ã€ŠThe Bounty Hunterã€‹


 Prologue: My Part-Time Job

    June 1st, 2088

    My name is Cross Minato, with the family name being Cross and my given name being Minato.  I am 15 years old, having just graduated from middle school and now starting my summer break.  As one would expect from my name, I am half-Japanese and half-American.  This is also reflected in my appearance:  I have green eyes, dark brown hair and a perfect blend of facial features that make it impossible to tell my nationality.  Sometimes I would catch people staring at me, probably because they were trying to figure out where I came from.

    My mother is an elegant beauty from Tokyo while my father is a rugged rancher from Texas.  I was born in the USA, although we moved to Tokyo when I was about 7.  My mother is a corporate lawyer, while my father started an American steakhouse chain after moving to Japan which became surprisingly successful.

    At this point, one would assume that I would say that I am a perfectly normal teenager.  I wish I could say that but I won¡¯t, since that would be a lie.  It was the first day of summer break and I was alone since my mother was working a big case at the office and my father was on a business trip to Sapporo.

    After eating a simple breakfast, I went to my room and started getting dressed in preparation for my shitty part-time job.  It was a job I was doing in secret, so I was only able to work hours here and there when my parents weren¡¯t around.  But my parents are gone a lot, so I have ended up putting in quite a few hours.

    I put on some light brown hiking pants with dark brown steel-toed combat boots and steel greaves.  The leather belt threaded through my pants had leather pouches attached.  Up top I had a green long sleeved shirt beneath a black chest-piece of a military riot armor along with some steel demi-gauntlets (fingers had flexible cloth with steel on back of hand).

    I put a dark brown leather overcoat over all this and covered my face with a dark green bandana and motorcycle goggles.  The bandana had a white insignia depicting a single mountain peak piercing through a layer of clouds.  Lastly, I put on a tan combat helmet, causing my face and hair to be completely obscured. I fiddled with this chuunibyou outfit for a bit, adjusting the pouches and the additional equipment I had on.

    Finally, I was ready to go and started to turn around to head towards the door.  As I was turning I felt a brief eldritch sensation and after the turn my view was not what one would expect.  Instead of my bedroom door, I was gazing upon a snowy evergreen forest.  Apart from the sudden change, the scenery itself was unremarkable.

    The pines were green, the falling snow was white, and the cloudy sky was a depressing grey.  ¡°What just happened!?! Where am I?!¡± were things that I did not say.  I simply started walking through the forest until I came upon a dirt road.  I continued walking on that road, weathering the cold wind that howled through as I headed towards a frozen mountain towering over the forest.

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    The minutes dragged on into hours until I finally arrived at a ramshackle mining town located at the base of the mountain.  ¡°Oi, are you here for that damned troll?¡± a short man called out to me as soon as I entered the town.  He looked to be about 4 feet 2 inches tall and was bulky.  He had a barrel chest and bulging muscles that made his width comparable to his height.  He was bald, but had a large and impressive orange beard that reached his waist.  His ears were not rounded at the ends, but instead they were square.

    Ask 10 people what that man was and 10 people would respond: it¡¯s a dwarf.  I nodded in response to the dwarf¡¯s query.  The dwarf grunted and said ¡°The mine shaft is over there, hurry up and kill that damn thing.  It mauled 5 of my workers when it arrived and has shut down operations for five weeks now.  I¡¯ve had to throw in a slave every so often to make sure that pain in the ass didn¡¯t come out to hunt.¡±

    I didn¡¯t respond and simply headed in the indicated direction while double checking my weapons.  I had a leg holstered 9mm pistol on each side along with a ninjato sword on my back and waist, both of which were hidden by the overcoat.  Lastly, I had a polearm slung diagonally on the back of my overcoat with the handle sticking out over my shoulder.

    It had a 4-foot long blade with the staff portion being about 3 feet long.  The blade had a modest curve with the single cutting edge located on the inside of the curve which ended in a sharp point.  This polearm was known as a rhomphaia and was a brutal weapon that could hack and stab with great effectiveness.  It stayed on my back due to a nifty clasp that was similar to a bear trap.  After drawing the weapon, I could easily holster it again by pressing it to the clasp.  Although I admit it took me ages before I was able to do that in one try.

    At this point I arrived at the mine entrance where the monstrous troll lurked.  I could smell the fetid stench from the worker¡¯s corpses and heard echoes in the mine that indicated the troll was still there.  I unclasped my rhomphaia and entered as the dwarf called out after me ¡°I almost forgot, I threw in a slave a little before you came to stall the troll.  If it¡¯s still alive and able to work be sure to bring it out, so I can save some cost!¡± His heartless words echoed in the mine as I vanished into the flickering darkness thinking to myself ¡°I hate this damn other world.¡±

 Chapter 1: Troll Hunting

    June 1st, 2088

    The troll was of course at the deepest part of the mine, munching away at what was the most recent sacrificial slave.  ¡°Looks like he won¡¯t be saving some cost.¡± I muttered to myself as I sized up the troll in the flickering light of the mine lamps.  It looked to be about 12 feet tall, with the characteristic huge nose and large flappy ears.  It had a humanoid figure, although it was extremely slope shouldered and more resembled a gorilla on its knuckles than an upright human.  Its skin was a dull grey-blue and it was extremely fat.

    I sighed inwardly after I realized just how fat the troll was ¡°With that much blubber, his threat level is a solid 9.¡±  The threat level was a system I developed over the years to evaluate the danger of a situation/opponent and its range is from 1 to 13.  Anything 10 and below is something I can handle although the risk of injury and death varies depending on the number.  11 is a 50-50 situation, 12 is high chance of death and 13 is near certain death.  I have never face a threat level 13 in my lifetime thankfully.  An average troll would be a threat level 7.

    The reason that a fatter troll is more dangerous is due to the ridiculous regenerative ability that all trolls have in this world.  You can cut off a troll¡¯s head or tear out its heart and its regeneration could handle it.  However, the regeneration only lasts for as long as there is energy available for it to use.  Otherwise, the troll turns to dust as the regeneration literally cannibalizes its own body in order to try and recover.

    So the fatter the troll, the more energy reserves it has and thus the more it can regenerate.  Not to mention the extra fat also acts as armor, making it harder to injure in the first place.  Only fire can limit the regeneration, but that was not an option because the mine¡¯s poor ventilation would cause me to suffocate from the smoke.  ¡°It¡¯s gonna have to be a battle of attrition, I guess.¡± I thought out loud as the troll noticed me and immediately lunged with an arm outstretched at a shocking speed.

    I easily sidestepped the arm and promptly swung down my rhomphaia, severing the hand from the body.  Hacking limbs off was a strength of the rhomphaia, even this troll¡¯s fat couldn¡¯t hinder it.  The wrist also had less fat on it than other parts of the body, making things easier.  The troll was unperturbed and immediately swung its arm in sweeping motion as if to slap me away.  Instead of backing out of range, I turned to face the incoming arm and swung down my rhomphaia once more.

    The hand was severed and flew to the side from the centripetal force, allowing me to remain motionless since I was out of range of the now shortened arm¡¯s sweeping motion.  But the time it took for this series of events to occur was enough for the troll to regenerate the hand that I had severed first.  And the troll once again tried to crush me with the new hand, which I severed again.

    Although this mine shaft was big enough for the troll to enter, it was not big enough for it to move freely about.  So it had to make due with these simple attacks.  The lack of available space also limited my flanking options, so this back and forth of the troll regenerating its lost limbs while I kept cutting them off continued for about 25 minutes.  Honestly, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the severed parts turned to dust as they tried to regenerate, I wouldn¡¯t have had any space left to swing my weapon at this point.

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    At last, the troll¡¯s enormous blubber reserves were depleted and the enormous monster was reduced to an emaciated husk.  The troll wobbled unsteadily and I charged forward, nimbly avoiding its last-ditch resistance as I stabbed my rhomphaia right into its heart.  The troll finally collapsed and turned to dust as its regeneration consumed itself, leaving nothing behind.  Incidentally, one of the reasons why people hate dealing with trolls is because they leave no corpse that could be harvested for materials.  I sheathed my rhomphaia and immediately left to report my success.

