each other, the magic was no longer being restrained in its strength. The bloodlust that resided deep within the dragons had awoken upon the extremely intense fighting. For some reason, during the battle royale, the killing intent they had would always come out. They had managed to keep it reigned for the other days, but on the royale, the concentration always broke. Dragons were competitive, greedy, and battle-oriented. The three didn¡¯t blend very well, especially when this was the final battle and only one would win the grand prizes. Sure, there was third and second place, but the rewards were of a much smaller scale that wasn¡¯t nearly enticing as first. So, when the opponents they were fighting grew tougher, they became blinded by this greed. This was it. They had to win now or else they would lose anything. With a mindset like that, they quickly lost their control. Greur sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll let you handle it.¡± Erebus was practically shaking with excitement. Finally! It had taken them long enough. ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± Erebus smirked, he bent down into a runners position, ready to bolt through all of the fighting going on between the others. ¡°Lucas and Urith have violated the rules of the Tournament! They are attacking each other with killing intent. Lord Erebus will be dealing with them,¡± the announcer told everyone. Erebus pushed off from the ground, a sonic boom was created and a depression had formed from where his feet had been. The other contestants leaped out of the way of the blur that was Erebus, he had crossed the diameter of the caldera in a matter of seconds. If they were to get hit by an object moving at that speed, the results would be disastrous. As much as they¡¯d like to see Erebus¡¯ skill, they still had to fight in order to win! Erebus leaped into the air, creating another depression in the earth. Erebus grabbed Urith by the leg and threw her into the ground. When her body collided with the solid earth, a sizeable crater was formed inside the caldera. The woman hacked up blood and rolled onto her side, clutching her body in agony. Painful. Everything hurt, her ears were ringing and she had double vision. Her head had hit the ground extremely hard. She was sure a couple bones had broken, too... That being said, it had snapped her out of her blind fury. Lucas was next. The air mage recklessly attacked Erebus, who dodged his attacks. A smirk still engraved on his face. Erebus used his own air magic to propel himself forward and grabbed Lucas¡¯ face with his hand. The two flew downwards after gliding in the air for a couple meters. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t die,¡± Erebus reassured Lucas, tightening his grip on the man¡¯s face. The two began to fall towards ground. Erebus slammed Lucas¡¯ head into the ground, creating another crater. Lucas was knocked out upon impact. Erebus stood up and dusted his clothing off. Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t have taken them by surprise, the result was rather boring. He sighed and made his way back over towards Greur, only a little less than an hour left in this hellhole. Chapter Thirty-Seven: Castle In Distress Back on the Main Continent, Erebus¡¯ castle was experiencing a little bit of trouble. To say a little bit would be an understatement. Lilian had miscalculated. She had wrongfully believed that the humans wouldn¡¯t bother them anymore. But she had overlooked multiple aspects, her master¡¯s leaving had stressed her out so much that she neglected to carefully look over the treaty that had been signed. The treaty only stated that the Quester¡¯s Guild would no longer interfere with the Demon Lord. But it did not state that the Milon Kingdom¡¯s Royal Army wouldn¡¯t team up with the Eururia Empire¡¯s Holy Army to subjugate the Demon Lord. It also did not state that Quester¡¯s couldn¡¯t join in the Royal Expedition to conquer the evil Demon Lord. As long as it wasn¡¯t a Quest, they could join in. Meaning if they were hired as a mercenary, not a Quester, it was a legal move. Lilian wrung her hands nervously as she paced the throne room. Tear, Magnus, Stone, and Vyne were all standing there, too. ¡°To think the humans would be so sneaky,¡± Magnus said, crossing his arms. His six eyes squinted in annoyance. ¡°To do such a thing while our master is away.¡± ¡°We must deal with them before Lord Erebus comes back!¡± Tear cried. She could only imagine the disappointed expression that would be on his face. Wait, that might actually be good. Lilian ran her hands through her hair and let out a groan. ¡°They amassed 10,000 troops! 10,000! To subjugate one Demon Lord.¡± ¡°Their numbers won¡¯t be too difficult as long as we--¡± Vyne attempted to say. ¡°Not too difficult? Are you kidding me!¡± Lilian collapsed to the ground. Her cold exterior had completely vanished, creating an entirely different character. ¡°There are five of us. There are 10,000 of them. Our mana isn¡¯t endless! We are not all-powerful like Lord Erebus,¡± she wailed, curling into the fetal position. ¡°This is a disaster.¡± Stone shook his head, stretching out a hand. ¡°Do not fret, Lilian. Your necromancy combined with the defensive unit of our castle should be enough.¡± Lilian snorted. ¡°You only have a couple hundred Lower Terror to Epic ranked soldiers. The strongest I can summon is equivalent to Demon rank. Anything more than that would cost me way too much mana to use any other magic.¡± ¡°How many can you summon to fight?¡± Vyne asked. The rabbit-eared woman closed her eyes in thought. ¡°Around one hundred Demon rank, two hundred Epic. So on and so forth. That¡¯s as much as I can control at once.¡± Tear said, ¡°We should have a couple hundred or so over one thousand troops in total, correct?¡± Vyne nodded. ¡°That¡¯s still a huge gap in manpower. Why on Eirlok did they gather such a large force?¡± Magnus questioned. The others paused in thought. They had no idea, either. The humans would normally send a much larger amount. Was it due to their recent failures with Yvick and their last attempts on Erebus? ¡°They want us to suffer crushing defeat, probably,¡± Vyne offered. ¡°They want us to be completely overwhelmed.¡± ¡°I see, that does make sense. The humans do have a taste for dramatics, after all,¡± Lilian said, regaining her composure. She wasn¡¯t fooling anyone there, though. They had all seen her true self. ¡°The troops will be here in an hour, I will get to work on summoning the undead to fight. Magnus and Stone, gather your troops, too.¡± Magnus and Stone nodded and left the throne room. Lilian took a deep breath. She needed to calm down and get to summoning. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving then,¡± Lilian said and began to head for the outside of the castle. A curious Vyne and Tear followed, they had never seen Lilian¡¯s necromancy before. And, also, unlike everyone else, they didn¡¯t have anything to prepare for at all. Lilian completely ignored their presence, she had to focus on her job. They all exited the castle, which was in the middle of a vast grassland. The castle was located on the opposite side of the mountains surrounding the Milon Kingdom. The necromancer pulled out the black rod that she typically carried in her pocket, she whispered words in an unknown language and the rod extended until it was about four feet long. Swirling red mana in a wisp-like form solidified into an orb. Black finger-like structures grew out of the rod and grasped the mana orb tightly. Lilan continued to speak in the strange language, ¡°Haliphi zu Uninos. Walio Qi Persi uni! Fier zu est.¡± Awaken from your slumber. Slaughter all! You are my servant. As soon as she finished her incantation spoken in the language that only necromancers knew, hundreds of mana circles appeared on the grassy plains. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Oo...¡± Tear gasped in awe as bodies began to rise up out of the ground. Skeletal Knights, Skeletal Lancers, Skeletal Beserkers, Zombies, Liches, Ghouls, Wraiths, Shadows... All of varying strength. Lilian was capable of summoning a very wide variety of undead, showing her prowess as a necromancer. She currently had her eyes squeezed shut, the red orb was glowing brightly and pulsating. A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Lilian¡¯s forehead. The amount of mana needed to summon this many undead was, give or take, equivalent to two Myth ranked spells. Vyne and Tear clapped when Lilian finally finished. The woman dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. She hadn¡¯t used this much mana in such a long time so her body wasn¡¯t completely prepared to handle it all. Lilian finally caught her breath. ¡°They will obey the mental commands I issued. This is about all I can contribute, I can cast some other magic but... if I exhaust too much, my soldiers will turn on me.¡± Vyne and Tear nodded. ¡°We understand.¡± ¡°Then, you two speak with Magnus and Stone. Tell them that they will provide the frontline troops. The armies will go through them pretty quickly, but it will expend their energy, nonetheless.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Tear said and walked back inside. A few minutes passed before Magnus¡¯ and Stone¡¯s small army of Lesser Terror to Terror ranked monsters filed out of the castle. Lilian¡¯s undead army parted to the side as the troops progressed. Then they fell back into place. ¡°Phew...¡± Lilian closed her eyes and activated [Vision Magic: Seeing Eye]. In her mind, the image of the enemy troops approaching appeared. ¡°They¡¯re exiting the forest that leads into this grassland... they¡¯ll be here in less than twenty minutes at the rate they¡¯re moving.¡± She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted in a loud voice amplified by magic, ¡°Prepare for enemies! They will be here in less than twenty minutes! Slaughter them, leave not one alive!¡± She took a breath. ¡°We will protect this fortress.¡± The undead army and low ranked monsters all cheered and whooped with excitement. Lilian turned to Tear, Stone, Vyne, and Magnus who had appeared behind her. ¡°I will command the outer defense. I know this is normally your job Stone and Magnus but...¡± ¡°We understand,¡± the brothers said. They weren¡¯t trained to deal with such large numbers, and their job was never to kill any intruders. ¡°Then, you guys will stay inside and deal with any who manage to pass through. I will be unable to stop them.¡± The four nodded and headed back inside. Twenty minutes passed rapidly. Even though Lilian was standing there doing virtually nothing, her mind was focusing and she was collecting mana inside of her body steadily. When the troops arrived, Lilian spoke with no emotion, ¡°Attack. Don¡¯t allow them to prepare, and we will certainly not parley.¡± She pointed her finger towards the men in shining armor, freshly polished. They held the flags of the empires in their hands. ¡°Go!¡± Lilian didn¡¯t have much faith in her forces actually being able to kill them all, but she was sure a substantial amount of lives would be taken from their side. Enough to where they could handle it all. Her army obeyed, they surged forward like a tidal wave and crashed down on the Milon, Ereruia, and mercenaries (Questers). The opposing side responded accordingly. Their mages instantly began to prep Myth class magic and their warriors fought valiantly. Liches, too, began to prep powerful magic. It took more of them to start the casting, though. The sound of clanging swords, shouts and roars from warriors could be heard in the open space. Lilian watched the scene carefully. Magnus¡¯ and Stone¡¯s minions kept the vanguard preoccupied, allowing the powerful undead to sneak through. She was preserving her mana until it would be needed. They could possibly win this, she thought to herself. No! They will win this. Failure will not be tolerated. Lilian clenched her hands into fist. Lord Erebus will never find out what occurred here. I will undoubtedly cuddle Lord Erebus dolls after this! I will not fail. ¡°Do not relent on your onslaught!¡± Lilian thundered. Her charisma was amazing. Her troops began to fight even harder. Everything was going damn near perfectly until... Two figures dropped from the air. A young boy with magenta hair was clinging onto a familiar white-skinned man, the young boy was holding on for dear life. The two landed on the ground. Erebus stood up slowly. Weryn looked as if he was ready to upchuck. ¡°What in Eirlok is this?¡± Chapter Thirty-Eight: I Leave For One Second And... An hour before Erebus¡¯ castle would be attacked by the human forces, across the world on the Dragon Continent, Erebus watched the winners of the Dragon Tournament be crowned. First Place: Fia Second Place: Jura Third Place: Lang, a dragon with the appearance of an elderly man. As soon as the drawn-out ceremony was over, Erebus high-tailed out of there. No way was he staying any longer than he needed to. Absolutely no way! Weryn quickly followed his teacher, if he fell behind now, Erebus would leave him without batting a single eyelash. ¡°W-where are we going!¡± Weryn gasped, his tiny legs struggling to keep up with Erebus¡¯ long-legged gait. ¡°Home,¡± was his curt response. The other members of the Dragon Council watched the two rapidly exiting the vicinity. Rolut laughed a little and shook his head. Always so eager to leave, it was almost as if Erebus hated being here. ¡°Weryn, how fast can you fly?¡± Erebus asked after they had practically sprinted/walked away, the caldera far in the distance. ¡°M-me? I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never flown very far and I¡¯ve never needed to fly very fast either...¡± Erebus sighed heavily. ¡°When I transform, climb onto my head and hold on for dear life. If you fall, I¡¯m not catching you.¡± W-wait, isn¡¯t that a little dangerous? Weryn cried out in his mind but dared not to speak it out loud. ¡°Then, here we go!¡± His body went through the transformation until a dragon with a muscular body and thick, black scales that absorbed the light. A single streak of crimson trailed from the tip of its mouth to the end of its wide tail. Its long, elegant neck bent down so that the top of its crested head would be possible to reach if one climbed on top of its nose and to the crown of his head. Weryn couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp of amazement. Erebus¡¯ dragon form was truly beautiful, it exuded an air of superiority. Erebus mismatched eyes glared at Weryn. ¡°Hurry up,¡± he hissed, he would fly away if the brat didn¡¯t climb on faster. ¡°S-sorry!¡± Weryn stammered before scrambling up onto Erebus¡¯ head. He had absolutely no idea what to hold onto, as Erebus didn¡¯t even have horns. Maybe the bony ridge that surrounded his head... Ah, that looked so very uncomfortable. ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Erebus said without checking, or caring if Weryn had secured a position and lifted off into the sky and flew off. ¡°Woah!¡± Weryn shrieked in terror, his body whipped backward, but in a desperate move he grabbed the small space underneath Erebus¡¯ scales. Erebus made an uncomfortable sound. ¡°Watch where you grab.¡± Tsk, like you have any right to complain, Weryn thought as the wind blasted his face. He was holding on for dear life. He tried to pull himself forward, but with his minimal body strength and the power of the wind, it was an unsuccessful attempt. Weryn could feel the sharp scale cutting into his skin, it would pierce the layers soon and he would begin to bleed. That didn¡¯t daunt the young dragon, though. He¡¯d rather have minor bleeding than to be dead. Weryn couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. He let out a scream of pure terror, he continued to scream until his throat became dry and raspy, incapable of producing any substantial noise. Everything was appearing and disappearing fast. The clouds would blur his vision and dampen his skin for a millisecond. The air whipped past his face, causing his eyes to sting and tear up. Terrible. This was terrible. And Erebus was completely ignoring him! He wanted to go home. He wanted to cuddle up under his mother¡¯s warm wing and have her sing a lullaby to him. ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon,¡± Erebus explained to the frightened Weryn. Weryn made a pitiful sound, ¡°Uu~¡± Erebus sighed in annoyance, but he slowed down enough so that Weryn would not continue the traumatizing experience. Erebus moved at a leisurely pace, gliding through the skies. His castle was visible far in the horizon. He cast his gaze downwards. ¡°What in the world is that?¡± he questioned, a large army was moving through the trees. If it wasn¡¯t for his amazing vision, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see it through the tree¡¯s foliage. Well, not that he cared about the affairs of humans very much. Still... it was a pretty large amount. And it was rather close to his castle. Erebus laughed silently to himself. What was he fretting for? Lilian had dealt with the situation of the humans attacking his castle. He continue to glide on leisurely. Wow... they really seemed to be heading in the direction of his castle, Erebus thought with a sinking feeling. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Weryn asked he was now sitting upright. At the speed Erebus was moving, he could stand if he wanted to and still be okay. ¡°Bad premonition,¡± Erebus groaned. Weryn tilted his tiny head, the magenta hair fell into his adorable face. What was Erebus talking about? Better yet, where were they headed? What was that green stuff, was that grass? Were those tall things trees? Water? Why, that looks just like a river of lava. They didn¡¯t have this type of stuff in the Dragon Continent! Now that Erebus had slowed down he could clearly see the surroundings. This was amazing! ¡°Ugh... nuisances,¡± Erebus muttered. He stopped flying and kept himself afloat in the air, watching the movements of the army. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to find something out,¡± Erebus said. He watched as the army exited the forest and began to cross the grassland that would lead to his castle. He moved forward so that he could still see. And what he saw wasn¡¯t pretty. Another army, though it was extremely paltry compared to the white knights, began to attack. Erebus watched the battle unfold... He knew exactly whose army it was. It was Lilian¡¯s undead and Stone and Magnus¡¯ minions. He groaned. ¡°We¡¯re going to deal with this,¡± Erebus said, shooting forward suddenly. Weryn shrieked and once more grabbed onto the scales of Erebus. Erebus transformed into a human while in the middle of the air, and the two shot down to the ground at an alarming rate. Weryn groaned and buried his face into Erebus¡¯ jacket. He was ready to puke... ugh, this was terrible. The ancient dragon fell down a few yards away from Lilian, who had been too focused on her battle to notice Erebus flying in the sky. She hadn¡¯t even seen him coming with her magic because he was moving too fast at the time. Erebus straightened out and said in a cold voice, ¡°What in Eirlok is this?¡± Lilian¡¯s face paled and she tightened her grip on her staff. ¡°T-that is, uh, the humans tricked us, Lord Erebus.¡± She fell onto one knee and bowed her head. ¡°I apologize, I didn¡¯t foresee this occurring.¡± Erebus narrowed his eyes at her, while Weryn stared at her in wonder. Who was this pretty girl with strange things sticking out of her head. Rabbit ears? He had only heard about those in legends. Was she a member of the beastman race his mother had told him about? ¡°I¡¯m truly apologetic,¡± Lilian said, her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. The battle continued on, the humans were slowly pushing the undead back, as Stone and Magnus¡¯ minions had all been killed now. The human mages had released Myth ranked magic multiple times, but luckily the undead had high magical resistance, so it wasn¡¯t enough to kill them. Erebus sighed heavily. ¡°Weryn, time for a test on what you learned.¡± The young dragon¡¯s head snapped up. Oh no. Oh no, no, no. ¡°Master Erebus, you don¡¯t mean...¡± Erebus snorted. ¡°Just cast a couple spells on the humans, I want to see how effective your magic is. It¡¯s not like you have to kill them all, I will deal with that.¡± Weryn tightened his fist. Using his magic to kill? To harm others? He had always wanted to fight in glory, but now when placed in the situation, he was afraid. Weryn was afraid of taking a life. In human measurement, the boy was only six or seven. He wasn¡¯t mentally capable of doing such a thing yet. Erebus gazed at the child coolly, perhaps he was asking too much of the child at the moment. He could tell by the look of terror that had filled Weryn¡¯s eyes. He sighed and shook his head. ¡°Nevermind, I will deal with it.¡± It wasn¡¯t Weryn¡¯s time, at least, not yet. ¡°T-thank you, Master Erebus.¡± Erebus waved his hand as if shooing the gratitude away. ¡°Lilian, protect him. If he is so much as scratched by a stray rock, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Lilian bowed quickly and muttered her acceptance. It wasn¡¯t like Erebus was so protective over Weryn, it was just that he didn¡¯t want to be scolded by the motherly Ayirn. Without a doubt, that woman would know. Erebus let out a breath and continued, ¡°Send your undead back for now, Lilian. Frankly, they¡¯re in the way.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Erebus,¡± Lilian said. She outstretched her staff and magic circles appeared beneath the undead and the creatures sunk back into the ground. Erebus turned towards the very confused army of humans, his face donning its frightful blankness. ¡°Let¡¯s begin then, shall we?¡± Chapter Thirty-Nine: Battlefield Warning: This chapter is somewhat on the darker side. Not really. My friend told me it was, though. I think that she''s weak, to be honest. Confusion among the ranks. The human army was confused as to what happened. The enemies they had been fighting disappeared completely. Only three figures stood not too far off in the distance. Had they surrendered? Was that what happened? "Do not be confused! Our duty is to kill the evil Demon Lord!" the commander shouted in a booming voice. He slammed his lance into the ground. "Onwards!" The army roared and began to charge towards Erebus, Weryn, and Lilian. Erebus completely ignored the incoming army. Tear, Magnus, Vyne, and Stone, get out here this instant. Four voices responded in the affirmative. Their master was back! Their hearts were singing with complete and absolute joy. When the four servants came out. Erebus didn''t hesitate to command them, "We five will be fighting all of them." He pointed to the army that would be on them soon. "Yes!" Tear cried, raising up her bow and began to fire off her infamous mana arrows. "Keep Weryn safe, Lilian," Erebus told her grimly. Lilian pulled the small child close to her, then she raised up a simple mana barrier. It would be enough to keep any stray magical attacks from hitting them, thus securing her life. The three demons flapped their wings. Standing tall with a new found confidence. Stone and Magnus held a pike and mace respectively. Vyne¡¯s weapon materialized in his hand. ¡°For Lord Erebus!¡± they cried and charged forward. Stone impaling enemies on his pike, Magnus destroying bones with a swing of his mighty arm, Vyne slicing through their bodies and armor as if it were nothing. Weryn couldn¡¯t help but watch them progress in complete awe. A bloody spray surrounded them and corpses littered their feet. They continued to move forward slowly, very slowly. Crimson seeped into the bright green grass. Dead, mutilated bodies would rise up and attack their previous comrades because of Lilian who was casting her magic on the sidelines while protecting Weryn. Since the lower-class zombies weren¡¯t extremely difficult to control or summon, she was able to hold the barrier and resurrect them with little to no difficulty. The zombies were a revolting sight. If their bodies had been cut in half, the pieces would inch back together and fuse together. In the area where the bodies had fused back together, the skin would bubble up then pop, pus would ooze from the blister-like bubbles. If they were headless, some would either fuse back together or simply carry their head. Disgusting, blood still dripped from their wounds and their skin turned papery and a filthy shade of gray. All of them had a certain rancid scent to them, even though they had just died recently. Tear was still firing indiscriminately, so sometimes her arrows would pierce the zombies. She miraculously managed to not hit Stone, Magnus, or Vyne. Erebus, too, drew the sword that had appeared on his hip when he transformed into a human. Normally he would fight with his [Lost Magic: Void], but where was the fun in that? He had a little less than 10,000 playtoys. Why spoil the enjoyment now! A brutal, blood-hungry smile appeared on Erebus¡¯ face. His spar with Lisset the other day had been invigorating, a perfect warm-up to face the army of humans. Erebus ran into the fray, going completely off on his own. He moved with the sword as if he was dancing, his movements were so fluid and elegant. If the other soldiers weren¡¯t too busy trying to kill him, they, too, would admire his beautiful swordsmanship. Alas, such a thing was not possible. How could a treacherous man who was slaughtering their comrades be a person worthy of their praise? ¡°Whew...¡± Erebus let out a breath as he swung his sword again. He was surrounded by enemies on all sides. Erebus was slightly exhausted since he had flown full-speed to his castle and now was engaged in a strenuous physical activity. A small sheen of sweat dare appear on his pristine forehead. The humans weren¡¯t as easy to kill as they normally were. He had to fight multiple enemies at one time and the sword was not his specialty. It was a surprisingly difficult task for him. But Erebus enjoyed the struggle (it didn¡¯t look like he was struggling in the slightest) because he had more or less always easily defeated his enemies. This was a truly electrifying experience. He could feel the excitement welling up inside of his body, he was enjoying himself. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The battlefield was his home. The blood was his solace. The corpses were his motivation. The chaos was his sinful bliss. Yes, the true habitat of the dragon kind! A race born to fight, born to kill, born to be superior. Delight and Carnage walked hand in hand. As if the two had just finished a dreadful wedding and were forever bonded in time. Another swing of his sword. Another life taken. Erebus continued to mow down his opponents, the same for his servants. The humans felt a great fear. They weren¡¯t necessarily losing at the moment, but neither were they winning. In terms of numbers, they clearly had the advantage over Erebus and co. Yet, why on Eirlok was this happening? A man watched as his comrade next to him lost his head with a spurt of blood and fell to the ground. Only to shudder violently and stand up again. His fallen comrade bit into the man¡¯s neck. Tearing the skin away, ripping at the muscle. The man screamed in agony before his life¡¯s candle flickered and went out. Another life lost. Tear¡¯s arrow impaled a man between the eyes. Another life lost. And another, more, more, and more! Erebus didn¡¯t bother to wipe the blood off of his face. He was a bloody visage of beauty. His aura had changed completely, lost was the air of uselessness, lost was the air of confidence. This was the aura of a killer. A killer whose face would smirk cruelly before fading into a stony mask of blankness. Even Weryn, tens of meters away, felt fear instill itself into his very being. Was this what he was destined for? He felt scared, sick, yet very eager. The dragon blood that flowed through his veins was awakening. The thick, metallic scent of spilled blood in the air tickled his nose and created the strangest sense of serenity. His heart beat to a tune of fear and peace. How he wanted to join! How he wanted to revel in the gory sport and dance in the crimson liquid. Two dragons found euphoria in death. It intoxicated them. A vicious race. A violent race. A fearsome race. Weryn clutched his throbbing heart and continued to watch them fight. With the arrival of Erebus, their victory was certain. Not only because of his unimaginable power, but because of the motivation he provided his servants. They fought even harder than they normally would have. They pushed themselves extremely hard, to the point of collapsing. But they did not stop. They did not relent on their onslaught. Humans continued to fall and rise. Some of the more powerful ones proved to be difficult, but since their opponents were not humans, they had a natural advantage that allowed them to defeat them. The humans were the weakest race. Their strength was in their number, seeing as it exceeded the number of all of the other races. Hope and morale were plummeting rapidly. Their commander was currently facing off against Vyne. And Vyne does not fight (never even thought of it) fairly. Unlike the other races, who did believe in honor, the demons could care less about such a thing. They would use whatever underhanded trick necessary in order to win. So he did. He utilized his [Illusion Creator ] to use against the commander. Since the man had a rather high magic resistance, it didn¡¯t provide all of the effects he wanted, but it was still enough to hinder the commander greatly. Currently, he was using his magic to create multiple projections of himself. The commander could not tell which one was real, seeing as they were all solid. To a bystander, it would look like he was swinging madly at the air. The multiple Vyne¡¯s would all strike at once, all their swords piercing his body. His blood seemed to drain from multiple gashes, but in truth, there was only one. He looked around wildly. He could hear voices, so many voices. His wife? His son and daughter? Why were they here? They were crying for him, screaming loudly in pain and agony. The sound was so real it almost threw him into madness. The Vyne¡¯s kept stabbing him. His family kept making bloodcurdling screeches, begging for his help. ¡°Elize! Rayne, Marc! I¡¯m so sorry I wasn¡¯t able to save you,¡± the commander cried out in the purest form of pain and suffering, falling to the ground. He had countless wounds in his strong body. His blood became another stain on the green grass. He became another corpse that rose up from the ground Chapter Forty: Battefield (2) The battle continued to rage on. Erebus was currently dealing with a monstrous man wielding a broadsword. He wouldn¡¯t have been an opponent Erebus would have struggled with if it wasn¡¯t for Erebus holding back his true strength. The man reminded Erebus of the late Heather. In terms of ridiculous strength humans shouldn¡¯t have, that is. When their swords would meet, even Erebus could feel the resounding force throughout his body. Erebus exhaled steadily and swung his sword, once again, their swords collided. The human man wore a serious expression, yet one could not help but notice the glee in his amber eyes. Yes, he was a warrior who enjoyed to battle. He was cut from the same cloth as Erebus. They could give him all the money, fame, and women in the world, but nothing could ever compare to the thrill of fighting to the death! Nothing could ever create the same song in his blood as the battlefield. The threat of death exhilarated him. He was not afraid of death, seeing as it was an inevitable end. Soldiers surrounding the two could not help but watch their magnificent battle in complete awe. What a beautiful display in the midst of all of this chaos. Their blades only creating beams of light as they struck and parried each other at a dizzying speed. Erebus began to press harder, unleashing some of the strength he was withholding. The man did the same. This brat had been holding back, too! Erebus¡¯ eyebrows narrowed in annoyance. Could it be that this child was practically mocking him? Anger began to swell up inside of him. Another irksome existence was underestimating him. The man smirked at Erebus. ¡°Boy, what is your name? It has been a long time since I faced such a worthy opponent.¡± Erebus¡¯ eye twitched. ¡°My name is Viktor,¡± the man said, speaking casually as they traded blows. ¡°Come on now, boy! No need to be so serious.¡± Viktor narrowly dodged Erebus¡¯ stab at his abdomen. But the edge of the blade still managed to cut the light leather gear he was wearing, a small amount of blood seeped out of the wound.¡°Whew...¡± ¡°My name is Erebus,¡± he finally said after a couple more minutes of fighting. This human was skilled enough to keep up with him, so he figured he should do the honors of introducing himself as per request. Viktor laughed. ¡°Erebus... Eh? Eh? Isn¡¯t that the name of the Demon Lord we¡¯re going to subjugate? Eh? Lucky! Sweet, who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d get to fight the Demon Lord in a one versus one. That¡¯s great, truly amazing. Eh? Doesn¡¯t this mean my life¡¯s in even greater danger?¡± Eh, eh, eh! Shut up. Erebus found this man to be an unbearable nuisance. Maybe he would use his [Lost Magic: Void] just so that he could kill him faster. He was getting seriously annoyed. By this man¡¯s constant jabbering and him hopping and dodging like some type of humanoid rabbit. The only time Erebus had gotten this annoyed was when Midrn kept hassling him to do things. While Erebus was dealing with what he considered to be one of the world¡¯s greatest annoyances, his subordinates were doing their job effectively. They would never slack in front of Lord Erebus. Because the concept of being praised by him was still hanging over their heads like a stormy cloud... any second now it would come. Yes, this was their true driving force. Fight harder in order to receive a special praise from Lord Erebus! Tear¡¯s arrows made of concentrated mana sliced through armor as if it were nothing. The demon brothers were skewering and crushing their enemies as if they were simply bugs on the ground. Smash! A skull was caved in. A pike pushed its way through the bodies and armor. It was slicked with crimson, giving it an even greater ominous appearance. Vyne continued to manipulate others mentally, some were even driven to the point of committing suicide. They would slit their own necks, stab themselves through with their own weapons. Finally, silence. The tortured souls laid to rest. The ones who didn¡¯t commit suicide would collapse to their knees, clutching their hair and screaming in such a pained, ragged manner. Their agony was cut off by Vyne¡¯s sword sweeping through their bodies. Lilian did not relent in her raising up the dead. They would fall, shudder, and rise once again. The zombies were hungry, so very hungry. What was this emptiness they felt? It could never be filled, but they would never stop trying. To end their suffering, they would eat, eat, and eat. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. They ate their previous comrades with great regret. They didn¡¯t want to eat, but they had to. They had to keep feeding... The look in the eyes of their former friend pained their still hearts. Please, let them out of this eternal Hell. Time continued to pass, the numbers continued to decrease. Erebus was still in his annoying battle. Ah, he didn¡¯t care anymore! Anything to get away from this man¡¯s incessant speaking. Erebus snapped his fingers, a small flat disc appeared in front of Viktor before cleaving him cleanly in half, Viktor breathed his last breath. His body collapsed to the ground, his organs spilling out. Viktor became another red stain. The soldiers who had been watching the battle instead of fighting felt cheated. That was unfair. Even though they were never set in stone, every battle had a basic set of rules. Yet he had ignored them. Viktor had been fighting honestly and Erebus used such an underhanded technique. They charged at the dragon, fury propelling them forward. How dare he do such a thing? How dare he! Erebus released another disc that ripped through multitudes of bodies, blood sprayed everywhere. This magic was a little bit different than what he normally used. Erebus¡¯ magic had two parts. In a simple explanations, those parts were destruction and absorption. Erebus, however, only activated the destruction sequence in his magic, so the bodies, blood, etc. were not sucked into his magic. It was strange for him to do it in such a way. The absorption was where the real power lay. The more that he took in, his power would be increased exponentially until the maximum capacity was reached and it would not exceed that defined point. In essence, Erebus¡¯ power would remain stagnated if he only used the destruction sequence. He was not utilizing his power to its fullest. Erebus continued to attack the foes in such a manner, killing dozens with each attack. The number of the soldiers began to plummet when Erebus unleashed his incomplete magic. Bodies were torn apart and thrown like ragdolls across the bloodied grassland. It wasn¡¯t as if the force sent to subjugate Erebus was too weak. If it had been any other Demon Lord, even a Demon Emperor, this number itself would have been enough to wipe them out entirely. This would have been enough to completely overwhelm them. Combined with the fact that the 10,000 sent were all very skilled in their own right, it looked as if the humans were simply flexing their muscles. But the gap between a Demon Emperor and a Dragon was immense. It was the same physical strength difference of a newborn child to a grown man who exercised and trained martial arts everyday. The baby simply could not, and would never be able to, defeat that man. Dragons were the top in this world, and that fact was indisputable. They who had once ruled would continue to rule for centuries to come. Such is the fate of this world. Erebus began to use the second part of his magic now, the amount that was being killed off jumped up even higher. Screams of pain and agony filled the air. With one pivotal decision, the entire tide and pace of the battle had changed. It had turned into one-sided slaughter. Erebus¡¯ magic had many different shapes and forms. Sometimes a tornado, sometimes a spinning sphere, sometimes a disc, sometimes it took the shape of an animal... the list continued. Lives were being snatched away at an alarming rate. Erebus and his subordinates massacred the army. When the last head was decapitated, the zombies dropped to the ground almost instantly, the magic that was animating them ceased. Weryn stepped out of his hiding place behind Lilian. His young eyes taking in the scene that spread out before him. It was enough to make any normal person vomit. The air reeked of death, there was so much blood that the once green grass was gone. Only peeks of the emerald blades here and there. Limbs were laying about, the red muscle and ivory bone revealed underneath the bloodied skin. The entrails of humans were, too, scattered around like clothing in a dirty room. Erebus stretched out his arms, yawning loudly, the gore not bothering him in the slightest. That had been surprisingly exhausting, though. ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a nap.¡± Chapter Forty-One: Simple Solution An oddly peaceful aura had settled over the castle of the Dragon Erebus. The humans had finally upped his danger rating to a Dragon and stopped bothering him. He had wiped out their army of 10,000, meaning he wasn¡¯t someone or something they could defeat in the near future. This was to Erebus¡¯ dismay. Without the humans to come and bother him, his days were once again, boring. He was no longer a Quester as per Rolut¡¯s orders... so he simply sat in his castle all day. Sometimes he would train Weryn in magical studies. The young boy was currently being taught the sword by Vyne, mathematics and other things by the genius Lilian. Magnus helped him in hand-to-hand combat while Tear taught him archery. He was doing very well in all categories, he would certainly grow up to be a splendid warrior. Erebus sat on his throne, his head resting on his palm and a completely bored expression on his face. He had absolutely nothing to do. A few times he would go out and take a stroll in the grasslands, a couple of times he went out with Weryn and taught him flying techniques. But, the majority of the time, he sat in his castle. Staring at the wall. Curse Rolut for tearing away his only source of entertainment. Curse those humans for finally growing smart enough to realize that he was someone they couldn¡¯t defeat. Curse all of those who were currently enjoying their lives! Erebus grumbled to himself, a sour expression on his face. He shifted in his throne, he moved into what he dubbed ¡®Position Two¡¯. Position Two was comprised of him turning his body so that he would now stare at the left wall instead of the one directly in front of him. The left wall was the most interesting one, in his opinion. His reason? Absolutely none. Maybe the old tapestry that was holding on by a single (quite literally) thread. Erebus sighed. No change in Position Two, now for Position Three. He turned towards the wall to the right. Yep. Same old, same old. Erebus left out a loud groan and began to bang his head with his hands. This was torture. Erebus continued to groan and pulled himself into the fetal position. ¡°Ugh~¡± ... ¡°Ugh~ Ughhhhhh...¡± His subordinates plus Weryn peeked their heads into the throne room to see the spectacle that was Erebus. Such a renowned being in such a miserable condition. Their hearts wept for him. What could they do to ease the pain in his soul? The sounds he made! Oh, the tragedy that played out before them... ¡°I cannot bear to watch this anymore,¡± Magnus shouted grandly. He burst into the throne room, his arms stretched wide and three pairs of eyes closed tightly. ¡°Lord Erebus! I have come to mend your broken heart.¡± ¡°Go away,¡± Erebus muttered like a stubborn child. ¡°Unless you have something fun to offer me.¡± Magnus froze. He had no idea how to create entertainment for his master. ¡°I-I hear the humans are coronating a new king down in the southern part of the Main Continent! Perhaps you would like to see the coronation, I can secure you an invitation rather easily.¡± ¡°Denied. Who wants to watch something as dull as that?¡± Magnus swooned at his failure and his brother rushed in to grab him, holding him back upright. ¡°Lord Erebus, the seafolk are having their annual grand feast in a couple of months.¡± ¡°Boring.¡± Erebus¡¯ other servants jumped in to offer suggestions on how he could find some type of enjoyment. They were all shot down without hesitation. Weryn stood there as the slightly humorous scene unfolded in front of him. He could only think of one thing to say, and that was, ¡°Um~ Master Erebus? Lord Rolut may have banned you from being a Quester, but he didn¡¯t really say you couldn¡¯t explore dungeons anymore, right?¡± All eyes turned to the young dragon. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. They had not even thought of such a thing. ¡°I-I mean, weren¡¯t you in the middle of a dungeon when you were called away to the Dragon Continent? That¡¯s what you told me...¡± They continued to stare at him intently. ¡°S-so I was just thinking, why don¡¯t you finish exploring that dungeon? The Demon Emperor Yvick should still know when it opens.¡± Erebus stood up from his throne, a new light shining in his eye. Of course, such a simple solution! ¡°Weryn. You are going to do well in life,¡± Erebus told the child with a strong nod of affirmation. ¡°Uh? Thanks?¡± Weryn fidgeted uncomfortably. ¡°To the Lower Continent!¡± Erebus cheered with a fist pump. His minions mimicked his actions. W-wait, right now? Were they leaving right now? Weryn bore an alarmed expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Erebus strode forward, a peppy bounce in his step. ¡°No preparation?¡± Weryn gasped. Erebus and his subordinates all laughed. ¡°Who needs it?¡± Erebus said casually. ¡°Lord Erebus is always ready,¡± Tear proclaimed proudly. ¡°There is no need to doubt when we have Lord Erebus,¡± Magnus boasted. ¡°Lord Erebus never makes any mistakes,¡± Stone chuckled. ¡°We are not so weak to be daunted by such a thing,¡± Vyne exclaimed. ¡°Since I am there, it will be all right,¡± Lilian added. Weryn¡¯s face sunk into even deeper despair. The fact that it was these six were going that worried him. He had never met such a careless, nonchalant bunch in his life. How had they survived? ¡°Don¡¯t you need someone to guard the castle while you''re gone?¡± Weryn questioned them all. Wasn¡¯t this common sense? Didn¡¯t they think to bring food rations, emergency gear, or anything for that matter! ¡°Ah,¡± the six all realized in unison. The subordinates eyed each other with expressions that said ¡®I¡¯m definitely going¡¯, none of them showed signs of backing down. ¡°Mmm... let¡¯s see. The layout of the dungeon would prohibit Stone and Magnus from passing through since they¡¯re so huge.¡± Erebus scratched his head with a hopeless laugh. The brother¡¯s faces turned into ones of pure, unbridled horror. Again? They had to stay behind again? Tear said, ¡°Lilian¡¯s chest won¡¯t fit.¡± She wore a triumphant expression, she had only made it through because of her flatness. If Lilian tried to get through, she¡¯d be stabbed! The other woman scoffed. ¡°I am capable of transforming into a small rabbit. I will fit in nearly every space.¡± Tear had forgotten about the speciality of the beastman race. They were capable of turning into the animal their tribe resembled. ¡°Tch.¡± Tear turned her head in annoyance. Erebus clapped his hands together. ¡°That solves it then, right? Lilian, Tear, Vyne, Weryn, and I will all be going!¡± No way. I don¡¯t want to go with you guys. Weryn¡¯s face seemed to say. But there was no way he could deny that childish glee in Erebus¡¯ eye. There was no way he could do such a cruel thing to that man! ¡°T-then we should really get some things prepared beforehand. Just in case, y¡¯know?¡± Erebus laughed and patted Weryn¡¯s head like a father would. ¡°Of course we will!¡± He had chalked up Weryn¡¯s thoughts to him being a newbie afraid of the fresh adventure. In no way shape or form did he think anything else was actually needed. ¡°Lilian, help the boy gather up some things for the adventure, haha!¡± Erebus laughed once more. She nodded and turned to Weryn. ¡°Come,¡± she told him before bowing towards Erebus. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse us, then.¡± Erebus waved his hand and the two exited the throne room. He turned his head up towards the ceiling, a smile of pure happiness spreading across his lovely face. He was finally getting out of this shitty place! Chapter Forty-Two: Pastime Sorry for the delay. Here you guys go The Lower Continent! A place full of dangerous monsters and full of never-ending adventure. In a current scene, we see a man laughing dryly. ¡°To think I¡¯d see you twice in one century, much less one year, Lord Erebus,¡± Yvick chuckled to himself as he looked across the room at his new arrivals. ¡°To think I¡¯d have to replace my door twice already,¡± he continued. Yvick clasped his meaty hands together. ¡°To what do I owe this honor?¡± Erebus grinned widely. ¡°Is that dungeon open?¡± Yvick¡¯s eyebrows drew together tightly. ¡°The one I showed you before? I thought you had conquered it.¡± ¡°No. We only got to the third level before I had some urgent matters to attend to. Is it opening soon?¡± The Demon Emperor drummed his fingers on his sharp chin. ¡°I¡¯m unsure, but I¡¯d say another month?¡± Erebus made a sour face. ¡°A month?¡± ¡°Is it a problem?¡± Yvick tilted his head slightly. He clearly knew what the problem was, he just felt like teasing his old teacher. ¡°Obviously.¡± ¡°You¡¯re bored?¡± Yvick asked the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Erebus glared at Yvick, who, in turn, raised up his hands in a defensive manner. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have anything to entertain you with for a month until the dungeon will open.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Tear could be heard in the background, she popped out her hip and crossed her arms over her chest. ¡°Then what are we supposed to do in that month? Lord Erebus is looking for something to do right now!¡± Yvick made a noise in the back of his throat. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry that I cannot help you at the current moment. Why don¡¯t you just go on Quest and come back within a month¡¯s time?¡± ¡°I destroyed our cards,¡± Erebus muttered. ¡°You what?¡± ¡°I had to destroy our ID. Like it said in the guidebook...¡± In the guidebook provided to Questers, it states that if you wished to end your job as a Quester, simply destroy the card by using an incantation that they provide. Only the owner of the ID or Guildmaster can destroy cards. The magic that provided your information will be deactivated and the card itself will disintegrate. It was made to be so simple because multitudes of people would quit after becoming a Quester, and keeping paperwork on it all was too troublesome. Yvick sighed heavily upon hearing that Erebus and his subordinates had gotten rid of their pastime. ¡°There is not much around here that will prove to be exceedingly interesting, save for the dungeon, but of course.¡± He rubbed his temples and closed his eyes tightly as if he was trying to think. ¡°Is there truly nothing?¡± Lilian asked. Yvick let out another troubled sigh. ¡°Hmm... allow me to think.¡± Multiple pairs of eyes stared back at him intensely. Think man! Think faster! They seemed to say. ¡°The areas of my castle are also relatively unexplored... I¡¯m sure you could find something interesting. Though, I¡¯m not sure it¡¯d take an entire month for you to explore. Seeing as you are who you are, after all.¡± Erebus and co. just continued their staring. Yvick shifted in his chair uncomfortably, they weren¡¯t blinking. Just watching, waiting. ¡°Is that not enough?¡± Silence. The Demon Emperor cleared his throat. ¡°I-I apologize for being able to think of anything.¡± More silence. Please, just say something! I¡¯m begging you here, even I can¡¯t stand unfazed by such an unending gaze, Yvick pleaded in his mind. ¡°I see.¡± Weryn ended the man¡¯s suffering. ¡°Master Erebus, does exploring the grounds not fancy your taste?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see much fun in it,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°It isn¡¯t like the dungeon, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°That is true,¡± Vyne agreed, nodding his head in more affirmation. Lilian questioned, ¡°Why do you have so much uncharted territory, Demon Emperor Yvick?¡± ¡°I never found much interest in it. Although I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, for some reason, I¡¯ve never been intrigued by exploration.¡± Lilian accepted his explanation wordlessly. Erebus groaned. ¡°I suppose we could look around, though, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be interesting in the slightest. It¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Then, it¡¯s decided?¡± Yvick clapped his hands together. In all honesty, he just wanted them to leave. Whenever Erebus visited, some type of trouble would pursue. And he was replacing his door quite frequently. Unlike Erebus, his wallet wasn¡¯t bottomless! He paid his subordinates, too, unlike Erebus. There wasn¡¯t much to sell in the area around him, and not many people buy things from a Demon Emperor anyway. Yvick was scraping the bottoms of his pockets. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be leaving then,¡± Erebus said. Yvick nodded. ¡°Come back in a month¡¯s time, I will guide you to the dungeon. Good luck finding entertainment,¡± he called as the quintet exited his throne room. He waited for the presence to disappear completely before shouting, ¡°Rose, come here!¡± In no time at all, a woman with pale red skin, scarlet hair, and a cute face. entered his throne room. Vines wrapped around her bare arms, with dangerously pointy tips. ¡°Yes, Master Yvick?¡± ¡°Order another door. Just buy five. Just... just buy five,¡± he said in an extremely exhausted voice. ¡°Understood.¡± Rose bowed and left. Yvick let out his third sigh, leaning his head back on his throne. ¡°Five should be fine, right?¡± .... ¡°Go Weryn, kill it,¡± Erebus said. A timid-looking boy glanced at Erebus. ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Yes, you! Who else? Go! This is training,¡± Erebus answered in an irked tone. The surrounding three watched the scene with expressionless faces. They were waiting to see the results of Weryn¡¯s training, too. ¡°Ugh~¡± Weryn tightened his grip on the sword attached to his hip. He glared at his opponent, which resembled an overgrown Thornback wolf. Its metallic fur was silver, and it stood at least one and half meters tall. Its maw was open. Sharp teeth, dripping saliva. It growled ferociously. Its silvery eyes were wild, ready to fight anything and everything in order to survive. The wolf had a muscular body that looked like it could easily crush bones if it kicked them lightly. It was a Demon rank monster. Weryn swallowed dryly. They wouldn¡¯t let him die, right? Right? ¡°H-here I go!¡± he yelled and charged forward. Using the techniques he had learned from Vyne, he swung his sword and utilized wind magic to create a deadly blade that could tear through flesh and muscle. The wolf dodged the attack and shot towards Weryn quickly, like a bullet. The child leaped out of the way narrowly. If it wasn¡¯t for his dragon reflexes, that could¡¯ve been fatal. The wolf turned, snapping its jaw and growling lowly. It was a rumbling sound created deep in its stomach. Weryn and the wolf continued trying to kill each other. Weryn using the techniques he had been taught, and the wolf surviving on the battle instincts it had honed through countless battles. His four teachers watched with appraising eyes. They¡¯d jump in if he got in a dangerous situation that could lead to him being injured gravely. After all, Erebus still didn¡¯t want to deal with Ayirn¡¯s or Weryn¡¯s mother¡¯s wrath. He¡¯d deal with it instantly if he noticed an extremely harmful attack! Erebus nodded to himself. Great plan! Weryn was starting to move better as the battle dragged on. Even though this was a monster the others could have defeated within a few seconds, it was a great learning opportunity for the boy. The night came. The darkness settled over them, the stars twinkling in the blue-black nightsky. Weryn was still fighting his opponent, surprisingly. Neither of them had received anything other than a scratch that would heal as instantly as it came. His four teachers had set up a camp in the clearing, watching the battle and eating food. They shared casual conversation, laughing occasionally. While Weryn was sweating, this was so exhausting! Why weren¡¯t they helping him? He wasn¡¯t skilled enough to deal with such an opponent yet... He had ton of theoretical experience, but the real deal was completely different! This was not what he had been expecting from a battle. Little did Weryn know, they were just using this as an opportunity to waste time. Chapter Forty-Three: Guardian Weryn finally collapsed onto the earth, now wet due to the intense storm that had begun. The Demon ranked monster lay a few feet from him, a long gash running through his stomach. Its intestines poured out along with blood, thankfully for the rain, the sick scent could barely be smelled. Congratulatory applause sounded, but it was accompanied with words that didn¡¯t fit: ¡°Finally...¡± ¡°What took you so long?¡± ¡°He¡¯s surprisingly weak.¡± ¡°I almost fell asleep.¡± Weryn ignored them, rolling over onto his side. His clothing was muddied, everything was muddied. He had blood on him, and his body hurt. Why had he agreed to come here? Erebus stood up from the large log the four of them had been seated on. ¡°That was a great waste of time. Let¡¯s keep moving.¡± His minions nodded. ¡°Indeed. We spent hours just watching. Magnificent plan, Lord Erebus,¡± Lilian complimented him. Weryn made a pitiable sound. That was all he was to them? A way to waste time? ¡°Someone pick up Weryn,¡± Erebus said offhandedly as he started to walk away. Vyne picked up the miserable child and tossed him over his shoulder like a sack. ¡°As you wish.¡± The quintet exited the clearing, leaving the nasty smelling corpse behind in their wake. As they walked, the creatures of the forest watched them warily. The Demon rank Weryn had killed was hailed as one of the strongest in this forest, due to its incredible skill. But a small, scrawny child had killed it! The creatures weren¡¯t idiots. They knew when something was dangerous. It would take more than a meager group or individuals to rid their forest of the possible contamination. Slowly, the number tracking the quintet grew in size, they started to advance. Creeping cautiously towards the exploration group. Erebus, having sensed their killing intent through a sense honed through hundreds of centuries, raised his hand in order to tell the others to stop their movement. They had entered a huge, rectangular clearing. ¡°What is it, Lord Erebus?¡± Lilian asked. She pulled out her staff and it shifted into its true form. ¡°Enemies?¡± ¡°Quite a sizeable amount, too.¡± Erebus¡¯ face shifted into that of a leader. ¡°Weryn is too weak to fight. Vyne, if any get near to him, deal with them swiftly. I¡¯ll take away your toys if you fail.¡± ¡°Understood, My Lord.¡± Tear raised her bow. ¡°I cannot sense anything,¡± she said in a slightly confused tone. To her, the channel of the forest felt completely normal. Relaxing, almost. It washed over them, full of tranquility. ¡°It¡¯s deceptive,¡± Erebus responded. ¡°These creatures are surprisingly skilled...¡± It was possible to manipulate a mana channel. Similar to manipulating an aura, however, it required complete unity among the living creatures. Something not even the members of the Dragon Council could achieve. It required true harmony, and they were anything but harmonious. That much was for sure. ¡°Here they come,¡± Erebus said while unsheathing his sword. Just as a horse-like creature with a lion¡¯s face leaped out of the trees, Erebus cleanly sliced it in half. Crimson liquid sprayed in the air and Erebus ignored it as he dismembered the next creature that came tearing out of the woods. Soon enough, they were completely surrounded by a multitude of monsters only found in this area. All of them at least Epic rank. When a dead corpse would fall to the ground, it¡¯d be replaced by another living body trampling over it. The sound of Tear¡¯s arrows cutting through the air could be heard as they hit their marks. Vyne made sure that no animal got near Weryn with powerful swings of his sword that created a small gust of wind. Rain continued to fall down in buckets. The of one blood on the ground ran and blended with the blood of another. Lilian was not using her necromancy. Instead, she was utilizing water magic, seeing as the power would be amplified with the natural water coming down onto them. ¡°Just how many are there?¡± Tear complained there were so many dead bodies yet they kept coming. This forest was like a gift that kept on giving. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Except, it wasn¡¯t a gift. It was a curse. ¡°They¡¯re rather protective of this land. Perhaps there is something important here?¡± Erebus said, the thought of some hidden treasure crawling its way into his mind. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Vyne responded while driving his sword into the skull of a humungous bear. ¡°That would prove to be entertaining, wouldn¡¯t it? Only if Lord Erebus is interested, of course.¡± Erebus made a sound of agreement. Just as he was about to land the killing blow on a rabbit with razor sharp teeth, all of the creatures that had been surrounding them backed away. They bent their bodies as if they were bowing. ¡°Oh my,¡± Tear said in surprise. She lowered her bow and glanced at Erebus for affirmation of her actions. He, too, had put away his weapon. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lilian questioned. ¡°Silence,¡± Erebus commanded. Galloping footsteps approached them. The creatures of the forest retreated into the shadows. ¡°What is it?¡± Tear said softly in a worried tone. Erebus glared at her and she clamped her mouth shut. What was coming? She squinted her eyes and attempted to stare into the forest. Soon enough, a majestic creature walked out of the forest. With its head held high and black eyes full of something that could only be described as the utmost confidence and arrogance. It was a unipegasus. Its hair was sleek and shiny. The color was white with a golden tint to it. The muscles of its massive body rippled with every step it took. The beautiful wings were folded neatly at its sides, the feathers dipped in a brilliant blue. The horn was at least a foot long, and its point looked especially dangerous. Beings of the other realms.... why have you come to our forest? Why have you wreaked havoc upon us? A voice whispered in all of their minds. Weryn stared at the unipegasus, his mouth hanging open. Tell me, what is it that you want? I am the Guardian of this forest... I will give what you need in order to protect our sanctuary. ¡°Hello, esteemed Guardian of the Forest,¡± Erebus spoke to the creature. ¡°I apologize, we did not come in with intentions of harming your children.¡± I have protected this land for centuries, I have seen many, I have heard even more lies. Tell me, what is it that you came here for? ¡°An adventure.¡± Adventure... Such a thing. I have never experienced it. I have stood stagnant for many years. Tell me, what is your name? Where do you hail from? And again, what is it that I can give you? ¡°My name is The Fifth Dragon Erebus. I hail from the Dragon Continent, there is nothing better that you can give me other than entertainment.¡± His subordinates plus Weryn, all looked at Erebus with shock. They had never seen him behave so cordially before. An original dragon... one older than I. Welcome to our land, O Great One. Please, forgive my rudeness. How shall we serve you? ¡°As I said before,¡± Erebus smiled softly, ¡°there is nothing better you can give me other than entertainment.¡± The unipegasus tilted its head in thought. Amusement, hmm. I apologize, I do not indulge in such things. I¡¯m afraid to say I do not know what would appease you. ¡°Then, what is it that you are truly protecting in this forest. Nameless creature, explain to me.¡± I must apologize for a third time. My name vanished centuries ago, the title I bear has become it. As for what we are protecting, it is something that keeps the life in our forest. Our sacred stone.[\i] ¡°Similar to the [Stone of the Moon Goddess and Moon God]?¡± Erebus interrogated the old Guardian. [i]That is a name I haven¡¯t heard for quite some time. A shame the High Humans who protected a segment of our sacred stone were brutally murdered in such a way. ¡°A segment?¡± Yes, what we are protecting here, O Great One, is the stone that provides all mana to the Lower Continent. Chapter Forty-Four: Godly Stone Light poured through the foliage. It created patches of light and dark on six figures traveling through the beautiful scenery. Wild grasses and colorful wildflowers sprouted from the earth rich in nutrients. Animals darted in and out of the trees that grew tall into the sky. A few caused the bushes to shake and rattle before they sprinted across the pathway. The wind blew lightly, the sound it created felt like a mother singing a lullaby. If the wind was the song, then the mana channel was the mother. It was warm and enveloped you with a feeling of comfort. Off in the distance, the sound of a river running paired with a waterfall could be heard. Tear couldn¡¯t help but tilt her head back and feel the warm sun against her skin. Everything was so peaceful. She almost felt like she could fall asleep forever here, yes, just lay down on that soft patch of grass over there... lean her head against the trunk of the tree with pillowy moss growing on it. Careful, girl. What you are experiencing is one of our forest¡¯s defensive techniques. It lulls any intruders to sleep forever. Humans are especially weak to it, even a High Human like yourself. Tear snapped to attention at the unipegasus¡¯ words. She rubbed her eyes which were closing ever so slowly. ¡°How did you know I was a High Human?¡± she asked in a drowsy voice. A few members of your race used to live here some time ago... I can recognize the aura. Her eyes widened. Her mother¡¯s wish yanking her mind towards it. ¡°You mean, there are other survivors of my race?¡± I do not know where they are now. I cannot say for sure that they are still alive. I am sorry, child. She shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± she said silently. The other members of the quintet, save for Erebus, glanced at the somber Tear. Her beautiful face was etched with sorrow and regret. The expression she wore, paired with the scenery would make an artist of any title wish to make a masterpiece simply based off of it. Even Vyne felt his heartstrings tug a little at the sight of Tear. He promptly turned his head back to the front. So that pig could make such an expression, interesting... What type of face would she make if he tortured her to the brink of death only to bring her back, then once again hanging over the edge of life and death? Vyne surmised that she would make a lovely expression Erebus, completely unaware (ignoring) of the situation, turned to the Guardian. ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that the [Godly Stone] would exist in this forest. It¡¯s an amazing coincidence.¡± You know its true name? I should not be surprised. But yes, the [Godly Stone] has existed here for many centuries. ¡°[Godly Stone]?¡± Lilian wondered aloud. She had, in her immense knowledge, never heard of such a thing. Erebus scratched his head. ¡°I had learned about it through Rolut, who was guarding the [Godly Stone of the Dragon Continent]. Each continent hailed its own stone, though, where they are is a mystery. ¡°Each had a Guardian, for the Dragon Continent it is Rolut. For the Lower Continent, it is the unipegasus. I have met one other, well, that person is...¡± Erebus trailed off for a moment. Melancholic memories flashed in his mind. Joy, pain, anger, sadness... a torrent of emotions assaulted him. He, too, had loved another once in his life. What it would be like to live in those times again. To be young again, a blessing and a curse, perhaps. To experience the happiness once more, yet to know that would end all too soon. He shook his head and spoke once more, ¡°The [Godly Stones] provide all the mana for the continent, same for the seas. When the world was first created, the dragons weren¡¯t the only things that sucked up immense amounts of the newfound creation.¡± He took a breath before continuing, ¡°Mana seeps out of the [Godly Stones] and will continue to for many centuries.¡± ¡°That would imply that when they stop letting out mana, the amount left in the world will be the set definite amount?¡± Lilian questioned. No, the mana in this world is reused. When a spell is completed, even though it is in a different shape, the mana will shift back to its original form afterwards... It is impossible for mana to ever run out due to this cycle. Lilian blushed a little at her ignorance. Studies of magic were few and far between, the races did not know nearly enough to ever understand it. The only ones who seemed to have a complete understanding of mana and magic were the originals... And perhaps the other Guardians. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Still, it was an amazing concept. To think she would be able to see the existence that fueled everything... to see the existence that made every other one move and function. Her heart beating wildly in her chest, Lilian clutched the fabric covering it. Her nails biting through the thin robe and piercing her skin. ¡°We will be there soon,¡± Erebus spoke suddenly after a few more minutes of walking. The others had not felt it, but there was an ever so subtle change in the channel. In the quantity of the mana flowing through them. As they progressed, it became even more oppressive. They were choking on it, they could taste it in their mouths. Everything was thick, the air felt heavy. If a human walked into this highly concentrated area, it was possible it could prove to be fatal for them. Even Tear looked a little sick in the face. ¡°It¡¯s hard to walk,¡± Weryn complained. Every step he took felt heavy like his legs were being weighted down. ¡°I forgot the sensation of being near a [Godly Stone],¡± Erebus laughed softly to himself. I apologize, it is a strange feeling for those who are exposed to it. I am used to such things, it doesn¡¯t bother me. The unipegasus issued another apology to the quintet. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Tear refuted his apology. She managed to snake her way to Erebus and use him as support. ¡°I will make it.¡± Erebus, surprisingly, assisted her in walking. Tear¡¯s face was pale and looking sickly, but it was set with determination. She¡¯d see the [Godly Stone] even if it killed her! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was right and front of her and she refused to miss it due to feeling nauseous. Here we are, the Guardian said, tilting its head up. Through this cave... They followed the creature through the semi-long cave that acted like a passageway into what could only be deemed as an oasis. If the forest they were walking through was a treacherous desert, then this was the spring that sent hope into their hearts. Despite the fact that the suffocating channel still existed, they could not help but relax. Warm sunlight cascaded down, surrounding them in a pale golden glow. In the middle of the rich, green grass was a large spring with picturesque clean water surrounded by large rocks. Flowers of various vibrant shades, and height grew out of the ground. Trees with beautiful blooms that swayed in the gentle wind... Words were incapable of describing the ethereal beauty splayed out before them. ¡°Amazing...¡± Lilian breathed. The sadistic Vyne, also, looked around at the scenery with a face of pure awe. Tear¡¯s face had lost all of its previous unhealthy sheen and was now replaced by a serene expression. It reminded her of home. Though not nearly as breathtaking, the scenery of her clan was enough to put the most famous of places to shame. The object worthy of the most appreciation, though, was the gigantic floating diamond in the air. Light reflected off of it, creating an array of light. Clear liquid drained out of it and dripped down into the spring. Even Erebus stared at it with an admiration. ¡°I feel as if I¡¯m dreaming,¡± Weryn whispered to Lilian, who smiled kindly in response. This was a dream! A lovely smile on that cold woman¡¯s face that was not because of her master? Preposterous. It was enough to calm the heart of even the most belligerent soul and make them laugh and grin. Sit... relax. The spring has healing properties... The Guardian laid itself down. It fit in completely with the scenery, its regal head was tilted upwards ever so slightly. The wind tousled its mane and tail. The bloodied and muddied quintet did not fit in at all, but they sat down anyway. If they had been clean, they could have blended in, too. But alas, they stuck out like a pauper at a ball for the nobles. Tear shifted uncomfortably. The Guardian rested its head on the grass, closing its eyes as if it were going to sleep. ¡°Mmm...¡± Lilian sat cross-legged on the cool grass, the wind ruffled her pink hair and tickled her rabbit ears. ¡°Superb.¡± She could feel her body being cleansed of any impurities and filled with warmth. The others nodded in agreement. Erebus placed his head on Tear¡¯s soft lap with a yawn. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡± He could not waste the opportunity to rest in such a magnificent place! Chapter Forty-Five: Boredom I was surprised by the lack of faith everyone had in Erebus in his ability to control himself. Come on guys, he isn''t thaaaat bad. Remember that even though he doesn''t act like it, his main duty, as one of the originals, is to protect Eirlok. He would never do something that would upset the mana balance of an entire continent. Anyhow, please enjoy this next chapter. When Erebus awoke from his nap, the sun was beginning to set. The sky was tinged with orange and the clouds were set aglow by the sun¡¯s dimming light. He lifted his head from the comfort of Tear¡¯s lap (who had been extremely happy when he rested his head against it) and looked around at his surroundings slowly. All of the others had also fallen asleep, the area was too peaceful and relaxing for one not to. The Guardian of the Forest had left, too. Erebus yawned and stretched a little bit. His back cracked satisfyingly when he twisted his body. He walked over to the sleeping Vyne and unceremoniously kicked him lightly in the stomach. ¡°Wake up.¡± Vyne jumped up, shaking the sleep from his eyes and standing up straight. ¡°Yes, Lord Erebus?¡± He bowed ever so slightly at the waist. ¡°How may I be of assistance?¡± ¡°This place is boring, gather the others and we will leave.¡± Vyne nodded his understanding and awoke the others. They stood up, stretched, yawned tiredly. Their postures slouched and eyes still longing for more rest. Tear threw a saddened stare at the dripping stone before they all exited the area of the [Godly Stone]. The sickening oppressiveness appeared once more when they were away from the healing properties of the stone, but this time no one complained. They all walked with the same blank expressions and persevered through the thickness. A silence had settled over all of them, no one bothered to speak. Even Weryn kept his mouth shut. He held Lilian¡¯s angel-soft hand and she practically dragged him. When they entered the forest once more, the creatures did not bother them this time. The few that passed by would bow their heads in respect before proceeding on their path. In essence, it was a rather peaceful albeit boring time. Erebus did not vocally complain of this, but he thought of it. Multiple times, in fact. He folded his arms behind his back, kicking at the dirt as they walked. ¡°We are sorry, Lord Erebus. There is nothing to do here,¡± Lilian said as she watched him do so. ¡°I cannot think of anything that could possibly entertain you until the time remaining is up.¡± Erebus waved away her apology but did not say anything more on the subject. If he could deal with Position One, Two, and Three for centuries, he could handle walking around for a month! Right? Well, that¡¯s what he wanted to say; however, it was the farthest thing from the truth. He was bored out of his mind over here! Everything was dull and monotonous. Sure, it was beautiful. Still, after seeing something so many times it becomes lackluster and normal. If you see a magnificent sight multiple times a day, you¡¯ll become used to it. That¡¯s the kind of thing he was currently experiencing. Erebus felt like banging his head against the bark of a tree. Perhaps that could give him something to do other than move his feet. He sighed. After a few counts, he sighed once more. Then again. In total, he let out five sighs. Everyone eyed him with looks of pity. How he was suffering right now... The others weren¡¯t nearly as bothered by the bleakness. Unlike Erebus, who had little to no patience, they could handle at least this much. ¡°Perhaps we could explore other sections of the Lower Continent, and then come back within a few weeks time,¡± Lilian suggested when the brilliant idea occurred to her. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°None of us here have really explored the Continent to its fullest extent, correct? It would prove to be an interesting adventure to explore lands unknown to us!¡± The section that the group had currently explored was in the southwestern section of the Lower Continent. So far they had seen Karun, the port city (not really) up in the north before travelling diagonally through the [Scorpion Pass], [Cockatrice Valley], and [Poisonous Snake Forest], before arriving at Yvick¡¯s castle. This left a very large chunk of the Lower Continent largely unexplored. Tear had only gone a little east of her hometown, so she truly never saw much of it either. The same for Erebus who had been wandering about after visiting Yvick. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Erebus clapped his hands together. ¡°Wonderful! Splendid, that is very much true, Lilian!¡± The rabbit-woman bore a unveiled expression of proudness and content. Yes, Lord Erebus¡¯ excited tone was rather refreshing to her. Even a small smile flitted at the corners of her full lips. ¡°Then, does anyone remember the way to get back?¡± Weryn questioned. Four pairs of eyes widened. Silence settled over the quintet. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me... none of you were paying attention to the direction we came to?¡± His question was met with more silence. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can talk, you didn¡¯t look either,¡± a voice muttered. The owner of said voice was Tear. What¡¯s with that? I¡¯m the kid here, you know! I¡¯m the one who¡¯s allowed to slack off. What an irresponsible bunch... Weryn narrowed his eyes a little bit and let out a frustrated groan. ¡°It¡¯s not that big of a deal... I know the language of the monsters. I can simply ask them for directions,¡± Erebus said after awhile. He was met by surprise. Wait... you mean, that he, Erebus, was useful in subjects outside of fighting? Preposterous! Unheard of. Could it possibly be that he wasn¡¯t as simple as they had previously thought? ¡°What¡¯s with those looks of shock? Huh?¡± Erebus gave them a disdainful look. Their lack in confidence in his abilities outside of combat was appalling. Vyne instantly starting bowing and apologizing profusely. The others joined in, saying things like, ¡°We apologize.¡± and ¡°Please punish me.¡± Well, the latter was only spoken by only one person. It was rather obvious who that person was, too... ¡°Ehm,¡± Erebus, made uncomfortable by the previous statement, cleared his throat.He began to speak in the smooth language of the magical beast, ¡°Someone come escort us out of this forest.¡± Within a few moments, rustling could be heard then a lone figure walked out of the safety of the trees and into the rough pathway. It was essentially an overgrown fox that stood at least two meters tall with thick, glossy fur. Half of its strong, muscular body was white and the other half was green. Its amber eyes held a certain mischievous gleam in them. The fox opened its mouth and spoke, ¡°Hello, O Great One. I have heard your call and come to assist you. I am the great fox Liro. A pleasure to meet you!¡± Liro bowed his head in respect. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Erebus said while waving away the formalities with his left hand. ¡°Escort us out of here, quickly, I¡¯d prefer.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Liro puffed up his chest. ¡°Follow me.¡± Everyone followed the strangely colored animal into the forest and off of the semi-passageway created by a parting of the trees. They could have followed the passageway, but it broke off multiple times and twisted and winded. They had basically just walked in a straight line, and ended being completely lost. Truly a careless group. Liro effortlessly weaved through the trees, not really checking to see if they were still behind him. He was so caught up in showing off his knowledge he forgot to make sure everything was okay! Lucky for him, the quintet was not quite bad enough to lose an uniquely colored, two meter tall fox. His appearance was his saving grace, more or less. Within a short amount of time, they passed by the small clearing that Weryn had completed his first kill in. In even shorter period, they were able to see Yvick¡¯s castle not too far off in the distance. ¡°That is all we needed from you, Liro,¡± Erebus told the creature. ¡°Thank you for your assistance.¡± Liro bowed once again. ¡°It was an honor.¡± He retreated back into his home, disappearing into the shadows. ¡°Well,¡± Erebus started to speak, a smirk tugging at his lips. ¡°I¡¯m sure Yvick will be delighted to see us again.¡± It was clear from that statement that Yvick would be anything and everything but delighted. After all, he had practically forced them out of his home while wearing a ¡®smile¡¯. He would act indifferent while on the inside, his hidden sharp-tongue was at work. Erebus had figured out the true nature of this man during his short time of training him. ¡°Eh? Why do we have to go back to Yvick?¡± Weryn questioned. They could just as easily walk around the castle. Sure, cutting through the backdoor would be faster, but there was no need to intrude on the Demon Emperor. ¡°He has mana stones,¡± was Erebus¡¯ simplistic answer. ¡°And I¡¯m hungry now.¡± Chapter Forty-Six: Where to? After Erebus had filled the seemingly bottomless pit that we refer to as a stomach off of Yvick¡¯s bountiful mana stones, the quintet left Yvick¡¯s castle. Who, by the way, looked as if he wanted to run away and possibly cry in some lone desolate corner when Erebus had busted down the back door to his castle. Not only was his front door being destructed, but now his back door, too? Why! Why on Eirlok could they do such a thing to him? Did they know how much doors costed these days? Especially ones meters tall and made out of fine materials. He lamented over such things as his supply of mana stones which he had recently restocked dwindled once again. I am also starting to tear up when I think of the pain and struggle that Yvick has to go through with every visit from Erebus. And now, the quintet was just exiting [Cockatrice Valley], once again in the [Scorpion Pass]. ¡°Well, first things first, we should buy a rough map of the Lower Continent. Just so that we know where we are going,¡± Vyne said. ¡°We can go back to that Port City since it¡¯s the only one we know of within less than a day¡¯s walking distance.¡± The others nodded at his words. It made sense, and it was also a great waste of time. Everything for the sake of wasting time! That was their creed. They headed out through the [Scorpion Pass] with Vyne (as he was in his true form) unknowingly acting as monster-repellent. Once again, a truly efficient servant. So, they made their way to the Port City, Karun, in order to buy a map. Erebus walked with an extra bounce in his step, delighted by the concept of looking around the Lower Continent. He had visited this place many times of the centuries, but he had never really bothered to go sightseeing, per say. Erebus was not the only one walking with a bounce in his step, however, Tear, too, was simply ecstatic. The reason being she was holding Erebus¡¯ hand! And he could care less about it. The last time Tear had tried to hold his hand he had shaken her off and gave her an irritated stare. He had grown so accustomed to her touch now that he hardly paid it any mind. She took that to signify she was growing closer to his heart. More or less (mostly less) it was correct. Just like that, they entered the bustling city. Since this was a safe area, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to have a large amount of people here. Lots of Questers came here on escort jobs, and the ones who hired them were merchants who were out to get the precious and semi-rare items on the Lower Continent. Also, plenty of tourists would come and go to see the beautiful cities built on the Lower Continent in the safe areas. When the quintet entered, they surprisingly did not gain any attention. Despite all of them being an undoubtedly a strange group. There was a demon, a beastwoman, two humans, and a kid. All of them were dirty and bloody, but dressed in finery and had swollen pouches (save for the kid) attached to their hips. Their weapons looked high-classed and they all had attractive faces. If it was for the scary aura the demon was giving off, they would¡¯ve been the target of lurking bandits and thieves. Perhaps the members of this city were used to seeing odd things. They did live in the Lower Continent, after all. ¡°Excuse me, where do they sell basic maps here?¡± Vyne asked a woman with her hair decorated with jewels braided into the auburn locks as she sold fresh fruits. ¡°Down at the Quester¡¯s Guild. It¡¯s a couple of minutes down from here. Go straight until you see Blue Tavern, make a left down that alley, go straight and you¡¯ll be there,¡± she answered without even blinking at his appearance, she then turned back to her work. ¡°You there! You looking for some nice fruits? They¡¯re fresh and sweet!¡± she called out to a passerby. Vyne walked away from the woman and told the other four what she had said, then they all left in the directions she had given them. The Quester¡¯s Guild here was nothing like the one in the capital of the Milon Kingdom. It was shabby, had a menacing mana channel, and just looked downright shady. Inside only a few Questers were seated here and there but they looked like thugs more than anything. A normal person would hesitate to enter such a place with these gruff, violent-seeming people, but as always, the quintet was not at all bothered or worried by such sights. They made their way to the front desk, ignoring the greedy stares focused on the bulging pouches that they carried. One man even licked his dry, cracked lips yet he made no move. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Something about seeing these types of people made them hold back, they clearly weren¡¯t newbies who couldn¡¯t hold their own. They were covered in blood that obviously was not theirs, and none of them were bothered by such magnificent clothing being dirtied. These weren¡¯t rich, privileged brats. These were fighters. ¡°Um~ we would like to buy a basic map,¡± Erebus said to the hefty receptionist. It was a man with a bushy beard and eyes that showed an iron-will. His body, thick with muscle, paired with his calloused hands, gave off the impression that he was nothing less of a combat specialist. ¡°Just one?¡± the man asked in a gravelly tone. ¡°Yep.¡± He reached under the counter and pulled out five different scrolls. ¡°These are our most basic maps. There are minor variations in how simplistic they are, though. Starting from here,¡± he touched the leftmost map, ¡°to here,¡± he slid his finger to the rightmost map, ¡°goes from highest to lowest.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take the last one,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Ten silver.¡± Vyne raised his eyebrows instantly, what a rip-off! That man was clearly overcharging them. An above-average map costed around six silver. The most advanced going up to a couple hundred. Ten silver for this useless piece of parchment? Vyne was about to say something, but Erebus easily put down the money without batting an eyelash. He wasn¡¯t an idiot so he knew they were being cheated, he simply didn¡¯t care. What was ten silver when you had enough to buy the most affluent kingdoms with hardly hurting your bank account? Heck, even if the man charged Erebus 100,000 gold, he would pay it all with a wave of his hand. The dizzying amount of extremely rare jewels, mana stones, metals, etc. Erebus had was enough to fund three kingdoms with huge populations for many centuries! The fearsome economic power of the original dragons. Being the (greedy) creatures they were, they had collected and amassed the abundant amount of the previously mentioned precious items during the beginning stages of this world. Damn them. After buying the map and leaving the Guild, Lilian suggested that they go to an inn to rest and clean up. Seeing as they were incredibly filthy. Like seriously, I feel bad for those surrounding them. So, after checking into another overly expensive in (after all, their master could have nothing less than this), they all took a bath in the hot spring (Tear¡¯s peeping was ended by a very irritated Vyne) that acted as the inn¡¯s claim to fame and outrageous prices. The girls, much to their sadness, were given a separate room to sleep in than the men were. Even Lilian was upset over not being able to share a room with Lord Erebus. When was the last time she had spent a night without some type of memorabilia of him next to her? She should¡¯ve brought at least one doll with her! When the morning came upon them, everyone rose and dressed in new clothes that they had bought the night before, as their only pair had been, well, ruined completely and now unwearable. They now sat at a table in the gorgeous dining area of the inn. The map that they had bought yesterday was spread before them and they were all huddled around it looking at the areas they could go explore. It only had a rough sketch of the Lower Continent. It contained city names and area names in the proximate vicinity that they were in. There were also boundaries drawn to show the end and beginning of a place. There was no drawings of mountains, lakes, roads or paths... Just names. On an old piece of yellowed paper. For ten silver. This thing was barely worth a copper! ¡°[Hungry Bear Caverns] sounds cool,¡± Weryn supplied, tapping a location located southwest of Karun. ¡°We¡¯d have to pass through another town and the [Spirited Away Grassland] to get there,¡± Lilian murmured. To her, well, anyone really, the name [Spirited Away Grassland] did not sound all too promising in its safety. Just as the name implied, people mysteriously would disappear in this grassland! One moment they would be walking next to someone, and the next they were gone. The only remnant of their existence was memories. Their bodies, in whatever state they¡¯d be in, were never found. Lilian absolutely did not want to enter such a dangerous place! What if one of them got taken? ¡°Yea, sure, let¡¯s go there,¡± Erebus said. Lilian¡¯s head slammed against the table. Chapter Forty-Seven: Spirited Away Grassland ¡°Ugh,¡± Lilian groaned. Stretched out before her was a seemingly endless grassland with a thick layer of mist covering it. The mist wasn¡¯t dense enough for visibility to be completely lowered, but it was still enough to make her feel queasy. ¡°Perhaps there¡¯s a detour?¡± she questioned, her cool exterior was starting to crumble and nervousness could be detected in her tone. ¡°Quit complaining,¡± Tear snapped. ¡°We just need to put up a high-level protective barrier of magic so that whatever¡¯s here won¡¯t get one of us.¡± ¡°Even if it did, we¡¯re strong enough to escape. Just use the communication crystal Lord Erebus supplied us with,¡± Vyne continued. Lilian slouched slightly, her ears drooping. ¡°Eh, no. We¡¯re all going to get Spirited Away,¡± Erebus said suddenly, he had been ignoring their conversation until now. Everyone froze and turned towards him slowly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to get Spirited Away,¡± he repeated. ¡°It sounds pretty fun, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Huh? In what way does being whisked away sound fun? ¡°How are all of us going to get Spirited Away?¡± Weryn asked, instantly getting over the fact Erebus was suggesting such an outrageous thing. ¡°Eh... ah... um,¡± Erebus laughed and scratched his head carelessly. He had no idea how they would all get taken away. Everyone stared at him. ¡°Well, you know?¡± He continued to scratch the back of his head. His signature expression on his face as he laughed lightly,¡°Haha.¡± Weryn narrowed his eyes. ¡°So basically, you don¡¯t know?¡± In his eyes, Erebus¡¯ value was rapidly plummeting! Sure, he was strong, but this man was unbearably irresponsible and lazy. No longer was he an object worthy of admiration. ¡°It¡¯ll work because Lord Erebus wishes for it to,¡± Tear said in an extremely confident tone. Her irrational logic at its best! All of the others nodded their heads. To them, it made perfect sense and there was no need for them to worry. ¡°To the [Spirited Away Grassland]!¡± they shouted and headed into the misty area with a doubtful Weryn following them. This plan was full of holes. ¡°Who knew we would get Spirited Away? If we did, would we even be in the Lower Continent? What if we all got separated, where would we even meet up? How would we know which direction we were headed?¡± Weryn shot questions at them, but they were ignored. How could the kid be the most responsible one out of them? He wanted to go back home. Please, give him another mentor! This one gave him shitty life advice and put his life in danger way too many times. Erebus was humming a tune under his breath as they progressed through the mist and tall, damp grass. ¡°How long does this grassland stretch out for?¡± Vyne asked. ¡°No idea,¡± the others responded. They were trying to remember the direction they should head towards in order to get to their destination. What was it again? Southwest? But which way was southwest? ¡°Where are we?¡± Lilian questioned after more walking, she let go of Weryn¡¯s hand to cross her arms. They were heading straight, probably. Maybe they should¡¯ve brought a compass, too. Suddenly, Weryn¡¯s words were starting to make sense in their minds. Erebus scratched his head and looked around. ¡°Uh...¡± Everything looked the exact same, they had been moving in a straight line. Still, it was confusing. The mist seemed to have grown thicker and now everything was a white haze, the ground they walked on was no longer visible. It was hard to tell where they were going... in fact, which way did they enter from again? It was like walking with your eyes closed, your sense of direction was completely thrown off. It was eerily silent as the mist rolled and moved about. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± Erebus asked. ¡°Spot check, Vyne!¡± ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Lilian.¡± ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Tear.¡± ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Weryn.¡± Silence. ¡°Weryn?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes widened. The one person that absolutely couldn¡¯t get taken without the others had been taken! ¡°Lilian, weren¡¯t you watching him?¡± The beastwoman sniffed. She had unconsciously let go of his hand. The kid rarely spoke anyway, so it was easy for her to forget about his existence. To her, anyone other than Lord Erebus was completely irrelevant. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Someone get taken, quick!¡± Erebus demanded. Unreasonable! They had no idea how to get taken. Oh no, what if they never found him? He could imagine Ayirn descending upon him. Not only Ayirn but the entire Council. ¡°Hey, hey, creature! Take us, too! Hurry up. Come on, I don¡¯t want to die. I¡¯m still so young,¡± Erebus yelled loudly in the mist. The others started joining in. Yelling at whatever was spriting people away to hurry up and take them. Did it want to die, huh? They¡¯d kill it if it didn¡¯t hurry up and come! They¡¯ll destroy this damn grassland! Threats! They were threatening it. Pure desperation. Their shouts were cut off suddenly and the four bodies disappeared from where they were standing. The world seems to flash before their eyes and then the four find themselves inside a cave with a large pool of glimmering water in the middle of it. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re late,¡± a familiar voice said and everyone turned their heads to see Weryn laying out casually on the rock with his feet in the pool of water. He looked completely normal and perturbed the entire problem. He quickly assimilated into this situation! ¡°Annoying... so loud. So rowdy! What do you want? Who volunteers to be taken? Huh? What¡¯s with that!¡± a voice wailed and everyone turned their heads to the incoming silhouette. It was a translucent pale woman with long, inky hair that floated and twisted in the air. She wore a flowing white dress that had ribbons that intertwined themselves with her silky hair. She would be beautiful if it wasn¡¯t for her gaunt, ghastly face and her red-orange eyes sunken in her face, they were red and puffy like she had spent the entire night crying. Her thin lips were pulled into a frown as she levitated in the air, drawing towards the quintet. ¡°A banshee,¡± Erebus said. ¡°A rather saddened one.¡± He tilted his head and stared at her. The banshee drew to a halt in front of them, a sad smile spreading on her face. ¡°Indeed, I am banshee who lost her way centuries ago.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one kidnapping the people?¡± Lilian asked her without any hesitation. The banshee blinked in surprise then nodded her head. ¡°I grew lonely by myself, so I took people to accompany me. They were angered by it! Many tried to kill me,¡± she wept, tears started flowing down her cheeks. ¡°I just wanted to be with others! I was tired of the death. But I had to kill them in order to defend myself... I am so sad... oh, I am so sad.¡± No one responded. ¡°Were you the one who created this mist?¡± She shook her head. ¡°The mist itself is a living creature that settled here, it is my friend. It takes the people and brings them to me.¡± Her smile grew wider. ¡°It is very kin--¡± In the middle of her speech, her mouth tore open, stretching all the way to her ears. Inside were sharp teeth that looked like they could tear and rip flesh like nothing. She let out an inhuman screech that made everyone cover their ears at its loudness and high pitch. The cave seemed to shake as she screamed. ¡°Sorry about that, happens sometimes even when I don¡¯t want it to. Anyway, as I was saying the mist is very kind to me.¡± Erebus unplugged his ears. ¡°Is that so? Well, this is unexpectedly boring and dull. We¡¯ll be taking our leave, how do we get out of here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. The only way to leave this place is by your death or my death,¡± the banshee answered immediately. ¡°And the only way to kill a banshee is...¡± She saw the unmerciful stares directed at her. ¡°I will not tell you that.¡± Vyne nodded his head. ¡°Lord Erebus, the way to kill a banshee is by tearing out their hearts and freezing it.¡± The power of a sadistic demon! One of his experiments was a banshee and he had accidentally killed it that way. He had heard they were impossible to kill, but the others had been doing it the wrong way! They had wrongly thought that a banshee was killed similar to how you kill a vampire. By either stabbing it with a stake through the heart, tearing off the head and burning it, or tearing out the heart and burning it. Vyne bore a proud expression. ¡°Allow me to handle this,¡± Vyne said. He did not want his lord to soil his hands with such filthy blood. The blood of a mongrel, Vyne drew out his weapon. The banshee began to float backwards, an expression of unfiltered horror on her face. Chapter Forty-Eight: Completely Normal The banshee instantly drew back and tried to flee, but Vyne was far faster than she. Banshees did not have very much combat capabilities, they were members of the demon race, but they were incredibly weak. Their duty was not to fight, after all. They were simply the heralds of Death. They were able to paralyze others with their scream if they enchanted it with magic, and with that they could either kill their enemy or run. However, that required taking her enemies by surprise. Something that she currently did not have. They were all, including the soft-hearted Weryn, were staring at her with intense glares of annoyance and irritation. How dare she put them in this place and expect for them to stay here until they died? So, she opted for escaping. With a flap of his mighty wings, Vyne shot towards the banshee, getting ready to tear out her heart. He knew of no mercy. The banshee started to wail when she realized she wouldn¡¯t be fast enough to get away. Vyne threw his sword and it impaled her translucent body, anchoring her to the stone wall of the cave. Her screeching continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t kill me! Please!¡± The banshees pleas went ignored. They wanted to get out of here, there was no way that they would give in to the begging of the one who put them in this situation! But wait... wasn¡¯t Erebus the one who suggested they come here in the first place? Ah, I said nothing. Nothing at all. In no way shape or form was this Erebus¡¯ fault. Ehm, anyway... Vyne had thrust his hand into the banshee¡¯s chest and proceeded to rip out her heart. The woman shook violently and started screeching even louder as she started to bleed profusely from the gaping hole where her heart used to beat. She was still alive, in intense pain, though. Just tearing out her heart would not kill her, though. Banshees had the capability to regrow any part of their body that was damaged or removed. But, for some reason, if you froze said part of the body it would not regrow. Meaning, you could just as easily remove her brain and freeze it, but that was far more troublesome to remove than a heart. The banshee attempted to stop the bleeding, clutching a claw-like hand over the wound. She was sobbing and screaming, quite the Drama Queen. Relax! It¡¯s just a heart. Vyne lifted the still-beating heart with relish and presented it to his lord. Slowly, ice began to encase it, and the banshee¡¯s shrieks grew lesser and lesser in volume. Her body shook once more, and then ceased all movement the second her heart had been completely frozen for a few moments. The cave began to rumble violently, chunks of rock fell from the ceiling and into the pool of water and the area surrounding it. A large groan could be heard before everything disappeared in a blinding flash of light. The sound similar to that of rushing water could be heard in the whiteness as their bodies were yanked someplace else. Five bodies materialized in a familiar grassland, all of the mist had disappeared and it was now very obvious which direction they should head in. The quintet stood up and walked away as if they had not just murdered a lonely banshee. They were headed towards the mountain range that could be seen not too far off in the distance. Mmm... what a pleasant atmosphere. The Lower Continent sure was a lovely place. Ignoring all the monsters that would like nothing more than to kill you, of course. The sun was warm but not too warm. The wind was strong but not too strong, just enough to cool you down. The ground was firm but not to the point of making their feet ache. They were a magnificent sight that blended in with the surroundings! That is, ignoring the frozen heart one of them held in his right hand. Yes, no banshees were harmed in the past five minutes... Anyway! Erebus and his crew headed towards the town that dwelled in the mountains and contained the entrance to [Hungry Bear Caverns]. The town was named Rocky Village. Yes... it was named Rocky Village. Rocky Village was known for its abundance of mines and nearby dungeons. The [Hungry Bear Caverns] was a Demon ranked dungeon. But it could be explored easily with a medium-sized party, and since it had been completed, there were many in-depth maps available on it. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Also, all of the monsters were Terror rank or lower with a few Epic ranked. The dungeon was only labeled Demon due to the sheer amount of enemies that appeared at a time to attack. There was a seemingly endless flow of monsters in that place! As of now, no one had been able to completely exterminate all the monsters lurking within the caverns. Upon hearing this after their information gathering, Erebus decided that they would be the first to do such a thing! Surely, it would take them weeks. And then another couple of days to get back to Yvick¡¯s castle... then bam! The unnamed dungeon would be open once again! Erebus could not help but chuckle to himself at his glorious plan. There would be not a dull moment! Of course, that was assuming everything would go as planned and nothing would be boring. ¡°Another hour or so and we should arrive at Rocky Village,¡± Vyne spoke in the silence that had settled over them. ¡°We could easily cut that down to minutes,¡± Erebus said almost instantly. Without bothering to ask if they were ready, he started to run. Everyone¡¯s face paled. They had to sprint as hard as they could to keep up, his subordinates managed to close the distance that had appeared within a matter of seconds, but Weryn was still lagging behind. ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± the child called, starting to pump his little legs harder. It was no use, though. He was too slow. It wasn¡¯t as if the gap between them was extremely large, it was only a few meters or so. But still! So many things could go wrong within that tiny amount of space. Oh, yet another terrible situation he was put in... The space between him and the others continued to grow. ¡°No, seriously, wait, wait!¡± Weryn stretched out his arm in desperation, his blue eyes filled with fear of being left behind. Suddenly, the ground disappeared beneath his feet and his body was dangling in the air. Erebus to the rescue! The elder dragon had tucked Weryn underneath his left arm. Memories of him flying on Erebus¡¯ back a couple of months back caused tears to start welling up in Weryn¡¯s eyes. Not this torture again! He squeezed his eyes shut, the way the scenery whipped passed his eyes made him feel sick and terrible recollections rose to the surface of his mind. ¡°Open your eyes, Weryn. We¡¯re here,¡± Erebus¡¯ disembodied voice said and Weryn opened his eyes slowly. The young dragon dropped to the ground. ¡°Ugh...¡± They were currently standing on the outsides of the town, they had climbed up a small hill before arriving at the valley that the village resided in. ¡°I feel sick,¡± Weryn admitted. No one batted an eyelash. Completely ignored! Weryn made a pitiful sound and stood up slowly feeling defeated. They could care less about his emotions, the only thing they were truly worried about was the safety of his body. If Weryn got hurt, Erebus would kill whoever was responsible. And after that, Ayirn would undoubtedly come for him! They were protecting him to protect themselves... The quintet entered the small yet bustling village. There were plenty of people inside of the lackluster place, mostly due to the aforementioned dungeons and mines. It was seen as a great training place for fighters and an excellent post for the merchants. Erebus and co. asked a passerby for the classiest inn and he pointed to an extravagant place that did not fit in at all with its surroundings! It was a giant among the midgets. ¡°Somehow, that place looks untrustworthy,¡± Tear said as they walked towards it. Everything else was modestly built with wood and there were a couple stone and wood buildings, but nothing like this! The inn, by the name of Golden Dream, was made completely out of stone with golden accenting. The double-frame door looked sturdy and would fit in at a castle, not some inn in a village in the middle of the mountains. ¡°Eh, doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Erebus instantly responded. Like the schemes of humans bothered him! As long as it didn¡¯t annoy him too much, he didn¡¯t care what they did. With that in mind, the quintet entered the inn only to be met by a surprise. Chapter Forty-Nine: Unpleasant Surprise Holy heeck, almost at chapter fifty. Thanks for your continued support, everyone! In the town surrounded by mountains, a beautiful inn sat nestled in between a blacksmith¡¯s and jewel appraiser¡¯s building. Inside of the beautiful inn, six figures sat together at a stone table. Five of the faces went by the names of Weryn, Tear, Lilian, Vyne, and Erebus. The owner of the sixth face was a surprise to see. The Second Dragon, Frize. A man with the arrogant, handsome face of a young noble and arctic blue eyes so much so that they could freeze even the warmest of heart and soul. His wavy hair, a blend of light blue and silver, brushed his shoulders which were pulled back slightly as he held his stone-cut face up high. If it wasn¡¯t for his overall unfriendly aura and the unbearable arrogance his face held, many would swoon at the sight of him. Actually, if anything, his face was one that made people wish nothing more than to punch him. Repeatedly. Until that aquiline nose of his was bent beyond recognition. Until his cherry-red lips were even redder with the crimson of his blood. Until his eyes narrowed in arrogance were swollen so much that he couldn¡¯t even open them anymore. His personality was just as bad as his appearance, he was a close friend of the poison-tongued Midrn. They got along for the reason that basically everyone else simply hated their guts. ¡°And why are you here, Erebus? Shouldn¡¯t you be watching over your land in the Main Continent?¡± Frize asked while folding his hands together. Erebus wore a sour expression as he responded, ¡°And shouldn¡¯t you be kissing Rolut¡¯s ass in the Dragon Continent?¡± Frize¡¯s lips drew back into a snarl. ¡°What?¡± Electricity crackled between the two. Everyone else found themselves drawing back silently. As for Erebus¡¯ subordinates, they had only had a vague idea of who Frize was: someone that Erebus did not like in the slightest. And for Weryn, he knew that Frize was the second seat of the Council. Frize only acted (somewhat) well-behaved in front of Rolut. But the moment his superior was gone, his tongue loosened and the insults rolled out in an uninvited stream. In those moments of his good behavior, Erebus could tolerate the man. But like this? He wanted to strangle the life out of him! Thankfully, he did not do so. Mostly due to the unwritten law among the Dragon Council: the killing of other members of the Council was strictly forbidden, and if one was killed by the other, the perpetrator will be hunted down. Even though there were laws against dragons killing dragons, they didn¡¯t really apply to the Dragon Council. The Council itself had its own unspoken rules that existed. Every being on the Dragon Continent knew this. Anyway, this was the reason why Erebus¡¯ and Frize¡¯s hatred for each other did not push them over the edge. Besides, even if they did fight without killing each other, this town and the areas surrounding it would more than likely be completely destroyed without a trace of any type of civilization ever existing there. ¡°Why are you here, Frize?¡± Erebus asked, his eyebrows twitching. Frize scoffed. ¡°And why would I ever tell you that?¡± ¡°Then, I won¡¯t answer your question either.¡± ¡°What! What¡¯s with that, answer me.¡± ¡°No way.¡± Children, these two were fighting like children and not ten thousand-year-old dragons! Frize¡¯s hands tightened together, scales forming on them for a moment before disappearing. ¡°I¡¯m here on Rolut¡¯s orders,¡± he explained begrudgingly. ¡°I¡¯m here because I¡¯m bored.¡± Frize shook his head. ¡°I should have predicted that one, huh?¡± He sighed. ¡°Anyway, we caught the trail of one of the dragons who had sold mana stones of the Dragon Continent and I was sent to find everything out. Since it¡¯s now illegal, the dragon will be apprehended and arrested. Would you like to h--¡± ¡°No.¡± Instantly cut down! Frize¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t want to help? Wouldn¡¯t it be fun for you?¡± ¡°Not in the slightest! That sounds incredibly mind-numbing, but... call me if there¡¯s a fight,¡± Erebus said with a firm nod. It was now Frize¡¯s turn for his eyebrows to twitch. ¡°That¡¯s all your interested in?¡± ¡°Of course, it is.¡± Frize sighed and leaned back in his chair. Even though he didn¡¯t enjoy Erebus¡¯ company all too much, the help would be nice. He was the only one investigating the subject. Maybe if he... If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll contact Rolut and have him order you to help.¡± Erebus¡¯ face went pale. ¡°You can¡¯t do that, you definitely can¡¯t do that.¡± Vyne, Lilian, and Tear looked confused. Who was Rolut? Who was Frize? What was their significance? Perhaps, members of the Dragon Council Erebus had told them about? Ah, whatever. It didn¡¯t matter, anyway, since their lord knew who these people were. Victory was near for Frize. If Frize recruited Erebus, then his subordinates would help, too. That would speed up the process and allow him to end this quickly, without dirtying his hands, of course. Frize was not a fighter. He was a thinker. Yes, he could hold his own in a battle, but like some of the others, he lacked combat experience. And there would undoubtedly be some conflict... Plus, he didn¡¯t like getting hurt. ¡°Fine,¡± Erebus sighed heavily. ¡°We¡¯ll assist you for two weeks.¡± Frize nodded. ¡°That¡¯ll be enough for me.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan?¡± Erebus took a sip of the glass of water in front of him. ¡°You have one of those, right?¡± Frize snickered at Erebus. ¡°Yes, I do have a plan. There¡¯s a ball occurring in a major city of the Lower Continent that¡¯s just across the [Hungry Bear Caverns] in a week. We¡¯ll go there.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of the ball?¡± ¡°Some big-shot is hosting it. More specifically, a person who is expected to be dealing in the black market. And, it¡¯s not a secret that a few dragons will be there helping to finance it.¡± Erebus rested his head on his palm. ¡°Eh~ that so... You expect these dragons gave him some mana stones from our continent?¡± ¡°Hopefully, we¡¯ve had some reports that these dragons were indeed dealing in said illegal activities.¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± Erebus was starting to regret his decision. The only thing interesting about this was the [Hungry Bear Caverns], but they wouldn¡¯t be staying there long enough to exterminate all of the monsters! He felt like weeping. All of his plans... ruinted. ¡°There will be very important people there, including kings and queens from the four other continents...¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Erebus let out another groan. Those stiffs! He really felt like crying now. ¡°Ahem... continuing on,¡± Frize coughed, ¡°you¡¯re expected to go in couples. An elf priestess is attending with me, we will meet here there. But as for your team... I¡¯m unsure how you wish to divvy it. Ah, and Weryn won¡¯t need a partner. As he¡¯s a kid, after all.¡± Tear and Lilian¡¯s eyes instantly met with each other. Who was to go as Lord Erebus¡¯ date? ¡°I¡¯ll go with Lilian,¡± Vyne instantly said. It wasn¡¯t that he particularly liked Lilian, he just didn¡¯t want to be with the pig. ¡°Tear and I, then,¡± Erebus finished. Lilian¡¯s expression remained impassive, but cracks could be see in her carefully constructed mask. Her chance was lost! ¡°Splendid.¡± Tear clapped her hands together excitedly. A ball, her and Lord Erebus! They would dance, and under the starlit night sky they would... Ah, her thoughts were running wild! How embarrassing. ¡°Oh yeah, Tear, Vyne, and Lilian, this is the Second Dragon, Frize.¡± Erebus finally remembered to introduced the other dragon. ¡°My superior,¡± he grinded the last words out. ¡°A pleasure to meet you,¡± Erebus¡¯ subordinates spoke in unison. ¡°What time will we be leaving?¡± Erebus asked after more pleasantries were exchanged. ¡°Tomorrow morning, we will head for the city. It¡¯ll take two days of journey if we move at a leisure pace, I believe.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll have four days to waste?¡± Tear asked the ancient dragon. ¡°Indeed, during that time you all could search for something,¡± he raked his eyes distastefully over their appearances, ¡°more suitable.¡± Erebus let out another sigh. He hated balls, he hated the stiffs that attended, he hated dancing... ¡°Excuse, Lord Frize, if I may ask you a question?¡± Lilian spoke suddenly. Frize tilted his head. ¡°You may.¡± ¡°Do you know the reason why this inn is here... I mean, it¡¯s beautiful, but it doesn¡¯t fit in at all in this place.¡± ¡°Oh? That. The reason is obvious, it¡¯s because I¡¯m here! When I heard I¡¯d have to spend my time in this subclass town, I had this inn built with magic for my couple days stay. It costed around 150,000 gold... it was pretty cheap.¡± Complete silence. Chapter Fifty: Legacia The [Hungry Bear Caverns] were located a short distance from the Rocky Village at the base of a nearby mountain, its gaping mouth was located. Hot air could be felt circulating inside and the was dry and left a sandy taste in your mouth. Six figures were walking through the crude caverns with rocks that hung from the ceiling like teeth ready to destroy and consume. ¡°This place is creepy,¡± Weryn complained, his voice echoing throughout the empty, vast space. ¡°Aren¡¯t there supposed to be monsters? Where are they?¡± Frize looked back at Erebus. ¡°Is he always this talkative?¡± Erebus nodded, bearing a saddened expression. Frize let out an exhausted sigh. ¡°Listen, boy. It¡¯s common knowledge that the monsters of a dungeon don¡¯t appear until you¡¯re reasonably deep within.¡± Erebus swallowed. He did not know of such things! ¡°Nevermind that, this place is absolutely filthy! My beautiful clothes are being messed up... I¡¯ll have to buy new ones in Zylon,¡± Frize wailed as his freshly polished boots dirtied and dirty water droplets soiled his pristine clothing. Everyone else, who had been covered in blood, guts, and dirt far more than they would like, could care less about something as simple as filthy water and dirt on their shoes! They had gone days without bathing before, living in the terrible stench of decay and must! The resistance that they had was not something to be scoffed at. ¡°Stop whining,¡± Erebus told Frize. Frize narrowed his narrowed eyes even more. If he narrowed them anymore, it¡¯ll be impossible for him to see properly. ¡°Unlike your savage-like tendencies--¡± ¡°Who¡¯s a savage?¡± ¡°Obviously, I meant you.¡± They were at it again! The two started sending unveiled insults at each other. Memories of Vyne and Tear¡¯s constant arguing surface. Since those two had finally stopped going for each other¡¯s jugular, Erebus and Frize took up the role. Everyone was surprised to see their lord acting with such vigor. It may not have been the most positive way to express himself, but it was still refreshing to see him full of energy. Normally, he would watch everything with uninterested eyes and act as if it didn¡¯t affect him. He rarely showed his emotion even when he was irritated, so for Frize to draw such a (violent) reaction from his was nothing less than amazing to them. Thus, they headed deeper into the dim caverns. From a distance, a mixture of wailing and groaning could be heard from multiple voices, blending together into an overall eerie dissonance. Along with that, a voice could be singing a haunting melody that was strangely enthralling when paired with the dissonance. ¡°Oh, a siren¡¯s lurking in these caves? That¡¯s strange... they can be Demon to Demon Lord ranking, so I don¡¯t get why¡¯d they be in such a simple dungeon,¡± Frize said as he listened to the enchanting song. Erebus¡¯ eyes twinkled. ¡°Shall we go see why?¡± Frize shook his head. ¡°We have other business to deal with rather than dealing with those melodramatic creatures.¡± When Erebus opened his mouth to protest, Frize simply said a name, ¡°Rolut would wish so, too.¡± Damn that name-dropper! Erebus clicked his tongue and kept moving. Just who was this Rolut person capable of subduing their master! Erebus¡¯ subordinates eyes were full of confusion, they could assume as much as they wanted, but they had no solid evidence for their thoughts. With a heavy sigh, they kept moving. The distant singing grew softer and softer until it completely faded. ¡°Actually, this is getting even stranger. For there to be no monsters and we¡¯re already this far.¡± Erebus looked around the quiet surroundings. He had expected at least one enemy... Frize nodded his head. ¡°You¡¯re correct, it¡¯s odd. Perhaps because of the siren? Hmm, a blessing in disguise. We can progress much faster this way!¡± And they did, on their way, they passed by humungous bears with thick fur that looked like it absorb nearly every physical attack. The bears were all sleeping peacefully due to the siren¡¯s song and didn¡¯t even stir. Truly a tranquil adventure. Frize did not have to dirty his luxurious clothing anymore. They exited the [Hungry Bear Caverns] within an hour or so of entering its confines. Erebus looked truly saddened that they were unable to do anything that was interesting, nonetheless, he kept his complaints (more or less) to himself. ¡°Where exactly are we headed?¡± Tear whined as she fanned herself. Outside of the caverns was a desert area, the heat was nearly unbearable. Of course, Weryn, Erebus, and Frize who lived on a continent that could be described as ¡®hotter than Hell¡¯ were not at all phased by such a measly temperature. To them, everything else was cool. Heat waves that caused people to pass out and faint were nothing to them but a wimpy blast of lukewarm air. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Frize took out an extensive map of the Lower Continent and laid it on the sand as he looked for their location among the jumble of lines. ¡°Currently, we¡¯re here.¡± He tapped an area in the northwestern area. Even though the [Hungry Bear Caverns] and [Spirited Away Grassland] were located south of Karun, they were still in the northern part of the Lower Continent. Frize drew his elegant finger down to a location south of the area they were in, dubbed the [Scorching Desert]. ¡°We¡¯re going to to Legacia. Here. It¡¯s a couple days walk or so, as I said before.¡± The others who had surrounded him, all nodded their heads. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get moving.¡± Erebus heaved out a sigh, wanting to get this over with already. He had absolutely no interest in these things and just wanted to get back to his adventure. Something that¡¯s more entertaining than this! They continued to progress through the [Scorching Desert]. Thanks to Frize¡¯s magic, he created a current of cool air around them, so the temperature became a thing of the past. Along with Weryn¡¯s ice magic, the heat of the desert became nothing more than a joke. Also, because they had high stamina, they took absolutely no rest. Well, their rest was slowing down the pace ever so slightly before speeding up again. A desert that took most people days to cross was shaved down to a few hours. After the desert, they went through multiple regions of different ominous names and irritating monsters that were nothing but cockroaches under the feet of Frize and Erebus. And, just as Frize had said, they arrived at Legacia within two days. They could¡¯ve made it in less than a day if they hadn¡¯t taken the time to go to sleep and moved at their so-called leisurely (the pace they moved at was inhuman) speed. ¡°Here we are!¡± Frize spoke excitedly as a huge wall came into view. Vyne blinked in surprise. ¡°Legacia was one of the walled cities we heard about?¡± Frize nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s been declared as the largest and safest city in the entire Lower Continent. Many people live here, and nobles love to take vacations hera and hold parties due to its beauty.¡± ¡°Eh? That so...¡± Erebus whistled in his bored voice. He crossed his arms over his head as they descended down the hill that lead to the gates of Legacia. Two guards were shimmering silver armor greeted them at the gates, ¡°Welcome to the Walled City Legacia. ID please.¡± Erebus eyed their overly fancy attire with a look of detached interest. For some mere guards to be wearing that expensive gear... Seems like this place had a lot of money to waste. They handed over their identity cards, the guard¡¯s eyes bulged a little when they read the races on their guards. ¡°E-esteemed guest, please enjoy your stay!¡± Their tone had completely changed to that of respect. Unlike what Erebus, Tear, and Vyne had shown the guards of the Milon capital, these were their real IDs and not fake ones created by Vyne¡¯s specialty magic. They walked into the town, the guards still bowing to them profusely. Even though it was never established, the dragons were the rulers of this world! If anyone disrespected them... who knew of the dire consequences. ¡°Hmm, first, let¡¯s get you guys some better wardrobes. It shouldn¡¯t be that hard to find places. After that, we can check in at an inn and get cleaned up, then we can meet with Seira.¡± Erebus made a face. This guy. Frize had completely taken over the leadership role even though no one offered it to him. In fact, none of them were actually listening to what he said completely! They just gathered bits and pieces of the whole and worked with that information. The air dragon walked with purpose in his step. This is what he was suited for! Civilized, clean living. Not bloody fights and gore. He couldn¡¯t help but smile to himself. The town was gorgeous, the mana channel was wonderful and rejuvenating. The sound of merchants shouting out their goods and prices melded beautiful with the composite of voices engaged in casual conversation. Every now and then, laughter could be heard. Birds sung songs of joy, windchimes played in the softly blowing wind. The expensive stone that paved the ground made the most splendid noise when his equally expensive shoes tapped against it. Of course, he managed to remove the image of the bloodied quintet that trailed behind him from his memory. Due to his magic, he was able to escape the flying blood. But Erebus and the others could care less! Within a few fights, they returned to their crimson and dirt smeared appearance. To Frize, it was such a shame. All of them were amazingly good-looking yet they soiled their beautiful visages with such filth! Ah, he swooned a little. How tragic. Chapter Fifty-One: Meeting Upon Frize¡¯s realization of horror, he realized that they were too filthy to even try on clothes. So, he forced them to go to the inn and clean up before they tried on their new attire for the week. At the shop, the clerk nearly fainted from being able to deal with such beauties in her normal days of dealing with obese and hideous nobles. The less fortunate weren¡¯t able to afford the store¡¯s outrageous prices. Gorgeous women with flawless skin and luxurious hair that felt like soft silk, slim bodies, and supple curves. Nearly every color they wore looked absolutely amazing on them! Handsome men with clean cut jawlines and V-shaped broad backs, sinewy muscled bodies... The suits they put on looked as if they were cut specifically for them to wear. Not to mention the adorable child! What innocent, pure blue eyes? Smooth, soft magenta hair that curled around a cherubic face with freckles sprinkled across his tiny nose. He looked like a little sir in his fine clothing. She nearly had a heart attack upon seeing them! She could¡¯ve died a happy woman that day. A blessing, truly a blessing after working in this terrible place for two years! How many old men did she have to wrap the tape measure around only to have it sink into their rolls. The clerk had no problem with them being overweight and hideous, but they were also lecherous men! They had groped her many times even with their wives standing there watching. She was pushed to the absolute edge. Anyway, her not wanting them to leave and Frize¡¯s pushing lead to them spending an unnecessary long amount of time inside the tailor¡¯s. After the grueling process of Frize making the try on multiple, seemingly thousands, of outfits, the sextet headed to a restaurant. Now, they were seated at a table inside yet another dramatically grandiose restaurant with crystal chandeliers and tables made from rich wood, all of the silverware was freshly polished and reflected all the light off them. It was a marvelous place. Erebus swirled the red wine in his glass around with his signature bored expression. For him, he had no interest in excess finery and eloquent talk. Sure, he stayed in inns that cost more than some people would ever make in a year, but it wasn¡¯t because he thought everything else was below him. It was just because their beds were comfortable! He wasn¡¯t interested in political and economic issues either. He also didn¡¯t really care about social problems either. Engaging in a simple conversation with someone and it ending up all over the newspapers was not amusing at all. He couldn¡¯t understand the celebrities. Why on Eirlok would attending these rigid parties where everything is supposed to go all according to a meticulously drawn out schedule be entertaining? He sighed to himself and took a sip of his wine. Vyne and Frize were talking about something that Erebus could care less about... Weryn, Tear, and Lilian were all talking excitedly for the ball that they would be attending... Whenever either of the two groups attempted to pull Erebus into their conversation, he would respond with a minimal answer that could barely be considered one at all. The reason why they were in the restaurant was because they were waiting for Frize¡¯s associate to come meet them. Erebus wished that the woman and this damn ball would hurry up and come so he could get out. Even though, he had existed for thousands of years when a year felt like only a minute when he wanted something time passed incredibly slow! Erebus resisted the urge to slam his head on the table multiple times. The snobby laughter that could be heard from the other tables made him want to claw his face off. It was obviously fake laughter and more of a mock than anything. ¡°Sorry for being late,¡± a musical voice spoke breathlessly. All the heads at the table turned to a pretty elf. Moss green eyes with beautifully drawn rose vines were created with kohl on their edges that continued to perimeter of her face as if they were growing out of her eyes. She had smooth gray skin and a rope of glossy black hair swung from the crown of her head. Her ears were rather pointed, meaning that she came from a prestigious lineage. She wore what looked to be simple traveling gear, but it was easy to tell it was made of expensive materials. A pair of shorts that revealed powerful legs, a cropped top, and slightly muddied boots. Glowing red vine tattoos twisted around the exposed flesh of her arms and legs. The strength that she possessed was clearly visible in the tone of her body to the prideful aura she gave off. She didn¡¯t fit in with the extravagance of her surroundings, she looked like she was ready to go hunt and murder a vicious beast. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Seira.¡± Frize smiled at the beautiful woman and kissed her hand. ¡°Your lateness is already forgiven.¡± ¡°I see, thank you,¡± she laughed and took her seat next to Frize. ¡°A pleasure to meet you all, I am the Dark Elf Seira.¡± The quintet went around and introduced themselves. Her eyes widened when she realized she was sitting with not one, not two, but three dragons. And also a member of the thought to be extinct race of High Humans, a demon noble, and a necromancer beastwoman! Inside, she was freaking out. She managed to keep her exterior relatively calm, though. ¡°You all will be helping us, then?¡± Seira asked calmly while crossing her legs. ¡°Thank you.¡± Erebus opened his mouth to say something that would more than likely embarrass the woman, but Frize cleanly cut him off before he spoke, ¡°They were more than happy to assist.¡± More than happy? He wanted to scream loudly and run away. The others smiled and nodded stiffly. ¡°Ehm, let¡¯s move to somewhere more private,¡± Seira said in a whispery voice. ¡°We need to discuss.¡± She glanced around nervously. Everyone stared at her. What was with this idiot! How was it possible to be so obvious of what she was doing? ¡°Stupid girl, don¡¯t do that,¡± Vyne said in an ice cold voice. ¡°Are you trying to make it so glaringly obvious what your intentions are? Undoubtedly nearly everyone here will be attending the ball. Act normally, don¡¯t speak loud enough for everyone to hear but don¡¯t whisper either. You¡¯ll just draw attention.¡± He took a sip of his wine. ¡°And if we leave so soon after you come, it¡¯ll become even more apparent.¡± He muttered something incomprehensible under his breath. It was along the lines of the idiots he had to deal with... ¡°Ah, sorry, I¡¯ve never done something like this before.¡± Seira looked down with an embarrassment expression. ¡°Obviously.¡± Stone cold! Erebus¡¯ subordinates were only kind to their master, anyone else was nothing less than a nuisance in their eyes. The only reason they treated Frize with some respect is because of his position. And also, insulting him would be bad for them! Without a doubt, that man was capable of killing them all easily. ¡°Anyway, I can use a low amount of my magic to deceive the others around us. If anyone tries to break the illusion, I¡¯ll know.¡± The area around them distorted for a second, it was hard to even notice that such a thing had happened, before returning back to normal. ¡°Wow.¡± Seira¡¯s mouth gaped slightly. ¡°Amazing.¡± Frize turned to the others. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive her her cluelessness, she is rather sheltered in her clan.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your standing in your clan?¡± Lilian questioned with a blank expression. The other woman blushed a little, pink spots appeared on her gray cheeks. ¡°P-Princess.¡± ¡°Oh? I see, so your clan is using you to get on better standings with the dragons, eh?¡± Vyne laughed. Her face paled. ¡°Um...¡± ¡°Stop teasing her,¡± Erebus said. His subordinates, who all wore mocking expressions, ceased their laughter and their faces shifted to one of indifference. A smirk pulled at the corners of Frize¡¯s mouth. Of course, he knew that her clan did not send their Third Princess out of the goodness of their hearts. He knew that she was there to better the relationship between dragons and that specific clan of dark elves. To them, it would be great if she came back pregnant with his child. She was supposed to seduce him, but Frize already saw through that and dodged all of her terrible attempts. The woman couldn¡¯t even seduce a cow. She had a pretty face, but when she started her moves it made people want to scream and run away in terror. Anyway, the fact that Erebus¡¯ subordinates would blatantly point out what he would never say was amusing to him. He could see why Erebus kept them around now. A constant source of minor entertainment. ¡°So, how exactly are you planning to get the suspects to confess to their crimes?¡± Erebus asked, swirling his wine again. Frize answered, ¡°Well, we¡¯re hoping that they¡¯ll confess when asked. If not, we¡¯ll resort to more painful methods.¡± Vyne perked up instantly. ¡°I can handle those methods!¡± ¡°They¡¯re going to fight back,¡± Frize said, clearly ignoring Vyne¡¯s words. ¡°We dragons are prideful, after all. They can¡¯t just let their reputation to be destroyed publically.¡± This is why I¡¯m glad you came, now I don¡¯t have to fight, Frize thought the rest to himself. Erebus¡¯ face remained impassive, but his voice held obvious excitement, ¡°Then, let¡¯s make it an embarrassing spectacle.¡± Chapter Fifty-Two: The Ball In what felt like centuries, the day of the ball came. Everyone dressed in their new attire that they had recently picked up from the Tailor¡¯s. Erebus complained about how restricted his suit was. How was he supposed to fight with this on! ¡°You¡¯ll make it work,¡± Frize spoke nonchalantly as they headed towards the domed building made purely out of crystal and glass. Just looking at the venue of the ball made the wallets of some people cringe and shrink. ¡°Waste of money,¡± Lilian spoke. ¡°Right. What¡¯s the point of making it out of that kind of material... what a terrible idea.¡± Vyne responded in an equally disapproving tone. Erebus and Frize didn¡¯t even bat an eyelash. Of course, they didn¡¯t see what the big deal was. Something like this could be made easily, only a few million gold, right? Tear, too, could care less. Currently, her arm was entwined with Erebus¡¯ and she was rubbing her head lovingly on his shoulder. To her, this was an absolutely perfect day. A monumental occasion! The tailor had made it so everyone was color-coordinated with their partner! It wasn¡¯t as if they were wearing them obviously, but there were hints of it that made them match. The woman wore the color as her base while the males had it as accents on their suits. For Erebus and Tear, their color was dark red. Frize and Seira, a rich violet. Vyne and Lilian wore a pastel green. And finally, Weryn had cream. When they arrived at the double-doors that were made out of frosted glass, they stood in the line of people waiting to get in. Behind them, more people filed in. ¡°There''re more people than I was expecting to be here,¡± Erebus admitted while looking around. ¡°Well, a lot of people came from other continents just for this party. What would you call it? The event of the year for the rich?¡± Frize, too, cast his gaze around. There were angels, demons, beastmen, dwarves, elves, humans, a few members of humanoid monster races... The only thing that was missing was the merfolk, simply because they had a policy of isolationism and rarely interacted with the other races after the wars that completely ruined them. As the line continued to flow, the seven made their way all the way up to the door where four guards waited. The entrance to the ball was simple. You had to pay the measly price of 5,000 gold per person, and allow yourself to be scanned with a magic detector that would pick up signs of any type of weapons. Frize footed (was forced) the entrance fee of 35,000 for seven people. Outrageous price for such a ball full of rich people with terrible senses of humor and pissing contests between men who wanted to dance with a beautiful woman. The guards smiled kindly at them and allowed them to enter before sucking the next group dry of their money. ¡°35,000,¡± Seira muttered under her breath. ¡°That¡¯s just... how much money do these people have?¡± Even as a princess, she couldn¡¯t understand these prices! Her clan was not focused on things like money, so they never had anything like this. For them, 50 silver was a rip-off. No wonder why there were barely any groups over three people! The majority belonged to couples and singles. Anyway, they entered the ball without any trouble. A group of seven made the eyes of even the richest widen a little. What was with their outrageous amount of money? Only extremely powerful and wealthy royalty could pay that much, and the faces of these people were unfamiliar. Inside was an image that some could only see in their dreams: A live orchestra played beautiful songs with sound enhanced by magic. Couples were dancing in the sky due to air magic. The skirts of women spun and shimmered due to the jewels placed on them. On the ground, people were dancing, too. Many were also casting their own magic whether they were in the air on the ground, so it turned into a spectacle. Some had a flame fire ignite under their feet as they glided, other crystals of ice sparkled and glimmered around their bodies. Those on the ground cast earth magic that created pillars under their feet and sent them into the air as the spun and twirled. There were other types of magic being used for appearance, also. There were sculptures made out of ice, some made out of precious gems and minerals. Fountains spurted out crystal clear water, tables were full of delicious looking food and dessert. Erebus let out a low whistle. Seems like the host of this ball had a taste for flair. ¡°Well, if it was anything less than this, it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as popular,¡± Frize said. Touch¨¦. Just as they began to make their way through the thickening crowd, two figures pushed through the crowd and dropped to their knees. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Both were youthful males who looked to be in their early twenties. Their faces were generic but handsome. Actually, their faces were the exact same. Both had stubborn jaws, pretty blue-green eyes, and golden hair. Twins, it would seem. ¡°Second Dragon Frize and Fifth Dragon Erebus, if we had known you would attend this humble affair we have sponsored, we would¡¯ve made it far more suitable for your taste,¡± one of the twins spoke in the language of the dragons. They had attracted the attention of everyone else, even the orchestra had stopped playing to stare. These two were none other than members of the esteemed dragon race, everyone here knew that. Yet they were kneeling, kneeling to an unknown group of people. Frize and Erebus didn¡¯t respond. ¡°The young one, Weryn, we have heard about is here, too? The one who is blessed with the opportunity to be the student of Fifth Dragon Erebus,¡± the second twin spoke. ¡°I am,¡± Weryn said in his native tongue. ¡°A lovely ball you two have helped create.¡± ¡°Your words are too much,¡± the twins spoke in unison this time. Even though they acted so respectfully, it was clear to the two ancient dragons that the other two were afraid. Two members of the Dragon Council were here. And the twins had participated in illegal affairs. Had they caught on? Did they know? ¡°Rise up,¡± Erebus said tiredly in the human tongue. ¡°No need for your dramatics right now.¡± The two dragons swallowed and stood up. ¡°Yes, Fifth Dragon Erebus.¡± A kind-faced round man accompanied by a thin-faced man walked up to the dragons. ¡°Ludis and Syron, who are these people to illicit such a response?¡± the kind-faced man asked with a laugh. His face had deep laugh lines and his smile was genuine. It was easy to tell he was a nice fellow. ¡°I agree, King Rupert. Who are they?¡± the thin-faced one followed up. His name was King Quinn. Respectively, they were the rulers of Milon and Eururia. They ones who had launched the attack on Erebus¡¯ castle! ¡°They?¡± ¡°These people?¡± Syron and Ludis hissed respectively. ¡°Show respect, humans!¡± Syron, the one who had addressed Erebus and Frize first, barked. ¡°Maggots, learn your place,¡± Ludis, the second twin, shouted. Everyone gasped a little and drew back. The two king¡¯s faces drained of color. ¡°O-our apologies, we simply wished to know who, um.¡± Rupert gestured to the seven. If it was anyone else, they would have their heads. But these were dragons, no one dared speak out. Frize spoke in an annoyed voice, ¡°I do believe you two were told to stop with the dramatics.¡± His eyes focused in on the twins, who flinched at his glare. Normally, he wouldn''t be bothered by their melodramy. But, since they had betrayed the Dragon Council and their laws, Frize felt as if they were mocking the their elders. For the first time in his life, he truly wanted to kill. Sadly, he wasn¡¯t allowed to until they confessed their crimes. ¡°Apologies.¡± Ludis looked down at his shoes. ¡°The beings you have the honor of observing are the Second Dragon Frize! The Fifth Dragon Erebus, and his disciple Weryn,¡± Syron boasted after an awkward moment of silence. Everyone in this world should know of the name Erebus and Frize. Frize, the one who had attempted to negotiate peace during the First War! From there on, he acted as the diplomat for the dragons. Erebus, dubbed the Destroyer by all. He was the one who ended the wars that the dragons found annoying. How many had died at the hands of that dragon. ¡°And the others are?¡± King Rupert managed to say in a slightly even tone. ¡°A survivor of the High Humans, Tear of the Moon Goddess.¡± She curtsied mockingly towards the two kings. ¡°Demon Noble Vyne.¡± ¡°Princess of the dark elven clan Hikyun, Seira.¡± ¡°Master Necromancer Lilian.¡± Though they had not heard of the others, Lilian was a famed necromancer! She had disappeared centuries ago. She was one who stood at the top of the necromancers! Lilian was said to be the most powerful necromancer in the world. She had completely destroyed the coven that had nurtured her. The demons and angels had heard of the name Vyne before, he was a descendent of the pure-blooded nobles! A descendent of the Lost Empress Laufeia. Hikyun was a clan famed for their immense strength and skill. Finally, a High Human. The race said to have died centuries ago! This ball had gone from the event of the year, to an event that would undoubtedly be recorded in history. Chapter Fifty-Three: Dragon Law The human noble, Andrew Kun, was experiencing something he never felt before. Self-consciousness! He, who always got what he wanted, was at a standstill because of a woman. An extremely beautiful one at that. No, her beauty transcended the barriers that words created. A face that could rival the Gods, luminescent hair that looked as if it was spun of the thread of diamonds. The smooth skin of her shoulders was revealed because of the sleeveless, dark scarlet dress she wore that hugged the curves of her body before falling to the ground in a pool of rich fabric. When she walked, the free-flowing skirt moved behind her. Normally, he would have approached her. But there was an insurmountable problem. The man whose elbow she¡¯d been attached to since they had entered. It was none other than the Fifth Dragon Erebus. Andrew felt like crying, not only was Erebus far more attractive than him, he was incredibly powerful and rich! The woman, whose name was Tear of the Moon Goddess, was probably his wife or something. Even if she wasn¡¯t, why would she care about the spoiled son of some unimportant noble who barely scraped up enough money to attend? Currently, he was trying to muster up the courage to ask her to join him in aerial dance. He could only imagine what it would be like to stare into those beautiful sapphire eyes of her¡¯s. ¡°Just go,¡± one of Andrew¡¯s friends spoke after Andrew cast yet another longing stare at Tear. ¡°The worst thing that¡¯ll happen is the Dragon Erebus will kill you,¡± he said jokingly. Andrew glared. ¡°You¡¯re not helping.¡± His friend, Ryner, shrugged and took a long drink of his wine. ¡°You could aim for any of the other girls over there, too. They¡¯re all pretty hot.¡± He was right, Lilian was absolutely stunning and Seira was an exotic beauty. But still! The men they stood with were leagues beyond Andrew and what he ever could reach. ¡°Maybe you could dance with the kid,¡± a redhead named Jackson laughed. ¡°He¡¯s pretty, too.¡± Andrew¡¯s glare grew stronger. ¡°If they hear you, they¡¯d kill you.¡± His friends shrugged, they were too drunk to care about that right now. ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Andrew spoke with steely resolve. He wasn¡¯t ugly! He was pretty handsome if he did say so himself. Andrew made his way through the multitudes of dancers and servers and to where the seven stood engaged in conversation with extremely important people. Three of the famed archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. The other four were still in the Pure Continent watching over. They boasted being the closest to the One True God, only second to the seraphim. The angelic race was the only race that didn¡¯t treat the dragons with the utmost respect. To them, their god was the only one capable of receiving such high regard. When Andrew crept towards them all, ten pairs of eyes landed on him instantly. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Lilian and Vyne both spoke. Andrew started regretting his decision. ¡°I, well, I, uh.¡± Just say it already, their eyes seemed to say. ¡°I was wondering if Lady Tear would spare an aerial dance with me...¡± Tear¡¯s eyes turned ice cold. ¡°Lower life--¡± ¡°Is that so? Tear, go dance with him,¡± Erebus said airly. She didn¡¯t bother hiding her displeasure. ¡°Of course, Lord Erebus.¡± Tear and the sweaty-palmed human walked towards a magic circle and stepped on it. They stood there for a while, not moving. An even greater amount of displeasure became apparent on her face. ¡°Do I have to activate the circle or are you competent enough,¡± she hissed. Andrew instantly starting pouring his mana into the circle until it came to life with a bright, pale blue glow and they slowly began to rise into the sky. He placed his hand on her small body, the sweat from his palm dampening her beautiful gown. ¡°Are you seriously sweating?¡± Tear questioned in a bland voice, her eyes looked completely indifferent. She was over the situation already. ¡°I-it¡¯s hot in here, no?¡± Andrew laughed as they began to dance. Within a few seconds, he stepped on her foot. She didn¡¯t say anything until he repeated the process five more times. ¡°What are you, a newborn deer? You can¡¯t dance at all, you incompetent swine!¡± she finally let loose her thoughts. Andrew¡¯s face paled even more. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. What was with this terrible personality did not fit her angelic appearance? ¡°What? Are you a mute now? Dance properly!¡± ¡°Ugh...¡± While Andrew was being scolded by a very irritated Tear, Erebus and Frize approached the twin dragons Ludis and Syron. The twin¡¯s previous fear creeped back into them. They had calmed down after a while, convinced that the elders had no idea of their activities. But, the moment that they approached them once again... ¡°Glorious party, I find myself very entertained,¡± Frize said with a lack of enthusiasm that didn¡¯t match his words. Ludis smiled weakly. ¡°I-is that so? We are glad to hear such things, especially from such honorable beings such as yourselves. We never imagined the day that we could be able to meet you personally.¡± A vicious smirk appeared on Erebus¡¯ face. ¡°Oh, but you did, didn¡¯t you? In your nightmares, right?¡± His eyes twinkled with malicious laughter. Unlike Frize, he had no taste for beating around the bush. He was straight-forward and to the point! Syron blinked in surprise. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re trying to convey to us, Fifth Dragon Erebus?¡± Erebus let out a bark of laughter. ¡°Cut the bullshit, children. By the law of the Dragon Council, speak the truth to me. This shall be your trial for the sins you have committed.¡± A few ears who had innocently been passing by perked up at the words. The four dragons drew even more attention. ¡°O-our trial? For what?¡± Syron stammered nervously. ¡°You¡¯re not doing yourselves any justice,¡± Erebus snapped. ¡°I¡¯m already in a terrible mood, don¡¯t attempt to stall with us.¡± Frize quirked an eyebrow and took a sip of his wine. It was rare for Erebus¡¯ patience to snap so easily. He was expecting the younger dragon to be more nonchalant about the entire ordeal. But instead, Erebus slipped into his personality of the past. In the very beginning of their years, Erebus had been cold. His words were concise and he never laughed or smiled unless it was in sardonic nature. He dealt with any problem swiftly and precisely, never doing more or less. Slowly, he changed into the careless being that he is today. Even Frize found the memories of those previous days pushed in the corners of his mind. ¡°Your illegal trade of the mana stones hailed from the Dragon Continent, speak of it,¡± Frize said. He couldn¡¯t let Erebus have all the fame and glory, after all. The twins fate was condemned the moment their eyes lost all hope. They had basically confessed to it without saying a single word. Still, they were allowed to speak their part. But it wouldn¡¯t change their future. ¡°I suppose there is no hiding anything from the Dragon Council, eh?¡± Ludis said in a tired voice. ¡°So it is true, then?¡± Erebus questioned. Syron nodded grimly. ¡°Yes, my brother and I, we... We traded the precious stones of our country before and after you passed the laws that forbade it.¡± They had the attention of everyone now. ¡°We needed money, we had gotten ourselves into debt! It was the only way to pay it off,¡± Ludis wailed. ¡°Please, forgive us.¡± ¡°The law is absolute,¡± Erebus responded with sternness. ¡°For you to have betrayed your continent for the simple sake of paying off debt.¡± Erebus shook his head sadly. ¡°There would¡¯ve been many willing to help you.¡± Ludis¡¯ face fell. That much was true... Even though the dragons competed, they were a close-knit race who would help any in need. But their pride would not allow them to ask for assistance. Frize sighed and spoke in the language of the dragons, ¡°As the decree of the Dragon Council, your lives are ours for the taking. This is your atonement for your sin.¡± Erebus continued, ¡°If you wish, you may challenge your judges to a duel until the other party is incapable of fighting back. If you win, the sentence will be lifted. If you lose, it will be carried out. Do you wish to use your privilege?¡± Ludis and Syron hesitated, they knew they¡¯d be fighting a losing battle. They both fell to their knees, crossing an arm over their chest. ¡°Yes... we wish to exercise the privilege to challenge our judges to a duel.¡± Erebus¡¯ fist tightened at his side while he and Frize spoke in unison, ¡°Then so it shall be.¡± The structure that the ball was held in began to shake violently as four immensely powerful auras were released. Chapter Fifty-Four: Dueling Dragons Erebus turned to the others inside of the ballroom. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, I suggest you run now. I¡¯m not thoughtful enough to pay attention to any collateral damage.¡± With the entire foundation of the building rumbling, Erebus did not have to tell them twice. Even Erebus¡¯ subordinates and Weryn escaped to where they would not be in the splash zone of the fight. A battle between two dragons was already a disaster. A battle between four meant complete and total destruction. ¡°Well, children. We¡¯ll allow you the first blow,¡± Erebus spoke to the twins in a mocking tone. The first blow! It was an honor to be able to deal the first blow in dragon culture. However, for dragons who had betrayed their people, it was nothing more than a joke. Erebus spread out his arms, palms up. ¡°I¡¯ll even restrict the amount of strength I use. Aren¡¯t I being generous? Your chances of winning are rising!¡± He laughed. Frize shook his head. Actually, he liked the careless Erebus more. Sometimes, Erebus¡¯ side which reveled in dark humor would rear its ugly head. Ludis nodded at his brother. They made a silent pact. Syron would fight Frize, and he would fight Erebus. With a roar, the body of Ludis began to morph rapidly, transforming into a golden-bodied dragon. It goes without saying, that his body did not fit within the glass and crystal structure. The humongous size of the average dragon would not fit inside a building unless it was miles long. A normal full-grown dragon had the wingspan of at least half a mile. If their wingspan was any smaller than that, they would typically have long, serpent-like bodies that made up for the difference. His growing figure tore through the supports, sending the building crashing down. Erebus, Frize, and Syron protected their bodies with magic as everything came falling down. However, some people did not survive the collapse of the building, they had taken their sweet time evacuating. The corpses were impaled with huge shards of glass or a chunk of heavy crystal crushed their bodies underneath it. Pools of blood seeped out. Despite this scene, Ludis was not pulling any punches, he swung his speared tail at Erebus in hopes of damaging him gruesomely. Of course, it would heal. But within the rules of the duel, he would be incapacitated for quite some time meaning it would be Ludis¡¯ win! Erebus, who was now standing on top of the fallen structure, took the blow head on without blocking or shifting forms. His body was sent flying like a ragdoll. The sound of him crashing through the city of Legacia could be heard. There was a large, dry thud could be heard when his body collided with the magically reinforced wall. Ludis flapped his mighty wings and shot off towards the direction Erebus was sent in. Frize turned to Syron, who had also shifted.¡°I hope you do not plan on hitting me in such a manner. My clothing is rather nice, I believe. And it would actually make me very mad if you were to do--¡± Frize was smacked by Syron and was sent spiraling off to the same direction Erebus was sent. His body slammed against the wall, leaving a nice, circular dent. ¡°That brat!¡± he roared, other than minor scratches, he was completely unharmed. The same went for Erebus who was now swiftly avoiding all of Ludis¡¯ desperate attacks. It was an amazing sight, Erebus was laughing joyfully and dodging attacks that could easily break the bones in his body as if it was nothing. ¡°I finally get to stretch my wings for real,¡± he said while jumping over Ludis¡¯ tail and landing on the other dragons head. He rose his leg straight into the air before dropping it down onto the crown of Ludis¡¯ head, a loud crack sounded throughout and Ludis¡¯ head slammed into the ground. The wound that appeared on Ludis was healed within a few moments. But, another dragon had appeared where Erebus was. Hovering in the sky with his mighty wings spread, a pitch-black scaled dragon stared down at Ludis with mitch-matched eyes full of arrogance. ¡°Come on now, child,¡± he spoke in their native tongue. ¡°I¡¯ll honor your courage and fight you properly.¡± Ludis roared loudly, the dragon screech was accompanied by him flapping his wings and full-on tackling Erebus. At their collision, a sonic boom clapped through the air. Frize casually turned his head. ¡°So they¡¯re going all out, huh? Well, Erebus is still holding back a little.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Currently, Frize was seated on Syron¡¯s snout. His legs were crossed and his overall expression was unamused. He leaped off of Syron¡¯s body and plummeted to the ground as the had been flying in the air. His formed morphed into that of a pale-scaled dragon. Frize¡¯s dragon form was smaller than Erebus¡¯ and did not contain the same bulky muscles, but rather had a more slender, regal appearance. Just before he hit the ground, where only rubble was left from their battle, Frize swooped back up, his head facing Syron. He opened his mouth and a powerful tornado of icy air smashed into the golden dragon. Syron screeched in pain as the whipping wind tore at his scales before passing through his body. Bloody scratches were left, but similar to Ludis¡¯ wound, they were gone within moments. But it was enough time for Frize to slam his tail into Syron¡¯s stomach and make the other dragon bend over at the impact. While this was happening, Erebus and Ludis were twisting around each other, landing blows with their heavy and massive tails. Erebus¡¯ eyes were full of delight. The dragons had only used the Courtesy of Honor before to the sinners. But Erebus had not been the dragon involved in dueling the ones who betrayed the law of this world. Those who had retreated to a (relatively) safe area, were watching the battle with wide eyes. Due to their enormous size, the dragon¡¯s battle was easy to see from a distance. So, even though Legacia was huge, it was possible to see every moment. The citizens and ball attendees were stupefied. They had heard of the dragon''s power, but they never knew it would be on this colossal level. Weryn, too, stood with his mouth open. How wrong he had been an extremely skilled. Watching this battle, he realized that he still a very long way to go until he was at such a level. The ongoing battle was difficult to describe with words. It was purely epic. Magic that could easily surprise Myth ranked was being utilized as if it were nothing! Loud booms and cracks were heard every time a blow landed. Erebus was currently utilizing his [Lost Magic: Void] in a way the others had not seen. Instead of it completely sucking and devouring everything in its path, it simply stuck to the scales of Ludis and large chunks of his body would disappear in a bloody mess before growing back. Slowly, he was chipping away at Ludis¡¯ mana reserves. Even though a dragon¡¯s regeneration was top notch, it required magic. That meant only the originals could constantly regenerate nonfatal attacks. For Ludis, he could only heal his body completely to a certain amount before he would run out of reserved mana. Then he would start having to take mana from the atmosphere, but the process of that healing would be far slower. Meaning that he would be severely weakened and unable to heal properly unless he focused his entire attention to it. Ludis knew this fact, but it wasn¡¯t like he could simply ignore the damage he was taking in rapidly. He sent off a large fireball that hit Erebus squarely on the chest, but it only resulted in a small wound that would heal. All dragons had an amazing resistance to magic and physical attacks, especially fire-based. It wasn¡¯t like they were immune to it, though. If Ludis was capable of producing a ball with more concentrated mana, it would damage Erebus significantly. Alas, he was not at that level for a plain reason. Instead of specializing in one type of magic like the others did, Ludis focused on all of the elemental magic and their subtypes. More specifically, he was a veteran at [Combination Magic: Elemental King]. Individually, his magic wasn¡¯t incredibly power. But when melded together, he was a fearsome opponent. Normally, he would use his [Combination Magic: Elemental King], but the downside was combination magic was that it required an enormous amount of mana. Since he was healing himself constantly, he couldn¡¯t afford to take an even bigger hit to his mana reserves. Thus, he opted for lower-powered attacks but using them at a higher frequency. Still, he was running out of power. It would only be a matter of time before he would have to start drawing mana from his surroundings, ultimately meaning his complete loss. Chapter Fifty-Five: Dragon Passing [b] I apologize for the delay, I was swamped with work. Here you guys go! [/b Ludis was panting heavily, his blood pouring from multiple faucets. The injuries Erebus had inflicted upon him were no longer healing properly. Ludis was near Death¡¯s door. Erebus, on the other hand, was completely fine. In fact, no injuries were visible on his body and it was hard to believe that he was engaged in a duel that could end or save someone¡¯s life. He was flying leisurely in the sky before finally descending and landing next to the exhausted Ludis. ¡°Is that all you¡¯re capable of?¡± Erebus questioned the younger dragon in a soft voice. Ludis hacked up blood and rose shakily until he was standing (somewhat) upright. ¡°I will not forfeit!¡± he cried strongly in a tone that did not match his miserable appearance. Erebus with responded that something that resembled a smile. It was hard to tell when his was that of a dragon. ¡°Come at me then.¡± Ludis shot a weak bolt of water magic at Erebus. It simply bounced off of his body. He continued to attack Erebus with magic that was reflected off of the highly resistant scales of Erebus¡¯ grand body. Erebus didn¡¯t fight back. He merely allowed the pitiful spectacle to continue with a blank expression. Ludis finally collapsed, his breathing had grown even heavier. Erebus spoke quietly, ¡°Are you done?¡± Anger welled up inside of Ludis, he tried to rise again, but his tired limbs did not comply to his wishes. He fell down awkwardly, his arms and legs sprawled out as if he was a newborn deer attempting to walk. ¡°You tricked me,¡± Ludis spat after a moment of silence. ¡°Did I really?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Erebus blinked once. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°You,¡± Ludis hacked violently, ¡°you let me believe you were weaker than I had originally thought. You played me... is this some sort of game to you? My life, that is.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Erebus answered without any hesitation. To him, it was an amusing pastime. To some extent, he respected Ludis. But that was miniscule compared to the thought of appeasing his boredom by toying with the younger dragon. He could have killed Ludis quickly and easily if he wanted to. Instead, Erebus opted to drag out the battle for the sake of his very own entertainment and enjoyment. It was rare he could exert that much force and his opponent wouldn¡¯t break like a twig under a boulder. His thought process was completely unlike Frize, who had dealt with Syron so quickly it was almost laughable. Ludis chuckled bitterly. ¡°In the end, I lost, huh?¡± He stared Erebus straight in the eye. ¡°But what is another broken to you?¡± Without any remorse, Erebus responded, ¡°Nothing at all.¡± Ludis thumped his tail weakly as it were funny. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t call you out for being dishonest.¡± This elicited no response from Erebus. ¡°Come on now. Kill me. My brother¡¯s dead. The last person who I cherished in this world is gone. What do I care about living any longer?¡± The elder dragon remained silent for a few counts before pointing a talon at Ludis. ¡°By the Dragon Law, I, Erebus of the Dragon Council, shall carry out the death sentence of Ludis, twin brother of Syron. Your life is mine for the taking as you have betrayed your brethren.¡± Ludis sighed contently, a peaceful expression crossing his face when an iridescent symbol appeared on his forehead, basking his body in an even brighter glow. The thin beam of the glowing light completely engulfed his body, it was beauty in the night sky. The light dimmed before it completely disappeared along with Ludis¡¯ body. The fleeting, ethereality of the moment passed. Frize appeared next to Erebus while in his human form. ¡°Honestly, why did you feel the need to prolong the inevitable?¡± Erebus didn¡¯t respond, there was an indescribable look of sorrow in his eyes. ¡°How beautiful a star is in its last moments,¡± he spoke in a pained voice. ¡°How incredibly lonely and jealous do the other stars feel?¡± Frize cast his gaze upwards at the twinkling stars. ¡°It is our duty to protect this world. For eternity.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Erebus shook his head and laughed, shifting back into his human appearance. ¡°I know, Frize.¡± The previous sadness vanished from his face without any lingering trace of its existence. Frize stared at Erebus evenly for a while, and Erebus responded with a light chuckle. ¡°What a mess this is.¡± Their surroundings were completely ruined. Buildings destroyed, multiple craters in the street and in the protective wall of Legacia. It was currently unknown how many other lives were lost during the ferocious battle of the dragons that sent tremors throughout the very foundation of the city. Frize, however, did not allow his gaze to stray. ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going now.¡± His companion sighed heavily. ¡°I suppose you are correct,¡± he said with a tired nod of his head. The two made their way back to the area where the ball attendees stood. When they arrived, everyone dropped to their knees. Groveling. Even the mightiest of king¡¯s forehead graced the earth. ¡°Oh my, now you all want to show proper respect?¡± Erebus questioned in a wry way. ¡°F-forgive our previous rudeness,¡± the King of Milon, Rupert stammered. He couldn¡¯t help but remember the way he had referred to them earlier. Today was a reminder. No, it was a nightmare that created the deepest and purest form inside of their weak and feeble body. It struck them all the way to the core and fused into their essence. Nearly all of them had not been alive during the First War and the following Great Wars. They had never witnessed the true power of the dragons first hand. But the display just now made them realize why exactly their ancestors warned against angering the dragons. Not just the Dragon Council, but the younger dragons were also incredibly powerful. A single, well-trained dragon could easily subdue a group of Myth class magicians. And that was scary. Incredibly scary. The ones they held praised and exalted could fall so easily under the presence of a single being. It had become somewhat of a joke, the dragons that is. To those who had never experienced the terror firsthand, they would never understand anything. And overtime, wounds faded into scars that would be difficult to remember where exactly they came from. So the stories passed on from generation to generation became nothing more than a child¡¯s tale. They only showed proper respect because of what they had heard. Not what they knew, there was a difference. ¡°We apologize for interrupting your lovely ball, but we had urgent business to attend to,¡± Frize said with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach those frozen eyes of his. A king with flaming red hair and dressed to the absolute max in extravagance jumped up. ¡°Oh, it is no problem! No problem at all.¡± ¡°No, no, at least let us repay you by fixing the damage that we caused. And those who were caught in the duel... I-, I- don¡¯t know how to express my condolences,¡± Frize continued. Similar to his smile, the sadness he spoke of did not reach his eyes. They remained cold and calculating. Anyone with half a brain could figure out that he didn¡¯t actually care about what had happened to the others. The dragons had always been like that. They could care less about who died because of their actions. They were selfish, prideful creatures. They only showed camaraderie among themselves. The dragons viewed anyone else to be below them in every way possible. Frize and Erebus were no exceptions to this stereotype. The king, however, was not idiotic enough to call Frize out on his obvious facade. ¡°If you so wish to, we would be eternally grateful.¡± ¡°We will fix everything back to the way it was,¡± Frize said then turned to Erebus. Even though he seemed to be completely impassive, Erebus could read the members of the Dragon Council like a book he had been reading his entire life. Erebus knew exactly what this look meant: Frize had absolutely no idea how to fix this place! Chapter Fifty-Six: Back to the Caverns A few days had passed since the execution of the two sinners Ludis and Syron. The reconstruction of the massive area that been utterly destroyed inside of Legacia was able to be finished rapidly due to the use of mages who specialized in reconstruction magic. Reconstruction magic was incredibly rare and those who were able to use it properly were even rarer. Because of this, they were incredibly expensive. Thus, the cost to fix the city was mind-blowing and even managed to make Frize and Erebus¡¯ eyes widen a little at the outrageous cost. ¡°So this is what it¡¯s like to experience shock over money,¡± Erebus had mused to himself. ¡°I never want to go through that ever again,¡± Frize sighed. The overall total of reconstructing the area back to its original beauty was a whopping two million gold. Repair cost, worker cost, repaying the families,... Frize had to shoulder it all. Because Erebus refused to pay, not even a single copper. To quote him it was, ¡°Not my fault. You¡¯re the leader, right? Own up.¡± Or something along the lines of that. Now, they were all standing outside the gates of Legacia. ¡°I¡¯ll handle the rest here,¡± Frize was saying. ¡°Good luck on your journey, Erebus, and thank you for your help.¡± Erebus waved. ¡°Goodbye.¡± ¡°Goodbye,¡± his followers echoed. With that, they headed back in the direction that would guide them to Yvick¡¯s castle. Since they planned on moving incredibly slow and still had hopes of clearing out the entire [Hungry Bear Caverns], their estimated time of arrival was a day or two before the entrance to the hidden dungeon would open. Erebus could not wait for the time to hurry up and pass so he could go back there. Maybe it¡¯d be like the previous dungeon he explored, and someone he knew would be at the bottom. Also, Weryn would be heading back to the Dragon Continent with Frize. Apparently, he was missing his family. He told them would come back within a few months. And he was definitely not asking Erebus for a ride to the Main Continent. When Erebus had suggested so, Weryn¡¯s face turned frightfully pale and he stammered and shot off multiple excuses that did not make any sense in the slightest. With that, the group composed of Erebus, Tear, Vyne, and Lilian headed off once more. This time, mostly due to Weryn¡¯s and Frize¡¯s incessant nagging, they brought proper supplies. Such as a compass, a far better map, extra clothing, and tents. According to Frize, sleeping on a makeshift bed of grass and moss was ¡®unsightly and frankly, disgusting¡¯. Along with that they were (forcibly) given a magic carriage and horses that accompanied with. In Erebus¡¯ honest opinion, such things were simply a waste of space and completely unnecessary. If anything, the drove the enjoyment out of anything. It was so dull and monotonous. What fun was running from a pack of wild, bloodthirsty monsters when you were in some carriage? The feeling of the branches snapping beneath your feet and leaves smacking your face brought an indescribable sense of unfiltered adrenaline as you ran. Vicious snarls behind you that lit a fire underneath your heels. The snapping of jaws and low-pitched rumbles that came straight from the stomach. Your heart racing, blood roaring. The sound of your breath, the sight of the world flashing by you. Erebus let out a sigh as Lilian began pouring her mana into the carriage and it began to move slowly. ¡°Mm... the only good thing about the carriage is I can take a nap while we move,¡± he said with a yawn, stretching out and resting his head on Lilian¡¯s soft lap. Through the window, Tear¡¯s eyes zoned in on them. They flared with jealousy as she watched Lilian¡¯s indifference to the glorious feeling of Erebus¡¯ head pressed against her skin. How dare that woman! Her lap was just as soft-- no, softer than Lilian¡¯s. ¡°I can rest my head on your lap, if you¡¯d so wish,¡± Vyne spoke in a mocking tone as he observed Tear¡¯s glare full of pure hatred and loathing. Tear¡¯s head snapped towards him, yet her eyes stayed on Lilian and Erebus. ¡°I absolutely detest the thought of you touching me. Filthy mongrel, you¡¯ll never be fit enough to lick the dirt off of Lord Erebus¡¯ shoe!¡± ¡°Eh? Pig, you¡¯re getting rather confident nowadays, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t forget I can crush you like the bug you are.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Now, Tear¡¯s eyes were focused on Vyne. Light flared in her hands and she spoke daringly, ¡°Want to try it?¡± Vyne¡¯s lips pulled back into a snarl. ¡°I¡¯ll rip you apart.¡± The two¡¯s auras flared and caused the carriage to shake a little. ¡°Be quiet! Both of you, I¡¯m trying to take a nap,¡± Erebus¡¯ voice shouted in annoyance. What happened to them tolerating each other¡¯s existence? Was it because Weryn was no longer with them that they finally let loose once more? That kid... he turned out to be pretty useful after all. For all the wrong reasons, Erebus began to miss Weryn¡¯s presence. ¡°I apologize,¡± Tear said softly. ¡°If you would like, I¡¯ll accept any type of punishment that you wish to give me. But I beg you, please don¡¯t tie me up and have your way with me.¡± ¡°Pardon my rudeness, I will not do so again. I think a suitable solution would be to cut off the pig¡¯s tongue. I know the best way to do it that will cause the least amount of pain to it.¡± Erebus, very wisely, pretended as if the two hadn¡¯t spoke. Strange, both of their strange tendencies were reading their ugly heads. Ah... Weryn, my buffer. Erebus sighed discontentedly and attempted to make himself comfortable. ¡°Wake me up when we get to the place...¡± he spoke tiredly. ¡°[Hungry Bear Caverns]?¡± ¡°Mm, yeah.¡± With that, Erebus drifted off into a dreamless slumber. The carriage moved steadily since they were in no particular rush, they moved at a normal pace. A stark contrast to their normal abnormal rate of travel that would leave even the greatest of adventurers dizzy. Of course, monsters would occasionally attempt to attack the carriage, but they were easily dispelled with Lilian¡¯s ability to summon undead to fight as they continued to move on. If the monster proved to be even more tenacious, Vyne would leap out of the carriage and deal with it. Due to his ability to fly quickly, he was able to catch up with the carriage without them having to slow and wait for him. It was a systematic, simple way of doing things. Erebus drifted in and out of consciousness. Most dragons could sleep for decades, even centuries, if left alone. They would wake ever so frequently for a minute or two before closing their eyes once more. With that being the way it was, it wasn¡¯t incredibly difficult for humans or any other race to stumble upon sleeping dragons and manage to anger them. Ah... there were plenty of tales of that occurring throughout history. But the sleeping places of dragons were widely sought after, as it wasn¡¯t any secret that the area was typically full of riches. The only problem was if you weren¡¯t able to get past the gatekeeper who had a terrible attitude from being awoken from a pleasant slumber. Anyway, within a few day¡¯s time, the four were back at the desert that connected to the entrance of the [Hungry Bear Caverns]. Tear and Vyne managed to get in only a couple of verbal fights, but they kept their noise level low enough to where Erebus could care less if they killed each other. ¡°Lord Erebus,¡± Lilian spoke gently, slightly shaking her master. ¡°We have arrived.¡± Erebus jumped awake and to full attention. ¡°Pack up the carriage! We¡¯re going in.¡± His subordinates wasted no time at all. With their lord finally conscious, they dove into action and were full of energy once more. They closely resembled worker bees scrambling to appease their queen¡¯s wishes. Siren! Erebus had not forgotten the creature that drove his fascination with this place to an even greater level. That enchanting lullaby that had lulled all the monsters inside of the [Hungry Bear Caverns] to a deep sleep that could only be ended with magic. How he hoped that she was still there. He planned on talking to her first before clearing out the entire dungeon, siren¡¯s always proved to be interesting. They never had a shortage of stories to tell and songs to sing. Also, sirens were typically always in a good mood. To them, the world was a great place! Their happiness seeped through to those who surrounded them. Vyne, Lilian, Erebus, and Tear entered the [Hungry Bear Caverns] full of hope as to what was still lurking inside. Chapter Fifty-Seven: Yaq-Il Her name was Yaq-Il. She was the heir to the siren clan that boasted the purest bloodline that could be traced to the powerful original sirens. The clan was known for their immense power and their enchanting singing that was rivaled by none. Like all sirens, Yaq-Il was beautiful. Her hair was free-flowing, lilac in color, it cascaded all the way down to the middle of her tail, which was golden in color. The tail shimmered and radiated a faint glow. The rest of her flesh was white but slightly tinged with a soft pinkish hue. Her face had the impish siren characteristics, the mischievous tilt of her lips to the defined cheekbone. Nonetheless, she exuded an air of regality and superiority. Yaq-Il¡¯s eyes were completely black, including her sclera, but her pupils were thin emerald slits. As her appearance suggested, Yaq-Il had lived a life with trivial issues that could hardly be considered problems. But alas, something came and destroyed the very foundation of her being. Love. And what a love it was. She had caught the heart-wrenching disease that felt so painful yet so very wonderful. It was a common killer of those who were infected by it. She had fallen for this outsider, and she had fallen hard. It was the type of love that numbed the pain of living and sent your body into euphoria. But for her, it was a forbidden love. The clan, her family, would never accept any outsiders who would taint their noble blood with the impurity of a mongrel. They had kept their blood as holy as it should be through the sinful act of incest. Of course, to them it was anything but a sin. Yaq-Il was to marry and bear the child of her elder brother Yaq-Xin. She had accepted her fate a long time ago, in fact, it had never really struck her as strange in the slightest. Everything was fine until she met him. The one who made everything in her world change, who colored the traditions of her family in a new, frightening way. But the secret of her shameful affair came to light, needless to say, her family was absolutely furious. Her clan was disgraced. Their virgin heir had been desecrated by some filthy mutt! The disgusting woman was to be banished. But that was not all, she had to learn, she had to be punished. So, they made her watch. Watch as her lover¡¯s bones were broken. Watch as his skin was torn, his turquoise blood staining the ground of the courtyard. Watch as his mouth was twisted in agony and screams of such immense pain that those observing could feel it, too. She watched until his body finally fell limp, and without a second to grieve, she was thrown out of her clan. They did not want this impure woman any longer. Her clan could care less if she died. After all, they could easily make another. Yaq-Il was left to die and fester. She was left in the darkest moments of her life, she experienced indescribable anguish. Oh, how she longed for Death¡¯s sweet embrace to carry her away into a peaceful slumber. But she couldn¡¯t allow herself a painless death. How could she, when he had died in such a tormented way? She could hear his cries every time she attempted to rest. So, Yaq-Il fought, she struggled, and she survived. And more importantly, she scorned all. And that was how she ended up in the [Hungry Bear Caverns]. A place where she was currently surrounded by four beings. ¡°Who are you?¡± Yaq-Il questioned in a harsh tone. ¡°What do you want?¡± The ones she spoke to were none other than Tear, Vyne, Erebus, and Lilian. The four had been able to find her in no time at all, as the creatures were still sleeping due to her song. Tear blinked in surprise. ¡°She¡¯s the siren? She doesn¡¯t look too happy to me.¡± ¡°What! Just because I¡¯m a siren means I have to be happy, singing songs of joy and wishing happiness to all? Huh? Are you shitting me? What¡¯s there to be happy about? Tell me!¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Tear retreated behind Erebus. ¡°S-sorry,¡± she stammered. She wasn¡¯t really sure how to respond to Yaq-Il¡¯s words. Erebus, however, was entertained. A happy siren was great. An angry siren was interesting. ¡°Siren,¡± Erebus began, ¡°what is your name?¡± ¡°Yaq-Il.¡± She flicked her tail in annoyance. ¡°And you?¡± Erebus and his subordinates gave the proper introductions to her they were, Yaq-Il¡¯s expression remained the same. ¡°Really? A fucking original dragon? Tell it to someone who cares. Go away.¡± Even Erebus¡¯ eyes widened at her words. ¡°What? You expected me to care? Hah, stop kidding yourself.¡± Erebus¡¯ eye twitched. Vyne, already foreseeing the events that could occur, stepped forward. ¡°Siren Yaq-Il, if I may ask, why are you so angry?¡± ¡°Yaq-Il is fine.¡± She flicked her tail in annoyance once more. ¡°Pretty boy, I¡¯m annoyed because some brats decided to intrude on my time.¡± Brat? Who was a brat? Erebus found himself wanting to strangle the life out of the siren seated before him on a lonely stone in the middle of a donut-like pool of water. ¡°Anyway, are you telling the truth about who you are? You all look like a bunch of pansies. Are you lying to me?¡± ¡°A dragon never lies.¡± Yaq-Il rolled her eyes. ¡°Spare me of your self-righteous honor bullshit. I trust you just about as far as I can throw you.¡± Erebus grinded his teeth. This foul-mouthed woman... If it wasn¡¯t for him being interested in the true reason to what could make a member of the happy-go-lucky sirens so angry, she would be dead ten times over. This time it was Lilian¡¯s time to intervene. She stepped up and spoke, ¡°How about you drop the front, Yaq-Il? This defensive act, it isn¡¯t working. You aren¡¯t fooling any of us.¡± Yaq-Il hissed as if Lilian¡¯s words had hurt her. Act? How dare this woman speak of her anger as some petty grudge? She had no idea of the fire that burned inside of Yaq-Il. The ferocious rage, the unquenchable thirst for revenge for what they did to her. How dare she call it an act? ¡°You know nothing about me.¡± she said in a whispery, angry voice. ¡°And you know nothing about us,¡± Lilian refuted without her tone of voice changing. The two women stared each other down. ¡°That look of sadness in your eyes, I know it. We all know what that is.¡± Yaq-Il barked out a laugh. ¡°What is this? A group counseling session? Just like you said, I don¡¯t know you. And you certainly do not know me. Leave me be, I want nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°You will not drop this act?¡± ¡°Call it what you may. I don¡¯t care as long as you leave. Begone! Leave me to my misery.¡± Erebus nodded his head. ¡°We¡¯re leaving, then.¡± Yaq-Il was a little surprised, but she didn¡¯t dare show it. They started to walk away. The last non-monster living beings she had encountered were leaving. Actually, the four were moving awfully slow. Almost as if they were waiting on something... ¡°Hold on,¡± Yaq-Il said softly. They pretended not to hear her. ¡°Hey, I said wait! Wait!¡± she continued to scream for them to wait in an even louder voice. Finally, they stopped and turned around. ¡°Ah? Could it be that you actually wanted to tell us what was going on?¡± Erebus asked in a surprised manner. ¡°But I thought she wanted us to leave?¡± Tear added, a faux-confused expression on her face. Yaq-Il tightened her hands at her sides. ¡°Stay, please. I want your help on something.¡± ¡°And that would be?¡± Erebus asked. Yaq-Il smiled cruelly. ¡°Revenge on those who put me in this state of mind.¡± Chapter Fifty-Eight: Revenge of a Siren ¡°You want us to help you get your revenge? On who exactly?¡± Erebus asked Yaq-Il. The siren thumped her tail. ¡°As I said, the ones who put me in this state of mind.¡± ¡°Why would we help you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re bored, aren¡¯t you? Wouldn¡¯t this be fun?¡± Erebus gave her an exasperated look. ¡°We have somewhere to be in a week or so.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only take a few minutes. It won¡¯t be that hard for an original dragon, right?¡± Yaq-Il was obviously baiting him. Erebus narrowed his eyes at the siren as if to tell her to learn her place in this world. And that place was below him. Yaq-Il smirked. ¡°Feisty, I think I quite like that look on your face. He resembles you in some ways.¡± Yaq-Il¡¯s manner of speaking to them had changed from one of hostility to a more friendly banter. ¡°Who is he?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. She didn¡¯t need to. The look on her face told them all they needed to know. Erebus sighed heavily. ¡°We have some time to spare; I suppose that we could help you exact your petty revenge on whoever. I assume it¡¯s the ones who took your lover away from you?¡± Yaq-Il screamed, ¡°Petty? You think my feelings are of the same caliber of some schoolgirl?¡± ¡°Are they not?¡± Erebus tilted his head. ¡°We¡¯ve all held our petty grudges before, haven¡¯t we? In the long run, does any grudge seem significant? Do the feelings we feel hold any significance? I¡¯m aware of this. Everything we do is in vain, and Death has already placed its grip on us.¡± Erebus¡¯ words created confusion by those surrounding him. He never spoke like this, much less said such morbid things. The carelessness that he acted with was nowhere to be seen. The tone of voice belonged to that of one who had lived far too long, one who had experienced far too much pain. There was sadness in his voice. It even silenced the sharp-tongued Yaq-Il. A heavy mood settled over. ¡°What? Why have you gotten all silent?¡± Erebus looked around in wonder. ¡°I already said that we¡¯ll help Yaq-Il on her quest for revenge. Don¡¯t tell me, your feelings were so paltry, after all? Are you unwilling to dirty your hands, girl?¡± Yaq-Il spoke slowly, ¡°I will do whatever it takes to make them feel what I felt. I want them to suffer.¡± A dark smile spread on Erebus¡¯ face. ¡°So it shall be, then.¡± ¡°I want to take revenge on my clan for killing my lover. The only love of my life. I want them all dead.¡± ¡°Lead the way,¡± Erebus said along with a mocking bow at Yaq-Il. The siren snorted in response. His subordinates acted accordingly. ¡°I know many methods of torture,¡± Vyne said. ¡°I can make them experience such embarrassment before their death,¡± Tear supplied. ¡°With my magic, I can bring them back over and over and you can kill them each time.¡± Yaq-Il laughed delightedly. ¡°This is great, so very great.¡± She clapped her hands together, excitement radiating off of her body. ¡°Let¡¯s head out immediately, then!¡± ¡°Wait, wait. Surely, you owe an explanation to what is going on?¡± Vyne said harshly just as the siren jumped into the water. She blinked in confusion. ¡°Oh, I apologize, pretty boy. I wasn¡¯t expecting you to be so nosy.¡± Yaq-Il pushed herself up onto the rocky ground and kept the lower end of her body in the cool water. ¡°How much do you want to know?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? We want to know all of it. If it turns out to be stupid, we won¡¯t help you,¡± Vyne answered, deciding the last part on his own. Though, since his words held truth in them, Erebus did not speak any protest. Yaq-Il rolled her eyes, tossing her damp hair over her shoulders. ¡°Everything, eh? Could it be you¡¯re interested in me?¡± she spoke in a flirtatious manner that earned her a look of disgust from Vyne. ¡°I prefer my women more refined than you, fish.¡± ¡°I was just joking, no need to be so rude.¡± Yaq-Il playfully splashed water on Vyne. ¡°Anyway, my story¡¯s a rather long and dull one. But since you absolutely insist, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Yaq-Il took a breath. ¡°His name was Byron; he was the bastard son of a noble from a rival clan, the Silvertails...¡± She began to tell them about who she was, what she had done, and what they had done to her. The four listened to her story silently, none of them judging her. This fact was very surprising to Yaq-Il, she was expecting a more violent response. It wasn¡¯t any secret that dragons didn¡¯t take too kindly to those who broke the law and betrayed their race, yet Erebus¡¯ expression showed none of this anger. ¡°My family did everything they could to hurt me, and I want to do the same to them. That is why I want your help. I already know the path I walk down will only give me small peace, but that is better than no peace at all. I want their blood to spill just like his did.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Yaq-Il had finished her tale. ¡°Is that so?¡± was all Erebus said. The other three didn¡¯t even speak. She opened her eyes, the hopefulness bright in them. ¡°So you will help me after all?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why we wouldn¡¯t. As you said I¡¯m bored, and nothing is a better pastime than slaughter.¡± Yaq-Il continued to look at Erebus with distrust in her eyes. ¡°My clan is prestigious. The Goldentails are majorly important in the world of the seafolk. You still hold no qualms about killing them? Won¡¯t you get in trouble?¡± Erebus laughed. ¡°After you said all of that, you¡¯re starting to doubt us? Child, if I wished for all of humanity to be exterminated, it would be carried out. And no one would dare raise a word of it. The Council will get over it quicker than you would think, they like to complain about what I do, but in the end they would have done the same.¡± Yaq-Il was thoroughly surprised by his words. She opened her mouth to say something, and then opted out of the deed. ¡°Follow me then, I shall guide you to where I used to live. You will have to venture underwater for an extended period, so I hope you can hold your breath for a while.¡± She winked at them. Erebus snorted. ¡°Do not be concerned about our wellbeing. There are multiple types of magic that allow one to breathe underwater.¡± The siren shrugged. She already knew that they¡¯d be fine with going underwater, and if they weren¡¯t, they certainly weren¡¯t cut out for the task of dealing with a clan of powerful sirens who had existed from centuries. She had confidence in Erebus¡¯ strength, as he was a dragon. But for the others? She couldn¡¯t be sure. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you, jump into the pool when you¡¯re ready,¡± she said just as she dove back into the dark waters. Erebus and his subordinates came shortly after, Erebus easily casted a sphere of protection around their bodies, they all stood inside of it. Since he was basically the only one capable of keeping up magic for such a long time, Erebus was charged with being in control of their movement and keeping the shield up. The transparent sphere lifted into the air and lazily drifted over the pool of water before slowly submerging itself. Waiting in the depths, Yaq-Il was tracing circles out of oxygen bubbles with her fin. Her voice cut into all of their heads, Follow me, if you please. Vyne¡¯s eyes twitched in annoyance. He hated how telepathy felt, it was as if something else was in your mind. You could feel it there, invading the inner sanctum of your conscious. He muttered incoherently to himself as they followed the rapidly swimming siren. It¡¯s quite a distance from here, so it¡¯s best if we hurry. Yaq-Il¡¯s glowing tail was swishing back and forth at an alarming rate as she propelled herself through the water. We¡¯re located near the Capital of the Searealm. It¡¯s a journey there, but it¡¯s rather easy to find. There¡¯s never any shortage of seafolk making their way to the Capital. To be honest, if you simply followed anyone you¡¯d find yourself there. She found it to be her duty to explain her world to the land-dwellers. Yaq-Il continued to talk about the Searealm, not caring at all that the others were doing anything but listening to her. Yaq-Il found it comforting to talk about her homeland, as much as she claimed to hate it. ¡°She hasn¡¯t shut up since we entered,¡± Vyne thought to himself distastefully. In all honesty, he despised the woman. She had dared speak to his master in such a derogatory way then had the audacity to request his assistance in her quest for revenge. If it wasn¡¯t for Erebus¡¯ nonchalant attitude, Vyne would¡¯ve had her head on a platter a long time ago. ¡°I rather enjoy her explanation, I¡¯ve never been here before,¡± Tear said in disagreement to Vyne¡¯s words. ¡°How sweet, a pig and a fish relating to each other,¡± he drawled. Tear turned her head away from him, refraining from getting in another fight with Vyne. ¡°Must you call them out of their names constantly?¡± Lilian reprimanded Vyne. The demon chuckled. ¡°What? Are you upset that I¡¯m leaving you out of the name-calling, Lilian? Shall I refer to you as rabbit from now on?¡± ¡°No, I was simply wondering if you could speak without the maturity of a seven year old boy who has a crush.¡± ¡°Are you implying that I would feel anything other than the utmost contempt and loathing for that woman?¡± Vyne and Lilian continued to go back and forth. Soon enough, Tear, feeling the need to defend herself, joined in. Erebus kept his eyes on Yaq-Il and whistled softly. He heard nothing. Nothing at all. Chapter Fifty-Nine: Avenging Byron The Goldentails weren¡¯t hailed only for their purity of blood, they also had a certain type of reputation. It was their attitude. To say they were unwelcoming would be wrong. They were nearing the proximity of xenophobia. Which meant that any visitor was either chased away or killed. The latter choice being a much more common occurrence. From a distance, they looked like a kind bunch. All singing to each other in sweet voices, laughing, playfully smacking each other with beautiful tails. One would almost jump at the thought of joining them. But how quickly would their smiles turn into a salivating snarl, their jaws dropping open to the ears. When it did so, mouths bulging with ivory, dagger-like teeth could be seen. Thick, pulsating veins appeared on their once blemish-free skin like some type of intricate web working. And you were the target for such beast. It was because of this the Goldentails weren¡¯t exactly a fan favorite. Those of the sea rather preferred the welcoming embrace of the Silvertails. The Silvertails acceptance to anyone and everyone is what earned them scorn from the Goldentails. It was absolutely astounding that those whose blood was nearly as pure as their own would dare associate themselves with others so far below them it was impossible to measure. After all, it was such a tedious endeavor to look down. Besides, they weren¡¯t even worthy of the noble stare of the Goldentails. Thus, when the Goldentails saw a group of land-dwellers attempting to enter their sacred city. Which, by the way, bore a close resemblance to old, very old, ruins. The Goldentail¡¯s eyes narrowed in judgement. Without sparing a word, they went to kill the visitors as per usual. When they did so, they noticed something strangely familiar. And completely unpleasant to view. Mutters of dissent could be heard. Things along the lines of: ¡®Tell Lord Yaq¡¯, ¡®that woman¡¯, could be made out. Within moments of a male Goldentail bolting off, a grey-haired man came swimming over. His eyes were identical to Yaq-Il¡¯s. His tail was just as, no, even more brilliant than her¡¯s. Though he looked old, the stubborn set of his jaw and his sculpted body said otherwise. ¡°You,¡± he began in a ragged voice. ¡°You dare come back here?¡± the man yelled in a deep, booming voice. Yaq-Il turned to Erebus. ¡°That¡¯s my father,¡± she told him and his crew. Her complete disregard of his words served to anger Yaq even more. His face began to grow red. When Yaq opened his mouth to speak, Yaq-Il didn¡¯t allow to by saying, ¡°Oh, hush, you old croon. I heard you the first time, no need to shout any longer.¡± ¡°Why have you come back here?¡± Yaq asked her once more, his quiet anger made the other sirens begin to withdraw from the vicinity. He was the most fearsome creature to them. They had seen his fury before, and none of them wanted to be caught up in that mess ever again in their lives. They did value such things, after all. ¡°Save your breath, old man. You¡¯re going to find that you wished you had run away earlier.¡± Yaq-Il smiled at her father, it was cruel, twisted smile. ¡°I¡¯m home, father dear.¡± Mentally, she told Erebus and his subordinates to begin their attack. ¡°And goodbye. Forever, hopefully. I¡¯d be extremely upset if I were to find your miserable ass wherever I go in the afterlife.¡± A spear made of darkness pierced Yaq¡¯s unsuspecting body, it impaled him straight through the heart. In silence, a swirling void opened up and swallowed Yaq hole. Without a single cry or muffled shout of pain, Yaq-Il¡¯s father was killed and turned into nothing. His daughter¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. There was no hint of regret, no look of sadness. If anything, there was this look of relief on her face. The invisible shackles that held her were beginning to loosen. But they weren¡¯t gone yet. In a whisper, she spoke, ¡°Continue. Please.¡± That was all that her avengers needed. The bubble that surrounded them all broke off into four parts and encased their heads. With a movement that shouldn¡¯t be possible for land-dwellers, they began their onslaught. Vyne indulged in the clean act of severing heads from necks. The sirens attempted to fight back, but, well, they weren¡¯t accustomed to actually fighting. What they had normally engaged in was more of a one-sided beatdown with sheer numbers rather than a traditional fight. The skill of their ancestors had been long forgotten. With the awkward moments of a novice, the sirens attempted to fight off Vyne. But even in their natural habitat, they struggled to keep up with his expert use of magic in order to maximize his abilities based off of his surroundings. Since the sirens weren¡¯t idiots, they dropped the tactic of dueling him one on one and instead began to group together and attack him. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. That would¡¯ve spelled the defeat of Vyne if it were not for Tear¡¯s support. She was assisting Vyne and Lilian at the same time with deft movements. Tear¡¯s arrows were slowed in the water, but they still flew with deadly force at their target. If they landed, they killed. Since Lilian¡¯s corpses were essentially useless underwater and there weren¡¯t enough dead sirens to really do any damage. Her magic could only draw out as much power as the owner of the body already knew. Meaning if it was an unskilled siren, it would be an unskilled undead. She¡¯d have to summon many in order for them to overwhelm the living with sheer numbers. But, since the clan was originally only two hundred or so members, it was entirely useless to even do so. Necromancy was surprisingly inconvenient at times like this. She had to resort to using magic that she was not nearly as well-versed in. And, well, Erebus was being himself. With every miniscule muscle movement, a life or even more would be taken. Some attempted to run away from the carefree dragon, but they were cut down by black blades that would then suck their body away into the abyss. The screams of sirens filled the water, the noise provided Yaq-Il with the strangest sense of serenity. With every clan member slaughtered, her shackles loosened even more. Slowly, they were slipping off. Soon, she would be free. Byron¡¯s torment would be appeased with their blood. The turquoise blood of sirens made the water cloudy and lowered visibility, but that did not slow the onslaught of Erebus and his followers. Rather, it gave them even more fuel. A chaotic scene was transpiring. The already destroyed buildings of the Goldentail clan finally collapsed due to the raging powers. Yaq-Il raised up her arms, palms facing the sky. She began to sing the lullaby her mother used to hum to her when she was a child. Yaq-Il didn¡¯t do this to give them a peaceful rest, she crooned in order to mock their very being. The sound of her enchanting singing overpowered the blood-curdling screams of her family. Her father was dead! Rejoice, rejoice. Those who once scorned her were dead! Rejoice, Yaq-Il, rejoice! She sung even louder. With the last death, the invisible manacles she wore shattered and fell into nothingness. Tears of joy sprouted from her eyes, her voice shook with emotion until she finally stopped singing. ¡°Byron, Byron! I have avenged your death, my love!¡± she cried to the heavens. She looked straight up, her hands reaching out as if she held the world in her hands. ¡°Byron, Byron,¡± she continued to repeat his name. Erebus, Lilian, Vyne, and Tear grouped back together. Their spheres grew and once again enclosed all four of their bodies. The bubble drifted lazily towards Yaq-Il, Erebus wore an unreadable expression on his face. ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± he asked her. ¡°Of course, I am satisfied,¡± she answered. ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± he repeated. Yaq-Il blinked. ¡°Yes.¡± He asked her once more. She opened her mouth, then shut it. Was she satisfied? The elation she had felt only moments before had vanished without a trace. Now she was feeling empty. ¡°My family is dead. And I don¡¯t care, I don¡¯t care at all.¡± A bland expression appeared on her face. Erebus repeated his question. ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± ¡°No,¡± Yaq-Il answered softly. ¡°When will you be satisfied?¡± Yaq-Il hesitated, she racked her mind for answers. ¡°Never. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be satisfied.¡± ¡°Then, do you regret it?¡± Did she regret this? No, if giving the opportunity she¡¯d do it again. But at the same time, she wouldn¡¯t. Now that she knew what she felt afterwards, was it really worth it? Was all that death worth the emptiness she was experiencing. Sure, it had been a great freeing moment. But now, she looked over at the carnage. The death. Had they really all needed to die? Was this what Byron had wanted? He had always been a kind soul, even as they killed him, he never cursed the Goldentails once... Doubts started to swarm in her mind. They plagued her consciousness with questions of ¡®what if¡¯? Yaq-Il shook her head furiously. ¡°Don¡¯t take it to seriously, Yaq-Il. I¡¯m simply messing with you,¡± Erebus said, tilting his head to the side with a cryptic smile. ¡°Thank you for your assistance,¡± Yaq-Il grinded out. Now that he said it, it was too late. He had planted the seeds in her mind and they would continue to grow. ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving now,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Enjoy the rest of your life,¡± he spoke the last part slowly and deliberately. With a quick burst of force, the sphere carrying Erebus, Vyne, Lilian, and Tear bolted back to the surface. Chapter Sixty: Just Keep Walking... It was time. Yes, the moment Erebus had been craving was finally upon them. The one thing that had been constantly on his mind. The dungeon was open once again! Erebus¡¯ heart pounded with delight. Finally! He remembered how exciting the unexplored dungeon had been. It was full of splendid surprises. An unknown treasure his for the taking. Once more, he and his subordinates headed into the dungeon. The tree root stairs leading to a place full of happiness. Yvick waved his goodbye to them and then walked off. He had been in the middle of an experiment when Erebus entered (barged) into his humble abode. Erebus had demanded he guide them to the dungeon opening. He had completely forgotten Erebus was coming back and he didn¡¯t bother hiding his displeasure. Seeing his face once every decade or so was perfectly fine, but seeing him so many times in one year honestly made Yvick grow tired of his old teacher. Also, Yvick was convinced Erebus was breaking doors just to piss him off. And, well, his thoughts weren¡¯t completely unfounded as Erebus had always displayed an amused expression at Yvick¡¯s reactions. Really, you¡¯d expect a dragon, thousands of years old, would have more maturity than a five-year-old brat. Of course, Yvick did not voice these types of thoughts. But anyway, that¡¯s beside the point of it all. The group progressed quickly, as they already knew what was coming up to a certain extent. Lilian transformed into a rabbit and settled on top of Erebus¡¯ head during the enclosed space with the spikes. This time, they didn¡¯t freefall from the cliff and instead worked out Vyne flying Tear downwards and Lilian in Erebus¡¯ arms as he jumped. Within a short period, they arrived at the hidden chamber where Vyne, Tear, and Erebus had fought the humongous animated suit of armor. The four were shocked to discover that there was no trace of the epic battle left. This was the strangest thing of all. In the forest, there had been rotting corpses and craters from their last expedition. But in here, everything was fixed back as if it never existed. The enormous magic circle was gone, too. ¡°Perhaps, someone was here?¡± Vyne questioned as Erebus searched for any trace of magic residue. ¡°Possibly...¡± Erebus removed his eyepatch, scanning the area with his augmented eye. ¡°To fix such damage would require a large amount of mana, there should still be hints of it left in the atmosphere.¡± Mana swirled around in his vision, his eye darted around, looking for anything that didn¡¯t fit. Magic normally took a long time to completely dissipate. Even small magic could remain for a few days. But the magic that took up a considerable large amount of mana could last for months, sometimes years. It wasn¡¯t unheard of going to an old battlefield where an epic battle occurred and still being able to sense the leftover remnants of the past. ¡°There¡¯s nothing,¡± Erebus said softly. ¡°Not even traces from the magic used during the fight. It¡¯s possible to use a certain type of magic that completely rids it from the atmosphere. But practitioners of that technique are few and far between, and those that are this good are even rarer.¡± Lilian suggested, ¡°Maybe the dungeon itself was enchanted?¡± Her master shook his head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case here.¡± He placed his eyepatch back over his eye. ¡°Well, whatever. Let¡¯s proceed.¡± Tear looked a little hesitant. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get to the bottom of this? There might be something extremely powerful lurking inside of here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯d be able to handle it,¡± Vyne said dryly. ¡°He¡¯s a dragon. Lilian¡¯s powerful, I¡¯m strong. And you¡¯re relatively good at magic.¡± ¡°Relatively,¡± the High Human muttered under her breath. ¡°Can¡¯t you just admit that I¡¯m a sizeable opponent, too?¡± Vyne shook his head. ¡°Seeing as the only useful thing about you is your bow and arrow, I can¡¯t really say you¡¯re all too special.¡± Tear rolled her eyes, opting out of furthering their conversation. ¡°Lord Erebus, as I was saying, I think it would be good if we inspected the mana for just awhile longer.¡± He sighed. ¡°Tear, the mana traces have been erased. As good as I am, I cannot turn back time.¡± She pouted a little but accepted the words that he had said. Erebus was right, it was basically useless for them to even try searching for any longer. With that, they headed to the grand set of double doors. Vyne pushed open the heavy doors with a grunt. Was he getting out of shape? Doors of that size would normally be of no problem to him. He had been neglecting his physical training recently... Vyne allowed his mind to wander as they walked down a winding corridor. ¡°I feel as if we¡¯re going in circles,¡± Tear complained. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°We probably are.¡± Lilian pointed to a vertical slash on the stone walls. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that section before.¡± She cocked her hip and folded her arms. ¡°How do you suggest we fix this dilemma?¡± Erebus laughed. ¡°Easily.¡± With a swift movement, he kicked a gaping hole into the wall of the corridor. It was big enough for them to walk through. Tear grabbed his bicep. ¡°What a great idea, Lord Erebus! How could I have doubted you for a moment? I deserve to be punis--¡± Vyne tore her off of his master. ¡°Damned leech-pig. Stop touching Lord Erebus so casually, you¡¯ll taint him with your impurity.¡± ¡°Leech-pig? Is that even real?¡± Tear retorted. ¡°No, it¡¯s a new species that I discovered after observing your actions,¡± Vyne shot back. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, I thought you were a simple pig, but you evolved yourself beyond that.¡± Lilian and Erebus moved on. If they stayed any longer, they would be dragged into the argument. It had happened countless times before, leaving them in an awkward position. No matter what either of them would try, the other two would not let them go until they all came to a consensus on who was correct. Vyne had once written a ten-page essay as to why Tear was invalid. Tears had started to well up in Erebus¡¯ eyes when he beheld the sight. Bad memories... bad memories. Go to your happy place, Erebus. Anyway! When Erebus had kicked a hole into the wall, it lead them to an underground oasis. There seemed to be nowhere out except for turning back from where they came or walking through the expanse of sandy land. ¡°How does this place even work?¡± Vyne groaned. ¡°How is there a desert... underneath the ground! How is there a sky? I don¡¯t understand. I don¡¯t understand this place.¡± The others shrugged. None of them really cared. Rather, they wondered why Vyne was so concerned over this. ¡°Well, we can progress through the desert,¡± Lilian suggested. ¡°But, I have no idea where we¡¯re supposed to go.¡± Everything looked the exact same in all directions. The tiny oasis was their only marker as to which way was which. Tear sighed heavily. Of course, let¡¯s travel through the dry heat. No, what sense would it make to go back in the corridor until they found a way out. What? You mean it will cause her to pass out due to heat exhaustion... Banish the thought! She may be human, but at least she¡¯s a high one! Wait, that came out wrong. Gah, the heat was already doing things to her mind. They trudged through the heavy sand which managed to find its way into their shoes and grind itself into the soles of their feet. Tear chugged through the only canteen of water they had in a desperate attempt to regulate her body temperature. The others weren¡¯t as bothered, but this heat was damn near unbearable. She could literally feel her sweat glands giving up. Tear muttered to herself incoherently as the day faded into night and the stars came out. Vyne continued to question the logic behind this place. Underground palaces and buildings he could deal with. But a desert with a sky simply did not make any sense to him! The two went through their own silent conversations. Lilian and Erebus were engaged in their own debate as to how they were going to get out of this place. They had been walking for hours, but there was no end in sight. Their (Tear¡¯s) legs were starting to burn from the extra weight added by the sand. ¡°This place is set up so that we can fail,¡± Lilian spoke in a somewhat irked voice. Honestly, whoever the maker of this dungeon was needed to be scolded. This place was not fun at all. Erebus, on the other hand, did not really mind. He had gone through so many mind-numbingly boring things that this was barely enough to call bothersome. He had existed in a time when there was quite literally nothing to do. All he could do was talk to the same ten others for centuries while flying around and stretching his wings. When the other races emerged, he had been rather excited by it all. Everything that he had seen so many times turned into a brand new spectacle for his eyes. He had witnessed the birth of the planet¡¯s lifeforms. So, compared to centuries of waiting, a few hours walking was nothing. Still, it was pretty boring. ¡°Well... weather¡¯s nice, isn¡¯t it?¡± Erebus joked. He figured he had to lighten the mood somehow, the quietness was making him somewhat uncomfortable. His jovial attitude was met by glares. They loved him, they really did. But it was too hot, they were too tired, and the fact that he was smiling and laughing made even Tear want to rip out his eyes. Chapter Sixty-One: Bug The desert was draining their souls of any enjoyment possible. Weeks, they had been walking for weeks. Even Erebus¡¯ smile had faded. He was tough-skinned (more or less), but this just was not entertaining. If possible, he was even more bored than he was when he had entered this dungeon. Everything looked the same, everything felt the same. There hadn¡¯t been any monsters coming to attack them, it was just the sun rising and setting in the horizon. ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel as if we went the wrong way,¡± Tear muttered in a crackly voice. Due to magic, she had been able to drink ¡®water¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t the same refreshing taste. It was just to keep her alive. Tear looked straight ahead, the heat distorting her vision. ¡°Anyone else getting that feeling?¡± All the others nodded their heads. Erebus regretted his decision of finding an easy way out because this was just mind-numbing. There was the sound of something falling into the dry sand, the others turned their heads. Tear had given up on walking and was now sprawled out on the ground. ¡°Just kill me here, I quit. I¡¯m sorry Lord Erebus, you¡¯ll have to go on without me. But, I¡¯d rather it be your sword that pierces my hea-- wait, wait, what are you doing, Vyne!¡± The demon had aimed his sword above Tear¡¯s heart and was about to grant her wish. ¡°You said kill you,¡± Vyne responded. She scrambled to her feet. ¡°That was a joke! A joke, I don¡¯t actually want to die. Are you an idiot?¡± Vyne shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°I only take things as they are said.¡± ¡°Not you don¡¯t, liar.¡± Tear folded her arms and pouted. From a distance, Lilian¡¯s voice called, ¡°If you two are coming, you¡¯d better catch up.¡± Erebus and she had kept walking! They had managed to cross an astounding amount of land for such a short period. Tear and Vyne had to run to catch up, much to the former¡¯s dismay. When they did, Lilian and Erebus did not spare so much as a glance in their direction. So cold, yet Tear didn¡¯t mind the feeling. In fact, it made her excited. Yes, this is why she would always follow him! His attitude towards her was the only thing that could make her feel such warm delight. ¡°Wipe that disgusting smirk off your face,¡± Vyne spoke. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s making me want to vomit.¡± Tear chose to ignore him, no way would she allow her happiness to be dampened by that man. Ah, just thinking of Erebus gave her a wonderful idea. ¡°Lord Erebus, I have a question.¡± ¡°And what would that be?¡± he answered with absolutely no interest as to what her question was in his voice. Her smile grew broader. ¡°If I may, could I give some input as to what we should do?¡± ¡°I suppose.¡± ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind, perhaps you should shift into your dragon form and we could ride on your back until we find a way out.¡± Erebus¡¯ eyes widened a little. ¡°That would make it go faster, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± The woman nodded her head. ¡°Then let¡¯s do that!¡± Without waiting for (or caring about) the opinions of the other two, Erebus transformed into a grand-bodied dragon. Tear beheld the magnificent sight with nothing but love and appreciation in her clear eyes. Erebus lowered his head for them to climb onto. Doing so was a tedious task, as his getting to the top of his head felt as if they were scaling a mountain. His size was entirely inconvenient to them. But, they digress and think of how quickly they would travel from now on. The dragon ascended into the air and then shot off. The force of the wind pressing against them made it even harder to hold on. They latched onto whatever they needed to so that they wouldn¡¯t go flying away to a nearly certain death. It was the reckless speed that he was moving at that had almost killed Weryn months before. ¡°Ugh... think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± Tear said and her words were snatched away by the air almost instantly. Still, they lingered long enough for Lilian and Vyne to hear. ¡°Loosen up on your grip! Are you trying to rip my scales out, huh?¡± Erebus yelled at them in his native tongue. In this form, he couldn¡¯t speak the delicate language that the others did. So, because of this, his subordinates had absolutely no idea what he was saying. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Is he asking if we¡¯re still here?¡± Tear asked. ¡°Idiot, he can obviously feel us here. I¡¯m pretty sure he told us to hold on tighter,¡± Vyne refuted. ¡°Maybe he wants us to enjoy the view?¡± Lilian suggested. Damned fools, Erebus thought. Those words were nowhere near what he originally intended. He would have to break down and use telepathy in order to speak to them, and he hated using telepathy. It was something about entering the minds of others that just felt wrong. He felt like an invader, he could learn more about a person by just entering their mind to speak than that person may have known about himself. It wasn¡¯t as if every species of telepathy could delve so deeply, it was only those with immense power who could. The unipegasus Guardian probably was capable of doing so, too. And the communication stones he normally used to speak to them were of a completely different nature. I said, stop gripping my scales so tightly, Erebus said through a telepathic bond. ¡°Oh.¡± His three followers released their death grips into something of a slight, very slight, difference of strength. Erebus rolled his eyes, understanding that they had absolutely no intention of slackening their hold. In the distance, a thundering roar could be heard. Erebus¡¯ excellent eyesight was able to see miles away, so he could make out what was there. There was a random door that seemed to reach up to the heavens. The door was chained and had a giant lock on it. In front of the door, something that could only be described as a goliath stood there, lying in wait. ¡°This¡¯ll be interesting...¡± Erebus muttered. As they grew closer, the goliath was starting to look more like an overgrown bug. It was like a rhinoceros beetle. But it stood on two overly muscular legs. And it had equally as grotesque arms which were holding a thick lance. Erebus landed not too far off, shifting back into his human form after the others climbed off his head. The monster turned its head toward them, but made no move to attack them. Instead, it watched them with beady eyes and grunted loudly. It slammed its lance on the sand and shook its head. It was telling them to go away, not that they would listen. ¡°Is that what I think it is,¡± Vyne said softly. ¡°It would seem so.¡± The aura could be felt from here, it was weighing even Erebus down a little. This was a Demon Emperor ranked monster. And without a doubt, it was even more powerful than Yvick. A smile pulled at Erebus¡¯ lips. ¡°This could prove to be very, very entertaining. A nice way to make up for what we had to go through.¡± Tear looked like she was about to scream and run off. She was tired. She was hungry. She was thirsty. And now she had to fight a giant bug. But no, it couldn¡¯t be any giant bug. It had to be a giant bug that could undoubtedly kick her ass. That was what made everything even worse than it originally was. ¡°Fight it on your own.¡± Erebus plopped down onto the sand, he snapped his fingers and a book appeared. ¡°If you look like you¡¯re going to die, I¡¯ll come and save you. But I¡¯m confident you won¡¯t need my help.¡± Lilian¡¯s eyes bulged. ¡°Certainly, Lord Erebus, you cannot expect us to be able to overpower that... that thing.¡± ¡°Of course, I do.¡± Lilian looked ready to cry. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to fight something?¡± she tried instead. ¡°Watching is fine, too.¡± The rabbit-eared woman gave up and turned to Vyne and Tear. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll let us sneak past and try to open the door?¡± Vyne chuckled nervously. Erebus shook his head and pointed at the creature. ¡°Look at its neck, there¡¯s the key.¡± ¡°Key...¡± Tear let out a loud groan. Around its bulky neck, there was a short chain, and attached to it was a huge, bronze key. ¡°So, we have to fight it?¡± Lilian asked. Vyne nodded his head, exhausted already. ¡°Maybe if we ask it nicely, it¡¯ll give us the key?¡± Tear input hopelessly. ¡°No way in Hell,¡± Vyne snapped. ¡°Nice try, though.¡± Chapter Sixty-Two: No Problem So sorry for the delay, here you guys go Erebus turned the page in his book, his eyes focused on the faded ink rather than the explosive battle playing out before him. The metallic banging of metal colliding with metal, the sound of magic being dispelled. Yes, all of it was simply background music. ¡°Assist, Lilian!¡± Vyne yelled loudly, the beastwoman shifted from attempting to find a weak spot for creating a diversion for Vyne to withdraw for a short while. This monster was ridiculous. The suit of armor that Vyne and Tear had faced seemed like a child playing around in comparison to the beetle. Its strength was of such a great amount the incredibly skilled Vyne, Lilian, and Tear were struggling to face it. No, if anything, they were losing the battle. The creature wasn¡¯t incredibly fast, but its speed was still astonishing for its massive size. It was also annoyingly nimble and flexible, and to add insult to injury, it was skilled with the lance. It had the movements of someone who had trained for the majority of their life with the weapon. ¡°Whew.¡± Tear prepped an arrow and fired it off. Her volley of arrows had proved ineffective the entire duration of the battle, but it was still better than nothing. Her hits simply bounced off its armored body and dissipated in the air. Nonetheless, they were relatively useful in the aspect of irritating the oversized bug to an even greater extent. Erebus turned the page in his book, completely unaware (ignoring) the struggles of his companions. Lilian had attempted to summon some undead to help fight, but they were wiped out in a single hit from the goliath. It was a pitiful thing, truly. The proud undead rose from the ground, ready to fight and destroy, only to be swept aside by a lance and unsummoned within moments. In essence, it was just a waste of precious mana. They all knew that they would have to ask Lord Erebus for help, the gap between each ranking was no laughing matter. Demon Lord¡¯s were strong in their own right, but Demon Emperor¡¯s ranking ¡®average¡¯ would be the cream of the crop for a Demon Lord. But still, for them, it was embarrassing. Their strength had practically stagnated, perhaps they would have room to grow. Basically, when facing an opponent lieges beyond in term of strength, for lack of a better word, they were screwed. Sure, there were three of them, and they had fought together for decades, centuries, but teamwork could only take them so far in the world. Then to add on the fact that they were exhausted from hours of walking in a seemingly endless desert, it was damn near impossible for them to defeat this monster. If they were in a better-rested state, maybe they would¡¯ve been able to win. Erebus knew this, they knew this. So why on Eirlok did Erebus make them fight, they had absolutely no idea as to the reason. ¡°Lilian, Tear, protect me. I¡¯m going to attempt to launch Myth class magic on it,¡± Vyne said through gritted teeth as he attempted to withstand a punch from the goliath. ¡°Understood,¡± the two women responded, they increased the strength of their blows and successfully drew the monster over to them. Unlucky for Tear, the monster set her in its sight. She let out a groan as it charged straight for her. Unlike Vyne, she wasn¡¯t very proficient in close-combat. Tear was good enough to hold her own, even enough to defeat those weaker than her, but something like this was just cruel to make her handle. The monster kicked up plumes of sand before it finally arrived directly in front of Tear, who, in turn, rolled out of its way in the nick of time before it delivered a powerful blow that shook everything. ¡°It really wants us dead,¡± Lilian muttered upon seeing the amount of force put into the attack. ¡°Whatever it¡¯s guarding must be very important, so it¡¯s probably a key part in completing the dungeon.¡± She glanced over at Vyne, who was currently seated on the ground, his eyes closed and head tilted back. A huge magic circle was in the beginnings of being created underneath him. ¡°Tear, handle it yourself. I, too, am going to begin prepping magic.¡± ¡°Handle it myself, she says,¡± Tear muttered under her breath as she ran away from the goliath that was dead set on chasing her. ¡°Sure, Lilian! Do that I¡¯ll just run for my life over here.¡± ¡°Thank you, Tear.¡± Lilian raised up her staff and began to chant incoherently, the sphere that rested on her staff began to shine and glow brilliantly, rays of light began to burst out of the cracking sphere. Storm clouds came out of nowhere and began to swirl threatening above, loud claps of thunder sounded along with flashes of lightning. Erebus looked up from his book when he beheld what Lilian was doing, he slammed it shut and jumped up. Glee filled his eyes. Was she finally using that jewel? He had given her it a few decades after she had joined his service, he told her to only use it in times of emergency. To think some random creature in a dungeon had pushed her this far, he could only feel the utmost joy for what else lurked deeper within. This dungeon easily met the standards for being top-tier. Erebus continued to watch the spectacle. The jewel had finally shattered into many pieces which were now twisting and flying in the air in a violent tornado, a distant groaning could be heard. Even Tear and the goliath had stopped moving to see what was happening. From the storm clouds, a skeletal body descended. It was dressed in a simple robe, a cheap one that could be found anyway, but in its hand it held a book that had a revolting aura. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It was the skeleton of a human, its eyes were purple pits of fire. The name and gender of it were lost in legend, constantly debated by historians. But what it had done was forever remembered. It was the first human to ever reach the power held by a Demon Emperor, it was considered one of the most powerful Demon Emperors to ever exist, in fact. But that was only a part of its fame, the rest came when it betrayed humanity in the Second Great War. For now, we will call it Untitled. Its legacy was turned into an infamous tale. ¡°You have summoned me, Master,¡± Untitled spoke in a soft, rasping voice. Despite this, it still had a certain strength to it, a proudness that was hard to find anywhere else. Lilian gestured to the goliath. ¡°Kill it.¡± The skeleton tilted its head, gazing straight at the other creature before nodding slightly. ¡°It is a feasible action, however, with the might of that thing, it will take me some time. For that, I apologize.¡± ¡°It is fine, go.¡± She jerked her head in Vyne¡¯s direction. ¡°He will be providing you some support in a short while.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The summoned minion stalked forward, unfurling its aura. Smoky tendrils twisted around its body as it raised one skeletal hand, chanting incantations rapidly. Erebus sat back down, a satisfied smile on his face. When he had given her the crystal, her magical power was not great enough to use it. But now, she was able to summon it, meaning she had undoubtedly grown stronger in the time she had been in his service. The goliath opened its mouth and let out a high-pitched shriek that didn¡¯t fit the roar it had made earlier, then the beast charged forward. It had completely forgotten about Tear, rather, it had found a far superior and dangerous opponent. As it ran for Untitled, its speed continued to increase. ¡°It can do that?¡± Tear wondered out loud. Lilian¡¯s eyes bugged (no pun intended) out a little. ¡°Lord Erebus expected us to defeat that beast in this condition...¡± The goliath attacked, it did so with such speed and force that the mana flow around it twitched in response. Only a few Demon Emperor¡¯s were able to cause such a reaction, and of course, dragons with immense ability. Erebus let out a low whistle, whoever had created this dungeon was incredibly talented. He hoped they were still alive, it¡¯d be such a pity for such strength to fall to the curse of mortality. Not to be outdone, Untitled raised up a shield within the blink of an eye that took nearly the entirety of the goliath¡¯s attack only to be shattered, but it had given Untitled enough time to raise up another barrier, nearly taking all of the hit. The collision created a loud sonic clap and dull ringing that made the others have to cover their ears. Untitled took some damage, but it wasn¡¯t enough to cause it anything potentially ¡®fatal¡¯ like it would have been if it hadn¡¯t blocked. The skeleton instantly counterattacked and sent a barrage of purple missiles that assaulted the goliath. The creature screeched again and swung its lance wildly. ¡°What you summoned certainly is amazing,¡± Tear told Lilian. ¡°We were barely able to cause that thing any damage, but, well, just that minion is able to turn the tables so quickly.¡± Hints of a proud smile appeared on Lilian¡¯s normally stoic face. ¡°So it would seem,¡± she said blandly. ¡°I am eternally grateful towards Lord Erebus for giving it to me.¡± Tear blinked. ¡°Lord Erebus gave it to you?¡± ¡°Indeed, when I first became one of his subordinates.¡± The High Human smiled fakely. ¡°Isn¡¯t that glorious?¡± Erebus hadn¡¯t gotten her any gifts, this was favoritism, clear favoritism. ¡°Get back!¡± Vyne¡¯s voice suddenly shouted out. Tear, Lilian, and Untitled leaped out of way just as a pit of darkness opened up under the goliath. Bone-white vines reached up from the tar-like substance, wrapping around the beast. It tried to fight the pull, but the sheer number of them overpowered its colossal strength. Soon enough, the entire body of the creature was swallowed up. ¡°When you say support,¡± Untitled began, ¡°I was not expecting that much support.¡± ¡°Nevermind that,¡± Tear spoke in an annoyed voice. ¡°What about the key? The key!¡± Vyne¡¯s eyes opened in remembrance. ¡°I forgot about that. I was focused on winning...¡± Tear buried her face in her hands and began making pained groaning noises. ¡°The key... the key,¡± she sobbed. ¡°Ah, that much I can handle,¡± Erebus said while standing up. The others, including Untitled, turned to Erebus with a confused expression. ¡°If it¡¯s opening the door, I can do that much,¡± he rephrased his words. ¡°Watch.¡± A long pole appeared, but it was obviously created by Erebus. The pole slid into the lock, then there was a loud clicking and the chain lock fell to the ground with a resounding thud. ¡°My magic has multiple uses other than killing,¡± he proclaimed. Who would¡¯ve thought, the expressions on his subordinates faces said. Well, except for Untitled, he couldn¡¯t emote very well. Slowly, the door creaked open as if it hadn¡¯t been used in decades. ¡°Here we go,¡± Erebus said, taking a step forward. The others began to follow in pursuit. Then it happened. At first, one more goliath walked through the door, then a second, then another. Soon enough there were a dozen more goliaths standing there, they were somewhat smaller than the first, though. A single voice could be heard saying, ¡°Is this for real?¡± Chapter Sixty-Three: Falling ¡°What kind of situation...¡± Vyne questioned as a dozen or so goliaths looked over them with threatening gazes. ¡°A dangerous one, a very dangerous one.¡± Lilian looked at Erebus. ¡°My Lord, shall we deal with these too?¡± Erebus looked thoughtful for a moment. ¡°You all may rest, Lilian¡¯s summoned servant and I will handle the issue.¡± Untitled nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Similar to old times, correct Erebus?¡± With laughter, the ancient dragon spoke, ¡°Indeed!¡± ¡°Old times?¡± Lilian chimed. ¡°A tale from centuries ago when you were just a babe, Master,¡± Untitled said with a kind voice. ¡°He and I were friends some time ago.