    The dwarven mine owner was delighted at the news of the troll¡¯s death and immediately paid me the bounty of 2 gold.  Just like in your stereotypical fantasy novels, the currency was divided into iron, copper, silver and gold coins.  20 iron were equal to 1 copper and 20 copper were equal to 1 silver while 20 silver was equal to 1 gold.  1 iron was about the same value as 1 US dollar, so a copper was 20 dollars, a silver was 400 dollars and a gold was 8000 dollars.  For reference, an average commoner makes 1 gold (8000 dollars) a year and lives a very poor lifestyle.

    Merchants, craftsman and the like make more but it varies.  So I took my 16,000-dollar reward and started to leave the mining town as the dwarf yelled out ¡°Alright you filthy lot, time to get back to work and fucking be of use you trash!¡±  The tattered doors on the houses opened up and the workers trudged out slowly.  It was a collection of dwarves, animal eared beast-kin and a few elves.  All of them looked to be starved and worn down as they trudged toward the mine where they would be worked ragged.  And those were just the free workers, all the slaves had been fed to the troll.

    I paid them no mind as I left, since horrid sights like these were rather common in this messed up world.  I checked my watch and saw that it had been 5 hours since I came here.  I was feeling hungry and my mom was going to come back soon, so I decided to leave for home after I reported my completed bounty.  Now that I was out of sight, I stooped down and wrote in the snow with my hand ¡°A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.  A journey of a thousand miles ends with a single step.¡±  These two sentences were written in a circle around me and as I gathered my mana they glowed brightly.  I then took a single step forward and vanished from the harsh snowy north in a burst of light.

 Chapter 2: The Other World

    June 1st, 2088

    Far to the south of the desolate mining town, there was a large bustling city called Obsidia.  It was the capital of the Darkmoon Queendom, which was ruled by dark elves.  Personally, I feel the naming scheme in this world is lackluster but I guess I have no right to criticize.  The Darkmoon Queendom was by far the largest country and the only ¡°civilized¡± country in the world, which was founded by the surviving dark elves who had weathered the destruction of the old world.  This destruction was caused by the Treacherous Deities, the gods who had previously been worshipped before they betrayed their duties and turned the world to ash.

    The queendom dominates most of the continent and is always fighting with its ¡°uncivilized¡± neighbors in an attempt to conquer or even exterminate them.  There was a non-descript building located in the northern district of this city that I reappeared in.  I looked around the empty room and sighed in admiration ¡°No matter how many times I use it; magic is truly amazing.¡±

    Magic exists in this world and it is an integral part of everyday life.  Magic energy, commonly known as mana, permeates everything in this world.  People create magic tools and magic items from various ores, plants and monster parts.  These magic tools allow people to cast magic by drawing in mana from the environment and channeling it for them.

    However, people who can use magic innately without tools or items, wizards, are very rare.  They possess a sixth sense which allows them to sense and manipulate mana directly.  Wizards are not limited by their equipment and the magic they use is far more potent.  Using magic for wizards is almost instinctual, so there is no major learning curve.  This instinct also means that wizards¡¯ magic is very subjective and it could be influenced by a wizard¡¯s emotions along with other factors.  The magic itself is the combination of willpower, focus and imagination with mana used as fuel.

    Wizards can generate and store mana naturally and can even take it in from their environment.  The presence of mana in their bodies allows wizards to live far longer than non-wizard members of their race.  Incantations, rituals, hand seals, magic circles, catalysts etc. are not necessary to use magic, but can be added to aide with casting.  They vary from wizard to wizard, and can be used to help with one of the three components of magic to reduce the overall mana cost or to strengthen the magic.

    Wizards can also create their own magic items and tools, which are collectively called magic artifacts, and these are far more powerful than anything made by a magic crafter because of the enchantments being added onto the magic crafting material.  Thus, wizards are feared and respected throughout this world.

    Wizards are also highly desired by the nobility as retainers.  So for someone like me who does not want any attention, I have to hide my ability to use magic.  One of the two reasons why I do not want any attention would become apparent by looking out into the bustling streets of Obsidia:  in all the throngs of people bustling about there were all kinds of varieties of elves, dwarves and beast-kin.  These were the three dominant civilized races in this world.  They were also a variety of other minor civilized races such as pixies, asurans, gnomes, lamias and tallboys. And if you were observant enough you could note the cloaked figures of the uncivilized races such as hobgoblins, orcs and harpies skulking in the crowds.  Yet not a single human could be seen.

    This world has all manner of races, but the human is not one of them.  In fact, humans are a creature of legend in this world, much like how elves and the like are in ours.  I even once overheard someone fantasizing about what it would be like to meet a human and touch their round ears.  Elves have pointed ears, dwarves have square tipped ears, and beast-kin only have their animal ears, so humans¡¯ round ears are considered cool and exotic which I find odd to think about.

    The fallout from a human being discovered would be tremendous and something I want to avoid at any cost.  The second reason for hiding my magic ability is simply because I do not want to expose all of my strength.  It is important to always have a hidden ace.  This is something that I factored into my threat level system:  all my evaluations are based on the assumption that I am not using magic.  With magic most threat levels are reduced by 3.

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    I double checked to ensure my face was covered and stepped out into the street.  It was a cobblestone road and the buildings were highly reminiscent of Medieval Europe.  I avoided the piles of garbage festering here in the slums and the starving beggars who would soon be rounded up by the guards and sold as slaves.  I broke the hand of a pickpocket who tried to steal my purse and I ignored the brothel criers advertising their pleasure slaves.

    My destination was the Northern Guard Station in order to report the collected bounty.  There is no adventurer¡¯s guild in this world unfortunately, so I have to hunt bounties instead.  These bounties are usually issued by either nobles or wealthy merchants and posted in various government offices.  The targets are criminals or monsters and if a bounty was collected from a client it had to be reported in.

    I always checked for new bounties and reported in collected bounties at the northern guard station, so when I stepped into the building the beast-kin at the counter looked up and smiled.  ¡°Hello Terra, are you here to report a collected bounty?¡±  The dog-eared guardsman asked.  His cheerful demeanor made it obvious he was still a newbie.  Give it time and he¡¯ll become a cold, indifferent bastard or a corrupt scumbag.  I responded to his question by handing over a proof of completion signed by the dwarven mine owner.

    The guardsman¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he saw the document ¡°Wow, you took down a troll alone!  I suppose I should say as expected of the one they call the Peerless!¡±  I ignored his praise and simply turned to leave.  Terra the Peerless, that¡¯s what I¡¯m known as in this world.  I choose the name Terra at random since my normal name would stand out too much.  The title Peerless was received for two reasons:  I work alone and I have no equal in the business, supposedly.  Bounty hunters always work in groups due to the danger of the job, but I have never bothered to make comrades to work with.

    I have no interest in making friends here and if it wasn¡¯t for an obligation I cannot abandon I would never return to this horrid world.  As such, I don¡¯t even speak to people unless absolutely necessary.  Being a bounty hunter allows me to minimize my interactions with others while being able to make money on my own time, which is invaluable for me who still has to go to school and study.  The guardsman meanwhile, was unoffended by my behavior.  I had over the years become well known for my anti-socialness here at the northern station, so my rudeness was ignored.

    I was quick out the door and returned to my hideout.  Once I was in a room with no windows, I started turning and was greeted by the view of my bedroom door back in Tokyo when I finished.  ¡°I¡¯m home.¡±  I murmured out of habit.  I proceeded to strip off my gear and store it in a corner of my closet where I applied a charm to make it invisible after I used magic to clean it thoroughly.