¡± ¡°How else would I have the crystal containing his soul?¡± Erebus asked. Lilian don¡¯t answer that. Don¡¯t let him know that you had thought of him as a grave robber. She opted for shrugging instead. And Erebus didn¡¯t care enough to press the matter, so she was safe. Well, as safe as she could be with more and more goliaths walking out of the door. ¡°Then, let¡¯s get started!¡± Erebus clapped his hands together excitedly. ¡°You three stand back, wouldn¡¯t want you getting caught up in this, would you?¡± They did as Erebus said. He had told them before, he wasn¡¯t kind enough to care if they got hit by any stray attacks. The goliaths all focused in on the two small bodies approaching them. ¡°Hello there,¡± Erebus said in a joyful tone. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll let us pass through?¡± The goliath in the front huffed heavily and roared in response. ¡°I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± Erebus gave the goliath a confused look. ¡°But I¡¯ll take it as a no.¡± Untitled glanced over at Erebus. Well, it was kind of hard to tell that he was looking over because he did not have eyes. Except for the two pits of burning fire, his eye sockets were empty... I digress, he was confused as to why Erebus was acting in such a manner. The beast were clearly incapable of speech, and it was doubtful that they were able to understand a single word Erebus or the others had spoken. Untitled raised up his hand and released a barrage of the same missiles he had sent on the first goliath. This, however, had less power focused in it so the goliaths weren¡¯t really harmed. ¡°Hey, why¡¯d you hit them already?¡± Erebus pouted. ¡°Forgive me, Erebus. Normally you would act as the rash one, but it seems as if today is different. You seem to be in a joking mood.¡± The dragon shrugged. ¡°Boredom changes people.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard words put like that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a first for everything.¡± The two had a casual conversation without paying any heed to the now very angry goliaths. But just as they were angry, they were confused. Especially their leader, the two small ones had attacked them, but now the small ones were speaking? Ah, this was confusing, it made its head hurt. It only knew how to fight, so it decided to do just that. With a deafening cry, it launched its lance at Erebus and Untitled who both, in turn, narrowly avoided the hit. Erebus darted towards the leader goliath, and with a swift movement managed to remove its head with a brutal kick. He landed on his feet and made a slightly pained expression. ¡°Tough skull.¡± ¡°I think your leg strength is even scarier,¡± Untitled retorted as he continued to release powerful blows unto the goliaths. Their strategy was something like this, Untitled acted as crowd control while Erebus quickly eliminated them one by one. Even though they were moving rapidly, far more efficiently than Erebus¡¯ subordinates, the goliaths continued to enter so their number wasn¡¯t really diminished. ¡°Watching them makes me feel ashamed for my weakness,¡± Vyne said with a bitter tone. ¡°Lord Erebus¡¯ strength is still so far superior to my own, and he isn¡¯t at his full strength.¡± Lilian glanced over at Vyne quickly before placing her gaze back on Untitled and Erebus. ¡°That much is to be expected, he has centuries of experience over us. Did you think your measly power could compare to his?¡± ¡°No, I was just saying,¡± Vyne muttered in annoyance. ¡°Huh? Are you trying to imply that you¡¯re surprised by this?¡± ¡°No...¡± Tear was too busy staring at Erebus longingly to contribute to the conversation. ¡°I think Lord Erebus looks absolutely delicious in those pants, ah, my heart. What a nice position.¡± ¡°Perverted woman.¡± ¡°Disgusting pig, if Lord Erebus gave me word, I would gladly gouge your filthy eyes out.¡± Erebus felt himself shiver from Tear¡¯s hungry stare. Uncomfortable, she was making him incredibly uncomfortable. Focus on the battle ahead of you, Erebus. For your sake, don¡¯t look back, there¡¯s a starving wolf back there. Erebus activated a spell that tore through the cores of five goliaths, sucking them into the cube-shaped box. Despite devouring them, the size of the box didn¡¯t change. Instead, with a single snap of Erebus¡¯ finger it disappeared into thin air. Untitled threw his own lance that impaled two goliaths and lit them on fire, their bodies were instantly disintegrated. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Within a minute or two, the seven goliaths were replaced with another group coming out of the door. ¡°How many are there?¡± Erebus complained. It was fun in the beginning, now it was just a tedious task. It was like raking leaves, but then the wind came and blew them all out of the pile and you had to do the job all over again. Annoying, so annoying. He decapitates another multitude of goliaths, and just like that more came back. It looked as if Erebus and Untitled hadn¡¯t done anything at all, but they had been doing this for at least an hour. ¡°Maybe we should go inside of the door and see what¡¯s there?¡± Untitled suggested. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a spawning point where the goliaths are being sent out of. If we destroy it, we could easily wipe the rest of them out.¡± ¡°Ah, good idea,¡± Erebus said joyfully. ¡°Tear, Lilian, Vyne! Follow us, we¡¯re going in the door.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Vyne stumbled over his words. ¡°We¡¯re going in? Why?¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Lilian said. Tear nodded her head. Using the heads of the idiotic goliaths, the six were easily able to leap inside of the abyss the door opened into. The goliaths shrieked in annoyance and attempted to stop them, but their movements were too fast for the goliaths to keep up with. When they entered the abyss, they were sucked away by a strong vortex. ¡°Grab the hands of those around you!¡± Erebus quickly barked in case they were to be separated. With great difficulty, they managed to move close enough to each other so they were all able to link hands. There was absolutely no scenery, just a black abyss and the feeling of being pulled far away. Then they were falling, very, very fast. ¡°Am I going to die?¡± Tear whimpered as she felt her body being yanked down by the force of gravity. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°Shut up, pig,¡± Vyne responded quickly. She clung latched herself onto Erebus. ¡°If I¡¯m going to die, at least I¡¯ll die in my lover¡¯s arms.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your lover?¡± Erebus retorted. Tear said nothing, rather she rubbed her head lovingly against his chest. ¡°Oh, I see the ground coming,¡± Untitled said, not really concerned about the concept of dying. See, he was already dead, he really couldn¡¯t ¡®die¡¯ again. At most, he would be unsummoned and sent back to the Spirit Realm. However, it would be highly unlikely for Lilian to be able to summon him again, not only did the crystal contain a piece of his soul, it was also loaded with mana to supplement her own. This was why she was able to keep him summoned for long, and since he was a high level undead, he didn¡¯t drain any of her mana instead he had his own supply. Tear shrieked and tightened her octopus-like grip on Erebus, she squeezed her eyes shut, ready for death to take her. But nothing game, actually, the ground they landed on was soft, it took the entire force of their fall but none of them were injured. They were lightly thrown in the air before they bounced back onto the squishy earth. ¡°Overdramatic swine, we¡¯re fine.¡± Vyne yanked her off of Erebus and gave her a menacing glare. ¡°What is this?¡± Lilian questioned as she pushed against the soft material. It was slightly sticky and damp, overall, it had a disgusting feeling. Not to mention it was an ugly pink in color with green splotches. ¡°Looks diseased,¡± Tear muttered. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little queasy by looking at it.¡± ¡°This color hurts my eye,¡± Erebus complained, rubbing his one revealed eye. ¡°Anyway, do you see any spawn point for the goliaths? And how do we get out of this place.¡± He glanced around, the only thing he could see was the expanse of nasty looking ground(?). ¡°No,¡± Untitled stood up shakily, the substance they stood on was unstable and wiggled with every movement. ¡°It seems we¡¯ve been transported to somewhere else.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s more enemies,¡± Tear begged. There was a scuttling noise, along with the sound of multiple feet moving rapidly. ¡°Ugh.¡± Tear looked ready to barf. ¡°It¡¯s happening, I already know it¡¯s happening.¡± Vyne shot her a silencing glare as the creature finally came into their sights. It was a caterpillar. Except, it looked like something out of a child¡¯s horror story that had been colored in with neon crayons. Its face was huge and circular and resembled a baby, except it wore more make-up. Its plump lips were a bright, cherry red, its eyelashes were caked in mascara, it was wearing blush that made its cheeks resemble a certain character (Pikachu). ¡°That¡¯s just disturbing,¡± Erebus said in usion with everyone else. The creature spoke in an annoyingly high-pitched, sweet voice, ¡°Hello there! May I ask who all of you are? It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had visitors. And you all look so tasty, too.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Vyne asked it instead. The creature gasped. ¡°My apologies, where are my manners today! My name is Muffin and I¡¯m a creation of the one who made this dungeon." Chapter Sixty-Four: Surprise The abomination named Muffin smiled at them, revealing rows of jagged black teeth. ¡°It is such a pleasure to meet you all. We¡¯ve never had anyone explore our dungeon before, though, I do suppose that is our own fault.¡± ¡°The naming sense of your creator is despicable,¡± Vyne told Muffin without any remorse. Muffin elected to ignore Vyne¡¯s input. ¡°How may I help you all? And you still haven¡¯t given me your names.¡± They all gave him(?) their names, Muffin nodded his head cheerfully as each person spoke. ¡°Such lovely names!¡± he cried in a delighted manner. ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone else except for my master, it¡¯s absolutely magnificent!¡± Muffin¡¯s fuzzy buddy shook with excitement. Unbeknownst to him, the others were simply wondering why everything in this dungeon was an overgrown bug. ¡°If I may repeat my question from earlier, how may I help you all?¡± ¡°Is there more to the dungeon?¡± Erebus asked Muffin bluntly. ¡°If this is all then I want a refund of my time.¡± Muffin flicked one of his antennas in thought. ¡°Yes, there are multiple portals inside of the dungeon. My master put plenty of time into creating this place, it is her pride and joy, other than me of course. She strove to create the first Demon Emperor ranked dungeon, possibly even Dragon.¡± Muffin¡¯s cheeks grew redder, a surprising feat seeing how obnoxiously bright they already were. ¡°Will you guide us to the other areas?¡± ¡°That is my sole intent and purpose,¡± Muffin proclaimed proudly. ¡°Where would you like to go? There is a jungle, volcano, labyrinth...¡± ¡°Wherever the strongest creations are,¡± Erebus spoke without any signs of hesitation. Muffin blinked his eyes in surprise. ¡°Well, all right! Though I warn you, there is a high probability of death in that area.¡± He did a one-eighty turn so that his backside was facing them. ¡°Follow me!¡± The scuttling noise of his legs scraping against the disgusting substance that acted as the ground began once more as he began to move away rapidly. Vyne looked absolutely mortified. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible, but I¡¯d much rather see his front side.¡± Indeed, his words were correct. Whoever created Muffin had either a sick sense of humor or a twisted aesthetic. Muffin¡¯s backside was that of, well, a baby¡¯s rump. ¡°I preferred the goliaths,¡± Tear agreed. ¡°They were ugly, but Muffin creates a very convoluted sense of the utmost repugnance inside of me.¡± She could feel bile rising up in her throat. ¡°Believe it or not,¡± Erebus began, ¡°I have seen worse.¡± He received looks of pity from those surrounding him. Muffin was a creature crafted by the nightmares of young children, it almost pained them to think of what Erebus had to see and endure. ¡°It smells weird,¡± Tear complained. It smelled like a... dead animal that had been rotting for too long here. ¡°It¡¯s been getting stronger as we progress.¡± The other¡¯s shrugged, blaming the scent on the already strange surroundings. Muffin didn¡¯t seem to mind it, so nothing was probably out of order. ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± Lilian questioned Muffin as his butt wiggled back and forth. ¡°To the portal area!¡± Muffin exclaimed happily. ¡°Is it a long distance?¡± Lilian questioned. The bouncy ground wasn¡¯t exactly the best thing to walk on, it wasn¡¯t as springy as a trampoline nor as firm as solid stone. ¡°I don¡¯t really think it is,¡± Muffin answered breezily. ¡°We have to move fast, anyway. Certain things come out at night and I don¡¯t think you¡¯d want to play with them.¡± Erebus was curious to what would come out during the nighttime, but he didn¡¯t say anything on the subject. Instead, he elected to ask what exactly the area Muffin would teleport them to be like. ¡°It¡¯s a surprise,¡± was Muffin¡¯s curt response. The monster hummed cheerfully as he continued to move across the pink and green expanse rapidly. Erebus wanted to scream at the creature, but, once again, he did not say anything more. Tear grasped his shoulder in order to stabilize herself, it was so very hard for her to walk right now and she really needed Erebus¡¯ support. At least, that was the reasoning she gave Vyne when he asked (demanded an answer) about her touching their lord. Also, it had been growing harder and harder to walk. Their feet were beginning to sink deeper with every step they took, and the force needed to yank it out was even greater. Muffin hadn¡¯t bothered to slow his pace, so he had gotten farther head, but not too far where they couldn¡¯t follow. ¡°I regret coming here,¡± Lilian muttered. Unlike the others, she found more enjoyment in politics and paperwork. Lilian liked her work because she was the only one Erebus trusted to do it. She let out a heaving sigh, honestly, she hadn¡¯t been expecting to be gone for so long. How much work had piled up over the time she had been gone? Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. She¡¯d be holed up in her office for so long when she came back... ¡°The lands I purchased from the Demon Lord of the Sixth Order in order to set up a lucrative trade route with the humans, I wonder how those are going... ah, I left before I was really able to get everything stable,¡± she whispered things like that under her breath as she walked. ¡°Ah, we¡¯re here!¡± Muffin cried excitedly. Fifty or so meters in front of them, there was a large stone altar with multiple pillars erected with glowing, orange lettering on all surfaces. The pillars lined the circumference of the altar and made an irritating humming sound. Tear pinched her nose. This was the source of the smell, there was old pools of blood and decaying bodies littering the stone of the altar. ¡°Ugh... I hate the smell of blood,¡± Erebus remarked. Normally, he managed to bear it all, but this much was oppressive and made his distaste for the scent rise back in full force. ¡°What is this?¡± Lilian hissed at Muffin. ¡°I thought we were the only ones to come through here?¡± Muffin turned and smiled, showing his nasty teeth. ¡°That was a lie. There are multiple entrances, the one you came through was unexplored. No one has made it past this point, though.¡± ¡°Because?¡± the beastwoman questioned even though she already knew the answer. ¡°I killed them. I am the Gatekeeper, and I deemed them unworthy to carry on through my master¡¯s creation.¡± Everyone instantly assumed the offensive stance. ¡°Relax!¡± Muffin yelled when he saw their change in attitude. ¡°The entrance you all came through is incredibly difficult, if you were able to pass through it and none of you were injured, I believe you are worthy to pass through.¡± His words were met with suspicious glares. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth,¡± Muffin spoke defensively. ¡°For to not believe me... that hurts!¡± his high-pitched voice complained. ¡°You won¡¯t try to fight us?¡± ¡°No way, there¡¯s that undead that gives me this bad feeling and the one with black hair is scary, too.¡± Muffin¡¯s eyes blinked rapidly. Untitled tilted its head a little, it had tried to keep it aura restrained and it also hadn¡¯t been speaking much. The same for went for Erebus, Muffin had a good sense, surprisingly. ¡°Ehm, that much aside. I wasn¡¯t expecting anyone, so I didn¡¯t have anytime to clean, sorry.¡± Muffin scuttled up to the tallest pillar. ¡°Uh, step into the middle of the altar please.¡± They obeyed, but they still watched his movements warily. Muffin was moving around, activating the pillars in order, the tips of the pillars began to glow and sent a beam of light to the middle of the altar. When he activated the final one, a portal tore open. ¡°Good luck!¡± Muffin cried. The quintet dropped once more without any warning. ¡°This again?¡± Tear screeched, suddenly feeling sick. Her stomach leapt up in her throat when the ground disappeared from underneath her. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it be a flight of stairs? Something normal!¡± She moved through the air and locked onto the impassive Erebus. Untitled¡¯s cloak flapped up, revealing its skeletal legs. It was like a horrifying rendition of Marilyn Monroe. ¡°What a rush,¡± Vyne deadpanned to Lilian who chuckled lightly in response. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Tear groaned against Erebus¡¯ chest. ¡°No idea,¡± he answered easily. ¡°Muffin said there¡¯ll be strong things here, so it¡¯ll be exciting, right?¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re pleased, I¡¯m pleased,¡± she responded queasily. She had fell from dizzying rates into an unknown territory far too many times in a single day. The ground appeared before them in no time at all. The entire landscape was white with snow and the land was completely flat. They landed in the icy and instantly felt the cold prickling their skin. Even Erebus shivered a little. As a dragon, he was better in hot environments and not chilly ones. To be accurate, he absolutely despised the cold. ¡°I can see my breath,¡± Tear said with a lit giggle as the puff of air dissipated into the coldness. ¡°On the downside, it¡¯s freezing.¡± The snow had soaked through the thin clothing she wore and to her skin. The same went for the others, the only one unbothered by the temperature was Untitled as it couldn¡¯t feel. Upon their arrival, a loud roar ripped through the air followed by the sound of thundering footsteps moving towards them. Erebus couldn¡¯t help but smile at the glorious sound. Chapter Sixty-Five: 1v1 Me Erebus had been expecting many things to come at them. Perhaps a giant, a modified goliath, something big to fit the tremendous roar and thundering footsteps. For one of the first times in his life, he was thoroughly surprised. What had come at them was a beastman, one on the small side, too. A full grown male beastman, also one with substantial power, was typically extremely large and muscular. Since they were similar to humans and lacked proficiency in magic, they were able to supplement this deficiency with pure physical prowess. Instead, what stood in front of them was a gangly boy with a weak-looking body and terrible mana flow. He was an albino, he blended in with the snow almost if it wasn¡¯t for his ruby eyes. His bushy tail swung back and forth pathetically, his ears were lowered submissively. Erebus wasn¡¯t one to underestimate, though. He was similar in hiding his true strength in a facade of weakness. Just when Erebus was about to speak, Lilian gasped in surprise and drew back a little. ¡°Betrayer!¡± she hissed. ¡°You know him, Lilian?¡± Vyne asked upon her reaction. ¡°Of course I know her,¡± she snapped, irritation seeping into her voice. ¡°She is a member of the clan who tried to overthrow the Great Lion Emperor. Don¡¯t let her current appearance fool you, she¡¯s a master at transformation magic.¡± ¡°Great Lion Emperor?¡± Vyne muttered he wasn¡¯t well-versed in the history of the beastpeople. ¡°The beastmen actually have a culture?¡± Lilian opted to ignore the obvious jab at her heritage. ¡°It was back when I worked as in the Emperor¡¯s personal guard, it was quite some time before I became a Demon Lord. I was first establishing myself as a relevant necromancer in those times, and then shortly after she and the band of traitors killed our magnificent Emperor.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Erebus asked in light of this new information. Perhaps he had heard of this girl before from someone in the Dragon Council. Lilian¡¯s words had brought up a certain familiarity in his mind. The albino beastwoman bowed mockingly. ¡°My name is Ivy, O Great Dragon,¡± she spoke sarcastically. ¡°You know me?¡± Erebus asked curiously. ¡°Not many are able to guess who I am on the first try, actually, no one has.¡± Ivy smiled widely. ¡°Of course, I met with the Dragon Council once before. It wasn¡¯t too long after I had betrayed, as the rabbit would like to say, the previous Emperor. The dragon Frize had wished to speak with me about our intentions, I was essentially the diplomat of our small little band of traitorous beastpeople.¡± Ah, that¡¯s how. It wasn¡¯t as if he had forgotten her, it was more like she was never relevant enough for him to bother keeping in his memory. ¡°Is that so? Well, I didn¡¯t come here to talk. And you surely aren¡¯t here to talk either,¡± Erebus spoke, he didn¡¯t care about the past currently and frankly was just here to fight. ¡°I figured.¡± Ivy picked at her nails with a disinterested expression. ¡°Shall we begin then? By the way, I¡¯m not up to fighting all five of you at once, one at a time, please.¡± Erebus was about to volunteer when Lilian stepped up, a fire none of them had witnessed burning in her eyes. They were filled with pure contempt and the intent to kill. ¡°Lord Erebus, please allow me to deal with her.¡± Normally he would have declined her, but not even he would hold someone back with such intensity to fight. ¡°You may,¡± he spoke begrudgingly. This was really about to be his time to have some fun, you know? Ivy sounded rather powerful and would be a joy to fight with. Erebus withheld his disappointment, though. In his honest opinion, Lilian would probably not win. Her speciality was the undead, and she would be too proud to fight a battle like this with Untitled¡¯s help. So, she would attempt to duel against Ivy using only her magic, which was significantly weaker and, frankly, she wouldn¡¯t be as skilled as Ivy since she didn¡¯t fight often solely relying on herself. That wasn¡¯t to say she couldn¡¯t win, of course. ¡°It¡¯ll be the weak little rabbit? You couldn¡¯t defeat me last time, what makes you think that you can now?¡± Ivy taunted. ¡°Please don¡¯t lower yourself even more to the point of using such a childish insult,¡± Lilian responded, managing to keep her voice from changing despite the ferocity in her eyes. Ivy didn¡¯t respond for a moment. ¡°Whatever, are we going to fight or are you too scared?¡± Her question was met by a flaming ball being shot at where she stood. Ivy narrowly jumped out of the way and rolled in the snow. Ivy responded by slapping her hand onto the snow, which then promptly changed into a pit underneath Lilian¡¯s feet, sending her plummeting into the earth. A skeletal hand shot up from the pit and on it Lilian was crouching. She leapt off of the hand and landed on the ground, irritation clear on her face. Ivy wasted no time and launched her own fireballs at Lilian, who dodged them with amazing agility for being in the snow. ¡°As expected a rabbit, you¡¯re quick on your feet,¡± Ivy quipped. Lilian ignored her and charged towards Ivy, much to the latter¡¯s surprise. She extended her staff and engaged Ivy in close combat. The albino woman clicked her tongue and attempted to put more space between them, as a magician was far better suited for ranged attacks, but Lilian refused to allow such things to occur. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Ivy created another pit, but this time Lilian reacted fast enough to leap out of the way. But, Ivy¡¯s intention was not to trap Lilian, rather it was to put distance between them once again. Instantly, Ivy shot out ice shards at her, but Lilian managed to avoid all but two which sliced her arm and cheek respectively. The rabbit hissed a little at the sharp pain, but the wounds quickly healed over leaving only small traces of blood in their wake. A beastman¡¯s regeneration rate was said to be even faster than the dragon¡¯s. Lilian activated her necromancy causing pairs of skeletal hands to spring up from the ground, locking a vice-like grip on Ivy¡¯s arms and legs, rendering her incapable of movement. ¡°Damn.¡± Ivy raised a mana barrier just as a powerful drill of magic collided with it, that undoubtedly would¡¯ve put a gaping hole in her torso if she hadn¡¯t protected herself. The drill continued to grind through the shield until it burst through, but it had lost nearly all of its power and momentum, so the actual damage Ivy¡¯s body took was minimal. The skeletal hands that had latched onto Ivy disappeared with a puff of smoke, freeing the woman once again. Since they were a high-tier binding type, there was an extremely short time limit to which they could be summoned. ¡°Quick thinking,¡± Vyne said in a slightly appreciative tone. ¡°Ah, maybe I should¡¯ve volunteered instead, such a waste...¡± Tear, however, had a completely different mindset and was grateful that she did not even think of offering herself up to fight Ivy. While on the other hand, Erebus was in the same position as Vyne. Untitled remained silent and watched its Master¡¯s battle with a longing gaze. How he wished to assist her in some manner, his sole purpose of being here was simply to fight in her place. Lilian, who was able to feel his sadness due to the connection a summoner and the summoned shared, felt a little bad. But, alas, she had to focus wholly on her battle because a single misstep could result in her loss, ultimately, her death. ¡°Whew,¡± Ivy let out a tired breath. She hadn¡¯t fought in a very long time, and fighting someone of Lilian¡¯s caliber was a little bit too intense to be called a warm-up. Her opponent, however, was completely fine, well, that was a slight overstatement. But still, Lilian was in a better condition than Ivy. Ivy slapped her palms down onto the cold surface of the snow and two small (in comparison to a normal one) wyverns made of ice shot towards Lilian with open mouths full of jagged, sharp teeth. Lilian moved out of the way of the beast, but the wyverns turned and flew at her. She raised up her staff and two magic circles appeared in the air, two skeletal birds shot out and collided with the wyverns, the four creatures fought for a while before turning into shimmering dust and being blown away in the freezing wind. As the two women stared each other down with electrifying gazes, a single voice called out, ¡°Could you two cut the dramatics and hurry it up? Some of us are turning into popsicles out here.¡± It was Tear who was sandwiched in between Vyne and Erebus in a desperate attempt to share the heat of their bodies. Erebus, being a dragon, had a dangerously high body temperature, and Vyne was extra warmth. Also, this was a wonderful reason to press her body against Erebus¡¯. Untitled was simply standing with its arms crossed, his cloak blowing in the wind as he watched the duel. He was blissfully unaware of the curses Tear was sending him for his immunity to the chill. ¡°Shut up, girl,¡± Ivy spat, momentarily distracted. Lilian said nothing, instead she seized the opportunity and called upon a rotting serpent that wrapped its limber body around Ivy. The serpent made its way to her neck, snaking its thick body against her thin neck and then it began to tighten. Ivy¡¯s hands instantly shot up to the serpent as she began to yank on it in a futile endeavor to loosen its death grip. The bones of her neck underwent an extremely unbearable pressure until they finally snapped. She fell to the ground, the violent twitching of her body indicating that she was still alive even after incurring a broken neck. But Lilian was not so cold-hearted to let her die slowly from asphyxia, besides, who knew if the woman would end up dying or miraculously be saved. Instead, Lilian created a hammer made of heavy ice and dragged it through the snow. When she stood over the other woman¡¯s body, she raised the massive hammer and swung it down onto Ivy¡¯s face. She could feel the slight resistance before it caved away. With a shattering sound, the ice hammer fell apart, leaving the gruesome sight of Ivy¡¯s battered head. The blood leaked out into the white snow, tainting the purity with crimson. Lilian turned back to her comrades, her chest heaving. The lust to kill still shone brightly in her eyes, a certain savagery carved into her attractive face. Lilian had killed many, but never had it been so personally and up-close. She couldn¡¯t say that it was pleasurably, but it wasn¡¯t a terrible feeling either. Weighing the two, she deemed that it was somewhat enjoyable. Lilian now had a better understanding of Erebus¡¯ crave for battle and Vyne¡¯s sadistic experiments. However, she kept these newfound emotions inside, she calmly bowed at Erebus. ¡°I have completed my duty. Shall we move on?¡± Chapter Sixty-Six: Finale Hello! I''m sad to say that this will be the last chapter of The Demon Lord is Bored. I had a great time writing it, I hope you all had a great time reading it. Thank you for your continued support! I may or may not post another story, guess we''ll find out! Anyway, enjoy the finale. Erebus and his companions had found a small cave, just big enough for all five of them to fit into with barely enough room to wiggle around. Still, they needed to dry their clothing and change into new ones. Untitled stood guarding the front of the cave, as it was the only one with complete immunity to any type of weather. Vyne started up the fire to warm their bodies. Of course, they could always use some magic, but frankly that was a waste of mana when they could use the old-fashioned way. After that, they put on significantly dryer clothing. The atmosphere was annoyingly calm for them to be sitting inside an undoubtedly high-ranked dungeon seemingly without a care. Then again, they didn¡¯t have much to be worried for. Erebus sighed heavily, laying his head against the rough cave wall. ¡°We¡¯re going back to the castle,¡± he told the others. Their heads all snapped in his direction, confusion apparent in every single face. ¡°But,¡± Tear began to speak, ¡°we haven¡¯t completed the exploration of the dungeon. There¡¯s probably so much more to see!¡± He waved her words away with a tired hand. ¡°We can always come back, I¡¯m sure Yvick would be pleased to see our faces once again.¡± That was definitely not true, Erebus. He had grown extremely sick of your face, actually. ¡°Then, how do we get out of this place?¡± Lilian addressed the elephant in the room. ¡°Ah,¡± Erebus let out a gasp. Silence all around. ¡°Muffin?¡± Tear supplied hopelessly. ¡°We could find him...¡± ¡°How do we find him? Where did we come from?¡± Lilian shot down Tear¡¯s words without any hesitation. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just backtrack?¡± Vyne suggested. ¡°I¡¯m sure Lord Erebus could find the site of Lilian and Ivy¡¯s duel by using his eye.¡± The three began to argue back and forth, each of them arguing each other¡¯s point. Soon it was just a cacophony of noises, and the original topic had been lost quite some time ago. Erebus clapped his hands together loudly, too annoyed to ignore their arguing like he normally would. ¡°Simple teleportation magic would do. There¡¯s certainly enough mana between us all to transport us outside of the dungeon and to my castle. We got here through that manner, correct?¡± His subordinates shut their mouths, the most obvious answer had flown over their heads. ¡°Ehm,¡± Vyne cleared his throat uncomfortably, ¡°that certainly is a great idea, Lord Erebus. I am not very skilled at that type of magic, sadly. I¡¯m not sure if I prepped the magic that we would make it back in one piece...¡± he trailed off in nervous laughter. Lilian didn¡¯t say anything, but from her silence, it was easy to tell that she too wasn¡¯t proficient enough in transportation magic. Tear¡¯s hand slowly crept up. ¡°Lord Erebus, I have some skill in transportation magic. If given sufficient time, I am sure I could draw up a circle that would be able to deliver us properly. I am sorry that I never told you about this skill,¡± she bowed her head, ¡°if you wish to punish me... I would not complain in the slightest. I have some suggesti--¡± ¡°Then, get started.¡± ¡°About my punishment...¡± ¡°Get started,¡± Erebus said once again, his voice clearly stating that he wanted no more input from her about ¡°punishment¡±. She frowned. ¡°As you wish, I¡¯ll begin right away.¡± Tear stood up and exited the cave. It was too small inside for her to work, and she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to focus properly. So, she sat out in the cold, only wearing the cloak Lilian had given her out of something close to pity, but not quite it. Tear sneezed loudly, rubbed her gloved hands together, and got to work. ¡°Anyway, Lord Erebus, why do you want to go back so suddenly?¡± Lilian questioned him, curiosity coloring her voice. ¡°I thought that we had come here so you could find some entertainment.¡± Erebus responded curtly, ¡°I feel like it.¡± ¡°Ah... all right,¡± Lilian said, still slightly confused. But, if that was her master¡¯s wishes, she would do as told. Everyone worked on something quietly, Vyne worked on his research, Erebus read his book, and Lilian was sewing something that closely resembled a certain somebody. Once again, an irritatingly peaceful atmosphere settled for them to be sitting inside of a dungeon. The day faded into night, then the night turned to day. Bright and early in the morning, an extremely tired Tear shuffled into the cave. Bags of exhaustion under her shining eyes, her light face now had an unhealthy dullness to it. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I have finished the task, Lord Erebus. I was sure to be extra careful while creating it, I checked it over multiple times. There should be no errors, but if there are any, I¡¯m sure that you could think of a suitable way to--¡± Vyne intervened at this point, ¡°Although I feel incredibly uncomfortable of the thought of using a transportation circle made by the pig, I¡¯m sure that she wouldn¡¯t let any error to harm our master.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Lilian nodded her head in agreement. Erebus stood up and stretched (as much as the small cave would allow) and exited the cave. Tear¡¯s head shot up as she remembered something. ¡°Lilian¡¯s creature helped me in some parts, too. As much as I¡¯d like to take credit for it all, it was a magnificent assistant.¡± A chorus of words devoid of sincerity came from the other three since none of them actually cared. The undead responded with a humble bow of its head. ¡°Everyone, in the center of the circle, please.¡± They all obeyed, entering the magic circle drawn on a cleared space of frozen earth. Tear stood with her back ramrod straight then she began to hum and sway her body in smooth movements. Soon, she was dancing and singing. ¡°Is this normal?¡± Vyne muttered under his breath to Lilian. ¡°I am unsure,¡± she answered. Erebus simply yawned, what a tedious task she was doing. ¡°It is a type of magic specific to Tear¡¯s clan,¡± Untitled spoke suddenly. ¡°She told me about it as she worked, apparently the dance is a ritual to their God and Goddess.¡± ¡°Is it necessary?¡± Vyne questioned brusquely. ¡°No, not from what I could infer. It is more out of respect than anything, but I think it is very important for her to do it.¡± The demon didn¡¯t say anything more, instead, he watched her dance with impatience. The dance was beautiful, he would admit that much. But other than that, it was a nuisance and he wished that she would hurry it up. Erebus and Lilian had both sat down and continued on with what they had been doing in the cave. The only member watching her dance with appreciation was Untitled, the dead one. When she finished, her chest was heaving and she looked even more exhausted than before. ¡°Apologies,¡± she said in between pants, ¡°I had to bless the circle with our God and Goddess¡¯ love.¡± ¡°Is that what that was?¡± Vyne muttered. ¡°Just get it on with already,¡± Erebus said as he stood up. He held out his hand for Lilian, and she accepted it graciously. Tear¡¯s eyebrows twitched upon seeing it, but she made a mental note to make sure that Lilian came back in piece. If she didn¡¯t she might forget an arm or leg, maybe even the entire body. That would be an absolute tragedy. Everyone turned to her, waiting for her to begin. Tear cleared her throat nervously, and then activated the circle. The amount of mana required would have been enough to drain her dry and then some, but her companions donated enough of their own to prevent something like that from happening. Still, she could feel the energy being sucked out of her body at an alarming rate, and it still wasn¡¯t completely filled. Maybe she had overshot the normal capacity needed, since she had added some extra safety measures. Her head spun woozily and she felt a little bit nauseous. ¡°Ugh...¡± Tear let out an involuntary groan. Erebus strolled over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Instantly, mana began to flow back into her body, revitalizing her. ¡°If you needed more help, you should have said so,¡± he told her with a stern look. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t weigh well on my conscious if one of you were to die and the most dangerous part was finished.¡± Her cheeks colored a little, normally she would relish in the joy of Erebus actually showing some care for her (everyone¡¯s) well-being, but she had to focus. The reassuring weight of Erebus¡¯ hand on her shoulder drove a new confidence into her, and the spell was completed flawlessly. Green surrounded them, they were in a field of grass swaying slightly in the softly blowing wind. Not too far off, the drawbridge leading to Erebus¡¯ castle sat in waiting. ¡°That went well!¡± Tear boasted. ¡°Lord Erebus had to help, you incompetent swine,¡± Vyne fired back. Tear bit her tongue, she couldn¡¯t allow the joy-sucking leech to rain on her parade. Not today, Vyne, not today. ¡°Lord Erebus,¡± Lilian started, ¡°if I may inquire... Why did you wish to return here?¡± ¡°I told you, I felt like it.¡± Lilian hesitated before saying, ¡°That isn¡¯t exactly an answer.¡± ¡°Mana stones.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I wanted to eat mana stones, we didn¡¯t take any with us.¡± No one answered, no one had any words to respond with. Special One: Work To Do A few of you asked for some short chapter specials, so I decided to do so. I''m really glad to know that you guys enjoyed reading, so I''d be even more delighted to give you little one-shots of their lives. Surprisingly, the Dragon Council had an immense amount of work to do. They had become the so-called rulers of the world, a position that was more forced upon them than anything else. The dragons had wanted no more than to protect their beloved planet, but it ended up giving them some unwanted duties, too. Unsurprisingly, Erebus managed to avoid all of the work he had to do, thus leaving it to the others. Once in a blue moon, they were able to force him to come back to the Dragon Continent and actually do his work. Much to his dismay, of course. This was one of those times, Erebus found his mind being assaulted by the other members of the Dragon Council to come and complete what he was supposed to. He had been in the middle of a splendid nap, outside in the grassy lands spread out before his castle, he had fallen asleep while eating mana stones and reading some random book he had found in the library. Erebus! A sharp bark of a voice cut into his mind and shocked him out of his pleasant sleep. Normally, the one who contacted him would be Rolut, this time it was the pompous Frize. I would like you to come to the realization that the work with the betrayers who sold mana stones was not completed with their deaths. We still have been working on damage control. Erebus didn¡¯t respond, instead he rolled over and hoped that the voice would go away if he just ignored it. It didn¡¯t, sadly. Frize continued to nag, soon his voice was accompanied by Midrn. Scream. Erebus wanted to scream. Get these annoyances out of his head! Was there any way to cut off this damned connection... it¡¯d been thousands of years and he still had no idea how to make them shut up. What was with that? Was there no off-switch? Couldn¡¯t there be some distance to where it would no longer work? I will do my part, Erebus finally snapped back at them. Get out of my head, I¡¯ll head there soon. His words were met by agreement. Erebus stood and rotated his neck to get all of the kinks out. A sigh. He would tell the others that he would be leaving the castle for a short while, a very... short while. Like, he would literally be back in the blink of an eye. Of course, he didn¡¯t actually need to tell him. He was doing it for the pure sake of drawing out time as he knew they would undoubtedly whine and complain about him leaving them. Good plan, he ought to give himself a pat on the back for that one. Erebus walked through the grassy expanse, leisurely, may I add. If he had his way, it¡¯d be another one thousand years before he went back to the Dragon Continent, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t be for a Council meeting. He let out another sigh. So troublesome. Working was so troublesome. Erebus entered his castle, traversed through the myriad of twisting hallways. How could he talk to them in a way that would take the longest amount of time? Sure, he was postponing the inevitable, but every second he spent doing nothing was a second very well spent in his opinion. Yes, he would rather be bored than dealing with those politics and whatnot. When he finally arrived his throne room, he stretched across the cold, stone seat so that his legs were thrown over the left arm and his head hung over the right. Without having to call them, his minions came rushing into the room shortly after. All of them displaying equal expressions of worry. If Erebus was seen going to his throne room, it normally meant one of three things: he was bored and thus in need of entertainment, he needed them to do something, and finally, the worst one, he was leaving. The position he was sitting in lead them to believe it was the former. Tear instantaneously offered herself as a means of entertainment and was just as quickly shot down by everyone in the vicinity. ¡°What is the matter, Lord Erebus?¡± Lilian asked. ¡°Is something troubling you?¡± ¡°Something is always troubling me,¡± he answered. Magnus let out a short gasp of pain, leaning against his brother Stone for support. How tragic... his master¡¯s condition brought such unbridled sadness and pain into the demon¡¯s heart! ¡°Alas...¡± Erebus trailed off. ¡°I must leave you all for a time. Alone, I have to go to the Dragon Continent to deal with some things.¡± It was Vyne¡¯s turn to step forward. ¡°Has something terrible happened? What is it, Lord Erebus? Surely, you can tell us.¡± Ah, it wasn¡¯t really terrible. He just didn¡¯t feel like doing it. ¡°More or less,¡± was the curt response instead. Vyne¡¯s face fell. ¡°You cannot tell us? If so... we shall not press.¡± The others nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°It is just some work I must attend to,¡± Erebus responded vaguely. He couldn¡¯t let them give up now! His precious time-wasters, how could they let it go so easily. Why was it now that they finally decided to be reasonable? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Such a thing is out of our control,¡± Lilian lamented. Magnus nodded his head sadly. ¡°Indeed, how troubling. If only we could help.¡± You could help by talking more, you fools! Erebus shouted in his mind mentally. ¡°We will make sure another invasion like the previous will not happen again when you leave for the Dragon Continent,¡± Lilian spoke with great determination in her voice. ¡°The humans have grown less rowdy, though, only a few rogues here and there try to fight us. I believe that it will be okay.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m counting on you.¡± Silence filled the room. ¡°We¡¯ll take our leave then,¡± Stone spoke after a few counts of the somewhat uncomfortable quiet. Erebus waved them away, rather upset that they hadn¡¯t been as dramatic as he was hoping. Well, they had given him enough of a delay, he would have to fly a little bit slower... Ah, slackers had such a tough duty to fulfill. Sometimes, avoiding the work was more tedious than actually doing it. Once again, Erebus exited the castle. He was embraced by a crying Tear at the last minute, she ended up leaving a wet spot on the shoulder of his tunic. Also, her hands had begun creeping low before he forcibly removed her. He didn¡¯t have the slightest ounce of desire for a kid. Now in his true form, Erebus flew towards the Dragon Continent begrudgingly, already feeling exhausted from the thought of putting in extra effort. It wasn¡¯t fighting, so it wasn¡¯t interesting. It wasn¡¯t a good book, so it wasn¡¯t interesting. It was paperwork about something he didn¡¯t care about, so it wasn¡¯t interesting. In summary, it wasn¡¯t interesting. He flapped his wings in such indescribable sadness. ¡°Maybe Frize would have done the majority of it,¡± he wondered out loud. Yes, Frize was always reliable in these types of things. He and Erebus had always been different types, Erebus preferred to settle matters through violence, Frize enjoyed using words. Something thought Erebus was inefficient, just killing them would always prove to be easier and less of a hassle. The sky faded from a pure blue to the dark red that signified the Dragon Continent. It was always like this, the dragons liked it this way. If they wanted, they could have any continent they truly desired, but they always stayed in the constant heat. He loved his home, he really did, he just didn¡¯t like the people in it. His arrival was met by surprise, the guards who circled the sky showed the proper respects, but they were clearly appalled that he would come back twice within a year. To them, it heralded that something serious was going on. Erebus simply shrugged off their concern, though, it was completely unneeded and tiring. He arrived at the Dragon Council¡¯s abode, landing gently and shifting into his human form. At the platform, he was greeted by a less than amused-looking Frize. ¡°What took you so long?¡± the elder dragon questioned. Erebus ignored the other¡¯s words. ¡°Where¡¯s the work that needs to be done?¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually going to do it?¡± Frize said, amazement filling his eyes. ¡°And you won¡¯t stop halfway?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here, aren¡¯t I?¡± Frize frowned. ¡°Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting you to give in so easily.¡± Your lack of faith didn¡¯t go unwarranted, Frize. It really didn¡¯t. ¡°It was the only thing that¡¯d make you shut up,¡± Erebus answered gruffly, frankly, he was not in a good mood at all. It had always been an unspoken pact between the two that Erebus would do the fighting, and Frize would do the work that came with it. A rare smile graced Frize¡¯s face. ¡°Indeed. I was just so in love with the concept of seeing your face, not once or twice, but three times within such a short period of time,¡± he spoke sarcastically. ¡°No, it was actually more work than I was expecting. I can¡¯t do it all on my own. The others are swamped, too. It¡¯s more of a mess than we had thought it was.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see,¡± Erebus said, his anger subsiding a little. Just a little. It was just Frize trying to get back at him like he had thought it was. The two walked inside, heading towards Erebus¡¯ very unused office that had undoubtedly not been occupied by its owner for a few decades. Frize talked to Erebus about the situation, and Erebus listened to a certain extent. Erebus pushed the doors that lead to his office open, only to be met by a very unpleasant surprise. Frize had told him that there was some work for him to do, but ¡°some¡± was a was a gross understand. Stacks, there were literally stacks of papers haphazardly piled onto Erebus¡¯ desk. Actually, there was only a small space left for Erebus to read the documents. ¡°What is all of this...¡± Erebus said, absolute horror coloring his voice. Frize patted his companion¡¯s back. ¡°Your work, there¡¯s a little bit of mine in there, too. But I figured that you wouldn¡¯t mind doing it.¡± With a laugh that was far too happy, Frize patted Erebus¡¯ back once again before walking out of the office. Special Two: Her Promise (1) Tear had come upon a rather unpleasant realization that made her stomach churn with nervousness. She had more or less neglected her duty to find another High Human and continue their bloodline. It wasn¡¯t that she had forgotten or anything, it was more like she had been completely into the task of seducing Lord Erebus. Sadly, it hadn¡¯t born her any fruits yet. It hadn¡¯t escaped her attention that he saw them as his ¡°children¡± more than anything, but still... she would change that attitude of his! Who knows what would have happened to her if it wasn¡¯t for him taken her under his wing? She was eternally grateful to what he had done for her. It had undoubtedly been the darkest period of Tear¡¯s lifetime when she couldn¡¯t even hold her head up high, proud of her lineage. She belonged to a race that was hated and scorned. How could she be proud of such a thing? It was Erebus who taught her the meaning of pride and acceptance. Yes, she would not only fulfill the promise she made to her mother but also teach the others about the confidence they deserved. That being said, it wasn¡¯t like she had any leads. It was incredibly difficult, there were hardly any distinguishing factors between a High Human and a human. The only way to tell is through the use of magic, since High Humans were significantly more powerful than humans themselves. Perhaps if she asked, Lord Erebus would give her some time to go out on a search. She didn¡¯t know where to look, though... With a heavy sigh, she fell backwards onto the mattress of her bed. The fact that those of her kind would be residing in a human city was highly likely, since it would be easy to blend in there. No one would notice the difference as long as they didn¡¯t do anything related to magic or physical abilities. If it was anything like that, they¡¯d undoubtedly be discovered. Well, it was worth the try. Erebus, along with Weryn, had came back from his weeklong trip to the Dragon Continent looking extremely exhausted, so he probably would let her go just to make her stop talking to him. Lilian might prove to be a little more difficult though, she was like the barrier before one could even get to Erebus. If Tear would wander around the castle with no work to do, Lilian would easily lasso her into some work to do. Tear knew that there were even more border disputes going on since one of the kingdom¡¯s had given some of its territory to another to appease another kingdom that was threatening the possibility of war. Because of this, the Demon Lord¡¯s instantly began fighting over if that changed who owned what. None of them would challenge Erebus¡¯ land claims, of course, but Lilian had become somewhat of a peacemaker during these times and basically the rulers of the Demon Lords. If something was wrong, report it to Lilian. If someone was annoying, report it to Lilian. If the humans did something, report it to Lilian. Et cetera, et cetera. It was like an unspoken motto. But she had to! The promise she made with her mother all those years ago rung clearly in her head. Tear steeled her resolve and left her room, her destination set in mind. She would go to a human city and hopefully find at least one other! With quick feet, she rapidly made her way to the throne room where Erebus was undoubtedly napping. Normally, she wouldn¡¯t disturb him in his sleep, but today¡¯s matters were pressing. Her eyes darted around on look-out for Lilian, the woman had a knack for appearing when she was least needed or wanted. Perhaps the border disputes were keeping her cooped up in her office? That was certainly a blessing in disguise. When she arrived at the doors of the throne room, she knocked loudly in order to wake him up (a bruise on Stone¡¯s head showed that Erebus didn¡¯t appreciate being shaken awake). She could hear the groan of Erebus waking up and then his sleepy voice allowing her entrance. Tear pushed open the doors and closed them silently behind her. She walked forward then kneeled before his throne.¡°Lord Erebus, I have a request to make of you as your lowly servant. I apologize for my selfishness in advan--¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Erebus said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your request, you can go.¡± Tear¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°You already know of my request?¡± Erebus¡¯ mouth opened wide as he yawned loudly. ¡°It¡¯s a rather obvious request, you¡¯re asking for permission to leave, right?¡± ¡°Yes...¡± Tear trailed off. Admiration swelled in her heart, of course! Erebus¡¯ cognitive skills were a cut above the rest to instantly know what her request was. How could she have expected anything less? ¡°I wish to carry out the duty given to me by my mother... or at least start.¡± Her master smiled kindly, it was an exceptionally rare sight. The majority of times, his smile would be from enjoyment (mostly at another¡¯s expense), rarely did he show such a beautiful one. It was at that moment, that she remembered the great being that he was. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It made Tear¡¯s heart skip a beat. A few counts of silence passed between them. Tear was far too awestruck to speak, and Erebus was only talkative if something excited him. ¡°Is that all?¡± Erebus finally asked. ¡°Y-yes,¡± she stammered. ¡°Thank you for your kindness, Lord Erebus.¡± She bowed deeply. She was truly grateful. ¡°Where will you go to? The Capital of Milon would be a good place to search, but you¡¯re well-known so gathering information would be easier. Though, I can¡¯t say that a High Human would be willing to speak to you since you are so well-known, it would probably put some attention on them.¡± Even though Erebus was forced to resign by the other members of the Dragon Council, Tear and Vyne were still Questers. Since they had achieved their rank in record breaking time, they had become somewhat famous. Not that they had taken on any Quests for quite some time, though. Along with that, Tear¡¯s incredibly beauty made her a hot topic with men. ¡°Ah, I see...¡± Tear trailed off. She had been thinking of Milon, but she hadn¡¯t thought about the unwanted spotlight. ¡°Still, I think it¡¯s the best place to go. I know the city¡¯s people better than I would in another Kingdom.¡± Erebus shrugged. ¡°Do what you want. Do you wish to take someone along with you?¡± She hesitated. Tear hated to admit it, but Vyne would be the optimal partner in this situation. He was incredibly skilled at getting information buried deeply, and also was quite familiar with Milon. His methods were on the questionable side, however. Lilian would also be good, but the beastwoman was incredibly busy. She let out a heaving sigh. ¡°Vyne, if possible.¡± Erebus¡¯ eyebrows quirked a little at her willingly requesting the assistance of her self-proclaimed nemesis. ¡°I will tell him to do so, then.¡± He stopped speaking for a few moments. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed, Vyne was told just now to go to the front of castle, meet him there.¡± Tear bowed once again. ¡°Thank you, Lord Erebus.¡± He waved off her appreciation. ¡°Such things are hardly noteworthy, go on now.¡± She left her master sitting alone in his throne room with an inexplicable expression on his face. When the door shut behind her, she had to resist her urge to do a victory pose. It was a complete success! But, Vyne would undoubtedly be in a distasteful mood after being roped in to help with Tear. The concept of having to spend even more time with her was bad enough for him, but it being only the two of them would make it even worse for him. Though, Lord Erebus probably told him to be on his best behavior. Tear balled up her fist, she would have to suppress her hatred for that man in order to fulfill her promise Tear exhaled, she walked down the main hallway of the dimly lit castle. Since nearly all of the inhabitants could see almost perfectly in the dark, there was no need to light many torches. So, rather unintentionally, the darkness casted the entire interior in a gloomy aura. Though, it was a bonus effect. Those who tried to invade the castle normally found it to be foreboding, and it added an extra sense of fear into their being. When she finally arrived at the front doors, Vyne was leaning against a pillar not too far off, exuding an annoyed aura. ¡°Vyne,¡± Tear said in greeting. He smiled, no, it was more of a grimace. ¡°Pig.¡± She resisted the very strong urge to retort. ¡°I¡¯m ready to leave, I didn¡¯t see the need to pack anything.¡± ¡°So am I.¡± He pushed off of the pillar and headed over towards her. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then. It would be nice to get some fresh air, I¡¯ve been cooped up with loads of new experiments.¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s with?¡± Tear asked incredulously. ¡°If I ignore your existence, it¡¯s rather enjoyable, actually.¡± She didn¡¯t have any response, seeing as she couldn¡¯t argue with him there. He was right, she had planned on minimizing his presence in her mind to make the trip bearable. It was almost annoying how similarly they thought about certain things. ¡°I will admit, though,¡± Vyne began after they left the castle and began walking through the grassy plains, ¡°that I was immensely surprised to hear from Lord Erebus that you requested me personally.¡± Tear shrugged her shoulders. ¡°You would probably be the most helpful out of us all. So of course I did.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Vyne grunted. ¡°Yeah...¡± Awkwardness filled the air. How exactly were they suppose to talk to each other again? Exchanging more than a few sentences without insults or name calling was something simply out of their ability. Special Three: Her Promise (2) The Capital of Milon had not changed in the slightest. Perhaps slightly in the minor ways that didn¡¯t really matter, overall, nothing was different. The duo at arrived well into the night. On purpose, actually. They didn¡¯t want many people to see them arrive since it would probably end up being a big fiasco. The travel there had been quiet, only a few words were exchanged back and forth in a desperate attempt to dissipate the uncomfortable air between them. But alas, such things did not work. According to Vyne, he had indeed been informed by their lord to be on his best behavior. Tear didn¡¯t admit that she hadn¡¯t been told that, she had realized that Lord Erebus expected her to be on her best behavior. Whether not being told was a good or bad thing, Tear had yet to figure it out. ¡°Where do we we start looking?¡± Tear asked after Vyne had paid for their stay at another high-class inn. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything to ask people, do you have any idea?¡± Vyne unlocked the door to their room and began to search for any listening magic or things of the like. When it was clear, he finally said, ¡°Well, if Lord Erebus had come, the job would have been significantly easier.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± Tear asked, sitting down on the mattress of one of the two beds. ¡°Not that I doubt Lord Erebus¡¯ abilities,¡± she added quickly upon seeing Vyne¡¯s eyes narrow and his jaw clench. ¡°With his ability to see mana flow, he would have been able to detect anything that would be abnormal for a human. But, neither of us are skilled enough to visualize mana, so that¡¯s out of the question.¡± She was silent, instead focusing on brushing her hair. Tear felt like an idiot. Why hadn¡¯t she asked Lord Erebus to accompany them? More than likely, he would have said yes. She could contact him now and request his assistance, but wouldn¡¯t that make Vyne and her seem incompetent? This was too complicated. Why hadn¡¯t her mother given her any more hints? How was Tear even supposed to know if the others were still alive? She probably would have died long ago if it wasn¡¯t for the benevolence of her master! Tear let out a childish groan and began to whine about how unfair this was. Vyne watched her do so with a look that clearly showed exactly what he thought about her actions. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Vyne questioned coldly after Tear had finally stopped rolling around and flailing her limbs. Around Lord Erebus, she had always acted with some level of maturity, but around the others, she quickly reverted back to her childlike self. ¡°Uwah! I don¡¯t want to do this anymore,¡± she moaned and curled up into the fetal position. ¡°Vyne, you understand, right? Right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand the feelings of inferior beings,¡± he answered easily. ¡°Are you done yet?¡± Tear leapt up as if she wanted to yell at him for his comment and then fell right back down, face down. ¡°I have no more energy to expend,¡± her voice came out muffled. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work then.¡± Vyne smiled with such brilliance it was almost dazzling. ¡°M¡®kay.¡± ¡°Our best choice for possibly getting any info on a High Human or High Humans living here would more than likely be the head pharmacist. She¡¯s lived her for quite some time and is known to be incredibly accepting and wise.¡± Tear sat up properly. ¡°You think one of my kind would go there and tell her?¡± ¡°They need someone who they can trust. The pharmacist is that person. She wouldn¡¯t tell a soul, and she would give them advice.¡± When Tear didn¡¯t look convinced, Vyne added, ¡°Isn¡¯t it tiresome to keep pretending you¡¯re somebody else? Wouldn¡¯t you like take a break sometime?¡± ¡°Not if my life is on the line.¡± Vyne shook his head. ¡°The humans of these days are considerably more inclusive than they ever were. I believe that if they were smart, they¡¯d try to get at least one ally in this city. And the best ally they could get would be the pharmacist.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s say it is the pharmacist who has the answers, why would she tell us? If she¡¯s trying to protect them, she definitely wouldn¡¯t open up right away and I don¡¯t wish to stay gone long enough to become her best friend.¡± A dangerous smile crept onto Vyne¡¯s face. ¡°I have ways if she doesn¡¯t wish to tell us willingly.¡± Torturing an elderly woman didn¡¯t exactly sit well in Tear¡¯s stomach, she certainly wasn¡¯t a righteous woman and even more so she didn¡¯t like the humans. Still... that much didn¡¯t feel right. But this was for the sake of her people. Such things had to be done. ¡°Okay,¡± Tear agreed after a while. ¡°Let¡¯s go there tonight. It¡¯ll be better if only a few people see us.¡± Vyne accepted her proposition wordlessly and stood up. The two left their room and made their way to the pharmacist¡¯s building. On their way there, Tear couldn¡¯t help but speak out. ¡°Thank you, Vyne. For helping me do this.¡± A look of pure shock crossed Vyne¡¯s face. He stopped walking and stared at Tear like he had never seen her before. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this out of my own goodwill. I¡¯m doing it because Lord Erebus ordered met to, and everything Lord Erebus wants me to do I will do so absolutely flawlessly.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Still, thanks.¡± She turned to face him, broad smile appearing on her face. ¡°I appreciate it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re strange,¡± Vyne said more to himself than to her. Even though her actions could be considered normal to anyone else, the two had a less than friendly relationship. Even thinking of uttering the words of gratitude to each other had never been thought of. ¡°I guess so,¡± Tear laughed. ¡°You¡¯re incredibly happy,¡± Vyne pointed out as they resumed walking. ¡°Of course I am! I haven¡¯t had interactions with another High Human for far too long, the prospect of doing so is filling me with joy. We¡¯re like family, we may not be blood-related... but still, we share a common past.¡± Vyne didn¡¯t say anymore. For him, the concept of ¡°family¡± was different, considering his upbringing. There had been no familial love, it had been obligation to your bloodline. It was a cold house he grew up in, not that he was ever bothered by it. No one did anything out of the goodness of their heart, it was out of loyalty. That was a principle he still carried today. If Lord Erebus ordered him to kill any member of his family, Vyne would do so without any hesitation or regret. He came from a place that boasted absolute loyalty. ¡°It¡¯s interesting enough,¡± he mused quietly to himself. ¡°Those feelings the pig has.¡± They arrived at the front door to the pharmacist. Even from outside, the smell of herbs wafted in the air. The sign on the door said closed, but Tear and Vyne were there for another sort of business. Tear touched her hand to the knob using her mana to replicate the perfect key to the lock. It clicked unlocked and the door slid open with a tiny push. Silently, the two entered the building and locked the door behind them. Inside, the aforementioned smell was nearly overwhelming. There were different grasses and berries everywhere, along with vials of colored liquids, there were diagrams of the human body on the wall. ¡°She¡¯s certainly into her work,¡± Tear joked. Vyne shook his head. ¡°She must be upstairs.¡± He pointed to the small, white wooden staircase in the far left corner. ¡°No, I¡¯m right here,¡± a voice piped up. Both Vyne and Tear turned in surprise to see the elderly woman seated in a cushioned chair next to the doorway. Well, calling her elderly wasn¡¯t exactly correct as she still held youth in her face, she could easily have been mistaken for a woman in her thirties to forties if it wasn¡¯t for her silvery hair. ¡°And who are you two?¡± The pharmacist, Sarah ¡°Green¡± was undoubtedly that woman¡¯s name. She¡¯s somebody worrisome, Vyne thought. She had masked her presence, well, they hadn¡¯t exactly been looking for one. ¡°Ah, pleasure to meet you,¡± Tear said with a pleasant grin. Sarah grunted in response, ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s a pleasure to meet the two people who just broke into my house at night.¡± ¡°We mean no ill will,¡± Vyne spoke up. Though if she didn¡¯t comply, he couldn¡¯t say he wouldn¡¯t have to take it to more extreme measures and disregard his previous statement. Still, such a thing like that was completely unwanted. Kind of. ¡°Right,¡± she drawled. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Tear glanced hesitantly at Vyne, her eyes clearly begging for assistance. She had no idea what to ask the woman. ¡°Do you know any High Humans living here in this city or elsewhere?¡± So blunt! Tear¡¯s eyes bulged. The pharmacist leaned back in her chair. ¡°How would I know? As far as I¡¯m concerned, the High Humans were wiped out.¡± ¡°Answering a question with a question is highly inefficient and will serve to waste everyone¡¯s time. I didn¡¯t ask how you knew, I want to know if you do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The woman narrowed her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not as if I know one, I¡¯m just curious.¡± So obvious! Tear cried out in her mind, she was clearly hiding something. Did a High Human seriously trust this woman with their secret? ¡°So we can find them.¡± Sarah shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know of any High Humans.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Vyne looked completely bored with the entire situation. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I like people so blatantly lying to my face.¡± ¡°Believe what you want.¡± The pharmacist barked out a laugh. A predator¡¯s smile spread on Vyne¡¯s face. ¡°You may be able to fool the others with your appearance, but I am a master at that type of magic. My eyes are able to see through that petty glamor.¡± Sarah¡¯s eyes darted up. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I must admit, parading around as an aging pharmacist was a great idea. Who would suspect you? You even had me fooled, that is, until I saw you.¡± Even Tear looked confused. She knew what he was implicating, she just didn¡¯t understand it. ¡°The High Human is her?¡± Vyne shook his head. ¡°The High Human is him.¡± Special Four: His Promise The being that went by the name ¡°Sarah Green¡± displayed a very distasteful expression at his visitors. ¡°To be found out so quickly and easily... Who are you two?¡± Vyne opened his mouth to speak, but Tear intervened and spoke, ¡°My name is Tear of the Moon Goddess. My clan hails from the Lower Continent.¡± ¡°Ah, that clan with terrible naming abilities,¡± Sarah said without any hesitation. ¡°Nonetheless, that would mean you are also a High Human? The same goes for him?¡± ¡°Nonsense. Please do not put me in a group with the likes of you two,¡± Vyne snapped at Sarah. ¡°I am Vyne of Tartarus, my ancestor is the glorious Laufeia.¡± Sarah scratched his head. ¡°Is that so...¡± Tear smiled brightly. ¡°Is there somewhere we can sit? I would love to speak to you and hear your story.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t exactly trust you,¡± Sarah spoke honestly. Her smile disappeared instantly. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You appeared, no, broke into my house at this hour and expect me to greet you warmly with tea and expose all my secrets? How do I know you¡¯re not hired to kill me, eh?¡± A coldness began to enter Tear¡¯s eyes. ¡°The only one who can give me orders is Lord Erebus, and he would never deem you worthy enough of his attention. Nor would you ever be a threat he would need to kill,¡± she hissed. ¡°For you to even imply that angers me greatly.¡± ¡°Huh, so you¡¯re that type,¡± was all Sarah said. Vyne resisted an urge that bubbled up inside of him. Most would cower in fear of the rapid change of Tear¡¯s aura that was bordering murderous, but Sarah maintained an apathetic countenance. Ah... he would love to break that cool expression and turn it into something miserable and disgusting. ¡°Would you stop being so discourteous and at least show your real face, and tell us your real name?¡± Vyne smirked. Sarah¡¯s eyes darted between the two, obviously trying to judge their intentions before sighing as if he had given up. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± He put up his hands in surrender. The body of the elderly woman rippled and glowed before fading away, leaving a young man in its wake. He was handsome enough, at the same time he was nothing truly noteworthy. If anything, his description would tilt more towards average. Dirty blond hair, hazel eyes, there was still a youthful plumpness in his face that gave him a more teenage appearance though he was multitudes older than that. Actually, rather than being handsome or average, he was adorable. In a harmless rabbit kind of way. ¡°My name is Dark Mist, I hail from the Mist tribe in the Lower Continent.¡± Whose clan had the terrible naming skills! Tear wanted to scream. What kind of name was Dark Mist? Was it supposed to sound cool? Huh, huh? There was nothing dark about him! If anything, they should¡¯ve named him Cherry Boy. Dark, who was completely unaware of Tear¡¯s insults being flung at him, stood up tall as if there was something daunting about him. ¡°A pleasure to meet you both,¡± he said mockingly and added in a sarcastic bow. Ah, that personality of his was annoying. Did he want to fight or something? What was with that cheeky attitude? Tear had been ecstatic to meet him, but the more he spoke, the more she grew to dislike him. No, he was something like the irritating little brother. ¡°Do we take him back to Lord Erebus?¡± Vyne asked Tear suddenly. Her head tilted. Honestly, she hadn¡¯t even thought this far. She didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be able to find one so quickly, what was she supposed to do? Carry out the bloodline, or something. Wouldn¡¯t that require her to reproduce with this man? Ah, that would be absolutely impossible, no matter how she looked at it, he looked like a brat. But finding another one would certainly not be as easy as the first. ¡°I guess so?¡± Tear rubbed her chin. ¡°Lord Erebus probably wouldn¡¯t mind, rather, he definitely wouldn¡¯t care even if we brought ten thousand people... as long as he didn¡¯t have to deal with them.¡± They served someone who sounded incredibly irresponsible. What was with that type of carefree attitude? Were they joking? They couldn¡¯t be joking, they looked way too serious. Wait! Why were they talking about taking him somewhere without his consent? ¡°You¡¯re forgetting about me,¡± Dark said after having a mental rant. ¡°I do have a will. I also have a business to run.¡± ¡°What you want is insignificant,¡± two voices spoke in sync. Dark¡¯s eyebrow twitched. They were underestimating him! Did they think he was able to continue living by just batting his eyelashes and putting on disguises? He knew how to fight, and he was very good at it. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Even if there were two of them, he was confident in his abilities to get away. But if only he knew that the two standing in front of him could only be considered complete monsters. Their strength individually could be beaten by many, but when combined, despite their attitudes towards each other, would undoubtedly classify them as Demon Emperor rank. ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere with you,¡± Dark reasserted. ¡°My business is thriving! Do you think I can just up and leave after being in this place for so long? Something like that... I can¡¯t do it.¡± Tear and Vyne were not so kind-hearted to let his reasoning hinder them. ¡°You¡¯re coming with us. I have the promise to withhold with my mother.¡± ¡°That is,¡± Dark hesitated. No! He couldn¡¯t let himself be outdone. ¡°I have a promise, too!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± He blinked in surprise. ¡°Your promise,¡± Tear growled, obviously annoyed, ¡°what is it?¡± Dark sniffed. ¡°I have no reason to tell you.¡± Something could be heard snapping. ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve made her really mad now,¡± Vyne said as Tear stalked forward and grabbed Dark by the fabric of his shirt, yanking his face close to his. ¡°Every minute I spend away from Lord Erebus shortens my temper, you¡¯re making that even worse. I was really happy, you know? To meet one of my own kind. But it¡¯s someone like you, I cannot stand your type.¡± Dark, to his credit, didn¡¯t look at all scared. ¡°If you¡¯d let me go, I will tell you.¡± Tear clicked her tongue and released him. Vyne couldn¡¯t help but think as he watched the scene, that Tear seemed more like a gangster trying to extort Dark out of money. Similar to her child side, she had this one after being separated from Lord Erebus too long. Vyne had seen a very wide variety of her quick persona changes, only in front of Erebus did she ¡°behave¡±. In his opinion, they were all rather amusing till they grew to be annoying. Actually, whenever she left Lord Erebus, there was a progression of her attitudes. Childish, hotheaded, then finally, a sniveling mess. He hoped they weren¡¯t gone long enough for the final stage. ¡°I promised my family that I would live my life how I wanted, and that I wouldn¡¯t be bound by carrying out our legacy.¡± Two completely different sides, Vyne thought. Dark clenched his fist. ¡°My dream was to be a great healer, and here I am doing so! I refuse to go with you.¡± ¡°My promise was to continue our bloodline,¡± Tear responded. ¡°Therefore, I need a High Human male.¡± His eyes bulged. ¡°No way! I¡¯m too young to become a father.¡± Dark... you were at least five hundred years old, weren¡¯t you? Exactly how old did one have to be to be qualified as old enough? Tear narrowed her eyes. ¡°Stop whining! Not now, obviously, you idiot! I¡¯m busy.¡± But you have enough time to come in pester me? Dark cried in his mind. ¡°My answer is final. Get out!¡± ¡°Vyne,¡± Tear said, turning to her partner. He smiled innocently. ¡°Yes, pig?¡± ¡°Can you knock him out cold, I don¡¯t want to deal with this anymore.¡± Tear asked, clapping her hands together. ¡°No problem.¡± Vyne disappeared from his spot and behind Dark. ¡°Wha--¡± Dark gasped, but he was rendered unconscious by Vyne. Since none of them cared to catch him, his body collapsed onto the ground with a thud. ¡°Are we kidnapping him?¡± Vyne asked Tear, obviously amused by her tactics. ¡°Mm, I need to see Lord Erebus in order to purge the anger welling up inside of me.¡± Vyne, who was unsurprisingly used to kidnappings, cast his illusion magic on the unconscious Dark so that he looked like a scarf, then tossed Dark over his shoulder. Their casual attitudes for having just knocked a man out and planned to kidnap him should worry their master. Then again, with that personality of his, he wouldn¡¯t think anything of it. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tear nodded their head, and without looking back, they made their way to the exit of the Milon Capital. A Capital that would now be without a pharmacist. While at the same time, the castle belonging to the Dragon Erebus gained another member. Special Five: Erebus Ultimate Student Quite some time ago, there was a young, passionate man traveling for the sake of growing even stronger. On a fateful day as the sun¡¯s heat bordered unbearable, that very same youth was kowtowing in front of a lone figure. ¡°Please take me in as your disciple!¡± the youth cried, not daring to move his head from the ground. He had foolishly challenged the man to a duel and found himself pinned down on the ground almost instantly. The man who was the recipient of these words looked incredibly uncomfortable. ¡°Could you stand up? It¡¯s kind of embarrassing... even without anyone around,¡± the man said while scratching his head. ¡°Seriously, get up.¡± In an instant, the youth stood up and bowed so his torso was perfectly parallel with the ground. ¡°Apologies!¡± ¡°Stop that!¡± The youth looked up, his eyes full of confusion. ¡°Have I done something wrong?¡± ¡°Everything. You¡¯ve done everything wrong.¡± His androgynous face twisted into a look of contempt. ¡°People are going to think I have some kind of weird fetish... Ah, I hope there¡¯s no one around to see.¡± The youth activated the worldwide known killer, the puppy dog eyes. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re unwilling to take me in as your disciple? Someone with power as great as yours... perhaps I am too lowly to receive your help.¡± The other started to look even more uncomfortable. ¡°Is it even allowed? Will I get yelled? I really don¡¯t want that, their voices are so loud. Well, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, I¡¯m bored anyway, so something like this might be entertaining. Oh! Won¡¯t he have to call me Master, I¡¯ve never been called that before,¡± he mused to himself, placing his fingers on his chin as he thought. ¡°Hey, kid, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Yvick.¡± ¡°My name is Erebus, and from today on, refer to me as Master!¡± ¡°Y-yes, Master.¡± Yvick¡¯s eyes filled with hope. ¡°Does this mean that you¡¯ll teach me?¡± Erebus nodded his head. ¡°Indeed.¡± Yvick started to bow repeatedly, at such an alarming rate of speed that Erebus wondered if his brain would suffer damage. ¡°Stop that,¡± Erebus reprimanded. It was starting to make his head hurt. Yvick obeyed. The obvious eagerness in his eyes reminded Erebus of a faithful dog. All Yvick needed were dog ears and a tail, then the image would be complete. ¡°Fetch, boy,¡± Erebus couldn¡¯t help himself and said such words. Yvick scrunched his eyebrows. ¡°Fetch what?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing at all.¡± A gust of wind passed through them. Erebus clapped his hands together twice. ¡°Let¡¯s begin then, with your training.¡± ¡°Eh? Already?¡± ¡°Prepare yourself, you might die.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡± Erebus began to walk towards Yvick slowly, making the latter doubt if Erebus was actually going to attack him. Yet, as Erebus came closer and closer, a flame of fear ignited in Yvick¡¯s stomach. The aura that Erebus normally kept restrained began to leak out, the aura, though it was technically scentless, reeked of death and carnage. ¡°Ah!¡± Yvick let out an unseemly scream. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± Yvick wanted to turn and run, far, far away. But he knew, without a doubt in the world, Erebus would find him. His legs were quivering and shaking, he felt like jelly. What was this? He never felt a fear quite like this in the entirety of his life, it drew out the animalistic crave for survival deep within Yvick. A few more steps and Erebus would be close enough to reach out an arm and strangle Yvick. If he had been in his right set of mind, he would¡¯ve used the ultimate technique of the Hulad-Ruhi clan, which raised his defensive power exponentially, but he was far too scared to even think of that. Yvick stood there helplessly as Death reached for him, a single hand aiming for Yvick¡¯s face. Erebus¡¯ apathetic eyes meet with Yvick¡¯s. ¡°Bang,¡± Erebus said softly and flicked his finger. His finger didn¡¯t even touch Yvick¡¯s forehead, but it sent the youth flying like a ragdoll, his body hit the dry ground and tumbled. When Erebus flicked his finger, a large sonic boom was made and where Yvick had been standing and behind the spot, a chunk of the earth was missing. The impact had stirred up dirt and caused it to swirl around in the air lazily when the dusty clouds finally cleared, Erebus could be seen walking towards Yvick¡¯s broken body. ¡°Did you die?¡± Erebus asked as he squatted down next to the bloody figure. His body was bent at multiple different angles that didn¡¯t seem healthy at all. There was even bone sticking out in some places. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Yvick let out a pained moan that signaled he was still alive, which was a miracle of its own. Well, he was probably going to die soon. ¡°You did well. I put nearly all my power into that, if you were any weaker, you probably would have been obliterated.¡± Erebus, who always had to restrain his power to be able to even touch a person, it was refreshing being able to use that much without killing somebody. No, no, no, Yvick thought as his conscious began to fade, I¡¯m definitely going to die if someone doesn¡¯t heal me. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know healing magic,¡± Erebus lamented. He never had to rely on such a thing. ¡°I only know a little bit, uh-oh, what am I going to do!¡± He jumped up and balled his hands in his free-flowing hair. Suddenly, as if he had an epiphany, he smacked a fist onto his palm. ¡°I¡¯ll call Ayirn! Don¡¯t think of dying until she comes, resurrection is something we haven¡¯t tried before.¡± Without any hesitation, Erebus contacted Ayirn, who upon hearing someone was about to die, said she¡¯d be there within a minute. ¡°Don¡¯t die! Don¡¯t die!¡± Erebus cheered on Yvick as if he was at a sport¡¯s game. ¡°I believe in you! Good luck.¡± Who was the one who put me in this state! Yvick screeched mentally. True to her word, a figure came flying down from the sky. Dressed in white, billowing robes and resembling an angel, Ayirn rushed to Yvick¡¯s side. She healed his wounds in record-breaking time. With her healing abilities and Erebus¡¯ strength, Yvick questioned what exactly they were. Wait, no, it might be better if he didn¡¯t know. ¡°What happened?¡± Ayirn snapped at Erebus the moment Yvick¡¯s life was brought back from entering red territory. ¡°He said he wanted to be my disciple, so I wanted to see how strong he was.¡± Erebus pouted like a child. She frowned deeply. ¡°Is that even allowed?¡± ¡°Keep it a secret?¡± Erebus winked. Ayirn glanced at Erebus, then at the fully-healed Yvick who seemed to be refusing to stand up. She didn¡¯t trust Erebus at all to not end up killing the poor child. Ayirn¡¯s eyes stared intently at Erebus¡¯ face, which seemed to completely amused by the situation. Absolutely zero trust. ¡°Fine,¡± Ayirn sighed. ¡°Just call me if he ends up in another situation like this.¡± Erebus nodded his head, then saluted dramatically. ¡°Aye, aye, Captain.¡± Ayirn¡¯s face twitched. Her fellow dragon waved goodbye to her suddenly, and picked Yvick up by his left ankle. Then proceeded to drag him away. Yvick looked as if he was pleading for Ayirn¡¯s help. She turned a blind eye, she hadn¡¯t seen anything. She definitely hadn¡¯t seen anything. ¡°Then, let¡¯s start training for real!¡± Erebus cried out happily. So what was that! A test run? My near-death experience was just a test run? Yvick kept those thoughts to himself as he was pitifully dragged. Erebus¡¯ exciting training regime began! The Yvick many years in the future would call it Erebus¡¯ best attempts to cause his death instead. Saying things like: ¡°Yvick, that thing looks strong, doesn¡¯t it? Go fight it.¡± Or: ¡°Yvick, I heard there¡¯s some ancient creature with immense power. Go fight it.¡± Or: ¡°Yvick, there¡¯s a clan of demons over there. Go fight them.¡± Or: ¡°Yvick, I¡¯m bored, let¡¯s spar.¡± Even: ¡°Yvick, what? You¡¯re tired? Wimp! You¡¯ve only gone a week without sleep. You see that beast over there? Go fight it.¡± And let¡¯s not forget: ¡°Yvick, why aren¡¯t you moving? Oh no! Did you really die this time? Shit, I better call Ayirn.¡± Thinking back on it now made the demon shiver with fear. In that time, he gained a great amount of power, and his title of Demon Emperor, but he also lost a bit of his sanity. Every time Erebus uttered Yvick¡¯s name, a part of him of him would cry out, ¡°No! Please, don¡¯t make me do anything else!¡± It was definitely more than a small part of his sanity. It was a deep mental scar. Even the sweet and lovely Ayirn began to lose it after receiving calls from Erebus nearly every couple of days to come bring Yvick back from the brink of death. Special Six: Strange Place After this one, there will probably be two more specials. I apologize for not being able to write more for this series, if I get any new ideas, I will surely post them. And also, as I said before, I am more than likely going to create another series, so if you liked Demon Lord, you will probably enjoy the next one. Thank you. When Dark Mist awoke, he was filled with rage. The memories of the past resurfaced in his mind after a few moments of confusion. ¡°That damned demon!¡± Dark Mist roared, throwing the covers off of his body and standing up straight. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± a female said causing Dark Mist to look over at the door. A beautiful bunny-eared woman stood there with a face made of stone, her strange eyes pierced right into Dark Mist. ¡°I will tell Lord Erebus, follow me and wait outside of the doors when I tell you to.¡± When she turned to leave, Dark Mist yelled, ¡°Wait!¡± When she turned to look at him, Dark asked, ¡°Who are you? Where am I? ¡°My name is Lilian, I am a subordinate of Lord Erebus. You are in his castle, please do not display such a disgusting look in front of him when you meet him.¡± Dark Mist wanted to snap at her for calling him disgusting but resisted the urge seeing as she seemed willing to tell him things. ¡°So, why was I brought here?¡± ¡°As far as I am aware, you are something Tear needs in order to fulfill the promise she has with her mother. But, you must swear your loyalty to our Lord Erebus. That is the condition I gave Tear for allowing you to stay here.¡± Swear my what to who? Dark Mist looked exasperated. That being said, even though he was mentally complaining, he followed Lilian throughout the empty halls. ¡°Does no one else live here?¡± Dark finally asked after the question had been gnawing at his mind. They hadn¡¯t seen another living soul this entire time. ¡°There¡¯s many more who live here, most of the time they stay hidden away. Mostly because they¡¯re afraid.¡± ¡°Afraid of what?¡± ¡°Us.¡± Dark tilted his head. The term ¡°us¡± was vague, so his question wasn¡¯t really answered. He was about to press for more, but a very familiar person was walking towards them. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Lilian and Obscure Fog,¡± Vyne said in greeting with a kind smile that didn¡¯t fit him at all. Dark Mist tightened his fist if Vyne was going to say his name wrong, at least say something remotely close! ¡°It¡¯s Dark Mist.¡± ¡°Obscure Fog,¡± Vyne spoke in a tone as if he was correcting himself. ¡°Stop acting childish, Vyne,¡± Lilian cut in when Dark Mist started to look very angry. ¡°I¡¯m taking to him to meet Lord Erebus.¡± Vyne laughed. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I just felt like teasing Dark Mist. After you¡¯re done with him, send him down to the dungeons. I could use an extra hand with my experiments,¡± Vyne said with another laugh and walked off. ¡°Experiments? Experiments with what?¡± Dark Mist asked Lilian. She cleared her throat, a slight discomfort betraying her blank face. ¡°Something you will see for yourself later on.¡± Dark Mist looked incredibly confused, but he didn¡¯t ask any more on the subject. The walk continued on in silence, Dark Mist was slightly in awe of Lilian¡¯s ability to traverse through the nearly identical hallways with absolutely no difficulty. ¡°Wait here,¡± Lilian said when they stopped in front of a set of double doors. ¡°I will open the door when it is time for you to come in.¡± ¡°Ah... okay,¡± Dark Mist said while scratching his head. Before he had intentions of running away, but he had no idea how to get out, and he would probably end up getting caught before he made any actual progress. Dark Mist looked around, there was seriously no one here. He didn¡¯t even pick up any presences of others. No guards stood at the doors even though someone very important was supposed to be sitting inside. Strange... this place was strange. Minutes ticked by of Dark Mist just standing there, this was taking way too long! Finally, the doors opened and Lilian stood there. ¡°Come in.¡± Dark Mist walked inside, not sure what to expect. ¡°Hello!¡± a voice cried out joyfully. Dark blinked his eyes and a set of crimson eyes were staring straight at him. So close! ¡°Are you strong? How strong? I want to know, tell me.¡± ¡°I-I think I have a substantial amount of strength.¡± ¡°Do you think you¡¯re stronger than Tear?¡± the effeminate man asked with a voice full of childish glee. ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong Tear of the Moon Goddess is,¡± Dark Mist answered honestly. ¡°Um, who exactly are you?¡± The man jumped back and walked to the throne before sitting down with a goofy grin. ¡°This is Lord Erebus,¡± Lilian explained from next to Dark Mist. ¡°He is in an incredibly good mood after gaining another play toy, I mean, another subordinate.¡± ¡°No, I totally just heard you refer to me as a playtoy.¡± ¡°It was a mistake? You know, sometimes people get tongue-tied. Tehe.¡± Lilian tapped her forehead with her knuckles, even though she ended her statement with something ¡°cute¡± her voice remained flat and her expression didn¡¯t change at all. In other words, it was not at all effective. ¡°Anyway, I never agreed to be his servant,¡± Dark said bitterly. ¡°You will,¡± Erebus answered. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Dark swallowed. ¡°Eh? What?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The happiness stayed on Erebus¡¯ face as if he was inviting his crush on a date instead of saying such threatening things. Dark looked at Lilian nervously, her strange eyes slid over to him, there seemed to be a bit of a mocking gleam in them. ¡°Swear your eternal loyalty to Lord Erebus.¡± Lilian¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Or you¡¯ll die.¡± I don¡¯t have a choice in the matter at all? It isn¡¯t like I want to die. Dark wanted to cry, they looked serious about killing him, and despite Erebus¡¯ weak appearance, Dark felt as if he shouldn¡¯t underestimate the man. What was with these people and forcing others to do things against their will? Slavery. This was slavery. Involuntary servitude! Erebus¡¯ gaze was growing colder and colder. ¡°Hah, okay, um, I Dark Mist of the Mist tribe swear my eternal loyalty to Lord Erebus?¡± Was that a question? He sounded so uncertain. ¡°Good, good, I¡¯ll test you later. Lilian said something about Vyne wanting your assistance in his work.¡± Dark Mist cleared his throat. Was that it? He seriously just had to say that? There was no ritual or anything... was this a prank? ¡°I will be guiding him to Vyne¡¯s location,¡± Lilian said and bowed deeply at the waist. Dark Mist mimicked her actions and followed her out. The moment the door shut, boisterous laughter could be heard, but since Lilian was wearing a face that said ¡°I heard nothing¡± Dark Mist decided that was the best course of actions and copied her on that too. Someone else was starting to become a victim of the Look to Lilian for Your Problems disease. Once again, they went through the confusing hallways. At one point in time, they came across two burly looking demons who called themselves Magnus and Stone, sadly, since they were in a hurry, Lilian completely brushed her co-workers off. Dark Mist wondered if that was okay, she swatted them aside like they were flies. Well, the two didn¡¯t really seem to mind it at all. ¡°You have almost met everyone important in the castle,¡± Lilian suddenly said as they walked down the steps leading to the dungeon. ¡°There is one more, but he should be in class with Vyne... Oh, is that why he wanted you to come?¡± She had a revelation. They stopped in front a measly looking wooden door. ¡°I will be leaving you here, please just go straight down the hallway, also, ignore anyone in the cells. Vyne should be in the last one.¡± Lilian slightly bowed her head before leaving without letting Dark Mist give her any conformation. Actually, no matter how he looked it, he was completely forced into all of this. Dark Mist gave a pitiful sigh before following Lilian¡¯s instructions. Though, curiosity had taken the better of him and he glanced inside of one of the cells. And proceeded to see something that shouldn¡¯t be alive any longer. Dark Mist¡¯s pace quickened. At the end of the hallway, there was another shoddy door that Dark opened with care as it looked ready to fall off the hinges. His nose was assaulted by the metallic scent of blood and the sickening one of death. ¡°Ugh...¡± Dark pinched his nose. In front of him, a body was laid out on the slab. He was still alive, his chest barely rising and falling, but the injuries on his body stated that he should be dead. On the wall were tools that looked as if they had been used recently, judging from the wet blood on the blades. There were containers of things that very closely resembled human body parts. ¡°Ah! Perfect timing, it¡¯s the ex-pharmacist,¡± Vyne said in a peppy tone that didn¡¯t match the gruesome surroundings. ¡°Who?¡± another voice questioned, Dark Mist lowered his sight a little to see a small child who definitely didn¡¯t match the surroundings. ¡°Oh, you told me about him before. Hello, Obscure Fog, my name is Weryn.¡± The adorable child bowed at Dark. ¡°My name is Dark Mist.¡± Weryn¡¯s pure eyes widened with shock. ¡°Apologies.¡± ¡°Do you need my help healing this man?¡± ¡°I¡¯m giving Weryn a class on how to use magic to regenerate limbs.¡°This is test subject No. 39, the rest died too quickly, but he¡¯s a good one!¡± Vyne said with the proudness of a father to his son. Dark Mist instantly wanted to leave. ¡°Watch!¡± Vyne grabbed a sword and walked back over to No. 39. ¡°Hold him tight, Weryn, he squirms too much. I need to make a clean cut.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Weryn said with an innocent smile that juxtaposed with the blood smears on his face. When the man started to make a guttural noise similar to screaming and fought against his restraints, Weryn¡¯s hands clamped down on the man with such strength is fingers pierced through the skin and caused blood to well up. Still, the man stopped moving. Vyne raised the sword and removed the man¡¯s hand with a single swing. Without any remorse, he tossed the hand into the container filled with many more. Their natural attitude as they basically tortured the man made Dark Mist grow sick to the stomach. He was going to puke. ¡°Now we have to-- Wait, where are you going?¡± Dark Mist did not want to see anymore of this, and promptly ran out of the door and in search of Lilian. Special Seven: Unwanted Visitor King Rupert was a man who lived his life in comfort. His country managed to stay out of wars, and what fights they did get in were border skirmishes with minimal casualties. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that he ruled in peace. His children, though spoiled, were well-mannered and rather good-looking in his own opinion. The eldest was the Crown Prince, Finn, who would undoubtedly be a great leader; the middle child was Aura, a beautiful lady who had already married the prince of a very powerful kingdom; and finally, the youngest, Mara, had a sweetness to her, and when she came of age, she would definitely be flocked by suitors. All in all, he had no worries. Currently, he was sitting on his lavish throne while speaking to his advisors. It was a magnificent sight until you realized that it was mostly his advisors guiding the entire conversation. There were high-ranking nobles on the sidelines who also put in their two cents, but the king mostly remained silent. It was said in whispers, but he was named the Bumbling Fool King or How Has Our Country Survived This Long King. He was the type of person whose head was mostly filled with air instead of gray matter. In the middle of one noble¡¯s monologuing, the door burst open. ¡°M-my King! There is someone demanding an audience of you, w-we tried to stop but he--Gah!¡± The soldier that had flung open the door and began rambling was kicked squarely in the back and sent flying. ¡°Clear,¡± a monotonous voice called out. The king spluttered upon seeing who had entered his throne room and was now walking towards the king without any hesitation in his steps. Following closely behind him was a young boy with bright eyes, one hand was clenching the man¡¯s black robe and the other was holding a skewer of meat and that he was munching on with a happy expression. It was them! The Fifth Dragon Erebus and his disciple Weryn. They were two of the members that had been etched into his mind after that one dreadful night in Legacia that still appeared in Rupert¡¯s nightmares sometimes. King Rupert made a pitiful noise akin to a whimper. ¡°Who are you!¡± one bold noble called out. ¡°Do you not know whose presence you¡¯re in? The guards should be here shortly to arrest you.¡± Weryn turned his head and ordered, ¡°Shut up, human.¡± The noble smartly shut his mouth. ¡°King Rupert.¡± Erebus stood in front of the king. ¡°Move.¡± ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Move,¡± Erebus repeated. The king scrambled out of his throne and in turn, Erebus sat there. Weryn sat on one of the arms of the throne while continuing to eat the meat Erebus had kindly bought for him on their way to the castle. He didn¡¯t need to eat, but the meat had looked so juicy and Weryn couldn¡¯t resist the urge to ask Erebus to buy it for him. By the way, in Weryn¡¯s mind, Erebus¡¯ had changed from a teacher to something like his other father. Erebus found himself growing very fond of the boy, so he didn¡¯t reprimand Weryn for treating him in such a familiar way. ¡°Kneel,¡± Weryn said, he was curious to see if the king would obey him too. Sure enough, the king kneeled at their feet, Weryn grabbed Erebus¡¯ braid and tugged. ¡°Did you see? He listened to me.¡± The young dragon continued to yank on Erebus¡¯ braid until his hand got slapped away with enough force to break it, but with Weryn being who he was, it was more of a light pat. ¡°So mean,¡± Weryn whined, pouting as he rubbed his wrist. ¡°W-what do you need?¡± King Rupert stammered, he was in such an embarrassing pose, but he couldn¡¯t help it! He didn¡¯t want to die, he was still so young. The nobles and advisors along with the guards who had rushed in but been completely ignored had also kneeled when King Rupert had, they weren¡¯t exactly sure what was going on, but if their king kneeled, it would be rude for them to remain standing. ¡°You know that place you keep commissioning others to come investigate?¡± Erebus leaned forward. ¡°I own it.¡± Even though Erebus was being vague, almost everyone knew what he was speaking of. The king began to sweat profusely, sure enough, he had hired Questers and even mercenaries to go find out exactly who was the castle owner who managed to completely wipe out large forces. If it was that man, it certainly made sense, it made more than enough sense. If the king had known, he wouldn¡¯t have sacrificed all those scouts who never came back. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re speaking of.¡± The carefree expression on Erebus¡¯ face had vanished and his eyes looked dead. ¡°I¡¯ll destroy your kingdom, then. That way no one else will come and bother me, it was fun at first, but the toys have grown old and I¡¯ve found something new to play with.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The king banged his forehead against the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! It was me, I will not do such things ever again. Even more so, so that the Supreme Erebus isn¡¯t annoyed, I will make a decree not to come to your castle ever again.¡± ¡°Also, give me some of your men.¡± ¡°M-my men?¡± Erebus nodded his head. ¡°Vyne was complaining about No. 39 dying, so I figured I could bring him some strong-bodied men to work with.¡± The king had now released enough sweat to flood a river. ¡°Of course, if the Supreme Erebus wishes for that, I will give you how many you need!¡± King Rupert cried miserably. He wanted them to leave, he¡¯d sacrifice an entire town if it meant that Erebus would leave. ¡°I see, that¡¯s good then,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Weryn, do you wish to look around the city? This should be your first time in this kingdom, correct?¡± ¡°Mm, I want to stay longer.¡± Weryn picked up the king¡¯s crown and placed it on his head. ¡°How do I look, human?¡± Weryn asked with a toothy grin. ¡°I-It suits you wonderfully as if the crown was made just for you,¡± Rupert praised. Weryn grinded his foot on the king¡¯s face. ¡°Are you lying? You¡¯re lying aren¡¯t you?¡± Ah... Erebus stared at the scene with a look of hopelessness. He thought that he should reduce Weryn¡¯s time with Vyne, the demon had probably been teaching him strange things. He didn¡¯t know what exactly, but Weryn¡¯s personality was beginning to enter danger zones. Seriously, Vyne, what type of lessons did you give him? Even though he thought those things, Erebus didn¡¯t stop Weryn from giving the king a face massage for a while. An uncomfortable silence settled in the room, Erebus and Weryn weren¡¯t very bothered by it, but the others in the room had no idea what to do. ¡°King Rupert,¡± Erebus said, gratefully breaking the tense atmosphere. ¡°I have a favor to ask. Weryn, stop that, he can¡¯t talk with your foot in his face.¡± Weryn retracted his foot. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°What can this humble king do for you?¡± King Rupert asked with a self-demeaning smile. ¡°Within my power, I will try to grant any wish you want.¡± Erebus stroked Weryn¡¯s head. ¡°That¡¯s great, you¡¯re good. Maybe I should come visit more often.¡± He laughed heartily. ¡°We would love to have you here,¡± King Rupert lied without any shame. If he had told them no, his head would be rolling on the ground. ¡°May I ask what your favor is?¡± ¡°Do you happen to have any mana stones here?¡± Mana stones? That was certainly a strange request. ¡°Yes, we do have some mana stones, a shipment just came in, I believe. Do you need them?¡± ¡°My supply is running low, and I need some to take on the road back. Also, Weryn is reaching the prime age to start ingesting mana stones. Give us your highest quality ones, about one hundred should do.¡± ¡°I will do so immediately. Duke John!¡± The outspoken noble from before perked up. ¡°Yes, my liege?¡± ¡°Go get the requested stones, make haste.¡± Duke John nodded his head and excused himself from the room, grateful for the excuse to leave the suffocating presence of the two. Weryn looked at Erebus excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re going to let me start eating more stones?¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be making you sick anymore, since you have grown stronger. To start increasing your mana capacities, even if by a little, high-quality mana stones would be great,¡± Erebus explained. The younger dragon nodded his head happily. Wouldn¡¯t that mean Erebus would start giving him even more in-depth lessons? Weryn couldn¡¯t wait, the material had began to be too easy for him. He would surely surpass Vyne and the others within a short amount of time and truly be worthy of the title of being a dragon! Weryn could no longer contain his excitement, and threw his arms around Erebus to embrace his mentor in a tight hug then began to rub his cheek against Erebus¡¯. Erebus, who was used to Tear constantly grabbing him, displayed no change in expression. The others in the room who were being treated like air had no idea how to react. Eating mana stones? To treat such precious commodities as food, they wanted to cry. Did he know how much those mana stones had cost? The stones had been bought for the castle¡¯s sorcerers to use, not to be eaten! King Rupert felt faint, because of the abundant harvest this year, they had some extra gold to spend, but just as quickly it was taken away by a certain dragon. Too pitiful. This situation was too pitiful. Special Eight: Dark Mists Final Form Hello all, this is the last chapter special, I had fun writing it, I hope you have fun reading it. In other news, my new fic is called Redemption and I''m posting it today, so if you''re interested or like my style of writing, be sure to check that out. For the umpteenth time, thank you guys so much for reading this story I had a blast creating this world and the characters. Weryn was skipping down the hallway to Erebus¡¯ throne room. Behind him was a blob of dark, depressed energy, formerly known as Dark Mist. The reason for the change in Dark Mist could be explained simply: he lost. Yes, to this midget child, Dark Mist had lost! Dark Mist had been hiding in the library and trying to find a book in the medical research area that wasn¡¯t related to Vyne¡¯s gruesome experiments. He was then told by a demon who worked under Magnus that Vyne had written every single book in that category. The other creatures of the castle were surprisingly a pleasant group. Unlike their superiors, they didn¡¯t have incredibly strange quirks that made Dark Mist very uncomfortable. Like the time Lilian had allowed Dark Mist in her room so that he could escape from Magnus and Stone who wanted him to dress up. It was then that his image of Lilian had shattered. Every time he passed her room he couldn''t help but shiver violently. But gratefully, the others who worked there could be considered normal (ignoring their love to Lord Erebus). So, Dark Mist didn¡¯t find himself completely alone in this place. Anyway, Dark Mist was attempting to tough it out and read one of Vyne¡¯s research books. It seemed like even though the majority of the investigations he did were legitimate and interesting, Vyne found the most brutal way to carry it out. The subjects for his experiments undoubtedly went through unbearable pain. ¡°Dark Mist,¡± the succubus named Alura who worked as a maid called his name. ¡°Leader Lilian told me that Lord Erebus was requesting you.¡± Dark Mist¡¯s mood plummeted. He had only met the Lord a few times, and each time he found himself cowering in the corner. Erebus was freakin¡¯ scary! Not only was he a dragon, but one time, a recently recruited demon stepped out of line and was promptly beaten to a bloody pulp. That wasn¡¯t the worst part, Erebus and his subordinates continued on talking about business as a man was screaming in pain as he was being grinded into the ground by Erebus¡¯ foot. Their tolerance for this was way too high! Lilian read her reports without even looking downwards at the bloody mess. ¡°Did he say what he wanted?¡± Dark Mist asked and Alura shook her head. ¡°I will go there immediately,¡± Dark Mist said with dread in his voice. And so! It lead him to the next situation. Erebus had said in such a frivolous tone, ¡°Spar with Weryn. Everyone else is too busy.¡± ¡°Eh? Is there a need for me to do that?¡± ¡°Just do it.¡± And then! Dark Mist and Weryn stood in the training arena. Dark Mist was a little reluctant to fight Weryn, as he was a child. He had been told Weryn was a dragon like Erebus, still, the kid was obviously weaker. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Weryn said with a kind and cute smile that made Dark Mist¡¯s heart melt a little. How could he fight such an adorable person? And then the world was spinning. Actually, it wasn¡¯t the world, but Dark Mist himself as Weryn grabbed him by the ankle and began to spin him and then launched him like this was the hammer throw. Dark Mist found himself incredibly dizzy when he stood up, but Weryn was already there pinning him down and thus winning the spar. In essence, he was quickly defeated. And then again. And again. Dark Mist snapped after the tenth time Weryn had defeated him, saying their sparring was done. And thus, he was changed into the blob of lost hopes and dreams. The kid was terrifying! Dark Mist had tried to cast magic on him, but Weryn dispelled it and charged at him using his crazy strength. No matter how he looked at, Weryn was playing around. The big smile still hadn¡¯t left his face. Dark Mist sighed heavily and the mass of despair grew darker. ¡°Cheer up! Stone and Magnus are the strongest after Lord Erebus, and they have to get serious to fight me. It wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say I¡¯m one of the most powerful entities here,¡± Weryn said proudly. That didn¡¯t make Dark feel better at all. To think those two eccentrics were the strongest! ¡°Then, out of the seven, who¡¯s the weakest?¡± Dark Mist asked Weryn. ¡°Probably Tear, she¡¯s strong in her own right, but the others are just crazy powerful. Lilian is hailed as probably the best necromancer, and even though Vyne¡¯s actual strength isn¡¯t that high, his magic aptitude makes his power skyrocket.¡± ¡°Then, if Tear¡¯s the weakest, why is she the Overseer of the other six?¡± Dark Mist was very intrigued by this. She didn¡¯t really act like it, but in terms of ranking, Tear was the second-highest. The other six were more or less equally ranked, the seven of them were collectively called the Leaders by everyone else, even though they actually weren¡¯t called that by Lord Erebus. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Lilian said it was because Tear has served Lord Erebus for the longest amount of time. Other than Yvick, she was the first to ever become his underling. I think it was either Vyne or Lilian next, then Stone and Magnus have been here for the shortest time.¡± Dark Mist nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Why did they all come to serve under Lord Erebus?¡± ¡°No idea! I never asked.¡± He still wanted to know more, though, he had even evolved back into his human form from a shapeless blob. ¡°What would be my ranking here?¡± ¡°Probably something under the Leaders? You¡¯re like me, I don¡¯t really have a standing, but people listen to me.¡± Weryn, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s because you¡¯re a dragon, Dark Mist thought. What kind of idiot would intentionally go against a dragon? ¡°Well, whenever there are meetings with the Leaders, I¡¯m also called in,¡± Dark Mist said. ¡°So, they must consider me to be of some importance.¡± Weryn shrugged, he obviously didn¡¯t care so much. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up, Erebus is waiting.¡± Dark Mist took that to that to mean Weryn wanted him to shut up. Still, there was more to learn, the lower subordinates didn¡¯t know much, so this was Dark Mist¡¯s chance! Dark Mist opened his mouth to say more, but Weryn suddenly grabbed Dark Mist by the hand and yanked him forward with so much force his shoulder almost dislocated. A large clap sounded and the entire building shook. Then exactly where Dark Mist had been standing, two figures burst through the wall, engaged in a fight. ¡°Oh no! They began without us,¡± Weryn whined loudly. ¡°Tsk! It¡¯s because you took so long.¡± The young dragon kicked Dark Mist in the shin angrily. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault!¡± Dark had no idea what was going on and was too proud to bend down and nurse his pained shin, so he stood there with a blank expression. The two fighting were Vyne and Magnus. Their movements were blindingly fast and precise, yet not a single attack landed on their opponent. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on?¡± Dark whispered to Weryn who was watching the fight. ¡°Do I have to tell you everything? Well, whatever. There¡¯s a tournament going on between the Leaders for fun, Lord Erebus wanted one more so he chose you and me. Whoever won would get to enter!¡± Weryn¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Come on, we have to go to Lord Erebus.¡± Weryn grabbed Dark Mist by the hand and began running at full speed. Dark Mist glanced back at the two people who were destroying the castle. ¡°Is that okay? It¡¯s going to collapse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, the castle will be repaired the second they leave the spot by workers. Lord Erebus told them to go all out, so they are,¡± Weryn explained desperately. Once again, Dark looked back. No matter how he spun it in his head, he would have definitely died if he had stayed there another second, right? The two burst through the wall like a wild animal ready to kill. ¡°Thanks for saying my life,¡± Dark Mist told Weryn because of this. ¡°That was only natural, it was no problem. But you owe me a favor now, no matter what it is, even at the cost of your life.¡± The beginning was fine but at the end he totally added on something that sounded incredibly unpleasant coming from a child¡¯s mouth! Dark Mist decided to act as if he didn¡¯t hear that. They burst through the doors to Erebus¡¯ throne room. Weryn suddenly let go of Dark Mist, who he had been dragging, and made the man fall flat on his face. The four already inside of the room all looked at Dark Mist and then glanced away as if to help him save his dignity. Weryn ran up to Erebus who sat on his throne looking ready to fall asleep. ¡°You started it without me! You said you¡¯d wait.¡± Weryn tugged on Erebus¡¯ braid furiously. ¡°You took too long, I couldn¡¯t hold them back,¡± Erebus said unconvincing words. ¡°That¡¯s a lie. If you just told them to wait, they would have. You just wanted it to start already because you¡¯re bored!¡± Erebus removed Weryn¡¯s hand from his braid. ¡°So what! The two are running around my castle, now I can¡¯t even watch it all.¡± ¡°Shall I drag them here to fight?¡± Lilian looked as if she seriously would step in between the two demons and break them apart. Stone laughed. ¡°My brother would just drag you into the fight! It¡¯s fine, Lord Erebus. They¡¯re sure to come back sooner or later.¡± Erebus sighed and slumped in his throne. ¡°So, who was the winner?¡± He turned his head to Weryn. ¡°It was me, Dark Mist is actually strong, though! He was a fun opponent. I¡¯m sure he can rank with Vyne and the others.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the figure that was dusting himself off after falling. ¡°Why do you all look so surprised! I told you I¡¯m not that weak, didn¡¯t I?¡± Dark Mist snapped at the confused expressions they wore. ¡°Well, the truth is,¡± Tear began hesitantly. ¡°No one believed you.¡± The one who delivered the truth in a chilling voice was none other than Lilian. Dark Mist promptly reverted back to a blob of dark energy. Announcement from the author Hello, hello, hello. Tripping here. A review made me sure of something. I had thought about making a second season for the Demon Lord is Bored, meaning any unanswered questions you have will be answered... But I wasn''t sure if anyone had questions, but, one person does, so other people probably do, too, and I will do my best to answer them. If you do have a question or something you''d like more knowledge about, please tell me! I aim to please. Be on a lookout for season two in these upcoming weeks. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Tripping out. S2 Chapter One: Troublesome Task All hail, I bring you the first chapter of season two for The Demon Lord is Bored! I finished this earlier than I thought because I ended up free time~ Ehm... The beginning arc will be longish, I guess, in comparison to my other arcs. . I will try to get out chapters as fast I can, but some days, I''m just too lazy to write or I''m busy or I''m waiting for inspiration to hit me and make my writing 100x better... so far, the last request hasn''t been filled. Anyway, *drum roll* enjoy season two! A cool breeze passed through the wheat field, the sea of golden crops swayed slightly in the wind, their stalks tilted their hands seemed to be waving at someone. Next to the vast field sat a quaint village that looked more like a drawing than reality. Children danced around the well in the town square, playing some type of game that their creative minds had conjured up. The adults of the village would pass by while wearing a soft smile on their face, thinking that it was nice to be young. There was one certain adult, however, that didn¡¯t really blend into the surroundings. A bare-chested, brawny man who was well over two meters in height stood with his arms folded. His glittering brown eyes surveyed his surroundings while thick lips twisted into a smile that looked fearsome on him, his luxurious head of deep red hair didn¡¯t fit his persona either. It looked as if someone had placed a wig on him instead. The man crossed his arms and chuckled to himself, the morphed smile growing even more sickening. It even repelled the once jubilant children to play somewhere else. He clapped his meaty hands gleefully together and jumped up and down a little similar to how young schoolgirls would after finding out some delightful news. ¡°Because Lord Erebus entrusted me with this job, I, Magnus, shall fulfill my duty flawlessly!¡± He spun around in a circle multiple times before striking a pose, his chest heaving. It seemed as if light from the heavens fell upon Magnus at that moment, illuminating his figure with a glorious shine. ¡°Mommy.¡± A tyke tugged on the skirt of a mortified woman who had watched Magnus¡¯ performance. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that man?¡± ¡°I... I don¡¯t know, honey,¡± she answered honestly before grabbing his small, chubby hand and dragging him away to what she thought was a far safer place. Magnus stood up straight, his smile turning into a frown. ¡°Do they not appreciate my beauty?¡± ¡°You¡¯re embarrassing,¡± a voice retorted. ¡°I hope they don¡¯t associate me with you.¡± A boy who appeared to be eleven or so with radiant magenta hair stepped back a few steps, a look of disgust etched onto his face. ¡°Maybe I can say you kidnapped me?¡± ¡°Weryn,¡± Magnus wailed. ¡°How could you be so cruel?¡± Magnus lunged for Weryn, in hopes of an embrace, but he was quickly avoided. The young dragon clicked his tongue. ¡°Get yourself together, stop acting so conspicuous, we¡¯re trying to not draw attention.¡± Even if you said that, Weryn, it was far too late, Magnus was already on the receiving end of suspicious gazes. Weryn heaved out a sigh. ¡°Why did Lord Erebus put me with the loudest mouth... was it because he was complaining too much before?¡± Weryn looked at the sniveling Magnus who was close to tears. ¡°It¡¯s definitely because he didn¡¯t want to be bothered more,¡± he quickly made that decision. ¡°Stand up. We¡¯re only staying here for one night, and if you draw any more attention, people are going to deny us a room.¡± Magnus¡¯ eyes widened and he quickly jumped back onto his feet, grabbing the thick robe with long sleeves made out of expensive material he had discarded because it was ¡°too hot¡±. he slid his arms back into the piece of clothing, and his entire character changed... from a ¡°somewhat¡± shady character, he transformed into an ¡°undoubtedly¡± shady character! More than anything, Magnus fit the bill of the villainous gangster in stories. Weryn, however, thought that Magnus looked cool. ¡°As I thought, this was definitely better.¡± He nodded his head while muttering that it was certainly good. It turns out that Weryn¡¯s sense of aesthetics was off also. The mitch-matched pair made their way over to a trembling man, who looked up at Magnus¡¯ looming figure with fear in his eyes. Another petrifying smile appeared on Magnus¡¯ face. ¡°Excuse me, sir, do you know anywhere we can get lodging for the night?¡± ¡°Ah! Sorry, sorry, I don¡¯t know!¡± The man ran off. Weryn glared at Magnus. ¡°Kneel down for a second,¡± he told the giant of a man who wordlessly obeyed. ¡°Idiot!¡± Weryn mercilessly slapped Magnus¡¯ head. ¡°Everyone¡¯s afraid of you, stop smiling, it looks creepy. Let me do the talking.¡± Magnus stood up again, frowning once again brushing his hand through his mane of hair. ¡°They don¡¯t appreciate my beauty? I agree that my human form is far less attractive than my demon form, but--¡± ¡°Hush! We¡¯re surrounded by humans, don¡¯t say things like that out in public,¡± Weryn ordered Magnus quietly. Magnus pressed a hand against his heart. ¡°How could I have forgotten? My apologies, Weryn, it¡¯s been a while since I last left the castle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine... this time, let me do the speaking since everyone is scared of you.¡± In Weryn¡¯s mind, he thought he looked rather normal, but he forgot about his very bright hair that wasn¡¯t natural for humans to have, so like Magnus, he was thought to be a suspicious person. Still, his youthful appearance and the man that seemed to be a guardian created some leeway for people to think he had dyed his hair a strange color. ¡°Understood...¡± Magnus said softly, clearly saddened as the hand against his heart tightened into a fist. Weryn tried to scout for anyone that didn¡¯t shy away whenever they came near, the number, unsurprisingly, was zero. It wasn¡¯t because of Weryn, but rather, Magnus who was standing behind him had a gloomy aura attached to him that plagued all those who neared it with a sudden depression and intense fear that they couldn¡¯t bear its presence any longer before running off. Due to this, Weryn who was smiling with sparkles glistening in the air around him seemed to have an apparition haunting him with gaunt cheeks and downcast eyes, a thick hand clutching its chest as if it wanted to rip out its own heart. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Magnus, as it turned out, was incredibly saddened by the fact he had caused trouble for Weryn, ultimately meaning he wasn¡¯t doing his job properly. In his mind, he could only imagine Erebus¡¯ disappointed stare as he looked down upon Magnus from his throne with his lips pulled down into the smallest hint of a frown. Then he would say these words, ¡°Magnus, I expected better from you.¡± Just with the utterance of a few words, Magnus had lost all his stamina. His legs felt heavy, and suddenly his world became very dark and dreary. ¡°Lord Erebus will be so disappointed in me...¡± Weryn watched as Magnus dragged himself to the side of a small home, but on his way there, he collapsed and sprawled out like a corpse, making pitiful noises and sniffing. But, Weryn didn¡¯t stop walking, if anything, he went past as if he was a passerby who had no association with Magnus. He had to find lodging, lodging~ Weryn began to skip a little while humming a tune under his breath, the mass known as Magnus grew smaller and smaller as Weryn moved away. ¡°Wait!¡± a screech resounded throughout the entire village, actually, people a mile away probably still clutched their ears in agony. ¡°W-w-weryn! Are you just going to leave me here? Wait!¡± Magnus was approaching Weryn with an astounding amount of speed that made the boy tilt his head in awe. ¡°But if you move at this speed, you¡¯re going to oversho--¡± Just as Weryn was about to say, Magnus was not able to stop fast enough, instead, he shot past Weryn and ended up flying through two wooden buildings. He rolled a few times on the dusty road before finally coming to a stop. ¡°It happened.¡± Weryn buried his face in his hands, he wanted to cry. Why couldn¡¯t Lord Erebus have paired him with Lilian or Vyne, even Dark Mist would have been fine! There was a loud, shocked cry shortly after Magnus had busted through the houses. In the first house, a woman holding a babe stepped through the hole, then back inside her house as if she couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. In the other house, a man was simply staring through the large missing part of his home, his eyes connecting directly with Weryn¡¯s. Ever so slowly, the man outstretched his left hand, palms facing up. He quirked his eyebrows then tapped his palm with his right pointer finger which he then directed at Weryn, then back to his palm. Weryn was instantly recognized to be the accomplice, even though he really hadn¡¯t had a hand in the deed. Still, that man had no mercy seeing as he was demanding money from a child to pay for repairs. Of course, with Weryn¡¯s teacher being who he was, Weryn had plenty of money. Still, there was something painful about seeing an eleven-year-old fork over cash to someone obviously older than him. But, the one whose home had been destroyed wasn¡¯t exactly in the wrong, and Magnus was too busy being given grief by the village head, so Weryn had to pay. ¡°Ugh... that should be enough, right?¡± Weryn asked the man, giving him his best innocent eyes. The man very carefully counted the coins Weryn had given him. ¡°Yeah, if there¡¯s any extra, I¡¯ll count it for the emotional distress you put me through.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything...¡± Weryn muttered as the merciless man walked away. His eyes focused in on Magnus who sat cross-legged looking up at the elderly man who was angrily scolding him. "I don''t know who you are or where you came from, but this is just unacceptable!¡± The village chief glared at Magnus. "Apologize to the ones whose homes you destroyed." Magnus turned his head to the family of three and the merciless man, bowing his head slightly. "My deepest apologies," he grumbled. ¡°Even if you¡¯re a guest, destroying our homes isn¡¯t okay. If these kindly people hadn¡¯t said there was no need, I would have banished you from our town!¡± Magnus¡¯ gaze fell to the ground and he traced circles in the dirt with his finger. ¡°Sorry.¡± The old man took a long look at Magnus before spinning on his heels and walking away. Magnus took his time to stand back up, the depressing aura around him amplified by ten fold. ¡°What have I done? The precious money given to us by Lord Erebus... the even more precious mission given to us by Lord Erebus. My recklessness has caused some trouble.¡± ¡°Some trouble? It was a lot of trouble,¡± Weryn contested. ¡°Now the villagers probably hate us even more than before.¡± He sighed and rubbed his forehead. ¡°Hopefully, there¡¯ll still be someone who is willing to let us stay in their home. Probably not, since you¡¯ve become a literal home-wrecker.¡± ¡°Should we just continue you on then? Lord Erebus told us not to waste any time, my mistakes have created a hassle, perhaps it is better if we just leave and continue on with our mission.¡± Weryn nodded his head in agreement, they had been moving for a couple days without eating or sleeping, but since their bodies were strong, there was no need them to rest for a while. This stop had been out of leisure more than anything. Erebus had entrusted them with finding a ¡°certain person¡±, he said it would be a difficult because she moved around a lot and changed her name and appearance, but she typically stayed within the same area. But, they would know who she was when they find her. The reason why Erebus had not gone nor sent Vyne and Tear out on the task was because they had their own business to attend to. Weryn didn¡¯t know what it was, and he hadn¡¯t bothered to ask, so, for that matter, he was left in the darkness. Magnus probably knew what Erebus and co. were doing, but Weryn didn¡¯t really see the need to ask. All he had to do was find this woman and deliver a message from Lord Erebus to her, then his job was done. He assumed that Erebus had probably taken the more difficult job to do, so he hadn¡¯t complained about being sent out on a wild goose hunt. His eyes shifted to Magnus... even if he had to go with this idiotic person, he felt as if he could make it. S2 Chapter Two: Make It Work! Tear tugged on her skirt once more. ¡°Lilian... it¡¯s no good, it won¡¯t budge.¡± If she pulled any harder, the delicate fabric would definitely rip. The bunny-eared girl folded her legs and stared at Tear from across the room. She looked very comfortable sitting on Tear¡¯s bed, munching on food and getting crumbs all over... Lilian combed a hand through her hair and responded with,¡°Get it tailored.¡± ¡°No!¡± Tear cried out. ¡°That¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± She gently tried to pull the skirt up more, but it was still stuck on her rump. Tear, for some reason, had ordered one of the smallest sizes possible. The shirt had fit her, but the skirt didn¡¯t have enough stretch to get over her thicker lower half. Lilian sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how it¡¯s embarrassing, having to get clothing tailored is normal.¡± ¡°I thought it would fit, but it didn¡¯t. Could you imagine how the tailor''s would laugh and think ¡®Hah, what a stupid girl, she¡¯s trying to show off a small frame she clearly doesn¡¯t have¡¯?¡± Lilian raised her eyebrows but said nothing. A dangerous gleam appeared in Tear¡¯s eyes. ¡°Lilian, you¡¯re good at sewing, right?¡± Lilian stopped chewing on her cookie. ¡°I think that I have a decent amount of talent. Would you like to see some of my Lord Erebus dolls? I¡¯ll even give you one.¡± ¡°Of cour--wait, no! Not now, that¡¯s not what we¡¯re focused on. Could you, please, please, please fix this skirt for me? It doesn¡¯t fit me, you see~¡± Tear smiled innocently. A sonorous male voice came from the doorway, ¡°That¡¯s what a pig gets for trying to squeeze into something it obviously couldn¡¯t fit.¡± The moment Tear heard this voice, a shoe seemed to magically appear and her hand, which she threw with enough strength to kill someone. The shoe, sadly, was caught easily. ¡°How dare you walk in on a maiden changing, Vyne?¡± He blinked slowly as if he was astonished. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t realize that you had any dignity.¡± ¡°Stop it, you two,¡± Lilian intervened before Tear could start. ¡°What did you come here for?¡± Vyne twirled the shoe in his hand. ¡°Lord Erebus sent me to find out if Tear was ready since we¡¯re supposed to be leaving soon. We¡¯re both ready, but apparently, Tear isn¡¯t.¡± Vyne was wearing an outfit similar to Tear¡¯s: a blue, velvet robe over a white button-up shirt with a tie, black, formal pants, and a golden emblem on his left breast pocket. In other words... a school uniform. It was simplistic in its design, but somehow, it gave off a feeling of luxury. The uniform belonged to one of the most prestigious human institution, Opinum Academy, it was a place where the talented would gather to train with hopes of joining the kingdom¡¯s famed army. Although it wasn¡¯t guaranteed you would get into a good squadron, most of the graduates became great people. For one very important reason, Erebus, Tear, and Vyne had enlisted in said academy as freshmen. Since it had a variety of age-groups in its student body, their ages weren¡¯t really a probably. There were people as young as eight and as old as sixty enrolled in the academy. Erebus claimed that he hadn¡¯t joined the academy for the sole purpose of entertaining him, but rather, there was something that the Dragon Council needed him to investigate within the school. And since the easiest way was to either become a teacher or a student in the school, Erebus did so. But, becoming a teacher required background checks while for students it was more or less ignored, they opted to become students. Normally, Erebus would decline the troublesome task of gathering intel, but, since he might be able to meet fun people, he decided it was fine to join. From what he heard, even though it was a human academy, a variety of races joined. If it was just the humans, Erebus probably wouldn¡¯t have been as eager, but when he learned that there would be other races there, too, his eagerness multiplied. So, he readily accepted this job from the Council! In all honesty, they hadn¡¯t wanted to send Erebus since he liked to stir up trouble, but at the same time, he was the one who had spent the most amount of time with the members outside of the Dragon Continent, so he was more accustomed to blending in with the masses. If it could even be called blending in... They had ordered Erebus to lay low, but everyone knew that probably wasn¡¯t going to happen knowing him. Anyway, this time, when Erebus had come home from being abruptly called to the Dragon Continent, he was in a surprisingly good mood. When Magnus had asked why, Erebus said it was because he got to do something ¡°very entertaining¡± and continued on his merry way. So, that was the story behind Tear¡¯s struggle on fitting into the skirt. She had finally managed to shimmy into it, but the button looked like it was ready to burst at any time. Other than that, she looked nice in the school uniform. Lilian¡¯s eyes zeroed in on the quivering button and a small frown formed on her face. ¡°On the carriage ride, with all that bumping, it¡¯ll pop off, won¡¯t it?¡± she muttered. Tear was too happy that she managed to get it to fit, so she began to jump around excitedly. ¡°Ha, what do you think of me now, Vyne!¡± Tear shouted, stopping and pointing at him. But at that very moment, the button that had been clinging on for dear life finally released its grip and flew off, hitting the mirror on Tear¡¯s vanity and shattering it. Vyne¡¯s lips shook as he tried to restrain himself from laughing, in his eyes, obvious tears were welling up. ¡°I think that you¡¯re an idiot,¡± he managed to push out the words before bursting into peals of laughter. Tear¡¯s face flamed in embarrassment and she turned towards Lilian. ¡°See! This is why you should¡¯ve mended it for me.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Lilian shrugged, her eyes now drifting over to the shattered mirror. ¡°You should fix that.¡± ¡°Never mind that.¡± Tear stamped her foot indignantly. ¡°My skirt, my skirt,¡± she wailed. ¡°I¡¯ll help you so please be quiet.¡± Lilian plugged her ears. ¡°Vyne, can you tell Lord Erebus that Tear will be ready shortly. I¡¯m going to work my magic here.¡± Vyne nodded his head then left. He navigated through the myriad of dark hallways and down a couple flights of stairs before he arrived at the entrance of the castle where Erebus was. Their master was standing up straight but his head was hung over and his eyes were closed. Since Vyne had taken so long, Erebus had gone to sleep. ¡°Lord Erebus,¡± Vyne said, kneeling down on the ground and bowing his head to the sleeping man. Erebus¡¯ eyes opened, Vyne was surprised for a quick second before he remembered that Erebus had used minor magic to change his crimson eye to a green one that matched his Eye of Void. It hadn¡¯t been necessary, but he had also hidden the red streak in his hair so now all of it was uniform black. Even though the rest of his appearance had remained the same, with simple transformation magic, Erebus had turned into an unfamiliar person to Vyne. According to Erebus, quite a few people had seen him when he visited the king one time, so, he decided to alter his appearance a little bit so he wouldn¡¯t be easily recognized. He had even cut his long braid of hair so that it was now it no longer reached his waist but was a few inches shorter and it also fell freely around his face. When Tear had mourned over the loss of his glorious hair, Erebus responded with, ¡°It¡¯ll grow back in no time, in fact, dragon¡¯s grow hair irritatingly fast. I constantly after to cut it.¡± Still, she thought it was a tragedy. Tear had even tried to say that people would notice Erebus was using magic, but Erebus countered with unless they were as skilled as him, they wouldn¡¯t be able to separate his use of mana from the constant flow in the university. Vyne hadn¡¯t cared so much about the issue, but it was strange seeing Erebus like this. ¡°What is it, Vyne?¡± Erebus asked his silent servant, he had been waiting for Vyne to continue, but he hadn¡¯t, so Erebus took it upon himself to ask Vyne what the issue was. ¡°Oh, apologies. I was told by Lilian that Tear would be ready soon, apparently, some alterations need to be done on her skirt.¡± Vyne chose to withhold the information of her popped button because he felt as if she would derive pleasure from Lord Erebus looking down upon her. Erebus clicked his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m so bored, I want to hurry up and get to the academy.¡± ¡°It will still take at least a couple day¡¯s worth of travel in a carriage, arriving by foot is too strange, and you cannot fly there,¡± Vyne said. ¡°There is no way for us to ¡®hurry up¡¯, my liege.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a real party-pooper, you know that?¡± Vyne bowed his head. ¡°Forgive me.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Erebus was about to close his eyes and go back to sleep, but a female¡¯s voice called out, ¡°Lord Erebus, I¡¯m ready!¡± Tear was running towards Erebus and waving excitedly. The sight of a woman of Tear¡¯s caliber happily running towards them with her hair flowing behind her and a picturesque smile on her face would normal give anyone a sense of serenity, but Erebus only responded with, ¡°You¡¯re late, be faster next time.¡± Tear dropped to her knees, but her momentum allowed her to skid until she stopped in front of Lord Erebus, she clutched her heart while looking up at him with hopeful eyes. ¡°Scold me more, please.¡± Erebus¡¯ face scrunched up. ¡°No.¡± She appeared to be saddened. ¡°Anyway, Lord Erebus, I am ready now for us to leave. All of our belongings have been packed already by the maids. They have also informed me that they have attached magical beasts to the carriage instead of horses, so our trip should be faster albeit there will be more shaking and bumping.¡± Erebus waved it away. ¡°That minor amount of disruption won¡¯t affect my sleep at all. In order to wake me up, you¡¯ll have to throw something stronger at me!¡± Erebus proclaimed before laughing heartily. Tear stared at him with admiration in her eyes while Vyne wore a face of indifference. Their master cleared his throat. ¡°Ehm, anyway, let¡¯s get going. It¡¯d be sad if Weryn and Magnus found that woman before I was even ready to give her any information,¡± Erebus said. ¡°May I ask, who is that woman?¡± Tear asked a chill seemed to appear. Erebus, who was either immune to or chose to ignore the sudden coldness responded with, ¡°I guess you could call her an old friend? I don¡¯t know if our relationship could be called an actual friendship. It¡¯s more that we mutually use each other.¡± ¡°Her name?¡± Tear pressed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s probably changed it again and she¡¯s had multiple names over thousands of years, telling you one of them is completely useless.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than calling her ¡®her¡¯ and ¡®she¡¯.¡± Tear pursed her lips. Erebus sighed and scratched his head. ¡°The last name she went by was Mira. That was a few hundred years ago, so I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s changed. We aren¡¯t that close for me to bother to come and find out her name every time she switches to a new one, you know?¡± Tear smiled, the coldness dissipated. ¡°Is that so?¡± The beauty wore a pristine smile that lit up her entire face and made her eyes sparkle as if they were jewels. But within that smile, there was a certain ugliness. Vyne, noticing this, frowned. He thought that he was the expression belonging to a greedy pig. S2 Chapter Three: Revelation About a week before the aforementioned events occurred, Erebus had been seated on his throne, currently in position number two. He said at the wall of which he had memorized all the cracks and fissures in the stone along with the spider webs that appeared in the corners. Today, he wasn¡¯t wearing his eyepatch, so he was able to see the beautiful mana flowing around in the room. Because of the languid movements of the mana as it circulated, his eyelids were growing heavy, so he had slowly begun to close his eyes. Something about watching the mana lazily move around had an effect on Erebus as if he had been put under a spell by the vision. Just as he was about to fall asleep, a voice belonging to a vexing man Erebus associated with hassles sounded in his head. Erebus. His eyes snapped open at the sound of Rolut¡¯s voice. What? Erebus snapped in response. What is with you and calling me so often as of late? Do I look like your errand boy? Tell me, what is it that you want! He didn¡¯t bother hiding his annoyance. To Erebus, naps were incredibly precious things. Please... come to the Dragon Continent, there are urgent matters we need to attend to. Get here as fast as you can. Erebus groaned heavily, standing upright. I¡¯ll be there soon, he responded. He then contacted Tear and informed her that he would be stepping out for a while, she, as always, was saddened by this but told Erebus that she would tell the others and continue doing her job. He stood up and walked over to the window that was hidden by moth-eaten curtains and pushed them inside. The glass in the window had been shattered long ago when he had participated in the act of defenestration of some loud-mouthed runt. Erebus knocked aside the jagged glass and placed his foot on the window seal then proceeded to jump out of the window himself. Unlike the unfortunate soul, Erebus could shift into a dragon and fly, so he did not become a red-colored splat on the ground. The moment his wings stretched out and he flapped them, rising higher and higher into the air, the annoyance that had built up inside of him began to disappear. This was where he belonged, in the skies, how could he remain angry here? Erebus took off and made his way to the Dragon Continent as per requested. From how Rolut had sounded, it was probably something serious, but then again, every word out of that man¡¯s mouth sounded like the problem of the century. ¡°It¡¯d be nice if it wasn¡¯t a big deal,¡± Erebus spoke in his native tongue out loud to himself. ¡°But... at the same time, there might be something entertaining waiting for me.¡± He passed over the sea, racking his mind over what could have happened. The mana stone case had been solved a few of years ago, so it couldn¡¯t be that, right? When Erebus entered the territory of the dragons, Rolut was already there waiting for him in the sky. ¡°Erebus, you came faster than expected.¡± ¡°Aside from Frize, I am one of the fastest flyers,¡± Erebus pointed out. All of them moved at insane speeds, but Erebus and Frize were the fastest in the air while Azure was the quickest underwater. ¡°That is true, let¡¯s go, the Council is waiting.¡± ¡°You summoned everyone again?¡± Erebus asked, clearly exasperated. It wasn¡¯t like the members of the Council stayed on the Dragon Continent after the meetings were over, either, so calling them all back multiple times was only warranted if the situation was grave. ¡°You will understand when I give the debriefing,¡± Rolut said and flew off towards the tower that the Dragon Council met in. Erebus followed behind him, he beat his wings as quietly as he could, since Rolut seemed to be in deep thought about something even Erebus didn¡¯t want to disturb him. When the two arrived at the platform, they both shifted into their human forms and made haste to enter the meeting room where the other seven members sat. It was the usual scene, really, Massath was fast asleep and Midrn was looking at Erebus with a sneer on his face while his twin brother, Dissolve, was looking up at the ceiling as if it held all of the answers to the world¡¯s mysteries. Ayirn was smiling kindly at the two who had just come in while Lisset and Greur were bickering about something. Finally, Azure was braiding her hair while swinging her tiny legs and humming. ¡°Let us begin,¡± Rolut said as he and Erebus took their respective seats. ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste any time, so I¡¯ll tell you why I¡¯ve called another Council meeting...¡± Azure perked up. ¡°What is it? What is it?¡± Rolut raised his hand to silence her. ¡°The humans have discovered the effects of transmutation on their bodies, I¡¯m not sure how they¡¯ve figured it out as of yet, but, they have learned how to enhance their bodies greatly through the use of magic stones. From the intel I¡¯ve received, they plan on attempting to dominate the land-dwelling races when they gain enough power.¡± Erebus didn¡¯t say anything, but he recalled Vyne conducting experiments like that on multiple subjects of varying races. ¡°You¡¯re afraid this might evolve into another war?¡± Massath asked through a yawn, he only had one eye open, but the intensity in it was undeniable. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll be able to realize their plans completely since the other races are formidable in their own right,¡± Lisset countered. ¡°I say that we leave it alone and let them solve it on their own. If not, then we step in.¡± Rolut narrowed his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s more. With this transmutation, they¡¯ve figured out how to ¡®resurrect¡¯ the dead.¡± ¡°Necromancy isn¡¯t anything new,¡± Frize said. ¡°It¡¯s similar to necromancy, but it¡¯s different, the corpses are sentient and rely on their own mana supply,¡± Rolut spoke. ¡°Erebus, if I recall correctly, one of your subordinates is Lilian? She is the top necromancer, so you should know something about the subject, too? Could you explain to Frize?¡± This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Well, more or less...¡± Erebus sighed. ¡°In necromancy, the only way you can revive a sentient being is if you still have a portion of their soul. Acquiring that is next to impossible, actually, for the humans, it is impossible. What we call a soul is a special formation of mana, when someone dies, that soul blends in with the rest of the mana in existence. Finding it is like finding a needle in a haystack, so unless you have a piece of that mana formation, it¡¯s impossible to bring back their soul. ¡°Next, for the mana supply part... necromancers are required to have a high mana capacity for a reason, if they do not, then they won¡¯t be able to call upon powerful beings. Typically, their summoned undead feed off of their master¡¯s mana since they¡¯re unable to gather their own since they¡¯ve lost their soul. But, if you have the soul of the undead, this entire issue is averted.¡± Midrn seemed to be confused. ¡°I already knew about the soul being mana, but, how would the humans be able to bring back their souls? Is that even possible for you, Erebus? To see souls, that is.¡± ¡°If I knew someone long enough, I could be able to distinguish their soul pattern among others, but if not, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference between minor changes. But that¡¯s only possible because of my eye.¡± ¡°Then how did the humans do this?¡± Greur input. ¡°Is it possible that the information you received is false, Rolut?¡± The elder dragon shook his head. ¡°The information isn¡¯t false, a human who swore blood loyalty to me supplied me with it. He doesn¡¯t have a high enough clearance to find out any of the specifics, though, that¡¯s why I have a request of Erebus.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Have you heard of Opinum Academy?¡± ¡°I have, I don¡¯t understand how it ties into this subject, though.¡± Rolut exhaled. ¡°The students have been receiving minor enhancements from the stones, I¡¯m assume that they¡¯re the test run. If the enhancements kill them, then they are brought back to life.¡± ¡°Ah. So you want me to go there to find out more information?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re the most knowledgeable about necromancy, also, you¡¯re accustomed to acting as a human and restraining your strength, meaning that you¡¯re the best candidate for the task.¡± Erebus groaned. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, a lot of strong humans gather there.¡± Erebus¡¯ head tilted. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°Not only strong humans, but there is also multiple members of the other races with a considerable amount of power. They might be fun to watch, it might even cure your boredom...¡± Erebus sat up straight. ¡°I will carry out my duty for the safety of our planet!¡± ¡°So see-through...¡± Azure muttered. ¡°Anyway, Erebus, I¡¯ll be able to handle your enrollment along with two of your subordinates for assistance. Tell me their names and it¡¯ll be done within a couple of days.¡± Erebus ruled out Stone, Magnus, and Weryn almost instantaneously. The first two were far too conspicuous and Weryn didn¡¯t need to be involved in this to that extent. Lilian was a contender since she was a necromancer, but she was better than Tear at maintaining order in the castle. Also, since she was a beastman, she probably wouldn¡¯t become a candidate for the mana stone enhancements. ¡°Tear of the Moon Goddess and Vyne of Tartarus,¡± Erebus told Rolut. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Rolut furrowed his brows. ¡°About the possible war...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be dealing with the academy, so I leave that to you guys,¡± Erebus said while dismissing himself and leaving the Council room. ¡°That guy is really shameless, isn¡¯t he?¡± Lisset asked, shaking her head. She hated to admit it, but Erebus did offer good input, and he was the most combat-trained out of all of them. ¡°At least he agreed to it,¡± Frize said. ¡°That guy is far smarter than he acts, he¡¯s knowledgeable in a broad variety of subjects. So him deciding to infiltrate the Magic Academy is best for us.¡± Ayirn stood up and walked over to pat Frize¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, even if Erebus is more intelligent than you are, we still have faith in you.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t saying he was smarter than me...¡± He shook Ayirn off of him and turned to Rolut. ¡°Didn¡¯t Erebus have that one friend named Mira or whatever name she used last?¡± Rolut frowned. ¡°The legendary alchemist?¡± ¡°Yes, her. I think she would be helpful to ask, too. I¡¯ll tell Erebus to get into contact with her,¡± Frize said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that, but her knowledge would indeed be beneficial.¡± Rolut grunted in agreement. ¡°Tell Erebus to request her assistance.¡± Dissolve turned his gaze away from the ceiling and said something surprising in his quiet voice, ¡°I¡¯m willing to help Erebus at Opinum. It shouldn¡¯t be too much of a hassle for you to register me as a new teacher in the middle of the school year.¡± Dissolve seemed to start melting. ¡°After all that talking, I¡¯m thirsty...¡± Azure smirked. ¡°I can get some water for you~¡± ¡°Your water tastes disgusting,¡± Dissolve muttered. He slowly tilted his head back to the ceiling and stared at it, expressionless. ¡°I can do that for you, Dissolve,¡± Rolut said, he only agreed because Dissolve rarely volunteered himself to do work. But he couldn¡¯t imagine Dissolve as a teacher, seeing as the man got tired after speaking one or two sentences. Everyone looked at Dissolve while thinking the same thing: His students would probably pity him if anything... My goal is to get out another two chapters by the end of today. I''ll try my best to get them out. S2 Chapter Four: Transfer Students The Opinum Academy! Everyone with any type of aptitude for fighting would strive to get into this prestigious academy. The training was rigorous, the acceptance rate was pitifully low, but all of the graduates were simply outstanding. The legendary Grego Drand had graduated from this academy! Even the magic races tried to get into this human academy. It was a place for the best of the best, the elite of the elite. The academy, needless to say, was huge! The campus was incredibly beautiful and located in a kingdom-neutral territory. It was collectively owned by the human kingdoms, but no single kingdom had a higher rank than another in Opinum. The students could either choose to join whichever kingdom¡¯s military or they could be free to roam the world. When one would enter the academy, they would see the students walking around, some seated in the grass under the shade of a tree eating and conversing among themselves happily. The students all wore robes, but they were all different colors. The freshman wore blue, sophomores wore green, juniors in red, and finally, the seniors in black. The majority of the robed students were human, but there were also dwarves, angels, demons, and beastman mixed in the crowds. At the current time, a single carriage had just arrived at the grand gates of the school. In comparison to the carriages that would normally come to this school, this one looked old and out-dated, like it hadn¡¯t been used for years... which was true. Erebus and his subordinates never used the carriage because for them, it was easier to just run places or walk there... so, it just stayed there collecting dust. The students who had stopped walking to stare at the out-of-place carriage were surprised by its high-classed occupants. The first one out was a beautiful woman with long hair that seemed to glisten like diamonds while her eyes were like sapphires. Her face seemed to have been crafted by the gods, all of those who gazed upon her, regardless of gender, were enchanted by her ethereal beauty. Following behind her was a tall, lanky man with beguiling golden eyes and his light brown hair tied back from his face, like the girl, his face wouldn¡¯t have many rivals in terms of appearance. The last one who came out was a man with hints of femininity in his delicate face, his ink-black hair contrasted with his pale skin and vivid green eyes, the broad smile on his face seemed to light up the entire atmosphere around them. The unparalleled people in appearance stepped out of such a shabby carriage! A spark of pity ignited in some of the students, they thought that it must be troublesome to be that good-looking, no matter where those three went, they would probably always get stared at. Some were envious, and some didn¡¯t care that much, so they looked for maybe a second or two before going back to what they were doing. ¡°Finally, I can stretch,¡± Erebus was saying as he extended his arms, his elbow cracked and he displayed a peaceful expression when it happened. ¡°I hate carriages for a reason.¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s would be too unnatural if we walked here. We have to blend in,¡± Vyne said, not realizing that they had attracted the attention of nearly everyone there. Erebus pouted but didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he turned to the woman who was walking towards them with fake happy expression and smiled glued onto her face. ¡°Hello! Are you three Erebus, Tear, and Vyne?¡± She smiled. ¡°My name is Rose, I¡¯ll be your guide for today, and I¡¯ll help you with any questions that you have.¡± Her voice was candy sweet, but it felt as if she was forcing herself to be like that. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s us,¡± Erebus said just as Tear stepped in front of him as if she was protecting him and Vyne seemed to be ready to create his sword and cut Rose down. He withheld a sigh, thinking that these two would probably end up killing someone if they suddenly came up behind them. Rose smiled. ¡°But, before any of that, I am required to have you take tests to see what classes you will be put in. They¡¯re rather simple, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be put in the same class?¡± Tear questioned. ¡°If your test results qualify all of you for the same class, then you will be put in it, if it doesn¡¯t, then you will not be put into the same class. It¡¯s a rather simple concept,¡± Rose, for some reason, spoke with malice in her tone towards Tear. ¡°There will be a written test which you have one hour to take, then there¡¯s a magic power gauge. The results of those will determine your placement. Now, follow me!¡± The three did as told, following Rose who seemed to bounce with every step she took to the room where they¡¯d be taking the writing portion of the test. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going to be on this test,¡± Tear muttered. She glanced at Erebus and Vyne who were walking slightly ahead of her and talking to each other. ¡°Unlike them, I¡¯m not a genius...¡± Tear¡¯s knowledge of magic was minimal, she had never bothered to put that much time into studying the concepts of mana and magic, but rather, she just did what she felt was right. There was never a literacy test required, too, so Tear didn¡¯t know how to read or write very well, typically, Lilian would help her out. Those were tools that she had rarely if ever needed. In comparison to Erebus who had read thousands of books and explored the world and Vyne who constantly did experiments testing his own theories on mana and magic, Tear could barely even be considered in the elementary grade. When it came to the High Humans, she knew plenty. She sighed heavily. ¡°Hopefully, I do well. If I don¡¯t get put in the same class as Lord Erebus, I¡¯ll kill whoever I have to kill to get put in there,¡± Tear said very dangerous words. ¡°In here!¡± Rose¡¯s chirpy voice interrupted Tear¡¯s violent train of thought. The trio walked inside a rather small classroom where three desks with tests on them were already set up. In front of the three desks was a single chair where Rose bounced over to sit here. ¡°When I say so, you may all begin. The test should not be too hard if you¡¯re a student of the Opinum caliber.¡± Her eyes met with Tear¡¯s. This bitch has it out for me, doesn¡¯t she? Tear thought while glaring back at Rose. ¡°All you need to do is answer the questions within an hour. You will not be graded on how many questions you complete, but rather, how many you get correct. If something is left blank, it will not count against your score.¡± When the three nodded their consent, Rose clapped her hands together. ¡°Begin!¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Vyne and Erebus put their pencils against the paper and their hands were flying as they breezed through pages upon pages of writing within a matter of minutes. Tear, on the other hand, was moving at a normal pace, trying her best not to be distracted by Erebus¡¯ and Vyne¡¯s pencils scratching against the paper. The questions were simpler than she thought, or perhaps because the minimal knowledge she thought she had was greater than that of the humans¡¯s. Tear thought, for this to be the qualifications for such an esteemed academy, this test was very embarrassing. Before the time limit they have had ended, the three had already completed their test and were patiently waiting like good students. Rose was staring at them with bug eyes, her peachy skin had lost all its color and she was looking at them like she had seen a ghost. To complete that test before the time limit was something that had never been done before. Well, maybe once or twice, but all those students proved to be extraordinary and became legends. Rose stared at the three in silence, was she, the humble employee that she was, gazing upon the ones who could possibly become forever documented in history? ¡°Can we just move on?¡± Erebus asked, breaking her out of her reverie. ¡°We still have a sizeable amount of time left, what¡¯s the point in waiting for it to complete when we can move onto the next phase?¡± Rose straightened in her seat. ¡°Y-yes, you¡¯re right! Let us get going.¡± This time, Rose lead them to a wide, open field. Not too far off, other students were practicing their own magic and physical capabilities in front of an instructor who was barking out orders. ¡°Is that I should have been teaching Weryn,¡± Erebus murmured as he watched the students fire off spells. Well, the young dragon could probably easily wipe out this school now since he had made progress in the last three years. Most dragons were at that level nowadays, but Weryn was already ahead of his time. ¡°N-now then,¡± Rose stammered. ¡°This is the magical testing section where we will gauge how much magic power you have by finding out your magic number. The system reads from zero to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine. Even if your strength is beyond the max number, it will only display that, but that never happens, but I¡¯m supposed to tell you anyway. ¡°Getting you number is extremely easy, just hit the target with your fist. Erebus, you may begin.¡± Erebus walked over to the gauge, it was a black sphere placed upon a pole. He scratched his head, not really knowing how much power to put in it. A little less than one percent should be enough, right? Erebus cracked his knuckles and formed a fist. He wasn¡¯t good at restraining his power, but he thought that this amount should be sufficient. He punched the target. ¡°Take cover,¡± Vyne said the minute Erebus fist connected with the sphere, he put a shield up just in time. The ground shook as if there was an earthquake and a large plume of dust covered the area. ¡°I think it¡¯s broken,¡± a sole voice said as the dust began to settle. ¡°Are you sure this is an accurate reader of strength?¡± The dust cleared and everyone¡¯s eyes were on the man who stood in front of a completely destroyed magic gauge. In the air, random numbers were appearing before changing, blinking in and out of existence. The man scratched his head and turned to his companions. ¡°No, you broke it,¡± Vyne said to Erebus, he then turned to Rose.¡°Do you have another one of those? Tear and I still need to do our test.¡± The poor woman was shaking, her eyes bulging so much it seemed as if they¡¯d pop out of their socket at any moment. ¡°Ah, right, another one of those. W-we do, I think, but I don¡¯t really think you guys need it... ah, I have to administer the test, though or else I¡¯ll get fired. Anyway, I-I¡¯ll just say that Erebus¡¯ strength is at nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine, that should work...¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯m assuming that one over there is also a magic gauge?¡± He pointed to a sphere that was green in color. ¡°Yes, the colors are different but they¡¯re the same creation,¡± Rose explained, her legs trembling. ¡°G-go ahead, Vyne.¡± Vyne walked over to the green sphere. ¡°I just hit it?¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Vyne smacked the top of the sphere, the pole got pushed deeper into the ground. Four glowing nines were displayed in the air before fading away. ¡°Ah, so easily he hit that number,¡± Rose said, she looked like she was ready to cry. ¡°Tear, you can go now.¡± Tear skipped over. She turned her head away from the sphere and tapped it lightly. ¡°I¡¯m so scared~ I¡¯m a weakling, you know?¡± She peeked at the three nines in the air along with a single eight tacked onto the end. Tear¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°What the hell! I¡¯m not weaker than him!¡± she screeched, kicking the gauge multiple times, the eight turned into a nine, but Tear kept kicking it. ¡°Damn this thing, it must be broken.¡± ¡°How unsightly,¡± Vyne said. Tear whipped around and scowled at him. ¡°I¡¯ll fight you right now and prove that this thing is wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± Vyne lowered himself into an offensive stance. ¡°Stop it, you two,¡± Erebus ordered, his voice uncharacteristically cold and stern. ¡°Have you both forgotten where we are?¡± Tear and Vyne both straightened up. ¡°Apologies,¡± the two said, each of the resisting the urge to bow down in front of Erebus. ¡°Sorry about that, now Rose, will you continue with your tour?¡± Erebus turned to Rose, wearing a warm smile. She nodded her head. ¡°I have to submit your test results and then the tour will begin, by the time the tour¡¯s over, they should have your class assignments ready. I¡¯m not technically supposed to say this, but I think you will be put in the Myth class.¡± ¡°Myth? Like the magic rank?¡± ¡°Yes, our classes in this school follow that order. Common, Lord, King, Myth. Each year, freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior have those classes, so there are sixteen classes in total, but there is a wide variety of subjects available,¡± Rose answered his question flawlessly, she felt calm talking to him for some strange reason. ¡°Heh... that so?¡± Erebus looked amused. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they had a classroom for Lost rank magic. S2 Chapter Five: Encounter in the Forest I accidentally posted this chapter before I proofread... you don''t want to see my chapters before I proofread... I make a lot of mistakes, it''s painful... Aii~ don''t yell at me. Anyway, this is the last chapter today. The sun had set and the moon was now shining brightly along with the stars in the night sky. In the gardens of the school Opinum, three people sat under an apple tree. ¡°We¡¯re all in the same class,¡± Tear said happily, she was laying on her stomach while kicking her feet back and forth joyfully. ¡°Myth, just like Rose said,¡± Erebus said, leaning against the tree and eating some of the mana stones he had brought from home. The three had managed to score perfectly on the written test and on the magic gauge, instantly making them the best within the freshmen class, no, within the entire school. The concept of ¡°keeping a low-profile¡± didn¡¯t last for long. Instead, they did the exact opposites and became the famous transfer students within a matter of hours. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t sleep with Lord Erebus, though.¡± Tear sighed heavily. The female and male dorms were separated and males weren¡¯t allowed in female dorms and vice versa. They could only be on the first and second floor together. Even then, the boys or girls couldn¡¯t stay past sundown.¡°Humans are such prudes.¡± ¡°Ignoring her,¡± Vye said. ¡°Lord Erebus, how do you plan on gathering the information for the Dragon Council?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to actually meet the students to know if there¡¯s anything strange about them. With my eye constantly revealed it¡¯s a bit of a headache, but I have to be on alert.¡± Tear sat up. ¡°The eye hurts you?¡± ¡°Mm. I get headaches after a while, that¡¯s why I typically have it covered. I¡¯m basically processing two different sets of information constantly, after a while, I get a little disoriented.¡± Tear swallowed, she had thought Erebus wore the eyepatch because he thought it looked cool on him. There was an actual reason behind it, how surprising. She still didn¡¯t understand how his Eye of the Void really worked, but she was able to piece together that he could see mana that was invisible to the rest of them. ¡°We¡¯ll have our first class tomorrow, from what Rose told us, there aren¡¯t many people in the Myth class, and since they¡¯re freshmen, I doubt any of them have been used for the change yet,¡± Erebus murmured. ¡°I¡¯ll need to meet with the seniors and juniors somehow.¡± Vyne nodded. ¡°That¡¯s true. Rose said that there were multiple classes that the four years were intermixed, so, it shouldn¡¯t be that hard for you to meet some. I¡¯ve already begun to look into the student body in order to find out who¡¯s suspicious.¡± ¡°As expected of Vyne,¡± Erebus said, patting his subordinate on the head. ¡°I have a weapon of my own,¡± Tear spoke up, also wanting to be patted on the head. ¡°What?¡± She smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the power of us females.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡± Vyne¡¯s face paled dramatically. ¡°You¡¯re going to sell your body for information.¡± The sound of skin smacking against skin resounded throughout the night. A red hand-print formed on Vyne¡¯s face. ¡°What do you think I am!¡± Tear screamed, raising her hand to hit him again. ¡°A whoring pig,¡± Vyne responded. Erebus ignored the violence and turned his head to the sky, eating his stone. ¡°What a peaceful night, truly the embodiment of tranquility.¡± Indeed, Erebus, this was a lovely night. ... Under the same sky as Erebus and his fighting servants, two figures made their way down a hill. One was a young boy holding a map, and the other was a man who towered over the child. Respectively, they were Weryn and Magnus. Weryn kept glancing at the map as he walked. ¡°Erebus marked this spot on, but I don¡¯t see any indication that there was any type of building here. There are no clearings large enough for a house to be built and there¡¯s hardly any wildlife or edible plants around here to sustain anyone.¡± Magnus nodded his head sadly in agreement. The quality of soil around these parts was low and there were too many monsters, so there weren¡¯t many settlements nearby, meaning that one would have to get the food on their own. That being said, the monsters in this place weren¡¯t any pushover. Weryn and Magnus had run into quite a few of them and deemed that they would be difficult opponents if the two were any weaker than what they currently were. It¡¯d probably be tiresome, no matter the person, to live in a place where they were constantly under attack. Most monsters weren¡¯t even edible unless you had the ridiculous constitution of a dragon. They were immune to the majority of poisons, and their stomachs could break down nearly everything. But since the person here was definitely not a dragon, they would need some type of edible food supply. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Well, even if we can find the slightest trace of her existence around here, it¡¯ll help us find out even more about her.¡± The young dragon nodded his head. ¡°Let¡¯s search diligently.¡± ¡°Nya~ you don¡¯t have to worry about that, I¡¯m already here,¡± an irritatingly high-pitched voice spoke up. ¡°Who are you, nya?¡± Weryn and Magnus instantly went on guard. ¡°You should tell us who you are first,¡± Magnus said, his killing intent leaking out. ¡°Nyaha! How dangerous, I¡¯m scared.¡± The verbal tick on this one was grinding on Weryn¡¯s nerves. ¡°Are you perhaps the one Erebus was searching for?¡± ¡°Erebus?¡± A massive burst of power exploded, even making Magnus¡¯ heart waver for a second. ¡°You were sent by that bastard, nya!¡± Bastard...? Weryn could hear the obvious anger in that person¡¯s voice, it was probably the one Erebus had sent them to find. But Weryn had been under the impression that they were on good terms. ¡°Nya, how dare he?¡± the voice trembled with fury. ¡°Why are you here? Tell me, what is your purpose... nya?¡± The last ¡°nya¡± was tacked on as if they had forgotten. ¡°To ask a favor of you,¡± Weryn answered, still trying to locate the source of the voice and energy. The surge of power increased. ¡°A favor, nya?¡± The sound of bushes rustling could be heard and a blur of a figure charged at Weryn. A clawed hand reached out and clutched Weryn¡¯s face, slamming him into the ground and causing the entire earth to quiver and created a blast so strong that the surrounding trees were uprooted and sent away. The chunks of earth stayed in the air as if they had been frozen before falling to the ground. On top of Weryn was a naked female who only wore a skimpy loincloth and had paint smears underneath her black eyes, a single line drawn over her nose and mouth. A cat tail flicked back and forth while two ears were twitching. Weryn¡¯s face, despite the predicament he was in, reddened at the sight of the naked woman. ¡°How scandalous,¡± Magnus said, taking a mental photo. ¡°Weryn¡¯s first experience as a young man.¡± He wasn¡¯t very concerned about Weryn¡¯s safety, in his mind, the kid could take care of himself. The catwoman had her sharp nails pressed against Weryn¡¯s jugular. ¡°Erebus sent you?¡± He nodded, his eyes tried to stay on her face, but they kept drifting downwards to two naked globes. He didn¡¯t find this situation pleasing in any way, rather, it was incredibly uncomfortable for him. Suddenly, the intense atmosphere dissipated and a broad smile brightened her otherwise average features and added a beauty to her face. ¡°Is that so? Erebus isn¡¯t a name I¡¯ve heard in awhile. That bastard left mighty quickly after he ate through my supply of mana stones.¡± She got off of Weryn and folded her arms over her chest, popping her left hip out. ¡°What does he want?¡± ¡°The ¡®nya¡¯...¡± Weryn muttered. ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± He stood up and confirmed his suspicions that she had been forcing herself to say ¡°nya¡±. Her eyes widened. ¡°Nya? What are you talking about, nya? I never forget my nya, nya!¡± She totally forgot. ¡°Excuse me, Miss...¡± ¡°Mae, nya.¡± She wrapped an arm around Weryn. ¡°But it¡¯s okay if you call me Big Sis, I¡¯ve never had a little brother before.¡± She was promptly shaken off. ¡°Miss Mae, my name is Weryn and this is my companion, Magnus. We were both sent here by Lord Erebus to request your assistance with an incredibly issue entrusted to him by the Dragon Council.¡± Weryn dug into his pouch and pulled out a folded piece of paper. ¡°Here.¡± Mae snatched the paper out of Weryn¡¯s hand, pushing her dirty blonde hair out of her face as she read. Magnus and Weryn watched her expression change into a serious one as her eyes moved over the words. Her eyebrows furrowed and her thin lips pulled into a frown. Her expression cleared and was replaced by its easy-going smile from before. ¡°Nya? How interesting, to think the humans did something like this. Mm, I¡¯ll help out if he pays me.¡± Erebus had foreseen this, so Magnus unclasped the heavy sack of gold coins from his belt and walked over to Mae and Weryn. ¡°Is this enough?¡± She stretched out her free hand, Magnus put the coins in her hand. ¡°This should be enough, nya~¡± She tossed the coins up and down. ¡°I¡¯ll be a freeloader at his place too... Oops, I said that out loud.¡± A few moments of silence passed over them. Mae looked at Magnus and Weryn before clearing her throat. ¡°Nya, I¡¯ll work in his castle because I¡¯m sure the materials there would be the most suitable for my work!¡± Magnus and Weryn both gave her disbelieving looks, they couldn¡¯t believe she tried to make such a clunky recovery after her true intentions had slipped out. She seriously tried to act as if nothing had happened, she was shameless! But somehow, it wasn¡¯t hard for them to understand why Erebus and she were friends. S2 Chapter Six: Newbies Once Again (1) Hopefully a double release today? We''ll see. In a classroom only containing ten students, three more stood in the front of the room next to a familiar teacher. The students were none other than Erebus, Tear, and Vyne while the teacher, much to Erebus¡¯ surprise, was Dissolve! One elf seated in the back spoke with surprise in her voice, ¡°Three transfer students and suddenly a new teacher? Is something going on?¡± She turned to the brunette next to her. ¡°Do you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s happened multiple times before, actually,¡± the brunette said. ¡°It¡¯s rare in the Myth class, but our school has sudden staff changes a lot because all of them are famous and still get commissioned while many students from around the world come at all times of the year.¡± The elf leaned back. ¡°Oh...¡± ¡°Introduce yourselves,¡± Dissolve said in a quiet voice that no one was able to hear except for those closest to him. His eyes looked like they were ready to slam shut any moment and he looked ready to collapse, so many of the people in the room were worried for his safety. Tear stepped forward first. ¡°My name is Tear, uh,¡± Tear stammered as she had forgotten the last name she had been given. ¡°Just call me Tear, that¡¯s fine. I... yeah, call me Tear.¡± She stepped back, a heat coming onto her face. How embarrassing! She had shown such a disgraceful sight to Lord Erebus. She couldn¡¯t help but spare a glance at him to see if he was giving her a disgusted stare. Instead, he had stepped up to address the class. ¡°My name is Erebus Atheajtoea.¡± Likewise to Tear, he had forgotten his last name, so he spewed out something that sounded remotely close to it, but he had spoken too fast, so the letters were jumbled together. ¡°Pleased to meet you all!¡± The last member of the three stepped up, and he did not disappoint, ¡°My name is Vyne Ryur, I¡¯m humbled to have been accepted into this school, even more so, this class.¡± He offered a dazzling smile that captured the hearts of those that viewed it. ¡°That¡¯s,¡± Dissolve paused, his eyes snapped shut before opening again, ¡°good. I mean, find an empty seat.¡± Dissolve raised his arm to point at the multiple empty desks before his arm came falling back down as if it had been broken. It thumped uselessly at his side and his head started to tilt back along with his body as if he was going to fall. There were a few minutes of complete silence as everyone watched him struggle to regain his balance. Erebus restrained himself from sighing heavily at his fellow dragon. As per usual, Dissolve was incredibly lethargic enough to even rival a certain someone (Massath). Even I can¡¯t compete with that... Erebus thought such a thing as he watched Dissolve from the corner of his eye. The three found empty seats, of course, right next to each other. Tear started to move her desk closer to Erebus¡¯ but was glared at by Vyne, so she stopped. ¡°Teacher,¡± the black-haired young man in front of Tear spoke up. ¡°Are you not going to introduce yourself? You¡¯re new, too.¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Dissolve looked frightened, he stared straight at Erebus, a helpless expression in his eyes. ¡°Erebus, you do it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know you,¡± Erebus said tightly. Dissolve remembered that the two weren¡¯t supposed to be acquainted, meaning he¡¯d have to deal with this on his own. Dissolve readied himself, this was it!¡°I¡¯m the Myth class¡¯ new homeroom teacher, my name is...¡± Everyone was waiting for him to continue speaking, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°I forgot.¡± An unanimous face-palm occurred. Someone even muttered under their breath, ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°You can just call me Mr. V, I guess. Anyway, today there was supposed to be a school-wide live combat simulation, but apparently it was postponed, instead, today will be a training day,¡± Dissolve explained, his words at the end began to slur so it was hard to understand what he was saying. ¡°Teacher, what are we supposed to do about the three transfers?¡± a beastman with the head of a grey wolf and the body of a hairy human asked, he had an imposing presence, and Erebus was able to see that he had an excellent mana flow, he might even prove to be a challenge for some of the low-ranked members of his castle. Someone like Dark Mist... Erebus restrained himself from smirking, everyone in this classroom seemed to be extraordinary, actually, even though the qualifying tests were easy, they managed to get students of this quality. He was interested in seeing what the senior Myth class looked like. ¡°What about them?¡± Dissolve tilted his head. The wolfman frowned. ¡°We¡¯ve already set up our formations for the simulation that was supposed to occur today, changing it so suddenly after we¡¯ve been practicing for weeks will lead to problems. I propose that the transfer students sit out for this round and watch so that they can get a basic grasp of what this school is like. I think it¡¯s a little bit too much to ask of them to participate in something they had practically no time at all to prep for.¡± The wolfman turned out to be a good guy. He was looking out for the transfer students. ¡°That...¡± Dissolve looked at Erebus directly in the eye. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Don¡¯t worry about the transfer students, they¡¯re good enough to be put into Myth class, so they should have the skill set to adapt to a situation like this.¡± The wolfman exhaled. ¡°If they¡¯re okay with it, then I do not mind. Mr. V is correct, the caliber of Myth class students is something to take into consideration.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine with it,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Thank you for your concern. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Wolf.¡± Erebus¡¯ smile twitched. ¡°I hope we can become friends, Wolf.¡± Wolf nodded his head firmly. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go over our battle plans once again, now factoring in Erebus, Vyne, and Tear.¡± He stood up to his full height which was nearly as tall as Magnus and made his way to the front of the room. Dissolve sat down in his seat and rested his head on his desk, watching the students get to work. Apparently, Wolf had been chosen as the team captain as he was considered to be the strongest in the freshman Myth class and among the strongest in the entire school. Not only that, he was a genuinely good person with a keen battle sense. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I kind of want him to be my subordinate,¡± Erebus murmured, his greed to monopolize the strong to work under him flared up. Wolf was sure to be well-liked within Erebus¡¯ castle, perhaps later Erebus could recruit him. Wolf¡¯s onyx eyes turned to the three who had been silently observing them as they went over their previous plan. ¡°Pardon my rudeness, but to put it bluntly, what use are you three in battle? Even though there¡¯s a no-kill rule, anything that can be fixed with healing magic is allowed, so it gets rather bloody on the battlefield. I¡¯ve heard that there have been times where the King class was able to overwhelm the Myth class and nearly bring them to their knees. ¡°Even if we¡¯re individually strong, most of us have never been in an actual fight before, so a lot of times, the newbies will freeze up and end up costing the match for the team.¡± Tear ground her teeth together. ¡°Just put us in a team together like you¡¯ve done the others, we will not fail you.¡± ¡°We were split into teams of five, so a team of three is a little bit lacking. Like I said, the other classes are not to be underestimated.¡± ¡°Please do not worry,¡± Vyne said. ¡°We don¡¯t plan on fighting on the frontlines that much, but rather, we want to gain some experience from watching you guys.¡± ¡°So you plan on staying back?¡± Wolf folded his arms. ¡°I suppose you can just observe from up-close... Is everyone else fine with them forming a group of three?¡± He looked around the room as everyone raised their hand in agreement. ¡°Then, let¡¯s move to the practice field.¡± ... While the students were practicing out in their own private sect, Erebus stood next to Dissolve who was sitting cross-legged on the floor and eating bread he had whipped out from nowhere. ¡°So, why are you here?¡± Erebus asked Dissolve. ¡°I wasn¡¯t told that you¡¯d be coming.¡± ¡°I decided this on my own,¡± Dissolve said. ¡°I get to see a lot of students because of my job as a teacher, I arrived here a few days before you did, but I didn¡¯t get assigned a class until now. From what I¡¯ve seen, there are a few possible candidates.¡± ¡°Oh? Who are they?¡± Dissolve shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know their names, I¡¯ve been trying to get some information, but if I poke around too much, I might get noticed. The ones I felt were strange from the Myth and King classes for juniors and seniors.¡± ¡°This may prove to be more difficult than I thought, I will not have many opportunities to speak to upperclassmen.¡± Erebus scratched his head. "I''ll try my best..." Dissolve responded, ¡°If you managed to get on the student council...¡± ¡°Declined. I have no intention of staying here that long. My only job is to find those who are strange, I don¡¯t actually have to get to know them. Hopefully, we¡¯ll be able to procure specimen to bring back to my castle to investigate, then I¡¯ll send the information,¡± Erebus said the last part in Dissolve¡¯s head in case Wolf heard them. The chances of that were low since the students were talking loudly amongst themselves, but he definitely didn¡¯t want the word ¡°specimen¡± to reach Wolf¡¯s ears. Dissolve chewed on his food and nodded his head, he had lost the motivation to speak now. ¡°Anyway, these kids are interesting, I wasn¡¯t expecting there to be so much talent in this place. I suppose their arrogance isn¡¯t for baseless.¡± Dissolve turned his gaze to Wolf. ¡°Mmm, especially that one, I want to see what his skill can amount to. They¡¯re just play fighting so I can¡¯t tell anything.¡± As Erebus said, they weren¡¯t even trying to hit each other, at the current moment, they were just going through battle formations. Wolf was the head of one of the squads while the black-haired man who had spoken out earlier in class named Rune was the head of the other squad. Tear and Vyne were standing off to a distance watching Erebus and Dissolve rather than the mock battle. The two of them only knew Frize, so they were wondering who Dissolve was. Neither of them had the gall to go up and question Erebus¡¯ acquaintance, so they speculated among themselves. It was a rare occasion to see them getting along. ¡°Another old friend? That wouldn¡¯t be surprising. Lord Erebus actually knows a lot of influential people, I¡¯m sure this is just another one of them,¡± Tear concluded. ¡°He seemed kind of annoyed when he saw Mr. V, so that must be it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think his name is Mr. V,¡± Vyne said. ¡°I¡¯m really curious to who he really is.¡± Tear straightened out her back. ¡°I¡¯m going to find out!¡± Trying to seem as casual as possible, Tear made her way over to Dissolve and Erebus, Vyne following close behind her. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Tear and Vyne,¡± Erebus remarked. Dissolve looked up at the two newcomers, his bread remained in his mouth as he bit off sections and chewed, making him resemble a rodent eating. Tear cleared her throat. ¡°Lo-... Erebus, you and Mr. V seem to be very close. Have you two possibly met before?¡± The sounds from the training going on behind them filled the gap of silence between them. Dissolve and Erebus just looked at Tear and Vyne. ¡°I just thought he seemed like a fun person,¡± Erebus said. ¡°So I wanted to talk to him.¡± The reason Erebus was lying to his subordinates is because apparently Rolut didn¡¯t even want them to know. The Dragon Council¡¯s identity had always been shrouded in mystery, barely anyone knew what they looked like and what their names were, and Rolut wanted to keep it that way. Also, if it was overheard that Dissolve and Erebus were dragons, there was no way it would end well, so they were prohibited from speaking about it directly. Still, Erebus didn¡¯t mind misleading his servants because it was rather amusing to see them squirm since they knew he was lying, but they couldn¡¯t call him out on it. Even Vyne twitched a little, his eyes darting back in forth. It was such a blatant lie, but neither of them could do anything about it! If Tear knew that Erebus had been enjoying her discomfort, she would have exploded with pleasure and excitement. S2 Chapter Seven: Newbies Once Again (2) A man sat on the rooftop, the moonlight illuminating his onyx hair that seemed to be dancing in the air even though there was no wind. He sat down on a magic circle that he was using to bolster his own capabilities and make the usage of the spell easier. Both of his mitch-matched eyes were open and staring straight ahead, but they weren¡¯t looking at anything visible to the majority of those who lived on this planet. What he saw instead was lights, formed in the shape of people glowing brightly, some had more brilliance than others while others gave off repulsive feelings and had a darkness to them as if a miasma had coated over the once pure soul. The mist that Erebus normally saw in the air when he was using the Eye of Void was gone, he could see with absolute clarity. He was using a magic special to only him and his eye,¡¸All Seeing¡¹, it gave him the ability to focus the information that he received and filter it to what he wanted to see, which was the soul. For a ten mile radius, he was able to see all of the souls that existed in that area. His ability could go even farther than that, if he wanted to, it could encompass the entire world, but that was not what he needed at the moment. ¡°There are quite a few of them,¡± Erebus said to himself, referencing the disgusting souls. He focused his ¡¸All Seeing¡¹ so that only those souls were visible now. The mana flow with those souls was strange. Typically, what happened was that the mana would go in and out of the body normally, for humans, there was barely anything, but it was still there. But these souls would gather a lot of mana until their bodies reached its peak amount and then expel it all immediately, essentially, they ¡°died¡± every time they released the mana. Erebus furrowed his brows. Such a tumultuous existence. Theoretically, once their soul exploded, they shouldn¡¯t be able to come back, but the hosts of these oddball souls seemed to be perfectly fine. Still, at the very least, they should incur memory loss and disorientation. Erebus zoomed in on a single soul, isolating it from the rest. The dark red and black mottled soul was currently facing Erebus, making his job somewhat easier. He watched the dispersion occur multiple times, analyzing the maximum capacity of the soul, the rate of speed that the mana was reabsorbed... anything that would help him. After five minutes of just staring, Erebus finally noticed something where the brain would be located. The amount of mana it had was so minuscule it had been basically invisible within the cloud of dense mana. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, huh? So disgusting, the humans really made something nasty this time, I¡¯m getting sick by just looking at it. To think that this is what they had been using our mana stones for.¡± Erebus smiled bitterly to himself, he, no, the entire Dragon Council and Continent had overlooked something. They had thought the humans wanted the mana stones simply because of their high storage capacities, but as it turned out, they were using it for something like this. ¡¸ Magma Heart¡¹, a mana stone only found in the Dragon Continent. ¡°For them to use it in such a sacrilegious way... what is this emotion I¡¯m experiencing? Anger? No, something more akin to fury.¡± A murderous smile formed on Erebus¡¯ face and his killing intent had started to leak out. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve been so enraged.¡± Erebus¡¯ voice remained even, but there was a fierceness to it that would strike fear into the hearts of even the most courageous warriors. Erebus terminated his ¡¸All Seeing¡¹, his hair stopped dancing in the wind and fell over his face. He pulled out a stone imbued with magic that would allow him to communicate with Weryn and Magnus. Lord Erebus? Magnus responded the moment he felt the connection. We were going to contact you shortly, but you ended up calling us first. Have you found her? Yeah, it¡¯s more like she found us. We¡¯re headed back to the castle now at our maximum speed. For an alchemist, she¡¯s keeping up pretty well. Erebus sighed. All right. When I gather more information, I will contact you again. Without another word, he canceled the connection. Since they had found her, they could get this out of the way faster. Erebus¡¯ blood was boiling, he seriously needed to teach those idiotic humans a lesson about things they should never tamper with. The Dragon Council would strike the humans mercilessly and put them in their place. An existence like that would have nothing but harmful effects on the world¡¯s mana, that¡¯s why Erebus couldn¡¯t forgive them for what they had done. The humans probably couldn¡¯t see anything past their ambition, but Erebus certainly could. ¡°When I find out more from her about how it operates, I¡¯ll report to the Council. I will personally wipe those atrocious creations out of existence, perhaps I should take a human kingdom or two along with them so that they understand properly this time.¡± He couldn''t care less about the lives of the innocent who would be caught in this. In order for the guilty to learn, people were going to have to suffer. The Dragon Council would never compromise, they didn¡¯t rule the world fairly, they ruled it through fear. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, but they brought this upon themselves.¡± Erebus knew that those who would inevitably lose their lives would have had nothing to do with the issue, but this was how problems were solved in this world. Without forgiveness, without pity, without mercy, a cold-blooded decree would be issued for their deaths. ¡°I¡¯ll head back now, Tear and Vyne are probably wondering where I went.¡± Erebus¡¯ figure blurred and the spot where he had been standing was now empty, but his words seemed to linger in that space. ... The next morning, the school was cloaked in an aura of seriousness. Today, the annual competition would be held. First up would be the freshman then in order up to the seniors. Each grade only had one hour to determine a winner, it sounded like a long time, but it was incredibly short once the action began. Most of the times, the Myth class would win, but that never remained a constant. The winning class would get bonus points and their chances of graduating and getting a job increased dramatically, even the first runner-up got some good rewards from it. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. That¡¯s why no one was able to take this day as a joke. Well, except for the three who couldn''t care less about graduating and succeeding. They were sitting leisurely on the grass and eating their breakfast and having a light-hearted conversation. The location of the simulation was off campus and in the nearby mountains, mostly so the students could go buck wild without destroying the school. So, Erebus, Vyne, and Tear were sitting in the shade underneath a tree. ¡°Those three,¡± Wolf grumbled, he already got a basic grasp of their personalities. They were all frivolous and clearly weren¡¯t putting in effort, he wasn¡¯t sure why they had enrolled in this school. Nonetheless, he stormed over to them. ¡°Are you aware that we will be starting in five minutes?¡± Erebus looked up at Wolf, his eyes widening. ¡°Wow, Wolf, you look so scary~ I¡¯m scared now~ I don¡¯t know if I can fight anymore.¡± Wolf, like everyone else, was dressed in a faux-military uniform, but on him, it looked as if he was the general, giving him an imposing aura. ¡°You... Quit playing around! You look like a teenager playing around in his father¡¯s old clothing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to end up spitting blood, Wolf is actually so mean,¡± Erebus muttered, rubbing his heart as if it was hurting him. Wolf sighed. ¡°We need to start moving into positions. Here are some school-issued communication stones. As you already know, Rune and I will act as the vanguard and try to obliterate everyone in record-breaking time! If there are any unforeseen problems, your team will have to deal with it, Erebus.¡± ¡°I know, I know.¡± Erebus waved away Wolf¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate us, we¡¯re in Myth class for a reason.¡± Wolf scowled. ¡°How could I underestimate you? I heard that you three were dubbed the ¡®Monstrous Transfers¡¯, I just don¡¯t know about your actual battle capabilities. I¡¯m placing a lot of tru--¡± ¡°I said we know. Get moving, Wolf. We can handle ourselves,¡± Erebus said lightly, but his irritation shone clearly in his eyes. For this brat to be questioning him so much, Erebus would only be able to take so much before he snapped. Wolf backed up. ¡°All right. Be sure to keep in contact, this is very important to us.¡± Wolf went back to his squad of five and they started heading off in one direction while Rune and his group went off in the other. Erebus stood up and stretched. ¡°Since there¡¯s a bunch of brats here, you guys already know to withhold your strength substantially. Attacks that can be fixed with healing magic are fine, but still, don¡¯t be too extreme.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Vyne and Tear bowed to Erebus, their faces completely serious. The two actually looked like members of the military, Tear had her normally free-flowing hair pulled into a tight bun while her mouth was pressed into a thin line. For Vyne, something about the dark blue uniform complimented his appearance and he looked like a young, high-ranking officer. ¡°Well, let¡¯s have some fun. Don¡¯t be such stiffs~¡± Erebus rubbed their heads. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since you two have had the opportunity to use your strength.¡± A small smile graced Tear¡¯s face. ¡°We¡¯ll certainly be able to enjoy ourselves.¡± Just as she said that, a horn blared loudly in the air, signaling the start of the simulation. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The three started running at what they considered to be a relaxed pace, but would be insanely fast for most of the students here who were still only trainees incapable of this skill level. Vyne had told Wolf that they would stay back, but they had lied. The three planned on wreaking havoc upon the battlefield, with Erebus¡¯ eye, they were able to instantly determine the location of a group of six students moving stealthily towards the Myth class¡¯ base. Getting a base in this simulation didn¡¯t hold much meaning, but, it did give a minor point reward. Since they probably belonged to a low-ranked class, they were trying to acquire points by taking all of the bases! It was a bad choice for them. They weren¡¯t aware of the monsters heading towards them. A girl with springy red curls was in the lead of the group. ¡°Heh, those arrogant Myth kids underestimated the importance of a base, theirs is worth the most amount of points out of all the bases but they left it defenseless. We¡¯ll show them how the Common class does it! Don¡¯t underestimate us!¡± she roared, throwing her fist into the air. The other five students also cheered loudly. ¡°This is like stealing candy from a baby,¡± she told her group members as they kept walking. ¡°We were already able to get the Lord class¡¯ base after we do Myth, we¡¯ll move onto King~¡± She took another step forward, but her body was suddenly hurtling through the woods, the tree branches whipped against her face and tore her clothes, leaving red cuts on her skin. The leader hit the ground and rolled a few times, but she had lost her consciousness. ¡°We¡¯re under attack!¡± a boy with glasses shouted. A fist connected with his face, shattering his glasses and sending his thin body through a tree. He was still conscious, but his vision kept fading in and out, his nose was broken and bleeding profusely. He had never felt pain like this before, so he started to scream in agony. The sound of his shrieks resounded throughout the entire forest, birds that had been resting in their nests flew away. A blonde girl who couldn¡¯t be older than sixteen started to scream at the sight of glasses boy¡¯s bloody face. Her eyes turned to the two men that had arrived. The black-haired man smiled at them. ¡°Hello, fellow students.¡± ¡°W-who¡¯re you?¡± she stammered, she readied her sword, but her hand was shaking uncontrollably. She then saw the crest on Erebus¡¯ breast, signifying he belonged to the Myth class. ¡°Goddammit! I won¡¯t go down without a fight.¡± She steeled herself and charged at Erebus, much to the surprise of everyone there. Her heart pounding, she gnashed her teeth together and began to swing her sword at Erebus. Suddenly, a volley of arrows came from the sky and pierced the girl¡¯s body, avoiding all her vital spots. Still, two arrows shot straight through her knee caps so she fell to the ground. The black-haired man¡¯s grin grew broader. ¡°Myth class¡¯ auxiliary squad is here to massacre you.¡± S2 Chapter Eight: Finish Him! A demon. That¡¯s what stood in front of them. The three remaining students couldn¡¯t find the strength in themselves to move, let alone think of a strategy to use against their opponents. But they couldn¡¯t surrender! All of them made that resolve at the same time, they refused to let the Common class be slandered anymore. A young man activated¡¸Icicle ¡¹, a common-ranked spell, he sent the blades of ice towards Erebus, but they were smacked away like flies. ¡°Seriously?¡± the boy gasped, his knees trembling. To block magic was one thing, but to knock it aside like that... Their opponents were too unfair. Another batch of arrows came and the man who activated¡¸Icicle ¡¹was down for the count. ¡°This is too easy,¡± Erebus complained. ¡°Vyne, wipe the rest of them out. Tear and I will be going ahead to catch up with the rest of our class. When you¡¯re done, come back to us.¡± There was a small gust of wind and the only one left with the last two people from the Common class squad was Vyne. He smirked at the poor children and said, ¡°Clench your teeth.¡± His words were followed by the sound of trees being destroyed and screams of agony. The people left had been two boys whose faces had been treated the same way as Glasses, except, Vyne didn¡¯t hold back his strength as much, so their faces ended up far more disfigured. Vyne wiped the blood off of his fist, whistling softly under his breath. ¡°They¡¯re weak, but they still provide some mild entertainment. Watching these bugs scream and cry for mercy when their lives aren¡¯t even in danger makes this trip even more worthwhile.¡± He then ran at his full-speed in order to catch up to Erebus and Tear, since they had only been gone for a matter of seconds, it only took him a matter of seconds to reach them so he slowed down. ¡°How were they?¡± ¡°They behaved like lower-life forms should,¡± Vyne answered his master cheerfully. Erebus laughed. ¡°That¡¯s good, then. It seems like there¡¯s a huge brawl going on in the plains, shall we join in?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Tear and Vyne echoed. The three stopped right at the edge of the forest, right at the clearing where the enormous battle was occurring. ¡°Is this the entire freshman class?¡± Vyne asked, surprise coloring his voice. ¡°What¡¯s going on here? There are so many people.¡± Erebus scratched his head, his face remaining apathetic. ¡°From the looks of it, our poor classmates got ambushed by the other three classes.¡± There was a tight circle formed around ten people, who were desperately fighting. The problem was that they were severely outnumbered. Since the Myth class was only a small group composed of elites, in comparison to the Lord and Common classes which totaled to around one hundred students combined. Then, the King students were also there to apply more pressure on the small groups. ¡°Uu~ they didn¡¯t even call us over,¡± Tear grumbled. ¡°I bet they were too arrogant to ask for our help.¡± Erebus shrugged. ¡°I think they¡¯re doing pretty well, it¡¯s only been a few minutes since this simulation began and they¡¯re still standing against an enemy of one hundred plus.¡± ¡°Wolf is mostly carrying the team,¡± Vyne input. The broad-shouldered wolfman was wielding a double-edged axe, since having an actual blade on it would be dangerous, the edges were blunted. Still, he was causing an immense amount of damage to the opposing side. He would blast away enemies with a single swing of his mighty axe. ¡°It isn¡¯t enough,¡± Erebus remarked. There were multiple healers standing on the sidelines who would cast their magic on the fallen, their teammates would rise and join the fray once again. ¡°They¡¯re fighting a losing battle... Wolf claimed that they were going to destroy their opponents, but they¡¯re the ones who are struggling,¡± Vyne said while shaking his head. ¡°Lord Erebus, should we still join in or should we just watch?¡± Erebus squatted down. ¡°Hmm... we¡¯ll join in and save these miserable children. Tear, hide up in the trees and work from there, take out the healers as quickly as possible so they can¡¯t aid each other. Vyne, you and I are going to charge straight through them and meet up with our classmates." ¡°If we defeat them all quickly while only maximizing five to ten percent of our power, I¡¯ll give you both rewards. I think it¡¯s a good opportunity for you two to learn how to fight while being weakened greatly.¡± A new light shone brightly in the eyes of Tear and Vyne. The idea of Lord Erebus praising them could top all of the riches in the world, a new motivation burned within them. ¡°We will do it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Vyne.¡± Erebus unsheathed the dulled sword that had been hanging at his hips. Vyne did the same. ¡°I will move first and clear out a path for Lord Erebus so that you can get to Wolf and the others quickly.¡± Erebus shook his head. ¡®There¡¯s no need, we¡¯ll go at the same time. Tear, get into position. C¡¯mon, Vyne!¡± Erebus bolted out readying his sword. ¡°What the!¡± a healer shouted just as she was impaled by multiple arrows, just like him, the others began to drop like flies. Erebus and Vyne blasted through people, but this time, they were rendered unconscious for good since the healers had been wiped out so quickly. Tear switched from attacking the healers to moving onto the mages and other archers who were providing long-range support. ¡°I won¡¯t let any of their filthy attacks land on my beloved!¡± she growled, a murderous gleam shone in her eyes, but she didn¡¯t kill anyone, as per orders. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± an elf from the Myth class, Mimi, asked. ¡°I can¡¯t really see over all of these people.¡± She used¡¸ Support Magic: Greater Strength¡¹on Rune, Wolf, and a tiny girl with explosive physical power named Claire.¡¸ Greater Strength¡¹allowed one¡¯s strength to be upped for a certain amount of time. People capable of using this type of magic were incredibly rare and coveted, so it was no wonder why she ended up in the Myth class even though her own strength wasn¡¯t that remarkable. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rune answered, struggling to push back a King-ranked swordsman. In this simulation he had lost a great deal of his own power since his specialized magic¡¸ Wild Magic: Rip¡¹was a lethal spell, thus, not allowed. So, he had to rely on his mediocre sword skills and second-rate magic, still, he was better than most of the mages out on the field, but with professionals, without his specialized magic, he would barely qualify for the reserves. A girl with shockingly neon-green hair jumped out of Rune¡¯s shadow. ¡°Tear, Erebus, and Vyne seemed to have arrived. They¡¯re completely devastating the other classes and making their way towards us. Tear took out all of the healers and most of the mages who are in the back providing support. Erebus and Vyne are pushing through the crowd surrounding us and have taken out a substantial amount of students.¡± Wolf thought Alexie was exaggerating when she said that they were ¡°devastating¡± the other students, but he didn¡¯t say anything about it.¡°Alexie, will you take Rayne with you to get into contact with them?¡± Wolf asked, stepping backwards after having dealt with an enchanter. ¡°Bring them here!¡± The green-haired girl named Alexie nodded, she puffed out her chest that could contend with Tear¡¯s and smacked it. ¡°I shall do as Leader has ordered. Rayne, let¡¯s go!¡± A girl with short, choppy black hair and equally black eyes nodded her head, the scythe that was far too big for her that she had been holding in her hands disappeared. She grasped Alexie¡¯s hand and the two of them melted into a shadow and reappeared next to Vyne and Erebus. ¡°Grab them and let¡¯s go,¡± Alexie shouted as she reached out and grabbed Erebus¡¯ arm while Rayne took hold of Vyne. The four of them were swallowed by the shadow of a man who now swung his sword at an empty space. Erebus, Rayne, Alexie and Vyne surfaced once again, but this time with the rest of the Myth students. Alexie turned to Erebus. ¡°Where¡¯s Tear?¡± ¡°Doing her job, no need to worry,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°Anyway, may I inquire as to why you brought us over here? We were trying to help you guys break out.¡± Wolf growled. ¡°I thought you guys were going to be staying put at the base! Newbies aren¡¯t needed here.¡± ¡°Hah? When did we say that, we said we¡¯ll stay in the back. You guys looked like you needed help, so we decided to assist you, aren¡¯t you being rather arrogant, Wolf?¡± Vyne questioned, his tone was indicative of the annoyance he felt from being scolded by Wolf. Rune shouted, ¡°This is no time for us to start fighting amongst ourselves! Just get to work.¡± He parried the sword of a swordswoman and received a blow to the back from a nearby mage. Alethea, the healer of the Myth class, quickly used¡¸Erase Pain ¡¹so that his injury wouldn¡¯t hold him back. Erebus shook his head, watching them still barely manage to fight against their opponents even after the long-range mages and healers had been taken care of. ¡°These kids are disappointing, I was expecting the Myth class to be able to support its claims to being the strongest,¡± he muttered under his breath. Wolf heard him, but the beastman didn¡¯t display his anger and continued to fight. Within a couple of minutes, the attacking side had been mostly wiped out. The only remaining members were three people from the King class. ¡°Dammit!¡± the commander for the King class roared. ¡°We were going to win... we were going to put you arrogant assholes in your places.¡± His sword collided with Erebus¡¯. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little presumptuous? I just joined this school, I don¡¯t have anything against you yet you¡¯re calling me arrogant. That makes me a little bit angry, y¡¯know?¡± He knocked the commander¡¯s sword away and kicked him squarely in the chest, knocking the youth down. ¡°Come on, stand up, weren¡¯t you going to put me in my place?¡± he taunted the young man, a mocking smirk on his face as he ground his foot into the commander¡¯s stomach. The commander spat at Erebus. ¡°That¡¯s rude~¡± Erebus dug his heel in deeper. ¡°What if that actually landed on my face? Then I¡¯d be really mad, I wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee you¡¯d walk away with your limbs still intact.¡± Erebus removed his foot then kicked the commander for good measure, rendering him unconscious. At that moment, Vyne had just walked up to him. ¡°The simulation is finished, our class has won. We finished within six minutes after restraining ourselves greatly.¡± ¡°Eh, really? Good job, good job.¡± Erebus¡¯ sinister countenance disappeared and was replaced by a serene expression. ¡°I¡¯ll reward you two later.¡± Vyne nodded his head, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips. ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± Tear, who had leapt out of the trees, ran over to Erebus with her arms opened wide. ¡°Honey, did you see what I did? They had no chance against me.¡± She lunged to wrap Erebus in her embrace, but she was swatted away by Vyne. ¡°Who are you calling your honey? Stupid pig.¡± Tear¡¯s head was jammed into the earth, so only muffles of her indignance could be heard. A smile blossomed onto Vyne¡¯s face. ¡°She¡¯s evolved into an ostrich now, perhaps she¡¯ll lay an egg for us to eat.¡± Erebus tried not to, but he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, she really did look like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. S2 Chapter Nine: Student Council President After the Myth class had surprised everyone by winning thirteen against one-hundred plus, then the sophomore''s Myth class had also won, the juniors began their simulation. Currently, Erebus, Tear, and Vyne were sitting under their favorite tree which they had claimed as their base, there was a small picnic set out in front of them that didn¡¯t at all fit. This was because the time they tried to gather in the female dorm rooms after the class yesterday, Vyne and Erebus were flocked by the girls, and the same thing occurred in the male dorms to Tear. So, they now congregated under this apple tree! But since they had been there for barely two days... their claim to the tree didn¡¯t really count for much. The sounds of the distant sophomore battle could be heard, even the faint shouts. ¡°Haa... it¡¯s nice to be young,¡± Erebus said, sounding like a true old man as he sipped on his tea. He squinted his eyes while wrapping his fingers tightly around his clay cup. ¡°They¡¯re so full of energy, how refreshing~¡± Tear turned her head to the mountains. ¡°If Lord Erebus says so, then it must be so.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you get older, Tear is still so young. Aiya, you¡¯re only six hundred and some change years old... how youthful.¡± Tear, who, by most definitions would be considered an old lady, smiled. ¡°If Lord Erebus says so, it must certainly be so!¡± she repeated this time with more confidence. Vyne shook his head, he said nothing and kept his lips on his cup. ¡°Oh my, could I have just stumbled upon our infamous transfer students?¡± a lovely voice questioned. The three turned their gaze to the newcomer, an elegant man wearing a dazzling smile. His hair was glossy and brown, long on one side while the other was shaved short. His silvery blue eyes were enthralling and seemed to be laughing a little as if he found the situation to be funny. The robe he was wearing was black, and his pendant was gold signifying he was a senior belonging to the Myth class. On his arm, there was a band that read COUNCIL in bold lettering and he was accompanied by two girls who wore impassive expressions. ¡°Who are you?¡± Erebus didn¡¯t bother showing respect to his upperclassman. The handsome man chuckled. ¡°I suppose you wouldn¡¯t know who I am, eh?¡± He cleared his throat before continuing. ¡°My name is Xaltiq, but everyone calls me Xal. I¡¯m the student council president, a pleasure to meet you all. These two lovely ladies behind me are both members of our school¡¯s disciplinary committee and they insist on following me around and guarding me. ¡°I may not look it, but I¡¯m actually strong!¡± Erebus who already knew quite well what Xaltiq¡¯s strength was smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it. May I ask, what do you want from us?¡± ¡°You.... you really don¡¯t care about school rankings, do you?¡± Xaltiq sounded amused. He was used to people treating him with respect after finding out who he was, he¡¯d also been put on a pedestal and isolated. As the number one ranked in the school, everyone feared him. He was used to seeing people draw back from him... but these three continued to stare at him as if he was an annoyance. The beautiful woman narrowed his eyes. ¡°Should we be? A number is just a number.¡± Xaltiq laughed. ¡°That¡¯s true! Do you mind if I sit with you?¡± Even though he asked politely, Xaltiq moved to sit down and started pouring himself a cup of tea. ¡°You two can leave,¡± he said to the girls behind him. They looked a little apprehensive but after a few counts they nodded their heads and moved away. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you could sit here,¡± Erebus remarked. ¡°I have no friends, you¡¯ll have to excuse my lack of social awareness,¡± Xaltiq said painful words easily and sipped on his tea, instantly blending in the with three. Erebus¡¯ hand clamped down on Xaltiq¡¯s shoulder, emotion burning brightly in his eyes. ¡°Comrade!¡± he said firmly. Xaltiq returned Erebus¡¯ gesture. ¡°Comrade.¡± Erebus¡¯ eyes continued to shine. ¡°We can become each other¡¯s friends! Yes, from today on, we¡¯re friends.¡± ¡°Uu... Erebus doesn¡¯t consider me to be my friend, Vyne, what should I do~¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consider you to be a friend either,¡± came Vyne¡¯s swift response. Tear was taken out with a one-two finish! She coughed up blood and clutched her heart. Xaltiq smiled. ¡°You¡¯re new here, right? Ask me anything and I¡¯ll give you information, as the president, I know a lot about this school and its people.¡± Xaltiq thumped his chest proudly. Erebus¡¯ ears perked up. ¡°You¡¯re right, as a new student, I know nothing. It¡¯d be so useful if Senior helped me out by telling me about things so I wouldn¡¯t be ignorant~¡± Xaltiq, in Erebus¡¯ eyes, had transformed into a treasure trove. ¡°Fufu, it¡¯s fine if you rely on me, my darling!¡± ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be counting on you then.¡± Xaltiq smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll have to wait until later, though, I¡¯m busy today, I¡¯m the commander for the Myth senior class. Here, I¡¯ll give you this to contact me.¡± Xaltiq fished out a small medallion from his pocket. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll be taking my leave. Hopefully, we can see each other soon.¡± The student council president smiled and then walked off, his two guards seemed to materialize out of thin air and followed him as he headed towards the main school building. ¡°What a dangerous kid,¡± Erebus sighed. ¡°Vyne, that brat could probably give you a run for your money, actually, he might even defeat you once or twice. From the looks of it, he wasn¡¯t touched by the transmutations, but the two behind him were both resurrected. Their auras were repulsive.¡± Vyne frowned. ¡°And he¡¯s a human?¡± ¡°From the looks of it, he¡¯s a bona fide human. He has immense skill and talent, ah, I want him to join my castle, too...¡± Tear twisted her face, not pleased by the thought of someone else to compete with for Lord Erebus¡¯ attention. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not worth much.¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Tear, he¡¯d wipe the floor with you,¡± Erebus said. ¡°The only reason Vyne has a fighting chance against Xaltiq is because of his illusion magic.¡± Tear¡¯s face flamed with embarrassment. ¡°Do you think the other members of the Myth class for seniors are on his level?¡± ¡°I doubt it. That kid probably stands alone at the top. Mm~ I¡¯m sure of it. Those two guarding him were also in Myth class but his strength was far beyond theirs, it was almost embarrassing.¡± Tear pouted. ¡°Do you think he could fight against Magnus and Stone as equals?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think his strength would take him that far, but, he¡¯d probably put up a fight before he was defeated.¡± Tear paled. ¡°To think there would be a human with such monstrous strength, I¡¯d also like to recruit him to our side before he belongs entirely to the humans... he could become a great power for them.¡± ¡°Indeed, Vyne, I want you to investigate more about Xal, he may not be synthetically enhanced like the others, but his existence is still worrisome. I feel as if he¡¯s connected to my mission somehow,¡± Erebus said, placing down his tea. Vyne nodded his head. ¡°I will find out as much as I can about him.¡± The earth began to rumble and an alarm blared, signifying the end of the junior''s battle simulation. ¡°When the seniors fight, Tear, you¡¯re going to record the Myth class, specifically Xal using a familiar that I¡¯ll be giving you. I will be casting transformation magic on myself and creating some interference, I want to see the extent of the transmuted student¡¯s power along with Xal¡¯s. Vyne, it¡¯ll be your job to make sure any officials don¡¯t get through, kill them if you must, they¡¯re irrelevant. Actually, kill at least two, I want to collect their bodies as samples and send them to Mira, ah, wait, her name¡¯s Mae now.¡± Vyne squinted his eyes. ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee that they¡¯ll be enchanted still...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll see, you¡¯ll see~¡± Erebus sipped on his tea while speaking like an old sage. ¡°The chances that they will have some minor tests done on them are high enough for me to do this. Even if not, I want to see the effects of the polluted mana on their bodies since they should have been exposed to it for long enough.¡± ¡°Should I assist with the experiments?¡± Erebus shook his head. ¡°She should be fine on her own.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Contact the stable head and tell him to send out a Sleipnir along with Dark Mist to take the two corpses, I want them here by tonight out some distance from the school. Vyne, you¡¯ll deliver the bodies to Dark Mist and he will take them back to Mae at the castle. Ah, and tell Dark Mist to bring two doppelgangers, too.¡± ¡°I will do so immediately.¡± Vyne didn¡¯t understand why the doppelgangers were needed, but he didn¡¯t question his master¡¯s orders. ¡°What about me, Lord Erebus?¡± Tear piped up, her cheeks still slightly red and puffed out. Tear, when you do that, you really look like a spoiled brat~ Erebus sighed. ¡°Bind this familiar to you, hide in your room, go quick.¡± He handed her the drawing of a raven and Tear took it in her hand. She said her goodbyes and made her way to the girl¡¯s dorm room. Vyne said to Erebus, ¡°I contacted the stable head, he said he¡¯ll send Dark Mist on his way.¡± ¡°Hide the bodies with your magic after you kill them, if they¡¯re discovered, I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Erebus commanded Vyne, his threat was not empty. He would seriously end Vyne¡¯s life. To Erebus, this mission was far more important than Tear¡¯s or Vyne¡¯s life and safety, so, the failure of it would mean the termination of their existence. Vyne, who was used to Erebus¡¯ line of thinking, simply bowed his head slightly. If they weren¡¯t in public, Vyne would¡¯ve stood up and bowed until his body was perfectly parallel to the earth. ¡°Good, good. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± Erebus stood up and disappeared, if anyone had actually been watching them, they would have instantly known something was off. But alas, there were hardly any students in the humungous courtyard, and the ones that were there were paying no attention to Erebus and his subordinates. Vyne also stood up. ¡°It¡¯s time for me to do some serious work,¡± he muttered. Vyne hadn¡¯t been able to kill anyone for a while except for his experiments, so, the thought of being able to go wild was stimulating. ¡°I¡¯ll have some fun... Lord Erebus didn¡¯t say their bodies had to be completely intact.¡± ... Xal stood with his back straight and his handsome face no longer displayed the carefree smile, but instead, it was befitting that of a commander ready to lead his soldiers into war. He had changed out of his normal school robes and was wearing a black version of the uniform Erebus had been wearing this morning. The rest of the Myth class students were also wearing that, there were only fifteen of them, but all of them had gone through this simulation plus others multiple times. They also had actual combat experience, so they weren¡¯t like the untrained freshman. The conditions for the seniors were also different, for the three lower classes, the weapons had been blunted, but in this, all of the weapons were sharp and were capable of slicing through bodies like nothing. Of course, killing still wasn¡¯t allowed, but the injuries the students received in the senior simulation were far greater than those from the others. It wasn¡¯t unusual to see students being carried away missing all of their limbs or close to bleeding out and at death¡¯s door. For the Myth class this year, they had divided up into three squadrons containing five students each. Xal was the overarching leader and also in charge of the main attack group, which was composed of the ¡°elites of the elite¡± so to speak. Unlike the freshman, the air for the senior simulation was full of bloodlust, so much so that it felt as if this was an actual war and not a training battle for students at a school. S2 Chapter Ten: Senior Myth Class Heads Out! Xal drew out a beautiful katana that had been created by the master¡¯s of the forge. Its sharpness was incredible and it was his family''s heirloom. The handle and guard were both golden while the blade itself was so white that it shimmered in the sunlight. ¡°My fellow students, today, we cannot afford to taste defeat,¡± he cried out. ¡°It is our last year, and we have never felt the shame of loss yet and we shall not feel it now!¡± His classmates roared in agreement. The siren blared as if it was in agreement too. The students of the Myth class all disappeared from their base, charging forth to claim their victory. Xal¡¯s group was composed of the two females that had been guarding him and then two men who were also in the student council. Anyone who saw their team would know that they had lost without a doubt in the world, Xal¡¯s squad could be dubbed ¡°Hope Crushers¡±. Honestly, Xal wasn¡¯t that worried about them not winning this time around. Ever since their freshman year, they had fought against the other classes and won each time, and since it was impossible to have transfers to the sophomore class and up, meaning these were all the same people from the past years. Sure, they had improved, but Xal had improved too. It wasn¡¯t as if Xal was incredibly arrogant, it was just the truth of the situation. The senior Myth class continued to be the undisputed best of Opinum this century if they lost, that would be far more surprising than their win. Xal¡¯s group began to move through the forest, they moved at such a leisurely pace that if there was a passerby, they would have thought the squad was simply out on a stroll and not hunting for opponents to face. ¡°Boss,¡± one of the male team members said, wearing a lopsided grin. ¡°I heard from Xena and Yarah that you met the freshman transfers that single-handedly wiped out the rest of the classes.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t single-handedly, the other members of the freshman Myth class were there, too,¡± a boy with hair that strongly resembled a peach in both color and shape corrected Goofy, I mean, the man who had spoken before, Goofy¡¯s name was Mark. ¡°Same concept, same concept,¡± he laughed. ¡°My team is so unfocused,¡± Xal lamented. ¡°Xena, listen to them, they¡¯re having such a normal conversation during our battle simulation.¡± Xena nodded her head in agreement, but didn¡¯t add anything more to the subject, so, eventually, a silence settled over the quintet as they continued their hunt. ¡°Stay on watch, we¡¯re far enough from base now that the chances of sneak attacks are extremely high. Especially that crafty leader of King class, he always pulls something out of his ass,¡± Xal told his team members. Everyone nodded their heads in understanding, they straightened up their postures and began to survey their surroundings carefully. The ¡°Hope Crushers¡± weren¡¯t omnipotent, so, if they were taken by surprise or overwhelmed, it was possible for the other classes to win against them. For example, the freshman¡¯s had been completely unprepared for a large-scale attack against them, and they would have lost if it wasn¡¯t for the three transfer students that had saved them. It wouldn¡¯t be the smartest idea to use this tactic again, but it was still a strategy that couldn¡¯t really be stopped. If all the teams formed an alliance against the Myth class, specifically Xal¡¯s squad, the alliance could force them onto their knees. ¡°I feel as if someone is watching us,¡± Gus (peach) said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s one of the other team¡¯s scouts?¡± ¡°Who knows, but I feel it, too,¡± Xal responded. ¡°Whoever they are they don''t seem to want to fight, so it might be a scout for the other team, should we take them out?¡± he whispered the last part so only those around him could hear. His teammates nodded. ¡°All right, Yarah and Gus, deal with the scout, the rest of us are going to run ahead and try to take out the King¡¯s base.¡± Yarah and Gus both agreed and ran in the direction of the stare while the other three began to sprint to the King¡¯s base location. In the senior¡¯s version, the bases were of far more importance than the other¡¯s so whoever claimed the base typically got the win. Most classes would have those with the highest defense protecting the base and the highest offense sent to capture the base. Both jobs were of pivotal importance because if your base was taken you instantly lost the game, and if you simply had everyone guard the base without gaining any points, you would also lose the game. It was possible for you to reclaim your base, and your team would receive just as many points as if you had gotten a base. Many people had tried to cheat the system by working together to take over, reclaim multiple times in order to gain points, so because of that, it was only possible to take your base back once. And for the conquerors, they could only claim the same base once. Still, it was a nice cheat when it lasted. Anyway, Gus and Yarah finally arrived at where they felt the watcher was located. They looked around in confusion, they could still feel the gaze, but nobody was there. ¡°I¡¯m right here, children,¡± a woman said in an airy voice as sweet as honey. Gus thought that with a voice like that, she could easily swindle anyone. It was the type of voice that could make someone hand over their wallet without really understanding why they did it themselves. In short, it was hypnotizing. It made Gus feel as if the person watching them was very, very dangerous. He didn¡¯t think anyone who sounded like that could only have innocent intentions. Yarah pointed upwards. ¡°There.¡± Indeed, there a woman sat on a thick branch with her long, silken locks of silvery hair blowing in the wind so the strands almost resembled tendrils reaching out to them. Her face was covered by a delicately painted kitsune mask, the only reason they knew for sure that she was a woman was because of her shapely body and beguiling voice. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll treat you nicely, okay?¡± she told them as she leaped from the high up tree branch. She landed gracefully on her feet and her hair slowly fell around her as if it was its own being following its own gravity. Both Yarah and Gus knew that she was hostile, she didn¡¯t emit any type of killing intent, but for some reason, they found themselves afraid of this mask-wearing woman. Gus pulled his crossbow from off his back and loaded it with an arrow which he then enchanted with his special type of magic that would cause the arrow to explode upon impact. The sheer amount of burst power that Gus had was strong enough to crack even the strongest of shields. ¡°Yarah, I¡¯ll keep her distracted, you go in for the kill,¡± Gus whispered so quietly it was hard for the girl standing next to him to hear. She still nodded her head and prepared herself to advance. Gus released the arrow and it speed towards their enemy, the wind seemed to roar as the arrow cut through it. Just as the arrow approached her, the woman grabbed the arrow and it exploded in her hand, but she was completely unharmed. Gus swore inwardly, what the hell was that? Dodging the arrow was one thing, but grabbing it was just cheating! Gus loaded his crossbow with another arrow and tried again, this time, Yarah also went in for the attack, so he was fairly confident that the woman couldn¡¯t deal with it as easily as last time. Except, she did. She sidestepped the arrow and grabbed Yarah by the scruff of her neck and hurled the young girl into the trunk of a nearby tree. ¡°If you attack me so straightforwardly, I¡¯ll get embarrassed~¡± The woman covered her masked face with her hands as if saying that made her even more shy. ¡°Just kidding. I¡¯m only playing with you guys for a little bit because I have to head over to the King class¡¯ base so I can play another game with Xaltiq.¡± She seemed to be smiling under her mask, Gus felt as if she was smirking at them. ¡°Now, come at me seriously.