    My ability to use magic is not limited to the other world, although I have a self-imposed rule to not use it casually in my everyday life.  Unless my life or someone who I cared about is at risk, I will not use magic.  If it is someone I don¡¯t know, I will not risk exposure in order to save their life.  I¡¯m sure it seems heartless to most, but I don¡¯t care.  I have learned through bitter experience that I am not a hero who can save everybody, so I don¡¯t bother trying.  ¡°I should get started on the summer homework I suppose.¡±  I said aloud as I headed out the room.

    After eating a light lunch, I was soaking my sore muscles in the bath as I was thinking about what bounty I should try and take next.  I shifted a bit and winced at my aching muscles.  Those 25 minutes of fighting a troll with endless stamina had really taken a toll.  Unlike in the stories, I had no unique super cheat when I arrived in the other world.  I had an above average ability to use magic and that was it.  ¡°Tch, if only I had never discovered that damned world¡± I complained to myself as I started thinking back to how it all started.

 Authors Note

    Hello to the one or two people who are bored enough to read this!  This is my first story, which I hope will be entertaining enough for those looking to waste some time.  I am not a writer, just an avid reader of web fiction who finally got an itch to try writing it.  English is my first language, so I put in an extra effort to make sure the story is readable but it won¡¯t be perfect.  My writing style is a work in progress so the story, dialogue, etc. may be a bit clunky at times but hopefully it will still be mildly entertaining.

    Although it is tagged mature, I would prefer to describe it as ¡°mature lite¡±.  There is violence, adult themes and sexy times but I don¡¯t go into a lot of graphic detail.  There are also some elements of tragedy and gender bender in the story.

    The protagonist is reasonably OP at the start, but it is due to a combination of natural talent and years of development rather than a sudden power-up.  Although there might be the occasional power-up or two in the story, I tried my best not to overdo it.  The adversity he faces is on a level where it is not always an easy win though, so he will have his struggles.  The story will be in first person, and although there will be multiple point of views (POV) it will mainly be from the MC¡¯s point of view.

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    This is an original work, but I am sure one will be able to see influences from various popular stories present.  Feedback is welcome, even if it is negative, although do try and be gentle with your words.  I am always open to improving my writing so don¡¯t hesitate to comment.  The goal is to average a true 3-star rating or higher, so no matter if you think it is a 1-star or 5-star rating please rate!

    Lastly, in case anyone is actually interested in me continuing this story, I would like to warn everyone that I am a believer of the binge release.  I will not promise updates daily, weekly, or even monthly.  I am a medical student so I will have little to no time to regularly update.  However, if and when I do update I will put up an entire arc of the story at once.  My story will have at least 3 arcs for certain upon completion although additional arcs may be added depending on where the story ends up going and feedback from readers.  Thank you for reading and enjoy!

 Chapter 3: Discovery

    The first time I had traveled to the other world was when I was 6 years old.  My family was still living in Texas at the time, and I had been playing alone in my room while my parents were entertaining some guests for lunch.  I was pretending I was a character from an anime I had been hooked on watching and spun around while imitating his transformation scene.

    I felt a weird sensation surge through me as I spun and what greeted me after I had completed my spin was a magnificent panorama of an endless clear blue sky and a sea of green trees beneath it.  I was standing on a large ledge on the side of a mountain which had a small meadow and a few copses of trees situated on it.  There were no animals apart from some birds chirping in the branches.

    Needless to say, this situation was so fantastical that my six-year old self was not actually afraid.  I believed that this was all a part of my imagination so I took a pose and yelled ¡°Fireball!¡±  At my words I felt a surge of energy within myself and a ball of fire rocketed from my palm, exploding in the air about 30 feet away.  ¡°Awesome! That¡¯s just like on TV!¡± I exclaimed and I spent the entire afternoon playing with magic until I got hungry.  ¡°Ah, mom¡¯s gonna be mad if I don¡¯t come back for dinner.¡± I thought, so I hurriedly spun around to get home.

    It didn¡¯t work the first couple of times and I started to get worried.  ¡°How did I do it the first time?¡± I wondered as I focused on that weird sensation I had felt before.  Suddenly I felt it again and I spun, arriving back in my bedroom just in time as my mother opened the door to get me for dinner.  ¡°What have you been doing for so long up here?¡±  She asked.  I simply giggled and said ¡°It¡¯s a secret!¡±

    That mountain meadow became my secret place and I started spending a lot of time playing there.  I would cast all kinds of magic I saw in the anime I watched, and I would run around the meadow while looking at the forest below.  After 3 years, my curiosity finally made me decide to go and explore the forest below.  My constant practice and playing with magic made it easy for me to scale down the mountain.

    Once I reached the bottom I started walking for a little while until I encountered my first monster: a goblin.  It was short, standing about 3 feet tall with dark green skin and a hideous visage.  He had a wooden club in his hand and a filthy loincloth around his waist.  The goblin saw me at the same moment I saw him and immediately rushed me while raising a guttural yell.  I was scared by the killing intent the goblin was emitting and a gout of flame spouted up beneath the goblin, killing it instantly.  The forward momentum led the corpse to sprawl to my feet, where I could see and smell the charred flesh in its entirety.

    I stood in shock for a moment before my senses overloaded and I vomited.  Before I could collect myself, a crude arrow flew from the bushes and whizzed by my shoulder.  I felt pain and saw a decent sized scratch on my shoulder leaking blood.  A group of 12 goblins appeared around me, wielding a collection of rusted metal weapons and primitive bows.

    I quickly turned and reappeared in my room, where a smell of ammonia reached my nose.  I knew that I had wet myself, but I didn¡¯t care as I was too busy crying due to the pain in my shoulder.  Without thinking, I tried to use a healing spell and was surprised when I felt the pain in my shoulder disappear.  I hadn¡¯t ever tried to use magic in my world before, in fact I had subconsciously treated the other world like it was a dream until now.  But reality finally set in and I continued to cry due to the realization that I could have died had the arrow been more accurate.

    I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and I quickly tidied myself up with a cleaning charm before my mother burst into the room.  ¡°Sweetie, what¡¯s wrong?!  Are you hurt anywhere?!¡± my mother asked.  She was an attractive woman, with a tall, elegant figure and silky dark brown hair reaching her shoulders.  Her brown eyes frantically scanned over me, searching for any injuries.  I shook my head and said while I was still sniveling ¡°I had a scary dream.¡±  My mother quickly pulled me into a hug and started to gently stroke my head while whispering ¡°It¡¯s all okay now, dear.  No matter what happens in a dream, it stays there.  When you are here, it cannot follow you.¡±

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    Those words were exactly what I needed to hear and it managed to get me to stop crying as I looked up at my mother and asked ¡°Really?¡±  She smiled at me ¡°Of course, the scary things from your dream aren¡¯t here now are they?  So the next time you have a scary dream, be brave because you will always be in a safe place when you wake up.  And I¡¯ll be here besides you too.¡±  I knew my mother had no clue about my true situation and what I had actually been through, but her words were so spot on and reassuring that the fresh trauma in my heart was already fading.

    What should have been a longstanding scar on my psyche ended up becoming a memory of my mother¡¯s love.  I stopped going to the other world for a few weeks, but soon I returned.  I was determined to be brave like mother told me to and get my triumph over the goblins.  Part of my recovery was also due to my like of hero summoning novels, I had convinced myself that I was like one of those main characters and that I would eventually have to save that world.  Thus, I couldn¡¯t just let some goblins stop me.

    Traveling between worlds has always felt to me like turning a corner.  As you turn, the view before your eyes changes as you walk by whatever was blocking your line of sight.  When I return, it¡¯s like I am going back around that same corner.  So I always reappear in the location I had departed from.  I am also able to sense my immediate surroundings before actually turning the corner, so I instinctually know if there is something blocking me or waiting nearby.  Basically, I can observe the surroundings of the point where I will appear.  That¡¯s why I was able to tell that the goblins were nearby as I appeared in the forest where I had previously run away.