¡± Gus raised his crossbow once more, anger welling up inside of him. How dare she look down upon him! He¡¯d show her the true power of the Myth class¡¯ archer! Without another word, another arrow was sent whistling through the air. Fox laughed. The youths nowadays were so interesting! ... Approximately ten minutes after they had left Yarah and Gus (they took so long because they had to deal with other classes attacking them) Xal and his teammates arrived at the King¡¯s base, and they discovered something very shocking. The entirety of the defending squad of the King¡¯s base had been wiped out, their bodies were all piled on top of each other and serving as a footrest for the woman seated on top of the pillar that acted as the base. There was a slot for the students to slide a card and that would signify their capture of the base. The woman seated on the base was wearing a kitsune mask, it was the same person that Gus and Yarah had encountered, even though the three who had just arrived were unaware. She was rather regal, it was in her posture. Her chin was tilted up slightly and her back was ramrod straight, along with the graceful slope of her neck to her shoulders, she could as well have been a queen of some foreign country. ¡°I finished just in time, Xaltiq and his team just arrived,¡± she said. Xal had a bad feeling about her, he felt as if she was the embodiment of absolute power. He turned to Xena and Mark and said in a low voice, "You two need to get out of here. Now." Even if he didn''t survive, these two didn''t deserve to die needlessly. Xena furrowed her brow. "What? We''ll help you out in fighting her. She''s wearing the same outfit as us, but she isn''t wearing a crest, I think she''s an invader. It''s our job to get rid of her." "I''m on her side," Mark added. ¡°Run, dammit!¡± Xal shouted as his teammates, he couldn''t deal with this right now. ¡°You¡¯re going to be in my way if you stay here.¡± ¡°But...¡± Xena stepped forward, a helpless and lost expression on her face, she didn''t understand why he was yelling at them. What had she done wrong? Xal whipped around and pointed his sword at her. ¡°Run and find Gus and Yarah or I swear I will cut you two down myself.¡± Mark, seeing that Xal was not at all joking, grabbed Xena¡¯s trembling shoulder. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± He dragged her away, pulling her far from the danger that was in front of them. The kitsune mask-wearing woman chuckled. ¡°Are you finished?¡± she asked, swinging her feet back and forth as if she was a child waiting at the dinner table for food. Xal tightened his grasp on his katana. ¡°Yes, thank you for waiting, ah... I don¡¯t know your name. Is it all right if I call you Fox?¡± He was calmer now that the other two were gone. She tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s no problem and whatever you call me is fine.¡± ¡°Then, I will be your opponent today, Fox.¡± ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t know your name either,¡± Fox said even though she was clearly lying since she referred to him as Xaltiq earlier. ¡°How about I call you ¡®boy¡¯?¡± Fox didn¡¯t even bother fixing her condescending tone. Xal then shook his head. Why would she? From what he could tell, she had the strength to back up her arrogance. He strengthened his resolve and readied his beautiful katana. S2 Chapter Eleven: Fox and Xal Xal shot towards Fox, swinging his sword expertly with all of the intent to kill. Fox whistled in appreciation, it was rare that you¡¯d find a high-school boy who was ready to kill. She knew within that very moment that he¡¯d taken someone¡¯s life before. It only made Xal even more interesting in her eyes. Under what circumstances did he have to kill? Who did he kill? How many times has he murdered? She thought of such things as she flawlessly avoided every single one of Xal¡¯s rapid attacks. Fox hadn¡¯t tried to counterattack at all, she just danced out of the way of his sword and seemed to be enjoying herself. Xal was growing agitated by her lackadaisical attitude. To him, this was a serious fight to the death, but Fox was acting as if this was a sparring match between two friendlies. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to dodge forever, so I¡¯m not really sure what your intent is,¡± Xal grunted. Fox stopped moving. ¡°Trust me, if I felt like it, by the time I stopped dodging you would have died of old age.¡± She took one of Xal¡¯s attacks full-on, but if did nothing except for cut through the uniform she wore. Within a matter of milliseconds, however, that tear patched itself together as if nothing had ever happened. Xal gritted his teeth. ¡°Did you use body fortification? I¡¯ve never seen a body that was uninjured by my blade.¡± The woman shook her head. ¡°Nope.¡± She pulled out a dagger from her belt and swung at Xal, who, in turn, raised his sword to block the attack that seemingly had no force put into it. Much to his surprise, when the two blades collided, a huge blast of power surged throughout, creating a strong gust of wind that snapped the trunks of trees in two and blew the neatly stacked unconscious bodies of the King class¡¯ defenders far, far away. Xal could feel his arm shaking even after Fox pulled away her blade. He was glad he took his own personal blade instead of the school-issued one because it certainly would have broken with a single strike. He reevaluated his opponent. It wasn¡¯t that she was putting in minimal effort because she didn¡¯t care, but rather, this was how much energy she needed in order to deal with him sufficiently. Xal felt humiliated. He thought that she was either holding back because she was too arrogant and didn¡¯t think he was a worthy opponent, he thought that she was underestimating him. She hadn¡¯t. She had calculated the difference between their strength and acted accordingly. Fox was only using the necessary amount of energy to handle him and nothing more. Was this how his opponents had felt when he had treated them the same way? He could feel his face burning. Fox laughed and the two continued to trade blows, Xal barely having enough strength to completely block her blows, and her adding a little bit more power with each and every swing. His arms were throbbing in pain, he could tell his katana would break if she hit it another time. Still, he couldn¡¯t back down. ¡°Is this a game to you?¡± he found himself asking Fox. She tilted her head, cupping her chin with her right hand as if she was pondering this. ¡°Mm, I wonder. Is this a game to you? Are you having fun?¡± ¡°No, and as for the second question...¡± Was he having fun? He rarely fought people of this level, as frustrating as this was... ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s good then,¡± she said with a laugh. ¡°Too many young people nowadays are so serious and stuck-up.¡± Xal couldn¡¯t help but smile as he thought of his two bodyguards. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. It¡¯s a shame you¡¯re my opponent, we could have become good friends, I think.¡± ¡°Who says we¡¯re opponents?¡± When Xal scrunched his face in confusion, Fox amended her words, ¡°I never attacked you. You came at me first, I¡¯m just defending myself.¡± Xal thought that she was making herself out to be far more innocent than she actually was. ¡°Hey, won¡¯t you join me?¡± Fox asked, spreading her arms out as if she was going to embrace Xal. The young man snorted. ¡°No.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± She shook her head slowly. ¡°Let¡¯s start the test now,¡± Fox said. ¡°Test?¡± Xal questioned, but she didn¡¯t respond. Four, black orbs appeared above her, they then blobbed together and created an even more massive sphere that screamed of death. It slowly began to rise into the air, still sphere made no noise, which was strange since all magic always emitted a faint humming sound. Xal went on guard, not knowing what to expect at all. The ground began to grumble and groan as if a great beast had been awoken. Chunks of the earth rose up into the air and were dissolved into tiny particles as they were pulled closer to the sphere before being devoured by it. He could only watch in amazed horror as the surroundings were pulled inside into the abyss. Everything crumbled before it was sucked in, even the trees and blades of grass. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. When the sphere finally reached its critical mass, it rapidly fell into itself and compacted into a far smaller sphere. A dark purple glow radiated from it along with black lightning crackling without a noise. ¡°Don¡¯t die,¡± was all Fox said the moment that the sphere could no longer hold itself together and exploded in a burst of brilliance. Xal was hit by a surge of mana that he desperately tried to block with his sword, but it was snapped crudely in two. The mana struck him in the heart and his body crumpled to the floor, convulsing violently at the mana overload that could very well kill him. The surge also completely wiped out anything else that had been left standing, it all disintegrated upon impact and was blown away in the wind. It created a strangely beautiful effect that contrasted with Xal, as he was bleeding from every pore and clutching his neck as thick, pulsating veins bulged and seemed to be filled with some black liquid. Xal had lost most of his vision so everything was black with only some splotches that broke through the darkness and revealed a colorless world that was foreign to him. The pain that was scorching through his body was incomparable to anything else he had felt in his entire life. Was this death? In his fading consciousness, he thought this is what death felt like. Unbeknownst to the Xal who had lost his hearing quite some time ago, Fox was clapping. ¡°Good job, good job, you survived. It¡¯s okay to go sleep now.¡± The pain was vanquished and a very much welcomed relief spread throughout Xal¡¯s entire body as he relaxed. His consciousness finally left him and he slept peacefully. ¡°Now then, time to talk to him, he should have completed his job a while ago,¡± Fox said to herself. ... Vyne sat under a patch of sunlight, he wrote in an old, leather-bound book with yellowing pages. His quill scratched against the dry paper as he wrote in a beautiful cursive font. Of course, the words he was writing were less than beautiful, if anything, they were grotesque as they described in a dreadful amount of detail his latest deeds. A beautiful woman appeared next to Vyne, her radiant hair reflecting the sun¡¯s light. She pushed the kitsune mask she wore to the side of her face, revealing her attractive face that could rival Tear¡¯s in terms of appearance. While Tear¡¯s was angelic, this woman had a more elegant and classical beauty that would never grow old. She was the woman dubbed Fox by Xal, and affectionately known to us as Erebus. Vyne stood up from the rather disfigured corpse he sat on, bowing to his master. ¡°You look absolutely captivating as a woman, my lord.¡± Fox¡¯s full lips pulled into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I last used this form.¡± ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve used it before?¡± ¡°Yup, even though I referred to this form as transformation magic, that¡¯s not really what it is. High-tier dragons are capable of shapeshifting, so I¡¯m able to change myself to look any way I want to. When I first met Triton, it was in this form, he tried to make me his, so I had to beat some sense into him~¡± Vyne¡¯s lips curled into a smile, the thought of Triton being beaten to a bloody pulp was somehow refreshing to him. This imaginative (sadistic) man couldn¡¯t help but conjure up the scene of Triton being beaten by Erebus. ¡°How was Xal?¡± he asked about his master¡¯s original purpose for them doing this. ¡°He was interesting without a doubt. It seems like he isn¡¯t able to harness his power to the fullest yet, but he¡¯s well on his way. Right now, he probably can¡¯t defeat you, but he could possibly win against Tear. For a human, he¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°So you were satisfied?¡± Vyne couldn¡¯t help but smile as he heard his master speak so excitedly. ¡°I was, he was able to pass my test. Anyway, I see that you have procured two test subjects? But one of them is still alive...¡± ¡°His strength was far greater than what a human of his skill set should be capable of, so I decided to keep him alive so that you could investigate him, my lord.¡± Fox bent down next the man who was barely alive. ¡°Hmm, I see. Good job, Vyne. They¡¯ve hidden it well, but he has certainly been enchanted. Keep him alive, Mae will benefit greatly from having him to experiment on. Dark Mist should be here soon, so be prepared for his arrival." Vyne nodded his head. ¡°Also, you know those two guards Xal has? I want you to kidnap them and bring them to Dark Mist to take also, have him tell the doppelgangers to transform into these girls, them suddenly going missing could be troublesome for us so we need to cover it up.¡± Vyne¡¯s eyes filled with excitement. ¡°I¡¯d be honored to do so.¡± S2 Chapter Twelve: Dominoes In Place The evening had come and two young, pretty ladies were sitting on the edge of a fountain in the school¡¯s courtyard. Xena and Yarah, those were their names. They had been guarding the student council president ever since he was elected by the student body, under their protection, he had never been injured. That was, until today. They had been shocked, embarrassed, an entire myriad of feelings filled them because of their failure. Yarah, along with Gus, had been easily defeated by the woman called Fox. They had lost so quickly, Yarah was ashamed to even call herself a member of the senior Myth class. She remembered waking up in the infirmary next to Xaltiq, whose entire body was covered in bandages that were stained with blood. Horror had seized her heart and a multitude of thoughts flew through her mind. Maybe if they had been there, perhaps the president wouldn¡¯t have gotten those injuries, maybe he wouldn¡¯t have been put under that stress. Yarah clenched her fist. No, even if they had been there, they would have just been in the way, even worse, they would have been killed. Swiftly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we could have done,¡± Xena told the young girl she considered to be her best friend. ¡°We¡¯re far too weak... even after the experiments, we could never properly protect Xaltiq.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very true,¡± an unfamiliar voice said from behind the girls. ¡°Your strength is hardly enough to qualify you to be worthy opponents of mine. But alas, orders are orders.¡± ¡°What!¡± Xena whipped around, unsheathing the saber that she carried at her side. As a member of the disciplinary committee, she was allowed to be armed on campus at all times. ¡°You are... you¡¯re Vyne? The new freshman.¡± The man smiled, it was such a captivating smile that Xena¡¯s and Farah¡¯s heart both skipped a beat. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s who I am.¡± ¡°What did you mean earlier? Did you hear what we said?¡± Vyne nodded his head. ¡°Mhmm. Indeed, I did. Experiments, how interesting. It would seem that my Lord was right on the mark with his suspicions.¡± Yarah also drew her rapier, she couldn¡¯t allow him to just walk away. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Hah... nothing that you have to worry about. Now,¡¸ Sleep¡¹.¡± Yarah and Xena both hit the ground, their skulls made a sick sound when they cracked against the rock, but Vyne paid it no mind. In the first place, he didn¡¯t care about their lives or their safety. So, when their blood started to leak from the gashes in their foreheads, Vyne simply picked their bodies up and tossed them over his shoulders then used a spell that turned the blood into dust that was blown away in the breeze. He made his way back to where he had the other two bodies and dumped Yarah and Xena with them. Vyne cracked his neck and sent a message for Dark Mist to come to where he was. Within a matter of moments, a horse created from the shadows appeared, it had eight legs that seemed to have a fire lit on them as the black lights flicked back and forth. On top of the shadow horse was a man wearing a dark, crimson robe that completely hid his face in darkness. ¡°Hello, Vyne, long time no see,¡± Dark Mist said while leaping off of the horse. ¡°There are two more people than I was expecting?¡± Vyne nodded his head. ¡°Lord Erebus told me to bring these two girls along also. They¡¯re still alive along with the dark-haired guard, I used¡¸Sleep¡¹ on them, so none of them should be awake by the time you get back to the castle.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Dark Mist pulled out two, small dolls that had absolutely no detail on them or any indication of what gender they¡¯d be. ¡°These are the doppelgangers, they¡¯re tired so they took the forms of some of Lilian¡¯s unfinished dolls.¡± The dolls, incapable of speech, simply turned their heads around as they looked at their surroundings. Vyne pointed to Xena and Yarah. ¡°Transform into them, do a full body transformation so that you may retain all of their information about them.¡± The dolls walked over on their plushy feet and touched one of the girls. Their bodies began to morph and distort, creating a rather gruesome visage as hair sprouted out of their heads and there was the sound of bones cracking and popping. Soon enough, Xena and Yarah stood in front of Vyne. ¡°Our mission is to continue protecting the one named Xaltiq?¡± the doppelgangers spoke in unison. When Vyne nodded, the doppelgangers said,¡°We have finished our scan. All of their memories are now in our mind, we will behave accordingly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Go on then.¡± The doppelgangers nodded and then ran off. ¡°Gah, they¡¯re so creepy,¡± Dark Mist complained. ¡°I rode in silence that entire time, sometimes they¡¯d crawl out of my sack and do strange movements, it was so weird...¡± ¡°Get over it,¡± Vyne said. Dark Mist only pouted his lips as he threw the bodies on top of each other like sacks of grain and then tied them together. ¡°That should be good enough, I¡¯ll deliver them to Mae. I don¡¯t want to go to her room... it stinks.¡± Vyne had no words as he watched Dark Mist climb back onto Sleipnir and disappear into the nighttime. ... Inside a room that reeked of alcohol, like Dark Mist had said, a scantily clad woman was running around, looking inside of beakers and flasks that all contained different types of mana stones and some strange solution she had concocted. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. In her hand, there was a half-empty flask of booze that she would occasionally bring to her lips and take a swig. Needless to say, the woman who deserved the Rays of Modesty to shine across her was Mae. She had completely transformed the bedroom given to her into her own lab. The bedroom now stank of alcohol and the plant she smoked for ¡°inspiration¡±. This scent nearly immobilized anyone who walked in there. It had gotten to the point where no one came to her room unless they absolutely had to. The maids had stopped coming by to clean it ever since one maid got a secondhand hi--strike of inspiration from the pungent substance in Mae¡¯s pipe. Since Mae was used to this scent, she paid it no mind as she continued to bustle around. ¡°I have to have everything prepared for my test subjects~¡± she sung in a scratchy voice. Someone knocked on Mae¡¯s door and she nearly tripped over her feet when she ran to get it. ¡°Who is it, nya?¡± she asked coyly, only cracking the door so she could peek her head through. Her visitor was Dark Mist who was pinching his nose. He spoke to her in a nasal voice, ¡°Lord Erebus had Vyne get the two guards who had indeed been resurrected along with two humans who probably had high exposure to the corrupted mana.¡± ¡°Nyaha all right, bring them in, bring them in, I¡¯ll clear out some space. Yahoo~¡± Mae spun around and began to remove the items haphazardly placed on a long table where her bed used to be. ¡°Nya put the two guards on this and leave the girls by the door, I¡¯ll get to them later.¡± Dark Mist nodded, dragging the bodies to their proper location. ¡°One guard will be waking up soon along with the two girls, are you capable of using¡¸ Sleep¡¹?¡± ¡°Nya, don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s better when they¡¯re conscious when people sleep, their mana processing plummets, you know?¡± ¡°Oh, all right.¡± Dark Mist suddenly remembered Vyne who kept his ¡°patients¡± alive for his own amusement, because of this deep scar in his soul, he looked at Mae apprehensively. ¡°Nya? What are you giving me that look for? I¡¯m going to give them anesthesia, I¡¯m not cruel, nya!¡± Dark Mist wrinkled his pinched nose before turning to leave, the noxious stench was making him feel wrong. Mae waved goodbye to the man before spinning around on her heels and facing her new subjects. ¡°I¡¯ll be gentle,¡± she purred. ¡°Nya, Erebus really knows how to treat a girl by sending her such wonderful specimen!¡± Her clawed hand stroked the corpse¡¯s face as if she was a mother watching her own children sleep. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to cut into you and see what secrets you¡¯ll reveal to me, nya...¡± A sick smile spread across her face, her black eyes glittered with excitement. Mae removed the clothing from the body before proceeding to mark the sections where she was going cut. ¡°Nya, I¡¯ll find out all your dirty little secrets,¡± she whispered, picking up a scalpel. ¡°I¡¯m interested to see what mana stones are doing to your body, nya.¡± Just as she placed her scalpel against his chest, a soft moan sounded, drawing her attention to the golden-haired female known as Xena. ¡°Nya? Did she wake up already? I¡¯m not ready for her yet, nya!¡± Xena¡¯s blurry eyes focused in on the figure of Mae, who was looming over a naked man holding what she thought was a knife. ¡°What are you doing! Step away from him,¡± she shouted, about to jump up. But she found out that her entire body was incapable of movement, she didn¡¯t see ropes on her body, yet, she couldn¡¯t even wiggle her toes. ¡°What...¡± Her heart began to pump wildly as if she just realized what type of situation she was in. At some point in time, Xena had been knocked out, disarmed, and transported to a stinking room. Mae licked her lips to wetten them. ¡°Nya, calm down.¡± Her tail flicked in annoyance. ¡°Nya, you humans are always so dramatic,¡¸Command Magic: Silence ¡¹.¡± Xena¡¯s mouth clamped shut as if it had been stitched that way. ¡°Now then, where was I? Nya, I have to focus all over again.¡± Mae angrily stabbed her scalpel into the wooden table, embedding the blade deeply inside. Her hand was trembling as she attempted to calm down. If there was one thing Mae hated the most in the world, it was being interrupted. The moment her concentration broke, she couldn¡¯t focus again for quite a while. Meaning her precious examination would be delayed. Mae opened her mouth and screeched loudly, digging her nails into her face and stomping her feet. Mae spun around and kicked the wall, her foot easily breaking through the stone and sticking through the other side. ¡°Dammit, dammit, dammit!¡± she shrieked, grasping at her shoulder-length hair and tugging it. Damn that little girl! She was going to treat them both gently, but now that one would have to suffer for disrupting her. Mae had planned on keeping them both alive, but, she only needed one to continue conducting investigations. For the other, she could see what happened when they died again. After a few more minutes of her tantrum, Mae was finally calm, her chest heaving. Once again, a blissful smile crossed her face. ¡°I should get started, Erebus has been so kind enough to give me this many specimens, I have to work hard.¡± She yanked the scalpel out of the wood and pressed it against the chest of the dead man once again. S2 Chapter Thirteen: Its Not Like I Enjoy This Or Anything A somber rain fell on Opinum Academy, painting the world in a dreary gray and monotonous hue. The students quietly made their way to their classrooms, the brightly colored umbrellas were the only light in the early morning. Even the freshman Myth class was painted in that same bleariness, the students silently sat through their lecture. Their excitement for winning their first simulation was outweighed by the fact that two guards had gone missing, the student council president almost died, and the King class¡¯ defenders were also hospitalized with severe injuries. When class ended, the trio of Erebus, Vyne, and Tear left and made their way to the infirmary to visit Xaltiq. They hadn¡¯t been there before, but it was easy to find because of the enormous crowd outside. Of course, Erebus¡¯ group wasn¡¯t waiting, so they pushed through the throngs of students and forcibly made their way to Xal¡¯s room. Erebus didn¡¯t even bother knocking on the door, he strolled right in as if it was his own house. There were others inside of the room, so everyone turned to the ones who had just entered. The doppelgangers of Xena and Yarah were there, along with Gus and Mark then three other people from the senior Myth class. ¡°You are...?¡± Gus asked, surprised by these shameless visitors who didn¡¯t even bother with knocking. ¡°A concerned friend,¡± Erebus answered. The irony was not lost on his two companions. ¡°Ah... is it Erebus, Tear, and Vyne?¡± a tremulous voice asked. ¡°Friends, come over here,¡± Xal said. The trio of concerned friends did as told, and came to Xal¡¯s bedside. His body was still covered in bandages and he was incapable of movement, Xal¡¯s previously healthy complexion had turned a sickly pale color and his cheeks had sunken in. ¡°You look terrible,¡± Erebus remarked, pulling over a chair that no one had been sitting in. Xal let out a scratchy laugh. ¡°Everyone else has been telling me that I looked fine. Could it be that they were all lying?¡± ¡°Yeah, they were, you look like Death,¡± Erebus answered bluntly. Frankly, the only reason he was here was because he wanted to see how his body was holding up or if Xal¡¯s body had started to break down after being forcibly fed mana. The human was doing well for what he had endured, Erebus knew that he was well on his way to recovery and that there wasn¡¯t actually any need for him to be hospitalized still. His body may have been weak, but the moment he got up and started moving around, he would gain back all his previous vigor. Of course, the humans didn¡¯t know what had happened to Xal, so they were trying to help him recuperate in the way they knew best: bedrest. Xena frowned in disdain, her eyes narrowed at Erebus. The dragon looked up at the doppelganger, his eyes gleaming with humor. ¡°I¡¯ll stop, I¡¯ll stop. We just came to check on you.¡± Just then, a voice entered Erebus¡¯ mind, it was Dissolve. Erebus, due to yesterday¡¯s events, the Board that runs this school is having an emergency meeting. All of the important leaders will be there. Shall we pay them a visit? We can¡¯t allow this moment to pass. Of course we will. Erebus smiled at Xal. ¡°I just remembered, I have something to attend to. If you¡¯ll excuse us,¡± he said while bowing his head slightly. The trio left just as quickly as they came. Vyne and Tear didn¡¯t know what was going on, but their master¡¯s orders were absolute, so they followed him without any hesitation. ¡°May I ask,¡± Tear said when they were a safe distance from the mob. ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± ¡°It would seem the school board is having a meeting today. Vyne, Dissolve, and I will be greeting them. Tear, you are to recruit Wolf and Xal to our side, their strength interests me so I want them.¡± ¡°Wolf, I can do, but it may be difficult to isolate Xal, the ones with him seem to have no intention of leaving.¡± ¡°You¡¯re permitted to kill the others, Xena and Yarah will help you since they¡¯re doppelgangers who have sworn their loyalty to us. If they decline, end their lives, I¡¯ll have no further use for them. You may disclose my true identity since that¡¯ll certainly sway them.¡± Tear curtsied. ¡°As you wish. I will start with Wolf.¡± The beautiful woman made her exit. ¡°Lord Erebus, if I may inquire once again, who is Dissolve?¡± ¡°Ah, he¡¯s the tenth seat.¡± Vyne¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Of the Dragon Council?¡± ¡°Mm.¡± As Vyne recalled the less than remarkable teacher of theirs, a vein bulged on his forehead. Was that man immeasurably powerful? The one who looked ready to fall over if the wind blew even just a little bit? That man? ¡°Aha, is that so? That makes sense, fufu, I thought that he was certainly strange.¡± ¡°Eh? Vyne was able to detect Dissolve¡¯s strength even with him hiding it so well? I¡¯m proud of you,¡± Erebus said cheerfully. Instantly, Vyne felt bad about lying. He had simply been trying to fix the blow to his ego, but Erebus believed him so quickly! They had a lot of faith in their master, but he placed a large (if not equal to) amount in them, too. Vyne wanted to prostrate on the floor and apologize to his master one trillion times. Or perhaps he should cut off his own tongue so that he could never utter another lie to his master. As much as he wanted to spew out his guts, he couldn¡¯t bear his master¡¯s look of disappointment either! So, Vyne clutched his heart, which throbbed in immense pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Vyne sobbed, his voice cracking. ¡°About what?¡± Erebus tilted his head in confusion. He scratched his head and then shrugged. He didn¡¯t really care, so he moved on. ... A single wolfman sat on a bench, he faced the setting sun, but his eyes were closed as he basked in the warmth. Yesterday¡¯s events were still fresh in his mind, he could vividly remember the bitterness he felt. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Weak. He was weak. Wolf clenched his hairy hands into a fist. ¡°Damn,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± an angelic voice asked him. Wolf¡¯s eyes opened, he surprised that he hadn¡¯t noticed someone approach him. There stood a divine woman with the sun radiating around her figure, surrounding her in a golden glow that Wolf wondered for a second if she was an angel. She pushed a lock of her pale hair behind her ear as she smiled at Wolf. ¡°Tear?¡± he said once he finally regained his bearings. Opening his eyes to a sight like that wasn¡¯t good for his heart. ¡°Uh, hello.¡± She giggled, ¡°Hello.¡± She gestured to the seat next to him. ¡°May I sit?¡± He answered by scooting aside and allowing space for her small body. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°What brings you here?¡± he asked her. ¡°I have an offer for you, ¡®kay?¡± In that moment, a terrible sense of dread filled his body. Wolf could only turn his head to stare at Tear, her previously tranquil aura had turned into a terrifying one full with the desire to kill. ¡°Swear your allegiance to our Lord Erebus, and I¡¯ll let you live.¡± A wicked sneer spread across her face, morphing her previously gorgeous features into something befitting of a demented creature. ¡°What...¡± Her hands wrapped around his beefy neck. Wolf could feel her exerting a horrific amount of strength that he didn¡¯t think her frail arms were capable of on his neck. Tear spoke with her voice full of malice, ¡°Swear it. This is the chance of a lifetime for you, a maggot such as yourself has been offered a life of eternal servitude to our Lord Erebus. Come on now, this is the best you¡¯ll ever be able to achieve in your life... Wait, I¡¯ll kill you if you say no. I think your choice should be obvious.¡± ¡°I-I understand. I¡¯ll swear my loyalty to... Lord Erebus.¡± She released him. ¡°Good decision. Follow me, we have more work to do.¡± Wolf nodded his head and scrambled after her as they made their way to the infirmary. ¡°What are we doing here?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± He clamped his mouth shut. The crowd from not too long ago had basically thinned out, so they didn¡¯t have to fight their way through and quickly arrived at the door to Xal¡¯s room. Tear, no longer caring about appearances, kicked open the door and burst into the room. ¡°What the? What is with all the rude people in this school,¡± Mark shouted, walking over to Tear. ¡°There¡¯s a sick ma--¡± In a beautiful arc, a head was sent flying. The blood sprayed onto the faces of Tear and Wolf, the latter cowered in fear. His ears pressed against his head and his tail flicked between his legs, he was incredibly happy that he had agreed to Tear or else his death would have been as swift as that. ¡°Shut up, piece of shit. I don¡¯t want to hear the words from your filthy mouth, I feel as if I¡¯m violated just by listening to you speak.¡± She walked over and slammed her foot on the head, effectively crushing it. ¡°Disgusting, how repulsive.¡± She turned to the two doppelgangers. ¡°Kill them all except for Xal.¡± She reverted into the true self she kept hidden very well from Erebus. Everyone who had been frozen in shock finally jumped into action, but they were too late. Tear¡¯s hands were like two blades and she sliced Gus cleanly in half. Xena and Yarah had torn one of the visitors from the Myth class into pieces like a pair of savage dogs. Tear shot forward and easily killed off the last two remaining members with a few swings of her hands. The joy she gained from murdering humans was palpable in the air, she was in a state of delirium already. She was going to burst, ah! Tear clenched her legs together, trying to rein herself in. It was too much, she was overflowing, their despair filled her with ecstasy! Tear exhaled, calming herself down before she exploded. ¡°Eat your fill, you did well,¡± her hands were shaking, but she managed to speak evenly to the doppelgangers. The creatures wasted no time and began tearing off chunks of meat from the blonde they had killed and shoved it into their mouths, eating like ravenous, uncultured monsters. They would occasionally stop chewing and grin at each other, revealing their sharp and bloody teeth. Wolf was overwhelmed by the thick scent of blood, along with the gruesome sight of the doppelgangers crude and unclean eating. He doubled over and hurled on the tile, his vomit only added another putrid element to the air. His vision was murky as he beheld the gore spread out before him, within a matter of seconds, the room was painted in red and decorated by the body parts of young students. Even he couldn¡¯t stand unfazed by this, he, who had killed before. He, who had stood on the battlefield, it may have been simulated, but the danger was there. But this... this was too real. What had they done to die like that? Uncaring of Wolf¡¯s feelings, Tear strolled over to Xal who had been sleeping but awoke during the commotion. He was in a bewildered state as Tear approached. What had just happened? All he could do was watch. She dragged a bloodied chair over and plopped down in it, crossing her legs and smiling as if she wasn¡¯t drenched in bright, crimson liquid from head to toe. The sunlight shone through the window, illuminating her heavenly body. Xal realized that a barbarous, if not demonic, being that disguised itself as an angel sat before him. ¡°Now then, Xal... let¡¯s talk,¡± she said, a frenzied look in her eyes as she licked her lips slowly. Leaning forward, she told him, ¡°I have an offer for you, ¡®kay?¡± S2 Chapter Fourteen: Stopping By To Say Hello While Tear was having an impassioned conversation with Xal, three men had broken into the school¡¯s main headquarters and made their way to where the meeting was currently being held. Erebus had put back on his eyepatch and let the streak return to his hair since it was unnecessary to keep it hidden. ¡°I hope Tear is treating them courteously,¡± Erebus remarked suddenly. He had forgotten to tell her to act properly, it would be no good if they joined if they were scared... well, it should be fine, right? Vyne, knowing quite well what she was probably doing, didn¡¯t dare utter a word. ¡°How are we going to deal with these men?¡± Dissolve changed the subject since he didn¡¯t care about Tear or how she was treating the humans at all. To most dragons, humans were on the same level as ants, so if a few of them died, they didn¡¯t bat an eye. ¡°Ah, let¡¯s get the truth with them and then we¡¯ll kill them,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°Mae talked to me a while ago and said that she¡¯s almost finished with her research, so she should be reporting to me within the hour. Let¡¯s get this over with quickly so I won¡¯t be busy when she contacts me.¡± Vyne chuckled. ¡°Should I draw the information from them?¡± ¡°We only need one of them to confess, there should be a weak-willed person who will give us what we need if we give them some prodding,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°Most humans are innately cowards and only care for themselves, so it shouldn¡¯t be that hard.¡± ¡°I agree, I agree.¡± The trio of men arrived at a grand set of double-doors made out of a high-quality wood and had a knocker made out of pure gold. It was as if the door was made in order to fully explain their wealth. Sadly, the three that beheld the door had seen much finer things in their lifetime, and thus marked it off as a ¡°normal¡± door, not worthy of any attention. Erebus opened the door and the three walked inside of the meeting room which barely had any lighting. The moment the door closed, the sunlight from outside was blocked off and everything was left in darkness with only the amber hues from the torches illuminating the room. ¡°Hello, gentlemen,¡± Vyne spoke as he stepped forward. He didn¡¯t deem the seven men that were congregated around a roundtable to be worthy of his master¡¯s greetings. ¡°Oh no,¡± a single man wailed. ¡°Not again,¡± he sobbed. ¡°Why is it always me?¡± It was none other than King Rupert, the man who, whenever he met Erebus, misfortune fell upon! ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Rupert!¡± Erebus said joyfully. ¡°Since we¡¯re friends, he¡¯ll tell me everything.¡± Rupert had an expression on his face that clearly indicated that he didn¡¯t think they were friends, nevertheless, Erebus walked over and threw his arm around Rupert¡¯s shoulder. Those watching could only gasp in surprise. First, this child was referring to the King of Milon without his title, and now he touched him so nonchalantly! Where were the guards? Hey, guys, those guards had been wiped out rather quickly. They didn¡¯t even put up much of a fight, you know? Maybe your standards are too low. Or maybe their opponent''s specs were too high. ¡°W-what is it?¡± Rupert stammered, feeling a cold sweat form on his forehead. ¡°Tell me... what do you know about the¡¸ Magma Heart¡¹? What have you stupid humans been doing?¡± Erebus¡¯ tone changed and his aura began to leak out, filling the weak man with even greater fear. ¡°I... don¡¯t know what...¡± Erebus¡¯ hand clamped around Rupert¡¯s throat. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Rupert.¡± The king spluttered and coughed as he desperately tries to breathe, his ruddy face turning a vivid red color and veins bulging. "I''m sorry, I''ll tell the truth!" he squealed. Erebus released Rupert and stroked his head as if he was a child. "See? Was that so hard?" Rupert shook his head, collapsing to the ground. "Good, now tel--" "Rupert? What are you doing! I don''t know who these men are but do not say an--" In a flash, the outraged man who had spoken out was cleaved in half. Vyne had used his wind magic to kill the one who dare disrupt his master, he smiled serenely, but it was clearly was warning to anyone else who would try to speak out. Poor King Rupert was shaking, in fact, the smell of urine and feces filled the air. Erebus took a step back, then a couple more as a liquid moved towards him. ¡°That¡¯s...¡± he started to speak then paused. ¡°Wow, okay.¡± He looked around, everywhere but Rupert¡¯s face. ¡°Um, all right. So... about that¡¸ Magma Heart¡¹.¡± Rupert didn¡¯t hesitate for another moment to spill everything to Erebus, ¡°W-we used the ¡¸ Magma Heart¡¹to conduct experiments on the human body, incidentally, we found out another way of resurrection through this. We¡¯ve also been using it to enhance their bodies with and without the resurrection, the ones who died and reborn were stronger than those who didn¡¯t. It¡¯s true that it was the combined aim of Dyora, Milon, and Halagenia to build up an undefeatable army to conquer the Lower Continent! I¡¯m sorry, O Supreme One! We are worms who deserve to be squashed.¡± ¡°Exactly my thoughts,¡± Erebus said. He clapped his hands together. ¡°Who wants to die first?¡± Erebus! My darling, I have finished. Mae¡¯s voice cut into Erebus¡¯ mind and he groaned inwardly. ¡°Dissolve, can you handle this? Vyne, we¡¯re going.¡± Erebus walked out without another word and Vyne followed behind him. They left Dissolve behind alone with six men and one corpse. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Dissolve sighed. ¡°I have no desire to draw this out either...¡± Accompanied by his words, six magic circles appeared under the feet of the men. Within a second, the skin on the men¡¯s body began to peel and fall off along with the muscle, then the bone, and their innards. The parts fell onto the ground and the moment they touched the magic circle, they were melted into a liquid with a thick consistency. With that, he turned on his heels and went to meet up with Erebus and Vyne. ... When Mae had finished dismembering Xena¡¯s body in order to fully explore the effects of the transmutation, she had called Erebus immediately. According to her, since the soul hadn¡¯t been completely dispersed during the resurrection, they were able to call it back partially. But, it was still a tumultuous existence that couldn¡¯t live stably, so, it underwent the process of dying and being brought back multiple times. Each time that occurred, the host would lose some of its memories. The effect of this process on the body, however, was not slight. The body was experiencing rapid deterioration, and their lifespans could at maximum reach one year before they¡¯d essentially fall apart. If they used their power, the lifespan was shortened even more. And, for Erebus¡¯ thoughts on how it affected the preexisting mana channels, he was correct. It corrupted the mana channels and made that unstable also, as seen in the bodies of the guards, their internal mana flow was disrupted from long-term exposure. From that, she could hypothesize that its existence was overall harmful to this planet and could lead to even more atrocious dangers if it continued to stay. And, therefore, needed to be eradicated. Erebus proceeded to relay this information to the Dragon Council, and that¡¯s where we were now. I see... Rolut rumbled. In the background, Lisset could be heard screeching as she let off a stream of words unbefitting of a lady of her status. Dissolve clamped his hands over his ears as if it would make the noise go away. Erebus, Ayirn and I will come to help you in the eradication of the human kingdoms of Milon, Halagenia, and Dyora along with the Opinum Academy. Erebus restrained from laughing. For the old man to come himself, the humans had really messed up. The last time Rolut had left the Dragon Continent was because... ah, nevermind, Erebus didn¡¯t want to remember. And also, for him to say to Ayirn was coming... whew, this was going to be even more entertaining than Erebus had originally thought! We will be there shortly. With that, the connection went silent. Erebus finally started laughing boisterously, eliciting Vyne to raise his eyebrows as he had no idea what was going on. Even Dissolve was displaying emotion on his typically apathetic face, it was an ominous smile that graced his face. I¡¯m even starting to feel a bit sorry for the humans, was all Vyne could think. Me too, Vyne. Me too. ¡°Honey, I¡¯m back!¡± a female screamed from not too far away. Tear appeared out of seemingly nowhere and tackled Erebus, rubbing her face against his cheek. ¡°Ah, I missed you~ I got them for you, praise me! Hurt me! Please.¡± Following close behind were Wolf and Xal, the sickly man was being supported by Wolf, and both of them looked scared. ¡°Teacher?¡± Wolf said, surprised that Dissolve was there, but then, upon seeing the look on Dissolve¡¯s face, he felt even more frightened. Erebus tore the leech (Tear) off of him and stood back up. ¡°Good timing, Tear. Rolut and Ayirn are on their way, they should be here in a few minutes, let¡¯s sit down and wait.¡± Tear didn¡¯t know who they were, so she tilted her head and wore a bemused expression. But, since Erebus sat down, she did so also. As did Vyne and Dissolve, and for the last two, they were afraid, so they sat, too. As Erebus said, within a couple of minutes, a ginormous shadow covered the academy, and without warning, two people fell from the sky. One was an intense man in his forties, with long graying hair and smoldering eyes while the other was a pretty lady in her youth with an inviting smile. ¡°Welcome, welcome,¡± Erebus said while clapping his hands and the others soon followed. ¡°Quit playing games, Erebus. Who are all of these people?¡± Erebus stood up and threw his arm around Rolut¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Well, this is Dissolve...¡± ¡°Boy.¡± Erebus¡¯ easy smile tightened. ¡°My subordinates: Tear of the Moon Goddess and Vyne of Tartarus, Xaltiq the previous student council president, and my classmate, Wolf.¡± ¡°I was not aware of the last two.¡± ¡°Newly recruited.¡± Rolut gave Erebus a burning look that made the younger man feel as if a hole would be bored into the side of his head. ¡°Dissolve, stand. We must properly introduce ourselves.¡± Dissolve stood up and walked over to his dragon kin. ¡°Tenth dragon, Dissolve.¡± ¡°Tear and Vyne already know me, but whatever. I¡¯m the fifth dragon, Erebus.¡± ¡°Fourth dragon, Ayirn. A pleasure to meet you, children.¡± ¡°I am the first dragon, Rolut, and the emperor of the Dragon Continent.¡± Four names that were associated with absolute power and authority rung throughout the air. S2 Chapter Fifteen: Light A Match And Xaltiq had met Seraphim before. In fact, he had Seraphim blood in his veins. In his mind, he was the undisputed strongest power that the humans had. But the amount of power he had was dwarfed instantly by the four standing before him. Their presences could only be described as suffocating and overpowering. Every instinct in his body told him that he should run away. Xaltiq remembered the existence known as Fox, he thought that she was on a level of unattainable strength, but these dragons were even further than that on the scale of power. It was more like they broke that scale. ¡°Now that that¡¯s done, can we get started?¡± Erebus questioned, breaking the stunned silence. ¡°Yes.¡± Rolut flicked his wrist and their surroundings disappeared. It happened so quickly, that Xal¡¯s mind was unable to process what just occurred. One minute, they had been standing in a grassy patch of land, the sun was casting a beautiful light on the eye-catching architecture of the Opinum Academy, the effect was truly mesmerizing. But, within a single moment, everything was gone. Without a trace, the buildings had disappeared, all signs of life were gone. The only thing that proved the existence of the academy was that the small circle of grass that they stood on still was there. The air was already thick with smoke, the ground had turned into a charred black with veins of lava running through it. The sun now illuminated the harsh surroundings in a bright red light. An intense heat radiated off of the lava, making all those with minimal heat resistance start to sweat. Since their bodies were strong enough, they managed to bear the heat even though there was a fissure full of lava right next to them. ¡°No fun! No fun at all, you didn¡¯t hold back at all,¡± Erebus shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. He had wanted to savor the destruction, but Rolut hadn¡¯t even spared a single second to eradicate the academy. The opportunities they got to run around and go wild were few and far between, and Rolut had so carelessly thrown away one of those chances. Why couldn¡¯t he appreciate the art of drawing things out? ¡°There is no point in wasting time,¡± Rolut answered. ¡°Ayirn, scan for any signs of life.¡± She nodded her head, using her bond with nature, she felt out for any traces of life. ¡°None except for us.¡± The life dragon didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of sorrow for all the lives that had been lost, actually, it was speculated that Ayirn was the cruelest out of all the Dragon Council... but that¡¯s a story for another time. ¡°Erebus, make sure that there aren¡¯t any undead lurking here,¡± Rolut ordered. ¡°What am I, your watchdog?¡± Erebus responded indignantly, but he did what was asked of him. ¡°There¡¯s none. You got rid of everything, including my happiness. Are you satisfied?¡± Rolut gave Erebus another burning glare. ¡°Erebus, this is not a game for you to enjoy.¡± Erebus¡¯ own eyes narrowed in annoyance. Everyone noticed the tension in the air grow to an even greater amount, Ayirn decided that it was time for her to step in. ¡°Now, now. There¡¯s no need to get into an argument, you two. Look at where you are.¡± She knew they would not get into a physical alteration. Still, these fools were scaring the children. The two men both threw a glance at the terrified young ones, even Vyne and Tear had looks of fear on their face. Dissolve was used to their bickering, so he stroked Erebus on the head. ¡°There, there...¡± he murmured sleepily. Rolut cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, Erebus¡¯ subordinates, you are to go back to his castle. We will deal with this, there is no need for you to involve yourselves any further.¡± Tear wanted to protest, but once look at the intimidating dragon shut her up. Ah, how much she wanted to stay with her dear, dear, Lord Erebus... A tragedy. A true tragedy! But there was one man who didn¡¯t quite get the atmosphere still. ¡°I only listen to Lord Erebus¡¯ orders,¡± Vyne piped up. Hey! Vyne, it¡¯s great and all that you have undying loyalty to Erebus, but read the mood, dammit! Rolut raised his eyebrows, it was the first time anyone had spoken back to him since well... Erebus. Now that he thought about it, Erebus was the only person who sassed him. The old dragon wondered why the others never fully voiced their opinions like Erebus did. ¡°Do as he says for now,¡± Erebus said, sounding uncharacteristically tired. It¡¯d be troublesome if Vyne angered Rolut and the man ended up killing his subordinate... Erebus, by unwritten law, wouldn¡¯t be allowed to intervene and would have to watch one of his favorite toys, I mean, servants die. Vyne tightened his fists at his side. ¡°I hear and obey,¡± he gritted out. ¡°We¡¯ll be on our way,¡± Tear said, yanking Xal up roughly from his seated position. Wolf scrambled to his feet when he saw Tear¡¯s hand reaching for him. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Dangerous! He felt as if she¡¯d try to tear off his arms if he let her help him up. ¡°How about I fly you there?¡± Ayirn asked sweetly. ¡°It won¡¯t take me that long, and we¡¯re making you leave, so it¡¯s only fair.¡± Vyne wanted to decline, but honestly, he wasn¡¯t confident in his capabilities to trek through the wasteland Rolut had turned the academy into. Even standing here, the heat it was radiating was damn near unbearable. So, he graciously accepted her offer. ¡°Wonderful. I will be back, go ahead and get started.¡± She clapped her hands together then walked over to where she could transform herself freely without squashing anyone. Within moments, Ayirn¡¯s beautiful dragon form with shimmering emerald green scales appeared. She bowed her massive head down. ¡°Climb on,¡± she said in the dragon tongue which Erebus translated to the others. ¡°Bye, Lord Erebus,¡± Tear screeched tearfully as she was pulled away by Vyne and the four subordinates of Erebus boarded the dragon. With a few flaps of her mighty wings, Ayirn shot off. ¡°Bye, bye...¡± Erebus said softly, waving goodbye to them even though they were already a spot in the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s get started. Erebus, you¡¯ll be handling Milon. Dissolve, Halagenia. I will take care of the final kingdom, Dyora. I was originally intending for Ayirn to handle Dyora, but she is currently dealing with your servants.¡± Dissolve sighed. Why couldn¡¯t his job end already? He only signed up to act as a teacher, and honestly, he hadn¡¯t done much. He heaved out another sigh. Dissolve morphed into his dragon form and lifted into the air, leaving Rolut and Erebus by themselves. ¡°Hah... I actually have to do this properly,¡± Erebus complained, not caring that Rolut heard him. ¡°Of course you will. Did you expect that I would just let you fool around?¡± Rolut questioned Erebus. ¡°Mm. Like I always do.¡± Rolut couldn¡¯t help but let out a short, bark of laughter. ¡°Well, that much is true. You don¡¯t listen to me at all, it¡¯s like my words fall on deaf ears...¡± ¡°No, I hear you, I just chose to ignore it.¡± Rolut would grow angered if anyone else said that, but, Erebus would just laugh it off and do something to piss him off even more... It was similar the one time Rolut told Erebus to stop playing pranks on Triton since it normally leads to great disaster... so Erebus challenged Triton to a duel without either of them holding back their strength and a large chunk of the Main Continent had been completely obliterated. Needless to say, Ayirn had to come to Triton¡¯s rescue. ¡°Whatever,¡± Rolut said. like the other two, he changed into his original form and flew off, leaving the smirking Erebus. Erebus looked up at the dark sky. ¡°Now then, I should get started, right?¡± Unlike the other three, he didn¡¯t transform, but rather stayed in his human form and began walking. ¡°Milon... I had fun in that place, it¡¯s such a shame that I have to destroy that place.¡± Even though he said that Erebus didn¡¯t care about the loss of one of his play toys. There were so many human kingdoms, he knew that he¡¯d be able to find another one to mess around in shortly. That was one thing the humans were good at, after all, being entertainment for him, that is. ¡°I told Rolut that I¡¯d do it seriously, but, I always take my games seriously,¡± Erebus said to himself as he walked across the volatile terrain. ¡°Hmm, how should I do this.¡± The dragon created multiple scenarios in his head that he could carry out. Eh, what was this? The possibilities were endless. ¡°But, how do I make them suffer the most?¡± Then it clicked in Erebus¡¯ mind. Yes, it was that simple! How had he not thought of it sooner? Humans were so easy to torment, it was almost laughable. Rolut wouldn¡¯t mind if Erebus took a little bit longer, right? Ayirn would back Erebus up since she understood why he was doing it. It was payback, okay? Payback! It was Erebus¡¯ vengeance for Rolut ruining the fun that they could have had at the academy. Of course, Erebus wanted the humans to pay for what they had done, so he wasn¡¯t only solely motivated for his own personal gain. He thought of it this way, the humans that had sinned would receive their divine retribution... ...Or something, right? It didn¡¯t matter that much as long as those disgusting beings were wiped from the face of this planet. Ah, he¡¯d also have to give Mae some rewards for her help, he paid her, but she did a superb job within that short amount of time. Maybe he¡¯d get her a dog (hellhound), she said she liked animals. With his mind made, Erebus who thought of everyone, including the members on the Dragon Council to be his pieces in this big game he called the world made his way closer to the bordering villages of the Milon kingdom. S2 Chapter Sixteen: Lets Watch The World Burn Happy Halloween... or is it Spooky Halloween? Honestly, I don''t know. Shouldn''t it be Spooky/Scary Halloween now? Some of these costumes are really gruesome. It isn''t supposed to be happy, but I guess for little kids it''s a happy day. And some adults get to wear sexy costumes, so now it''s Spooky/Happy/Sexy Halloween...I digress. Here''s your treat from me, you better enjoy it. It had been her son¡¯s birthday, he would have been turning seven. He ¡°would have¡± been a lot of things, actually. Such was how the world was. Those who didn¡¯t deserve to die, died. And those who didn¡¯t deserve to live, lived. It was the evening when it had begun, they were sitting in their small cottage, getting ready to have what they considered a feast. Since they were poor, the meal consisted of a plump rabbit she had devoted an entire month¡¯s pay to along with some of her neighbor¡¯s vegetables that they had been kind enough to share. The dirty, skinny and quite sickly mother and the joy and pride of her entire existence sat across from each other. The boy had been born with a physical deformity and mental illness, but she had never cared. This was her child. She¡¯d love him with all she had. The other villagers had more or less scorned the two of them, she was a whore who slept with some soldier who stopped by and he was a retard. That¡¯s what they said, that¡¯s what they called the two. But she didn¡¯t let it affect her, she stood tall and let their words bounce off of her skin. She was stronger than them! She remembered smiling brightly, about to start singing his favorite lullaby to him in her beautiful voice... but he was no longer there. She blinked. Where had he gone? The woman stood up and looked around the single room that they lived in. She checked under the rickety table to see if he was playing a prank on her like he would do sometimes. That¡¯s when she heard the screaming start. She ran outside and instantly wished that she hadn¡¯t. People¡¯s houses were on fire and they were running out, but some people would just vanish in thin air. Just like that, someone¡¯s loved one was gone. Others would start running but then discover that their lower half was missing, they¡¯d fall to the floor and quickly bleed out and their intestines spilled out on the ground. Some people lost heads, other were diced up, all by an unseen and invisible force. The smell of fire and blood permeated the air. The woman didn¡¯t know what to do, all she had wanted was to find her son and when she looked out, this was her world. ¡°What expression will you show me?¡± The woman whipped around, looking up at a young man who was floating in the air, sitting cross-legged and wearing a smug expression. On his lap, her child sat, the young boy was messing with the stranger¡¯s soft hair. He had no injuries, if anything, he was perfectly content as he played with the man¡¯s tresses. The stranger seemed to be paying it no mind, so the child didn¡¯t think anything was wrong. But, she knew that man was the cause of her villages pain, so she asked, ¡°Are you the one doing this?¡± ¡°Yep, are you mad?¡± His crimson eye glowed as he asked this question. She considered his words. ¡°No, not at all. In fact, I might even be a little happy,¡± she told him honestly. It was what they deserved, right? They, who had always talked down upon her and her son were now getting what they deserved. A small piece of her was actually a little bit disappointed... that she hadn¡¯t been the one to kill them all. Of course, such a thing was beyond her strength, but it didn¡¯t mean that she hadn¡¯t longed for it. ¡°Really? You¡¯re a funny one, too, I was expecting you to start screaming like the people in the other villages did.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything, she just continued to look him in the eye as the village was destroyed. ¡°I changed my mind, I won¡¯t kill you two. Do you want to become one of my servants?¡± Erebus, unsurprisingly, found someone else to add to his collection of ¡°interesting things¡±. ¡°Will you discriminate against us?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Will you treat us fairly?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± She shrugged, what did she have to lose? ¡°Okay.¡± Her son appeared next to her with a wave of the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Stay here then, I¡¯ll be back soon., I placed a curse on your son¡¯s heart and it¡¯ll instantly erupt if you leave.¡± The woman clenched her first tightly, she hadn¡¯t thought of running away, but he was smart... she¡¯d easily throw away her life for her son¡¯s survival, but if he was to die, she wouldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°All right.¡± ¡°See you soon, then.¡± He winked his eye and then flew off. Erebus rose into the air, humming under his breath, he had been enjoying himself so far. He¡¯d employed different tactics in the villages he had destroyed so far, and they all worked splendidly. Other than that woman, they all showed good faces. Erebus transformed into his dragon form in order to properly deal with the capital, it¡¯d be more stress on his human body if he used that magic. ¡°Ah, I love this tune,¡± he said as he arrived at the city where he had become a quester. That was fun while it had lasted. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. With his hearing, he was able to hear the distant explosions of the other dragons in the other countries. ¡°Ah, Ayirn¡¯s coming,¡± he noticed her presence approaching his rapidly. Within a few seconds, the kind dragon woman was there. ¡°Hello, Erebus. Rolut told me to help you, he said you were slacking off.¡± Erebus chuckled, well, as a dragon, it sounded like a strange roar. ¡°Absolutely no faith in me. I am absolutely appalled.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you always like to stir up trouble,¡± Ayirn retorted, of course, being the kind dragon that she was, she meant no ill intent when she said this. ¡°¡®I can¡¯t deny it,¡± Erebus remarked. ¡°I¡¯m doing my job properly, you know? Rolut said me to do it quickly, and I am!¡± Ayirn couldn¡¯t argue with that, it wasn¡¯t as if Erebus had been given a specific command on how to do his work. Even if he killed them one by one individually, as long as he did it quickly, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem... It wasn¡¯t a necessarily valid way of thinking, but it was certainly a way to interpret Rolut¡¯s words. And, also, she simply just didn¡¯t care enough to scold Erebus. ¡°Then, do you need my help with anything?¡± Erebus¡¯ eyes glittered. ¡°No, you can go ahead and have some fun. I¡¯ve satisfied my need for entertainment, for now at least.¡± ¡°Ah... but I¡¯m a little rusty, unlike you three men. I mostly focus on healing, I rarely fight.¡± ¡°Ayirn... who are you trying to fool?¡± Erebus asked, his scaled mouth twisted into something that resembled a smile. ¡°I remember very clearly what you took from me and what you took from others.¡± Her eyes narrowed. ¡°What I did was--¡± ¡°In accordance to the previous laws,¡± Erebus finished for her. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not upset. I know that you enjoy this game, maybe even more than I do.¡± ¡°No one can be as extreme as you, Brother Erebus.¡± That was a name she hadn¡¯t called him in a while, it was how they used to refer to each other thousands of years ago before the other races came into existence. She was referring to the old him... ¡°Hey, Ayirn, that was a long time ago, I¡¯m not that bad anymore.¡± Erebus glanced away, clearly indicating that he was still that bad. ¡°Anyway! Are you going to take up my offer or not?¡± ¡°I will, I will,¡± Ayirn sighed the words. ¡°No need for you to get defensive either.¡± ¡°Then, have fun, Sister Ayirn.¡± Erebus flew off, heading back towards the woman and child that he had left... ah, he¡¯d have to transform back into his human form or they might die from shock, humans were sensitive, after all. Ayirn watched Erebus¡¯ retreating figure since he wasn¡¯t in a rush, he was flying at a pace they considered ¡°slow¡±, which of course, wasn¡¯t slow at all. The considerably smaller female dragon shook her head. Even after all those years he still hadn¡¯t forgiven her, well, not that she could blame him for it. She remembered his rage, and as proof of it, there was a scar barely perceptible to the naked eye that ran across her abdomen. But dragons didn¡¯t get scars. They only had them if they created fake ones with their transformations, but this was real. It didn¡¯t heal, wouldn¡¯t heal, so it remained on her flesh as a reminder. But those were stories from the past she preferred not to recall. So, she focused her gaze back onto the task at hand. ¡°Your lives,¡± she told the ones that couldn¡¯t hear her. ¡°Your lives will be sacrificed so the ignorant can finally understand.¡± A magic circle that engulfed the entire capital appeared in the sky, it cast a soft, green light over the city. With her eyes, she was able to see people pointing up at the array with a mixture of awe and fear. ¡°Rejoice,¡± she whispered. ¡°You¡¯ll finally become one with nature.¡± And then, she began. Where the humans had once stood, they morphed into plants, mosses, trees, beautiful yet simplistic in their appearances. It all happened instantaneously. To Ayirn, who loved nature very much so, this was a joyful occasion for her. But did the humans die? The answer was that they didn¡¯t. They retained their sentience, only, they were in a different form. Since what the humans had been transformed into were very much alive, they were still alive, too. Ayirn¡¯s magic could be considered the most merciful out of all of them. Or it could be considered the cruelest. Unlike the others, her magic hadn¡¯t taken their lives, they still got to live... in that aspect, it was merciful. But how did they live? They lived knowing full and well what they used to be, a human. They lived unable to move their bodies on their own accord, they had no eyes, so they were in an abyss of darkness. They had no ears, so the world was silent. Nothing. They felt nothing. The humans who could previously talk, feel, taste, hear, see, now had none of that. Instead, they simply existed. Their human soul was the last thing that they had. Trapped with only memories of who they used to be, and who they could never be again. In that aspect, it was cruel. S2 Chapter Seventeen: In this world, news traveled surprisingly quickly. Or maybe because it was such a large-scale disaster, everyone knew about it by the next day. One kingdom¡¯s capital had been turned into plant life and other parts were covered with gore. Another kingdom had literally been melted. The third kingdom had been swallowed in an ocean of magma. At first, these facts were thought to be bogus by the majority until they found out that the Dragon Council itself had done so... The biggest question was why? This question was quickly answered when the spokesperson of the Dragon Council, Frize, had informed the leaders of sizeable kingdoms that the three had been sentenced to complete eradication because they dabbled in affairs they shouldn¡¯t have. And once again, the power of the Dragon Council was known to be number one. There had only been a small issue back in Legacia, but it was an internal problem, other that that, they had been completely silent. So, the races had started to think that the Dragon Council no longer existed, or at least, had secluded itself from the rest of the world. How incredibly wrong and naive had they been? The Dragon Council only intervened in issues they considered to be dangerous... The other problems they thought they had were trivial to the Council. Two men who knew very well that the Dragon Council was alive and kicking decided to visit a certain dragon¡¯s castle. So, it leads us to our current situation. Erebus, Mae, Yvick, and Triton (human form) were all seated at a table, inside a room that was engulfed in complete silence. The reason it was so silent was because Yvick and Triton didn¡¯t get along... at all. In fact, Erebus was waiting for the moment the two started to fight and ultimately destroyed his castle. It was a staredown. Anyone who entered the room would find it unbelievably tense and quickly make their way out. Erebus wanted to do just that, but if he left them unattended, they¡¯d start to fight. Even though Yvick would commission Triton to make his weapons, Triton would charge him astronomical prices. The only thing Yvick respected about Triton was his blacksmith skills and the only thing Triton cared about that Yvick had was his wallet. Which meant all their meetings were strictly business. But, this meeting was completely unintended, the two of them had the same idea after hearing about what happened. For Triton, he had a messenger who told him about the world¡¯s affairs, so he decided to come. For Yvick, he instantly knew once he heard about it that Erebus was involved. Both of them needed an excuse to get out of their domain and breath some fresh air, and Erebus provided with a great reason to. But! Neither of them had expected to see the man that they loathed there. Triton sat with his back ramrod straight, his short and spiky azure hair matched his intense eyes of the same color, eyes which were focused on Yvick. Mae seemed to be entertained by the situation, so a wicked grin was spread across her plump lips. Upon Tear¡¯s prodding (she didn¡¯t want Lord Erebus to behold the shirtless woman), Mae had outfitted herself in a form-fitting corset and tight leather pants. There wasn¡¯t much of an improvement as her breast were ready to pop out, but Mae refused to wear anything other than this or her loincloth. A naga maid opened the door, in her scaly hands, she held a tray of cups filled with steaming tea that let off a pleasant aroma. She placed the tray on the table and retreated in silence. ¡°Nya...¡± Mae said, reaching for a cup and raising it to her mouth. ¡°How is everyone feeling?¡± Triton frowned. ¡°I feel as if I need to retch.¡± ¡°Likewise,¡± Yvick responded coldly. ¡°Nya! Ain¡¯t that great~¡± Erebus simply sipped his tea, his face painfully blank. ¡°Why have you two come here?¡± he asked, placing his cup down. ¡°Surely, my actions didn¡¯t warrant either of you two to come and visit me. Perhaps you missed me?¡± Triton laughed nervously. If Erebus figured out that he had only come here because he wanted to go to the surface... Flashbacks of horrors that couldn¡¯t be described in Triton¡¯s mind. He clamped his lips tightly shut. ¡°I wished to gain more information on how exactly the humans carried out those transmutations, I¡¯m very interested,¡± Yvick answered without missing a beat. ¡°The thought of something unknown to my stimulates my scholarly desire.¡± ¡°Mm, that... Mae, explain it to them. I have something troublesome to deal with, if you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Erebus said, standing up and leaving without waiting for their approval. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Not like he needed it anyway. ¡°Nya? I wonder what¡¯s going on... Ah, I have to explain to you first.¡± ... Erebus¡¯ footsteps resounded throughout the empty hallways. Tear had contacted him with an urgent message, a group of demons had come to the castle uninvited. Normally, they would be turned away, but the name ¡°Laufeia¡± had been mentioned. The last time he had seen Laufeia was when Azure had fought her quite some time ago. ¡°From what Tear told me, she doesn¡¯t seem to know who I actually am, still, this is going to be annoying. Since Vyne is here, well, he should be cooped up in his laboratory.¡± Erebus pushed open the doors to his throne room. In there, two incredibly beautiful women were facing each other, the sight was absolutely magnificent, but it was lost on Erebus. Of course, the two women were Laufeia and Tear. Laufeia wore a black veil over her face, but from the single horn protruding from her head and her wings paired the elegance she exuded it was obvious who she was. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Erebus didn¡¯t bother with the formalities. The woman¡¯s head turned and she gasped loudly. ¡°You are!¡± ¡°Ah, shut up. I don¡¯t want to hear your dramatics. Answer my question.¡± Laufeia fell to her knees, bowing to Erebus. It seemed that even with the passage of tens of centuries, she still hadn¡¯t forgotten who he was. Not like she ever could forget. ¡°I heard that there was a powerful entity established here, that they had even been given the highest danger ranking... I came to seek their help. I didn¡¯t know that it would be you, forgive my rudeness and ignorance.¡± The pain of having her horn removed had long faded, yet, upon seeing Erebus, it began to throb and hurt once more. All of the shame, the humiliation that she had been put through came flooding back to her in a torrent that she couldn¡¯t stop. Tears burned at her eyes and she tried to force them back, but she couldn¡¯t. She was gracious that she had worn this veil, or else they would¡¯ve seen her pitiful appearance. ¡°And?¡± Erebus asked, sounding bored with the entire ordeal. Laufeia¡¯s lips trembled. ¡°I am being hunted. I was seeking refuge and protection...¡± ¡°And who is hunting you down?¡± ¡°The Four Princes of Hell.¡± Silence enveloped the entire throne room. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Erebus groaned loudly. The Four Princes of Hell belonged to a class ranking of their own. They were far stronger than the Demon Emperors, in fact, their strength could be comparable to high-rank dragons (excluding the Dragon Council), Weryn wouldn¡¯t stand a fighting chance against them at his current level. Basically, the only ones who could be a worthy opponent of the Princes were either the Seraphim or the Dragon Council and other powerful and old dragons. Triton, perhaps, could win against them, seeing as he was just an abnormality by all standards. Yvick, even if he was at his full strength, would inevitably lose to them. But, the Dragon rank humans created only referred to low-rank dragons, which they were far superior to. Similar to the Dragon Council, they had their own classification... Anyway, the Princes typically kept to themselves, they secluded themselves deep within Tartarus. The Princes were Satan, Lucifer, Leviathan, and Belial. All of them had an overwhelming amount of strength and were undoubtedly the oldest and most powerful demons in existence. Laufeia happened to be the wife of Lucifer, they had given birth to offspring... who had, in turn, given birth to Erebus¡¯ subordinate by the name of Vyne. Meaning, Vyne was Laufeia¡¯s and Lucifer¡¯s grandson. According to Laufeia, their son, and Vyne¡¯s father had passed away. There was an entire story that Erebus had zoned out during, but basically, Laufeia had been branded as a traitor since she refused to help avenge their lost son, who had been felled by a trio of Archangels. She said that it would only lead to more death. Lucifer had been outraged, saying that he should have known she was a coward seeing as she only had one horn left because of her weakness. Laufeia said that they were still very much in love, but he was too angered by her currently and had ordered her death. He would calm down when his blind rage faded, but for now, she needed to hide. She finished her story and looked Erebus straight in the eye. ¡°Will you help me?¡± His answer came quickly. ¡°No. Why the hell would I?¡± S2 Chapter Eighteen: Four Princes of Hell Probably won''t be able to update again until this Saturday. Sorry, I''ll be busy. Four men sat on thrones located on the points of a glowing pentagram in the otherwise pitch-black room. The pentagram sparsely lit the room, their faces were hardly visible in the darkness. All of them had an otherworldly beauty and had auras that would fill others with a sense of dread and fear. They represented absolute death. In the north, a man with onyx hair and eyes sat, he was obviously bored. He was picking at his nails as if they were the most interesting thing in this entire world. His appearance could be considered rather mundane and average in comparison to the others there. His name was Belial. To the east, a man with shining white hair and silver-blue eyes that were filled with rage, his name, Lucifer. Out of all the men there, his appearance was the most calming and attractive, but the anger he didn¡¯t bother hiding ruined that. In the southern throne, Satan sat, his eyes were a vivid orange while his hair was a fiery red in color, both of them resembled the flame so much, it was hard to believe that they weren¡¯t. There was something about him that made him strangely alluring despite the fact that his level of beauty was lower than Lucifer¡¯s. There was a wry smile on his face as if he found something to be rather funny. Finally, in the western seat, there was Leviathan. His hair was such a dark blue that it almost appeared to be black, and his eyes were the color of the oceans. From the far-away look in his beautiful eyes, he clearly was off in his own little world. ¡°So, then, Lucy...¡± Satan started. ¡°Where has your beloved Laufeia run off to? Not that you can blame her, you¡¯re being such a terrible hubby by ordering her death like that,¡± he spoke in a flippant voice. ¡°From what my scouts said, she and her guards are holed up in some previous Dragon Lord, Emperor now ranked Dragon¡¯s castle,¡± Lucifer responded. ¡°Ah, I heard about that person! No one knows who they are, they always send that famed necromancer Lilian as their representative,¡± Belial exclaimed. ¡°The one that I wanted...¡± Satan lamented. He remembered the beautiful beastwoman and his desire to take her as his own... it was his first time tasting rejection, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant taste. Leviathan spoke, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just enter the castle and demand Laufeia to be handed over to you? A mere Dragon rank is nothing for you to be concerned about seeing as you have many Demon Lords and Emperors under your control.¡± ¡°As true as that is, I feel as if it¡¯d be too naive and presumptuous of me to assume that I could just storm in. It¡¯s not as if Laufeia would stand still and allow herself to be taken.¡± Laufeia herself had strength close to if not equal to that of the Four Princes¡¯. She couldn¡¯t be considered a weak entity by any means, she could take out quite a few of the Demon Lords and Emperors sent to her. Also, considering the fact that Lilian was capable of summoning powerful undead and the one she served was considered to be Dragon rank couldn¡¯t be ignored either. So, unlike Leviathan who would just throw himself at them without holding back any strength, Lucifer was taking a more cautious approach. Honestly, a part of him didn¡¯t want to see Laufeia die, but at the same time, he was infuriated by the fact she didn¡¯t want revenge for the loss of their son. Their son¡¯s wife had committed suicide out of grief, and no one knew where Vyne had ended up, but if he heard the news of his father¡¯s death, he¡¯d be saddened, too. Well, they hadn¡¯t been exactly a close-knit family, so perhaps Vyne wouldn¡¯t be mournful. Actually, that child always brought things to the extreme, Lucifer doubted that he felt any love towards any of them. They had wanted to make Vyne a warrior, but he changed into something that they hadn¡¯t predicted. Cold. Calculating. A love for inflicting misery onto others. When Vyne would finally realize his powers in a few hundred years or so, he¡¯d undoubtedly be able to compete with his grandfather. Ah... what a scary child. Perhaps he could enlist Vyne in the hunting of Laufeia, that boy would probably kill her without a batting an eyelash. He¡¯d have his minions find Vyne. ¡°Well, do whatever you want,¡± Leviathan muttered, bringing back Lucifer¡¯s focus to their conversation. ¡°She¡¯s your wife, anyway.¡± ¡°I planned to do just that,¡± Lucifer said, abruptly standing up. ¡°If that¡¯s all you wanted from me, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡± Leviathan thought this entire thing was stupid. It was common knowledge that Lucifer and Laufeia were crazy in love, he already knew that Lucifer wouldn¡¯t be able to carry out the death sentence, so, all this drama was for nothing. Still, it was fun to watch... and he had no real reason not to help out his friend. ¡°What a stiff,¡± Satan muttered as Lucifer made his way out. ¡°Hmph, acting like that.¡± Belial snorted, ¡°I give him a few more days of raging. Want to make a bet?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in,¡± two voices responded in unison. ... Laufeia¡¯s hands were trembling. She had expected a lot of things, just not this. Why! Why was she standing outside of the doors she had been expecting to protect her. Angrily, she banged on the door, screaming for them to let her in. The reason why Erebus had denied Laufeia safety was more complicated than she thought. It was something that the Dragon Council had already established a rule for, they would not interfere with the matters of other races unless it brought harm to their world or it was approved by all of the Council. Plus, he had absolutely no interest in Laufeia. ¡°Ah, I want to try fighting the Princes, though... to see the extent of their strength. It¡¯s not like I¡¯d kill them, though,¡± Erebus complained to Triton and Mae. Yvick had left, saying that there was no longer a need for him to stay. But Triton had stayed behind, mostly because he was lonely at the bottom of his dungeon. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just allow her sanctuary? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve ever listened to the Dragon Council¡¯s rules,¡± Mae remarked. ¡°In fact, the Four Princes will probably keep an issue like this on the down low, so it¡¯s not like they¡¯ll hear about it. As long as you stay quiet, that is.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just challenge one of them to a duel? Not one to the death, but simply a duel. You could at least have some fun with that, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a rule explicitly stating that you can¡¯t duel the others. You just happen to be allowing Laufeia to stay here, and because you saw this rare opportunity, you decided to challenge them,¡± Triton added. ¡°You two... to see that you¡¯re on my side makes me so happy,¡± Erebus cried out. Mae and Triton both nodded their heads. ¡°I¡¯ll let her back in!¡± Mae shouted, jumping up and running out of the room. ¡°What are you going to do if Vyne finds out?¡± ¡°Hmm... it shouldn¡¯t be that big of a problem, he¡¯s already sworn his loyalty to me and no longer to his grandfather and father... ah, wait, his dad¡¯s dead. That was insensitive of me.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you call him here?¡± Erebus did so. Within a matter of moments, Vyne burst through the doors. He kneeled, and bowed his head to Erebus. ¡°You called, my lord?¡± ¡°Mm, yeah. Sit, there¡¯s someone coming.¡± Vyne was confused, but nonetheless, he obeyed and sat across from his master. Of course, he put as much distance between himself and Triton without saying a word or showing his displeasure. A short while passed, and the veiled Laufeia and Mae reentered the room. Laufeia who was decked out in complete black truly resembled a woman in mourning and was the picture of grief. ¡°Grandmother,¡± Vyne said, surprised that she was there. He was able to recognize her because of her aura, but it had been centuries since he had last seen her. ¡°Why are you here? Where¡¯s grandfather?¡± In all of his existence, whenever he saw Laufeia, Lucifer had been there, too. It wasn¡¯t that they were always together, it was just that on the few occasions he saw them, it was formal, therefore, they were there together. ¡°It¡¯s a long story,¡± she responded sadly. Vyne had been the closest to Laufeia out of all them, to her, he felt what could be called a familial bond, though, it was a very weak one. Still, it existed. He didn¡¯t love her. He didn¡¯t hate her. ¡°Your father, he...¡± Laufeia¡¯s throat constrained, she found it hard to speak. ¡°He was murdered in a battle with three of the Archangels: Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel. Apparently, they were overseen by a Seraphim.¡± ¡°I see, so my father has passed away. What brings you here, exactly?¡± Vyne asked, his voice remaining even. He barely even blinked at the mention of his father¡¯s death. ¡°Your mother, she also took her life after hearing about his death.¡± ¡°She always had a taste for the dramatics,¡± Vyne responded. Laufeia shook her head as if she was reprimanding herself for expecting something from him. ¡°Your grandfather is hunting me down because I am not supporting the avenging of our son.¡± ¡°So you have come to Lord Erebus in hopes of him protecting you?¡± Laufeia didn¡¯t respond. She was currently taking in information. What she could tell was that Vyne had sworn his loyalty to Erebus? Why else would he call him Lord Erebus, and why else would Vyne be here? Just to ascertain her conjecture, she asked. ¡°Indeed, I serve Lord Erebus,¡± Vyne affirmed her question. She looked down at her gloved hands. ¡°That¡¯s good then, as long as you¡¯re happy.¡± Vyne furrowed his brows, he didn¡¯t understand why she was talking about happiness. He had never thought of serving Lord Erebus to be ¡°happy¡±... But now that he thought about it, he had a lot of fun here, he had even laughed. This was the only place he¡¯d ever felt emotions outside of the joy he had when bringing pain to others. Something, at that moment, changed within Vyne. He felt a foreign sensation enter his body, his eyes began to burn. What was this? He felt as if his heart was going to burst! What was this unknown feeling? He had never felt anything like it. His father. That man. He was... gone? What was Vyne¡¯s father¡¯s name? Vyne never knew. He had never once learned his mother¡¯s or father¡¯s name. No one ever told him. Vyne realized that it was pitiful, the man and woman who had lead to his existence were nothing more than strangers to him. He wanted to know more about them. He remembered Tear¡¯s anger for the loss of her family. Why couldn¡¯t he have that? Why couldn¡¯t he feel that? Was he jealous? Of that pig? ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Vyne said, struggling to keep his voice impassive. He left the room, four pairs of eyes focused on his back. Silence filled the room. No one knew what to say until... ¡°Hey, did you just break my subordinate?¡± Erebus asked, turning to Laufeia. She touched her heart, her long nails digging into the fabric of her gown. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened, I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Uh, yes, you did,¡± Erebus grumbled. "What if he''s broken... where else am I going to get such a high-class toy?" Laufeia chose to selectively ignore the fact her grandson was being considered a plaything. ¡°Anyway, I was surprised to see my grandson here. I know that he had established himself as a Demon Lord, then he suddenly disappeared. I assume this is when he was put under your supervision?¡± ¡°Mm... something like that,¡± Erebus responded. Triton chuckled as he recalled the time when Vyne was a Demon Lord. Ah, what an outspoken child... He had been so arrogant, but now Vyne had calmed down a little. Emphasis on little. S2 Chapter Nineteen: What Happened That Day His name was Noxim. Vyne''s father, that is. Noxim was the spitting image of his father, the only difference was that his hair wasn''t pure white but a pale blond. It was also clear Vyne had inherited his facial features from his father and coloring from his mother. He had hundreds upon hundreds of years to live with no end in sight, but the angels had come for him. It was when he had left Tartarus and was alone save for some measly Demon Lord''s guarding him. He saw the angels coming and he knew he had to send word, so he sent one of them back to Tartarus to tell his father that three archangels and a Seraphim had engaged him. "Just go," he told the Demon Lords. "You''ll die for no reason if you stay here. Go!" They obeyed wordlessly. It wasn''t as if they had known Noxim for long, so they wouldn''t hesitate to leave him if ordered to do so. "Now then," Noxim exhaled. "I''ll make a glorious last stand here. Not that anyone is watching... Ha-ha." He knew he was going to die. It''d be more surprising if he lived. Noxim had many regrets in his life, but if he had to die here, he was taking one of these arrogant bastards with him! The archangels lowered themselves while the Seraph glowed brilliantly. Two wings covered its face, two to hide its feet, and two to fly with. In the dark sky, it was shining brighter than the distant stars and seemed to pull all light towards itself. Towards the glory of God. Noxim smiled bitterly. To think these fools would be the ones to end him. Individually, he was stronger than each of them. But the archangel¡¯s strength was in their numbers, they were weaker than demon¡¯s of Noxim¡¯s caliber, but, they overpowered the demons when they were in teams. "Demon Noxim, Son of Lucifer, by our God''s decree, you shall be eradicated!" Archangel Michael roared. ¡°All right!¡± Noxim shouted back. ¡°Come at me.¡± He pulled out his vampiric sword. It worked by converting his blood into sheer power, which greatly supplemented his already existing strength. Noxim was a top-tier swordsman, he was worlds above his son. If his opponents had been regular angels and not archangels, he would have survived, without a doubt. The Archangel Michael, likewise, unsheathed his weapon, he spread out his wings and pointed his golden sword at Noxim. ¡°May God¡¯s Judgement fall upon you.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Noxim snorted. Behind Michael, Uriel begun preparing a spell while Gabriel lifted his bow, an arrow ready to shoot. ¡°Three versus one... you guys have no shame.¡± Noxim tapped his sword on his shoulder, his countenance depicting that he was amused by this entire situation. ¡°Silence, demon!¡± Noxim spun his blade before gripping it tightly with both hands. He launched himself at Michael, their blades collided and the earth rumbled and shook. A fan-shaped area of destruction was created, but the two¡¯s shining blades didn¡¯t stop moving. Upon each collision, there was a roar and another crater was formed. It was clear to see that Noxim was winning against Michael, but Michael wasn¡¯t the only archangel there. Uriel released¡¸ Divine Magic: God¡¯s Hammer¡¹. A spell that reached the upper limits of the Myth rank and couldn¡¯t be compared to the spells the humans used in terms of strength. A shimmering spear of light raced towards Noxim, who turned to block the spell with his sword. Noxim used his sword to redirect the spell, a very high-classed technique that could lead to his death with a single misstep.¡¸ Holy Magic: God¡¯s Hammer¡¹was sent in the opposite direction of Noxim, where it slammed into the ground and completely obliterated a large portion of the earth. The sky lit up for a few moments before it returned to darkness. Noxim didn¡¯t have a second of reprieve because Michael charged at him once again. He couldn¡¯t even retreat in hopes of survival, Gabriel was releasing arrows that weren¡¯t shot with the intention to harm Noxim, but rather, to keep him exactly where they wanted him. I feel like a sheep being herded, Noxim thought to himself as he danced out of the way of Uriel¡¯s attack and parried Michael¡¯s sword. They were exerting pressure on him that he had never felt before. Even in his spars with his father, he never felt this way. Noxim gritted his teeth together when arrows impaled him in the back and in his thigh. Since it was imbued in Gabriel''s¡¸ Divine Magic: Holy Blessing¡¹, Noxim''s body couldn''t heal the wound. "Damn," he muttered as he tore the arrows out of his back and thigh. ¡°That hurt.¡± Michael smirked arrogantly at the panting Noxim. "Demon, there is no need for you to suffer. Our lord is merciful, just surrender and it will end quickly." "Eh... How about no?" Noxim shot a ray of black mana out from his palm, the shot tore through Michael¡¯s stomach and left a gaping hole. Michael gasped in surprise, clutching his hand over his wound as his golden blood oozed out and slicked his fingers. ¡°You... you scum!¡± Similar to Noxim, Michael¡¯s body was physically incapable of healing itself from¡¸ Demonic Poisoning¡¹, so it¡¯d be a permanent wound until he had his body purified with the¡¸ Sacred Waters¡¹. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Not even Uriel¡¯s healing abilities could Michael¡¯s injury. ¡°Aiya, your suit is getting stained.¡± Noxim chuckled, the white suit that Michael wore was now sullied by Michael¡¯s blood. Michael¡¯s pale face grew paler, a thin sheen of sweat coating his forehead. Since Noxim was stronger than Michael, his attack had more of a negative effect on Michael than Gabriel¡¯s did on Noxim¡¯s body. Also, the¡¸ Demonic Poisoning¡¹had a leech-like effect in that it drained the life-force of whoever had been touched by its virulent nature. ¡°Brother Michael,¡± Uriel¡¯s soothing voice came. ¡°Withdraw, Brother Gabriel and I will be enough to deal with this corrupted soul.¡± Michael nodded his head and began to step back. ¡°As if I¡¯d let you,¡± Noxim growled and used a minor teleportation skill to appear behind Michael and stab him. Noxim had aimed for Michael¡¯s heart, but the archangel had moved fast enough so that Noxim¡¯s blade barely missed Michael¡¯s right lung. Gabriel and Uriel both attacked Noxim, forcing him to put distance between himself and Michael. But the archangel had collapsed to the ground and was breathing weakly, he was bleeding profusely. ¡°I¡¯m getting rusty,¡± Noxim muttered to himself. ¡°Eh?¡± He noticed that he felt an intense pain, a searing one in his heart. ¡°Could it be that I... already?¡± Noxim turned his head slowly, his eyes falling upon the Seraph high in the sky with a single finger pointed at Noxim. ¡°Cheating... bastard,¡± Noxim spoke as he hacked up blue blood, before falling down, dead. Uriel descended from the air, rushing over to the Archangel Michael. ¡°Brother Gabriel, assist me! We must quickly bring him to our¡¸Sacred Waters¡¹so that he is not lost.¡± The two archangels picked up their fallen companion and supported his body, lifting him up into the sky with their mighty wings and flying off. The Seraphim remained there for a few moments. Its covered face was tilted down in the direction of Noxim, it then turned its head and pointed at something in the sky. There was a cracking sound, and the connection was broken. ... Lucifer rewatched the scene of his son¡¯s murder. One of the fleeing Demon Lords had sent a familiar to record what happened so that it could be shown to Lucifer for proof. Lucifer could only feel the same pain in his heart that Noxim felt upon his death. He clutched his hands into fists, exhaling slowly. Today was the day. A week had passed since Laufeia had gained refuge in the fortress of the Dragon-ranked menace. Satan had offered to go along with Lucifer to retrieve Laufeia, Belial and Leviathan had wanted to go, too... but leaving Tartarus without the Four Princes of Hell was too good of an opportunity for the angel¡¯s to strike. Lucifer could feel the regret already, in his blind rage, he had ordered her execution. But it was too late. It wasn¡¯t as if he could retract the death sentence and say that he didn¡¯t mean it. The only way it could be released was if Laufeia asked for his forgiveness... still, even with that, she¡¯d be imprisoned for a few decades. The others had known this, they were all laughing at him. Satan, Belial, and Leviathan knew that this would happen. They had volunteered, mockingly, to help him. But this was only because they wanted to see the prideful and gloriously wise Lucifer admit his own mistake. To them, this was nothing more than an entertaining game. ¡°Laufeia, if only you hadn¡¯t forced me into this situation,¡± Lucifer murmured. He could only blame her cowardice. She was worried about the lives of others, but what about the life of her son? Of their daughter-in-law? Noxim had done nothing, his wife, Ray, had done nothing. In fact, Noxim had only taken the lives of a handful of people, he had always been surprisingly gentle when it came to killing. And Ray was by no means a fighter! It was only to their son that he had shown coldness, perhaps that had been one of his regrets upon death. Their treatment of Vyne had been mere selfishness on their part. We want him to be strong. That was their only reason. Both of them adamantly believed that absolute power could only be reached when one cared about nothing when there was nothing to drag them down. Lucifer closed his eyes, remembering the times that all of them had been together. That boy had never smiled. Ah, truly, that was Noxim¡¯s only regret upon his death. He never let Vyne experience happiness. Lucifer decided that he would not only avenge his son but to also show his grandson the emotions he never got experience. It was all for Noxim¡¯s sake. It was all for Ray¡¯s sake. It was for their sake that he would take away his own joy. I''ll try to get out at least another chapter today, but there aren''t any guarantees that''ll come out. It should come out, though... probably. S2 Chapter Twenty: I wrote this chapter as fast as I could before I left, mwahaha... Don''t pelt me with stones if there are a lot of mistakes. Satan whistled. ¡°What an intense amount of energy coming from that place...¡± The place he was referring to was none other than Erebus¡¯ domain. Nearly all of its occupants saw no need to hide their auras, so it was always in full-force. Weaklings wouldn¡¯t notice it because the amount was far greater than what they could perceive, but the ones who were truly strong picked up on it. The newest additions to Erebus¡¯ fighting force, Xaltiq, and Wolf, were able to feel some of the power, but not all of it like the Four Princes were able to. As for the newest maid and Weryn''s friend, the mother and her child, of course, they didn¡¯t notice it. ¡°The person living here is considered to be Dragon rank. If it wasn¡¯t of this level of intimidation, they could hardly boast about their strength,¡± Lucifer waved away what Satan said, writing it off as ¡°only natural¡±. Satan clicked his tongue. "Besides, there should be no reason for us to fear about a measly Dragon rank and his subordinates,¡± Lucifer continued. ¡°The only person we should worry about is Laufeia, but she isn¡¯t a match against the two of us. ¡°Also, we aren¡¯t coming in with the sole intention of fighting... it¡¯s doubtful, but we can intimidate the ruler of this castle to hand over Laufeia peacefully.¡± Satan pouted. ¡°Fine, fine...¡± The two continued their advance. Both of them thought that this castle was exceedingly strange, usually, castles had moats surrounding them or drawbridges. And if they didn¡¯t have those, they were typically located deep within a city or surrounded by walls. This castle, oddly enough, simply sat in the middle of a grassland. There was absolutely nothing defending it. So, the ruler of this castle was either exceedingly arrogant or just plain stupid. Lucifer knocked on the set of doors at the castle¡¯s entrance that were meters tall. The doors were swung open and two women dressed as maids and a single man stood there as if they had been waiting for Satan and Lucifer. Well, they probably were. Satan appraised the women... one was a scantily clad woman who could barely be considered a proper maid, and even though she was hiding her aura, she was clearly powerful. Satan thought she might even be on the same level as a high-ranked Demon Emperor, maybe even more than that. It was hard to tell. But Satan knew for sure that she¡¯d be a troublesome opponent if he had to fight her... Anyway, the other was obviously a timid and weak human woman. She was thin and had a sickly appearance, but it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say that she was probably pretty. Finally, the man that stood in front him could barely pass as an adult, but he was also attractive. He had a dignified appearance and seemed to have a decent amount of strength. He was also the one who spoke first, ¡°Hello. My name is Dark Mist, a pleasure to meet you two.¡± The cat-eared woman bowed her head slightly. ¡°Nya, I¡¯m Mae. I¡¯m a, uh, temporarily hired maid? Nyaha, that¡¯s what I am!¡± It was more like she forcibly included herself so that she could meet the Princes. But, Lucifer and Satan didn¡¯t know that, so, I¡¯ll stay silent about it... ¡°M-my name is Amber... we shall escort you to our lord,¡± the human woman stammered. "Ah, I''m the Prince of Hell Satan and this is Lucifer." "I see... Follow me," Dark Mist said. "Do be careful to not get lost." Satan and Lucifer both listened, they didn''t feel any hostile intentions, so there wasn''t a reason for them to not listen. They all proceeded in silence through the labyrinth of hallways, Mae would occasionally turn to the Princes and say that they should be there in X amount of time. By the time they reached the doors to the throne room, Lucifer and Satan had forgotten how many turns they had taken. Dark Mist paused before opening the doors. "I''ll warn you since you know nothing, don''t anger him." Before the Princes could respond, the doors were pushed open. A surge of energy exploded from that room as if the doors had been holding it back. The two were overwhelmed for a second, taken by complete surprise at the sudden burst of power. The three who were escorting them had no change in expression. Instead, the walked into the room. Actually, Mae ran forward to the center of the room and sat down on the left arm of the throne. She threw her arms around the weak-looking man who sat on the throne and rubbed her cheek against his. A gorgeous woman who stood next to the throne glared at Mae unabashedly, looking as if she wanted to tear Mae into shreds. And the young boy who was seated on the right arm of the throne, next to the alluring woman looked as if he was holding himself back from laughing. The throne was on a slightly raised tiered platform, so on the bottom part of the platform, there were six people, three on each side. And in a far off corner, an azure-haired man was sitting in the corner with his back facing them, like a child in time-out. The six were all seemed to be incredibly serious despite the far more light-hearted scene occurring before them. Well, minus the murderous glare. Lucifer didn¡¯t know how to take the information he was receiving. One of the people standing on the platform seemed painfully familiar, but he was wearing a mask over his face, so it was hard to tell. ¡°Hello!¡± Satan said, stepping forward and opening his arms wide. ¡°As much as I¡¯d love to go over the formalities, I¡¯d like to get straight to the point. Hand over Laufeia and we¡¯ll leave here in peace.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°I don¡¯t want to...¡± the one-eyed man seated on the throne responded quietly. ¡°So where does that leave us now?¡± Satan frowned and Lucifer took this as his own opportunity to speak, ¡°Then we¡¯d have to take her from you forcefully.¡± ¡°That... I¡¯d like you see you try the second option,¡± the man spoke, leaning forward. His crimson eye was dazzling with excitement. ¡°I can¡¯t see it right now, but you two are strong, right?¡± Lucifer narrowed his eyes. His earlier thought about the ruler of the castle being arrogant was correct. ¡°You wish to fight us?¡± ¡°Eh! When did I ever say that? I¡¯m a pacifist, you know?¡± he told obvious lies since no one became a Dragon rank by being a pacifist. ¡°But Erebus... isn¡¯t that the reason you took Laufeia in? So you could fight them?¡± the magenta-haired boy asked, confusion coloring his cute face. Erebus? Lucifer wanted to shake his head. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for demons to name their children after the famous members of the Dragon Council, in hopes that their child would grow strong. Actually, it was becoming a tradition with multiple races to name their children after well-known dragons, so Lucifer didn¡¯t find it strange. Still, it was typically the weaker species of the races that would name their kids after famous beings. To Lucifer, it only meant that this man was a disappointment, the reason he was labeled as a Dragon rank was because of his powerful servants. Erebus was written off by Lucifer as a weakling. ¡°Someone like you... you think that you can challenge us?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lucifer sneered. ¡°A monster of your caliber is hardly worthy to be our opponent. Don¡¯t lose your life in vain, child. Give Laufeia to us.¡± ¡°You... what are you saying!¡± the beautiful woman who had been glaring at Mae earlier shrieked loudly. ¡°You... you scum... filthy cretin! How dare you say such things to our lord?¡± Her aura was released, making the entire room tremble. Actually, the shaking could be felt throughout many floors of the castle. Let¡¯s see... Tear, normally, wasn¡¯t very powerful. Her strength was in her support abilities. But there was one thing that made Tear¡¯s raw power increase exponentially, and that was when someone insulted her master. It was one of those moments. ¡°Nya? She snapped,¡± Mae could be heard saying. She, in comparison, wasn¡¯t at all bothered by the insult. Along with Tear, the other ones who were standing by Erebus¡¯ throne seemed to be considerably angered and didn¡¯t bother hiding a strong killing intent. The bunny-eared woman was holding back the wolfman, but she seemed ready to jump in herself. The man named Erebus remained silent, but his previously laughing eyes had dulled and now resembled the eyes of a corpse. Suddenly, he seemed very dangerous. The aura that had been barely perceptible began to leak out ever so slightly, but even that much was greater than what the seven others were displaying. Satan recalled Dark Mist¡¯s words... something like don¡¯t anger Erebus? Satan looked over at Dark Mist. ¡°You¡¯ve done it now,¡± Dark Mist sighed. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m staying for this bloodbath. Amber, let¡¯s go. Alura was taking care of your son, let¡¯s check on them.¡± Dark Mist and the fidgety maid named Amber both left the room, leaving the two prideful Princes to a pack of vicious dogs. ¡°Somehow, I have a bad feeling...¡± Satan said, scratching his head. Honestly, he hadn¡¯t come here with any intention of fighting. He was only here to see what was going to happen in person, but it looked like there was no longer a way to avoid battle. ¡°You are Lucifer, correct?¡± Erebus asked the white-haired demon. ¡°Mm, I can tell, you two look similar. I can see where he got his arrogance from... It makes sense now.¡± The masked demon tensed up a little bit. ¡°I am. Just give me Laufeia and we can continue on peacefully.¡± Satan wanted to yell at Lucifer. ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you supposed to be the smart one? Being prideful and everything is great, but please pay attention to your surroundings a little bit more!¡± he wanted to cry out something like that. But it was too late. Lucifer was surprisingly dense whenever he got stuck on a subject. If you want to die, die alone! Satan, who was a far better judge in times like this than Lucifer, was able to figure out that the Erebus in front of them was Erebus. You know? That one dragon... the Destroyer... the super duper strong one? ¡°Mae,¡± Erebus said. ¡°Nya?¡± ¡°I was going to play with them personally, but, that one needs to learn his place first. I¡¯ll allow you to teach him a lesson. Ah, but don¡¯t kill them.¡± Mae perked up. ¡°Nya, could that mean that you¡¯re going to?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She jumped up. ¡°Nyaha! Fear me!¡± As if on cue, her true power was felt by everyone there. A dark red smoke tinged with black became visible around her body. Mae¡¯s body began to expand and grow taller until the catwoman changed into someone completely different. Her short blonde hair turned onyx, and she now very closely resembled Fox, Erebus¡¯ female transformation. Except, her lower half was completely covered in black scales. Some scales also covered the perimeter of her face before fading into her smooth skin. Her blood red lips curled into a sinister smile and she purred, ¡°Hehe, Master Erebus released my restraints, which means I get to go all out.¡± S2 Chapter Twenty-One: The One Known As Mae A long time ago, shortly after the end of the First War, there had been a pitiful doppelganger who couldn¡¯t transform at all. The only form it could maintain was that of an old doll that a child had abandoned during the war. Despite its weakness, the doppelganger was a genius, but it had no way to express its intellect. This failure of a doppelganger was the one known as Mae. It had been on the Lower Continent, barely managing to avoid being attacked by the vicious monsters. The day that it met him was a fateful day, an auspicious day. One day, Mae had been resting after a long day of walking, since it was a doll, even moving a mile took it hours, sometimes even over a day. Suddenly, a fearsome beast descended from the sky! The monster told Mae that it was a dragon, and not just any dragon, the fifth dragon, Erebus! The dragon allowed Mae to travel around with him, saying that he was bored and that traveling was fun when he had someone to accompany him. And since the doppelganger was incapable of speaking, Erebus didn''t have to worry about becoming annoyed. A few decades after they had first met, the dragon offered Mae a piece of one of his scales, he wanted to see what would happen if Mae ate the scale. Mae ¡°evolved¡± for lack of a better word. She gained her first real and insanely power form, along with her own special type of magic¡¸ Unique Magic: Gravity Control¡¹. Needless to say, the Dragon Council found out and was outraged, ordering Erebus to kill Mae since she was an unnatural creature. But Erebus revealed a shocking truth, when he allowed Mae to eat a piece of him, he also gained complete control of her soul. It was some convoluted reason that he had explained, but essentially, since he was immeasurably more powerful than Mae, her eating his scale lead to her being ¡°absorbed¡± by his own soul. So, they were bonded. She became a piece of him. And because of this, he was able to place a restraint on her strength, along with killing her without even having to lift a finger. Ayirn and Azure were endlessly intrigued by this, so they made a bet with Erebus on how long they all thought Mae would last until she was completely devoured by Erebus¡¯ soul and thus, died. Technically, she wouldn¡¯t die but become a piece of Erebus, but it was the same thing as dying. Anyway, Mae managed to escape a death sentence. She and Erebus traveled together for a few more decades before splitting apart, only coming into contact with each other once in awhile. It was during the time of their travels that the two had met Triton, Erebus had been in his female form and thus Triton was overwhelmed by the two beauties and nearly exploded of happiness. That was beside the point, not only had Mae gained her own power, she was also able to transform freely. Mae began to frequently change her name and appearance on a whim. More or less, that was her story. And that was why in the current day, she was emitting such a terrifying aura. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯ll be able to satisfy me,¡± Mae said to Lucifer, who had gone on his guard. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t kill you.¡± Lucifer narrowed his eyes, this woman was exceedingly dangerous, wasn¡¯t she? "Provide us with good entertainment," Erebus said, leaning back in his chair. "Ah... Stone use¡¸ Defense Magic: Create Barrier¡¹." "Of course," the ginormous demon responded and activated his magic. ¡¸Defense Magic: Create Barrier ¡¹basically protected a designated area, any damage done to the nonliving surroundings would be reversed when the spell was completed. It was a useful spell and commonly used during duels. Its levels of effectiveness were strongly reliant on whoever the caster was. Lucifer ground his teeth. ¡°Satan, will you deal with her? I am going to fight Erebus.¡± ¡°Seriously? You want to do that?¡± Satan clicked his tongue. ¡°Fine. Just be glad if he doesn¡¯t kill you.¡± Lucifer narrowed his eyes. ¡°Would it harm you to act with any type of dignity? You are aware that you are a Prince, correct?¡± ¡°What are you, my mother?¡± Satan retorted. ¡°Are you two finished?¡± Erebus intervened. ¡°If you want to challenge me, I have no qualms against that, but, I can¡¯t guarantee that you¡¯ll live. I¡¯ll try my best not to kill you, ¡®kay?¡± Since Rolut would yell at him if one of the Princes ended up dying, which would consequently tip the scales in favor of the angels. The Dragon Council was supposed to be in a position of neutrality typically except for in extreme cases, meaning Rolut would be angry. Not to mention Rolut, but the others, too... They were all so loud, Erebus didn¡¯t want to hear their mouths. ¡°Ah, but you have to wait until those two are finished, what¡¯s the point of letting Mae fight someone if I don¡¯t even get to watch it? I¡¯ll deal with you later, so sit.¡± Lucifer wasn¡¯t sure why, but he found himself obeying what Erebus told him. There also wasn¡¯t any real reason for him to not sit down, finding Laufeia would be done inevitably, and it seemed the only thing holding Erebus back from telling Lucifer where Laufeia was located was that Erebus wanted to see them fight. So, he¡¯d humor this fool and get on with it. Now, Mae and Satan faced each other. The former being overly eager to fight while the latter was quite reluctant. Satan loved to fight, undoubtedly, but he hadn¡¯t prepared himself for this mentally, y¡¯know? The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He wasn¡¯t psyched up for this duel. He had absolutely no interest! Well, she did seem insanely powerful, so it¡¯d be one of the rare times he got to fight without holding back. ¡°Whatever... I don¡¯t care anymore.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to use any weapons?¡± Mae asked Satan. The redhead shook his head. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Nope. Could it be that we were destined opponents? Actually, you¡¯re kind of cute. Why don¡¯t you stay the night?¡± ¡°Hopefully not,¡± Satan responded bluntly. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d take such a dangerous woman like yourself to my bed.¡± Mae smiled bitterly. ¡°What a shame... Well, let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡± With a silent agreement, the two engaged each other. Their bodies were moving so quickly that only Erebus, Triton, and Lucifer could keep up, while the others, especially the young Xaltiq and Wolf, could barely tell the difference between Mae and Satan. For those who could tell, it was obvious to see that Mae was actually overpowering Satan. It wasn¡¯t that she was physically stronger, but rather, she used her versatile magic to increase the strength behind her punches right before they landed and she also used it to weigh down Satan so that he didn¡¯t move as quickly. On her face, there was a fearsome smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear as she and Satan fought. ¡°Come on now,¡± Mae taunted. ¡°This can¡¯t be all you¡¯re capable of. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re holding back... that¡¯s such a naive thing to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not holding back at all,¡± Satan responded easily. Despite the fact that he was being pressured by Mae, Satan remained calm. Mae took this to mean that he was hiding something or else he would seem to be more strained. ¡°Liar.¡± She delivered a roundhouse kick which Satan attempted to block against. Instead, he was sent flying into the edge of the barrier. The force of him hitting the force field caused a large crack to appear before it patched itself up. ¡°Go easy on me,¡± a voice rumbled in the background. ¡°Lord Erebus, hold my hand... Eh, why did you grab my hand instead? I wanted a love-love moment with my master!¡± The azure man who had been in the corner had raced over and grabbed Stone¡¯s hand. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hold myself back any longer.¡± ¡°Eii! Don¡¯t taint me, I¡¯m still pure, I¡¯ve kept my chastity for Lord Erebus.¡± ¡°What? You too? Hmph, too bad, I have first dibs,¡± the exquisite woman next to Erebus spoke up, puffing out her chest. An incredibly annoying conversation continued on in the background, not at fitting with the current scene. Satan had grabbed Mae by her ankle during one of her kicks and swung her into the ground. The ground collapsed from underneath the two and they fell onto a lower level. From the throne room, Satan and Mae breaking through the floor multiple times could be heard as the castle rumbled and shook violently. ¡°Stone... you didn¡¯t apply the barrier to the floor?¡± ¡°I may have forgotten.¡± ¡°You get to be used in one of his experiments then.¡± ¡°Aiya! Lord Erebus, you wouldn¡¯t do such a cruel thing to me, would you? Vy--he¡¯s so heartless, how could you allow him to use me in such a way?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late, it¡¯s been decided.¡± Outside, Mae and Satan had somehow managed to leave (break through) the castle and were now fighting each other out in the grassland. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than I thought you¡¯d be,¡± Mae remarked, wiping the blood from her mouth. Mae¡¯s body was originally weak, so she wasn¡¯t able to completely harness the powers she had been granted. And since her body was still unstable, using her powers to this extent did have adverse effects on her body after prolonged usage. She had been under the impression that she would win quickly, but she was greatly mistaken. Well, Satan wasn¡¯t a small fry. The Four Princes being considered to be on the same level as high-rank dragons wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Since Mae was also on that level, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say they were evenly matched. ¡°The same goes for you,¡± Satan responded. His knuckles were cracked and bleeding profusely, and he had also incurred multiple wounds from Mae. Both of them were bloodied and bruised. ¡°I¡¯m sorry... but, I¡¯ll have to cheat, there¡¯s no way I would be allowed to live if I lost against you,¡± Mae said with a wry smile. Satan was about to respond, but he found himself unable to open his mouth. An unseen force was pulling and pressing him down, soon enough, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, his face glued to the grass. His muscles bulged as he summoned all of his strength in a desperate attempt to counter the pressure, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Mae walked over, her shadow looming over. She raised her foot, completely unaffected by the gravitational pull, but then as if fell, she increased the pull on her foot greatly causing it to fly down and slam into Satan¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t strike with enough force to kill him, but, he was rendered unconscious almost instantly. Mae silently transformed back into the cat-earred blonde and patted the head of Satan. ¡°My victory, nya~¡± Mae grabbed Satan by the scruff of his neck and carried the man back to Erebus throne room. S2 Chapter Twenty-Two: What He Keeps Hidden Lucifer was very surprised to see Mae jump through the hole in the ground while holding Satan over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His body dangled like a limp flower as she joyfully told Erebus that she had won. ¡°That¡¯s great, Mae. But you can put him down now,¡± Erebus responded, watching Satan flop around. She dropped him unceremoniously. ¡°Hey, hey, will you give me something to experiment on since I¡¯ve been so good?¡± ¡°Mm... you can have Stone.¡± ¡°Eh, I was looking forward to spending time with him,¡± the masked man said, his tail flicked unhappily. ¡°Do a joint operation or something,¡± Erebus said. Mae clapped her hands together. ¡°That sounds delightful.¡± ¡°Anyway, back to you,¡± Erebus turned his gaze over back to Lucifer. ¡°How should I deal with you...¡± Erebus stood up, a smile glued onto his face. ¡°Since you¡¯re such an arrogant child, I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret.¡± Lucifer, unsure of what Erebus meant, went on the defensive, preparing himself an attack. But the attack didn¡¯t come. Instead, his field of vision was swallowed by darkness. He could barely discern his surroundings even with his night vision. Erebus was radiating such a thick and evil aura that it swallowed the light that illuminated Lucifer¡¯s surroundings. It felt as if the world was twisting and morphing with Erebus at its epicenter, the man who had previously had such an insignificant presence now dominated the entire room. All the mana in the room was being sucked towards Erebus, pulled by some unseen force. In a mixture of awe and horror, Lucifer realized something. The strength he was faced with was bottomless. Power that would never decay or wither, but continue to grow. He was strong enough to annihilate this entire planet if he truly wanted to. Leaving a single continent would mean nothing to him. That wouldn¡¯t be the extent of his strength. Someone of Lucifer¡¯s caliber was just an insignificant fly compared to Erebus. As if the strings that had been holding him up were cut, Lucifer collapsed onto his knees, clutching his head. Madness filled his eyes, he began to laugh uncontrollably. It didn¡¯t make any sense, the one who stood before him transcended what he considered to be the most powerful being in existence. That was too unfair. Such unchecked power... this world was just his playground! The aura vanished, and Lucifer was able to see once again. He was the only one who Erebus had allowed to feel his aura, so no one else had noticed the truth about Erebus. They all thought that he was ¡°strong¡± and ¡°powerful¡±, but they didn¡¯t know that there was no limit! Constantly growing and growing, when would it stop? How could it stop? Erebus¡¯ body wasn¡¯t designed to have limits. Lucifer looked up at Erebus, trying to rein in his hysteria. ¡°So, boy, tell me... what did you learn?¡± Erebus asked, bending down in front of Lucifer, a mocking expression on his face. ¡°Come on, tell me.¡± ¡°I learned my place in this world,¡± Lucifer whispered. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Erebus stood back up, the smile still on his face. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself properly this time... I am Erebus, the fifth seat of the Dragon Council and I welcome you to my humble abode.¡± ... Amber¡¯s shaky hands poured tea into the cups laid out before her. Her son gripped the skirts of her dress and peaked over the puffy fabric to see the mysterious guest that were seated. There were only six people seated: Erebus, Mae, Triton, Laufeia, Lucifer, and Satan. Then Tear, the masked Vyne, Stone, Magnus, Lilian, Xaltiq, and Wolf all stood along a wall watching the others. Satan had woken up shortly after Erebus had exposed his aura to Lucifer and was eyeing Triton. From what he could see, this fellow was also on their level, but he hadn¡¯t bothered to engage Lucifer instead of Erebus fighting him. Maybe Erebus hadn¡¯t wanted him to? Satan couldn¡¯t understand Erebus¡¯ intentions either, he had revealed Laufeia to them after saying that he was satisfied and now they were all sitting around a table drinking tea as if Laufeia hadn¡¯t been sentenced to death and her two executors were here. ¡°I would like to say something,¡± Laufeia spoke up quietly, her soft voice filled the entire room. ¡°What words do I have to hear from a traitorous wrench?¡± Lucifer spat. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s still going down that route,¡± Triton muttered in amazement. ¡°That¡¯s some real dedication.¡± Laufeia tightened her fist. ¡°Why do you insist on fighting with me? I am no traitor, and you know that very well.¡± ¡°Your actions were that of a coward. How could you not wish for revenge?¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Where has it gotten us until now? More and more of our kin die for the sake of this revenge!¡± Laufeia slammed her hand down on the table, shouting at Lucifer. ¡°It would end if we destroyed these angels? Yet, you refuse.¡± Laufeia¡¯s eyes teared up. ¡°At what cost? Our son has already died and we haven¡¯t made a single step towards winning this war for thousands of years!¡± ¡°Would you shut up...¡± Erebus said, resting his chin on his palm. ¡°There¡¯s no way that you would be able to eradicate the Pure race. In the first place, this world was created to be in complete balance, if the demons killed off the Pure race, then us members of the Dragon Council would do the same to the demons.¡± ¡°Wha--¡± ¡°I, for one, couldn¡¯t care less about your dispute with the angels. It doesn¡¯t matter to me if you continue fighting, if you win the war and enslave the entire Pure race, I still wouldn¡¯t care. But, if you were to wipe them out from the face of this planet, the decree to destroy your race would be issued without delay.¡± Lucifer and Laufeia both sat down, their mouths glued shut. ¡°You two are fighting over nothing, it¡¯s so annoying.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t over nothing...¡± Lucifer muttered lamely. Erebus laughed. ¡°Whether or not Laufeia decides to avenge Noxim¡¯s death, he is dead. There is no changing that. Frankly, killing Laufeia will solve nothing, if anything, the Demon race will lose a substantial amount of its fighting force. Your actions will only harm your race in the end.¡± Satan burst out into laughter. ¡°That¡¯s a good point there, Master Erebus!¡± He slapped Erebus¡¯ back. Upon awakening, he began to refer to Erebus as Master Erebus. He had forcibly become one of the subordinates of Erebus, swearing his allegiance to Erebus. He hadn¡¯t given up his position as one of the Princes of Hell, but he was now also a servant of Erebus. Erebus didn¡¯t care, so it was accepted without any complaints. A certain masked man was complaining, actually. In his mind, he was thinking that there was yet another loud and annoying addition to Erebus¡¯ followers. "That''s why, just this once... I nullify the decree for Laufeia''s death," Erebus said. "Complaints?" Lucifer stared at Laufeia for a few counts of silence. "Fine, but, are you allowing us to carry out our revenge against the angels?" "Mm, didn''t I say that it didn''t bother me? I only allowed her to live since you''d end up regretting killing her... Now you''re both indebted to me." Erebus laughed as his true intentions slipped out. Laufeia shook her head. "I should have expected that from you, Erebus." ¡°Well then, leave my castle, you¡¯re nuisances.¡± Erebus stood up. ¡°Ah, if you want, before they go... you can tell him who you are,¡± he said, his eyes zoning in on the masked man. He didn¡¯t bother saying goodbye and left the room. Everyone turned to look at the man wearing a mask, whose tail was flicking and his wings pulled in as if he wanted to hide. ¡°Ehm,¡± he cleared his throat awkwardly. ¡°You... I thought that you looked familiar, who are you?¡± Lucifer narrowed his eyes. Mae leaned forward. ¡°Nyaha... this is going to be interesting.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interfere,¡± Triton muttered, pulling her backward. ¡°Even I know that much.¡± She scowled at him and leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed and lips pouted. ¡°Normally you¡¯re on my side. Why are you being so boring?¡± ¡°Erebus is in a bad mood, so I¡¯m in a bad mood,¡± Triton responded. ¡°Do you want me to hide your booze again?¡± Mae grumbled. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll behave.¡± Vyne stepped forward. ¡°I have no reason to disclose my identity to this person. I have severed my ties with that family, what obligation do I have to them to say who I am?¡± ¡°That haughtiness,¡± Satan muttered. ¡°Those wings... that tail... mmm, I¡¯ve figured it out. Lucifer, you¡¯re completely useless if you haven¡¯t.¡± The grandfather frowned. ¡°The moment he said that it was blatantly clear.¡± ¡°I do not have time for this since Lord Erebus has left, there is no reason for me to remain here any longer.¡± ¡°Definitely him,¡± Satan and Lucifer both said in unison. Tear chuckled. ¡°That horrible personality of yours is unmistakable, Vyne.¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°Everyone figured it out already, all you had to do was open your mouth,¡± Tear responded facetiously. Vyne clicked his tongue when Satan and Lucifer both nodded their heads in agreement. He removed the mask he wore on his face, revealing his sour expression. S2 Chapter Twenty-Three: Family I wish I had an excuse for not updating... but I don''t, I was too lazy to write. Anyway, here''s the new chapter. Centuries of hatred grew and festered between the two races. It was unknown exactly when they started warring, but in the thousands of years that had passed since, there was still no clear-cut victor. The war did not come with only a few casualties. As with all wars, thousands upon thousands died every year, putting the death toll well into the millions. There were many tales of revenge between the Pure and Demonic race. It was by no means an uncommon story, but this, perhaps, was the most famous story. Three archangels and a Seraphim had slain the son of Lucifer and Laufeia. The mother overcome with grief and the father with rage, one sought peace while the other wanted the blood to flow. There was another, actually. One who didn¡¯t care about peace or revenge. And that was their grandson, Vyne. He wanted nothing to do with it. Such a cold standpoint even though his father was the victim. Those three were all alone in the same room. A heavy atmosphere had settled over them. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat it since you don¡¯t seem to understand,¡± Vyne said in a monotonous voice. ¡°My ties and allegiances to this family were rendered null and void when I swore my absolute loyalty to Lord Erebus. I have nothing more to say on the matter, do not involve me any more than this.¡± ¡°Even though you say that, I can¡¯t exactly leave this matter alone. You disappeared for over five hundred years, there were some rumors of you establishing yourself as a Demon Lord and then, once again, you vanished. As your family, we have the right to know what happened,¡± Lucifer responded. ¡°Not only that, you won¡¯t even come to your father¡¯s or mother¡¯s funeral!¡± ¡°I do not consider you my family any longer. We may be related by blood, but that is as far as our relationship goes. Do not misunderstand, it isn¡¯t that I hate you or harbor any antagonistic feelings for you. I simply do not care about your existences.¡± Laufeia spoke up, ¡°You¡¯re still wet behind the ears, you are nothing more than a child. Do not try and act like you are our superior.¡± ¡°Perhaps I am a child, as you said, but that does not matter. The one I serve is your superior, and that is all that matters.¡± Vyne gazed at Laufeia coldly, he wanted them to leave, that much was obvious. Laufeia ground her teeth. ¡°I see that you¡¯re unwilling to compromise with us.¡± Vyne responded dryly, ¡°Is that the feeling that you got? I was trying to be as courteous as possible.¡± ¡°Vyne, do you truly not feel anything?¡± Lucifer asked. ¡°Will you not even stand with me against the archangels?¡± ¡°Unless I was ordered to, I would not move for my family,¡± Vyne answered. ¡°If your Lord Erebus told you to, you would fight?¡± Lucifer questioned. Vyne narrowed his eyes and nodded his head slowly, a bad feeling entering him. Laufeia also understood what Lucifer¡¯s intentions were, so her eyes widened. ¡°Luci, you wouldn¡¯t...¡± ¡°I will be back,¡± Lucifer said, jumping out of his chair and leaving Laufeia and Vyne. The person he was going to see scared him witless, but he was willing to do it if it meant Vyne would fight for his father, even if it was against his own will. He was going to ask Erebus to order Vyne to mobilize. Lucifer had taken one glance at Vyne and knew that his power had increased greatly, even though he had never gone through his awakening, he had grown to that extent. When he fully matured, Vyne¡¯s strength would be horrifying. That¡¯s why Lucifer needed him now. He needed to start reforging the bond between them because if Vyne ever turned against his family, the results would be disastrous. Lucifer turned another corner and then realized something. He was completely lost! In this labyrinth of a castle, he had absolutely no idea where he was. Every single hallway looked the same, and anyone who walked past him didn¡¯t even spare him a second glance. He wasn¡¯t used to that type of treatment. Especially from low-ranking servants. A few had even given him a funny look, as if they thought something was absolutely hilarious. ¡°Are you lost?¡± a voice came from behind him, Lucifer turned to see the human who had been by Erebus¡¯ side in the throne room standing there. For a human, Lucifer surmised from what aura he could feel, this child¡¯s strength was sizeable. Actually, his power was far beyond what a human should ever possess. Lucifer didn¡¯t respond, he wouldn¡¯t stoop to the level of asking a human, no matter how strong, for help. ¡°Ah, apologies, my name is Xaltiq,¡± the human boy told Lucifer. ¡°You¡¯re one of Ere--Lord Erebus¡¯ guests, a pleasure to speak to you. Are you headed to see him?¡± Lucifer nodded slowly. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Well, then I can tell you that you¡¯re going the wrong way. I just got here myself, so I know that it¡¯s a bit hard to tell where you¡¯re going.¡± Silence filled the space between the two. ¡°If you want... I could--¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Lucifer cut in. Xaltiq smiled softly, clearly confused. ¡°Don¡¯t want?¡± ¡°Say what you were about to say.¡± Xal scratched his head. ¡°Uh, all right... it¡¯s just that a few servants were gossiping about how you¡¯re walking around in circles so I figured that I¡¯d just, you know...¡± ¡°I know where I¡¯m going,¡± Lucifer sniffed. ¡°I was just, ah, learning the layout.¡± The human¡¯s brows knitted together. ¡°Is that what that was? I was sure that you were lost. Without a doubt, you¡¯re lost.¡± The two stared at each other, neither wanting to back down. For Xaltiq, he couldn¡¯t understand the stubbornness of this man and Lucifer was too proud to ask a human for assistance. Xaltiq clicked his tongue in annoyance. ¡°I¡¯m going to find Lord Erebus...¡± He turned sharply on his heels. Lucifer, like a lost pup, trailed behind Xaltiq, who pretended not to notice him. The two left the castle and went far deep into the grassy plains. As they drew nearer, the air got cooler and cooler. A dragon screeched loudly and a small dragon with white purple-spotted scales flew into the air, it opened its mouth and a crystalline gas spewed out, freezing everything in the vicinity. ¡°Too slow, try again,¡± a bored voice responded. ¡°By the time you¡¯ve finished, your enemy would have dodged and entered a safe area. I¡¯m trying not to laugh, you¡¯re funny if you think an attack of that speed will work.¡± The dragon opened its mouth and a series of high-pitched guttural noises came out. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Do it again.¡± It whined loudly before releasing the gas once more. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Lord Erebus?¡± Xaltiq called out, staying out of the frozen realm. ¡°Prince Lucifer was looking for you.¡± Erebus stood up from his spot. ¡°What do you want, brat? I¡¯m busy.¡± Lucifer swallowed spit. ¡°I was wondering if I could speak to you,¡± he glanced at the dragon and Xaltiq, ¡°in private.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. Weryn, Xal, leave us for a minute. Xal, tell him to keep practicing and I want you to watch the speed.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Xaltiq bowed and then walked away with the dragon walking behind him on its stubby limbs. Erebus turned to Lucifer. ¡°So... what did you want from me? I thought you had left already, why are you still here? Did I ever say that you could stay?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here either, but my wife and grandson are here. And speaking of that boy... I have a favor to ask you. Please order Vyne to assist me in the eradication of the angels who killed my son.¡± Erebus responded with no hesitation, ¡°I already did you a favor earlier. Go away, we¡¯re done speaking.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t as if it¡¯s that big of a deal to ask him. He will not listen to me, but he¡¯ll undoubtedly obey whatever you tell him to do!¡± ¡°Your point? I don¡¯t want to, so I won¡¯t. Why would I anyway? I¡¯m not getting anything in return for it and you annoy me, too. Sheesh, what is with all these people asking me to do things lately, it¡¯s getting out of control.¡± Lucifer ground his teeth together. ¡°You said that you wanted to have an interesting fight for once, didn¡¯t you?¡± Erebus laughed rudely. ¡°And what? You¡¯ll give me one?¡± ¡°No... our strength might be nothing in comparison to yours, but if the Four Princes of Hell all faced you at the same time, it could provide some entertainment, correct?¡± Lucifer knew that they would probably all refuse to do it, but if he told them it was an original dragon and if they didn''t fight him he''d slaughter them all, it''d surely be a unanimous decision. The ancient dragon tilted his head in thought. ¡°I suppose you four possibly could... hmm, I¡¯ll consider it. What was that you wanted again? I wasn¡¯t listening.¡± Lucifer forced his voice to remain calm, ¡°To order my grandson to join me and some other demons in the expedition to kill the angels who killed my son.¡± ¡°You still haven¡¯t given up on that? Laufeia¡¯s right, more people will just die. Well, whatever, it¡¯s fine by me as long as Vyne doesn¡¯t die. It¡¯s hard to find such a rare talent like him.¡± ¡°You have plenty of those,¡± Lucifer said, recalling the ones who had been standing by Erebus¡¯ side. All of them were simply put, abnormalities. ¡°For curiosity''s sake, what exactly will happen if Vyne ends up dying?¡± Lucifer, of course, would protect his grandson with his life, but, it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that even he could survive with Lucifer¡¯s protection. ¡°Ah...¡± Erebus smiled softly. ¡°Let¡¯s just say, you better hope that he doesn¡¯t. I don¡¯t take well to my things being broken.¡± S2 Chapter Twenty-Four: The Battle Begins Vyne had no idea why he was here. No, he knew exactly why he was here, but why was he here? Here, as a matter of fact was standing next to his grandfather, Lucifer. One of them was happy with the situation, the other one was not. It had been just a few days ago, yes, just a few days before his freedom was snatched away. Lord Erebus had ordered him to accompany his father on this pointless quest for revenge. Vyne felt next to nothing for his father, why did he have to risk his life for the man? He¡¯d much rather be down in his laboratory, working on some new research. Ah! That¡¯s what he would do. In all his life, he had never been able to lay his hand on an angelic specimen... he¡¯d capture one here and then be on his way back home. ¡°They¡¯re coming,¡± Lucifer said, resting his hand on his sheathed blade. ¡°Today... their blood shall spill to appease my son¡¯s soul!¡± he roared. The Demon Emperor¡¯s behind them roared in agreement, but Vyne remained silent. Musclebound idiots. Vyne appraised them with contempt in his eyes. The sound of hundreds of wings flapping drew his attention, he looked up into the sky to see angels above them, their pure wings outstretched and the halos over their heads casting a golden glow around their surroundings. His grandfather clicked his tongue. ¡°Are they underestimating us? This isn¡¯t worth our time... Take care of them, Beta.¡± The Demon Emperor that was standing on Lucifer¡¯s left side stepped forward. He smirked arrogantly and with a flash his sword was drawn then sheathed once more. The hundreds of angels were split in half at the same time. Their blood splurted out and rained down, drenching the demons below in liquid gold. Lucifer remained impassive. ¡°March forward,¡± he ordered. The demons moved forward, pillaging the villages of angels, not bestowing mercy even upon children. When legions of angels tried to stop them, they were promptly cut down with ease. The only ones who had a fighting chance against this army were the archangels and Seraphim. But at the same time, they couldn¡¯t move carelessly, they were this continent''s last defense. The angels wrongly thought that the demon¡¯s aim was to wipe them out, they were unaware of Erebus¡¯ threat to Lucifer that the Dragon Council would eradicate the entire demon race if they purged the angels. ¡°These sinful creatures have grown arrogant,¡± Archangel Michael growled, slamming his fist down on the table. ¡°Calm down,¡± Uriel said, his voice even. ¡°These beasts are not worthy of your anger, brother.¡± ¡°The others are with Him... They cannot be taken away from Him to deal with these foolish children,¡± Gabriel said softly. ¡°But, our opponents are sizeable in strength.¡± The only archangels who were not with Him at the moment were Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, and Raguel. It was over half, but the Seraphim wouldn¡¯t be with them today... if they went out to fight, decreasing their chances of survival greatly. All of them were too arrogant to dare admit it, but they were in a dangerous predicament. ¡°Let me charge them with my squadrons,¡± Michael requested, his eyes alight with fury. ¡°They have hurt our people and corrupted our lands by just being here, there is no way that I can allow them to continue any further.¡± ¡°A Prince of Hell is with them,¡± Raguel spoke up, ¡°he alone can kill you, my brother. His power is sacrilegious, we need to purify his soul. That will weaken him.¡± The other two nodded their heads in agreement. ¡°Then, we know what we must do,¡± Raguel said, standing up and unfurling his wings to their full glory. ... Vyne examined the body of a dead angel woman, she had been pregnant, but her stomach had been split open and the undeveloped child was clearly visible. His curiosity had gotten the best of him, he couldn¡¯t help but look! His grandfather and his men had left without Vyne, their vision was clouded by bloodlust so they hadn¡¯t even notice Vyne separating himself from the group. Vyne licked his lips as he examined her insides, the angels were built very differently than most. Because they were capable of flight, their bone structures had been changed and they were much lighter than they looked. He flipped her over, looking the wings that sprouted from her back. He placed his hand on the base of the wing and tore it out cleanly. ¡°I really need a live one,¡± he muttered to himself as he looked over the wing. feeling out the bones and seeing the thickness of the feathers. Even though they looked soft and fluffy, the feathers were as hard as metal and could easily cut through tough skin. ¡°Were you the one who did this?¡± a quiet voice sounded from behind Vyne, making the demon turn around. The man behind him had an ageless appearance, he looked young and old at the same time. His long, brown hair reached all the way to his hips and was plaited into a neat braid. His wings were stretched out behind his back and the feathers gleamed dangerously. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± Vyne asked, not at all concerned. ¡°I am Gabriel.¡± Vyne wore an expression that conveyed that he didn¡¯t actually care. ¡°You¡¯re one of those archangels, right? Oh, wait... I think you¡¯re one of the ones who killed my father. I congratulate you, honestly, I¡¯ve never seen someone make my grandfather so angry. By the way, my name is Vyne.¡± Gabriel¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°I believe that we have met before in Legacia. You were the subordinate of the Dragon Erebus... Why are you here?¡± ¡°I was dragged along,¡± Vyne didn¡¯t remember Gabriel, but he decided not to voice this. ¡°You were with the Prince of Hell Lucifer?¡± ¡°He¡¯s my grandfather,¡± Vyne answered, using one of the feathers from the dead woman¡¯s to scratch his neck. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me... I¡¯ll be going on then.¡± Vyne took a step forward, but Gabriel appeared in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot let you leave... You are one of my enemies, today. No... as a demon, you have always been my enemy.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t care about you,¡± Vyne responded, still sounding and looking bored. ¡°Lord Erebus would be annoyed if I brought you home as a test subject, so I have to find someone else... Run along now.¡± Gabriel shook his head. ¡°I cannot allow you to live any longer.¡± Vyne sighed heavily, materializing his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go then, better to get it over with now.¡± The angel¡¯s face turned dark, in contrast to Vyne¡¯s bored expression. Without Lord Erebus directly ordering him to do so, he had no motivation to do these troublesome tasks. Ah... was it over yet? Could he go home now? Thoughts like that circulated through his mind as he fought Gabriel. Gabriel was wielding two daggers that he handled expertly, their weapons clanged and danced in the air against each other. ¡°Fight me seriously, sinful beast!¡± Gabriel shouted angrily, he could tell that Vyne was barely trying. The demon stopped moving, standing up straight and tilting his head, his tail flicking from side to side. ¡°Lord Erebus didn¡¯t tell me I had to fight. He told me I had to go with my grandfather, why would I expend my energy on something I wasn¡¯t ordered to do?¡± Gabriel narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you haven¡¯t fought? As if I¡¯d believe such a blatant lie!¡± Vyne sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you believe me or not.¡± His eyes flashed. ¡°You¡¯re so loud and annoying... I guess I¡¯ll kill you after all, you can be my test subject for the limits of my power.¡± Gabriel laughed. ¡°Try it, you filthy cretin.¡± ¡°And I thought that I had a way with words,¡± Vyne responded dryly. ¡°Let¡¯s begin. His sword disappeared from his hands and his body began to grow and morph, as his height increased, his spine twisted until his back was completely hunched over. His white skin changed to onyx, two gnarly horns sprouted from the sides of his head, twisting and elongating until they were at least two feet in length. ¡°I, Vyne of Tartarus, shall face you in my true form. Be honored, angel. You are the only one besides my master who has seen me this way... too bad you won¡¯t be able to speak of it.¡± Gabriel¡¯s face twisted into a sneer. ¡°How revolting, your previous form was far more beautiful than this disgusting beast you¡¯ve turned into. I will no longer hold back either, then.¡± The Archangel Gabriel began a transformation of his own. ... Lucifer stared down three archangels, the Demon Emperors around him, save for Beta, had been more or less wiped out within a short amount of time. That was because one particular archangel was there. Uriel. His spells were meant for more than one enemy, meaning that he specialized in fights like this. His magic was incredibly potent and destructive, he took out the weaker ones without any delay. ¡°Three versus two... I¡¯m liking our odds, how about you, Beta?¡± The dark-haired demon shook his head in exasperation. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought so many weaklings along with you. Just your elite warriors would have been enough.¡± ¡°Oh, relax. One of you is enough.¡± Beta¡¯s face displayed that he didn¡¯t believe this to be true at all, but he didn¡¯t bother to counter Lucifer¡¯s words. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re attacking again,¡± Lucifer said, his voice colored with amazement as a ray of golden light fell upon the two before dissipating just as quickly as it came. ¡°Are you all right, Beta?¡± he asked his comrade, Lucifer was completely unharmed by the attack. Beta snorted. ¡°I¡¯ll live.¡± He wiped the dust off of his clothing. ¡°They should know that an attack like that is futile,¡± he muttered. ¡°Perhaps we should feign injury? So that they can feel better about themselves. I heard that angels are very sensitive, especially the archangels.¡± S2 Chapter Twenty-Five: Vyne and Gabriel Apologies for the delay. Life sucks. Anyway, here''s the chapter, enjoy! Vyne had grown stronger than Lucifer had thought. He was under the impression that Vyne still hadn¡¯t awoken, but Lucifer¡¯s grandson had already undergone the progress. Erebus noticed, but he turned a blind eye to it. He acted as if he hadn¡¯t known anything about it despite the fact that he knew that Vyne was now far more powerful than Magnus and Stone. Mostly because he found it amusing to watch Vyne try so hard to hide the truth. Nevertheless, Vyne was completely different in this form. His body was surging with unfamiliar energy, but he was confident in his ability to harness it. Gabriel, too, had unleashed his full power. His body radiated a glowing light and his wings had stretched, likewise to Vyne, his height had grown greatly. A halo had appeared over his head, lighting the air around it with heavenly glory. Two goliaths stared each other down. Gabriel rose his bow and arrow while Vyne readied his sword. As if an unheard signal had been fired, the two shot towards each other. A crack of thunder sounded when Vyne¡¯s sword deflected one of Gabriel¡¯s arrows, the arrow flew in the other direction, tearing and ripping through the homes of the slain. It landed somewhere far off, in the distance, another explosion sounded. Vyne ground his teeth when one of Gabriel¡¯s arrows pierced his shoulder, the wound was healed in a short amount of time, but Gabriel¡¯s holiness still burned Vyne. Damn angel, his brightness is repulsive, Vyne thought bitterly. The two continued their fight, Gabriel constantly letting go torrents of arrows, Vyne blocking nearly all of them. Neither side was budging. They¡¯d injure each other, then the wound would heal within seconds. Their surroundings had been practically destroyed by their fighting, but none of them cared about that anymore. The destruction of the other. That was their sole purpose, their only goal in the heat of the moment. Bloodlust controlled them, the more they fought, the more their consciousness drifted away and left them in a bloodthirsty frenzy. Vyne¡¯s sword removed Gabriel¡¯s arm, in which its place another one grew out of the stub. The cycle repeated itself on both of the men. An arm there, a leg here, all of them regrowing within moments. Neither of them was concerned with such minor wounds, or rather, the pain of being injured no longer had any effect on them. Their blood spilled on the ground, dampening the dirt. Gabriel raised his bow and arrow into the air, releasing arrows up into the sky that came raining down. The arrows pierced through Vyne¡¯s body, hundreds of wounds appearing on his body. Vyne grunted, incurring too much damage to heal it as quickly as he had before. He fell to one knee, using his sword to hold himself stable. The archangel shot a single arrow at Vyne, intending to deal the deathblow. The demon reacted quickly, raising his sword to deflect the arrow, but the force still blew him back. Vynes body was blasted away, thumping and twisting like a ragdoll until he landed far off. His transformation began to wear off, his body growing smaller and his original appearance coming back. ¡°Dammit,¡± he growled at how quickly it had been undone. It was only an experimental run, and it had shown good results, but his opponent was too strong for him to use it safely. He overshot his boundaries faster than he had imagined. He had been overconfident. Vyne hadn¡¯t even thought of the possibility that Gabriel would be capable of his own transformation. The archangel had taken him by surprise, he had ruined Vyne¡¯s plan, meaning the demon had to think of a new one--quickly. Gabriel flew over, descending to the ground slowly to stand above the weakened Vyne. ¡°You are weak,¡± he said. ¡°A child who doesn¡¯t even know the extents of his own power or how to control it tried to challenge me?¡± Gabriel sneered. ¡°I¡¯m insulted.¡± He withdrew the sword from his side, pointing the blade at Vyne. ¡°Die,¡± he commanded, swinging the sword to cleave Vyne¡¯s head off from his body. The demon moved just in time, thrusting out his sword and impaling Gabriel¡¯s heart. Archangel Gabriel¡¯s own weapon stopped, cutting only slightly into Vyne¡¯s neck. ¡°You,¡± Gabriel spat, blood bubbling up and dripping out of his mouth. ¡°Tricked me? Do you have any dignity?¡± Vyne shrugged, standing up and dusting himself off. ¡°I was never that injured in the first place.¡± His wounds had more or less healed, but he used his ability to create illusions to fool Gabriel into believing that Vyne was incapable of fighting anymore. The demon smirked, twisting his sword. ¡°You angels are always so straightforward, it makes you an easier opponent.¡± Gabriel fell to his knees, golden blood pouring out of the wound when Vyne ripped out his sword. ¡°Damn you, filthy demon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m insulted,¡± Vyne repeated Gabriel¡¯s words. ¡°You thought that such a pure being as yourself could stand against me?¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The angel growled at Vyne. ¡°That isn¡¯t very holy, is it?¡± Vyne poked Gabriel with his sword. ¡°This is very interesting for me to watch, you see? Your body is trying to heal itself, but it can¡¯t because of the poisoning that entered your body. Rapidly, it is trying to break down the toxins, break down and heal, break down and heal. But it won¡¯t be able to, in the end. You¡¯ll just die a slow and painful death. I¡¯m learning so much right now, I¡¯ll have to memorize it all to write later.¡± Gabriel looked at Vyne with smoldering hatred burning in his eyes. He was dying, his body was trying to stop it, but it was inevitable. He would die. Unless someone came and saved him right now, his life would be over. Gabriel had never thought about dying, he never thought about losing. Perhaps it was foolishness on his own part to challenge this demon without knowing exactly what it was capable of. He was arrogant, and that arrogance would be the death of him. Vyne was an arrogant being himself, so full of self-confidence it was nearly revolting to see. But he had won. And in the end, that was all that mattered. Gabriel wanted to cry out that it was unfair, that he hadn¡¯t known it would end this way. But that wasn¡¯t how the world worked. It was too late to turn back, he was going to die. His God would recreate him, but he wouldn¡¯t be the same Gabriel. He would be a new shell, a different being completely. This Gabriel¡¯s lifetime had reached its limit. Gabriel¡¯s ego didn¡¯t want to allow that, he didn¡¯t want any of this to happen. He could only feel contempt for Vyne, who stood above him gloating about his achievement. Gabriel¡¯s life finally faded away. Vyne sighed heavily, his shoulders collapsing in relief. He had been acting confident, he hadn¡¯t been one hundred percent sure that Gabriel would die, and honestly, he didn¡¯t have that much left in him to defeat the angel. ¡°That was unpleasant,¡± he remarked, staring off into the distance here he could see the lights and hear the explosions of another battle going on. It was probably his grandfather, and if he went over there, he¡¯d undoubtedly be dragged in. Vyne settled on collecting Gabriel¡¯s body, he used a storage stone he had snuck out of the castle and transported the corpse inside of it. Storage stones were, for the lack of a better word, rare. They were coveted, expensive, and hard to find. Of course, Lord Erebus had plenty in his possession, but it wasn¡¯t exactly open for his servants to use. Vyne could only hope that he would be forgiven. Vyne began the trek over to his grandfather, the old man would be pleased to know Vyne had killed Gabriel. Maybe he would leave him alone after this. As much as he wanted to turn and retreat, he felt as if something bad would happen if he decided to go with that option, so he kept moving forward. He moved at a slow pace, walking leisurely as he was not in a rush. Instead, he worked on committing the facts of Gabriel¡¯s death to his memory, it would be quite the shame if he forgot everything. Afterall, it wasn¡¯t every day that he got to kill an archangel. Vyne hummed a tune under his breath, ignoring the constant rumbling and shaking of the earth. He stopped walking as soon as the scene was completely viewable. Lucifer and Beta were fighting against three archangels, well, two. One was on the ground with its wings torn off and it was bleeding profusely. Uriel... Vyne believed that was the one on the ground. The other two, Michael and an archangel Vyne had never seen before were engaged in an intense battle. Beta, Vyne had never met him before, but he felt as if the man was stronger than just being called a mere Demon Emperor. Rather, he was fighting with ease along with Lucifer. Vyne watched them fight with detached interest, he had never seen how powerful his grandfather actually was. From the looks of it, Lucifer was playing around. It reminded Vyne of how his lord would toy with those weaker than him, providing him with mild entertainment to watch them struggle to breach a gap that they would never be able to. Vyne felt as if they would get along well if they actually sat down and talked to each other, which was unsettling. He tried to imagine Lucifer getting more involved in his life, the concept made him want to puke. Yep, definitely unpleasant. Vyne banished the thought from his head, focusing back on what was going on before him. Beta had isolated Michael and was dealing with him on his own while Lucifer was ¡°fighting¡± the unknown angel. Beta was obvious the more serious of the two, as he was pouring his energy into this fight. Clicking his tongue, Vyne felt disdain for Beta. From the looks of it, the man was still stronger than Vyne, Vyne wasn''t at that level yet. Gabriel was comparatively weak to the angels that they were fighting, Vyne could tell that much just from a single glance. There was more that he had to do. More power that he had to gain, he wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until he had it. S2 Chapter Twenty-Six: La Vida y La Muerte This one is sorry for the slow updates. I¡¯ve been busy, but I¡¯m trying to write as much as I can in my free time; however, my brain is melted from studying and tests. I¡¯ll try to speed up over the holidays. Try being the key word. So... sorry orz. Lucifer felt embarrassed for his son. He had been confronted by these weaklings, if it wasn¡¯t for the Seraphim (which had yet to show itself), Noxim would have easily won. If only he could turn back time. Raguel was strong, kind of. In Lucifer¡¯s eyes, being someone comparable to a dragon, he was still a weak little boy. Raguel was struggling to fight someone who was clearly leagues beyond him, but it wasn¡¯t as if he could just give up. It was the same situation from when Lucifer challenged Erebus, only the roles had switched. In all honesty, Lucifer didn¡¯t even need for the others to come with him, it was more of a formality than anything. He could easily take out a few archangels and a couple Seraphim on his own and survive without taking many wounds. Lucifer sighed, once again blowing Raguel back. The archangel bounced back up, he was resilient, Lucifer would give him that much credit. Raguel spat out a mouthful of blood and stood up, Lucifer¡¯s hit had knocked a couple of his teeth out. Raguel glared at Lucifer, the demon looked like he was playing a game with a child. An understanding look, not expecting much. Raguel felt his blood boil with anger, should he call upon a Seraphim? Maybe his other brothers could come and help... no, the three would probably end up getting needlessly hurt. Lucifer was leagues beyond them and he was hardly trying. Raguel curled his hands into a tight fist, he readjusted his lance, a new resolve appearing in his body. He¡¯d kill Lucifer or die trying. That was his decision. In Raguel¡¯s (one-track) mind glory was everything. What could be better than ridding the world of the evil that stood before him? An evil so full of arrogance and confidence that it was more than just revolting. Raguel charged at Lucifer, straightforwardly and honestly. ¡°How cute,¡± Lucifer responded with a light smile as the archangel came towards him, his intentions obvious. Straight for the heart. Lucifer stepped aside quickly, but Raguel surprised him by changing his direction suddenly and barely stabbing Lucifer in the chest. The demon leaped back, an interesting expression on his face. He glanced down at the blood that dripped down from the shallow wound and then looked back up at Raguel, a cruel smile spreading across his face. ¡°You wounded me?¡± he questioned. Raguel ignored the question and charged once again, pointing his lance at Lucifer¡¯s chest. Lucifer stepped out of the way once more. The cycle repeated. Raguel uselessly tried to attack Lucifer who would dodge at the last moment. From a distance, Vyne watched what happened uninterestedly. Just like his Lord Erebus. Except, his loyalty to his grandfather was next to none. Vyne never thought that he would be able to say this, but Erebus was far more merciful than Lucifer. His lord, at least, had the decency to put his victims out of his misery, but Lucifer was like a cat playing with a mouse. He enjoyed watching it squeal and run around, hoping that it could escape or win. Well, Vyne could relate to that sentiment. Which was unsettling because Vyne preferred to think he was nothing like his grandfather. Vyne switched his gaze over to Beta who was having a far more interesting match with Archangel Michael. The two of them were more evenly matched, Beta had the advantage in overall strength, but Michael made up for it with his swordsmanship skills. It was an amazing display, it was rare that he was able to see this level of ability and capability; if ever. Both were focused on cutting the other down, there were no wasted or flashy movements in their attacks. Everything was delivered with the intent to kill. It was far different than the game that Lucifer was playing with Raguel. Though, something seemed strange about Beta¡¯s footwork, it looked as if he was forcing himself to move slower. ¡°Ah... I see,¡± Vyne said, understanding that Beta was doing. ¡°I was wrong to think that he was different from that man. Mm, looks like it¡¯s more of a simplistic strategy than him just playing around.¡± Vyne analyzed Beta¡¯s movements. It was a basic idea, really, Beta was just fooling his opponent into thinking that he was a better swordsman. It would allow him to overwhelm Michael, who (it seemed to be a characteristic of all the angels) only seemed to be able to focus on one thing at a time. It was easy to deceive angels into believing something, they were honest folk. They all believed the world was black and white and nothing in between. It was hard for them to adapt to an abrupt change, too. Take for example what happened just now: Beta¡¯s blade severed Michael¡¯s arm from the elbow down, surprising Michael because of the sudden movement that didn¡¯t fit in with Beta¡¯s attack pattern. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The archangel drew back, raising his hand to the stump of his arm; using intense heat, he cauterized the wound. Michael grimaced, but he refused to allow the pain to see. Of course, Beta wasn¡¯t so forgiving as to let Michael stop this bleeding, he charged at the archangel. Desperately dodging, Michael was being pushed into a corner. The pressure that Beta was applying was starting to take its toll, and with one arm down Michael couldn¡¯t do much. Beta smirked, knowing that he would end up being victorious. ¡°I see why the Seraphim had to step in now. Someone of your caliber would have never been able to defeat Noxim.¡± Michael finally tripped up, unable to take any more. His stance was broken and he was left wide open for Beta¡¯s attacks. The sword pierced through Michael¡¯s neck, blood bubbled and began to gush out when Beta yanked out his weapon. ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace to swordsmen,¡± Beta said coldly, swinging his sword once more to behead Michael. ¡°The capability of the archangel¡¯s has decreased over time, I see. You lot are no better than mindless puppets now.¡± Beta sighed and wiped his blade clean, it seemed like so long ago when the archangels were actually worth battling. ¡°Quantity of quality, is it?¡± The demon sheathed his sword, dissatisfaction present on his face. ¡°Lucifer, are you done entertaining yourself?¡± The elder demon pouted. ¡°Is it that time already?¡± He looked at Raguel, who stood to the side panting heavily and tightly gripping his spear. ¡°Apologies, it seems our time together has been cut short.¡± Raguel began to mutter a prayer--but his words were cut short--Lucifer¡¯s blade removed Raguel¡¯s limbs in a flash, the angel fell to the ground. Only his head and torso were still attached. Raguel screamed loudly, he was only capable of thinking two words: It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Lucifer stared down at Raguel, boredom present in his eyes; he watched with little to no interest as Raguel continued to bleed out on the ground, the left-half of his body having been blown off. ¡°So annoying,¡± Lucifer muttered, trying to ignore Raguel¡¯s cries of agony. ¡°Stop whining and die already.¡± The Prince of Hell raised his weapon and plunged it deep into Raguel¡¯s chest. ¡°Ah... It looks like the main players are here now,¡± he said, looking up at the sky where two Seraphim had arrived. The distant sound of trumpets blared in the air, playing a joyous melody. A grumble came from Lucifer, ¡°They¡¯re loud.¡± ¡°They sent two,¡± Beta remarked, slightly surprised. He had been expecting one to come, for two meant that they had angered Him significantly. ¡°I think that He¡¯s upset that we killed some of His children as a pastime. I don¡¯t see what the big deal is, He can recreate His. As for my child, I don¡¯t have that luxury.¡± Lucifer turned and shouted, ¡°Vyne! Quit hiding and come over here, fight for your family.¡± A terse response came from the distance, ¡°I refuse.¡± Lucifer growled, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that Laufeia¡¯s cowardliness rubbed off on you.¡± ¡°Not quite,¡± Vyne explained, ¡°I have no desire to partake in activities that will lead to the termination of my life. Lord Erebus told me not to engage in life-threatening battles and I shall obey his orders.¡± Vyne¡¯s grandfather ground his teeth in annoyance. ¡°Beta, it looks like it¡¯ll just be me and you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring,¡± the other demon responded tartly, his shoulders sagging. ¡°Perhaps we should retreat and come back with a greater for--¡± ¡°Unnecessary!¡± Lucifer said, thumping his chest proudly. ¡°I am more than enough.¡± Beta scrunched his face up. Lucifer certainly could deal with one or two Seraphim, but that was only if he was alone. He would be concerned with shielding Vyne from any stray attacks and ensuring that Beta remained safe also. ¡°Rest assured,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Beta (unwillingly) agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll step back... I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll only be a hindrance.¡± Lucifer considered this, it was true that he would be able to fight more freely without checking to make sure Beta was still alive. Unlike the other Demon Emperors, for various reasons, he wasn¡¯t disposable. ¡°Step back,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°Keep Vyne safe, try your best to ignore his mouth; it¡¯s venomous.¡± Beta bowed his chest parallel to the ground. ¡°I will carry out that duty.¡± Quietly, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t get yourself killed.¡± Lucifer snorted, pointing his sword at the beings flying in the air. ¡°Just who do you think I am? These lightweights should be honored to be able to fight me.¡± S2 Chapter Twenty-Seven: To Kill A Seraphim *bows multiple times* Please forgive my lateness. Procrastination and laziness caught up to me, I am ashamed of myself. It had been a while since Lucifer had fought so seriously, and he tried to forget the fact that he would have to fight someone even more fearsome than all the Seraphim combined into one. Think happy thoughts, Lucifer. Happy thoughts. Just focus on the battle now... don¡¯t--don¡¯t go to that dark place. The Seraphim didn¡¯t bother to lower itself from the sky, instead, it raised up its hands and activated multiple magic circles. Golden rays rained down from the heavens, leaving Lucifer no room to dodge the belligerent attack. The Prince of Hell spread out his arms as if to embrace the magic, it washed over him like the sun¡¯s rays. ¡°Magnificent!¡± he cried out joyously. ¡°You are far better than these weaklings I¡¯ve fought until now.¡± The Seraphim did not respond it simply continued on with its relentless attacks. Lucifer wasn¡¯t affected by any of these. ¡°Come on now, you and I both know that will do nothing,¡± he said with a heaving sigh as he danced out of the way of the incoming blast of magic. With a flick of his sword, the magic was cleaved in half and dissipated into the air. The noise of the trumpets blaring grew louder as the Seraphim descended from the air, its grandiose wings guiding it to land softly on the ground. ¡°How sweet, you¡¯re coming down from so up high to deal with lil¡¯ ole¡¯ me?¡± Lucifer asked, shifting into an offensive stance. He smirked arrogantly at the Seraphim, having no worries of whether or not he would win their battle. It didn¡¯t respond, it pointed its staff towards Lucifer. The tip of the staff began to glow brightly and mana exploded out from it, colliding with the demon. Lucifer raised his sword just in time to block the brunt of the attack, but he still was sent backwards from the pure amount of force behind it. Lucifer ground his teeth. The Seraphim didn¡¯t know any special spells, hand-to-hand combat, or anything of the sort. But the amount of brute strength they had made up for that, if Lucifer wasn¡¯t careful he could be gravely wounded by one of its attacks. The Seraphim were similar to dragons in that they had an enormous amount of mana capacity and could churn out high power attacks without growing tired too quickly. If one judged by a pure measure of strength, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that the Seraphim was technically stronger than Lucifer. But the demon had also existed for thousands of years and had his own arsenal of skills at his disposal. He wasn¡¯t concerned about the Seraphim¡¯s explosive power. Lucifer quickly moved out of the way of the blasts the Seraphim sent at him. It was more or less a mindless creature, it only had one objective on its mind right now--to destroy Lucifer. The two of them of them moved across the plains at a dizzying speed, even Vyne had to turn his eyes because watching began to hurt them. Lucifer didn¡¯t seem to be struggling, neither of them seemed to be entirely serious about the matter in actuality. It was more like they were testing each other out. Vyne watched the scene play out before him carefully, his eyes picking up on every single one of their movements. This was also his chance to improve his understanding of how to fight; right now, his strength paled in comparison to the bloodline he belonged to. Even Laufeia had been able to stand against an original dragon and last more than five minutes. Though, she did lose one of her horns as a proof of her loss which caused her seemingly endless shame and embarrassment. And watching Lucifer now, Vyne had a feeling that he would be able to put up an even better fight than that. Lucifer and the Seraphim were still going back and forth--the Seraphim sending a blast of mana and Lucifer either dodging or blocking the attack with barely any effort. ¡°This is getting old,¡± Lucifer grumbled as he deflected another beam of concentrated mana. He changed from defending against attacks to charging at the Seraphim, he darted between the attacks it sent at him and sliced his sword. Lucifer aimed to cleave the Seraphim in half but the creature jerked its body out of the way and swung its staff at Lucifer. Lucifer¡¯s sword rose and blocked the blow, a dull clang rung throughout at the metals colliding. ¡°Shoot,¡± Lucifer muttered as the staff¡¯s tips began glittering once more. He withdrew just as a beam was released if he had been a second too slow it would have taken his head off easily. ¡°Tricky bastard.¡± The Seraphim activated multiple magic circles and the ground began to rumble and shake, debris rising into the air. For a moment, all was silent. The sound came back in the form of a loud roar that made the entire continent to tremble and Lucifer was assaulted from multiple directions. The explosion created a dome of light that engulfed the entire area, including where Vyne and Beta had been. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. A high-pitched ringing ensued as multiple blasts continued to follow one after another, carving a deep crater into the earth. The Seraphim raised its staff to the heavens, mana began being sucked towards it. Everything seemed to distort as it was pulled towards the staff, even light seemed to bend as it neared. Strength nearly on par with Lost Magic. ¡¸God¡¯s Reckoning ¡¹. Before it could continue its onslaught of attacks, a blade pierced through the dust and buried itself deep into the Seraphim¡¯s side. Golden blood leaked out when the sword was torn away, but the wound healed itself within a matter of moments. ¡°Guess it wasn¡¯t deep enough,¡± Lucifer sighed the words, emerging from the plume of dust. He had received a few injuries from the blast, it had taken him by surprise. Still, he, too, was healing. He glanced over to where Beta had barely raised up a barrier in time to protect him and Vyne from the majority of the blast. ¡°Aiming for my grandson,¡± Lucifer said, his voice low and rumbly. ¡°Was taking one of my family members not enough to you?¡± he roared, a surge of power exploding from where he stood. This time, when his sword was swung at the Seraphim, it was sliced cleanly in half. The two halves fell to the floor, but the blood acted like strings and pulled them back together. Lucifer wasn¡¯t done yet, just as the Seraphim had done to him, he continued to attack it without taking a break in between. Every time it was cut, the Seraphim regenerated and Lucifer cut it down again. His sword moved through the air in a gleam of light, it was impossible for Vyne and Beta to keep up with its movements. Lucifer wasn¡¯t daunted by its regenerative capabilities, he had hunted down quite a few Seraphim in his life. To kill one, he had to surpass what it could heal back. His blade didn¡¯t stop moving, lines appeared on the Seraphim¡¯s body as its blood splurted out. He was going to enjoy this fight. It was his warm-up to his fight with Erebus--but this ignorant beast had harmed his grandson and Lucifer couldn¡¯t allow that to pass. This idiotic creature had already taken his son, now it tried for his grandson? His blood boiled at the thought, he could taste his anger on his tongue as he swallowed bile. Unforgivable! His rage and killing intent seeped out from his pores. It coated his body and permeated through the air as his sword kept cutting through the Seraphim¡¯s body. Multiple wounds appeared on its shining body and blood gushed out from multiple faucets as it continued to incur more injuries. The trumpets almost sounded like they were crying out in pain, in agony, but Lucifer paid their music no mind. All he could see was read, it blinded him. ¡°Die a million times over,¡± he growled. Lucifer activated one of his strongest skills, using his sword and wind blades; he would slice his victim a million times--each a fatal blow. It was rightfully named¡¸ A Million Deaths¡¹. The wind whistled and within the blink of an eye, the Seraphim had been cut into pieces so small it was impossible to see. Instead, golden sparkles glittered in the air then dispersed. The shimmering particles rose into the sky, almost like a dance as they rose and illuminated the sky. Then the trumpets were silent forevermore. It almost seemed empty without their appearance. Vyne was speechless, he didn¡¯t think that anyone other than his Lord Erebus would be able to deal with a Seraphim with such minimal effort. Just as Vyne rose to his feet, Lucifer came running and grabbed Vyne roughly by his arms. ¡°Beta, start activating transportation magic, we¡¯re getting out of here!¡± The Demon Emperor nodded his head, he ran along with Vyne and Lucifer as he created a magic circle that appeared under their fast moving feet. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Vyne asked in surprise. ¡°If we stay any longer, the rest of the archangels and a legion of Seraphim will come,¡± Beta answered easily. ¡°This is how we normally escape after coming to the Pure Continent.¡± Vyne¡¯s vein bulged. ¡°Somehow, that pisses me off.¡± They had come to the Pure Continent with their chests puffed up with a blend of confidence and arrogance... yet their final plan to leave was to run away quickly before reinforcements came to put an end to them. A lot about that just rubbed Vyne the wrong way. At the same time, he was amused by this. A small smile even hinted at the corners of his lips--his grandfather wasn¡¯t as Vyne had painted him in his mind. His antics were similar to Lord Erebus¡¯, perhaps that was why he found himself inexplicably loyal to his current master. But Vyne preferred to believe that he was just thinking too far into it. It was better when he just put it this way: His grandfather was an absolute, complete idiot. S2 Chapter Twenty-Eight: Be Prepared Erebus was bored. Suprising? No. Irritating? Yes. What was taking them so long? It was as if the everyone had met in clandestine meetings and established that they would render Erebus incapable of feeling enjoyment for more than a couple of minutes. Not only that, he had two nuisances to deal with. They went by the names Triton and Mae. Erebus respectively referred to them as Freeloader Number One and Two. Triton¡¯s excuse was that it was ¡°boring¡± waiting for people to come and challenge him. He expected that Erebus¡¯ would sympathize with his pain, seeing as Erebus had felt it before. Mae¡¯s was that Erebus had good food and booze and there was absolutely no legitimate reason for her to leave. ¡°It goes like this, Erebus,¡± she explained one day. ¡°I¡¯m one of your best friends. Why would you even want me to leave? Exactly! You don¡¯t. So I¡¯ll stay. Good talk, I¡¯m going to go and get drunk.¡± The dragon rubbed his temples. ¡°Listen, Erebus,¡± Triton said. ¡°How does it feel when you have to wait for enjoyment? Terrible, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m in that same exact predicament. I¡¯m one of your best friends. Why would you want me to go through that pain? Exactly. You don¡¯t. So I¡¯ll stay. Good talk, I¡¯m going to go and play games with Weryn.¡± Their similarities pissed him off. The two got along way too well, Erebus felt as if their lines had been rehearsed. And Tear had been extra pissy lately (her precious time with Erebus had been snatched away), which only added onto Erebus¡¯ list of annoyances. Magnus and Stone were, well, themselves... which was self-explanatory. Lilian, as usual, seemed to be his only saving grace. But one too many times had he seen her stroking dolls that looked exactly like him and giving them kisses. ¡°Should I go out again?¡± Erebus asked himself, seriously considering the option. Ah... but his fight with the Four Princes. An adventure would have to wait until later, Erebus determined. He couldn¡¯t go around as a Quester anymore because the Dragon Council had whined about him being one, what should he do instead? An idea occurred to him. Erebus jumped up onto his feet and made his way to the servant¡¯s quarters. They were located near the dungeons where Vyne would be lurking if he was here. The servants all seemed to be surprised to see him, Erebus rarely ventured down there. It wasn¡¯t that he was rude or mean to them, it was just that he had no reason to come. ¡°Where¡¯s Amber?¡± he asked a blonde-haired dwarf who stood nearest to him, she was mending a dress. The dwarf frowned, scratching her thick head of hair in thought. She was a forgetful fellow. ¡°I think she was up in the library cleaning with her son. Xaltiq was with them, too... I think.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Erebus chirped. She nodded and waved good-bye to Erebus. The dragon quickly made his way to the library, he had an absolutely marvelous idea. A truly splendid one, something that he considered to be ingenious (in reality, it was a sly, sneaky move). How had he not thought of this before? His lack of creativity was just appalling. He burst into the library, surprising the three that stood in. They were all standing by a table, reading an ancient book that had piqued their interest. The book contrasted with everything that they had been taught or had heard about. ¡°Ah! Eh? Uh, Master Erebus, greetings,¡± Amber stumbled over her words before finally curtseying. Xaltiq bowed. ¡°Lord Erebus.¡± The young son followed the actions of the two, he bowed at his waist to Erebus and said his greetings. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Xaltiq asked his superior. It was still slightly strange to him that Erebus was a dragon, the boy he had thought was his inferior. A small part of him wondered if Erebus knew of Fox, the woman who had fought him not too long ago. ¡°You two are human. One hundred percent, bonafide humans,¡± Erebus said, determination cut in his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend to be humans.¡± They nodded their heads, confused as to why Erebus was saying this. Erebus clamped his hands on their shoulders, his grip tight and uncomfortable. ¡°Listen, you two will become Questers. Immediately.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Amber tilted her head. ¡°Lord Erebus, I am incapable of using magic and I have no combat experience,¡± she said. ¡°Someone more suitable than me should b picked...¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. He shook his head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You two will go now! Register as Questers and come back to me. Try not to befriend anyone or answer any personal questions when you¡¯re there. Also, be quick,¡± he informed the two. ¡°What about my son?¡± Amber asked with a dazed expression, she wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about leaving him in this place. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erebus brushed away her concerns then he turned to the small boy. ¡°Won¡¯t you, Mathis?¡± Mathis nodded his head firmly before a toothy smile spread across his face and he looked up at his worried mother. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I have plenty of friends here!¡± he exclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest. ¡°See?¡± Erebus patted the child¡¯s head. ¡°Well... I...¡± Amber stuttered, unsure of how to handle this. The thought of not being with her son was a painful one. She had almost lost the boy. ¡°No excuses!¡± Erebus clapped his hands together. ¡°Get packed and go.¡± When they didn¡¯t move, he tried again, ¡°Hurry up and go!¡± The two bowed their heads to him, confusion and bewilderment still ringing in their heads as Erebus left the room. ¡°Now that¡¯s all set and prepared,¡± Erebus said cheerfully, he paused in the hallway; drumming his fingers on his chin in thought. ¡°Hmm... I¡¯ll train Weryn a little as a warm-up. He¡¯s growing stronger and stronger, I can¡¯t wait to see the extent of his powers when he¡¯s full-grown.¡± Sadly, that wouldn¡¯t be until a few more centuries. Dragons weren¡¯t considered adults until they were, at least, four hundred, even then they were still young and developing. What a shame, such a pity, truly. Just as Erebus turned on his heels, a voice entered his mind, Lord Erebus, we will be arriving shortly. We have just arrived on the Main Continent. My grandfather has alerted the other Princes of Hell and they are on their way. Vyne sounded exceedingly irritated as he spoke to his master. The idiot neglected to mention to his companions about who you truly are. I would advise you to be prepared to receive shocked reactions from them or for their heads to be inflated. Eh? Is that so? Well, I¡¯m used to it, Erebus answered. The dragon stood still, wondering on how he should greet his newest playthings. This, he concluded, would be a worthy form of entertainment. An ephemeral moment that would appease his desire for amusement until the boredom plagued him once more. It, he also concluded, was a great tragedy that befell his poor soul. Erebus, with a heavy and light heart, continued on his way. He wondered if he should test them all like he had done to Lucifer. The child, in Erebus¡¯ opinion, had held up quite well. He hadn¡¯t fainted or started screaming--so that was a start. Then again, if he decided to mess with them that way they might be less eager to fight him similar to how Lucifer was. The Prince had only offered so that he could have Vyne accompany him on his quest for petty revenge. The dragon was confused about the concept of ¡°revenge¡±. He had tested it out before, it wasn¡¯t as fulfilling as it had been cracked up to be. He felt the same as he had before he had exacted his revenge. And! Erebus destroyed kingdoms, taken too many lives, yet no one came to him with any vindictive intent. Therefore, he concluded, revenge was a useless tool and provided nothing but momentary relief. Lucifer¡¯s son was dead and no matter how many angels he killed, nothing could change that fact. That. Was. Why! They should move faster. Pointlessly avenging his son was fine and all, but Erebus¡¯ had things he wanted to do, too! Specifically... he wanted to hurry up and test the limits of this human form. See, Erebus was able to only draw out a small portion of his actual power when he was transformed into a human. He had never seen how much of that power, he only had an estimate of what it could do. Normally, he would transform into a dragon because it was simply easier and more convenient to be in that form when doing complicated spells or things of the like. But today would be different. He would see if there was anyone actually capable of forcing him to use his dragon form. Erebus wondered, he pondered if the children would be yet another disappointment. S2 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Step Inside The Four Princes, Beta, and Vyne proceeded to the castle of the Dragon-ranked who had challenged the four royal men. In two of their heads, they couldn¡¯t help but think that this weak being (hardly worth of their attention) had enough confidence to actually attempt to fight him. The other two knew full and well who they were going to fight--amuse, possibly, would be the better term to describe what they were meant for. Belial and Leviathan followed behind Lucifer and Satan who walked with drooping postures and a thick black cloud seemed to be pouring rain over their heads. They had no absolutely no idea as to why their comrade¡¯s were acting in such a strange manner. Then there was Vyne, who also apparently served the so-called ¡°Erebus¡±. He treated them even colder than he did his own grandfather, which was certainly saying something they just didn¡¯t know what it meant. Their interactions with Vyne had been few and far between seeing as Satan had been the closest to Lucifer¡¯s grandchild. For him to receive them so... distastefully also left a bad taste in their own mouths. ¡°Here we are,¡± Vyne declared as they emerged from the forest. A grassland stretched before them and a glorious castle sat in the distance. ¡°Careful, or you¡¯ll run into some of the traps recently laid,¡± he said. ¡°Pesky humans poking their nose where it doesn¡¯t belong,¡± he elaborated, clicking his tongue. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m surprised Grandfather and Satan didn¡¯t get hit by one at all, perhaps we¡¯ll have to add more later on... Hmm...¡± Everyone noted that he didn¡¯t tell them where to look or even give so much as a hint. So, they all followed the demon¡¯s exact steps. Dangerous. Vyne¡¯s hatred of them was getting dangerous. They arrived at the front of the castle, Vyne swung open the door which was always left unlocked. ¡°Lord Erebus is in his throne room,¡± Vyne said while visibly relaxing as he entered his home. He slipped into the persona of a faithful servant as he guided the others through a myriad of hallways. ¡°Treat him respectfully,¡± he ordered his technical superiors as they stopped in front of the doors to the throne room. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to tell us!¡± Satan said with a laugh while patting Lucifer¡¯s back, the one who learned an unforgettable lesson. Lucifer averted his gaze, attempting to not recall his rage that overcame his reasoning and nearly led to his death. Belial rolled his words at Vyne¡¯s words. ¡°Just open the doors.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you,¡± Vyne muttered, pushing open the door. The Four Princes and their tagalong stepped inside of the large but mostly empty throne room. A single chandelier hanging from the ceiling basked the room in a dull light but everything mostly remained in the shadows. There were three figures already inside. A person on the throne and two on either side of the raised platform. The man who sat on the throne barely gave off enough strength to be considered more than a paltry human. He exuded a rather weak and apathetic as he looked at them. Belial and Leviathan weren¡¯t offset by this as they also restrained their strength--but Lucifer and Satan both tensed up when they laid eyes on the man. Unlike the last time, there were only two others with Erebus: Mae and Triton. The others were busy finishing the arena for them to fight in. Mae and Triton being the great friends (slackers) they were opted to stay inside rather than help the others. ¡°Hello!¡± the man on the throne said cheerfully, his tone was not befitting of the serious atmosphere. His revealed crimson eye shone and glimmered with mirth and amusement. ¡°I was waiting for so long for you to finally finish. What took so long?¡± Erebus directed his question towards Lucifer. The demon awkwardly cleared his throat. ¡°The journey from the Main Continent to the Pure Continent takes some time even with pre-prepared teleportation spells. It only took us a few days...¡± ¡°Ha-ha, I guess that¡¯s true!¡± Erebus exclaimed, clapping his hands together. ¡°Well, you¡¯re here now. That¡¯s all that counts.¡± Leviathan stepped forward, brushing a lock of black-blue hair from his face. ¡°You must be the challenger, correct? I am Leviathan.¡± Erebus¡¯ eye flicked uninterestedly toward the man who had spoken out, a chill entered Leviathan¡¯s body. ¡°Wait your turn, I was speaking to Lucifer,¡± he said, voice icy. The demon opened his mouth to retort, but Satan quickly yanked back his friend. ¡°Forgive his actions, Erebus,¡± Satan said with a quick bow of his head. Belial and Leviathan¡¯s eyes widened while the dragon waved away the demon¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to it.¡± Lucifer cleared his throat once more, the mood was unsettling. ¡°Nya~ Can I say something?¡± Mae asked, her (fake) accent returning. ¡°No,¡± Erebus answered far too quickly for Mae¡¯s liking. Of course, his terseness elicited a response from Mae: she stamped her foot against the ground in indignance. . ¡°Nya! Erebus, you¡¯re so mean to me--nya!¡± The black-haired man clicked his tongue and turned his attention back to the men who stood there awkwardly. Vyne had slammed the door shut behind him, so there wasn¡¯t a single person in this room who didn¡¯t make them feel awkward. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Being the royalty that they were, the Four Princes had met a lot of strangers and other folk... yet they had never met such an eccentric bunch. All of them felt strangely powerful and one couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly inferior in their presence. This was something that they were not used to. Inferiority. In their long existences, they had always been the one who stood on top. ¡°Follow me,¡± Erebus declared. ¡°Don¡¯t dawdle,¡± he scolded them as he slid past and pushed open the recently closed doors, turning to the left and heading off. Mae and Triton followed in suit, then the Four Princes and Beta trailed behind awkwardly. They exited through the back of the castle, heading down the plain where a large coliseum sat. Satan let out a low whistle in amazement. It had been built in such a short time yet it managed to look as if it had always been there. It must have cost a staggering amount of money in order to build such a grand coliseum, even he would have an air-filled wallet after this. And he could finance an entire kingdom without any problems. As he thought... the financial prowess of the dragons was too overwhelming. The group walked under the large archway and into the arena that had been constructed while Triton and Mae broke off and headed in another direction. The seats were full of people who were thundering loudly. ¡°Hello, everybody! I¡¯m the announcer for this~ It¡¯s Tear of the Moon Goddess!¡± Tear¡¯s voice boomed through a sound amplification spell. More shouts and cheers ensued. ¡°A-and I¡¯m Weryn. Don¡¯t forget about me!¡± the voice of a young boy pleaded desperately. Tear cleared her throat. ¡°First, we have the miserable mutts from Tartarus, the Four Princes of Hell!¡± A vein popped on Leviathan¡¯s forehead. ¡°Bi--¡± ¡°--And then! We have the amazingly handsome and dashing, all powerful and incredibly intelligent, Lord Erebus!¡± The crowd erupted in loud cheers. ¡°Do you hear that? Everyone¡¯s expressing their boundless love for our glorious master! Of course, mine transcends theirs and is the purest form of--¡± ¡°Tear,¡± Erebus said quietly yet the girl managed to hear him, in fact, the entire arena silenced when he spoke. ¡°Yes?¡± she answered him, her voice filled with love and adoration. Erebus cracked his knuckles in irritation. ¡°Shut up and get on with it.¡± ¡°How overdramatic,¡± Belial muttered, putting his fingers in his ears to tune out the noise of Tear profusely apologizing to Erebus and demanding for punishment. ¡°I quite like it,¡± Satan retorted, casting his gaze around at the grand arena that had been constructed so quickly. ¡°What? You like this?¡± Belial asked, surprise coloring his voice. The demon thumped his chest proudly. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m the one who wanted the arena made!¡± Belial and Leviathan deadpanned at the same time, ¡°So it was you.¡± Lucifer was the only one who remained silent, he was beginning to regret his decision to fight Erebus. No, not beginning, he regretted it the moment the words came out of his mouth. It was too late to turn back now, the dragon would probably chase Lucifer to the corners of the world if the demon tried to escape. This, he decided, was terrible. It wasn¡¯t a fight to the death, but it would certainly feel like one. ¡°Beta,¡± Lucifer said. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Go sit in the stands and observe, this will be a good learning opportunity for you.¡± The demon scrunched up his face. ¡°How so?¡± Lucifer laughed lightly, a tinge of fear coloring it. ¡°You¡¯ll see that your definition of absolute power was incorrect.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t quite follow,¡± Beta admitted. His lord pointed at Erebus who stood in the middle of the arena pretending like he was stretching. ¡°That¡¯s the peak of power.¡± ¡°A single man? He hardly seems worth the title. I doubt he¡¯ll be able to hold up against any of you, let alone all of you at the same time,¡± Beta said while observing Erebus. He was way too relaxed. Was it overconfidence? No, it was more like he was indifferent. The man stretched his arm over his head, his face completely blank like he was a corpse. That was wrong. There was something in his eyes--enjoyment? Beta couldn¡¯t quite place the emotion. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought before, I was wrong.¡± Lucifer shook his head, remembering Erebus¡¯ boundless strength. Now go, observe carefully. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Understand?¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± Beta muttered while bowing his head quickly before turning to go the other way so that he could sit in the stands with the others who were watching. When the plus one had finally cleared out, the atmosphere inside of the arena intensified. ¡°Now then,¡± Weryn said, his boyish voice resounding throughout. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the slaughter--I mean, battle. Te-he?¡± Tear¡¯s voice followed in a valiant cry, ¡°Start!¡± S2 Chapter Thirty: Absolute A whistle followed by a massive explosion was the true commencement of the fight. The one to throw the first punch was none other than Belial, he had been feeling impatient the entire time. Two heavy gauntlets had appeared on his arms, they were made out of a powerful and sturdy material that could withstand the force behind his explosive attacks. Dust and debris dissipated in the air and the crowd still cheered wildly even though they could hardly make out the figures of the five below. When it finally cleared, much to Belial¡¯s surprise--Erebus had taken the punch straight on. He had raised one hand up to stop it, the spikes on the knuckles of the gauntlets didn¡¯t even scratch the man¡¯s skin. Seriously? Belial groaned inwardly. That punch was enough to hurt one of the other Princes and this guy wasn¡¯t even injured. Perhaps he had fortified his skin or something. That would be annoying. ¡°You have a good amount of strength,¡± Erebus remarked, removing his hand from Belial¡¯s. ¡°And how are your defenses?¡± Before Belial could properly react, Erebus¡¯ fist connected with his face and sent the demon propelling into the side of the arena. Belial rolled on the ground, barely gathering his bearings again properly before Erebus lunged at him once more with the intent to deliver a kick to his stomach. Lucifer appeared then, he swung his sword in an arc in order to get Erebus to back away before he could attack Belial again. Erebus, as Lucifer thought, easily sidestepped the attack and took a few steps back. He could have taken it head on and not have been affected, but he decided to humor Lucifer. ¡°Ha-ha, you¡¯re going to have to do better than this if you want to keep me entertained,¡± Erebus said as he nimbly dodged all of Lucifer¡¯s and Belial¡¯s attacks. Even though you say that, your evasive abilities aren¡¯t normal! Satan wanted to cry from the sidelines. In order to preserve their energy, Satan and Leviathan were sitting back until it looked like the others were being pressed too hard. If they threw in everything at once, it wouldn¡¯t be much of fight. They were also able to gauge Erebus¡¯ abilities while observing and formulated a strategy to deal with him. ¡°Look at this, nya! He¡¯s barely trying, Erebus, you¡¯re such a hunk, nya~¡± an irritating voice filled the arena in a pitiful attempt to recreate Tear¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to b-burst with lo-ove, nya!¡± Mae cried out. ¡°A--nyah-?¡± she yelped in surprise and the sound of skin meeting skin could be heard. ¡°Back off!¡± the real Tear screeched. ¡°I would never say something like that!¡± Erebus stopped dodging, both attacks landing but doing nothing other than dirtying his clothing. He glared up at the announcer¡¯s booth. ¡°Shut up,¡± he said, irritating palpable. Belial took this as an opportunity to use more force than he had before. He dug his foot into the ground which cracked under the pressure and he swung his fist with immense force to collide with Erebus¡¯ chin. Erebus¡¯ head snapped back, but he remained rooted in place. He cracked his jaw and smirked at the demon, clearly uninjured. ¡°Seriously?¡± Belial couldn¡¯t help but say in exasperation. Lucifer swooped down from above, his sword swinging down in an attempt to cut Erebus. The dragon raised a hand, the blade met with the flesh and a large boom sounded throughout; once again stirring up the dust that had settled. Erebus¡¯ hand wrapped tightly around the blade, the sharp metal didn¡¯t even cut his skin. He flicked his wrist, throwing Lucifer who was still holding the blade. Lucifer slammed into Satan and Leviathan who hadn¡¯t jumped out of the way fast enough. Before Belial could redistance himself from Erebus, the dragon spun sharply and roundhouse kicked the Prince. His foot cracked against Belial¡¯s jaw but the demon managed to only skid a few meters away. ¡°You guys are going to have to try harder,¡± Erebus remarked, rolling his shoulders. ¡°Stop holding back, yeah?¡± They glared at him, readying themselves to attack once more. It wasn¡¯t like they weren¡¯t trying--and Erebus was restraining his strength, too! ¡°Uwah! Lord Erebus is so cool!¡± Weryn exploded, unable to contain his excitement. Erebus was redeeming himself in the young dragon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Dealing with multiple enemies so easily, he even told them to try harder.¡± ¡°Truly admirable,¡± Tear agreed, adoration pouring out of her body. ¡°Take those children down!¡± she screamed. The crowd roared its agreement. ¡°The crowd and the announcer are both biased,¡± Leviathan muttered, pulling out his own sword. Well, that was only natural. The crowd was composed of Erebus¡¯ servants, Stone and Magnus¡¯ subordinates, the Leaders themselves... There was no one there who would root for the Prince¡¯s except for Beta. The sharp-eyed demon, as if he could feel his superiors expecting him to cheer for them, turned his head quickly away from their direction. Lucifer shook his head, gripping the handle of his sword tightly. He knew that Erebus would be a difficult opponent, he knew that they wouldn¡¯t win... But dammit! It was embarrassing. His eyes quickly scanned the crowd, searching for anyone that looked remotely like Laufeia. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Erebus was a beast. He was making Lucifer and Belial seem like a pair of lightweights when in reality no one had been able to stand against one of the Princes for this long, let alone two of them. He was ashamed. Lucifer felt a way he never had before--he wanted to give up. He watched Belial, Satan, and Leviathan attempt to land an attack on Erebus. It was hopeless, he almost called out to them. Erebus weaved between their attacks, only countering once in awhile and dealing massive damage whenever he did. His strength was explosive; it was hard to believe someone who looked as useless as Erebus did was such a skilled fighter. He wasn¡¯t at all concerned by those fighting him. Was this child¡¯s play to him? It was scary. Erebus swatted away Satan, the demon slamming into the force field that separated them from the crowd. Satan fell to the ground heaving, he had surely broken some ribs with that one. They would heal within due time, but it didn¡¯t make it any less painful. Lucifer¡¯s eyes flicked back to Belial and Leviathan, both of them were releasing a flurry of attacks yet not a single one landed. Sometimes Erebus would allow himself to be hit; he incurred no damage when he was. Erebus foot planted into the ground while his other one swung out, connecting with Belial¡¯s side and with a sickening crunch caused the demon to fly away. Belial couldn¡¯t help but gasp in pain. This guy was a monster, Lucifer thought. Belial had the hardest and most fortified body out of them all because of his alignment with the earth element, yet he was still being tossed around like some sort of ragdoll. Lucifer¡¯s jaw set, his resolve setting in once more. It was unfair, all of this was unfair--but he still had to fight. He had to stop being indecisive; he had never acted this way before until faced with an original dragon. Lucifer launched himself at Erebus, throwing away every single concern and worry that he had. He was Lucifer, one of the Four Princes of Hell! He wouldn¡¯t hesitate against an opponent like this. He had always stood tall and courageous, his skill with the sword was undeniable. This was just another fight. Another battle to win. Lucifer¡¯s sword met with Erebus¡¯ arm which had been raised in a split second to block the attack. Erebus¡¯ cold eyes met with Lucifer, a small smirk forming on Erebus¡¯ lips. ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he said, his forearm was not even shaking as Lucifer applied more and more pressure in an attempt to cut through his skin. ¡°I like your determination. It makes this more enjoyable.¡± Erebus¡¯ free hand clenched into a fist, he swung it backwards and it Belial in the face when the demon tried to sneak up from behind. Lucifer didn¡¯t waste the opportunity of the split second of Erebus¡¯ attention being distracted, he swung his sword again. This time, he aimed to sever Erebus¡¯ arm off from the rest of his body. His sharp blade was met with tough skin, the metal only cutting Erebus¡¯ clothing. Leviathan came, aiming to pierce Erebus through the stomach with his own sword. Erebus¡¯ hand snapped down, grabbing the blade before it even connected with his skin. ¡°You¡¯re like cockroaches,¡± Erebus responded, his voice calm and even as if he wasn¡¯t being attacked. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing,¡± he elaborated. The Princes didn¡¯t respond, both of them still trying to break through Erebus¡¯ defenses by applying more and more strength until their muscles were screaming. Underneath their feet, the ground cracked and a crater was formed. None of them moved despite the rumbles and groans of the earth beneath their feet. The roars of the crowd had softened, the commentators saying nothing. No one could bear to speak because of the intensity of the situation. Power was surging off of the body of the two Princes; the auras that they normally kept restrained were no longer a concern of theirs and filled the air with a heavy pressure that the weaker beings could barely withstand. Suddenly, both Leviathan and Lucifer lept back. A fiery pyre of blue flame rose up from the ground, engulfing Erebus¡¯ body. The heat of the fire could be felt even from through the barrier that had been erected to protect everyone. ¡¸Tartarus¡¯ Imprisonment ¡¹. It was Satan¡¯s spell; he had used his magic that he rarely, if ever, activated. His usage of it truly showed how serious he was in this fight. When the fire had finally ceased, Erebus, to no one¡¯s surprise, stood there mostly uninjured. A small (miniscule) section of his exposed shoulder had been singed by the fire. Of course, that wasn¡¯t it. Just as the spell ended, another hit was delivered to Erebus. Belial gritted his teeth and mustered up as much strength as possible, he pulled back his fist and snapped it forward; his hand smashed into Erebus¡¯ face, causing the dragon¡¯s nose to crack and break. Blood dripped down from the wound that was quickly repairing itself. The crimson dripped down to the ground before Erebus hand caught it, the liquid pooled in his palm. ¡°I¡¯m...¡± Erebus spoke, surprise coating his voice. ¡°Bleeding?¡± S2 Chapter Thirty-One: Just When I Start Having Some Fun Sorry for the long delay, I took a short break from writing. I am back now! Woo. Here you go. Silence filled the arena, no one even dared to breathe. Erebus hand raised to his now healed nose, touching the blood that remained. The shocked expression on his face slowly morphed into one of glee. ¡°You made me bleed!¡± he cried out cheerfully. His crimson eye glimmered and shimmered with a twisted sense of happiness. ¡°Do you know how long it¡¯s been since I¡¯ve last bled?¡± He wiped the blood from his face, smiling a little. ¡°Ah... You weren¡¯t disappointments.¡± Belial took a step backward, a terrible dread entering his body. ¡°You¡¯ve made me happy...¡± Erebus muttered, staring at his blood-crusted hand. He looked up, his eye sharpening. ¡°But you¡¯ve also pissed me off. Don¡¯t be angry if I accidentally kill you, ¡®kay?¡± Belial glanced at Satan, his friend has lost all color in his face. He looked horrified. A portion of Erebus¡¯ hidden aura peaked out, it exerted immense force and pressure. It wasn¡¯t to the degree of what Lucifer had been faced with, but it was still enough to be afraid of. It felt as if, in that moment, that Erebus was the center of the world. ¡°This isn¡¯t good,¡± Satan said. ¡°Ah... We messed up, we really messed up.¡± No one dared to move. They all stared at the solitary figure of Erebus. He stood with his back ramrod straight, a vicious gleam in his crimson eye. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you attacking?¡± Erebus questioned them, tilting his head every so slightly at the lull in the battle. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± he taunted, his voice soft. Satan laughed awkwardly. ¡°Well... This is a new situation for us, apologizes.¡± ¡°Eh! Is that so?¡± Erebus didn¡¯t sound like he cared all too much. ¡°But you know, I¡¯m just starting to have some real fun. I can¡¯t let you guys off easy, you drew blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer if you did, though,¡± Satan sighed the words. ¡°I¡¯ll go all out, you know? If I go all out it won¡¯t be good!¡± Erebus laughed cheerfully though there was a dark undertone to it. ¡°That¡¯s why... I¡¯ll use my magic, too.¡± ¡°Pass,¡± Satan said instantly. He still valued his life, you know? There was a lot to live for. He was only a few thousand years old! He still had a long life ahead of him! He knew when to pick and choose his battles, and this was not one of them! Perhaps it made him a coward, but he didn¡¯t care. Being labeled as a weakling was better than dying like an idiot. ¡°Not an option.¡± Erebus pointed a finger at Satan, the Prince leaped back quickly just as a black sphere morphed into existence, sucking everything within its range towards it. Silently, it devoured a small portion of the arena¡¯s floor. ¡°Eh? Why¡¯d you dodge?¡± No one responded to his question, they all stared at him with a hint of fear in their eyes. This was the most appalling to two of the four Princes who had never felt such an acute sense of terror. The one who finally stepped up was Lucifer, determination cut into the angles of his face. ¡°Erebus, are you going to stop playing around with us now?¡± Lucifer asked this, he still felt odd because he was normally the one doing the toying. Erebus considered the words, rolling them around in his mind. ¡°Maybe?¡± he said, scratching his cheek. ¡°But this battle isn¡¯t over. I¡¯m having fun, I already said this.¡± ¡°Yeah, I got it,¡± Lucifer responded. ¡°We¡¯ll fight you properly, too. Don¡¯t be mad if we accidentally killed me.¡± The dragon laughed boisterously at this. ¡°You? Kill me? Seriously, don¡¯t kid yourself. I applaud the ballsiness of that statement, though,¡± he said, chuckles still racking his body. ¡°I¡¯ve given you guys a handicap already, anyway. I won¡¯t use my real body, so maybe you do have a chance of inflicting some more damage than a broken nose to me. Don¡¯t get me wrong, being able to break anything on my body is good enough. You¡¯re truly worthy of your titles. But I¡¯m done wasting time.¡± ¡°Thanks, I guess,¡± Lucifer responded, rolling his shoulders back. ¡°Break¡¯s over,¡± Erebus said, appearing in front of Lucifer and wrapping his hand tightly around the demon¡¯s neck. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to it, yeah?¡± He threw Lucifer¡¯s body like he was tossing aside a doll. The demon¡¯s body slammed into the force field that had been erected, large cracks forming and causing the field to become visible to the naked eye. Lucifer¡¯s body peeled off of the shield, falling to the ground, limp. ¡°A-a-a-a-a-a-a-ama-zing!¡± Tear shrieked, her voice resounding throughout. ¡°Lord Erebus is truly splendid! Magnificent, awesome, great, immeasurable power!¡± She cried out once more. ¡°I wish that he would throw me around like that, too! Lord Erebus, can I put in a request?¡± The response came quickly, ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Yes! This servant will shut her mouth now!¡± Erebus sighed, his eyes lazily drifting over to Leviathan and Satan who were both panting heavily. ¡°Honestly,¡± he muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t even have to use my magic. Why are they already so exhausted?¡± He didn¡¯t seem to remember the minutes before where they had been fighting him tirelessly. And they were beginning to lose the motivation to fight. What was the point anymore? The three one who had retained their consciousness all wondered the same thing. Erebus narrowed his eye at them, clenching his fists tightly. They were becoming boring now. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!Whenever one of them tried to attack him with a spell, he easily brushed it aside and incurred nearly no damage still. Erebus sighed, swinging his leg and kicking Satan squarely in the stomach but before the demon could be sent flying he grabbed onto Erebus¡¯ leg tightly. Erebus could break out of Satan¡¯s hold if he applied a little more strength, but he decided not to because he wanted to know what they were planning. Leviathan didn¡¯t move from his spot, either, he was anchored in one place. This caused Erebus to scowl, he began to dig his heel into Satan¡¯s stomach. Satan¡¯s expression contorted but he still didn¡¯t release Erebus. ¡°Hmm...¡± The dragon considered his options, they were taking too long... Should he just take care of them now? It was better before when they actually had hope. Before Erebus could make his decision, Belial¡¯s fist swung into his face. His head shifted slightly in the opposite direction, hardly moving at all. This only served to further dwindle their hopes about winning. Belial quickly withdrew before Erebus could fight back. It was seriously impossible, he was starting to doubt that he had broken Erebus¡¯ nose in the first place--maybe it was just an illusion and the blood wasn¡¯t real. ¡°Come on now,¡± Erebus said. He pushed his other foot off the ground, swinging it up in an arc to kick Satan squarely in the chin; Satan¡¯s head snapped back and his grip on Erebus¡¯ leg was released, allowing Erebus to easily slip out. While Satan was still staggering and was dizzy from having his brain jolted, Erebus somersaulted and launched himself, wrapping his legs around Satan then used the momentum, swinging the demon¡¯s head into the ground. As Erebus rolled to his feet and activated his magic, a large vortex with a great gravitational pull that began to drag everything towards it. The area began to distort, Erebus¡¯ magic almost seemed to be devouring reality itself. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± a voice boomed throughout, shaking the entire foundation of the coliseum. Everyone¡¯s head turned to the three who had entered, confusion on each of their faces. Satan pushed himself off of the ground, blood spilling from a large gash on his forehead. He flipped over, his eyes beholding three people who exerted a pressure similar to Erebus¡¯. Massath, Frize, and Azure had entered the stage. Frize was looking especially annoyed while the other two still managed to remain impassive and unconcerned about the entire situation. ¡°Eh? Frize?¡± Erebus¡¯ magic deactivated and then his hand raised to his head to scratch it nonchalantly. He had been so preoccupied he hadn¡¯t felt their presences. ¡°What are you three doing here?¡± Frize¡¯s face twitched. ¡°I could say the same to you.¡± His cold eyes surveyed the surroundings, resting on Lucifer¡¯s unconscious body before moving onto the battered bodies of the other three Princes. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Erebus clicked his tongue in irritation. ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked, the previous innocence in his voice completely evaporated. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m breaking any rules. It¡¯s just a spar.¡± ¡°Then what was that just now?¡± Azure asked, smirking at her friend. ¡°If I recall correctly... that spell was--¡± ¡°Ah! All right, all right!¡± Erebus cried out, dragging his hands through his hair in exasperation. ¡°Everyone, leave! Hurry up or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The last part was not a lie. With an amount speed that a crowd counting in the hundreds shouldn¡¯t have had, within minutes; everyone was cleared out. The Four Princes hobbled out, giving the three dragons that stood there a wide distance as they left. ¡°So?¡± Erebus pressed the three, his eye narrowing. ¡°What reasons did you have for ruining my entertainment? I was about to do something interesting before you interrupted.¡± Azure¡¯s hands played with her long hair. ¡°Hmm? Were you in the middle of something?¡± she said dryly. ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed.¡± ¡°Sorry, Erebus,¡± Massath apologized for the other two who were not at all apologetic. ¡°It looked like you were beginning to have fun... But,¡± he stopped speaking, deciding to leave off there. He glanced at Frize, expecting the eldest dragon there to finish what he had brought up. Frize crossed his arms and heaved out a sigh. ¡°There are some issues that we need you to deal with... More specifically, that Ayirn¡¯s pet is going wild. Again. Unsurprisingly enough. Right now, Ayirn is dealing her but--¡± ¡°She¡¯s awake?¡± Erebus cut off Frize. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this before?¡± Frize snorted, looking at Erebus crossly. ¡°Like it¡¯s my duty to deal with her.¡± He pulled out a mana stone with a crack running through it. ¡°It¡¯s broken, for good this time. Fix it or else Rolut will step in.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it,¡± Erebus snapped. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that Ayirn wants to keep that dangerous thing alive. If it was my choice, I¡¯d kill her.¡± He tapped his foot impatiently. ¡°This is so troublesome, Ayirn is lucky that I still owe her a few favors.¡± ¡°We know,¡± Azure drawled. ¡°So let¡¯s get going before she awakens completely,¡± she flipped her hair over her shoulder, ¡°then it¡¯ll really get bad. She¡¯s already beginning to destabilize and Ayirn¡¯s magic won¡¯t be able to subdue her for long, which means that we need to hurry up.¡± Erebus sighed, cracking his neck. ¡°Fine, fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± S2 Chapter Thirty-two: A Piece of Paper They met her a few decades after the first war that the world had ever experienced was crushed by the Dragon Council. At the time, she was young and weak. Like the original dragons, she did not have parents but was created by the world. She was the first Guardian to protect one of the great mana stones that gave the world its life-- the¡¸ Godly Stone¡¹. The dragons had known about her existence, none of them cared enough to bother with her. She was like them; she existed to protect this planet. Therefore, there was no reason for them to interfere with each other. In essence, she was a being that rivaled the original dragons. Her combat strength may not have been as great as theirs but her magic was. ¡¸Lost Magic: Time Weaver¡¹she had the ability to see the past, the present, and the future--and change them. With the usage of her magic; she could wipe the human race off the face of the planet by simply saying they never existed. Though her power was greatly limited and she could not use it as easily as the Dragon Council could use theirs--still, its power was absolute. This Guardian called upon the Dragon Council, more specifically: Erebus and the ¡°other two¡± (as she put it) who had been in charge of subduing the war. The day that the message from the Guardian came, Erebus was in the Dragon Continent, he had been summoned by Rolut along with Azure. His heavy boots clomped across the stone flooring of the Dragon Council¡¯s Headquarters, he was scowling with irritation written plainly on his face. Next to him, Azure¡¯s short legs were scrambling to keep up. ¡°Slow... Down!¡± she huffed, her arms pumping. ¡°You long-legged bastard!¡± ¡°You¡¯re perfectly capable of matching my pace,¡± Erebus responded, not slowing as commanded by Azure. She glared at him, her large eyes narrowing into slits. ¡°I, unlike you, am not in any sort of hurry to get anywhere.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s my problem... How?¡± ¡°Long-legged bastard!¡± she cried out once more. Erebus rolled his eyes--and continued to move along quickly. ¡°Why are you so upset anyway?¡± Azure piped up. ¡°Rolut calling so suddenly is an inconvenience to me. He didn¡¯t even state what he wanted from me.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Azure started, ¡°we¡¯re going to find out shortly.¡± ¡°Shortly if we walk faster.¡± She huffed indignantly but nonetheless picked up the pace to keep up with Erebus as they made their way to Rolut¡¯s office. The moment they arrived, Erebus threw open the door and proclaimed valiantly, ¡°I¡¯m here now so what do you want?¡± His foot stuck out and hit something soft; Erebus eyes quickly shot down and beheld the sight of Massath curled up on the ground--asleep. ¡°Move,¡± he commanded, his foot relentlessly driving itself into Massath¡¯s stomach. Massath awoke, lethargically pulling himself up into what could hardly be called a standing position. His sleepy eyes focused in on Erebus and he yawned. ¡°You¡¯re here... Finally,¡± he muttered, words slurring together. ¡°I waited for so long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hardly been five minutes since I called,¡± Rolut said, sounding tired himself, placing his hand flat down on the desk he stood behind. Erebus clicked his tongue. ¡°What did you want, Rolut?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not what I want,¡± the eldest dragon answered, pulling out a scroll. ¡°I was doing work when this just popped into existence. It¡¯s from the Main Continent, the first Guardian is asking for your presence.¡± Erebus squinted his eyes, his aquiline nose scrunching up. ¡°Why?¡± Rolut shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s no reason to deny it and it¡¯s due time that we finally introduced ourselves to each other.¡± ¡°And I have to do it?¡± Erebus did not sound pleased by this idea. ¡°All three of you.¡± ¡°Declined,¡± Erebus waved his hand, ¡°ask Frize or Midrn, they¡¯re better with that political nonsense.¡± Rolut shook his head. ¡°She directly called for you.¡± ¡°Forgive me for not caring,¡± Erebus said, his frown deepening. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t care,¡± Rolut retorted. ¡°You will be meeting her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a young brat,¡± Erebus spat back. ¡°Who apparently believes she has the power to call on the Dragon Council and expect us to meet her demands. I am taking a stand against her!¡± ¡°Excuses,¡± Azure sing-songed. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to go because it¡¯s too much work to deal with her.¡± Erebus glared at her, his face clearly indicating that she should shut her mouth. She stuck her tongue out at him in response to his vicious stare. ¡°Am I right? I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind going.¡± Massath then added, ¡°If my opinion matters.¡± He received sharp stares all round. ¡°Or not,¡± Massath muttered, kicking the ground. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Rolut said roughly. ¡°Erebus, this is not up for discussion. I¡¯m exercising my power as the First Seat of the Dragon Council and commanding you to go and meet the first Guardian.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The black-haired dragon snorted then bowed mockingly. ¡°As you wish, Rolut. Your humble inferior will follow your commands.¡± Rolut¡¯s face twitched but he managed to retain his stony countenance. ¡°Azure and Massath, I trust you two understand as well?¡± ¡°We do,¡± Azure answered for the both of them. ¡°We¡¯ll be glad to accompany Erebus to meet this esteemed being.¡± ¡°You two will be under Erebus¡¯ command once more but if any of his orders conflict with mine you know which one takes precedence over the other.¡± He turned his hard stare over to Erebus, whose arms were crossed against his chest haughtily and there was flippant smirk on his face. ¡°Erebus, I expect for you to behave... your actions are a reflection of our race as a whole.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware, no need for you to tell me,¡± Erebus said, the smirk still remaining. ¡°Now, I suppose we should get going now?¡± ¡°You should,¡± Rolut responded. ¡°The longer you stay here the larger my headache grows.¡± Erebus laughed lightly, his shoulders shaking. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t mean that! Afterall, I¡¯m your favorite.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a loose cannon,¡± Rolut sighed the words, suddenly looking his age. In all honesty, Rolut was glad that Erebus¡¯ love for this planet couldn¡¯t be shaken. It was the only thing keeping him from bearing his fangs at them... Even though Erebus was technically the fifth most powerful out of all of them, he was an anomaly, to put it simply. Rolut¡¯s eyes met with Erebus¡¯ single, glittering crimson eye that held amusement in it. Erebus¡¯s smirk disappeared and was replaced by a knowing look as if he he and Rolut shared some inside joke that Rolut wasn¡¯t aware that he was in on. Erebus, Rolut had concluded a long time ago, was far more dangerous than he let on. There were secrets that he was hiding; Rolut had yet to find any of them out. ¡°How cold of you to say,¡± Erebus finally said, his eye moving away from Rolut and drifting around the room. ¡± Boredom colored his voice as he spoke to Rolut, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll be leaving now. Ah... don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be able to find her easily.¡± The three dragons exit Rolut¡¯s office, Erebus pausing in the threshold and giving Rolut a small finger wave good-bye then sauntering out. Rolut wondered, for a moment, if it was a good idea to let Erebus go without anyone else to meet someone this important. Erebus was, well, for the lack of better word, insensitive. He couldn¡¯t care less about the feelings of others and was only interested in his own self-gain and if someone stood in his way of that he wouldn¡¯t hesitate eliminate them. If the Guardian managed to offend Erebus... Rolut worried about the consequences. Rolut did not know a lot about the Guardians except for that they were powerful and kept to themselves, silently watching over their mana stone. Would she be able to be replaced? Rolut had to think about these things, just in case. Even though, technically, if Erebus did anything to the Guardian he should be punished... It was like an unspoken rule that the Dragon Council was an exception to the law; they kept themselves in check. None of them--to Rolut¡¯s knowledge--were craving power and had any interest in things outside of themselves and the safety of the world. ¡°This is tiresome.¡± Rolut sat down, rubbing his temples with his meaty fingers. He was the oldest being in existence, he had the right to want to take a break... Didn¡¯t he? Sadly, the world was not as forgiving as that and Rolut did not believe that he would ever be able to relax for any extended period of time. He picked up the parchment sent from the Guardian, looking at the short message that was etched into the paper. It was strange to him; the paper gave off the feeling of magic that felt wrong. Sickening, almost. Like something that wasn¡¯t supposed to exist in this world. Perhaps he should have asked Erebus to examine it, for some reason; the younger dragon had always been good at identifying mana. It was a skill that Rolut had relied on quite a few times. Rolut tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling. He was growing more worried by the minute. He was getting agitated, he had the urge to run after Erebus and reaffirm that Erebus wouldn¡¯t do anything stupid. Still, there was no guarantee about that either. Erebus had a habit of just saying what the others wanted to hear so that they would leave him alone and let him do what he had planned to do with or without their approval. ¡°Please,¡± he muttered to himself, ¡°just don¡¯t do anything stupid. Don¡¯t start any trouble.¡± His words, tragically enough, would never reach Erebus¡¯ ears. S2 Chapter Thirty-three: Fate Erebus and the other two arrived on the Main Continent shortly after they left the Dragon Continent. As per usual, they had flown at a rapid speed that allowed them to cover miles upon miles of ocean and land within hardly any time. Upon landing, they discovered that the civilizations on the Main Continent were still recovering from the war that had ravaged their lands a few years back; the dragons had done quite a number on them, and they were still scrambling to put everything back into some semblance of order. There was was falling, muddying the earth and soaking the dragons¡¯ clothing. A light fog hung low on the ground, making it a little difficult to see. They were in a large grassland that stretched out for quite a while, the long blades of grass brushed against their knees. ¡°Listen,¡± Erebus began, turning to the two younger dragons that were following him. ¡°As Rolut said, we will be dealing with someone who is only on a slightly lower standing than our own. Meaning that you can¡¯t just kill her because you don¡¯t like her.¡± Azure clicked her tongue. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be telling that to you?¡± Erebus¡¯ fist swung down and clocked her on top of her head. She cried out, retreating from under his fist. ¡°You know, just because I may be shorter than you doesn¡¯t mean you have to take advance of the situation!¡± Erebus eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°All the short people in the world are spitting on your grave,¡± Azure snapped. ¡°I¡¯m not dead.¡± ¡°Your metaphorical grave, then!¡± Massath stepped in, his voice bland, ¡°Can I go to sleep before we go see her? I need to rest.¡± ¡°No,¡± Erebus answered immediately. He lifted his eyepatch momentarily, revealing his green eye before the black fabric covered the emerald orbs once again. ¡°I found it. Let¡¯s go.¡± They obeyed, following after Erebus¡¯ billowing cape and figure as he walked with purpose in his stride. Knowing him, Azure thought, he was just trying to hurry and get this over with so that he could get back to doing whatever the hell he did in his free time--which they had a lot of. ¡°How do you know where we¡¯re going?¡± Azure inquired, eyes piquing with interest. ¡°Intuition,¡± Erebus answered dryly even though it was an obvious lie. ¡°Just follow me, I won¡¯t lead you astray.¡± Azure scoffed but kept her mouth shut; her eyes shifting over to Massath, who was dragging his feet with a devastated expression on his face. Massath noticed her stare and looked back at her, his gaze pleading ¡°let me sleep¡± it seemed to say. Azure quickly averted her eyes, focusing in on her feet and refusing to look back up. I didn¡¯t see anything... So please stop looking at me! she screamed internally, feeling Massath¡¯s gaze burning into the side of her head. Azure gulped, saliva dragging down her esophagus. ¡°Here we are,¡± Erebus said his voice breaking through Azure¡¯s nervousness as he pushed through low-hanging branches and walked into a clearing where the fog didn¡¯t enter. There was a barrier there, actually; which is why the fog couldn¡¯t go through. But Erebus--being Erebus--easily pushed through the barrier and the Azure and Massath followed in suit. The first thing that they saw was the ginormous, clear mana stone that levitated in the air and iridescent liquid ran down its surface and fell into a lake. Sitting on a small island with just enough space for her body was a woman. Her hair, pitch-black in color, fell around her naked body as if to serve as her clothing. The silky, onyx locks pooled onto the ground, and the ends dipped into the liquid mana she was surrounded by. The Guardian¡¯s heart-shaped face was like a pearl set in between her hair, boasting a beauty even greater than Tear¡¯s. Everything on her face was set in perfect proportion: from her dainty nose to her almond-shaped eyes and her full, pink lips that were pulled into a warm smile. Two ivory horns branched from the sides of her head while two ivory wings grew from her back and rested at her sides; it gave her an angelic yet demonic appearance but the strange mix didn¡¯t sully her ethereal grace. Erebus, unlike Azure and Massath, hardly even relished in her beauty and spoke to her, ¡°Hello, Guardian. I am Erebus, the fifth dragon.¡± ¡°I am Massath, the seventh dragon,¡± Massath introduced himself, finally regaining his bearings after seeing Erebus barely bat an eyelash. He wouldn¡¯t allow himself to be distracted because of her appearance! ¡°Azure,¡± the blue-haired girl said, almost brusquely as if she felt some competition between her and the Guardian. ¡°The eighth dragon.¡± ¡°The children of this world named me Fate,¡± the Guardian spoke softly, her amethyst eyes glimmering as if they held the stars within them. ¡°I am the Guardian of the Main Continent¡¯s ¡¸ Godly Stone¡¹.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Erebus walked over then sat down in front of her, crossing his legs and staring straight at her. ¡°So what was it that you wanted?¡± She blinked, as well as the others, at Erebus¡¯ casual behavior. Well... Azure wasn''t expecting much but was still disappointed in the end. Massath followed Erebus¡¯ example and plopped down next to him to face the Guardian. ¡°I am glad that I am finally able to meet you,¡± Fate said. ¡°I have heard a lot about you all and about how you handled the situation of the war.¡± ¡°And?¡± Erebus asked, suppressing a yawn. ¡°Cut through the bull. What is it that you wanted to say?¡± Fate¡¯s dainty hands tightened into a fist. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your methods were far too violent for what the situation warranted? I could feel the tremors of your battle from here. You destroyed lands... entire civilizations. You didn¡¯t even bat an eyelash, did you?¡± Her smile tightened. ¡°For you to be protectors of Eirlok... Aren¡¯t you the most dangerous of all?¡± Her question seemed to be pointed at Erebus. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. His eye narrowed. ¡°And?¡± ¡°And what?¡± Surprise colored Fate¡¯s tone, her eyes widened at his words. ¡°What do you expect me to do about it?¡± Erebus questioned. ¡°I can¡¯t rewrite the past...¡± he trailed off then smiled mockingly at Fate. ¡°Or perhaps we can.¡± She adjusted her posture, her wings rustling.¡°That isn¡¯t what I meant, I...¡± ¡°Then what did you mean?¡± Erebus tilted his head slightly in seemingly innocent confusion. ¡°You¡¯ve confronted me with a problem yet you don¡¯t have a solution. Am I supposed to solve it for you?¡± Azure chided, ¡°Erebus... What was it that you said about being courteous?¡± ¡°I said that you two had to be polite--that didn¡¯t include me.¡± He sighed, losing all motivation to continue on. Fate never dealt with any situations like this while Erebus spent plenty of time going back and forth with the others at the Dragon Council. She, he decided, was hardly worth the energy. ¡°Was that all?¡± he asked Fate. ¡°Um... Well...¡± ¡°So it was,¡± Erebus said while standing up and dusting off his pants. ¡°If you want someone to talk to, don¡¯t call me--it¡¯s annoying.¡± Azure and Massath also stood up, the latter looking ready to fall over and go to sleep. ¡°Wait!¡± Fate called out, scrambling to get on her feet before they left. ¡°What?¡± Erebus asked, his gaze boring into her. ¡°Do you have something to say or are going to continue wasting my time?¡± Fate, for the first time in her lifetime, felt nervous. Speechless, even. She wrung her hands together, unsure how to proceed. She had something to say--but she didn¡¯t know how to. Rather, with Erebus staring her down so venomously, she had difficulty being able to form her sentence. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done,¡± she finally managed to push the words out. ¡°Speaking, that is. There was more.¡± Erebus turned, completely this time so that his body was facing hers. ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then,¡± he said though it came out as more of a command. ¡°Let¡¯s,¡± Azure echoed, feeling the need to input herself. Massath kept silent but he held his gaze steady on Fate. ¡°Have you ever seen the Main Continent?¡± she asked. ¡°My land is very beautiful.¡± ¡°We saw it in passing. Why?¡± Azure jutted her hip out and tried to appear intimidating but her head barely reached higher than Erebus¡¯ waist. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to show you it all. I think that it¡¯s a shame if you don¡¯t explore the world you protect.¡± ¡°Explore?¡± Erebus repeated. Fate smiled weakly. ¡°Do you ever leave the Dragon Continent for more than some time to sleep for a year or two? What do you do with your time?¡± The dragons looked at each other, not sure how to respond. ¡°I...¡± Azure said, trying to think of when she had done something. ¡°Whatever! What are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t go very far from my stone but I would like to show you around... Consider it to be our little adventure.¡± ¡°First of all, I don¡¯t even like you. Why would I want to spend more time with you? Huh? You have an answer for that one? Huh?¡± Azure demanded, contorting her cute face into a sneer. ¡°Shut up,¡± Erebus told Azure. He said, ¡°All right. You may guide us around, it¡¯s a good opportunity to see some more of this continent.¡± Rolut wanted them to establish a relationship with Fate, maybe he would get off of Erebus¡¯ back for a while if he did Rolut this one favor. It wasn¡¯t really a favor, though... Rolut had demanded him. Actually, it wasn¡¯t like Erebus ever followed Rolut¡¯s orders without adding his own spin to it. So... he was doing Rolut a favor by following his command. That was exactly what it was. Erebus was satisfied with that conclusion. Fate (her confidence was restored) smiled broadly. ¡°How you have lived here so long yet never seen the world is a mystery to me. Anyway, follow me. I¡¯ll show you what a human settlement looks like... I believe that there are some elves not too far away, also.¡± She continued to ramble on, seeming to have forgotten about how the dragon¡¯s had dismissed her concerns earlier. Erebus¡¯ eyebrows quirked. She would take them to see... humans? They, to him, were an uninteresting and discarded species. At that time, they hadn¡¯t been as weak as they were today but they still weren¡¯t anything noteworthy. ¡°Who cares about humans?¡± Azure voiced Erebus¡¯ thoughts aloud, her tone laced with boredom. ¡°They¡¯re weak and boring and weak.¡± ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like me,¡± Erebus remarked. She guffawed. ¡°You know, that isn¡¯t a compliment? Being like you isn¡¯t a compliment at all! Take it back, okay? I haven¡¯t fallen that low yet.¡± ¡°I want to hit you,¡± Erebus said breezily with an undertone of malice. Fate watched the two¡¯s exchange, not sure how to process it. They changed character way too quickly; it was hard to gauge which was the real one. Erebus had a fearsome look in his eyes at one point but now it had vanished and was replaced by apathy. She couldn¡¯t tell which was worse, honestly. Her eyes trailed over to Massath who was lethargically following behind them, his feet dragging on the muddy ground. When he saw her stare, he offered her a weak and defeated smile before his eyes fell back downwards. Fate exhaled, straightening out her posture and holding her head up higher. She could do this. She would show them the world and explain to them the proper way to protect it. That was her goal. Announcement from the Author Hello, Tripping here. Obviously, I haven''t updated in a while. I am currently not feeling well as of late. The Demon Lord is Bored will be on hiatus until sometime in March. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I hope that I''ll be able to come back before then; however, nothing is concrete. Thank you all for reading, and I''ll see you in March! S2 Chapter Thirty-four: Their First "Adventure" The hiatus will be extending into April because my laptop has broken and I have to order the parts to fix it and hope it works. As an apology and something to carry you over, I commandeered a computer from a friend and wrote a chapter... Point out any mistakes, as always. Enjoy! ¡°I don¡¯t understand the point of this,¡± Azure stated astutely as they sat in a tavern. Fate had taken them to this place bustling with rowdy humans; they all made far too much noise, in Azure''s opinion. Fate smiled kindly at Azure. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to learn about the world you¡¯re protecting? Including its inhabitants?¡± Azure scoffed. ¡°I already know plenty. I¡¯ve been here for some time.¡± Fate¡¯s smile shifted into a frown. It just didn¡¯t make any sense to her. None at all. Were all the dragons like this? Did they all not appreciate life the way that she did? She had heard of one of the original dragons was very in tune with nature. Perhaps she understood... Nonetheless. Fate had to ask them, ¡°Then why is it that you don¡¯t care for the other races?¡± ¡°They¡¯re nuisances,¡± Azure remarked as she lazily twirled her hair around her finger. ¡°As long as they don¡¯t do anything that annoys me, I¡¯m fine with them.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know them!¡± Fate protested, tightening her hand into a fist. ¡°How can you call them nuisances when you don¡¯t know a single thing about this world other than you have to protect it!¡± ¡°And you do?¡± Azure laughed. ¡°People are more selfish than you would think. You¡¯re just going to have to learn that.¡± Fate scoffed, writing off Azure. In her opinion, Azure was the one who needed to learn. How could they not see the wonderfulness of it all? How could they not see how amazing life was! There were so many different people that roamed this planet. So many lives that were all intertwined. It was magnificent! She just had to get them to see that. To understand how glorious that was. ¡°Shut up,¡± Erebus told the both of them, he was tired of hearing their mouths already. He stared down at the murky liquid in his mug and then pushed it away. ¡°Fate, explain your reasoning for all of this. It seems pointless and like a waste of time. If you don¡¯t have any valid reason for us to stay here, then we will be leaving.¡± She leaned back, blinking wildly for a moment before regaining her bearings. ¡°I just thought that you should immerse yourself in this world''s culture.¡± Fate smiled broadly at them, her beauty radiating from it having no effect on Erebus, Massath, and Azure. He cast a look full of nothing but distaste around at their surroundings. The humans that surrounded them were painfully loud and boisterous. He didn¡¯t see any culture that he wanted to ¡°immerse¡± himself in. ¡°Anything else?¡± Azure asked snarkily. She felt satisfied that Erebus was on her side of this. It was pointless. Who cared about some damned humans drinking their subpar alcohol? She certainly didn¡¯t. Fate didn¡¯t respond fast enough so the three dragons stood up in unison, turning and heading towards the exit. Fate jumped up to her feet once more, she almost reached out an arm to grab Erebus¡¯ but the sleeve of her shirt caught on the jagged wood of her chair. Thus, she was a second too late to prevent the next event. A bald man collided into Erebus and was knocked to the ground by the impact while Erebus remained standing. Erebus¡¯ eyebrow raised at the fall. Still, he only casually stepped over the man and continued his exit. ¡°Wait, you bastard!¡± the man shouted from his position, his hand shooting out and wrapping around Erebus¡¯ ankle. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to apologize?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Erebus responded, genuinely confused. He looked down at the man, a frown etching itself on his face. Azure opened her mouth to say something, but Fate was quick to tear herself free and rush over. ¡°Sorry, he must not have had seen you coming,¡± Fate said, trying to avoid conflict. She had learned that humans, with alcohol in their bellies, were quick to anger. ¡°No, I did,¡± Erebus refuted. ¡°I was just under the impression that he would stop.¡± In his lifetime, Erebus had always been the superior--the others stopped and allowed his passage before they would continue on. Since the human wasn¡¯t aware of Erebus¡¯ status, he assumed it would be fine if he just let him slide. Fate sighed heavily, glancing down at the man¡¯s flushed face and red eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure if you both just apologize to each other...¡± Erebus, who had not apologized a day in his life (especially not to someone inferior), instantly refused. ¡°Erebus!¡± Fate said sharply. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This child was scolding him like he was the child? It was almost laughable. Erebus had no reason to listen to her or to the human, so he wrote them both off. ¡°That hurt,¡± the man complained as he began to push himself up. ¡°What if I had hit my head?¡± He had hit the ground pretty hard--Erebus was more solid than he looked. Erebus hadn¡¯t even budged when he hit him! And now his butt was hurt! ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my fault that you humans are so prone to injury,¡± Erebus answered blandly. ¡°Massath, Azure, we¡¯re leaving now. We¡¯ve already wasted enough time dealing with,¡± he gestured lazily at Fate, ¡°her.¡± Of course, the man Erebus had ran into took offense to his words. ¡°What are you tryna say!¡± he asked brusquely, jamming his finger into Erebus¡¯ shoulder. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than me? Because you got these fancy clothes and nice face, huh?¡± He patted Erebus on the cheek mockingly--he thought nothing of Erebus. A rich boy. He never had to fight a day in his life; Erebus didn¡¯t know the meaning of a struggle! The man hated men like this. Men who had everything handed to them. But he wouldn¡¯t allow their tyranny to continue. Not when he had enough liquid courage flowing through his veins that overcame his usual cowardice. They were beginning to draw attention now, the audience growing excited at the possibility of a fight. It happened frequently here--someone did something another didn¡¯t like and they instantly resorted to their fists to settle the matter. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Nothing else to say?¡± The man¡¯s rancid breath washed over his face. ¡°Huh, pretty boy?¡± Erebus¡¯ eye twitched, irritation materialized in the crimson orb. Humans, he was discovering, were even more disgusting than he had previously thought them to be. ¡°Oh boy,¡± Massath sighed the words. Erebus was no longer in mildly good humor, it had rapidly evaporated. Massath knew what came next: The bald man fell to the ground, lifeless. The stump of his neck gushed blood and his head rolled off and bumped into a chair, his eyes wide and unseeing. The smell of blood instantly assaulted the air, ballooning up and dispersing its distinctive scent all around. A feminine shriek pierced at the air and chaos ensued, mostly in the form of people stampeding out of the building. Erebus wiped the blood off of his hands nonchalantly with a handkerchief. ¡°What a disgusting smell,¡± he said in reference to the man¡¯s blood. ¡°Human blood is quite unpleasant...¡± Erebus decided that he hated the scent of their blood. ¡°What do you expect from vermin?¡± Azure questioned with a scratch of her head. ¡°Can we leave now?¡± She was bored. They had completed their task. She hadn¡¯t even wanted to come to this place anyway! Azure tossed a glance over at Massath, he didn¡¯t seem to care either--probably thinking about his next nap, Azure surmised. Fate stared down at the man¡¯s corpse in horror. ¡°Why did you just kill him?¡± she yelled at Erebus. She couldn¡¯t understand... She just couldn¡¯t understand! Why had he taken a life? How could he kill with not even a second thought? She stared into his eyes with her horror filled ones and found nothing there. Apathy. Emptiness. The man had the same value as a blade of grass in Erebus¡¯ eye, she could see that so very clearly. Erebus had just killed a man who could¡¯ve had been someone¡¯s husband! Someone¡¯s father! She didn¡¯t want to look and see if there was a ring on his finger. Now he was just a corpse. Fate felt bile rising up in her throat, she could taste the metallic blood that was still spilling out. And Erebus, quite obviously, wasn¡¯t at all bothered by this fact. ¡°He got on my nerves,¡± Erebus offered up his answer easily, unaware of Fate¡¯s inner turmoil. He flicked the now tainted handkerchief on top of the man¡¯s body. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it--¡± Erebus paused in realization. ¡°I don¡¯t actually care if you don¡¯t like it.¡± With no guilt in his heart, he walked out of the door with Massath and Azure close behind. Fate stood there numbly, unsure if she should chase after them or... What could she do? Should she rewrite what happened? But the requirements for the usage of her power were great. Was this one human worth changing time? She swallowed thickly. He wasn¡¯t. She knew that much. Just changing a singular event affected everything in this world. It wasn¡¯t that she rewrote time exactly, but rather, she went back and changed it. It was far easier for her to change the future and present than it was the past. Fate exhaled and turned her gaze back to the door, rushing to catch up to the three dragons who were quickly making their way out of town so that they could just leave already. Unlike her, they didn¡¯t exactly like it here. An idea then occurred to her; something they wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse if she worded it correctly. A smirk appeared on her face--she knew what to do. Fate pushed against the ground and shot forward so that she could catch up to them in a matter of seconds. ¡°Dammit!¡±Azure whined when Fate appeared. ¡°What is it now, wretch?¡± Fate stood up tall with her back ramrod straight and chin tilted upwards. ¡°As the First Guardian, I have a formal request.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Azure snapped. ¡°I require at least one of you to keep me company. I am sure that the First Dragon Rolut will understand my selfish request. It¡¯s quite lonely on my own.¡± Azure stepped back, her eyes growing wide. No, no, no. This wasn¡¯t happening. That... that snake! Rolut wanted them to form a pleasant relationship with the Guardian. If they didn¡¯t... Erebus may be excluded from punishment, but she and Massath certainly wouldn¡¯t! Unlike him, they weren¡¯t an exception. Rolut had an absolute authority in their eyes and everyone else''s--they couldn''t defy him as easily as Erebus could. Massath also realized this and the two younger dragons stared at Erebus desperately. Fix it, their gazes seemed to say. Erebus hummed in thought, scratching his chin. Certainly, this was complicated. If she hadn¡¯t formally requested it, they would be able to ignore it and move on. But if Rolut found out they refused an official request... Ah, that would be a headache. But staying here was also a headache. He could easily command either Massath or Azure to stay behind, but then he would hear it from everyone else on how he always shoved off his responsibility onto someone else. That would be even more of a headache! He was getting one by just thinking about it. Erebus looked at Fate evenly, at the smile that she was clearly trying to repress. She may not know all of the details but... but still, she knew for a fact that she had put them in a bind by just adding in a few words. If she had told all of them to stay, they would have had a plausible reason to say no. But if they declined a single one staying behind, Rolut wouldn¡¯t be amused. He sighed heavily and dragged a hand through his hair. ¡°I¡¯ll stay, you two go on ahead and inform Rolut.¡± Fate finally allowed the smile to spread across her face in its full glory. ¡°Wonderful.¡± Erebus shook his head in annoyance. ¡°You¡¯re sly.¡± She didn¡¯t respond, but pride flared up in her eyes. ¡°I look forward to being your teacher, Erebus.¡± S2 Chapter Thirty-Five: First Day ¡°In the first place, I don¡¯t understand why we¡¯re here.¡± Erebus didn¡¯t bother to hide his distaste as he lifted the sheet off the rickety bed and sniffed it. The unmistakable odor of humans flooded his nose and he dropped it instantly. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the floor.¡± Fate stared at him as she sat next to the bed across from him. ¡°Your only problem is the fact that you can smell humans? Not that it¡¯s drab and cheap?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly like or dislike splendor.¡± Erebus considered his words. ¡°The ones like Frize, though, would hitch a fit over this inn.¡± ¡°Eh... You¡¯re surprisingly laid back,¡± Fate murmured. She rested her head against the wall, her gaze even and steadily focused on Erebus. Erebus rose a brow. ¡°What makes you say that?¡± ¡°Ignoring the fact that you killed someone today,¡± Fate started slowly. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of rumors about you: you¡¯re arrogant, selfish, idiotic, brutish, heartless--validity to that one, and rash.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I thought that I would hate you. But I can¡¯t say that you¡¯re unlikeable. I think that we can be friends.¡± Fate had seen him in contrast to Azure, someone who she would constantly butt heads with. Erebus, in her opinion, was far more tolerable. Erebus¡¯ face fell. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me happy. I don¡¯t like you at all, you know? You¡¯re na?ve and annoying. I don¡¯t care about you in general either... It¡¯s troublesome for me if you think that we can become friends.¡± She didn¡¯t know what else to do but laugh awkwardly. ¡°And you don¡¯t mince words either.¡± Fate picked at the strayed string on her blanket. ¡°You know what I think?¡± He humored her, ¡°What?¡± ¡°That you¡¯re not completely heartless. That you don¡¯t just kill senselessly--you may not care about me, but you care about something. And it¡¯s this: our world. You¡¯d sacrifice anything for it, wouldn¡¯t you? Even yourself.¡± Erebus¡¯ jaw tightened and his eyes hardened. ¡°My sole purpose is to protect this world.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s more than that for you,¡± Fate urged. ¡°I can tell. You act like you don¡¯t care but you do!¡± She stood up, her eyes glowing. ¡°And you have love for its inhabitants, too!¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± Erebus gritted out. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like listening to your preaching.¡± The child thought (foolishly so) that he loved the ones that lived on Eirlok? He tolerated their existences. They kept balance in the world, but if a few hundred of them died, it mattered nothing to him. She didn¡¯t believe that--she didn¡¯t want to. And what she chose to believe in didn¡¯t matter to him in the slightest. Fate, under the assumption she had got to him, sat down, satisfied. She was (allegedly) working on breaking down his walls. She suppressed a smile. What she had seen in the tavern was a front! No one could have such an empty heart. Erebus sighed once more when he beheld her smug expression. He decided to go for a topic change.¡°Is it all right for you to be away from the stone for too long?¡± Erebus questioned her, wanting a change of topic. He was also mildly curious, he didn¡¯t know that much about the Guardians. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Fate touched her heart gently, ¡°I¡¯m linked to it. If need be, I can appear instantly.¡± She lowered her tunic to expose her chest, a jewel that hadn¡¯t been there previously was embedded between her breast. ¡°When I get a certain distance away from the stone, this appears. It¡¯s a part of the stone that is fused with my body, if anything happens to the stone that I can¡¯t prevent, I can cultivate this one.¡± Erebus nodded in understanding. ¡°Is there any particular reason for that to happen? For it to expose itself, that is.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m not sure myself. It¡¯s not like I was given a rulebook or anything, I just knew what it was for.¡± He stared at the gem, his eyes narrowing. It gave off a strange impression, frankly. Whatever it was, Erebus didn¡¯t trust it. He contemplated tearing it out of Fate¡¯s chest but decided against it; he wasn¡¯t one hundred percent sure that Guardian¡¯s could be replaced. He settled on observing it for now. ¡°It¡¯s making me uncomfortable when you stare at me so intensely,¡± Fate said, drawing back Erebus¡¯ attention to her face. ¡°Could you at least blink?¡± ¡°Ah, I just thought that it was interesting.¡± He didn¡¯t bother apologizing to her. ¡°I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m going to go to sleep.¡± Fate scratched her head and looked out the window, there was still daylight outside. ¡°You do that, I¡¯m going to go out in town.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Erebus told her, lying down on the reeking bed. ¡°Don¡¯t wake me up when you come back.¡± And she didn¡¯t. Or at least, not immediately. It was still too early for her to rest for the night, so she found herself sitting on the bed with nothing to do. She had checked on the condition of the man¡¯s that Erebus had killed family. It didn¡¯t take too long since they weren¡¯t exactly pleased to see her either. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Fate sat with her legs crisscrossed and rested her head on her hand as her elbow balanced on her thigh. The dozing man across from her was certainly an enigma. He claimed not to care but he was quick to anger if pressed. He was in denial, she surmised. Fate wasn¡¯t sure why exactly, but she knew that he most certainly was. When she had first met him, in all honesty, she had been painfully nervous. She wasn¡¯t worried about the other two: the man in a perpetual state of drowsiness or the headstrong shorty. But Erebus... his one-eyed gaze was unnerving and the hidden eye made her queasy. It was maddening. But there was magnetizing about him at the same time. He was unlike the others. He... he knew. What exactly did he know? Fate wasn¡¯t sure, but she could see it in those empty eyes. No one could have such dead eyes without that knowledge. Fate stood up, morbid curiosity propelling her to him. He was in a deep slumber, yet he still didn¡¯t look peaceful like most did when they were sleeping. Something still wrought at him, even in his dreams. ¡°What is it?¡± she questioned the sleeping man. ¡°What is it that troubles you?¡± It would be okay if she took a peek, right? Just a little one. She just wanted to know what was bothering him and it wasn¡¯t outside of her abilities to do so. She reached out a hand, her fingers brushing against the fabric of the eyepatch he wore. His hand shot out, grabbing Fate¡¯s wrist and locking it in his grip. Erebus¡¯ eye opened, it was both apathetic yet furious. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Nothing... I--¡± He threw her arm away with enough force that moved her entire body. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to wake me?¡± Erebus sat up, glaring at Fate harshly. ¡°I just thought that you looked sad,¡± she told him. ¡°The entire you were sleeping, you didn¡¯t look relaxed at all. If anything, you looked even more bothered.¡± ¡°You watched me sleep?¡± Was the only question he had. ¡°My, my, my. How scandalous and... disturbing.¡± It was Fate¡¯s turn to glower at him. He was trying to divert her attention but she wasn¡¯t about to fall for that.¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I¡¯m just bringing up a more important point.¡± He looked out the window. ¡°Eh? It isn¡¯t morning yet...¡± His eye turned to her, his nose scrunching. ¡°Tch, I have to spend more time with you.¡± Fate snorted. ¡°If it¡¯s so difficult, just leave,¡± she snapped. ¡°Okay,¡± Erebus agreed, standing up instantly and making his way out of the room. Fate blinked in realization, she hadn¡¯t meant it seriously. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± She cried out, grabbing his hand. Erebus turned to her, his eye looking distastefully at her hand on his. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Stay.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t owe you anything, and you said that I can leave.¡± Fate cleared her throat, trying to think of something quickly. ¡°How about this! I¡¯ll owe you if you stay.¡± ¡°Owe me what?¡± Erebus asked slowly, a smile hinting at the corners of his mouth. ¡°Anything,¡± Fate answered simply. Erebus didn¡¯t even need to consider it.¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Erebus withheld his laughter--her naivety wasn¡¯t annoying, it was just hilarious. ¡°Let¡¯s have fun, Fate.¡± She furrowed her brows in confusion but nodded slightly in response. ¡°Now, let go of me,¡± Erebus commanded. ¡°Sorry,¡± she muttered, letting go of his hand. ¡°And that goes for waking you up, too.¡± He ignored her, laying back down on his uncomfortable bed. ¡°Just... just be quiet.¡± Fate awkwardly scratched at her arm but didn¡¯t comply to Erebus¡¯ words. ¡°Did you know that there¡¯s going to be a festival tomorrow?¡± Erebus didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he worked on tuning her out--he was tired of speaking to her and listening to her voice already. ¡°It¡¯s to pray for a good harvest, they have one every year.¡± Fate sighed. ¡°We¡¯re staying for it and we¡¯re going to participate in it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Erebus groaned, holding his hands over his ears. Fate perked up upon hearing his voice. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you your first lesson at the festival!¡± Erebus scoffed. Her? Teach him? Was she still stuck on that? Honestly, this child was far too much trouble than she was actually worth. ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out,¡± she drawled, smirking at him. ¡°Is that so? Well, I¡¯ll look forward to it," Erebus lied. S2 Chapter Thirty-Six: First Lesson Thirty-Six: There were more pests in this place that Erebus had originally thought. They had all crawled out from their nests and swarmed the central plaza of the town. The entire day had been spent with the humans outside bustling and putting up decorations for the festival, it started before the sun even rose. Just as Fate had said, it was a huge deal to them. Erebus had spent his time looking outside of the window and watching them run around everywhere. It was entertaining in its own right. The other time he had spent sleeping. Fate had gone out to help the humans too though she did spend a substantial amount of time trying to convince him to come with her. When Fate had finally come back near noon, she came storm. ¡°Why are you still in bed? Did you ever get up?¡± ¡°Mm? Was there a reason to?¡± Fate threw open the curtains that Erebus had closed so that he could sleep peacefully. ¡°Get up, it¡¯s finally starting soon!¡± she cried out gleefully, unwrapping the package she was carrying. ¡°A woman gave this to me to wear.¡± She held up a dress that was a myriad of festive colors. ¡°Isn¡¯t it lovely?¡± To Erebus, it was an eyesore. ¡°Sure,¡± he responded. She sighed heavily, deciding that she didn¡¯t want to argue with him or deal with his apathy at the moment. She was happy! He would be soon, too. If he learned to live a little, that is. Erebus was like a shadow in the room, his clothing was dark and morose and he never seemed to be in a good mood. Fate would fix that, though. ¡°What are you smirking about?¡± Erebus asked her as she changed into the dress. She had this annoying arrogant smile on her face, it made him want to punch her in the throat. ¡°Nothing.¡± Fate turned her back to him. ¡°Tie this for me?¡± She brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing her bare back and a large burn that marred the otherwise smooth skin. ¡°What happened to your back?¡± Erebus questioned her, making no move to tie the dress for her. Fate wasn¡¯t weak by any means, her physical strength may not have been comparable to Erebus¡¯ but her magic made up that difference. For someone to injure her that badly... that was certainly interesting. Fate didn¡¯t respond for a while. If he could have seen her face, he would have seen the emotions that flashed across it all in a split second. ¡°Nothing,¡± she repeated. ¡°It happened when I was young. A mistake. Can you just tie it?¡± He sighed and obeyed, tying the fabric around her neck tighter than it should be. It would be nice if she choked a little, he thought. She didn¡¯t, though. Fate walked to the mirror and spun a few times, the light fabric of the dress cascading with her. ¡°How do I look?¡± Fate curtsied. He ignored her. ¡°Now what?¡± Erebus stepped back and fell onto the bed. ¡°Am I supposed to attend the festival with you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He smiled, but it was cold. ¡°Don¡¯t they hate me, though? I did kill someone like you said.¡± Erebus¡¯ smile chilled a few more degrees. ¡°If they try something, I¡¯ll kill them, you know?¡± She stilled for a moment then clenched her hands into fists at her sides. ¡°I¡¯ll stop you if it comes that.¡± ¡°Can you?¡± Erebus questioned. ¡°Will I stop you?¡± ¡°No, can you stop me?¡± Erebus winked at her then stood up. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡± He held out his hand expectantly. ¡°I¡¯ll escort you.¡± Fate stared down at it suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowing. ¡°I can stop you,¡± she finally settled on the words and placed her hand in Erebus¡¯. Erebus¡¯ laugh reverberated off of the walls. ¡°Is that so? I look forward to it, then.¡± ... Music swelled in the air accompanied by the sound of swishing fabric and dancing feet as the villagers all frolicked in the central plaza. In the center of the mass of people was a swinging couple that drew everyone¡¯s attention. Needless to say, it was Fate and Erebus. The two who surpassed the standards of beauty seemed to pull of the light towards them. It was like the angels from the Pure Continent had blessed these mundane beings with their existences. Erebus, for one, was in an uncharacteristically good mood. He was even smiling at Fate, not rudely like he normally would, but a genuine one. It was scarier than his usual smile. To the others watching, though, they were enchanted. They felt an immense amount of joy and pride that these two had come to their humble village! For them to come to this harvest festival, their town was truly blessed! ¡°Why are you so happy?¡± Fate found herself asking him as they moved to the music. ¡°Hmm... I tell you in a little bit.¡± It wasn¡¯t time yet, but he had taught of something magnificent. It was so entertaining that he hadn¡¯t been able to stop smiling for quite some time now. He couldn¡¯t wait to see her face... just a little longer now. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out what he was hiding from her. Fate gave up eventually, deciding to ignore his quirkiness. ¡°Well, that means that you¡¯re enjoying yourself, right?¡± Erebus chuckled. ¡°Indeed.¡± Fate brightened immediately. ¡°That¡¯s great. See, they aren¡¯t that bad, are they?¡± She found herself smiling now. She had broken through his shell, it wasn¡¯t that hard, after all! ¡°Humans aren¡¯t good-for-nothings, see? They can do wonderful things, they can make you happy!¡± "I suppose," Erebus consented. Her eyes lit up even more. "You understand now?" "I understand." Fate''s smile grew broader. "Exce--" "That¡¯s why you should kill them.¡± The world slowed for a moment, everyone moved through the air as if it was a thick molasses before time smoothed back out.¡°Eh?¡± Fate blinked in bemusement. What he just said... That didn¡¯t match the mood, did it? ¡°You wanted to know why I was so happy, right?¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Fate nodded her head slowly, still not processing his words. He was happy because this was a joyous occasion... because he was having fun... because... ¡°Because you¡¯re going to kill all these nuisances for me. You said you would stop me from killing them--kill them yourself, that¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant--¡± ¡°Ah, and didn¡¯t you promise that you¡¯d owe me anything?¡± Erebus continued, the happy smile he wore started to become cruel in Fate¡¯s eyes. Fate¡¯s mouth dried and she swallowed nonexistent saliva. ¡°Erebus, I can¡¯t--¡± ¡°But you will,¡± he said while clucking his tongue. Erebus stopped dancing and Fate stopped with him. He grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around so that she was facing everyone. All of them wearing confused expressions as to why Erebus and Fate had ceased their dancing. ¡°You¡¯re going to take their lives.¡± Fate¡¯s hands shook, she couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°You made an agreement, you¡¯re bound to it,¡± Erebus sing-songed. ¡°I upheld my part of it, now it¡¯s your turn.¡± She felt the ground underneath her feet, but it didn¡¯t feel real. Nothing felt real. How could she have been so dumb? So preoccupied with convincing him to stay, she didn¡¯t even think about the words she said? At the most, she thought that he would ask for her body. Now that she thought about it, her body wasn¡¯t something that he had shown any interest in. Of course, of course, he would do something like this! ¡°Are you incapable of holding your part of the deal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s...¡± Fate stared out, her eyes unseeing. ¡°If you won¡¯t, then I will. But don¡¯t think that you can escape, I¡¯ll just keep on taking and taking until you do.¡± A whimper escaped through Fate¡¯s mouth, she couldn¡¯t... ¡°You have a choice: this one village or hundreds, pick. You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m even giving you a choice. You made a deal with me, Fate.¡± She didn¡¯t move. It was too much. It was all too much. How could she choose? Whose life was more important than the other? How much did one life weigh? It was such a simple decision, wasn¡¯t it? One was less than a hundred. Fate¡¯s vision blurred, she couldn¡¯t think properly. Erebus raised his hand. ¡°Then I¡¯ll make the decision for you.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Fate pleaded. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stop me? Then stop me!¡± Erebus roared, a black vortex appearing in the sky that began to suck everything towards it. A mad frenzy ensued. ¡°What are you going to do, Fate?¡± he said softly yet his voice was louder than the chaos of people running and screaming as everything was yanked into the hole. ¡°Are you going to stop me?¡± Fate screamed, clutching her hands over her ears. ¡°Stop it, stop it, stop!¡± ¡°Stop me.¡± And she did. In a flash, she stopped the time of those running around her, they fell to the ground all at once. They wouldn¡¯t suffer anymore, he wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt them anymore. Erebus was someone that Fate couldn¡¯t defeat, she was weak so this was the only way... this was the only way to save them. She collapsed to the ground, her eyes beholding the chaos spread out before her. Their corpses littered the ground, buildings had been ripped out from their foundations but hadn¡¯t made to the vortex so they just fell back down everywhere.¡°How could you...¡± She choked on the words. ¡°How could I what?¡± Erebus responded innocently as he moved to stand in front of her. Fate stared up at him, at this emotionless being. ¡°I killed them.¡± ¡°You did,¡± he agreed with her easily. ¡°Why? How? You--¡± she stumbled to find the appropriate words. ¡°How could you do this?¡± Erebus laughed lightly. ¡°That¡¯s simple: because I wanted to.¡± ¡°How could you just kill an entire village?¡± she whispered, her voice cracking as the words passed her lips. ¡°First--you killed them, not me. Disclaimer.¡± Erebus laughed as if he found this to be humorous. ¡°Second, I¡¯m teaching you a lesson. Okay?¡± He grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her up so she could see properly. ¡°If you want something, take it.¡± Erebus¡¯ grip grew tighter on her thin arm. ¡°Who cares about the consequences? Your self-righteous preaching was getting on my nerves, so I decided to shut you up.¡± Fate stared at him, that was all she could do--she couldn¡¯t formulate any words. He forced her, he made her do it! She hadn¡¯t wanted to, she didn¡¯t want to hurt these people. ¡°I¡¯m sure that Rolut wi--¡± ¡°Ah, here¡¯s the thing... Rolut doesn¡¯t care.¡± Erebus laughed at her. ¡°A village or two... It doesn¡¯t really matter much in the long run. You¡¯re important to this world, that¡¯s the only reason Rolut cares.¡± ¡°You... Then why did you agree to my wishes if it doesn¡¯t matter to you?¡± Erebus¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°Because even though your mouth is annoying... I thought it¡¯d be fun to toy with you.¡± He took her face in his hands so she was forced to look him in the eye. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to destroy? Don¡¯t you want to kill? It¡¯s okay if you let loose every so often, it¡¯s fun, after all.¡± ¡°How can you--¡± Fate choked on the words. His eyes were bottomless pits with no shimmer of light in their depths. Was all of her work pointless? He had just been messing with her to make her believe that he was changing... That smile he wore, he had thought that he was truly enjoying himself! Well, he was, just not the way that she was expecting him to. Erebus frowned and clucked his tongue again. ¡°You still don¡¯t get it, do you? This world is my precious playground and its inhabitants are my toys. If anyone was to ruin that, I¡¯d be very upset.¡± Erebus smiled broadly. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry--you¡¯re one of my dearest toys, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a monster. You¡¯re a murderer!¡± ¡°Mm, I am.¡± Erebus patted her head mockingly. ¡°But now, you are too.¡± S2 Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Things We Do So sorry for the late update, I was dealing with some issues. Without further ado, here''s the newest chapter to The Demon Lord is Bored! Water, blood, and dirt mixed and pooled in depressions on the road. Fate curled inwards and shivered violently as she felt cold for the first time as the icy rain drops stabbed at her exposed flesh. The corpses that surrounded her were etched into her mind, creating a gruesome memory that would never fade. Tears streaked her cheeks and she desperately tried to wipe them away but the flood was unstoppable. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she cried quietly, repeating the words over and over as if they¡¯d bring back the souls of the lost. Before her stood a monster. A monster that made her kill, he made her do something that she had sworn against. She couldn¡¯t take a life. She would never take a life. That¡¯s what she told herself all those years she sat guard, alone. A part of her had grown to envy the others that she was able to watch using her magic, it was the only way she knew about the outside world. It must be nice, she had thought, to be free. Fate wasn¡¯t sure if she hated her job. Her purpose for living was to sit in front of stone for eons. She loathed the ones who didn¡¯t have to deal with the burdensome task like she did; however, at the same time, she couldn¡¯t help but love them. Maybe love wasn¡¯t the right word. Her jealousy had morphed into an obsession with them, with the ones who were able to look out at the world and see it all for themselves. She wanted to be like them. Carefree. Naive. Somewhere along the line, she began to believe that was one of them. But now that dream was crumbling, it fell to pieces the moment she took their lives. Because of him because of the one who didn¡¯t see the light that the others had radiated! Fate choked on her tears, she dry heaved in a desperate attempt to rid her body of the sickening feeling. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she continued. Maybe she could bring them back, she could... it was in her powers. But even she couldn¡¯t simply ignore the world¡¯s law: balance. If she saved their lives, they would still die shortly. Or someone else would. Maybe she would, would her life count for all of theirs? Was she being arrogant? How could she think that her life was greater than theirs? ¡°Sorry,¡± she sobbed. The monster wore a smug smirk and his eye was lit with a carnal ferocity. He knew exactly what she was thinking even without hearing her thoughts.¡°Why are you apologizing? It¡¯s not like they can hear you,¡± he taunted Fate. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± she yelled, blocking her ears so she didn¡¯t have to hear his voice. ¡°Shut up, shut up! This is all your fault!¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t deny the fact that I pushed you to do it... but the decision was yours in the end, wasn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t blame me because you¡¯re weak.¡± Fate jerked her head up, fury blazing in her eyes. In blinding anger, she charged at Erebus and began to claw at his face. Her sharp nails did nothing against his tough skin, they only created small scratches that were gone within milliseconds. She pulled back her arm and snapped it forward, her fist meeting Erebus¡¯ nose. ¡°Screw you!¡± she roared. Erebus laughed lightly. ¡°Where did your holier-than-thou attitude go? Are you telling me that you want to fight?¡± His demeanor changed. ¡°I¡¯ll be glad to entertain you.¡± She flinched, her senses coming back as quickly as she had lost them. Fate was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that Erebus wouldn¡¯t kill her, but she didn¡¯t want to test out the point zero one percent that he would. ¡°What? You don¡¯t want to... how boring.¡± Erebus clicked his tongue in irritation. ¡°I was hoping that you¡¯d go crazy and try to fight me.¡± Fate sniffed indignantly. ¡°You aren¡¯t worth the time.¡± ¡°Neither are they, I suppose. For you to save, that is.¡± Erebus gestured loosely to the bodies that surrounded them. Fate flinched. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go. This town has given us all that it has to offer.¡± Fate leaped away from him, her beautiful face contorting with anger. ¡°You expect me to go somewhere with you?¡± ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t want to do that either? I thought that there were more places that you wanted to show me.¡± She glared at him and spat out the words, ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°I see... what a tragedy,¡± Erebus responded, not sounding at all saddened by this prospect. ¡°Well, good-bye. I¡¯ll go explore by myself then.¡± Fate watched as he started to walk away, stepping over bodies like he would trash on the street. ¡°Wait!¡± she called out to his retreating figure. Erebus stopped. ¡°You¡¯re staying on this continent?¡± ¡°Is there a reason for me not to? It¡¯s not like I was doing anything in the first place. I can pass time by exploring the world and it should prove to be mildly entertaining.¡± She swallowed. Fate didn¡¯t trust him at all. Not one bit, actually. She could only imagine the horrors that he would commit on his own. But it wasn¡¯t like she wanted to go with him in the first place. But if she didn¡¯t, who would? He had taken her dream away from her. Fate ground her teeth together, she would get her revenge on this man. She would avenge the dead and all the others he had hurt just for his silly little games. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you,¡± Fate shouted, pressing her heels into the earth as if it could provide her with more stability. ¡°Pass, my offer has already expired,¡± Erebus told her nonchalantly and began to walk away again. He then paused once more, remembering the suspicious gem on her chest. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to observe it for a little longer. If it didn¡¯t seem harmful, Erebus would leave Fate behind but if it was... he would have to terminate her and find out about a replacement Guardian. And also, it would be boring if he didn¡¯t have a toy with him.¡°All right, you can come.¡± Fate¡¯s mouth dried. ¡°O--¡± ¡°On one condition, though, I don¡¯t want to hear your mouth. Every time you say something that pisses me off, I¡¯ll kill someone, okay?¡± ¡°O-okay,¡± Fate murmured. Erebus smiled at her, the jovialness of it did not fit in with the surroundings in the slightest. Honestly, it made her feel sick. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Fate.¡± ... Erebus entered the tower where Fate was locked, his memories from the past still swirled in his mind. They had all resurfaced like the weight holding them down had vanished and allowed them to break through the depths of his subconsciousness. He traversed down the sparsely lit spiral staircase along with Azure (who was uncharacteristically silent, which, frankly, made him uncomfortable). His hand lightly trailed along the railing before tightening. How disgusting, he thought. Fate¡¯s aura was beginning to leak through and Erebus could see the mana being corrupted by her already. Fate¡¯s mana had gone haywire, creating something that didn¡¯t belong in this world that tainted the previously existing mana. If the corruption spread... it certainly wouldn¡¯t bode well for the future of their world. Why had they called him so late? Erebus sighed inwardly. Frankly, Fate was far too much of a hassle than she was actually worth. To him, they were just prolonging the inevitable--her death. He voiced this aloud,¡°I don¡¯t see why Rolut and Ayirn want to keep this beast alive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because...¡± Azure glanced at Erebus through the corner of her eyes. She closed her mouth then opened it, she didn¡¯t want to be the one to disclose the reason why. Erebus wouldn¡¯t... he wouldn¡¯t receive it too well. She took in a deep breath, deciding that it was easier to just get it over with. ¡°It¡¯s because you loved her once. Like a lot.¡± Erebus stopped walking, his back rigid. He turned to Azure, quiet fury burning in his eyes. ¡°That was then and this is now,¡± Erebus snapped at her coldly. ¡°She¡¯s a dangerous entity and needs to be exterminated before she causes--even more--harm.¡± Azure wrung her hands, not wanting to be in the presence of Erebus¡¯ bad humor. She came across the lovely decision to bring up a happier subject. ¡°I remember when you told me about it. And I told you that I felt sorry for her,¡± Azure laughed. ¡°But I was surprised that you were... capable of, you know.¡± She sighed. ¡°Those were good days, weren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Since when were you the type to reminisce?¡± Erebus¡¯ tone was light but it came off as menacing. She flinched and clenched her hands tighter, wishing that she hadn¡¯t been the one sent along with Erebus. She was (normally) uninvolved with his life which was why the two always had an amicable relationship because Azure never bothered him and he did the same to her. Ah... I really messed up, Azure lamented internally. I should have just stayed quiet. She pouted her lips and slumped her shoulders, Erebus--surprisingly--could hold onto grudges for a long time. It wasn¡¯t as if she had done anything wrong other than, well, bring up the past! She laughed to herself. The two rounded the staircase when they reached the end and continued down a long, though brighter, hallway. Azure cringed and slowed her pace. ¡°Erebus, you¡¯ll be fine without me, right?¡± She rubbed her arm furiously as if it could rid the feeling of the completely corrupted mana. It was possible for her to continue forward without being affected to the point of no return, it was more of an issue of her not wanting to go. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Erebus responded. ¡°I¡¯ll leave immediately and come back if I¡¯m close to becoming compromised.¡± She nodded her and lightly patted Erebus on the back. ¡°Get it over with quickly.¡± ¡°I will,¡± Erebus answered pointedly. It wasn¡¯t like he wanted to be here either, it wasn¡¯t as if he was immune to the effects of the corrupted mana. It would be over soon, though. Azure nodded, turned, and waved before sprinting back up the stairs. Erebus was left only with the sound of her receding footsteps. He sighed heavily, his shoulders slackening. Erebus combed hand through his hair, muttering softly to himself, ¡°Seriously... all of them are annoying.¡± Erebus lifted his head back up, staring at the path before him. It would lead him to the source of all of this trouble. Erebus stepped forward, then his feet began to move on their own. They carried him to his destination and Erebus was just a passenger in his own body as he glided through the hallways. And then he was there. He pushed open the heavy door to her cell and prepared himself to face a demon he longed to forget. S2 Chapter Thirty-Eight: Awakening And there she was. He walked up to her, staring down at the cracked jewel rested between her breasts. She was in the same place she had always been for centuries. It looked as if she was simply asleep on the stone table she was laid on. But Erebus knew that wasn¡¯t the truth. ¡°Stop playing games,¡± he said aloud. Erebus lifted his eyepatch and stared into the farthest right corner at the mass of mana that was there. ¡°Who are you trying to fool?¡± It was Fate¡¯s soul. Well, her real one. The gem on her chest had been keeping the dangerous side of Fate sealed away, and it had broken. The soul quivered and flew around the room before absorbing into Fate¡¯s body. Her body shook before it stilled and her amethyst eyes flashed open. She slowly pulled herself up until her knees met with her chest. She smiled broadly, the skin of her face stretching tight. ¡°Erebus,¡± she cooed in a faux-innocent voice. ¡°Where have you been? I¡¯ve been so lonely...¡± He repeated his previous question, ¡°Who are you trying to fool?¡± Fate¡¯s eyes shimmered with humor. ¡°Hmm, I wonder?¡± Fate rested her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. ¡°You¡¯ve changed. And I¡¯m not talking about your hair.¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t changed.¡± Fate¡¯s face contorted for a moment, morphing into something monstrous before smoothing itself back out. ¡°And whose fault is that?¡± Erebus shrugged lightly. No one knew how the stone on her chest had broken. It was still something completely shrouded in mystery despite the investigations that they had carried out. But it was hard because Fate was less than cooperative to help them ¡°fix¡± her. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been asleep for so long,¡± Fate whined, closing her eyes. ¡°But it won¡¯t be too long until I¡¯m out of here.¡± He laughed. ¡°We both know that you can¡¯t leave here. You aren¡¯t strong enough.¡± ¡°Eh? You haven¡¯t noticed it... have you? That my mana has spread farther than it ever has.¡± Her smile broadened if that was even possible. ¡°Does that worry you?¡± ¡°No.¡± She pouted her lips and opened her eyes once more, a familiar sharpness in them. ¡°It should. It won¡¯t be long, it won¡¯t be long, it won¡¯t be long,¡± she started to sing, repeating the words over and over again while bobbing her head left and right. ¡°Or will it!¡± Fate threw back her head and laughed loudly. She froze then turn looked at Erebus. ¡°You¡¯re in my dreams. Did you know that? For years, I¡¯ve been dreaming about you.¡± Fate reached out to touch him and Erebus drew himself away, clearly disgusted. ¡°Oh, my beautiful, beautiful Erebus.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not yours, wretch.¡± Fate blinked slowly. ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s true.¡± Erebus glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go back to sleep.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± she cried out loudly. ¡°Erebus, won¡¯t you just join me? It¡¯ll all be so much easier if you joined me... We¡¯ll be able to have so much fun together, won¡¯t we? Just like the old times.¡± Fate¡¯s eyes were wide and unblinking, crazed. ¡°Erebus, I love you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he turned her down easily. ¡°And unlike you, my allegiance still is bound to this world. If I wasn¡¯t outvoted, I would have killed you by now but the Dragon Council is full of saps,¡± he spat. Erebus wrapped his hands tightly around her throat, choking her. And Fate didn¡¯t stop him. ¡°They¡¯re weak to you, Fate. But I¡¯m not.¡± He began to activate his magic, the light started to drain from Fate¡¯s eyes and her eyelids began to close. Erebus¡¯ magic had the ability to siphon away her mana and he absorbed into his own, it was a unique property to his Lost magic. The others were incapable of doing so, which was why Erebus was tasked with taking care of Fate despite how troublesome it was for him. She finally went limp, her body falling back down and her chest rising and falling steadily. Erebus stepped away, the weight was finally lifted off his shoulder once more. He could see the corrupted mana begin to be cleansed. He stared at Fate for a count, his features softening. But then he remembered who she was and who she wasn¡¯t. Erebus turned on his heels and headed to the exit. His enjoyable fight had been interrupted and he was no longer in a good mood... Not to mention his four toys probably turned tail and ran by now. He sighed heavily. He was exhausted, perhaps he would sleep for a while when he arrived back at his castle. He took another step forward. And then everything felt wrong--very wrong. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be.¡± He spun around, his eyes landing on the sleeping woman. Then her body began to lift up once more, her eyes slamming open and her head jerking in Erebus¡¯ direction. She smiled. ¡°Thank you, Erebus. It took me a while to figure out how to counteract your magic, but I finally figured it out.¡± Erebus¡¯ narrowed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists, ready to take her down. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh? You want to fight?¡± Fate asked, her grin broadening. ¡°Too bad! I don¡¯t have any time to deal with you and I¡¯m not quite myself yet.¡± Erebus felt her magic begin to activate and shot forward so that he could grab her before she escaped. But he was a second too late. Fate was gone. ... Rolut roared, ¡°What do you mean she¡¯s gone!¡± Erebus plugged his ears and glowered at Rolut. ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell at me, I know exactly what this entails.¡± Ayirn murmured, ¡°To think that she would trick even you, Erebus. How did she manage to do it?¡± He shrugged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how we have to find her immediately!¡± Midrn shouted, slamming his fist down onto the table. He turned his glare towards Erebus. ¡°Because of your incompetence--¡± ¡°While I do agree that we have to find her immediately, it¡¯s not like any of us could have stopped her either,¡± Azure spoke up. ¡°Besides, if she slipped past Erebus¡¯ magic once she can do it again. What we need is to figure out how to counteract that.¡± Midrn lurched towards her, jabbing an accusing finger in her direction. ¡°We cannot afford to be so calm right now! We don¡¯t have time. We need to eliminate her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been saying that for centuries,¡± Erebus muttered. Frize cleared his throat before Midrn could start up again. ¡°Erebus, are you able to find her!?¡± ¡°No,¡± he answered. ¡°She knows how to hide from my sight.¡± Erebus rubbed his temples in annoyance. Because Fate was an anomaly, it wasn¡¯t easy for him to search for her, let alone find her exact position. One would think that it would be easier to find the one out... but Fate knew how to conceal herself and max the aura of others. ¡°My, my... What a troublesome child,¡± Ayirn sighed the words. ¡°She could be anywhere... or in any time for that matter by now,¡± Rolut began. Erebus shook his head. ¡°Though she was able to teleport herself to a different present, I don¡¯t think Fate has the strength to be moving through time soon. She¡¯s still recuperating and that¡¯s one of her most powerful abilities. And it isn¡¯t as if my magic had no effect on her at all.¡± ¡°So we have to catch her before Fate can restore enough power, huh?¡± Massath murmured sleepily. ¡°Well, if she can escape from Erebus¡¯, this is practically a lost cause.¡± ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not li--...¡± Dissolve started to speak then cut off halfway, his head lowering before snapping back up. ¡°--ke we can let her run around.¡± Erebus frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll continue to try and search for her, but I¡¯ll need to concentrate since she knows I¡¯m looking.¡± ¡°I can help,¡± Lisset suggested. When Erebus gave her a silencing glare, she changed her words, ¡°Or not.¡± ¡°Erebus isn¡¯t the only one that can see this world,¡± Ayirn proclaimed in her sweet voice. ¡°I¡¯ll use my magic to supplement his search. Lisset, you can help me instead.¡± Lisset nodded, glad that Ayirn had saved her from mild embarrassment. She didn¡¯t want to be like the others who were, well, virtually useless in this situation until they found Fate. They had an entire world to explore and she didn¡¯t want to be a part of the group sent out on a wild goose chase: ¡°Greur and Midrn, Azure, Dissolve, and Massath, you all will search everywhere while Erebus, Lisset, and Ayirn attempt to find her exact location. If you find her, or anything suspicious, call us immediately. We must get to her before her corrupted mana destroys our world. And do not let anybody find out, understood?¡± Rolut boomed. ¡°Understood!¡± the Council all yelled. ¡°Then, I¡¯m going back to my castle,¡± Erebus said, standing up from his seat. Rolut stood up also. ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡± Erebus frowned, not bothering to hide his displeasure. ¡°Why?¡± he asked pointedly. ¡°As am I,¡± said Frize. Erebus¡¯ head snapped towards Frize. He guffawed. ¡°Seriously? You too?¡± Frize and Rolut exchanged a look, it¡¯s meaning was clear: Erebus wasn¡¯t trusted on his own. He clicked his tongue, it was understandable but still frustrating. ¡°Well, whatever, just don¡¯t get in my way.¡± Midrn exploded. ¡°Show some shame, Erebus! You¡¯re the one who put us in this predicament in the first place!¡± He ground his teeth together. ¡°Would you just shut up?¡± Erebus questioned, his voice quiet. ¡°I¡¯ve been listening to you ramble on for a while now, isn¡¯t it time you closed your mouth? Do you think I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening?¡± The room stilled and a heavy atmosphere settled over them. ¡°That¡¯s not,¡± Midrn finally managed to say. He lowered his eyes as he could feel the gaze of everyone on him. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was trying to...¡± Erebus smiled darkly and a shadow came over his face. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter... it¡¯s about time we put this rampaging beast to sleep.¡± S2 Chapter Thirty-Nine: Sorry, sorry for the delay! Life''s been hectic so I''m afraid the updating schedule is going to continue to be weird. Tear rolled around in Erebus¡¯ bed while crying softly to herself. ¡°Master,¡± she sobbed, ¡°I miss you so much!¡± The door to the bedroom creaked open and Lilian poked her head throw. ¡°Tear, would you please sign off on these documents?¡± She stepped inside and worked on detangling Tear from Erebus¡¯ bedsheets. ¡°No! Lord Erebus was stolen away from me, I don¡¯t understand how you can be so cold...¡± Lilian sighed and pushed up her glasses. ¡°I am upset by the recent turn of the events, too. But that doesn¡¯t mean that we can allow our master¡¯s home fall into ruin.¡± Tear looked up, her blue eyes rimmed with red and her vision blurry. ¡°I know but... I miss him,¡± she cried out. ¡°These sheets don¡¯t smell like him anymore!¡± ¡°Tear,¡± Dark Mist input as he walked into the room. ¡°He hasn¡¯t even been gone for a day.¡± The woman whipped her head towards him and glared. ¡°Shut up, ignorant buffoon! My love for Lord Erebus is boundless and my heart aches when he is gone from me!¡± ¡°Xaltiq needs your help with something, too, Tear. Please do not forget that you are the Overseer,¡± Lilith told her monotonously. ¡°Please get yourself together and get to work.¡± Tear heaved out a sigh. ¡°Fine... Lilian, bring them here.¡± She gestured tiredly to Lilian as she pulled herself upright. Lilian did as so and Tear quickly signed off on her papers. ¡°What did Xaltiq need?¡± she inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dark Mist and Lilian said at the same time. ¡°He didn¡¯t inform me,¡± Lilian spoke. ¡°It seemed pretty urgent.¡± Dark Mist nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s why you should hurry up and deal with it.¡± ¡°Shut up, filler character,¡± Tear snapped as she detached herself from Erebus¡¯ bed. ¡°Where was he?¡± she directed her questions towards Lilian. ¡°He¡¯s with Amber entertaining our guests still... Since we threatened them and said that they couldn¡¯t leave until Lord Erebus gave permission, they haven¡¯t been in the greatest mood. Tear blinked, remembering the words that Vyne had told the Four Princes, ¡°If you leave, our master will surely hunt you past the ends of the world.¡± And since it wasn¡¯t a baseless threat, they stayed. ¡°Here I go,¡± Tear sighed. The weight of her soul could be heard in those words. ... Xaltiq swallowed and started shrinking back into himself. Certainly, he had met a great number of amazing people here... but he was still only human! Being faced with the Four Princes of Hell and being expected to deal with them was way too much of a burden. And their hostility was being directed towards him, too... They definitely wanted to leave. And they could, Mae (Triton had left) was the only one strong enough to contend with them and she couldn¡¯t handle all four at once. But the threat of Erebus¡¯ hunting them down hung over their heads, so they were reluctant guests? Well, Satan was the most laidback about it. He seemed like the type of person that Erebus would get along with, Xaltiq thought. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t even sure how he had gotten stuck in this situation in the first place. The struggles of being strong, he supposed? ¡°Hello,¡± a musical voice said and Tear, accompanied by Lilian and Vyne (he had been picked up along the way), entered the room. For a moment, Xaltiq felt as if an angel descended before he remembered her twisted personality. ¡°I hear that our esteemed guests had some questions?¡± Leviathan piped up, ¡°Hell yeah we do! If you don¡¯t hurry up and let us out, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Tear blinked slowly. ¡°Well,¡± the pristine smile on Tear¡¯s face disappeared, ¡°deal with it. You¡¯re not the only one suffering, you know? I miss Erebus, so, so much. I don¡¯t want to hear your mouths.¡± She stopped bothering to maintain her proper form and slouched while jutting out her bottom lip. ¡°Honestly, he left me here to deal with you unsavory men!¡± She stamped her feet on the ground. ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t care about your problems!¡± Leviathan stood up. ¡°Why yo--¡± ¡°Nya, don¡¯t do it!¡± Mae came running to the rescue (she had been a ¡°fly¡± on the wall until now) and threw her arms around Leviathan. ¡°I¡¯m wholly against violence!¡± ¡°Damn pest,¡± Leviathan muttered, struggling to push Mae off of him. He was fed up. He had been forced to fight a fight he didn¡¯t even want to be involved in, with a dragon, no less. He was at his wit¡¯s ends. Xaltiq pulled away from the commotion but as he made his slow retreat his body hit a solid chest. Behind him was a man who only seemed to be in his mid-thirties, but had the aged look of someone who was always under too much stress. He had a stern face with jagged edges and his hair was grayed and fell around his face, only adding to the intimidating effect. ¡°Erebus, do you usually allow this ruckus in your castle?¡± he questioned in a deep, rumbling voice. ¡°Basing my conjecture off of his personality: yes,¡± a beautiful man with silvery blue hair answered the other man¡¯s question. He looked up a smile in his eyes. ¡°Four Princes, we meet again.¡± Satan leaned over to Lucifer and whispered, ¡°Who are they?¡± He was promptly elbowed in the stomach by Lucifer. If they were referring to Erebus like that, then they must have been on at least equal footing as him. Erebus stepped through the entrance with Weryn latched onto his back. ¡°Ah, I forgot to introduce them didn¡¯t I? Mmm... well, I¡¯m no good at introductions so do it yourselves?¡± He pried Weryn off his back and threw the child into the arms of Mae. ¡°Toodles, I¡¯m busy.¡± The crimson-eyed man with the stern gaze spoke first, ¡°My name is Rolut. I am the first dragon.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve met a few of you before, but I¡¯m Frize, the second dragon. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡± The faces of everyone, excluding a few, paled. Didn¡¯t some extremely important people just introduce themselves? Weren¡¯t they, technically, in a higher position than Erebus? Erebus was already dizzying... these two made Xaltiq want to cry. He shared the sentiment of the Four Princes: he wanted to go home. ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Tear spoke up, casting a confused stare at Rolut. ¡°What exactly is going on? What is Lord Erebus doing?¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Rolut looked around at the children surrounding him, his eyes landing on the Four Princes before continuing their survey. He sighed and sat down at the head of the table with Frize standing by his side. ¡°It¡¯s all right to tell them, isn¡¯t it?¡± Frize remarked. ¡°Their loyalty to Erebus is astounding and,¡± he tossed a glance at the Four Princes, ¡°well, they know their place.¡± The eldest dragon sighed once more, this time, the gravity of the situation seemed to accompany it. ¡°It¡¯s a long story and it¡¯s one that will never leave this room, understood?¡± Everyone nodded their head, exchanging glances amongst themselves. Rolut rubbed his chin. ¡°Where to start... I wonder?¡± He rummaged through his memories, trying to find the best place for him to beginning. ¡°Do you know of the Guardians? The ones who protect segments of the ¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹.¡± Vyne spoke up, ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve met one before.¡± ¡°I see, that makes this easier for me then. Fate was a Guardian, the first one to appear, actually. She is the reason why Erebus is busy.¡± Everyone bore an expression that meant ¡°go on¡±. Rolut exhaled, he seemed to be full of sighs. ¡°There was something about Fate... something that none of us had predicted.¡± His eyes grew distant as if he was back in the past. ¡°Our only purpose as dragons is to protect the world, from anything and everyone... Fate was our only failure. We had failed to see her for what she really was,¡± regret lined his voice as he spoke. ¡°Fate is not of this world, you see. ¡°Where she came from is a mystery, but her existence hurts our world. When mana enters her body, it changes into a substance that is harmful to those who inhabit this planet.¡± He stopped for a moment. ¡°Us original dragons have a certain amount of immunity to it, but after too much exposure, even we will be affected. And the effects are... not pleasant. I believe that is telling of what it would do to those much weaker than us. ¡°When we found out, we managed to restrain Fate before she could spread her corruption but... the beast that awoke within her won¡¯t be stopped with just that, after all.¡± ¡°Excuse me for interrupting,¡± Lucifer cut in, ¡°but what do you mean ¡®awoke¡¯? In the first place, it doesn¡¯t make sense for you to have never have noticed someone so dangerous.¡± Rolut cut his eyes in Lucifer¡¯s direction, causing the demon to scoot back a little. ¡°Apologies.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Rolut excused Lucifer. ¡°To answer your question, Fate wasn¡¯t always like this. As I mentioned, she used to be a Guardian... one with a sense of justice, at that. That Fate loved this planet more than anything; however, she was not the ¡®real¡¯ Fate so to speak. Honestly, I don¡¯t know too much about it either, Erebus would be better at explaining... but I¡¯ll give it a shot. ¡°As I said, Fate came to this world from another thousands of years ago, but she was very weak at that time. She wasn¡¯t strong enough to corrupt the existing mana in the world with her own, that¡¯s why she trapped her soul in a mana stone weak enough to change and placed it inside of her body. ¡°She began a doll, more or less, and the soul that was meant to guard the ¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹entered her body.¡± Rolut held up his hand before anyone could ask questions. ¡°Don¡¯t ask about the Guardian, that isn¡¯t the point of what I¡¯m telling you.¡± All the questions that had bubbled up in their throats remained there. ¡°Fate became the Guardian, a false one. She had the proper soul but... she was not of this world so she could never truly protect it. Nonetheless, that fake Fate lived for quite a while before she and Erebus were doing... whatever and catastrophe struck: the mana stone that contained Fate¡¯s soul broke and she took hold of her body once more. The rest you should understand.¡± Just as he finished Erebus entered the room with an uncharacteristic gloom hanging over him. ¡°What? You¡¯re telling them about her?¡± Lilian broke her silence that hung after his question, ¡°Yes. Though, if I may ask, why does Fate aim to hurt this planet? It¡¯s not as if she¡¯ll gain anything by bringing about the end of the world.¡± Frize stepped up to the plate. ¡°Well... because of the words of a certain someone, the Fate heard and became inspired?¡± Erebus cleared his throat. ¡°So, Lord Erebus is the cause of Fate escaping?¡± Satan asked, leaning back in his seat. ¡°More or less, yes.¡± Rolut nodded his head. ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right?¡± Erebus gasped in shock. ¡°I did not--¡± ¡°If you desperately try to defend yourself, it just makes you look like the culprit,¡± Frize input. ¡°What was it that he said? Do what you want to do?¡± Rolut scratched his chin. ¡°He probably said that with that haughty attitude of his.¡± ¡°I thought it was the entire world was a playground... I heard that one a few times.¡± Frize and Rolut conversed amongst themselves, creating a pleasant atmosphere around them as they spoke of Erebus. The others inside the room were silent. It certainly sounded like something Erebus would tell someone. Or rather, it was more surprising that only one person had been influenced by Erebus¡¯ personality... well, it wasn¡¯t just one. ¡°Erebus,¡± Weryn began. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re the ultimate Dark Overlord? Everyone touched by you becomes tainted... Look at Mae for example.¡± ¡°Nya? Did I do something wrong, nya?¡± Mae cried out, cupping her face and shaking her head. ¡°Calling me tainted, how sin-ful, nya!¡± Weryn looked at Mae, obvious distaste coating his face. Dark Mist added in, ¡°No matter how you look at it, all of his subordinates are like him, though? They even kidnapped me from my home and forced me to stay here without even thinking about what kind of situation it put me in.¡± ¡°Actually, now that I think about it... People with Erebus¡¯ mindset are far too abundant! The Dragon Council forced me onto Erebus because they didn¡¯t know what to do with m--¡± ¡°Enough with that,¡± Rolut said hurriedly and turned to Erebus. ¡°Did you find where she went?¡± ¡°That? Ah, yeah, there¡¯s a problem. She¡¯s jamming me so I can¡¯t find her, nya?¡± Erebus added in an ¡°nya¡± to lessen the blow of his words. It didn¡¯t work. S2 Chapter Forty: Waiting Game Rolut was fuming. His rage was out of character albeit understandable. The entire castle shook due to his anger and everyone save for Erebus and Frize had dove for cover. ¡°Perhaps Ayirn will have better luck,¡± Frize said in a pitiful attempt to appease Rolut. They all knew that if Erebus couldn¡¯t find Fate, Ayirn¡¯s inferior searching magic had no chance. When Rolut didn¡¯t say anything, Frize added, ¡°Fate may just be guarding against Erebus¡¯ magic.¡± Rolut paused, those words drew his attention. ¡°Impossible,¡± Erebus said, tossing a mana stone into his mouth. ¡°Ayirn¡¯s magic is similar to my own, she just uses different means to achieve the same end.¡± The ground rumbled loudly. ¡°Dammit!¡± Rolut roared. Erebus sighed. ¡°Even if you rant and holler, we¡¯re not going to find her any faster. In fact, it¡¯ll take us centuries to find her at this rate. We don¡¯t have that type of time so end your temper tantrum. Do you know how much time it¡¯ll take me to fix the damage you¡¯ve done to my castle?¡± None at all, but Erebus wasn¡¯t going to let Rolut know that. The eldest dragon froze, the palpable rage he was emanating finally ebbed away and he was back to his normal self. ¡°My apologies,¡± he muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not like your fury is unwarranted,¡± Frize remarked. ¡°We are in a dangerous situation. The only way we¡¯ll be able to find her is if she pokes her head up.¡± Erebus sighed, that was highly unlikely. Fate was too careful to make such an amateur mistake. ¡°So you want to rely on her putting down her guard? Well, as long as she hides from me, Fate has to consciously work on not corrupting the mana, so nothing bad has happened.¡± Frize nodded. Erebus would be able to find her if he detected her otherworldly mana--if she restrained it, he couldn¡¯t find her. But it was also true that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do any damage. ¡°We¡¯re nearing a stalemate, aren¡¯t we? Fate can¡¯t abuse her power or we¡¯ll notice but at the same time, we can¡¯t find her if she doesn¡¯t, neither side can make a move right now.¡± ¡°Still, we have the advantage, the second Fate gives her position away our victory is decided,¡± Rolut said. Fate wasn¡¯t strong enough to face off against the Dragon Council, that much was for certain. ¡°But, if she starts her corruption, we have no way of holding it back,¡± Erebus countered. ¡°In that aspect, she holds the advantage.¡± Frize sighed. ¡°This has spiraled out of control.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been that way.¡± Erebus looked down his eye darkening. ¡°Since you didn¡¯t end her years ago.¡± Rolut didn¡¯t look at Erebus but his voice came through clear, ¡°It¡¯s too late to regret that decision.¡± Erebus snorted. It was obviously too late to do anything about that. It had happened regardless of their will--now it was time to fix their grievous mistake. Frize looked between the two before finally saying, ¡°Erebus, is there any way to draw her out?¡± The black-haired man furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t expose herself willing.¡± ¡°Fate wants you to join her, right?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± Erebus responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders. Frize frowned. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she asked you to?¡± ¡°Yes, but she¡¯s the type to say whatever she wants without truly meaning it.¡± Frize couldn¡¯t deny that much, seeing as Fate had been heavily influenced by Erebus. Did she have to deal with such a frivolous man? It would have been better if she was predictable, but someone who did whatever they wanted was the biggest wildcard. ¡°There¡¯s another advantage that we have against her,¡± Erebus said. ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t keep it up forever. It requires quite a lot of energy. Her body is no longer bonded with the stone so taking in this world¡¯s mana hurts her quite a lot. She may be able to blend in with the surroundings for now, but it won¡¯t last long.¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°You mean that she¡¯ll have to take a break?¡± ¡°Mm, and expose herself for a few moments before she can go back undercover. And she won¡¯t be able to escape fast enough with using her magic--which would also alert us to her position.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say this earlier?¡± Rolut demanded. ¡°It was fun watching you squirm?¡± Erebus said, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Anyway, she can¡¯t do anything for right now--as much I hate it--we have nothing to do but sit here and wait.¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling the others and telling them to stay in position in, whoever¡¯s the closest to her will get there first and take Fate out... For good. We need the minimize the amount of damage she does when she reveals herself.¡± Erebus nodded his head. ¡°Sitting here and waiting is certainly unpleasant, though,¡± Rolut murmured, collapsing into a chair. For a second, his age shown through and the weight of thousands of years seemed to be boring down on him. ¡°I was alone for a while, it was just me... I never knew if there would be another or if I would just stay all by myself... sitting and waiting for someone.¡± He closed his eyes, both Erebus and Frize were silent. ¡°I have deep roots with this planet, they run very deep, yes. I love it... with all of my heart.¡± When Frize opened his mouth to speak, Erebus stopped him. ¡°Let the old man reminisce.¡± Rolut¡¯s eyes opened and his chest rumbled with quiet laughter. ¡°An old man? I suppose I am one. Though, I¡¯m not much older than you are Erebus, only a few centuries...¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re all old men,¡± Frize remarked. ¡°Stubborn old men.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t consider myself to be an old man,¡± Erebus input. ¡°I look quite youthful, you know?¡± ¡°That appearance is a lie,¡± Frize answered jokingly. ¡°You two... are you forgetting the situation that we¡¯re in? Especially you, Frize.¡± The dragon held up his hands in surrender, a wry smile on his face still. ¡°We haven¡¯t forgotten. But there¡¯s not much that we can do about it, is there?¡± Rolut looked up, his eyes far away once again. ¡°I suppose not.¡± .... Fate rested her head on the trunk of a tree, her chest heaving up and down. Breaking free from Erebus¡¯ magic took more strength than she had been expecting... she had managed to accumulate mana without Erebus¡¯ noticing which allowed her to break his spell. But it was hardly enough, she almost failed. Fate had been left with barely enough mana to move her far away enough from the Dragon Council¡¯s headquarters, she had still been on the Dragon Continent until a little while ago. ¡°It¡¯s about time for me to have some fun myself,¡± she said to herself, brushing her hair from her eyes. ¡°Oh, Erebus... I almost pity you.¡± Fate thought of her (ex) lover, thinking about how hard he must be struggling to find her. She knew his magic well enough to know how to avoid it. It went from finding a needle in a haystack to finding a piece of hay in a haystack. He was probably cursing her right now. As long as she was in his thoughts, though, it didn¡¯t matter what they were about. Her feelings for him weren¡¯t fake, she loved him... even though he no longer loved her. Her breath was labored and it looked as if breathing pained her greatly. Without the¡¸ Godly Stone¡¹, she was in a precarious situation. But still, the moment she released her mana, she¡¯d be back to normal. Fate smiled weakly. ¡°You¡¯ll probably hate me more after this... But didn¡¯t you tell me to do what I wanted to do?¡± Fate spoke to Erebus who was too far to hear her. ¡°I want to play this game with you, even if it means you¡¯ll hate me forever. Ah, Erebus, I¡¯m having so much fun right now. Are you?¡± With an exhale, Fate unconcealed herself. ¡°Let¡¯s start our game.¡± The Author Has A Disease That Starts With "W" Hello, Tripping here. I, obviously, have not updated this story in a while. There''s no reason other than this: the infamous writer''s block has struck down upon me. How do I have writer''s block during a high action scene? No clue either. I can''t get it the way that I want it to be, and I don''t like putting out half-assed attempts of what obviously could have been better. So, please be patient with me as I try to deal with this (I know it''s hard, I hate long updates, too). I will post chapters again as soon as I have overcome this mental block. Thank you for your continued support of this story, it really motivates me to keep writing and that''s why I want to put out quality over quantity. It may mean slower update times, but I believe that it''s better than crappy chapters. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.If anyone has any advice to help me combat my writer''s block, I would greatly appreciate it. I''ve tried focusing on my other works but it hasn''t helped me refresh my mind. I''m trying my best, so, once again: please be patient with me. Thank you again, Tripping. S2 Chapter Forty-One: Mistake A/N: Woah, it''s been a while. I finally broke through, I just had to take a break. And it paid off, I''m updating! This story isn''t dead, rejoice! Thanks for reading and be sure to leave a comment if you spot any mistakes. Fate sat where they had first met, the body of the current Guardian for the stone laid off somewhere else. Of course, she had to kill them since they were in the way of her objective. Being near to the¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹caused her degradation to increase exponentially. It was obvious that she was dying. Her bones were jutting out and her skin had a sickly pallor to it. Her breathing was labored and each breath she took looked as if she was forcing herself to breathe instead of doing it naturally. Fate¡¯s beautiful eyes had sunken in and dark bags had formed underneath. What was her objective by doing this to herself? She wasn¡¯t the only one being damaged. By being so close to the stone, her mana began to corrupt even it and the beginning of the impurities could be seen on the corner of the¡¸ Godly Stone¡¹. But in comparison to her, the effects were minuscule. If anything, it seemed to be a suicidal task. Fate had never been afraid of death. For her, death seemed like a suitable end. A beautiful closing act to her performance. She wanted to die gracefully and for her demise to be carved into the memories of everyone. She longed to be never forgotten. She, especially, knew how time worked. People faded away so easily. Even if only Erebus remembered her, that was enough for her to take a sword to the heart. That said, it was not her time to die. She was not done with her act, it was nearing the climax. In her mind, she had every single thing envisioned and planned out perfectly. She would die so splendidly! Fate clutched her heart which was beating wildly in her chest. Her eyes squeezed shut as she imagined it all in her mind. Fate sighed contently, her shoulders slackening. Her cracked and dry lips pulled into a smile. ¡°Erebus...¡± she murmured. ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± Fate asked the man with his sword drawn and pointed at her. The cool metal was pressed against her small throat but she didn¡¯t seem at all scared. ¡°Drawing your blood would only cause more harm,¡± Erebus remarked coolly. ¡°Frize.¡± He jerked his head in the direction of the stone. The dragon nodded his head and walked over to the¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹and pressed his hands against it. Similar to Ayirn, his magic had natural healing properties other than offensive. Rather, he specialized in purification than combat. Because of this, the corruption that Fate had caused began to fade away. Though, if there had been any more than this, the results couldn¡¯t be said with certainty. ¡°You came quickly,¡± Fate whispered, tilting her head to the side. ¡°Could it be that you missed me?¡± Erebus didn¡¯t even laugh. ¡°You were nearby. It wouldn¡¯t have taken long, anyway.¡± ¡°Hmm, I suppose so,¡± Fate sighed the words. ¡°I looked, Erebus. And. Guess. What. I. Saw,¡± Fate enunciated each word carefully. ¡°It¡¯ll be perfect. Right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he admitted. Erebus raised his hand, preparing to execute her. ¡°But I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°I was just saying, I should break them,¡± Fate whispered. As the words came out of her mouth, the world slowed and Erebus¡¯ hand moved painfully slow. In that moment, she disappeared. The spot where Fate had been was empty. Rolut swore loudly. ¡°Goddamn that woman!¡± he roared. ¡°She tricked us. She had enough strength left to do that.¡± That, being she manipulated time. Erebus narrowed his eyes, his own anger was quiet... But equal to, if not greater than Rolut¡¯s. ¡°So it would seem.¡± ¡°Is she hiding once more?¡± Frize asked, grounding his teeth together. ¡°Yes,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°She¡¯s a quick one.¡± He clenched his fist, trying to control the rage that he felt boiling inside of him. Getting angry would not solve anything and would only blur his judgment. But he wanted to kill her. She had embarrassed him. Him. Fate had deceived him. When he had looked into her eyes, he had seen no fear in them. But there were no hints of defiance either. It was more of the look of someone who had resigned to their fate. Once again, she had made him powerless. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Weak. Useless. A fool unable to control the situation of his own doing. If he had left her alone, if he had never said those things to her so long ago... Would he be standing here right now? Would the world still be in peril that he was unable to stop unless it showed itself? Erebus had failed at his job. He had created a problem when he solely existed for solving them. This world had given him his life and he had failed to protect it. Erebus did not have parents, he only had this world. And it was dying because of him. He blamed himself the most. No one would have suspected how much so. Silently, he shouldered centuries of self-loathing. How easy was it for him to simply pretend? To distract himself with useless endeavors that only served for short-term entertainment. They allowed him to forget, for a moment, how much he hated himself. It was a lonely bubble that he created around himself, but it worked. And that woman, that mistake of his was still alive and breathing. If she was gone, everything would be fixed. It would revert back to normal--he would revert back to normal. He was going to wring her neck. She would suffer, Fate would take in all of the damage that she had done to this world. She would die for his revival. He¡¯d break her. Crush her. The damned bitch had been lucky that the other members of the Dragon Council had protected her for so long. But now no one would stop him from doing what should have been done centuries ago. She would die. That accursed soul of hers would cease to exist, that ¡°What did she mean by ¡®them¡¯?¡± Frize interrupted Erebus¡¯ chain of thought. His breathing was becoming slightly labored because of all the energy he was pouring into the¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹. Even though he was incapable of ever running out of mana, forcing it out of his body so unnaturally still had a toll on his body. Rolut rubbed his temples, his eyes closing. His age showed once more, the lines on his face grew more pronounced and haggard. He looked exhausted like someone had siphoned out all of his life. ¡°It¡¯s too vague.¡± ¡°She was speaking to Erebus, correct?¡± Frize sighed as he removed his hands from the¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹and all of his energy was restored in an instant. ¡°If so, I have an idea. She said she saw it, which implied that she used her powers to see, right? The only person life she¡¯d be interested in would be Erebus¡¯. Meaning they is--¡± ¡°My subordinates,¡± Erebus finished for Frize, he had come to the realization around the same time. Those small pieces of joy that he had. The ones who followed him so blindly with undying loyalty. ¡°I should break them,¡± she had said. ¡°I see... She wants to harm my toys?¡± A smile broke out on his face. No, it was too cold and vicious to be considered a smile. It carved itself on his beautiful face, it was crafted with the delicacy of a butcher. That expression seemed to crave death and carnage, a rage so great that it was impossible not to shiver. Even Rolut found himself to be genuinely afraid of Erebus. There was a rule that he had strictly abided by, that all the Council knew but never spoke of: do not touch Erebus¡¯ toys. When Ayirn had tried to... It had not ended well for her. Erebus had done more than simply come for her life, he aimed for her complete and utter destruction. And those subordinates that he had hand-picked, they were his prized collection. He carefully took care of them and kept them safe for decades. As loyal as they were to him, he was to them. Erebus had warned many people not to mess with his servants. But no one knew the extent as to how serious he was. ¡°Ah... I see, I see, I see,¡± Erebus whispered. ¡°That wretch wants to touch them.¡± The blue sky faded to a dreary gray and the whistling of the wind through the trees became foreboding whispers. The world lost its vibrancy. Everything paled, all the light and joy seemed to be sucked into a singular spot that emanated anger. A pulsating black mist had engulfed the realm of the¡¸Godly Stone ¡¹. Erebus¡¯ aura that he had also kept restrained had been released. It dragged everything towards it, unforgivingly and mercifully, it took and took. An ever-expanding mass. His voice broke the silence, a voice that did more than simply condemn Fate to her inevitable death: ¡°Unforgivable.¡± S2 Chapter Forty-two: The Decisions She Made A/N: Sorry for the delay. I didn''t notice but... this chapter got unintentionally long. Nearly twice as long as my other chapters. I could split it in two, but there''s no point in doing so. So, here you go: Tear was happily preparing for her love¡¯s return. After he returned from dealing with that wretch, she would say something like, ¡°It was hard, right? You¡¯re tired, right?¡± and Erebus would respond with ¡°Yes, no one has understood that until now...¡± and Tear would lead him to the bed and then she would dig in. She smiled victoriously. That¡¯s because she was kind! She was the favorite! She was beautiful! Erebus would no longer be able to deny himself of what he truly wanted. She pursed her lips and examined herself in the mirror. Tear struck many ¡°seductive¡± poses that she had read about in books. But indeed... the Great Plains were flat. Well, that minor inconvenience didn¡¯t matter. Erebus didn¡¯t seem to be the type who cared, anyway. As Tear raised her hand to flip her hair out of her face, a strange sensation washed over her for a moment then it was gone. ¡°My, my,¡± she murmured. ¡°Is Vyne doing some unpleasing experiment again? I¡¯ll have to give that sadist a scolding,¡± she pushed herself off of Erebus bed (she had been rolling around in it for good luck) and started to head towards the dungeons. At a time like this, Vyne was still preoccupied with his own silly experiments. Ha-ha, what else could she expect from that sadistic child? That insensitive man would never understand how fragile Lord Erebus currently was. But lesser beings were lesser beings, after all. Tear snorted and reached for the door just as an unfamiliar female voice said, ¡°I¡¯m jealous. Erebus has such a splendid woman at his side. I suppose I can understand why he didn¡¯t miss me.¡± She spun on her heels and was faced with a raven-haired beauty. ¡°You... Who are you? Why are you here? How did you get in here?¡± Tear started to bombard the mysterious woman with questions. How had she not noticed her presence? ¡°I have already gathered the others for the grand finale. You¡¯re the last one, Tear of the Moon Goddess.¡± The woman closed the distance between them before Tear could even fully process what had been said. She placed her hand on Tear gently. Their location changed within a fraction of a second. They were now in the throne room where Xaltiq, Wolf, Amber, Dark Mist, Vyne, Lilian, Stone, Magnus, Mae, the Four Princes, and Weryn were all gathered. Except none of them were moving or blinking, they closely resembled realistic dolls. It was because Fate had frozen time for them. Tear looked around in confusion. What was going on? ¡°You! What have you done? Why are we here?¡± Fate held up in hand as if to signal for Tear to stop. ¡°Now then,¡± she stated as she snapped her fingers. Dark Mist, Amber, and Mae all were freed in that moment. Mae closed the distance between them and pressed her hand against Fate¡¯s delicate throat. She smiled coldly. ¡°Nya, you must be Fate. Correct?¡± ¡°Yes, I am Fate,¡± she introduced herself politely. ¡°This is a timeline created by me. Even if you kill me, you won¡¯t be able to escape,¡± she continued on. Mae narrowed her eyes. ¡°Nya, you¡¯re quite tricky, aren¡¯t you? I really want to take that pretty face of yours.¡± Mae licked her lips hungrily. She then frowned. ¡°Nya... I suppose that can wait. What are you intentions?¡± A refreshing smile blossomed on Fate¡¯s face. ¡°Our esteemed guests won¡¯t be able to arrive until I open the door... So let¡¯s begin with our preparations, yes?¡± Fate appeared behind Tear and stabbed her hand through Tear¡¯s abdomen before anyone could stop her. ¡°Let¡¯s start off with the filthy woman who wants to get close to my man.¡± Fate tore her hand out of Tear¡¯s stomach and shoved her aside. Tear gasped in shock, clutching at her profusely bleeding abdomen. She had been... Stabbed? How? Tear hadn¡¯t felt pain like this before. It was agonizing. She open and closed her mouth, mimicking a fish out of water. Help me, she wanted to say. Blood poured from between her fingers and she could feel herself losing strength. Dark Mist rushed to her side. He was the only one here that knew healing magic. He would save Tear. His body fell to the ground. Blood leaked out from the stump of his neck while his head rolled. ¡°Do you think I¡¯d let you rescue her?¡± Fate questioned, her eyes burning. ¡°Don¡¯t try to ruin my plans!¡± she shrieked, kicking his decapitated head and sending it flying where it splatted on the wall. ¡°Oh dear,¡± Mae stated, her eyes narrowing. Amber screamed shrilly at the sight, clutching her stomach as vicious memories resurfaced in her mind. Thank God her baby wasn¡¯t here. She wouldn¡¯t want him to see such a horrid sight. Thank God--eh? Where was he? Amber had been holding his hand when this woman touched the both of them and took them there. He had... He was here before. She surveyed the room slowly. Where was he? Where was he? ¡°Where is he?¡± she wailed, her voice cracking and undulating. ¡°Where is he? What did you do to my baby!¡± she yelled, grabbing her hair. Amber started wandering, looking everywhere for him with no regard for her own safety. ¡°Here.¡± Fate appeared before Amber, everyone else freezing instantly as she stopped time. In her arms, she held a limp and small body. Carefully, she placed the child into Amber¡¯s arm while smiling. Drip. Drip. Drip. Blood trickled from the hole in his chest to the floor. ¡°Oh.¡± Just. Like. That. She broke. Amber¡¯s blood-curdling shrieks sounded a terrifying melody and Fate laughed and clapped along to it. ¡°Wonderful, wonderful! What a great setting!¡± Tear was bleeding to death, Dark Mist was dead, Amber had lost her heart. Everyone else was still under the control of Fate. ¡°Nya... This is quite the predicament for me.¡± Mae shrugged weakly. Everyone else was still grouped together and frozen in time. Which obviously meant that she was the only one left capable of fighting against Fate. Why had Fate only released the three of them from her magic? Perhaps Fate would be overwhelmed if all of them were let loose at once. Mae frowned and clucked her tongue. Mae walked over to Tear without glancing over at Fate. Unlike Dark Mist, she did not know how to heal. The most she could do was help Tear slow the bleeding. She¡¯d be dead soon, Mae knew that was the truth of the reality. Fate wanted Tear to suffer, it would seem. ¡°Nya? Are you going to kill me, too?¡± Mae asked Fate as she walked up behind her. ¡°No, harming you would be the same as harming him.¡± Mae hummed. ¡°Izzat so?¡± ¡°It is.¡± A count of silence passed between them. The only sound came from Amber¡¯s endless wails. ¡°The child and the High Human male were both unnecessary,¡± Fate remarked. ¡°And the human woman?¡± ¡°I thought that her screams sounded nice.¡± Mae looked at Tear¡¯s face, a deathly pallor had set onto it. ¡°Oh, my.¡± She felt sorry for the child. She stroked Tear¡¯s forehead kindly. ¡°What are you going to do to the others?¡± ¡°They¡¯re decorations. I might break the bunny-eared girl, I think seeing her face contorted in pain would be interesting.¡± ¡°Izzat so?¡± ¡°It is.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll kill you, you know?¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s what you wanted, right?¡± Mae questioned. Fate bent over next to Tear and placed her hand on the wound. Instantly, the bleeding and Tear¡¯s labored breathing stopped. ¡°Why would you do that?¡± ¡°Having her die without Erebus being able to see the light vanish from her eyes is pointless.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Mae murmured. ¡°Are you prepared to die?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Fate spoke. ¡°That is why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Mae repeated. ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Fate tilted her head in slight confusion. What was this fake-nya woman on about? ¡°For your esteemed guests to appear.¡± Mae laughed loudly. ¡°You¡¯ll pay,¡± she spoke, her voice carrying fury that it hadn¡¯t before. Fate¡¯s smile tightened. ¡°They cannot enter this p--! How?¡± she yelled, whipping around just as a portal opened in front of her and Mae. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Powerful auras gushed out of the portal. She could almost taste the malice that exuded from them as they stepped out. For the first time in history, all of them had stepped off of the Dragon Continent. The ancient beings who ruled over this world, they all were there. The entire Dragon Council stood before her. Even Amber silenced and clutched her child¡¯s broken body closer to her chest. Fate felt fear flare up in her heart. She had been expecting one or two, maybe even three. She had not prepared herself for this, even though she was so readily accepting of her death. But now, it felt real. She knew that these would be the last few moments of her entire existence. There was no escaping. She did not have enough power for that luxury. And he would find her. He always found her. ¡°Ah... ah.... Ah,¡± Fate gasped, trying to get her breathing under control. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. They weren¡¯t supposed to be here. ¡°Let them loose,¡± Erebus commanded Fate as he walked towards her steadily. ¡°Now.¡± Fate swallowed her saliva. Ah, her love... He never acted within her expectations. He did what he wanted. Whenever he wanted. Wild and uncompromising, that was her love. Even as fear accompanied every beat of her heart, she found herself bursting with joy. She reached up and touched his face, smoothing her thumbs against his soft skin. ¡°Erebus,¡± she breathed. ¡°Did you not hear me?¡± Erebus questioned her, pressing his own hands against her face. Except, they didn¡¯t carry the same gentleness that Fate¡¯s had. No, they were crushing her. Pain split through her head, she could feel her bones creaking. ¡°I said... Let. Them. Go.¡± Fate did as she was commanded. The moment they were released, everyone started to talk and ask questions in an excited fashion. But their murmurs were quickly cut off when they saw the scene laid out in front of them. Their eyes followed Ayirn as she walked over to Tear, then their eyes flashed to Dark Mist¡¯s headless body, then to Amber desperately holding onto her baby. To the other members of the Dragon Council who all stood there, their suffocating auras unrestrained and palpable. Finally, Erebus and Fate. Even the dramatic Stone and Magnus had no words that they dared to utter Erebus¡¯ grip didn''t loosen on Fate¡¯s head. ¡°What have you done?¡± he asked her softly. ¡°I...¡± Fate trailed off, she couldn¡¯t conjure up the proper words. His eyes reflected her demise, she could see it so clearly. ¡°You idiotic, hateful woman! What have you done?¡± Erebus roared, the entire throne room shook furiously with his words. "You''re existence was already an eyesore, and now you''ve done this?" Tears welled up in Fate¡¯s eyes. This wasn¡¯t what she wanted. No, it was what she had wanted... just not what she had imagined. The reality of the situation, it was far scarier than she ever could of dreamt of. Erebus had never so openly displayed his anger in front of her. He was always so cold, so cool and collected. ¡°Answer me!¡± Erebus demanded. ¡°Have you gone deaf? Has that stupidity of yours destroyed your cognitive functions?¡± His grip tightened. She was going to die. He was going to kill her. He really was going to kill her. ¡°No,¡± Fate whispered, her voice cracking. Erebus said nothing, his rage continued to make Fate feel sick to her stomach. ¡°It was just a game. You had always told me to do whatever I wanted to do. Why are you so mad? I was just having fun...¡± the words gushed out of her mouth. She sounded like a child desperately trying to cover up their mistakes. Fate wanted to turn back time. But that required more mental and physical power than she could muster right now. ¡°You broke my belongings... because of your stupid game?¡± Erebus ground his teeth together, barely able to restrain himself. Save for the Dragon Council, the others would be sucked in if he let himself loose. With his raging emotions, it was hard for him to keep that deathly aura of his under control. He would suck the mana that kept them alive straight out of them and into himself. If she hadn¡¯t broken those precious toys of his, he could have crushed her skull already. ¡°Take it back,¡± Erebus said carefully to Fate. ¡°Bring them back.¡± Fate knew who he was talking about. ¡°But if I do that... I¡¯ll die, Erebus.¡± Reversing time, bringing back a life, that required an immense amount of energy. Even if she only moved herself back, she would certainly end up dying due to overwhelming her capabilities. She didn¡¯t want to die anymore. That fantasy that she spun up inside of her mind was just a fantasy, after all! ¡°So?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°So what if you die?¡± ¡°Ah...¡± Fate lost feeling in her legs, she would have collapsed if it were not for Erebus holding her head. ¡°Do it, Fate,¡± Erebus ordered. It didn¡¯t matter anymore, Fate thought to herself. My life, it doesn¡¯t matter to him. Then, did that mean she was truly worthless? No... If she brought them back, then she would become nothing to him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Huh? Did I ask?¡± His hold became tighter. ¡°Erebus,¡± Ayirn stated, walking up behind Fate. ¡°You¡¯ll kill her and she won¡¯t be able to reverse what she¡¯s done.¡± She spread out her arms. ¡°Give her to me.¡± He glared at Ayirn but listened. She was right, he would end up killing her at that rate. Lilian could revive Dark Mist and Amber¡¯s child if she wanted to, but they would be brought back as undead monsters and slaves thralls to Lilian. Fate melted into Ayirn¡¯s arms, her embrace was warm and soft unlike Erebus''. "There, there," Ayirn whispered gently. Ayirn lead Fate over to Dark Mist¡¯s corpse as if she was escorting a small child. ¡°Now, fix it.¡± Fate shook her head numbly. Ayirn repeatedly sweetly, ¡°Reverse what you have done.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll die,¡± Fate protested weakly. ¡°Ha-ha,¡± Ayirn laughed kindly. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Fate looked around the room, everyone was staring at her. Their eyes were cold, they gazed upon her with such unfeeling eyes. None of them cared that she would die. Most of them didn¡¯t know her. And yet they hated her, they¡¯d prefer her death. What a terrible plan. How had she concocted such a delusion? Fate smiled, it was a broken smile. Who cares anymore? ¡°Ah... I¡¯ll bring them back.¡± The child and the High Human were set before her. Fate sighed, and activated her magic. I don¡¯t know if I can say I fully enjoyed my life, she thought to herself. Fate clasped her hands as if in prayer and began the relatively slow and agonizing task of reversing time and bringing back their souls. ¡°Nya... Are you satisfied with this?¡± Mae asked Erebus as she crossed her arms behind her head. They watched the scene unfold before their eyes as time reversed in slow motion. ¡°Destroying her myself would have been more gratifying,¡± Erebus answered easily. But he could not bring back the dead. It was a shame. He was still incomparably angry; however, those emotions would get him nowhere. ¡°Still...¡± Erebus¡¯ eyes cut to Mae. ¡°You were playing around, weren¡¯t you?¡± Mae spluttered. ¡°Ha,¡± she heaved a sigh. ¡°I was found out?¡± ¡°Did you think you could hide it from me? You could have stopped her from taking those moves... she was weak enough for you to do so.¡± Mae pursed her lips. ¡°I was super duper scared.¡± ¡°Tch, you¡¯re a terrible liar.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not mad at me?¡± ¡°I expected this much from you anyway,¡± Erebus answered. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for it later.¡± Before Mae could respond, Amber let out a sob of joy as her son woke up and pulled him into her arms. Dark Mist, too, jolted up and began rubbing his neck in confusion. And what little Fate meant to Erebus had finally vanished. She had served her purpose. She exhaled, feeling the last bit of energy she had as it was expelled from her body. Quietly, Fate passed away. S2 Chapter Forty-Three: Maes Proposal Life had a habit of returning to normal at an oddly fast rate. Within no time at all, everything returned to normal. The moments after Fate¡¯s death had ended as such: The Dragon Council had come in case of Fate acting wildly and she would be quickly subdued. But nothing of the sort happened. She became a spluttering mess and was swiftly dealt with, she (more or less) committed suicide. The problems she had committed were minimal and were fixed rather easily. So, once they gathered Fate¡¯s corpse, they made their exit. Even the Four Princes of Hell were allowed to leave because Erebus didn¡¯t ¡°feel¡± like dealing with them any longer. Not that they were complaining. Now, fast forward two days, and it was the present time. Currently, Erebus was once again sitting in his throne room and shuffling through his seated positions. He wasn¡¯t exactly bored currently. But it wouldn¡¯t be correct to say that he was entertained. Erebus was somewhere in the gray area between the two, and it was not a pleasant spot to be. ¡°Nya, Erebus,¡± Mae purred as she strutted into the room. As per usual, she had managed to put on revealing ¡°What is it?¡± he questioned his old friend. She clapped her hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s go out somewhere.¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m still mad at you, you know?¡± He wasn¡¯t really. Erebus had always found it difficult to feel anything towards Mae other than an acute sense of annoyance. She was even a tiresome person to get angry at, that was the type of person that she was. Mae gasped. ¡°Huh! Eh? No way, even after I worked so hard.¡± She spun around and spread out her arms, clearly expecting Erebus to ask her a question. ¡°What exactly did you do?¡± Erebus humored her. Mae puffed up her chest and exclaimed, ¡°A vacation! Yay, cheers!¡± she clapped for herself and let out shouts of excitement. Erebus eyed her with distrusting eyes. Mae was not the type of person who would act out for the benefit of others. ¡°What do you really want?¡± Mae pouted, seeing that her front was easily destroyed. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a seed that I planted and I want to see how it grew up. It¡¯s been killing me all this time but a watched pot never boils, you know?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Erebus rested his cheek on his fist. ¡°And?¡± ¡°You see, I carefully took care of it and cultivated it a few years back. It should be ready to bloom about now! Because they¡¯re idiots, it should have turned out quite nicely...¡± Erebus tilted his head. ¡°And why do I have to go?¡± ¡°Mmm, well... I¡¯m going to incite a war, ya see!¡± Mae smirked. ¡°And so maybe we could play a game?¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°So ya see, isn¡¯t the battlefield a great place for you to let out some of your pent up stress? But, you know, for someone as strong as you, it quickly becomes a hassle, right? So I thought, what would make it even more entertaining and satisfying? And there are some Demon Lords around that would jump at the opportunity of a fight, uh-huh. ¡°And then I knew that still wasn¡¯t enough for it truly to become a nice vacation. And so, I was like, his problem is that he¡¯s too strong! Wouldn¡¯t that just be fixed if he placed a limit on his strength?¡± Erebus nodded his head. ¡°I see what you mean.¡± ¡°So for our stress-free vacation, let¡¯s try being weak!¡± She clapped her hands together excitedly. ¡°And you can go under the guise of saying that you¡¯re making sure it doesn¡¯t get out of control, so the Dragon Council shouldn¡¯t have any complaints.¡± He smiled. ¡°Mm, that¡¯s right.¡± There was always someone who monitored wars or any skirmishes, even if they did it from afar. That said, being directly involved in the war would be unprecedented. Erebus had never bothered to involve himself in disputes anyway, he saw them as a hassle.¡°How do you plan on starting the war?¡± ¡°Ah? That¡¯ll be easy, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry.¡± Erebus sighed. ¡°Pass.¡± ¡°Eh? Really!¡± Mae¡¯s eyes widened. Erebus had turned down such an interesting idea and he had moved with much less before. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Erebus muttered. ¡°They¡¯ll pester me.¡± They being the Dragon Council. Especially with the recent events with Fate, all of them were going to be especially high-strung and irritating. Mae pursed her lips and crossed her arms. ¡°Can we at least go down to check on them?¡± It would bother her if she wasn¡¯t able to find out how everything was holding up. She could do this without Erebus... But she didn¡¯t want to. There wasn¡¯t any real reason as to why, though. Well, at least on the surface. He sighed once more. ¡°Fine. Get Xaltiq... Ah, and Tear. It¡¯d be nice if those two got close... His blood is interesting, after all. I wonder what would happen, hmm.¡± Erebus rubbed his chin in thought. She furrowed her brows. Once again, she couldn¡¯t understand his intentions. What was so special about his blood? ¡°The human boy? Why? What¡¯s with him?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t concern you. And also, we¡¯re friends,¡± Erebus answered easily. ¡°A vacation should be made with friends, correct?¡± Mae¡¯s face collapsed. ¡°Hah? What¡¯s with that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Erebus threw Mae¡¯s words back at her. ¡°Bring them here and then we¡¯ll go check on your seed.¡± She weighed her options. Xaltiq would probably hold her back a little because his morals conflicted with her own... But, it was better than nothing. Tear would be fine, though. She rather liked that girl (it certainly spoke volumes for Tear¡¯s character). ¡°All right, I understand.¡± Mae paused. ¡°What about the other one... Wolf, was it?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand why he was being excluded if Erebus planned on bringing one of his new recruits. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Ah,¡± Erebus muttered. ¡°That child¡¯s still rather weak and is training to get stronger, so I¡¯ll leave him be for now.¡± Mae put her hand on her hip. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Be sure to make sure the others don¡¯t notice.¡± She squinted her eyes. Wouldn¡¯t it be even more of a problem if Erebus left without telling them? ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want them making a scene. And also, they¡¯ll try to weasel their way in and I¡¯ll have to listen to their incessant bickering.¡± Erebus fanned his hand as if he was trying to ward away the bad memories. ¡°So I¡¯ll just tell them once I leave.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll still try to follow you,¡± Mae remarked. ¡°I won¡¯t tell them where, they can go on a wild goose hunt for all I care,¡± he paused for a moment, ¡°actually, no. They¡¯d wind up in some trouble somehow someway.¡± She smirked and clucked her tongue in a chastising manner. ¡°They must¡¯ve been afflicted by your curse.¡± ¡°My curse?¡± ¡°Whenever you go somewhere, trouble always seems to follow. You¡¯re a magnet,¡± Mae explained with a hearty laugh. ¡°Have you wronged someone in a previous life?¡± Erebus snorted. ¡°Not that I know of.¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is that why you want me to come along? You think that something will happen because I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°Eh? What? Such a thing! I would never...¡± Mae focused her eyes in the space next to Erebus¡¯ head. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°As you know, I¡¯m not the type of person to put any weight into superstition,¡± Mae continued on. ¡°They¡¯re absolutely preposterous. It was a joke, you know? I was just joking about you being a storm of bad luck.¡± ¡°Just keep digging, Mae,¡± Erebus said as she tried to cover up. She crossed her arms. ¡°Tch.¡± Erebus scratched his chin. ¡°Well, if anything bad happens while I happen to be there... I¡¯ll still get blamed for it no matter what.¡± They definitely wouldn¡¯t believe that he was innocent. Well, the majority of the times, he was the one who incited it. He had a rather terrible personality, after all. Erebus leaned back in his throne. ¡°Mae? I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± she answered, her cat ear flicking. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°We were having a conversa--¡± ¡°Were we?¡± Mae¡¯s ears flicked in annoyance. Erebus knew that she hated being cut off more than anything in the world. He was doing it to piss her off, right? Mae smiled tightly at him. She¡¯d play it cool. Cool, even though she felt like clawing the skin off of his face right now. ¡°I thou--¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t. Go and get Xaltiq and Tear, shoo!¡± Mae jammed her tongue in her cheek but nodded her head and went off to go and find the human boy first. Tear wouldn¡¯t be that hard to find since she was normally working. Mae crossed her arms behind her head and started kicking out her legs with every step that she took. ¡°Where is he? Where is he?¡± she whined. ¡°Where!¡± ¡°Um,¡± a small voice spoke up from behind Mae. One of the servants had been trailing behind Mae awkwardly because the woman was more or less in her way. But it¡¯d be rude of her to pass Mae, so she stayed behind. ¡°Is there someone who you¡¯re looking for?