    I snapped my fingers, and a gunshot like crack sounded off in the forest.  I heard leaves and branches cracking as the goblins approached.  They surrounded me, shouting in a guttural language.  I was scared but this time I was ready as several arrows flew towards me.  A wall of wind encircled me, brushing aside the arrows.  I then condensed the wind into a thin line and shot it outwards.  After the whoosh sound of the wind, there was complete silence.  Then the goblins all split in half, along with the trees behind them.  Blood soaked the ground around me and the smell of their entrails reached my nose.  Once again I threw up and then I sat down trembling for a while.  Afterwards, I returned home and ran to my parents for comfort.

    This was the start of a pattern for the next year as I traversed the forest and fought monsters.  I would fight with magic while sometimes getting injured and being scared.  But I would then return home, where the comfort and security along with my parents¡¯ love would heal me.  The defined boundaries I had between the two worlds allowed me to overcome any potentially traumatic events without too many emotional scars.

    Home was safe without a doubt and it was my strength.  Eventually, I became a veteran at fighting monsters and was no longer afraid.  Finally, after a year of travelling I reached the edge of the forest where I came across a small village.  It was here where I would start to learn more about this world, and it was here where the birth of my hatred for it would occur.

 Chapter 4: The Obligation I Cannot Abandon

    June 8th, 2088

    It¡¯s been a week since the start of summer, and I was taking a break.  Specifically, I was browsing some web novels on my phone while finishing up a bounty in the other world.  One of the many unexplainable things in this world was that I still somehow maintained my cell phone reception.  The irony of reading a transported to another world story while in another world never ceases to amuse me, so I often spend my waiting time doing so.  It was easy to pass off my holophone¡¯s projected screen as a magic item.

    Currently I was seated upon the carcass of a particularly large quad-bull, a vicious monster twice as large as a normal bull with two pairs of golden horns on its head and a black steel like hide.  A quad-bull specialized in charging, but its agility was what made it truly dangerous.

    The joints of its legs had a 360-degree range of motion and there were four hooves for each ankle, so the quad-bull could literally turn on a dime while maintaining its momentum.  But it was an extremely simple beast, so an established tactic was to encircle it with people and have it run itself to exhaustion since it would change its focus and charge to whoever hit it last.  It would rank as a threat level of 8 if one had to fight it in close quarters but this wasn¡¯t an issue for me.

    The flexibility of the quad-bull¡¯s joints came at the cost of having relatively fragile ankles compared to its hide, so I dealt with it by shooting a clip of 9mms into its ankles and crippling its mobility before slitting its throat with my rhomphaia as it thrashed around helplessly on the ground.  The meat of a quad-bull was a high-class ingredient, so bounties were often issued for them.

    I had sent a message with a crystal orb to my employer about my successful hunt and so I was waiting for them to come to collect the corpse.  ¡°Hmm, Kira should be back from her trip by now so I¡¯ll go visit her after this.¡±  I thought to myself as I saw my employer coming with a group of mercs and a wagon to haul the corpse away.

    The Employer¡¯s POV

    I, Everett Cook, am the proud owner of the Obsidian Steakhouse, my house specialty is quad-bull steak.  It is a favorite amongst the nobility and I often get hired to cater noble functions.  As an elf, I have been doing this for 150 years or so and the number of bounties I have issued to acquire quad-bull meat are near countless.  As such, I am well aware of the danger of that monster.  It takes about 10 or so talented mercenaries to bring down the beast by exhausting it through a day long battle, and casualties often occur.

    But today I met the bounty hunter known as the Terra the Peerless.  He walked in, with his entire body completely covered, and handed over the bounty sheet I had posted.  I explained the bounty to him and handed him a crystal orb to contact me when he caught a quad-bull.  Honestly, I was skeptical about his ability to handle a job that requires 10 pros.  I examined him rather closely, but I couldn¡¯t figure out anything.  He didn¡¯t speak a word and although it¡¯s obvious he¡¯s not a dwarf, I couldn¡¯t tell if he was an elf or beast-kin or even a savage race like a hobgoblin.  ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if the rumors are true or not.¡±  I thought to myself as I watched him leave.

    Terra the Peerless had mysteriously appeared 3 years ago and quickly became a famous individual in the queendom.  But the rumors surrounding some of the bounties he had completed were so outrageous I found them hard to believe.  Until now.  Maybe 2 hours after he left, the crystal orb I had started shining and an image was being transmitted to me that left me dumbfounded.

    The bounty hunter Terra was calmly seated on the corpse of a huge quad-bull on the plains nearly two hours travel away.  To have already completed the job meant he would have killed that quad-bull in less than 10 minutes after arriving.  He was a monster, an absolute monster.  Cold sweat started forming down my back as I quickly called my guards together to go collect the carcass.  It wouldn¡¯t do to make him wait and let¡¯s increase the payment just to be on the safe side.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I was back in Obsidia, in the southern residential district to be exact, walking as I double checked my recently collected reward.  I was a little confused at the unexplained increase in the payment, but I decided to chalk it up as a bonus for finishing the job so quickly.  I quietly stepped into an empty side alley before casting an invisibility spell and heading to a safe house I had set up down the street.  The southern residential district had much better public order than the northern slums due to a high number of guard patrols so travel was easy.

    After I entered it I quickly changed my outfit and sent it back to my room in Tokyo.  I also unequipped my weapons and strapped on a standard longsword onto my hip instead as I put on a shirt with long, billowy sleeves and some breeches.  Lastly, I put on a hooded cloak that covered my ears from sight.  After this change of clothes, I continued on my way until I stopped in front of a small store with gargoyles on each side of the entrance with a sign saying ¡°9 Lives Trading Outpost¡±.

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    I entered through the front door and called out ¡°Kira, are you home?¡± At my words a golden blur raced across the shop before lunging at me like a predator at its prey.  I heard a joyful shout of ¡°Big brother! You¡¯re back!¡± as the golden blur successfully pounced on me and hugged me tightly.  I returned the hug and was rewarded with a loud purring noise.

    I smiled and looked at my precious little sister Kira, the one reason why I hadn¡¯t already abandoned this shitty world, as well as the living reminder of my failures.  She was an absolutely adorable girl of about 13 years, with long golden hair and sparkling amber eyes with cat-slit pupils.  Her skin was flawless and cream colored.  She also had this cute little mole just beneath the corner of her left eye that looked like the number 9 upon close inspection.  She had light pink lips and perfectly defined facial features.

    In a few years she would without a doubt become an earth-shattering beauty.  She had a pair of golden cat ears tipped with white on top of her head, with a matching tail that was currently dancing around in joy.  ¡°How was your trip?  Did you cause Grandma Kuma any trouble?¡±  I asked her as I started stroking her ears.  She didn¡¯t expect that and let out a cute ¡°Nya!¡± in surprise.  ¡°Mou, big brother don¡¯t do that so suddenly!¡±  ¡°Oh? So should I stop?¡±  ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t say that.¡±  I grinned at Kira¡¯s response as I continued petting her.  ¡°The trip was fun, we got a lot of cool merchandise to sell! Granny is in the back putting it away right now.¡±

    The door to the back coincidently opened at this time and an elegant elderly cat-kin woman walked in.  She had short brown hair and amber eyes just like Kira¡¯s.  ¡°Hello Terra, nice of you to visit again.  Poor Kira here was so forlorn that she couldn¡¯t see her beloved big brother this past week.¡±  Kira¡¯s ears and tail both perked straight up in embarrassment as she turned to her grandmother while somehow maintaining her hug on me ¡°Granny!  Don¡¯t exaggerate!¡±  ¡°Ara, I¡¯m surprised you managed to stop purring long enough to respond.¡±  Kira turned red at this and buried her face into my chest as Grandma Kuma simply laughed.

    Cat-kin purr when they are happy and content.  It is something they only do in the presence of those they trust such as close friends and family.  So I am not exactly sure what¡¯s so embarrassing about Kira¡¯s behavior but I certainly can¡¯t say I know everything about cat-kin culture.  ¡°So are you joining us for dinner?¡± Grandma Kuma inquired.  I nodded ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be intruding for a bit.  I¡¯ve also brought some sweets to contribute.¡±  Both Kira and Grandma Kuma¡¯s ears perked up and their tails started dancing around as I said that.  I often bring some kind of treat from my world when I visit and they have all been quite well-received.  I grinned at their response and took off my hood as we headed to their kitchen to eat.

    Kira and Grandma Kuma are the only people in this world that know I am a human as well as a wizard, although they are unaware that I am from another world.  They are also the only people here that I give a damn about and I have gone to great lengths to ensure their safety.  The gargoyle statues out front are actually a type of golem I created that is powered by a contracted demon rather than a magic core.  There are also various hexes against intruders on the interior and I also placed several vengeful ghosts in the walls to attack anyone who survives the magic.  I even gave Kira a protective charm that would send me a signal if she ever was in danger.

    Lastly, I had bribed the guards to greatly increase their patrols in the southern residential district in order to increase public safety.  Specifically, I indicated for them to keep an eye on a house that was further down the street from the 9 Lives shop.  This was to ensure that if anyone ever investigated my affairs they wouldn¡¯t discover my connection to Kira.  The resident of the house I told them to watch is an arrogant elven bitch who tried to enslave Kira and her family when I was younger.  A truly evil and heartless bitch that one, who only has good looks to be proud of.

    Nevertheless, she makes an excellent decoy and this precaution has led to the guards believing that she is my lover or some such nonsense.  I also planted a special surprise to strike at whoever tries to kidnap the decoy.  Am I being paranoid? Yes, yes I am.  My experiences in this world and the things I have lost in the past due to my childhood naivety have made me to be cautious and wary above all else.  I visit Kira every day I can to make sure she¡¯s safe and doing well.  It¡¯s the only thing I can do to ease the guilt that¡¯s been burdening me since 3 years ago.

 Chapter 5: The Village of Hafor

    I had just finished celebrating my 10th birthday when I had stumbled across that village on the edge of the forest.  It was a small community of about 50 people or so, it would be more accurate to call it a hamlet rather than a village.  But when I looked more closely I could see that there was a group of people discussing something with serious expressions.  ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool! Those people have animal ears and tails!  And that short guy with the beard must be a dwarf!  Woah, and there¡¯s even an elf!¡±  I exclaimed to myself.

    I was delighted at the sight of these fantasy races and as I drew closer I heard them talking in a language I didn¡¯t know.  I pondered for a moment and then quickly improvised a translation spell which miraculously worked.  The timing was perfect since an elderly dwarven women stepped out from the largest house to address the group about what had occurred.  ¡°Everyone, please settle down.  I have talked with the scouting party and we have come to the conclusion that a large group of goblins have moved into the area.¡±

    At her words, the group of adults paled.  One women with dog-ears asked ¡°How large exactly?¡±  ¡°The estimate is about 100 or so.¡±  Everyone broke out into worried whispers and murmurs as a blonde-haired elf cried out ¡°Even if they are just goblins, we aren¡¯t able to take out that many! What do we do?!¡±  My eyes shined at this situation as I thought ¡°This is it! This is my chance to start my otherworld hero story!¡±

    And without further ado, I stepped into the fray.  ¡°Excuse me! Where are these goblins located?¡±  I asked the village chief.  ¡°Hm? They are at the cave by the river to the east.  Wait, who are you?¡±  And so everyone quieted down as they noticed me standing next to the chief.  ¡°My name is Terra and I¡¯m an adventurer!  I¡¯ll go solve your goblin problem for you!¡±  Without waiting for a response, I eagerly ran off in the indicated direction.

    Although there was no trail in the forest, I had a year¡¯s worth of experience allowing me to navigate with ease.  I was free-running at full speed, jumping over thick roots, swinging from the occasional branch and avoiding thick brush that would slow me down.  When I arrived near the cave, I used a simple charm to examine the interior.  My year of monster hunting had taught me to be cautious and always investigate before engaging anything unknown.

    Luckily, all 100 goblins were in the cave.  Even better was the fact that there was only one exit.  That made things very simple for me.  I walked up to the entrance and snapped my fingers.  There was an echo in the cave that continued for far longer than a natural one would.  The pressure in the cave suddenly amplified to the point where I could see the pebbles being crushed into a fine powder.  I heard a series of nauseating sounds from the depths of the cave, signaling the deaths of the goblins from my spell.  My breathing became heavier while my heart rate also increased and I had cold sweats.  It took me a few moments to calm down.  Although I had conquered my fear of fighting monsters, killing was still hard on me.

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    By this point of my other world adventure, 100 goblins were no problem for me.  My ability to transverse worlds seemed to synergize with my ability to use magic, making me more powerful than the average wizard.  Furthermore, my time in the forest had made me nimble and agile.  My current fighting style relied on me evading a monster¡¯s initial attack while scanning it for weaknesses, then I would strike with magic.

    These fights made me develop an infallible intuition that I have relied on ever since.  But despite all of my impressive abilities, I was still a kid.  I may have adapted to fighting, but killing was a different matter entirely.  Even though I knew from experience that monsters were incredibly hostile and vicious, I still had a soft heart.  I couldn¡¯t imagine ever having to kill another sentient being.  I wanted to be a Hero that saved everyone after all.

    My resolution of the crisis made me a hero in Hafor Village and all the residents happily welcomed me.  They thought me to be a guardian spirit due to my human like appearance, my enormous strength unsuitable for a child and the fact that I would disappear and reappear like the morning mist.  I would often hunt and repulse threats in the forest, thus becoming a valued existence in the village.  I learned all sorts of things during my time here.  The village healer taught me alchemy, hunters showed me how to track and stalk prey, and the magic crafter showed me how to make magic items.  At home I only had one friend, and she was becoming busier due to family obligations so we could no longer play together as often.  I started coming to the village frequently to play with the other children since I had no one else in my world.

    It was here where I met Kira, who was currently the youngest in the village at the age of 7 and would be left out when the other children played because she couldn¡¯t keep up.  I, however, approached her the moment I saw her.  Partly because I saw she was lonely and partly because I was fascinated by her cat appendages.  I had always wanted a pet cat but my father was allergic so I could never get one.  I had also wanted a younger sibling, but I never got one.

    Apparently my mother had been deemed infertile when she was young and my birth in of itself was a miracle.  So I definitely spoiled Kira a lot when we were together.  We quickly became as close as can be and she even started to purr for me when we were alone together.  This laid back village life went on for 3 years and then the incident happened in the summer before I entered middle school.

 Chapter 6: I am not a Hero

    That fateful day was without a doubt the worst of my life so far.  It started out with me seeing off my childhood friend Fujimoto Hikari, who was moving away from Tokyo for her father¡¯s work.  She had lived next door to me and since we were the only kids the same age in the neighborhood we were always together.  And so the day after we graduated primary school, I tearfully waved goodbye to her as I watched her go.  I was feeling down the entire day and failed to notice the time until it was nearly evening.  I suddenly remembered that Kira had asked me to come meet her by the river and that I was late by nearly an hour.  ¡°Oh crap!¡±  I thought to myself as I hurriedly ran up to my room and traveled to the other world.

    The view that greeted me was the burning wreckage of what used to be the village.  I saw strewn corpses of men who were cut into pieces and women with their clothes torn apart and their throats slit.  Their faces showed expressions of horror, despair and agony.  They were the faces of kind people I knew who had given me treats or had taught me various things.  My shock was so strong I did not vomit nor did I cry nor did I scream.  I simply stumbled through the debris like a zombie, looking at all the faces until I came to Kira¡¯s house.

    I saw her parents lying there dead, and then I realized that Kira wasn¡¯t there with them.  That sliver of hope that she might still be alive brought me back to my senses and I immediately dashed to the river.  As I came upon the river, I saw two grimy looking beast-kin that looked without a doubt to be bandits standing over a bloodied Kira.  ¡°Shit, this bitch was a handful.  I don¡¯t know if I even have the drive to do her anymore.¡± One of them complained. ¡°Fine by me, I¡¯ll just take your share!  Who¡¯d a thought staying behind to loot some more would yield such an attractive prize!¡± the one who spoke licked his lips with an evil grin.  Kira just laid there on the ground, I couldn¡¯t tell if she was alive or dead.  My blood ran cold at the thought she died, and for the first time in my life I had a killing intent.