¡± Mae spun around on her heel and kicked her leg up so that the tip of her foot pushed up the girl¡¯s chin. ¡°Maybe I am looking for something... or someone. What¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°I... I was just wondering if I could help you.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Mae contemplated this as she pursed her lips and squinted her eyes. ¡°Fine, I shall enlist you in my search for Xaltiq!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Mr. Xaltiq then I kno--¡± Mae''s arm shot out and she pressed her finger against the woman¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shh, silence.¡± It was petty revenge for Erebus cutting her off. What a strange person, the servant couldn¡¯t help but think as she witnessed Mae¡¯s eccentricities. Still balancing on one leg and with her arm still behind her head, Mae painted quite a strange picture. Not to mention, she reeked of liquor and smoke. The smell was so potent that the servant almost wanted to puke. ¡°Okay, speak now,¡± Mae commanded. ¡°Uh... I saw him earlier near the entrance playing cards with Mr. Wolf.¡± Mae dropped her leg and spun to point in the other direction. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Why do I have to come?¡± the servant¡¯s face seemed to scream. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ll have to excuse me. The Head Maid has given me work to do and I¡¯m already late... because you were walking so slow,¡± she said the last part in her head. Mae¡¯s lips parted in understanding. ¡°Then, go ahead.¡± She resisted from smiling in relief. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me...¡± The servant scuttled away. Mae watched the young woman leave while scratching the back of her head. ¡°It¡¯s no fun to bully them if they just leave so easily.¡± She sighed heavily and skipped through the maze of hallways. It was getting hard for her to contain her excitement. She was already seeing visions of the fun vacation that they were going to have. S2 Chapter Forty-Four: TLC A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I''m finding it more and more difficult to really sit down and write like I used to because I''ve been busy lately. I know how annoying it is having to wait for a chapter to update, my apologies! ¡°I still can¡¯t get used to it,¡± Xaltiq muttered while staring at Mae through the corner of his eyes. She wasn¡¯t the blonde-haired, cat-eared and tailed woman anymore. Instead, she adopted the appearance of a good-looking human woman in her early twenties. Her mahogany-colored hair was cut into a long, asymmetrical bob. Gunmetal gray eyes were set under thick eyebrows and eyelashes and she had a small mole under her left eye. Mae¡¯s skin had changed from being tanned from the sun to a more natural shade of olive. The biggest difference to be noticed about her, though, was that her clothes covered her body. There was no skin showing other than her face. The silver jacket she wore had a turtle-neck and long-sleeves, she donned white pants and heeled boots, too. The jacket was on the form-fitting side, but it wasn¡¯t tight enough to be considered inappropriate. Even her hands were covered by leather gloves. It was that transformation that shocked both Tear and Xaltiq. She had changed from the woman who refused to wear clothes that didn¡¯t showcase her curvaceous body. Her previous appearance screamed of sex appeal while this one was the visage of elegance and femininity. It was a jaw-dropping change. Mae recrossed her long legs. ¡°Can¡¯t get used to what?¡± she questioned innocently. ¡°Your new persona,¡± Tear answered for Xaltiq since she was in the same boat. ¡°Lord Erebus,¡± she turned to the man who was completely unconcerned about their conversation, ¡°isn¡¯t it strange?¡± Erebus looked up from his book. ¡°Why would it be strange?¡± Xaltiq and Tear both opened their mouths and closed them. ¡°In the first place, that person changes their appearance and personality far too often to fit the new look. It¡¯s nothing out of the ordinary.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Mae responded. ¡°I wear what I want whenever I want. That includes the face, too.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Tear said softly. It¡¯s better if Mae didn¡¯t parade around half-naked, Tear thought to herself. For Xaltiq, it was just strange. The mental image he had of her had to be completely reshaped and molded to fit the new. In the first place, why had she even changed appearances? He knew nothing other than the fact that they were now on ¡°vacation¡±. He wasn¡¯t sure why he had to go, but, alas, here he was. They had recently arrived in the Kingdom of Mathas which was located in the far most southeast corner of the Main Continent. It was a popular place to go to because of the beautiful tropical scenery and beaches. Tourism was the main source of income for Mathas because it thrived basically all year round. Xaltiq had known about this place and was surprised to hear that they were going there. He wasn¡¯t expecting Erebus, being who he was, to choose such a place. He felt as if Erebus¡¯ definition of vacation was watching others suffer while sitting back and relaxing. Apparently, he was wrong. They were sitting out on the plaza on a patch of grass underneath a palm tree. There was just enough space for the four of them to sit and stretch out together comfortably. It really feels like a vacation, he thought to himself. To others, they must¡¯ve looked like a group enjoying their youth. It really feels off, Xaltiq concluded. If he was still in school, he could see himself in a place like this with his friends. But instead, he was with a masochistic (yet also sadistic) High Human, an ancient dragon, and a psychotic doppelganger. They all scare me, that¡¯s how Xaltiq felt. Tear, surprisingly, scared him more than Erebus did. He could still remember her completely character switch when not in the presence of Erebus. Flashbacks from the infirmary occurred quite frequently. Xaltiq¡¯s stomach twisted as he recalled the brutality and her vicious smile. She was a completely different person in front of Erebus, though. She could be called ¡°nice¡± in comparison to that monster he had seen. He snuck a glance over at Tear who was as close to Erebus as she could be without touching him. She brushed her glossy hair away from her face and smiled softly as she spoke to Erebus and Mae. They blended in way too much, Xaltiq couldn¡¯t help but remark again. Somehow, it kind of pissed him off. ¡°Where exactly are we going?¡± Tear asked as she batted a bug away from her. Mae patted Tear¡¯s head. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, ¡®kay?¡± Tear ducked under Mae and threw her arms around Erebus. ¡°Lord Erebus, there¡¯s a strange woman touching me.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Mm, I could say the same,¡± he agreed. Tear perked up. ¡°You think I¡¯m strange? Perhaps even disgusting? Tell me what you really think!¡± Her breathing was labored as she imagined Erebus talking down to her. If possible, it¡¯d be great if he asked her to do things too embarrassing to speak of! ¡°Lord Erebus, tell me!¡± she cried, her voice quivering with pleasure. Erebus selectively ignored her reaction. ¡°Mae, let¡¯s go take care of what you wanted us to come here for.¡± She exhaled deeply and jumped to her feet. ¡°All right, all right! If you insist, Erebus.¡± Mae spun once on her heels before snapping out her arm to point to the castle not too far off in the distance. The castle was nothing special, it was unimpressive, actually. The Kingdom of Mathas was quite small and didn¡¯t hold much power, so this fact wasn¡¯t surprising. ¡°We¡¯re going there!¡± Erebus scratched his head and yawned. ¡°Well, let¡¯s hurry it up then.¡± Tear simply rested her head in the crook of Erebus¡¯ neck as she gazed out at the castle. Xaltiq¡¯s face fell instantly. Whatever this woman had planned, he knew it wouldn¡¯t be good. In fact, he felt sorry for everyone who was going to be involved. ... Xaltiq had concerns of how they were going to enter the castle without breaking in or killing anyone. Much to his surprise as they approached the castle guards, none of them attacked them. Instead, Mae walked up to them nonchalantly while wearing a beguiling smile. ¡°Hello.¡± Her smile deepened as the younger guard stared at her, eyes slightly bulging. ¡°State your business,¡± the older one said gruffly. ¡°Or leave.¡± Mae reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a medallion with runes carved onto its aged and warped surface. The medallion glowed faintly before fading back to its original dullness. ¡°My, my,¡± she said while clucking her tongue. ¡°I¡¯m simply here to do business.¡± ¡°T-that is! Sorry for my rudeness,¡± he pushed out the words hurriedly, his stern face slackening into something pitiful. ¡°Please, Ms. Magician, enter as you will!¡± ¡°I was going to anyway, though.¡± Mae cocked her head slightly then smiled again. ¡°These are my apprentices, you understand what I mean, right?¡± ¡°Yes! They will be allowed entrance too.¡± ¡°Wonderful,¡± Mae drawled, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. ¡°Hurry up,¡± she urged when neither of them moved their spears. They hurriedly apologized and allowed the group to pass through the gates without further hesitation. Xaltiq looked around nervously. Was no one else bothered by Mae¡¯s position? What exactly was she? He was expecting Erebus to be nonchalant... but even Tear didn¡¯t seem to care? ¡°Uh,¡± Xaltiq started, deciding it¡¯d be better for him to just ask and get it over with. ¡°Mae, if I may ask a question?¡± She didn¡¯t so much as glance in Xaltiq¡¯s direction. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°What exactly was that medallion that you showed the guards?¡± Mae laughed. ¡°Oh, this old thing? Well, ya see... It¡¯s the token only awarded to the Head Royal Court Magician of Mathas.¡± Xaltiq paused. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really that good at magic, but apparently, it was enough to impress these humans.¡± ¡°Even if you say that--¡± ¡°What are you stopping for?¡± Tear asked Xaltiq. ¡°Who cares about titles appointed by those weaklings? Don¡¯t waste our time with stupid questions.¡± She snorted haughtily then wrapped her arms around Erebus¡¯ arms. Xaltiq¡¯s face tightened. ¡°Stupid questions, you say...¡± Mae smiled kindly. ¡°Well, I have to meet with the king and the fastest way of gaining interest was flashing this.¡± ¡°The king?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xaltiq swallowed. Ah... Them meeting with the King of Mathas. He had a feeling that they were here for that reason, but it was different when he actually heard it from her mouth. Mae had a problem with courtesy. Considering that she had been raised by someone with a strong sense of entitlement and a twisted personality... It wasn¡¯t surprising that the concept eluded her. He had absolutely no doubt that she wouldn¡¯t give him the proper respect. Xaltiq knew that they (probably) wouldn¡¯t get thrown into jail; however, Tear was here. And, well, she had obvious problems with humans. He wondered how she would act if she was in front of one she was supposed to show deference to. No positive mental image formed in his head. This could only end badly, right? Suddenly, he really wanted to go home. These people would certainly wreak havoc. Ah... definitely, this won¡¯t end well at all. Dont Kill Me But... (Authors Announcement) I''m going to have to go on hiatus. Again. I know, don''t pelt me with rocks. Here''s the reason: I''ve been working on filling a portfolio to submit to colleges and I have one too many essays to write and homework. Whenever I get free time, I''m just not in the mood to write. I love this story, I love the characters. But it''s been hard for me to write lately. I''m not blocked, just not that into it currently. I only write a paragraph or so here and there, meaning that writing a 7-8 page chapter takes quite a while. TLDR: There''s too much going on right now for me. And I feel bad for not updating without saying anything. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.So yeah. There it is. Hope you understand. I''ll be back, don''t fret. I''m still going to work on the chapter whenever I''m in the mood. I just won''t post anything for a while. My goal is to be able to start posting again probably sometime next month, if not, November. It sucks. And most of you will probably forget what the hell was going on in the story (if you haven''t already). Peace. With love, Tripping. S2 Chapter Forty-Five: All Hail the King! The kingdom of Mathas was ruled by a rather young king. King Nathaniel had barely turned twenty and had taken the throne after his father¡¯s abrupt death. Despite his age, though, his wisdom was beyond his years. That shrewdness could be attributed to the Head Royal Court Magician who had tutored him while he was a child. She had disappeared for a few years, claiming that she was going to study on how to improve her magic. She had been a young talent with capabilities that exceeded what humans were capable of... no one understood what she could have possible improved. And now she was here, once again, standing in front of him. Even though she had aged from her teenage years and blossomed into a beautiful woman, and he had no doubt in his heart that it was her. ¡°Adelia,¡± he breathed, his blue eyes filling up with recognition. Mae chuckled. ¡°My, my, Nathaniel, you¡¯ve grown up rather well.¡± Mae covered her mouth. ¡°No, should I say King Nathaniel?¡± Nathaniel smiled weakly. ¡°Being called that by you... There¡¯s no need. We¡¯re friends.¡± She stared at him for a count. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Nathaniel finally addressed Mae¡¯s entourage. In his eyes, all of them seemed to be amazing people. ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°My friends, of course. I met them while out on my journey,¡± the lie slid smoothly off of Mae¡¯s tongue. ¡°Ah, I shall introduce them to you. She gestured to Xaltiq first. ¡°This is Xaltiq, his magic--dare I say--surpasses my own.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. She was far more suited for physical contact than a battle of spells. ¡°Tear of the Moon Goddess, a magic archer.¡± She paused at Erebus, her expression wavering. ¡°This person is Erebus... he is nothing short of amazing.¡± Nathaniel looked at them all, trying to comprehend how powerful the people in front of him were. Then he noticed something, Erebus was staring him. It was as if he was looking but not seeing anything. It were so void of emotion or purpose, King Nathaniel felt as if he was looking at a statue. But even statues were sculpted with some sort of feeling, this man had none. ¡°A pleasure to meet you all,¡± Nathaniel stammered, unnerved by Erebus¡¯ gaze. He shifted his gaze to Tear, who was easy on the eyes and didn¡¯t scare him. ¡°About your accommodations, since it¡¯s on such a short notice.¡± ¡°Ah, about that, we won¡¯t be staying for long.¡± Mae bowed her head slightly. ¡°I just came to see an old friend.¡± Nathaniel¡¯s heart clenched. She wasn¡¯t staying? He had waited for so long for her to come back. He had worked so hard... And she wasn¡¯t going to stay, not even for one night? ¡°No, you can¡¯t--It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for you to be here for a few days.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t finished my studies,¡± she argued. Xaltiq watched Mae and Nathaniel go back and forth. What an excellent actress, he thought. Even he almost believed that she was a magical genius in search of even greater knowledge. He wondered how she was able to keep up with the lies she told. Did it weigh on her conscious? It probably didn¡¯t. In the first place, Mae was skilled at fulfilling any role given to her. Her intelligence wasn¡¯t a ruse though. He had heard that she was the one who had discovered the truth behind the magic stone scandal. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And Nathaniel¡¯s clear belief in her abilities... was she actually a reliable person? In front of him, Mae had paraded herself as a drunkard. Then again, she had defeated Satan rather quickly. And her true rotten personality would show itself sometimes when she spoke, he felt as if she was even more heartless than Erebus at points. ¡°Fine!¡± Mae finally gave in, though, she had intended to stay from the start. ¡°Is everyone all right with it?¡± Xaltiq made a face. Did he even have a choice in the matter? He knew that the question was pointed at Erebus. The dragon scratched his head and hummed. ¡°Well, whatever. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me.¡± Tear spoke up, ¡°If Lo--Erebus doesn¡¯t care, then I don¡¯t care either!¡± Xaltiq stayed quiet. There was no point in him even bothering to input. ¡°Then... I guess we¡¯ll be here for a day or two,¡± Mae informed Nathaniel. Nathaniel restrained himself from sighing and leaning back in relief. ¡°I will make sure that you all have a room to sleep in during your stay. And promptly, of course.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re so kind...¡± Mae drawled. ¡°But, we were going to stay at my estate.¡± His face fell momentarily. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to come and visit you everyday. Mm, perhaps I¡¯ll teach you a few things.¡± A smile twitched at his lips. The prospect of being with her after all these years was certainly appealing. ¡°Yes, I would certainly welcome that. These teachers I¡¯ve had have all been subpar in comparison to you.¡± She laughed, the sound reminding him of the entrancing tolls of bells. ¡°Surely, you¡¯re flattering me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Nathaniel argued. ¡°You are a truly gifted teacher.¡± ¡°Well, having a wonderful student certainly helps.¡± He was, quite obviously, flattered by her compliments. ¡°Are you hungry? I can a--I¡¯ll order the chefs to make us a splendid feast.¡± Erebus clicked his tongue, an annoyed expression crossing his features. ¡°Hmm?¡± Nathaniel blinked. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Nothing that you can fix,¡± came the smooth answer. He leaned back, slightly offended by Erebus¡¯ words. ¡°I--¡± Erebus turned to Mae and said, ¡°I¡¯m bored so I¡¯m leaving. Contact me when something interesting happens. Tear, come with me. Xaltiq you stay here too.¡± ... ¡°Humans are no good,¡± Erebus told Tear as he gazed out at the scenery before them. They stood on top of one of the buildings in the city, the one that offered the best vantage point. ¡°Too boring.¡± ¡°I agree, Lord Erebus.¡± ¡°It¡¯d be fun if everyone decided to cut loose,¡± Erebus lamented, his voice filled with true grief. ¡°That¡¯d be chaotic,¡± Tear remarked with a huff. ¡°Exactly.¡± Erebus glared at the throngs of people in the street. ¡°Laws, moral code, human rights... Their stiffness almost rivals the Dragon Council.¡± He crouched down, resting his face on his palm. ¡°Bo-ring.¡± Tear said, her voice shaking with excitement, ¡°I could incite some chaos for you, Lord Erebus. If that would please you.¡± She hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy herself in quite a while... she was looking for a release of sorts. ¡°Well,¡± he smirked, ¡°their young king is already setting down that path.¡± Erebus let out a laugh. ¡°It might be entertaining... depending on Mae decides to handle the situation.¡± Her ears perked. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Secret.¡± Was she perhaps not worthy of learning the truth? The thought of Erebus thinking about her in such a way made a fire lit in her lower belly. How delightful. She ran her tongue across her lips, her imagination beginning to run wild (something that happened rather frequently whenever Erebus¡¯ was involved). ¡°I¡¯m sure that she noticed it already,¡± Erebus said to himself more than to Tear, ¡°if not, that¡¯d be a letdown.¡± Tear crossed her arms over her chest. She wanted to know what he was talking about. ¡°Would Xaltiq take notice of this... thing, too?¡± ¡°Mmm. Probably not. He¡¯s too young. Inexperienced.¡± Then what did that say about her! ¡°Why do you think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re an idiot,¡± Erebus stated matter-of-factly. Her heart tightened. ¡°Say it again.¡± His face read the faintest hints of disgust and annoyance. ¡°No.¡± Tear shook her head. It didn¡¯t matter! Once was enough for her. She could replay it again and again in her head. He rarely spoke down to her so directly--this was a moment to be recorded in her memory forever! Maybe, one day, she could get him to spew even more profanities towards her. Would he grind her face into the ground with his foot? Ah, the possibilities were truly endless. S2 Chapter Forty-six: Love at First Bite Xaltiq sat across from Mae, an uncomfortable silence thick between the two of them. They had left the king not too long ago and were currently sitting out in the gardens--Mae told him that he ¡°absolutely had to see it¡±. Which is why they were here now. Erebus and Tear had gone off someplace and he was left with the one person who managed to make him feel everything but comfort. She was... strange. Weird. Too weird for him. There was something off about her. Just like there was something wrong with Erebus. But he couldn¡¯t figure out what it was with her. There was a lurking presence in the back of her eyes that made him want to run away, consumed by fear. Even now, when she was wearing the skin of such an elegant and graceful woman, he found himself afraid of her. It wasn¡¯t the same sense of wariness that he got from Erebus. This was more instinctual. Predator and prey. Mae was an enigma, a beautiful one. And dangerous. ¡°How did you manage to get this position in the first place?¡± Xaltiq found himself asking Mae. He was curious. How did someone like her end up with a title like Head Royal Court Magician? It didn¡¯t make any sense to him. None at all. Even Erebus, for all of his deeds, had not forced his way into such a high title. She turned to him, her eyes lighting up with a passion he had never seen before. ¡°So long ago, I came here to visit. For fun. No reason, really,¡± Mae began, tone light. ¡°And I saw this lovely girl out walking. She had so much talent--for someone so young! I wanted her. Ah... so very, very badly.¡± Xaltiq began to regret asking the question. In the first place, he didn¡¯t like her way of explaining. It was creepy. ¡°You see... I don¡¯t likenot having what I want.¡± Mae licked her lips, a carnal expression materializing on her face. ¡°So I ate her. Every. Little. Piece. ¡± She cupped her face in her hands and sighed joyfully. ¡°Ah, she looked so tasty, I couldn¡¯t resist... Then I realized what I did and thought it¡¯d be a great opportunity to have fu-un. Who knew that she was somebody so important?¡± Xaltiq swallowed as he remembered the day the doppelgangers had eaten his friend¡¯s corpses. ¡°Ugh...¡± His stomach tightened and the urge to vomit welled up. Tear¡¯s face reappeared in his mind--he really was going to hurl. ¡°For us doppelgangers, consuming a sentient being is a very intimate experience. All of their emotions, memories, whatever, we feel it all.¡± Mae¡¯s eyes softened into a dream-like state. ¡°She was a really good meal.¡± ¡°You,¡± he pushed down the bile, ¡°ate a child?¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose I did.¡± Mae tilted her head. She didn¡¯t care. Not in the slightest. No, what else could he expect from someone like her? ¡°Oh my,¡± Mae said, noting Xaltiq¡¯s pallor. ¡°Are you all right?¡± She reached out to steady him. ¡°No,¡± he answered immediately, slapping her hands away from him. ¡°I need... water. And air. Fresh air.¡± She smiled in a bemused manner. ¡°Water, I understand. But we¡¯re outside. This is as fresh as the air is going to get, I¡¯m afraid.¡± Xaltiq shook his head furiously. He needed air from a place that wasn¡¯t contaminated by her presence. The child-eater. He felt the air change then, taking on a much thicker quality and seemingly pushing down on him. It was even harder to breathe now. It was like the air had turned into tar and he couldn¡¯t manage to force it down his lungs without choking. ¡°You¡¯re weak,¡± Mae mused, watching him struggle to breathe. ¡°I suppose, after all, you are just a kid. And a human.¡± Her hand shot out, snatching his chin and forcing him to face her. Xaltiq had looked into the eyes of Death (in the form of a lovely woman) before. But they were nothing in comparison to hers. Yes, this was evil. Pure and untethered. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know what Erebus sees in you. The other one, Wolf, there is something inside of him waiting to be pulled out. But you? I wonder if you have the same talents.¡± Her nose scrunched as if she was smelling something foul. Xaltiq forced his gaze away from her. ¡°You are simply strong. Nothing more and nothing less. Inside, you are a coward. Perhaps Erebus¡¯ eyes have dulled--or mine have. For, I see no worth in you, boy.¡± She released him, still sneering. ¡°But my old friend does have an ability to make even the dullest rock shine. I¡¯ll tell you this: the moment Erebus thinks you have no use, he will dispose of you. So if I was you, I¡¯d try to be a little more interesting or else say good-bye to that mortal life of yours.¡± She stood up, not bothering to even look down on him. ¡°Now, I have an idiot to manipulate. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ... Mae sighed to herself as she walked down the castle hallways. There were too many worrisome humans in her life, in all honesty. Xaltiq could either rise or fall after what she told him, she was interested in seeing the result. She hoped it was the former. Mae had been harsher than she had originally intended, but she had gotten slightly carried away after seeing that delicious expression on his face. Oops. Then there was Nathaniel--the more troubling of the two. There was something wrong with him, and she¡¯d be able to figure it out quickly if he used magic. Preferably, she would¡¯ve loved to dissect him and find out what was going on the inside. Since the last specimen that Erebus had delivered to her, Mae hadn¡¯t been able to have any fun (and they weren¡¯t that delicious, in the end). She licked her lips as she gazed at the back of Nathaniel the thought of slicing him open was pleasing. But there were more uses for him, she couldn¡¯t do anything. Yet. Erebus would be fine with her kidnapping the leader of a nation, right? As long as it didn¡¯t cause him any trouble in the long run. He had felled many nations in his lifetime; there was no way that he would care about some insignificant and easily replaced king. But Nathaniel had a special place in her heart--the specimen she had developed on her own. Granted, she had left him to his own devices for a while, but he easily cuddled up in the palm of her hand once again. She had taken such care to make sure that he was loyal to her; she even doubted if she would ever be able to recreate somebody like him again. Time would tell, she supposed. Mae¡¯s thoughts were drawn away from a revelation: she was being... watched? A smile twitched at her lips. She debated following the source or alerting them that she was aware of their presence, but... Erebus would love some sort of entertainment--possible enemies definitely fell into that category. Her own curiosity was peaking, but she quickly shoved it back down. Erebus¡¯ mood would be ruined if she messed up the possibility of something interesting happen. And if he was in a bad mood, everybody suffered. For now, she¡¯d ignore it. She¡¯d tell Erebus what she felt and gauge his reaction before carrying out her next move. Currently, she¡¯d have to deal with Nathaniel and the strange vibes he was giving her. Mae shook her head and started to walk faster, ignoring the eyes that she felt boring into her. ... Erebus waved his hand in front of Xaltiq¡¯s face, the human¡¯s blank expression was throwing him off. Had something happened while he was gone? He had only stepped outside of the castle shortly, and Xaltiq bore no signs of physical injuries. No magic had been cast on him either. Tear stood behind Erebus, impatiently tapping her feet. ¡°Lord Erebus, allow me.¡± Erebus stepped back and allowed Tear to take his spot. She raised her arm and swung down her hand, backhanding Xaltiq with a dangerous amount of force; a dull crack sounding throughout when flesh met flesh. Xaltiq cried out, the pain brought him back from the deep crevices of his mind where his consciousness had been lurking. ¡°W-what?¡± He blinked rapidly, his eyes first blurry then sharpening into focus. ¡°Ah...¡± His entire body sagged upon laying eyes on Erebus. Was it relief? No, not at all. Then there was Tear, who was examining her fingernails while wearing an expression of disinterest. ¡°You¡¯re awake now?¡± she questioned, voice sharp. Xaltiq nodded his head. ¡°Yeah... I am.¡± ¡°Did something happen?¡± Erebus asked, intrigued. It wasn¡¯t that he particularly cared about Xaltiq¡¯s mental well-being, but rather, what (or who) had put him in that position. ¡°Hey... Lord Erebus,¡± Xaltiq whispered instead of answering Erebus¡¯ question. ¡°What do you do with boring people?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Xaltiq swallowed. ¡°Then what about people that you thought would be interesting but turned out to be boring?¡± ¡°Hmm...¡± Erebus scratched his head in thought. What was the relevance of this line of questioning? Did it have something to do with why Xaltiq was upset? ¡°Nothing, I suppose.¡± He would leave them be; there was no need for him to waste his energy. Xaltiq gulped again. He was frightened by the concept of ¡°nothing¡±. To Erebus, taking a few lives was nothing. Their viewpoints were completely different. ¡°Ugh,¡± he groaned a little. He could feel a headache coming on as he thought of all the things that Erebus had done. ¡°Nevermind that, where has Mae gone?¡± Tear inquired, casting a bored gaze around the vicinity. ¡°We did not see her when we entered, either.¡± ¡°She went to meet with King Nathaniel, I believe,¡± Xaltiq responded. She had referred to him as an idiot, but he assumed that she was speaking about the king. She was that person after all. He also chose to selectively ignore the part about her admitting to planning on manipulating the king. Erebus hummed. ¡°That¡¯s good then. I needed to speak to that child anyway.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tear input brusquely, not liking the thought of leaving Erebus side--even for one second. ¡°Is there any need for you to talk to that human?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t recall having to report to you,¡± Erebus said lightly, his eyes glimmering with dry amusement. Tear bowed her head, a thin sheen of sweat forming on her forehead. She usually found herself excited at the prospect of punishment, but in this situation, she found herself fearful. Erebus¡¯ anger was nothing to be played with. ¡°Of course, my apologies. I have overstepped my bounds.¡± He smiled thinly. ¡°Watch over Xaltiq, I¡¯ll contact you both when I feel like it.¡± Xaltiq and Tear both hurriedly bowed at the waist. ¡°Understood,¡± Tear whispered, her voice scratchy. Erebus spun on his heels and headed back inside of the castle. Mae, your location. King¡¯s study. Shall I relay a mental image to you? For the sake of efficiency, yes. Do you need anything else? From you? No. No response came from Mae, who had noted that she was no longer needed. Based on the instructions that Mae had given him, Erebus found the office in little time. When the guards attempted to jar him from entering, a nerve snapped in Erebus. They had blocked the door with the spears, their expressions solemn. ¡°Tell me, what are you doing?¡± Erebus¡¯ asked, his face expressing his displeasure. ¡°You are not permitted to enter this room,¡± one of the guards answered. Erebus¡¯ eyes flashed towards the guard that had spoken up, his jaw tightening. ¡°Then you will not be permitted to--¡± The door swung open, interrupting Erebus. Mae stood there, wearing a soft smile. ¡°Gentlemen, there¡¯s no issue. Allow him in.¡± Their spears were lowered, but their eye still displayed distrust. They had never met or seen Erebus before; therefore, it was obvious that they would be on guard towards him. Mae¡¯s expression fell slightly when she noted the look on Erebus¡¯ face. The guards almost lost their lives. Erebus didn¡¯t care enough to put up any false pretenses here; he¡¯d slay them without a second thought. When the door shut behind them and Erebus had entered, silence enveloped the studio. Nathaniel stared at Erebus, confusion evident on his expression. ¡°Leave,¡± Erebus instructed Mae without bothering to spare a glance in her direction. ¡°I wish to speak to this child alone.¡± Mae nodded her head and silently left the room. ¡°Now then,¡± Erebus began, ¡°shall we have a discussion?¡± Wussup Im Alive Hey guys, Tripping here. I¡¯ve been gone for a while, haven¡¯t I? Sorry. My bad habit kicked in. That habit being me dropping a story to work on others (I¡¯m way too much of a multitasker). Ha-ha. Oops. I kept telling myself that I was going to get back to this story, so now I¡¯m doing it. Anyway, I¡¯m back (for now). The update schedule will be irregular at best since it¡¯ll take me a while to get reaccustomed to the characters and plot--I have another bad habit of barely writing anything down so I¡¯ll have to decipher what the hell I was trying to do. Also, I¡¯m not used to the website¡¯s new format. I¡¯ll try my best. Expect a chapter within the week.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. S2 Chapter Forty-Seven: A Penny for Your Thoughts Nathaniel found himself pressing himself deeper into his chair, hoping that he could, somehow, melt into the leather and be away from Erebus. But he was a king. He could simply order Erebus to be gone... yet, some deep, internal instinct warned him against that decision. ¡°A discussion?¡± Nathaniel finally managed to say, resisting the urge to tear his gaze away from Erebus¡¯ intense stare. ¡°Are you hard of hearing?¡± Erebus laughed lightly, not caring that he was insulting a king in the slightest. Nathaniel cleared his throat. ¡°No--I...¡± Why did he feel the compulsion to explain himself to this man? He straightened his back; he wasn¡¯t acting befitting of a king. A monarch. An esteemed being! ¡°Tell me, what is it that you wanted?¡± he spoke with an air of disinterest. Erebus tilted his chin up, a slow smirk spreading across his face. ¡°No, it¡¯s more of a matter of what you want.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Adelia,¡± Erebus began, snorting as if he found the name funny, ¡°will never be impressed by you.¡± Nathaniel¡¯s hands tightened into fists, but he kept his face blank. He didn¡¯t answer because every possible one that came to his head sounded stupid and desperate. "Of course, she would!" he wanted to shout back at Erebus. He was a king--he was what people dreamed of becoming. But was that enough for Adelia? No, it wasn¡¯t. Nathaniel knew that. ¡°No matter how much you love her... chase after her, you¡¯ll always be engulfed by her shadow. That saddens you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Erebus looked around the office (it was full of unnecessary splendor, similar to the rest of the castle), his expression amused. ¡°You have power, money, looks--yet you have nothing. Not what you truly want, at least.¡± ¡°And what do you think that I ¡®truly¡¯ want?¡± Nathaniel shifted in his seat, a cold sweat starting. It was no good. Faced by Erebus, all of his years of training went out the window and he was a powerless child once more. ¡°Enough strength to take what¡¯s rightfully yours, no?¡± Erebus questioned, slowly outstretching his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you. Everything that you want, that is.¡± Nathaniel found himself enthralled by that outreached hand. His eyes trailed up to Erebus¡¯ face, quickly darting around and trying to discern his expression. What was it? Was that smile kind or mocking? Erebus¡¯ other eye, if it was revealed--Nathaniel was sure it would be glowing just as brightly as this one. Crimson. The color of blood. His blood? If he accepted Erebus¡¯ offer, what would happen? Nathaniel found the strength to ask, ¡°At what cost?¡± Erebus¡¯ expression didn¡¯t change or falter. ¡°I wonder...¡± he answered vaguely. ¡°I do believe in equal payment, after all.¡± Nathaniel, much to his own surprise, found himself slowly lifting his hand--reaching towards Erebus. A voice, however, cut him off abruptly. What do you think that you¡¯re doing! Nathaniel gasped at the sudden strike of pain, his hand instantly pressing against his temples. ¡°No... I...¡± Erebus¡¯ eyebrow rose, but he said nothing. Instead, he silently watched Nathaniel¡¯s face contort in obvious pain. Needless to say, he had no intention of inquiring as to what was wrong or helping Nathaniel. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean...¡± Send that man away! Immediately. You will honor your deal with us or else you will not be the only way to pay! He swallowed dryly, the feeling of pins slowly being jammed into his skull intensifying. It was going to kill him--that¡¯s how Nathaniel felt. ¡°Leave,¡± he instructed Erebus. Erebus¡¯ arm dropped back to his side. ¡°So be it,¡± he said, voice devoid of any telling emotion. Likewise, his face was an unreadable slate. Erebus exhaled inwardly and spun on his heels, exiting the room without another word. He quietly shut the door behind him and hurriedly began walking away from Nathaniel¡¯s study. The moment that Erebus was by himself once more, with no other presences nearby, he let out a deep, soulful sigh. That was a close one. The idiot almost accepted his offer and Erebus would¡¯ve been forced to help him. Even if it was a weak human, Erebus would never betray his word. He sighed once again, thinking about how annoying it would have been. And he would¡¯ve had to have given up Mae, who had been an outstanding plaything. But anyway, his suspicions had been confirmed. It had taken too long, though. There was something else going on. Nathaniel had sent him out before Erebus was able to get the full picture. Of course, he could have stayed longer, but he didn¡¯t want to raise Nathaniel¡¯s suspicions towards him too much. Well, that said, extending that offer to him had probably piqued the idiot¡¯s curiosity (note: greed). ¡°Hmm...¡± Erebus hummed to himself as he walked down the halls, no clear destination in mind. It was interesting enough to keep him entertained for a while. He wondered if Mae was aware by now. She should have been, it¡¯d be a great disappoint if she wasn¡¯t. Mae was always perceptive, even if she didn¡¯t know exactly what was happening. It would be almost funny watching her skirting around the issue, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Erebus if she had misunderstood. It had happened before. More than once, actually. It was always amusing to see her splutter. Hah. Good times. Erebus crossed his arms behind his head as he walked, whistling softly. He wondered who was involved. He could investigate more if he wanted to, but it wouldn¡¯t be nearly as fun as being surprised. At the same time, he always did loathe surprises. He was the type of person who preferred to know the ending of the book before reading it. Not that it mattered. The only way he would be able to find out the full story was by prying into Nathaniel¡¯s mind... which was both too much work and a nuisance. Still, he had a decision to make: stay on the frontlines or watch it all unfold from the rearguard? Both had their own merits, obviously. Ah! It was such a difficult decision for him to make. But, well, that pained and terrified expression that had been on Nathaniel¡¯s face¡­ it made Erebus want to stir up even more trouble. Exactly how much? Humans were such fun toys, but they broke easily, so he¡¯d have to be careful. But Mae, she had always been durable. That also meant that he¡¯d have to do a little more than necessary to really get her going.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! That gave him an idea. A splendid one really. Who knew that this trip was going to be so much fun? Ah, the joys to come. ¡­ Mae felt a shiver violently pass through her. It felt as if the universe was warning her against something. What a bad feeling. And a familiar one. Yeah, Erebus was definitely planning something. She sighed, pushing her hair behind her ear and taking a few puffs from her pipe. She looked up at the sky, at the stars, and prayed for them to tell her what they knew; she preferred to not be overtaken by whatever Erebus was about to do. It made the hair on her arms raise. Her beautiful view of the night sky was soon replaced by the silhouette of a person. More specifically, Tear. The High Human¡¯s nose was pinched and she seemed to be upset about some (probably irrelevant) matter. Mae resisted the urge to groan. Tear and she had never really spoken to each other, but she was used to feeling the other woman¡¯s hateful gaze focused on her at all times. ¡°What did you do to Xaltiq?¡± Tear questioned, crossing her arms and spreading her legs shoulder-width apart. Mae rolled her eyes inwardly. ¡°Does it matter? He¡¯s fine, is he not? Now move it.¡± Tear did not listen. Not like Mae had expected her to anyway. ¡°He¡¯s Lord Erebus¡¯ precious plaything. I won¡¯t forgive him if you mess him up.¡± ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t you just trying to start a fight?¡± ¡°Hmph. Does it matter?¡± ¡°¡®Suppose not. Considering we both know who¡¯d win.¡± In Mae¡¯s eyes, Tear was just another weakling. Even amongst Erebus¡¯ outrageous subordinates, Tear was lackluster. Not much better than Xaltiq, really. ¡°You are incorrect if you think that you¡¯re stronger than me.¡± Mae snorted. ¡°What hubris.¡± ¡°My love for Erebus transcends all.¡± Tear upturned her nose, glaring downwards at Mae. It was a look that said know-your-place-scum. ¡°That¡¯s why you are nothing.¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± She emptied her pipe, wearing a dull smile. ¡°Do you hate me or something?¡± Tear didn¡¯t hesitate to answer, ¡°I hate you--who clings to Lord Erebus--more than anything else.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Mae wasn¡¯t surprised by her reasoning. Tear was unreasonably obsessed with Erebus, after all. Nonetheless, Mae wasn¡¯t bothered or concerned by Tear¡¯s hatred for her. No, if anything, it was a nuisance having this little fly buzzing around. ¡°But there¡¯s something that you need to understand also.¡± Tear¡¯s groomed eyebrow rose. ¡°Yeah?¡± Mae stood, not liking that the other woman was looking down on her. After all, she was the superior one here. ¡°There¡¯s nobody who loves Erebus more than I do. Your paltry obsession is nothing in comparison.¡± The High Human did not speak for a few moments, her brows pushing together and mouth parting slightly. ¡°L¡­ val.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Love¡­ rival?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You are my love rival!¡± Tear shrieked, her face contorting into something horrendous and chest heaving. She jabbed an accusatory finger in Mae¡¯s face, Mae¡¯s expression twisted into one of annoyance. ¡°Rival? First of all, there¡¯s no competition. Secondly, I don¡¯t--¡± She paused. Why was she trying to defend herself? But would Tear (wrongly) thinking that she was a love rival make Mae¡¯s life even more difficult? Definitely. ¡°When I say love, I mean this in a completely platonic sense. You fool.¡± Tear snarled. ¡°That¡¯s just what a love rival would say to make me put my guard down. But I will not be fooled!¡± She made a sound of indignance in the back of her throat. ¡°Why, I knew I was right not trusting you. But your tactics will not work on me.¡± She dramatically turned on her heels then, storming back inside of the castle, reminiscent of a child throwing a tantrum. Immediately, Mae felt irritated. What a tiresome woman! She couldn¡¯t comprehend how Erebus managed to deal with his subordinates. They were all too much of something (naturally, she was perfect--according to her own standards, at least). Mae shook her head and stood up, heading back inside to go to her room. She needed time to think--without being disturbed. There were a lot of things that she was thinking about currently. She wondered for a short while if Tear was going to go out of her way to bother her, then she realized that she did not actually care if Tear did so. A bug was a bug. No matter how loud it tried to be. So, Tear was promptly pushed to the back of Mae¡¯s thoughts and another issue was brought forward. Mae still felt eyes on her. Somebody was constantly watching her. Of course, the biggest question was who? In all honesty, she wanted to play with her observer some. But when she thought about it, it was a better idea to bring it up to Erebus first before going ahead and ruining it. Well, that was going to be a headache. Erebus wasn¡¯t the type to show his hand easily. He¡¯d probably act ignorant (or irritatingly vague) to it so that he could see what Mae did about it. That¡¯s just the type of person that he was. That said, it wasn¡¯t like she knew what exactly he was going to do. Most of the time, he was uninvolved, but as of late, he had grown more active. A headache was already starting. Erebus, Mae called. She was mentally prepared for whatever he tried to throw at her. What? Even through telepathy, it was easy to tell that he wasn¡¯t pleased to hear from her. May we speak? About? Where are you? No, it¡¯s better to converse this way. Oh? His interest was piqued. I believe that somebody is watching me, she explained. There was a long pause before Erebus answered her, Interesting. Mae shook her head, running a hand through her hair in exasperation. Even though Erebus couldn¡¯t see the action, her tone surely conveyed it. You knew already, didn¡¯t you? A laugh. Who knows? Do as you see fit. I won¡¯t stop you. Mae resisted the urge to snort. It wasn¡¯t a matter of stopping her, Mae (at least, she thought she did) knew of restraint. Erebus, though, that beast¡¯s sense of what was ¡°enough¡± was considered to be ¡°too much¡± for everyone else. S2 Chapter Forty-Eight: Cut Loose ¡°Explain to me why I have to do this again?¡± Xaltiq questioned, burying his face in his hands. No matter how he tried to rationalize this in his mind, none of it made any sense to him. Mae examined her freshly polished nails, pursing her lips. ¡°Because Erebus told you to?¡± Xaltiq shook his head. ¡°But still¡­ to fight a king! It¡¯s too much. It¡¯s definitely too much for me.¡± Tear glared at the young man. ¡°Quit being such a bitch about it. Be glad that you could be of some use, worm.¡± Xaltiq moaned. No matter how much time he spent with these people, he could never get used to their antics. For them, fighting a king--even just a spar--was nothing. For him, somehow, it felt very wrong. Xaltiq was not immortal nor infallible. He was human, very human. And second of all, he had been born a commoner. Despite his strength, he had humble beginnings! In the human hierarchy, he had no place even stepping foot inside of a castle. The others, they were different. Being Erebus¡¯ subordinate still felt unreal, so it was easier for him to comprehend. But this? He could understand it clearly, he understood the weight and gravity of the situation. That¡¯s why he was so uncomfortable. Sure, his stay at such a prestigious academy had made him grow confident--arrogant, even--but being around these monsters had forced him back into his place. Even his stomach was starting to hurt from all of the stress. ¡°It¡¯ll be under the guise of a test,¡± Mae explained. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about it.¡± Even though her words were meant to be calming, the cold glint in her eyes just made him start sweating even more. ¡°No, even if you say that, I¡­¡± He took in a deep breath, trying to reign it all in. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to,¡± he finally said. ¡°Can¡¯t you or Tear do it?¡± ¡°Huh, are you wimping out?¡± Tear questioned innocently, tapping her long nails against the table. ¡°Is that what I¡¯m hearing?¡± ¡°Yes! Yes, it is!¡± Xaltiq exclaimed, exasperated. ¡°You two are better fighters than I am, so it¡¯s better if one of you do it.¡± Mae looked to the side, twisting her lips into a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t want to, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem?¡± he cried out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to either,¡± Tear piped up, smiling sweetly. ¡°Humans are too weak. That¡¯s why it¡¯s better to have one face another.¡± ¡°Besides, Nathaniel¡¯s weaker than you are. No need to worry,¡± Mae input. ¡°I just need you to force him into a corner. Make him fear for his life.¡± Fear for his? What about mine? Xaltiq lamented inwardly. ¡°If I do that to a king, they¡¯ll drag me to the gallows and I¡¯ll be hanged!¡± ¡°Now, we wouldn¡¯t let that happen, now would we?¡± Mae said in the most patronizing tone possible. Xaltiq didn¡¯t look convinced in the slightest. She sighed. ¡°Listen, you¡¯re suited best for this task. Erebus has no concept of restraint, Tear doesn¡¯t want to, and he knows me too well to think that I¡¯d ever seriously come for his life. I¡¯m not saying that you have to kill him; I just need you to push him to the point where he reveals what he¡¯s been hiding!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I can do that! I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m up against; I can¡¯t gauge my strength to match the unknown.¡± What if he accidentally ended up killing King Nathaniel? There would be so much turmoil¡­ Nathaniel didn¡¯t have an heir. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of how politics worked would know that a violent and sudden and power change wouldn¡¯t end well. And he didn¡¯t want to be the cause of it. The door creaked and Erebus stepped inside of the sitting room. ¡°Xaltiq.¡± The human¡¯s hands tightened into fists. ¡°Yes?¡± he answered, voice pinched. ¡°How about this?¡± Erebus laid his hand against Xaltiq¡¯s shoulder amicably. ¡°You do as you¡¯re told or Vyne is going to have a new test subject.¡± He bent over so that his mouth was level with Xaltiq¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯d like to see what was going on with that blood of yours.¡± Xaltiq¡¯s entire body went rigid. ¡°Ah, you think that I didn¡¯t know? It¡¯s why you¡¯re so interesting¡­ But even that has its limits.¡± Xaltiq closed his eyes, the threat ringing loudly in his mind. When he opened them again, they were cold. ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll do as you¡¯ve asked.¡± ¡­ Nathaniel had always considered himself to be a reasonable king. So when his beloved Adelia came up to him asking a favor, who was he to decline?The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°I want to see how much you¡¯ve grown,¡± Adelia said, wearing a broad smile on her perfect face. ¡°Xaltiq is an excellent partner.¡± The young man named Xaltiq simply stared forward at Nathaniel with a blank expression, mimicking Erebus¡¯. When Xaltiq¡¯s silver eyes locked onto Nathaniel, they narrowed. He felt a shiver pass through his body but managed to keep a relaxed smile on his face. ¡°I agree, it¡¯ll certainly be a test. I¡¯m out of practice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just being humble,¡± Adelia said, laughing a little. ¡°I¡¯d like to begin as soon as possible. Do you have the time?¡± Technically, he didn¡¯t. He had multiple meetings scheduled today and paperwork to review, but he didn¡¯t want to see a disappointed expression on Adelia¡¯s face. So everything would just have to be pushed back. The others would surely understand. ¡°Yes, I do,¡± he lied. ¡°The training grounds shall be cleared immediately.¡± He waved one of his messengers over and informed him to postpone all his duty and order those using the training grounds to vacate. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a little smug. This was the perfect chance for him to prove his strength to Adelia and get her to start falling for him. Nathaniel could picture her smitten and awe-struck expression when he easily defeated this Xaltiq kid. Xaltiq seemed to be pretty strong, but Nathaniel was sure that he was stronger. Besides, there was no one in their right mind who would humiliate a king. His victory was guaranteed. ¡­ This was really happening, Xaltiq thought as he stood across the way from King Nathaniel. He had to become this person again. He clenched and unclenched his hands. But killing (at least, trying to kill) a king? It was a new low for him. The others, along with guards, were all watching. Nathaniel looked confident. The pitiful man did not know what was coming next. That he would be faced with death, probably for the first time ever. For Xaltiq to push Nathaniel to the edge, he would have to come at him seriously. He would have to let his bloodlust be known. The guards would sense it and try to stop him before he could do anything, so Xaltiq had to act quickly. ¡°Go easy on me, okay?¡± Nathaniel said jokingly, though his expression showed that he actually had no worries. ¡°I planned on it,¡± Xaltiq muttered quietly under his breath. ¡°But orders are orders.¡± He swore that in his peripheral, he saw Erebus smirk a little. Xaltiq shook his head, focusing back onto his opponent. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to get distracted--he just had to get this over with. And then forget that it ever happened. Nathaniel tightened his grip on the wooden sword and lowered himself into a fighting stance. Xaltiq moved to do the same. The king swung first. In comparison to what Xaltiq had been used to dealing with these past weeks (or had it been months? Everything was starting to feel like forever to him), Nathaniel¡¯s movements were slow--human. Predictable. It felt like if he was playing with a child. Perhaps if he had confronted Nathaniel prior to meeting Erebus, he would¡¯ve been put in a tight spot. Nathaniel wasn¡¯t a bad swordsman by any means, he was better than most. But he couldn¡¯t overcome a barrier that he had been born with: his humanity. Xaltiq, who was not fully a human, had this advantage. Because of this, Xaltiq wasn¡¯t really concerned about his own safety. Rather Nathaniel¡¯s, a fool who was tripped up on his own power. So, he played along. Pretending to be evenly matched, if not inferior to Nathaniel. Xaltiq could see the pride in Nathaniel¡¯s movements, in his eyes. Was that what he had looked like to Erebus? Sure, Xaltiq had taken on those weaker than him and defeated them easily, but he had never been able to take a look at himself. To Erebus, Xaltiq had probably been the same as Nathaniel. Young and foolish. Something inside of Xaltiq switched, and the man in front of him was no longer King Nathaniel. It was himself. His past, arrogant self. Drunk off of his own power. He had acted humble, but he was far from it; he had believed that everyone was below him. Hatred. If Xaltiq had known his place, perhaps he could¡¯ve saved the entirety of Opinum Academy from being destroyed. If his hubris hadn¡¯t been so blinding, he could¡¯ve put a stop to the entire mana crystal enhancement ordeal. His friends would be alive if he hadn¡¯t taken on Fox. He wouldn¡¯t be here. In forced servitude. Xaltiq wasn¡¯t like Wolf, the young beastman who shared little love for humans. He started to fight himself, Nathaniel, seriously. And of course, the pitiful human couldn¡¯t keep up with the sudden change. He wasn¡¯t ready for what came next. Nathaniel had never felt bloodlust, bloodlust directed at him, ever in his entire life. Despite being a king, he had never dealt with any attempts on his life. He had always been safe. His guards had always protected him so there was no need for him to worry--ever. But this was different. His guards didn¡¯t sense it. They didn¡¯t see the murderous glint in Xaltiq¡¯s silver eyes. Nathaniel¡¯s primal instinct to run for his life kicked in. The primitive beast inside of him knew what to do. Escape. Get away. Not get killed by this predator. But he was too slow. He was always too slow. He would never be faster than Xaltiq. Than this monster charging at him. His pride, his intellect, everything flew out of the window. The sword in his hand was nothing more than a frail twig. He fell over, tripping over his feet and his back slamming against the ground. Xaltiq appeared above Nathaniel, bringing the sword up and obviously planning on impaling it through Nathaniel¡¯s chest. Child, a voice called to Nathaniel. His vision went back. The sword came down. ¡°Xaltiq,¡± came a quiet yet stern voice from the sidelines. Erebus. It wasn¡¯t a warning or anything, no, it was a command. And Xaltiq understood the rest of the unspoken order. He stopped his sword before he had plunged it into Nathaniel¡¯s chest, taking a few steps backward. He felt Mae¡¯s eyes boring into him. The saying if looks could kill never held any more weight to them than now. Xaltiq had messed up. He had ruined his one chance to display his bloodlust and get Nathaniel to unleash whatever he was hiding. That required the man to be conscious, not knocked out from hitting his head on the ground. That had been what Xaltiq thought. He ruined it, he failed, he hadn¡¯t done enough. But he had succeeded. S2 Chapter Forty-Nine: And Pop Goes the Weasel It all happened quite a while ago. It had transpired on one those days where everything just felt hot and heavy. Mae, under the guise of Adelia, had taken off on her ¡°soul-searching¡± adventure and had left the young King (Prince at the time) Nathaniel more alone than he had ever felt before in his life. He did miss everything about her. The instructor that had replaced his comrade was just that: a boring instructor. Not a friend. But this didn¡¯t deter him from his own quest. His want, need--lust for power was insatiable. Part of it, the part he recognized, was for Adelia. The other? Well, he denied its existence, perhaps he was even ignorant of it. This was it: Everything was for himself. Nobody else but himself. And that was the largest contributing factor to his greed. There was no better term to describe his inner self other than a narcissist. Nathaniel believed himself to be the best who only deserved the best. So of course, it was only natural that he ended up meeting them on that fateful day. Them being a cult obsessed with finding power--whatever the means. Needless to say, this lead them to be a rather cruel bunch. That¡¯s why he was perfect for them. Nathaniel, despite all of his bravado, was both weak in a physical manner and involving his metaphorical spine. He was easily tricked and manipulated by them, and by the time that he had realized, it was already too late. He was just a puppet. A puppet with strength that wasn¡¯t his. And they couldn¡¯t afford to lose such a valuable puppet, so they installed a defense mechanism of sorts. One that they hadn¡¯t thought would be revealed so soon and so easily. But it had. When Nathaniel had been pushed past his limits by Xaltiq, the magic embedded in his soul kicked in. Admittedly, it was still a prototype, meaning that there were plenty of things that could go wrong. And as Murphy said¡­ they did. Terribly so, in fact. The creature in front of them couldn¡¯t be considered a human any longer, and it barely fit into the category of humanoid. Simply put, Nathaniel had transformed into a revolting being. Large pustules-like sacks had formed all over his body, appearing to be heavy and filled with viscous fluid that took on a pale blue color. Due to the stretching, most of his skin had become translucent and allowed his spidery veins to be seen. His bones had also taken on a more gelatinous quality, causing him to be unable to stand. Nathaniel collapsed, his limbs twisting and snapping into odd positions as his body convulsed violently, the pustules secreting a liquid. He screamed loudly, his jaw easily popping out of place and going slack. He seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Unsurprisingly, that is. His body continued to grow, and grow, and grow. Soon, his screams became wheezes, his lungs being pressed against by his other organs. He was going to suffocate this way. But that was not how he ended. See, Nathaniel¡¯s stomach was swollen and tight too, also pumped full and seemingly ready to burst. And burst it did. The radius encompassing--disgustingly enough--everyone and their surroundings. ¡°Unexpected,¡± Erebus admitted truthfully, the only one (along with Mae) still clean because he had managed to block the blast within a split second. ¡°But amusing.¡± Xaltiq stood there in shock, not even bothering to wipe his face as the combination of mana and innards dripped from his face. What¡­ had just happened? Had he just inadvertently killed a king? ¡°It got in my mouth,¡± Tear whined in the background, trying her hardest to spit out the revolting mixture. ¡°What the hell!¡± Mae walked over to the human guards that had been there, their skin burning and sizzling from touching the apparently acidic substance. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s any bringing Nathaniel back from that, hmm?¡± ¡°No. But I do say, that was rather anticlimactic. I would¡¯ve much preferred if he had tried to fight us and not simply explode.¡± Mae turned her eyes upwards, voice dry. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to be surprised for once?¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°It is.¡± Erebus chuckled quietly, surprises for him were few and far in between. A welcomed rarity. It grew boring when he knew everything. ¡°It won¡¯t come out!¡± a voice lamented in the background. ¡°It tastes absolutely terrible.¡± Mae looked over at the epicenter of the blast, a deep frown carving itself onto her face. ¡°What do you suppose that we do?¡± In all honesty, this had also been out of her expectations. She had been ready for some type of showdown, something to get her blood boiling. Not¡­ this. Not the destruction of her beautiful masterpiece. She did not show this outwardly, but this fact made her extremely angry. Very. Angry. Her blood was boiling but in a different manner of speaking. She would squeeze their bodies until they popped just like Nathaniel did. Oh, her sweet, sweet Nathaniel. He had been perfect. So, so perfect for her. She had been waiting to taste him after his time of use had finally passed. Now she could only dream about how he would¡¯ve tasted. She was sure that he would¡¯ve been the sweetest. But no. They took him. They took him away from her. How was she supposed to have known they had done such a thing to his precious body? How could she forgive them? She couldn¡¯t. It was just unforgivable. Oh, her poor Nathaniel! What had they done to him? She wanted to snap their necks. Whoever did this¡­ they were going to pay--dearly. She¡¯d kill them with her bare hands. Peel their skin off and bite into their meat like ripe fruit. A swift death. Mae bit down onto her cheek, feeling the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She bit harder. No, no, no, no. They had to suffer. Die in excruciating pain. She started to grind her teeth together, her hands tightening into fists. If she imagined their bones being in her hands, it made her squeeze even tighter. Would she use their bodies in experiments? Perhaps she could feed them to each other--keep them like pets. Would they grow to enjoy the taste? Or would they loathe it, but continue to eat because it was the only way to survive? Who would she kill? Who would she keep? She¡¯d have to meet them first. Perhaps she could even poison the meat without them knowing, have their insides slowly rot. She could imagine the horror on their faces when they realized that they would¡¯ve died regardless. Which would¡¯ve been more painful? Starving or eating the poisoned body of a comrade? How could they have been so foolish? ¡°Mae,¡± Erebus said, forcing her attention towards him. ¡°Did you not hear what I said?¡± Still trembling with anger, Mae managed to say, ¡°I apologize, I didn¡¯t.¡± Erebus--the type who hated repeating themselves, gave Mae a freezing look. ¡°Then focus. I don¡¯t have any use for those who can¡¯t listen properly.¡± ¡°Right,¡± she gritted out, ¡°of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say it once more. The ones that have been pulling the strings and that were watching you--still are watching--need to be pulled out of the shadows and crushed. Don¡¯t they?¡± Mae nodded her head in vicious agreement. ¡°How are we going to find them?¡± Erebus thought on it for a second, rubbing the back of his head in thought. He could do it rather easily by himself, but that was never fun. And he had already told himself that he was going to spectate rather than participate actively, so¡­ Yeah, that¡¯d work. ¡°I have an idea.¡± ¡­ Wolf had a one-sided rivalry with Xaltiq. From his side, he always felt as if he had been overlooked by Erebus--by everyone else. He had been recruited at the same time as Xaltiq, but it felt as if Xaltiq had an unfair advantage against him. And he wasn¡¯t exactly sure why. He had been trying his hardest to stand out. At first, he had been very uncomfortable here. All of his friends were dead, he was surrounded by people of unparalleled strength¡­ and ultimately, he was alone. But as the days passed by, he felt himself growing more comfortable and expanding. It seemed as if here he would truly be able to maximize his fullest potential. That¡¯s when the jealousy started seeping in. So when he was told that he, accompanied by Weryn, were to go down and replace Tear and Xaltiq¡­ he was overjoyed. Finally! Finally, he was getting his chance. And he couldn¡¯t mess this up. If Erebus truly took notice of him now because of his excellence--Wolf had already grown so much without the wisdom of the age-old dragon. Wolf¡¯s knee was bouncing as he stood there in wait, unable to contain the happiness that he felt. ¡°This is going to be very new to me,¡± Wolf said to Weryn. The young dragon looked up, appearing to be the picture of innocence as usual. His eyes shone with mild curiosity. ¡°Is this your first mission?¡± Wolf nodded his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been cooped up in the castle for so long.¡± Weryn said nothing at this. ¡°But with this, I can finally prove my worth to the others. I¡¯ve always felt as if I¡¯ve been put on the backburner, you know? But I¡¯m--¡± ¡°You¡¯re excited?¡± Weryn questioned, his eyes cast in darkness. Wolf hesitated, unsure where he had gone wrong. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± the bright-haired dragon informed him. ¡°You¡¯re going to end up sorely disappointed.¡± Wolf frowned. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± He let out a laugh. ¡°Because I was too.¡± Weryn paused. ¡°Less than disappointment, it¡¯s more like being forced to face reality. This world isn¡¯t pretty. And Erebus is the type of person who enjoys dirtying it more.¡± Weryn pushed off of the wall. It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t appreciate his mentor, or dislike him for that matter¡­ but Weryn had lost the stars that used to dance in his eyes long ago. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get ready. Tear should be opening the transportation circle soon enough.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Wolf murmured, following Weryn out of the room and downstairs where the necessary components had been set up for the spell. ¡°What do I expect?¡± he questioned Weryn. Wolf tried to think of what they were being called down for (Erebus hadn¡¯t informed them), but he couldn¡¯t think of anything that could really require his talents. Wolf wasn¡¯t really specialized in, well, anything. ¡°What do you think is going to happen?¡± Another laugh--drier, this time. ¡°The worst.¡± From Here On Out Hi, this absentee author is revived. I thought I was going to be able to resume The Demon Lord is Bored months ago but I found myself unable to due to multiple reasons. Anyway, I''m back. I want to finish this story. I plan on updating within the coming days. I am have a lot of plans for this story in the works, and definitely lots more fun and entertainment for all of you guys. I''m sorry for not being here for so long, orz. I''ve said this multiple times, but I love the characters that I have created and have lots of fun developing them. This story is surprisingly long, longer than anything else I''ve written, and there''s so much material for me to keep on going. So, I will!The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. All of you are probably dead and have forgotten that this story exists, but hello. Welcome back! Sincerely, Tripping, your not totally dead author S2 Chapter Fifty: Plotting and Planning Chaotic. That was the only to describe the current atmosphere. The members of the fanatical cult, the one that Nathaniel had been roped into, were all very confused. Outraged, indignant, ectera ectera. Pure cacophony. ¡°I don¡¯t--¡± ¡°How did--¡± ¡°How dare--!¡± ¡°--what do we do?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t--¡± ¡°Everyone, calm down!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡­¡± ¡°Nathaniel was--¡± ¡°How could--¡± ¡°Who--¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± ¡°Why did this--¡± The voice, belonging to the woman desperately trying to silence her peers, boomed once more, ¡°I said, silence!¡± Slowly, one by one, the other voices quieted. The woman known as Lyra folded her hands together, shaking her head. ¡°Now, does anyone have anything that they want to say?¡± More silence, uncomfortable shifting. Lyra¡¯s dark eyes rolled over each and every member seated at the table, an unspoken threat lurking in their depths. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s continue,¡± the stern-faced woman said, giving them an unfriendly smile. ¡°Now that the king has met his untimely demise, we are faced with multiple issues.¡± Murmurs of agreement spread through the attendees of the meeting. ¡°The first, and most obvious being that we have lost a very important pawn. We were using Nathaniel¡¯s authority to keep ourselves hidden while still amassing power--now we¡¯ve lost that shield. We need to move fast. The castle will be in uproar for a few days, but that will settle down when Nathaniel¡¯s uncle arrives from his expedition. We need to get to him on our side immediately.¡± Lyra shook her head. ¡°I have already sent out some men to intercept Reynold and get him on our side¡­ Hopefully, it will be handled with ease. We will learn of the results later today.¡± ¡°And what of the ones who activated the spell?¡± ¡°We need to find them. Eliminate them--quickly. There¡¯s no telling what they have already gotten from Nathaniel or what they had found out. Our men that had been watching were also taken out--whether it be a direct result of the malfunction or because someone chased them down, we don¡¯t know.¡± She continued on, ¡°There are far too many unknowns.¡± Another chorus of murmured agreements. At that time, the door creaked open, and a man with a shock of red hair and bird-like face stepped through. ¡°Luca,¡± Lyra stated dryly, ¡°brother. What brings you here?¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be pleased by his appearance. He scoffed. ¡°Why am I here? Think on it.¡± ¡°Regarding Nathaniel, I assume.¡± He nodded his head, a deep frown forming on his thin lips. ¡°This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you had planned everything better, Lyra,¡± he stated stated boldly, not wasting any time with introductions or greetings. ¡°You rarely come to these meetings, I didn''t assume that today would be any different.¡± ¡°Yes, because you typically have everything under the semblance of control. But today, everything that you had so delicately balanced has finally fallen apart. I figured I could help my dear, elder sister out somehow. So I came to take this mess out of your hands and handle it myself.¡± Lyra¡¯s jaw tightened. ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± ¡°I think there is,¡± Luca responded, moving over to take the seat next to Lyra. ¡°They contacted me.¡± ¡°They?¡± Lyra echoed, voice equally as tight as her jaw. It wasn¡¯t good for her if Luca had the upperhand. Ever. And Luca was playing the pronoun game so that she¡¯d have to ask, because nobody else could. Luca ran a hand through his coppery hair and stated, ¡°The ones who killed Nathaniel. As you know, I¡¯m the one who installed the defensive spell in the boy. Somehow, they managed to track me down from it...¡± ¡°And?¡± Lyra urged when Luca had stopped speaking. ¡°A young beastman and a child confronted me, and no I didn¡¯t get a name. They said they wanted to meet with us. The leaders. To talk.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Lyra resisted the urge to laugh in her brother¡¯s face. A meeting? That sounded like the definition of a trap. ¡°And you believed these boys?¡± She knew that Luca liked to act like a fool, but her brother was far more cunning than he appeared. There was no way he had allowed them to come here without some form of ulterior motive. ¡°Yes, Lyra, because unlike you I am well-versed in how to communicate effectively. Any other questions, dearest sister?¡± The redheaded woman ground her teeth together. She couldn¡¯t argue in front of him, she couldn¡¯t fall for his bait in front of the others. ¡°I just don¡¯t believe it is as simple as that.¡± ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t, so I did what I believed was right.¡± ¡°Wha--¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let them in,¡± Luca stated, a smug expression settling on his face. ¡°Luca, what have you done?¡± Lyra whispered urgently. To give their secret location away to strangers who couldn¡¯t be trusted? What was he thinking? Even if she ¡°Luca!¡± Luca stood then, and Lyra jumped up at the same time. He informed her coldly, wearing a smile, ¡°I told you that I would handle it, didn¡¯t I?¡± The others seated at the table began to shuffle nervously, some whispering to each other in urgent tones. What was going on? What was going to happen? Was Luca trying to overthrow his sister? ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lyra felt her heart racing, something was very off. She couldn¡¯t explain it in words, but she felt it. Luca shook his head at his elder sister and opened the door. Before her eyes could even blink, Lyra felt immense pressure being exerted on her body. ¡°What¡­¡± she managed to gasp out as three people walked into the room. First were the two that Luca had probably referenced in his story: a large beastman and a small boy with magenta hair. The last was a tall, beautiful woman who bore a fearsome expression on her face. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides and the sound of her teeth grounding seemed to be echoing. In contrast to her anger, the young boy wore a bright and cheery smile. ¡°Hello! A pleasure to meet you all.¡± The child bowed to those seated at the table. It didn¡¯t seem sincere, though. He was certainly mocking them, that¡¯s what it felt like. ¡°My name is Weryn, and these are my comrades¡­¡± ¡°Wolf,¡± the beastman grunted, not offering anything else. He had been the one they used to track down Luca, anyone else could have done it, but Erebus had decided he wanted to test the boy. The elegant woman¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°Mae.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Lyra demanded, not caring for their introductions in the slightest. ¡°Are you here to fight? I have no problem doing so.¡± She glared down at Mae, whose attitude was the worst. ¡°Eh, who said anything about that?¡± Weryn questioned, his warm smile growing. ¡°We are representatives of Erebus, the Fifth Dragon.¡± The entire room drew in a sharp breath, then the murmurs started again. Lyra slammed her fist down on the table. ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting?¡± She felt her anger growing more and more. ¡°Who do you think would believe what you¡¯re saying!¡± Lyra grabbed the sword at her side. ¡°It seems that Luca only brought us a group of idiots that needs to be taken care of.¡± She launched herself forward, preparing to cut down the enemies in front of her. Weryn muttered, ¡°This is why I hate muscle-bound idiots.¡± His eyes flashed for a moment, displaying potent irritation. Clearly wanting a fight, Mae stepped forward and stopped Lyra¡¯s in her tracks. The collision of the two meeting caused a loud clap to echo through the room, their energies shaking the foundation of the building. Mae had simply stretched out her arm and Lyra had kindly placed her head into Mae¡¯s palm. Her nails dug into Lyra¡¯s face, drawing blood. She looked down at Lyra, shadows falling over her disgust-filled eyes. It was like she was looking at a bug. An unphased Lyra roared, swinging her sword where it connected with Mae¡¯s unguarded side. Much to her surprise, the blade cut through Mae¡¯s clothing but her skin was unharmed. ¡°A weakling like you should just kneel over and die.¡± Mae threw Lyra to the side like a ragdoll, the woman crashing into the wall and leaving a large dent in her wake. She examined her now bloodied nails. She pouted her lips a little, sad that her manicure was ruined because of a fool. ¡°Sadly, I¡¯ve been prohibited from killing any of you.¡± Mae walked over to Lyra, slamming her foot down on the half-unconscious woman¡¯s head. ¡°Any other of you idiots want to have a go, huh? I don¡¯t have to kill you to make you regret every decision you¡¯ve made up till now.¡± She sounded like a thug. The men and woman seated at the table furiously shook their heads. No one dared opening their mouths either. As easily as Mae had just subdued Lyra, the woman was a Demon Emperor who had once even challenged Yvick and almost won. No one here was as strong as her¡­ save for Luca--maybe, but none of them had ever seen him fight. ¡°All¡¯s well that ends well!¡± Luca clapped his hands together in happiness. He seemed to be way too joyful despite the fact that his sister¡¯s face was being used as a stool. ¡°Now that¡¯s taken care of, do you care explaining everything else, Weryn?¡± The dragon glanced at the man, his strange jubilance slightly offsetting. ¡°Well, not my problem,¡± he muttered. Weryn placed his hands on his hips. ¡°As I was saying, we were sent here to be representatives between you idi--lot and the great dragon, Erebus. He has kindly invited you all to his home for a¡­ talk.¡± The mood shifted into even deeper uneasiness. The boy¡¯s words were still quite unbelievable--there was no way that one of the original dragons would¡¯ve ever gotten involved with them. They had great influence in the underworld, but they weren¡¯t that important. But no one was going to go down the path that Lyra had. Most of them were simple knowledge seekers, not warriors! ¡°You¡¯re welcome to decline but,¡± Weryn paused, his smile turning somewhat sinister, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t advise it.¡± Wolf nodded his head silently. He was trying his best to hold himself together but¡­ what the hell was happening! Was he supposed to keep his cool during all of this? Erebus had only told them to bring the culprits to him, he had never mentioned anything about not killing them. Also, the invite had definitely been a lot stricter than what Weryn was making it sound like! It had been a demand. Why were they twisting Erebus¡¯ words like this? He looked down at Weryn, trying to read the child¡¯s expression. It was too well-put together for him to see through. No¡­ there was something hidden in his eyes. And it was a lot darker than what Wolf could ever imagine. He looked over in the direction of Mae, no longer listening to what was going on. The woman still had her foot pressing down on Lyra¡¯s head. She looked like she still wanted to kill somebody. Once again, Luca chose to speak up for everyone. ¡°Then it¡¯s decided. We gratefully accept the invitation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad, then.¡± The small boy¡¯s smile stretched across his face. More than relaxing and warming of the hearts of everyone, it caused them to grow stiffer. S2 Chapter Fifty-One: The Arrogance of the Weak Luca always prided himself on being a smart man. He, unlike his sister, amassed his power quietly. He always allowed himself to live in her shadow. There, he was free to do whatever he wanted without others noticing. And all he wanted was to survive. In truth, he never cared about his sister¡¯s plans. But following them granted him the highest chance of survival. Lyra, despite her attitude, would always protect her brother. But that being said, he didn¡¯t have any negative feelings about betraying her either. Lyra was too weak to protect him from this enemy, so he simply switched sides. It wasn¡¯t as if he hated his sister or bore any ill will towards her; it was just that Luca would never be on the losing side. That¡¯s why even as he sat in the swiftly moving carriage accompanied by Weryn, Wolf, and Mae, he felt no fear. His expression was peaceful, and it was obvious that he didn¡¯t think that they were going to hurt him. If anything, his current behavior could be considered too relaxed. He looked ready to drift off to sleep. His attitude could be considered brave or idiotic. But no matter how you categorized it, he rubbed Mae the wrong way. To her, he was the biggest enemy. The one that she hated the most for ruining her precious experiment. Nonetheless, she kept her hands to herself. She was waiting for him to act out so that she could beat him down, but that didn¡¯t seem likely. And as usual, she couldn¡¯t really do anything without Erebus¡¯ permission. Weryn had agreed with her about messing with the fools a little bit, but that was as much as she was willing to do. Erebus would probably get a real kick out of watching them prostrate themselves and beg for their lives, so Mae would have to grin and bear it. It wasn¡¯t like she had any idea as to what Erebus wanted to do either. His demands had been vague, and he seemed pretty blas¨¦ over the whole issue. He normally put up some sort of act, but it was impossible for Mae to tell what that man was thinking. He was known to do whatever he wanted. And his wants were always irregular. And so, one step from grinding her teeth into powder, Mae continued to stare unabashedly at the tranquil Luca who had, in fact, drifted off to sleep. To be able to fall asleep despite being on the receiving end of Mae¡¯s death glare was commendable--that¡¯s what everyone else in the carriage thought. Especially Wolf, whose shoulder had been turned into a pillow. ¡°This is stupid,¡± is what Weryn wanted to say, glancing at the three others. Wolf was highly uncomfortable, Luca was too comfortable, and Mae was wearing her bloodlust like a goddamn coat. At this rate, she was going to skin Luca alive. Weryn turned his eyes to the scenery outside of the window, his heart weighing too heavily for a boy his age. All these said things were technically progressing smoothly. Except for the mishap with Lyra--which had been more or less expected. The cultists were too scared to act out against them now that they had seen their leader be taken care of so easily. Plus, even if they were dubious, the name Erebus carried a large amount of weight. He was known as the most active dragon, so it wouldn¡¯t be too unbelievable that he had happened to be involved. Still, King Nathaniel was considered small fry in Erebus¡¯ world. It didn¡¯t make sense in their minds, but they were too scared to question it. Weryn understood all of this. This is why he had behaved the way he did and complied to Mae¡¯s desire to stir them up a bit. But why was he doing this? Why go to such lengths in the first place? Easy answer: for his teacher. In Weryn¡¯s eyes, despite how twisted Erebus was, he was still a great figure that the young dragon wanted to please. He wanted Erebus to be thoroughly amused by how these chickens ran around. But if he failed¡­ Weryn could only feel dread. It wasn¡¯t like Erebus would punish him or anything, but it would be a huge blow to his ego. There was too much on his mind right now. How could he make these idiots dance? How was he going to present them to Erebus? Wouldn¡¯t it be funny if they begged and groveled at his feet? Was Erebus even interested in such things? Though he didn¡¯t deny it, Erebus rarely--if ever--flaunted his superiority. He always showed his hand at the end. Weryn swallowed thickly. Had he gone about this incorrectly? No, how else was he supposed to do it? They wouldn¡¯t have complied unless they had forced them to. ¡°Ah,¡± a troubled moan passed through his lips. Really, this was too much for him.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡­ They had arrived. Instead of this being Erebus¡¯ usual place of residence (it would have taken a few days to get there by normal means), it was a manor that used to belong to Lilian. She had happily allowed them to use it since it was closer to where the cultists had resided. Quietly (no one dared speak out), the people in the carriages got out and beheld the sight before them. Two beautiful women met them at the entrance of the building. Just by looking at them, the disarray in their heart was calmed with a relaxed sigh. Though both were gorgeous, the one with white-blonde hair far surpassed the pink-haired rabbit-eared woman next to her. She was also the first to speak, her voice like a sweet song, ¡°Hello, I, Tear of the Moon Goddess, personally welcome you to the home of our master, the holder of the fifth chair of the Dragon Council, Erebus.¡± Lillian said a similar greeting, a soft and rare smile gracing her face. It was only seen when she played with her dolls¡­ but that wasn¡¯t the focus here. What a cramped tongue, was all Wolf could think after listening Tear and Lillian. He wasn¡¯t suited for that eloquent, snotty talk. He just wanted this all to be over with and to receive his praise from Erebus. ¡°Follow us,¡± Lilian commanded before heading off into the building. The nervous humans all meekly followed the two women, sticking close to each other and still not saying a word. Well, all except for Luca, whose loud voice could be heard conversing with Lilian at the head of the mass¡­ Wolf moved to trail behind the group but Mae held out her hand in front of him. ¡°We¡¯re going somewhere else.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°We¡¯re meeting with Erebus,¡± she expanded. He blinked. ¡°I thought that they were.¡± Mae gave him a look. ¡°Of course they aren¡¯t. Do you think that Erebus would allow them an audience?¡± Wolf paused. ¡°I¡­¡± Weryn stepped in at that moment, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This was something that was discussed before.¡± He took a pity on the confused beastman. Wolf had clearly not been listening when Xaltiq had briefed them on what happened and that they were to bring the cultists to the estate, but not to Erebus directly. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Mae said, not displaying any of the wrath from before. Instead, she donned the demure smile of a beauty once again. The change, in Wolf¡¯s opinion, was terrifying. He repressed a shiver and followed Weryn and Mae. Ah¡­ this place was really dangerous. He thought that he had lived a hard life before all of this, but the boss and subordinates here were all insane! It was too much for him to keep up. He wanted to stand out, but that was starting to feel impossible. Part of him also wondered if standing out amongst these people was a good thing. Their twisted personalities were truly something else. Were all the strong as messed up as this? They arrived at the room where Erebus was currently residing, Weryn silently pushed open the door. ¡°Erebus,¡± Mae started, ¡°we have brought the cultists here as you ordered. Lilian and Tear are currently watching over them.¡± The black-haired man that was currently slovenly laid out on a soft-looking chair nodded his head. ¡°What are your impressions of them?¡± Mae¡¯s killing intent could still be felt even though she was masking the majority of it. Weryn answered, ¡°A flock of fools.¡± ¡°Indeed. They¡¯re simply power-hungry humans that ruined your enjoyment. I recommend slaying them,¡± Mae responded. ¡°Of course, I will handle that part for you.¡± Erebus let out a dry laugh. ¡°Wolf, what do you think? Tell me about them.¡± The young beastman blinked rapidly. He hadn¡¯t been expecting Erebus to speak to him directly. ¡°Well, uh¡­ The ringleaders of it all seem to be the siblings, Lyra and Luca. They¡¯re complete opposites. But the rest are pretty unremarkable.¡± ¡°Continue.¡± Was this a test? It was making him itch. ¡°Lyra seems to be very headstrong while Luca is far too relaxed. He is the one that lead us to the others, and he also fell asleep in the carriage ride here.¡± This made Erebus¡¯ eyes light up. ¡°I want to see both of them. Bring them here, Weryn.¡± The small boy nodded and exited. Vyne, who was standing silently next to Erebus, said, ¡°What are you intending to do?¡± He hadn¡¯t been expecting Erebus to take any real interest in these stupid humans. Erebus didn¡¯t respond, but his attitude said it all, ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being allowed to ask me questions.¡± Vyne promptly shut his lips and continued to stare forward. After a short while, the door opened again and two humans followed behind Weryn. ¡°I have brought them,¡± he said, stepping aside to allow Erebus to see them clearer. ¡°Oo.¡± Erebus smiled at them. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Luca responded almost immediately. Lyra glanced at her brother before quietly nodding her greeting for Erebus. Mae was standing near her, so the woman found it a bit hard to speak after having her pride be crushed so easily. Erebus didn¡¯t say anything else, simply staring into their eyes for a long while. Of course, no one else dared to speak. An awkward atmosphere settled over the group of people. Lyra felt like she was crawling in her skin and tried to avert her gaze while Luca gazed back at Erebus, intrigued. Was this man a dragon? A timeless being. One of those who had stood while this world was nothing but molten rock? Everything about him seemed to be very subdued. He didn¡¯t care about his appearance in the slightest, either, that much was obvious. Once again, the man spoke, ¡°Weryn, lead Lyra back to the rest of the group.¡± The expression on the young dragon¡¯s face changed slightly, but he still did as he was told. Luca continued to stand there, also wondering what his fate was going to be. Erebus glanced at Mae. ¡°Except for Luca, I¡¯ll give them all to you.¡± He paused before saying, ¡°Well, have as much fun as you want.¡± Mae didn¡¯t appear to be pleased. Luca was one of the ones she wanted to kill the most. She restrained the urge to glare at the human male next to her. ¡°Okay,¡± she answered. ¡°May I watch?¡± Mae had similar interests to Vyne. He could learn some new techniques watching her. The dragon seemed to hesitate for a moment. ¡°If you really want to¡­¡± Vyne nodded his head, then silently followed behind Mae to the chamber that the cultists had been lead into. When everyone had left, even Luca¡¯s face tightened. Did this mean he was left alone with Erebus? S2 Chapter Fifty-Two: Lines (Part One) Lyra¡¯s heart was in turmoil as she followed behind Vyne and Mae. What the hell was going on? Who was that man? There was no way he could have been that infamous dragon¡­ She swallowed thickly, wondering what she has gotten herself into this time. These people weren¡¯t natural. As a human, she was already technically on the bottom of the food chain. And she could tell that those surrounding her were definitely not human and extremely powerful. Even her bones were shaking. What was going to happen to her? Lyra had done horrible things for the sake of getting the strength that she had now, which turned out to be incredibly useless the second she needed it the most. Part of her knew this was the end. The other part didn¡¯t want to accept that. She stepped into the room full of her followers, all of them wearing expressions of horror and focusing in on the single corpse on the ground. The state of the body was if someone blasted a hole through their torso. Her eyes shifted up to the woman standing above the corpse, wearing a chillingly beautiful smile. What was her name again¡­ Tear of the Moon Goddess? Lyra swallowed thickly, unable to believe that someone who looked so lovely could create a wound like that. Tear¡¯s melodic voice said, ¡°Does anyone else have anything they want to say?¡± Silence met her answer. Anything to say? Why would anyone do that! The poor fellow that had voiced an innocent question, asking what was going to happen to them, had been brutally murdered without any hesitation. She had no mercy! And the woman that was standing next to her didn¡¯t voice any dissent, meaning that this type of treatment was allowed. Everyone swallowed and collectively moved away from her. Her smile grew wider. ¡°Then we will be taking our leave.¡± She threw a glance in the direction of the three that has just entered before quietly exiting with Lilian. Upon their exit, the members of the cult swarmed Lyra.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Who did you meet?¡± ¡°What are they going to do to us?¡± ¡°How do we escape?¡± All their questions came at once, making it impossible for Lyra to answer any of them. She held up her hand in signal for them to be silent. She hadn¡¯t been in Erebus¡¯ presence for long before she was kicked out of the room. She didn¡¯t know what was going to happen to her or her brother, let alone any of her followers.¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± With the delivery of those three words, the group exploded once again. ¡°Are we going to die?¡± one agonized voice cried. Somberly, Lyra shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she repeated. ¡°The best we can do is stay together and fight if we need to.¡± She wouldn¡¯t say this out loud, but the life that she cared about was her own. If surviving meant sacrificing everyone, she would gladly do that! The others quieted. The look in all of their eyes had no confidence or valor. They had already accepted defeat after seeing Lyra be beat so easily. She was someone none of them could match up to. That meant that the one that had put her down was even worse. The door opened once again. Everyone whipped around to see who had just entered. A terrified gasp was heard. It was Mae, that tyrannical existence, and some man that they hadn¡¯t met. ¡°Greetings,¡± the man said with a cool smile. He seemed ready to continue, but a voice rudely cut him off. Mae spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t waste your breath on these worms.¡± Vyne spared a glance at Mae, not used to her holding this type of attitude. Usually, she never took anything seriously. Her and Erebus were from the same flock. Being in the same room as the two of them always gave him a headache. They did whatever the hell that they wanted without a care in the world. But her demeanor now was, frankly, out of character. It scared him slightly. Ever so slightly. Vyne had his own set of principles that he followed, but Mae? She was just as intelligent as he, but something was wrong with her. This woman was far past the line of being insane, he thought. Currently, he was able to tell how cruel she was. It sent shivers up and down his spine. Actually, he felt a little sick. That¡¯s why, for one of the first times in his life, he felt pity for the group in front of him. If there was one thing that he knew, it was this: they were going to die horrible deaths. ¡°Stay back,¡± Mae told Vyne, her eyes beginning to glow with excitement. ¡°If you get in my way, I¡¯ll kill you with the rest.¡± Not doubting her words or strength, Vyne¡¯s back turned rigid and he pressed himself against the door. Getting into a battle with Mae was something that he was sure that he couldn''t handle. On top of that, if he and Mae fought, Erebus would not be happy. It was a situation that Vyne could only wind up losing. So, he suppressed his pride and became a bystander. In a few seconds, he would thank himself for this decision. With him out of the way, Mae¡¯s body catapulted forward. S2 Chapter Fifty-Two: Lines (Part Two) To say that a massacre occurred wouldn¡¯t be the proper way to describe Mae¡¯s antics. Rather, it was a feast. A bloody feast comprised of raw flesh and bones. The first to perish was a young woman who, unlike the others who were frozen in shock, tried to run the second that she saw Mae moved. But of course, Mae was far faster than her. Unseen blades fell upon the woman¡¯s body and shredded her skin and flesh, making her look as if she had been put through a meat grinder. Before she could even register the pain, another unseen force slammed down on her, spraying blood everywhere as she was flattened into a thick, chunky paste. Mae licked her lips and began to remove her clothes until she was completely bare. Everyone looked at her in confusion, but nobody dared utter a word or breathe too heavily. No one wanted to get her attention. In fact, they¡¯d rather run. But the stony-faced man was standing by the only exit, his eyes focused on the group crowded in the corner of the room. In the next second, his eyes darted over to Mae who had begun to roll around in mess, picking up pieces of the woman and placing them into her mouth. The cultists watched in horror as Mae devoured the remains of the woman. Their ears were ringing with the sound of bone shards being grinded to powder underneath the force of her strong jaw¡­ the sound of meat being ripped and torn. Mae let out a delighted laugh, rubbing the viscera over her bare skin and rubbing blood into her face like it was a moisturizer. One man couldn¡¯t help but gag. This caused Mae to freeze in her movements, her neck snapping in their direction. Slowly, she rose. On her face, there was a cruel smile. Her voluptuous body was painted completely red from head to toe. She began to walk towards them, wide hips swaying hypnotically. Mae began to hum, a sweet, carefree sound filling the room. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but be entranced by her. There was a wicked charm to beauty which made them want to throw themselves at her feet. The fact that she was a man-eating beast coming to kill them escaped their minds, not even leaving a whisper of caution. Somebody was too weak to resist the urge to charge forward, so he raced over to Mae and dropped to his knees. His beady eyes were glistening with lust and reverence. His mouth started to move, incoherent words spilling out. What he said only made sense to him and, apparently, Mae. Mae nodded, her smile growing broader and more devilish. ¡°You have no right to look at me. Give me your eyes.¡± He didn¡¯t waste a second. He pried his lids open and tore out his eyeballs in rapid succession, not even cringing or making a sound as the blood began to gush in the form of tears down his face. Blindly, he stretched out his palms with his eyes as offering. ¡°Eat them,¡± she instructed, looking as if she was holding back giggles. His mouth opened and he tossed the organs inside, chewing with happiness and vigor. She burst out into hysterics, her body trembling with laughter. ¡°You damned fool!¡± In a casual movement, she swept her hand to the side. His body was blasted to the side, where it slammed into the wall and compressed until he resembled the same meaty substance as his fallen comrade. His death caused the others to jolt back into reality, realizing that they had been put under some sort of spell. Despair seized their hearts once again. The woman in front of them was certainly a monster dressed in the skin of an innocent beauty. Knowing that they were completely powerless and had no defense against her was the worst sort of feeling. They were simply animals waiting until she slaughtered them. Would their deaths be quick? They could only pray for it. Their corpses would be mutilated, certainly, but it was better than living through and enduring that sort of agony. None of them could even fathom what it would feel like. It was in these dim moments that hope suddenly flared up again. Someone had taken a step forward, Lyra! Everyone still vividly recalled her pitiful defeat, but no one wanted to toss away the idea that she could defeat the beast. Maybe that man would also join in on suppressing Lyra. Then, even if she died, at least they could attempt to escape. Normally, they would not have such cold thoughts, but every single one of them had abandoned the idea of loyalty. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lyra was no saint, so her thought process wasn¡¯t any different. She wasn¡¯t stepping up to defend her followers, rather, she was hoping to strike up some sort of deal! If she could find some way to appease this cannibal, then she would be able to escape with her life. She was already prepared to offer their lives to save her own hide. With a roll of her shoulders, Lyra tilted her chin up and strode over to Mae, ignoring the quaking of her knees. The few seconds that it took for her to travel a couple of meters felt like an eternity. She stopped in front of Mae, staring straight into her eyes. ¡°I--¡± Before the words could even leave her mouth, Lyra¡¯s body was savagely ripped in half. The two pieces were thrown to the side like trash, uselessly clattering on the ground. The air was still. Just like that, their last chance for salvation was gone. Driven to the edge by terror, one woman began to shriek, tears streaming down her face. She pointed a long nail at Mae, spitting out rapid curses. Not too long after, the invisible blades struck once more, severing her limbs from her body and destroying them in a spray of red mist. A pop. Her head exploded, splashing all over everyone. Once someone inside the group had been targeted, everyone snapped. What ensued was chaos. Screams and other nasty sounds quickly filled the room, reverberating off the walls. All the servants in the surrounding areas could hear it, and the beings with heightened senses could get an even clearer sense. Not to mention, the thick, metallic scent of blood was seeping out of the room and spreading everywhere else. Bodies were torn apart and shredded. Others received the same treatment as the first two victims and were crushed into a gooey paste. Limbs and innards were strewn everywhere, blood painting the walls and pooling on the floor. It only took a minute for all of them to be annihilated. Mae chewed on an arm pensively, realizing that she had ran out of toys to kill. She had meant to savour the moments, but the taste of flesh had caused her to rampage. The aggression that she had barely been concealing had taken over, too, which was obviously no help either. But now, all that had faded and she was left in a much calmer state. Still, she was buzzing with excitement. For her, this was the purest form of entertainment. It had been so long since she had been able to feast. Ah, wait, there was still one bug hanging on. A hand reached out from the mass, latching onto Mae¡¯s foot. ¡°Please¡­ spare me. I will do anything.¡± Blood bubbled up and she spat it out onto Mae¡¯s shin. Mae frowned, showing hints of disgust on her face. ¡°Hey, human.¡± Lyra looked up, hope filling her eyes. Her body had been ripped in half, her insides spilling out and mixing with others, even her spinal cord was peeking out from her torso¡­ but she was still alive. Whether it could be attributed to her insane desire to survive or the fact that she had gone through arduous training to make her body strong was unknown. But she clung to life. If she was saved now, she would be able to get healed with the proper magic. Even wounds like this meant nothing to strong, magical spells. Someone like Mae was sure to have such capabilities. Or potions that could mimic it. If she pleaded now, she could continue on. She still hadn¡¯t given up on this! ¡°You talk too much.¡± An unseen force slammed down onto Lyra¡¯s skull, and reminiscent of a grape being stepped on, grey matter and blood splattered everywhere. The pressure slammed down again and again without a single second of hesitation, causing an even greater mess. If her brother had seen this, even his heart would cramp for the sister he felt little love for. And as for Vyne--who was still sitting there silently observing--he had been exposed to plenty violence and gore throughout his entire life, well¡­ He never had any qualms with killing either, even to the point where he enjoyed torturing victims. Innocent or not. But he always had some class about it. But watching Mae? It was like a savage beast playing with its prey. It made even his stomach twist. Her attitude was wholly different from his. There was ecstasy in her eyes. Was she a sexual sadist? No, even that seemed too lukewarm to describe the current scene. He watched as she began to bathe in the gory mess, giggling and rolling about as if she was a child playing in the snow. She looked¡­ happy. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to double over and puke, but even Vyne couldn¡¯t stomach this scene. It was too much. This was the woman Lord Erebus considered to be something like a friend? Impossible. If his master knew about her true personality, he¡¯d definitely turn her away. That man¡¯s apathy only went so far, right? But then Vyne remembered Lord Erebus¡¯ words. He knew. It was just something he didn¡¯t get involved in. Erebus only ¡°cared¡± about the planet. If anyone dared harm it, he would quickly act. If not, he would allow them to do whatever they wanted. The other dragons were also like this. In the eyes of her victims, Mae was undoubtedly sinister. The concept of evil was relative. When one considered life to be sacred and precious, those who disregarded that principle were evil. This held true for the majority of species that lived in this world. For some even if they did not respect all life or hold it equal, there were still lines not to be crossed. Vyne shook his head. He was the one who was being naive here. Doppelg?ngers were beasts like this at the core. Their only desire was to devour. Since Mae had been such a fine and sophisticated one outwardly, he had almost forgotten. Who knew that as their behavior bettered, their inner personalities grew more twisted! Or maybe her case was special. Not wanting to stay any longer, he turned and left, leaving Mae¡¯s gleeful laughter in the distance. S2 Chapter Fifty-Three: A Discussion During the massacre that was occuring downstairs, up in the throne room, there was a completely different atmosphere. It was one, actually, full of laughter. Luca and Erebus were standing in front of each other, bodies quaking from hysterics. ¡°And that¡¯s why--ha--that¡¯s why you should let me have access to your treasury!¡± Luca cried out between peals of laughter. ¡°I would never do something like that, idiot!¡± ¡°Well, why not?¡± Luca grinned. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re using it, anyway!¡± ¡°Human,¡± Erebus exclaimed, clamping his hand on Luca¡¯s shoulder, ¡°you¡¯re quite funny!¡± ¡°Ha-ha, you too--wow, your grip is strong--old man--ow!¡± The two of them had been like this the entire time. Erebus had told Luca that he would receive a reward for being helpful, so the man decided to ask for unreasonable things. This didn¡¯t offend Erebus, in fact, it amused him greatly. He had never met a human that didn¡¯t know about their self-worth! This was incredibly humorous. This man¡¯s greed knew no bounds even when faced with an ancient dragon! He continued to act like everything was perfectly normal. It was definitely hilarious. As for why Luca was laughing¡­ well, he had always been a strange man. ¡°Then, can I take a ride on your back?¡± Erebus began roaring with even louder laughter. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a stallion?¡± ¡°Of course not! But I¡¯ve never flown before so I thought it would be very interesting.¡± ¡°No! Hah! Something else, something else.¡± The two of them held onto their stomachs, tears forming in their eyes. ¡°Eh? But I¡¯ve thought of everything that I want already. You¡¯re too strict with your rewards!¡± ¡°That¡¯s because your value isn¡¯t as high as you think it is!¡± Luca¡¯s sharp face sobered up some. ¡°Oh? Really? What can I do to get something of greater value?¡± ¡°Entertain me!¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Luca wondered. Erebus seemed greatly entertained already. What more did the man need? Seeing that the child had no further intention of asking him stupid things, the laughter faded from Erebus¡¯ throat. Still, his face shone brightly with amusement. ¡°If I knew how to answer you, then I wouldn¡¯t need entertainment, now would I?¡¯ Luca nodded in understanding. From what he had heard¡­ Erebus was the most eccentric out of the entire Dragon Council. He didn¡¯t care much for the rules and regulations that they had established and tended to do whatever he wanted. His frivolous attitude had started to become more widespread ever since he had infiltrated that kingdom and became an adventurer. So, he decided to ask, ¡°When you were an adventurer, was it fun?¡± Erebus looked thoughtful before answering honestly, ¡°Mm¡­ it was far too easy. They were all weaklings and the dungeons were boring. Where¡¯s the fun and that?¡± Luca¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°That¡¯s what your problem is!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Erebus tilted his head. ¡°You¡¯re too strong! There¡¯s only a few beings on this world that could ever challenge your power. You¡¯ll never find a worthy match outside of them.¡± Erebus didn¡¯t make a sound. Why was this human telling him something that he already knew? In fact, he understood this fact far better than Luca could ever. ¡°That¡¯s why you have to restrict your power! Go to their level. That way, everything will be far more exhilarating!¡± Oh. Mae had also mentioned something like this. To him, it didn¡¯t sound like it would be all that great. Even if he lowered himself to their level, wasn¡¯t that just the same as being a weakling? Sometimes, he would play around with his prey and act weaker than he actually was, but then he would come forth to crush them. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do that if he restricted himself! Luca wasn¡¯t stupid, so he noticed the waning interest on Erebus¡¯ face. ¡°How about you try it out! Then you can be the judge.¡± Since Erebus had an easy-going personality, he didn¡¯t shut down Luca¡¯s idea. He didn¡¯t have anything to lose from it, anyway. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Actually restraining his power was something Erebus had never done before, so it would take him some time to figure out how to do it properly. Honestly, he didn¡¯t have any real gauge of his strength. Erebus just acted with what he thought was enough. Generally, it was too much. His concept of what was ¡°enough¡± was starkly different than anyone else. He had never particularly cared, though. But now¡­ well, he¡¯d use Luca as a baseline. Ah, he¡¯d prefer to be a little stronger than the rat in front of him, but Erebus¡¯ idea of a small increment could be enough to level a city. He was well-aware of this, but there wasn¡¯t much that he could do to fix it. Erebus shut his eyes tightly, trying to visualize his current amount of strength. If his power could fill oceans, then he needed only a droplet. Smaller and smaller. He could feel himself growing weaker as he tried to contain the abundant amount of force that had been pooling in his body for thousands of years. His body began to shine as a strange marking burned itself into existence behind his ear. It was an external container of sort that only allowed a small portion of his actual power to be realized. To visualize this, it was like a pinprick in a lid. What lurked behind that lid was turbulent. Forcing all of his might into this was nothing short of, well, nuclear instability. Erebus never had such fine-tuned control and restraint before, so it was extremely shoddy. It would not work. He had far passed the point of what was capable of being suppressed. For it to function properly, that would take time and research. To Erebus, this was not a tasteful answer. And from what he was feeling now¡­ he did not like it. ¡°You live like this?¡± Erebus questioned Luca, disgust riddled in his tone. How were humans even capable of walking? Even when he had first came into existence, Erebus was far stronger than this. Luca¡¯s face twitched. Ah, is it really that bad? Why did he have to look so revolted? Was he bragging? Sorry for being normal. ¡°Is it not suitable?¡± ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Erebus response came swiftly. His subordinates would pity him in this state. Erebus dispelled the seal and the power rushed back into his body. He could breathe normally again. A content smile spread across his face. Luca felt like crying. Erebus had only lasted a few seconds before giving up! This guy was too used to being strong. To him, it was probably equivalent to life. But he couldn¡¯t allow himself to falter. If he wanted to get access to the treasures and wealth that Erebus had, then he needed to prove his worth. ¡°Well, I have another idea.¡± Erebus looked at him, laughter evident in his eyes. It was clear that he thought that Luca¡¯s desperation and greed was hilarious. ¡°Mm, well, what is it?¡± The man hesitated. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t sure if something like this would even work. It was an idea that he had planned on proposing to his sister in order to gain more backing to their clan. He would have to rework it some, but it might work to satisfy Erebus¡¯ desires. He spoke, ¡°If I could be honest with you for a moment?¡± A shrug. ¡°There¡¯s no one that could ever match up to you. And your standards are too high. Everything that you do centers around yourself. It¡¯s no wonder that you¡¯re bored. ¡± Luca had been able to come to this conclusion very quickly based off of what he had heard and conversing with Erebus for this short period¡­ his attitude went far beyond the point of arrogance. He had been fundamentally wrong when he thought that Erebus didn¡¯t care. Rather, this man was so prideful that the people around him had stopped mattering. His ego was the driving force behind all of his actions. To Luca, this was a little scary to actually witness. Erebus had his own set of morals and logic, and he was at the core of it all. What would happen to those that did not fit in? Erebus did not see the problem with this. Luca had already touched on this earlier, so Erebus was already bored with it. The pain and suffering of others--of those weaklings--what did it matter to him? So, his response to this was, ¡°And?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ what I¡¯m saying is¡­¡± Talking to him was difficult! Luca thought that Erebus would show some more concern to his flawed ideology, but the man seriously didn¡¯t give a damn. Would this even appeal to him? Luca had to rethink his pitch quickly. ¡°Have you ever considered taking a step back? You¡¯re always at the forefront, but isn¡¯t watching from a distance also fun? Ah, of course, you¡¯d still be in control, just not as direct as usual...¡± Erebus¡¯ head tilted, his interest flaring up. ¡°It¡¯ll all be one big game.¡± Luca, seeing that Erebus was intrigued, continued on with growing confidence, ¡°The dragons never really interfere with the world. But what if you did?¡± The expression on Erebus¡¯ face twisted negatively. A dangerous glint shone in his eyes. Warning bells went off in Luca¡¯s mind. What did look that mean? Had he said something wrong? Had he missed something in his assessment of Erebus? Luca backpedaled, ¡°No, no. You don¡¯t have to disrupt anything, it¡¯s just about taking a more active role. You guys always respond after something happens. But what if you initiate something?¡± ¡°Such as?¡± The fearsome appearance on Erebus¡¯ face loosened some, but Luca knew that he still had to tread carefully. ¡°A world-wide event hosted by the Dragon Council.¡± Luca cleared his throat. ¡°The,¡± he thought of a name, ¡°Dragon Trials.¡± Seeing that there was no further reaction from Erebus, Luca felt his confidence begin to dim. ¡°You could find participants and put them through a crucible of your creating. You could do whatever you wanted!¡± A look of understanding dawned on Erebus¡¯ face. ¡°I see.¡± This is what Luca meant by a game. He would not be one of the players, but rather, the orchestrator. It was something that he had never thought about before. But he already had ideas flowing into his mind. There was a great deal of things that he could do with this! Erebus thought about it for a moment. He was not sure if the Dragon Council would be up to something like this. But it did sound very fun. Mm, yeah, it¡¯d definitely be entertaining to watch. Watching others struggle was always amusing to him. He could put these overeager servants of his to work, too.