    The two bandits were torn to shreds by my magic without ever realizing what happened and I hurriedly ran over to Kira.  ¡°Kira, Kira! Please still be alive!¡± I shouted as I repeatedly used healing magic over and over again, to the point of exhaustion.  I was trembling from my exertion and from the fact I had just killed two people.  I felt her stir in my arms and a temporary relief washed away my trauma.  I quickly escaped with her to my room at home, where I cleaned her up and placed her in my bed.  As I saw her quietly lie there, my tears finally started to fall.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry.¡±  I repeated over and over to Kira lying on the bed.

    If I hadn¡¯t come late, maybe I could have stopped the bandits.  If I hadn¡¯t come late maybe the people I came to care about would still be alive and happy.  If I hadn¡¯t come late maybe Kira wouldn¡¯t be lying here unconscious.  I thought that I was the hero of an other world story.  The villagers would affectionately call me a hero every time I defeated a dangerous monster that threatened them, but now I know the truth.

    I am not a hero.  A hero would have come in time to stop the bandits and save Kira from nearly being killed.  A hero would have protected everyone and not have let a single person die.  A hero would right now be smiling at the village as they celebrated their savior.  They wouldn¡¯t be standing over a sole survivor crying.  I am not a hero.  This thought carved its way into my heart like a knife and stayed there.  That instant would change me from a goofy, innocent kid to something else entirely.  My tumultuous flood of emotions that made me feel like my head was going to explode¡­ vanished as I broke inside.  My mana grew exponentially, as if it were trying to fill the void which appeared within me.

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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Kira, I¡¯m not a hero.  But I will kill them, I¡¯ll kill all of them, so just wait here for a bit.¡±  The voice I spoke with was calm and serene, to the point of it being frightening.  I immediately left for the ruins of the village after casting a spell to prevent entry into my room.  I used psychometry and relived the entire event.  I watched the village burn in a surprise attack by 50 bandits, led by a pretty-boy elf with green hair.  I watched every rape, murder and the sick joy in the eyes of the bandits as they did it.  I saw how Kira had avoided the initial ambush because she had been at the river and then I saw as she came upon the horrific aftermath and was then chased by those two stragglers.

    Anyone watching this playback would have felt a flurry of various emotions, but not me.  I was empty of both emotion and feeling.  There was neither rage nor sorrow.  My state of mind was akin to one in meditation.  But I was most certainly not at peace.  Instead, I had an objective that absolutely needed to be done.  ¡°52 bandits to kill, I should collect the heads in order to not lose track and to show Kira later.¡±  I said to myself with absolutely no inflection in my voice, like a machine.  I picked up the heads of the two bandits I had already killed along with a sword.  An old man in the village had been a mercenary in his youth, and he had taught me the basics of using various weaponry such as the spear and sword.  Using magic, I easily tracked the rest of the bandits to where they had made camp in the forest.

    What happened next was quite straightforward:  I killed them.  I burned them, I stabbed them, I cut them, I bludgeoned them, I electrocuted them, I froze them, I drowned them, I suffocated them, I tore them to shreds, and I decapitated them.  They used a variety of magic tools and weapons as they fought back, but my magic was too strong so their resistance was like that of leaves before an autumn storm.  The one I had intentionally left for last was the green haired elven leader.  I drove him to the brink of insanity through torture and then killed him.  The entire time I had a disinterested expression on my face, as if what was happening had nothing to do with me.  Mentally it felt like I was in third person controlling my body.

    But as soon as I had killed the last bandit, that emptiness disappeared along with my overflowing mana.  I felt a flood of emotions roar back into me and the shock made me vomit immediately.  I then promptly fell to the ground and stayed in a state of shock and hysteria for about an hour before I collected myself.  ¡°You still have work to finish, pull yourself together!¡±  I shouted at myself.  After that scene, I cut off all the heads of the bandits and packed them onto a wagon they had.  Unfortunately, the horse hitched to it had died in the battle.

    I paused for a moment, but decided to try out magic that I had made off-limits because I thought it wasn¡¯t what a hero would use.  It was my first time so I decided to use an incantation to help ¡°I call thee from thy eternal rest, rise once more at my behest!¡±  The corpse of the horse shuddered at my words and slowly stood up.  There was no life in those eyes and its blood did not flow from its open wounds.

    ¡°So this is what necromancy is like.¡± I muttered as I looked towards the undead horse.  It was a simple reanimation spell, so to the unobservant it might simply seem injured, not dead.  I could command the zombie horse with my mind and did so.  By now it was night, so I put on a tattered black cloak to try and maintain some warmth as the wagon rattled along.  I sensed Kira was still sleeping peacefully back in my room, so I decided to first go back and bury the villagers before taking Kira to her grandmother¡¯s in Obsidia.

 Chapter 7: My First Bounty

    A Guard-Captain¡¯s POV

    My name is Oram Likle.  I am a guard-captain of the Northern Residential District of Obsidia, arguably the most dangerous neighborhood in the queendom.  Crime is rampant here and I could randomly throw a stone in the street and hit a criminal who would kill my entire family because I hit them with a stone.  I have seen so many grizzly and horrific things while on the beat that nothing affects me anymore. Or so I thought until now.

    The night shift tonight was like any other at first albeit it being somewhat foggy, with there being a healthy amount of traffic still entering the city at a leisurely pace.  But soon the amount of traffic decreased abnormally and the few travelers that were still coming came at a run.  After getting called out by the guards posted at the gate, I came to interview the most recent traveler: an elven peddler who had nearly collapsed from terror and exhaustion.

    I sat down across from him ¡°So what in the blazes has you so worked up?¡±  And I received nothing but an eerie laugh ¡°HAHAHAahahAhAHaHAAAHAHAhAH!  It¡¯s coming for us! IT¡¯S COMING FOR US!¡±  The peddler had gone completely over the edge.  His behavior was freaking out all the guards, myself included.  I slapped the elf across the face ¡°WHAT¡¯S COMING?!?¡± I shouted.  He just smiled and fainted.  The creaking and the rattling of a decrepit wagon reached my ears.  I looked towards the gate shrouded by fog.

    Coming out of the fog, in the intermittent moonlight, a horse pulling a wagon appeared.  It was covered in wounds that should have been lethal, but it appeared unaffected as it continued to walk in an uneven gait.  The driver of the wagon had no reins, his face was obscured by a tattered black cloak.  Both the wagon and the driver¡¯s cloak were covered in bloodstains and in the back I saw a pile of severed heads with expressions of agony.  An old legend that was universally known claimed that Death likes to collect the heads of those who anger him and he always takes his collection with him in a blood-stained wagon.  My mind went blank as I thought that.  None of the guards made a move for fear of Death turning its attention to them.

    Without any signal from the driver, the horse had stopped and the wagon was right next to me.  I could feel the gaze of the driver and I started trembling in fear.  ¡°Where¡¯s the nearest guard station?¡± Death asked me.  ¡°It¡¯s just down the sst-ss-treet.¡± I stuttered.  Death didn¡¯t respond and the horse started to move without warning once more.  As its back faded into the darkness, every guard at the gate collapsed.  Afterwards, we would all be plagued with nightmares.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    After hours of travel, I finally arrived in Obsidia.  During the trip I was able to think about what to do next.  I realized that keeping the severed bandit heads to show Kira that I had killed them all would be traumatic for her.  So I decided to go to the guard station and see if there had been any bounties out for them before discarding them.  Oblivious to my appearance, I headed to the guard station nearby and was promptly surrounded by a group of terrified guards.  I was unperturbed.  ¡°Are there any bounties for these?¡± I indicated the heads in the back.

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    One of the guards timidly came up and looked and stopped at the bandit leader¡¯s head ¡°Oh my goodness¡­ This is Bandit King Burk!  And that¡¯s Two-Faced Trin! And...¡±  The guard kept listing names and when he finally finished, everyone stood there dumbfounded.  ¡°These are all the members of the Disaster Robbers. How did yo-¡± I interrupted him here, ¡°Just give me the bounty.¡±  ¡°Ah, yes! Right away sir!¡±  My total reward came to 20 gold coins and at this moment I realized how profitable bounties could be.  Apparently the Disaster Robbers were the queendom¡¯s most notorious bandit troupe, with no one being able to stop them to the point of the rural villages treating them as the equivalent of a natural disaster, hence the unoriginal name.

    After claiming the bounty, I left for the southern district where Kira¡¯s grandmother was.  I had been to her place a few times before when I joined Kira¡¯s family on their trips to the city.  I brought Kira over from my room and placed her next to me.  Eventually I arrived at Grandma Kuma¡¯s shop, and I took Kira in my arms and promptly used magic to destroy the wagon and horse, leaving no trace.

    I knocked loudly on the door and waited as I heard Grandma Kuma getting up.  Soon after, Kira was peacefully sleeping in a room while Grandma Kuma was pouring me some tea to drink.  After explaining everything that had happened, I handed over most of the bounty and left.  I was frustrated at my own helplessness and enraged at a world where something like this could happen.  I had failed those people, but I would do everything I could to make sure that Kira lived well.

    My pursuit of keeping that promise changed me.  In order to tutor Kira and make sure she became well-educated, I became the top student at my school.  In order to protect her and make sure she lived comfortably, I started hunting down the most vicious criminals and monsters to make money.  I broke dozens of bones, bled liters of blood, nearly lost several limbs and even came close to death a few times over those years.  I trained at a local dojo and even smuggled some guns from the US and became proficient in their use.

    The many experiences I had changed me, sometimes I wonder what would have happened to that goofy, carefree brat back in primary school had he never gone to the other world.  How much have I lost?  How different would my life be?  These worthless thoughts occasionally flash across my mind as I fight, kill, and claw my way through this world.

 Chapter 8: My Otaku Friend

    June 10th, 2088

    ¡°Oi Minato, you¡¯re spacing out again.¡±  My friend Okamura Reiji poked at me with his chopsticks.  We were currently at a food court in a mall.  He hadn¡¯t started eating yet, but still I was not pleased being harassed with an eating utensil.  ¡°Tch, I was only thinking about something.  Yet here you are assaulting the man paying for your meal.  How shameless.¡±  I grumbled, focusing my attention on Reiji:  he was a rather feminine looking and short Japanese man with black hair and eyes.  He was quite overweight and had a pair of somewhat large glasses on his face.  However, his features could be considered decent in spite of that and he had a laidback and carefree attitude.

    Reiji chuckled lightly and said ¡°My bad, my bad.  Anyways, now that I have your attention.  How¡¯s your vacation been so far?  Did you finish the summer homework yet?¡±  I rolled my eyes at the question ¡°Of course I did, although it was a pain to do.¡±  The private middle school Reiji and I attended has an escalator system to its linked high school but unfortunately that also meant summer homework even after graduation.  It¡¯s a pain, but it is still far better than the failing, underfunded public school system.  The government has been forced to enact all sorts of major changes in an attempt to fix it, causing it to be more similar to the Western school system as a result.  It didn¡¯t affect the private schools much, apart from altering the school year start and end along with the vacation scheduling.  3 months off in the summer reduces education costs, hence the government forced all schools to do that.

    ¡°As expected from our number one student!  Such impressive academic diligence!¡±  Reiji teased.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Mr. Number Two Student.  You could easily take the number one spot if you actually tried.  But you are probably too busy reading manga or playing an eroge to study, you damn otaku.¡± I responded grumpily. ¡°Correct! Currently, I am engrossed in this awesome manga about a hero summoning.  Fufu, in his harem there¡¯s this super cute nekomimi that is so moe.  Ahh, how I wish I could have a nekomimi girl as my own.¡±

    And there he goes.  I should have cut him off early, but now he has built a head of steam and I¡¯m stuck listening to him fantasizing about nekomimi girls.  My problem is not that I find it irritating (although it is), my problem is that I have to restrain myself from laughing.  Imagining the face he would make if he knew the amount of nekomimi exposure I have had over the years makes me want to burst out into laughter every time.  But I endure, because I don¡¯t want to have to explain why I¡¯m laughing so hard to him.  Thank goodness for this stone-faced demeanor that I have developed.  Reiji is the only friend I made since entering middle school and I don¡¯t want to have to lie to him.

    We had met at the start of middle school, when we were both in the same class.  I was alone, since my closest friend Hikari had moved away right after primary school, and I had no interest in talking with others let alone becoming friends with them.  After the events at Hafor, I found it hard to relate with others here at home.  Everything here just seemed so petty and immaterial, it made it hard for me to open up to others.  Even with my parents I had become more quiet, although I was still able to show my emotions.

    My fear of getting hurt by loss made me avoid having more things to lose.  So for the first two months I don¡¯t think I spoke more than a few words to anyone, firmly establishing myself as a silent loner type.  Reiji, on the other hand, was isolated because he was a proud otaku and the class ostracized him for it.  We first had a meaningful interaction when I observed the three class delinquents about to beat him up after school.  Frankly speaking, I wouldn¡¯t have given a damn if it wasn¡¯t for me noticing one of the books on the ground that the delinquents had scattered.

    The title was ¡°A Guide to Fantasy Monsters¡± and it had a picture of an ogre on it that was nearly the same as the one I was trying to collect a bounty on at the time.  I had failed up until now because I lacked information on it and its abilities.  Looking at the cover, an idea flashed through my head.  What if I could use the fiction written in this world as a rough reference for fact in the other world?  I had been doing that to an extent with magic, so why not with other things as well?  The common interpretations in fantasy literature about elves, dwarves and beast-kin were reasonably accurate, so doing the same for monsters wouldn¡¯t be strange.

    And so I decided to help Reiji so I could pick his mind and library for useful info about monsters and the fantasy world in general.  I stood in front of Reiji, facing the delinquents and simply said ¡°Back off.¡±  This statement was accompanied by some mild killing intent.  Most people in this world, let alone some brats, have never experienced killing intent.  So the three delinquents scattered in terror, leaving me behind with Reiji.  I turned around, expecting words of gratitude or something but what I got was completely different ¡°NOOO! Cross-san, I appreciate the help, but this set-up is wrong!  The cool, tough loner type should be saving the love interest, who then melts his icy heart!¡±  Reiji apparently was in shock at the difference between his anime and reality.

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    I was inwardly startled at that unexpected response, and for the first time in what felt like ages, I was amused.  And in my amusement, I decided to make a little mischief.  ¡°You¡¯re right, romance flags like this don¡¯t come up often.  In fact, it may be the only one of its kind I ever come across.¡±  ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s right! Perfect chances like this don¡¯t come up often.¡±  ¡°So take responsibility.¡±  ¡°Okay! Wait, what?¡±  ¡°Melt my icy heart Okamura-san or else I might never know what love feels like.¡±  ¡°EHHHHHH?!?!¡± Reiji¡¯s reaction at that was truly priceless, and I could no longer hold it in.

    ¡°Pwahahahaha!  Baka, that¡¯s what happens when you say stupid things with such a serious face.¡±  I nearly doubled over as I continued laughing and the burdens on my mind felt a little lighter.  It was so refreshing that I couldn¡¯t help but smile afterwards, startling Reiji.  After that incident, I started approaching him and asking him various questions about fantasy novels, tropes, etc. and he would enthusiastically answer.  Eventually, we would start to eat lunch together and even go out after school occasionally.  Simply put, we became friends.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    My name is Okamura Reiji, the child of a computer programmer and a TV producer.  I am what most people call at otaku, although I simply see it as enjoying life to the fullest.  I encountered my hobbies due to boredom.  Both my parents often had to work overtime, so I would be left under the care of a babysitter who had no interest in entertaining me.  Academics were way too easy for me, so I wasn¡¯t able to even study to pass the time.  Honestly, why do so many kids make such a big deal about how hard school is?  But after I started watching anime and reading manga I was able to at last have some fun.

    Naturally, becoming an otaku led to me not having any friends at school.  There were actually plenty of closet otaku at school, but we would only hang out after school due to their fear of becoming social outcasts.  I also had plenty of friends elsewhere who I met at conventions and events.

    It was only in school where I was isolated, but I can¡¯t say that I really cared.  The only time it was annoying was when the bullies would try to physically accost me.  I knew very well that you can¡¯t back down in those situations, so I would always get hurt worse than if I hadn¡¯t resisted.  But most bullies started leaving me alone to find easier targets.

    But when I got to middle school there were these three major idiots who for some reason locked onto me.  It was a very irritating 2 months.  And then one day the Delinquent Trio managed to catch me in an isolated area after school.  It was clear that I wasn¡¯t going to get out of this without a serious beating.  My beloved books were scattered across the ground and I was psyching myself up to go down swinging.  Then Cross-san appeared in front of me, staring down the bullies.

    Cross-san was the only person who was more of an outcast than I was in the whole school.  And it was by choice.  He was the epitome of cool and his outrageously good looks along with his serious personality had all the girls swooning.  But he was always distant with everyone and just seemed to not give a damn about anything.  It was like he saw everything as being too inconsequential.  Honestly, he was way too world-weary for a 13-year old kid.  But here he was standing up for me.  All he said was ¡°Back off.¡± and those three nincompoops ran away crying.

    Ho, this is just like that one scene from ¡°Our Hearts as One¡± where the heroine was surrounded by gangsters and the loner love interest swoops in and saves her.  Man, that¡¯s such a clich¨¦ although their romance after that was well-written.  Wait, didn¡¯t this just happen in real life?!?  And I¡¯m the heroine?!?  NOOO!!! I JUST RUINED CROSS-SAN¡¯S CHANCE AT TRUE LOVE!  I frantically tried to apologize and was then told to ¡°Take responsibility.¡±  Needless to say I was completely dumb-founded at that demand, and the next thing I knew. ¡°Pwahahahahaha!¡±  A clear and mischievous laugh was being emitted from Cross-san¡¯s mouth.

    I didn¡¯t think laughing was physically possible for Cross-san¡­  And then BOOM!!!  Cross-san smiled creating a scene that was way too bright for me to look at directly.  Phew, that was dangerous.  Even my heart skipped a beat and had I been a girl I would have immediately fallen in love.  After that incident, Cross-san started to approach me and we quickly became friends.  Did I just clear the flags on Cross-san?  I¡¯m not the heroine of this shoujo manga-esque development, right?  Cross-san, I¡¯ll apologize once more for usurping the role that a cute girl was supposed to play.

 Chapter 9: The Direct Request

    June 19th, 2088

    Back in the other world, I am currently standing in front of an imposing looking gothic manor.  Like all noble abodes in Obsidia, it is constructed of imposing ebony wood and black mortar.  In my opinion, there should be vampires living in such a place but I shouldn¡¯t criticize my client¡¯s home.  Getting direct requests from clients was rare for bounty hunter groups, after all it was simpler and more effective to just post the bounty publicly and let multiple people hunt for them.

    But if the request needed to be kept quiet, then a private bounty would be issued directly to a bounty hunter group.  I myself have received a number of direct requests, and I have also rejected most of them.  Bounties that need to be quiet are often ethically questionable or borderline illegal.  I am not a hero, but I try not to be a villain either so I usually avoid these requests.  But the client this time is the Prime Minister himself, so I am in the awkward position of being unable to decline without a suitable excuse.

    Thus, I am currently walking towards his office while looking around.  My paranoia seems to be in overdrive due to the ambience so I have been making preparations in case I need to make a quick escape.  My experiences have shown that it is always important to prepare and put as many cards in play as possible so you can deal yourself the best hand you can regardless of the situation.

    For example, if someone was observing me closely they would notice some faint shimmering golden particles falling from my sleeves and dispersing into the air as I walked.  This was my own invention which I call faerie dust, a consumable magic artifact that creates a blinding flash of light and subsequently creates illusions upon activation.  So even after someone regains their sight, they would still be misled by the dust without them even noticing.  If things get dicey during the meeting, I¡¯ll activate the dust and escape.  If nothing happens, I¡¯ll simply collect it on my way out.

    ¡°Prime Minister Fell is inside, please enter.¡±  One of the platoon of guards escorting me opened the imposing double set door and I entered a well-furnished office.  There was an ornate desk sitting on a slightly raised platform and behind there was an attractive androgynous man who looked to be in his mid-twenties.  He had pale violet hair that reached his shoulders and violet eyes with tan skin.  His long pointed ears moved slightly as he heard me entering.

    He looked up and spoke ¡°Several days ago, a traitor absconded with a valuable heirloom.  Fortunately, this heirloom had a tracking charm applied to it by our household wizard.  Based on the information before the charm faded the thief has gone to ground in Malkith, I want his head and my heirloom back.¡±  He thrust out a sheet with details about the bounty.  ¡°That is all you may leave.¡± And he promptly ignored me.

    I was unperturbed by his horrid behavior, since this was the standard way for nobles to treat the common populace.  Before I could leave however, the doors burst open and a dark elven women stormed in.  She had long white hair, burnt orange eyes and would definitely be called beautiful.  Would be, if it weren¡¯t for the expression of outrage she was currently wearing.  One could mistake her for a banshee with that look.  ¡°Icarus! Why are you bringing in street scum like this to find Alfenox?! Veronica is already on-site!  She¡¯s more than adequate to bring back a rogue manservant!!¡± she shouted at the Prime Minister.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    And then she turned her attention to me. ¡°You must be the so called ¡°Peerless¡±, what a stupid name.  Upstart gutter trash like yourself should just go die, thanks to you trekking your filthy self here I¡¯ll have to get the slaves to scour the whole manor clean.¡±  Her diatribe continued against me for a solid 5 minutes and her forceful demeanor made it impossible for Icarus to interrupt.  I remained silent throughout and I picked through the details of her rant to get an interesting conclusion:  it¡¯s not that she is opposed to me going, she doesn¡¯t want anyone going.

    Finally, she ran out of breath and I took the opportunity to calmly ask ¡°So Prime Minister Fell, is the bounty canceled or not?¡±  The Prime Minister pondered for a moment then replied ¡°Arinera, my beloved wife, I value your counsel but the heirloom stolen by Alfenox is far too valuable to risk losing.  There should be no harm in sending additional people who have as reliable a reputation as him. Terra, you will proceed with the hunt.¡±  I immediately left the manor before Arinera could berate me further.  Thankfully I had been to Malkith before so I could teleport there at my leisure.  So I had a free day before I was expected to arrive at the city, which I decided to spend back at home.  Seated at my desk I read the details listed on the bounty.  ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± I muttered to myself.

    This entire scenario was too suspicious.  How could a servant like this Alfenox steal such a valuable heirloom?  The heirloom was an ancient magic sword left behind by the founder of the Fell household.  Something like that would definitely be placed under heavy guard if it wasn¡¯t being wielded by someone.  Alfenox wouldn¡¯t be able to steal it without any help.  The Fell house trying to keep the theft quiet was explainable at least. It would be a major loss of face if word got out and third parties trying to take the sword would definitely appear.  But why would Arinera be so opposed to anyone other than this Veronica going after the sword?

    Even if they were suspicious of additional infiltrators in the household, they should still have some people they trust who could also be discreet.  But it seems that Arinera convinced Icarus not to risk it, which ended up with him hiring me instead.  Yet Arinera was opposed to this as well.  It¡¯s like she¡¯s trying to sabotage the retrieval of the artifact.  But she¡¯s the mistress of the Fell household, so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to weaken her own house.  Or does she simply trust this Veronica absolutely?  ¡°AHHH! Whatever, as long as this scheme doesn¡¯t involve me and I get paid I don¡¯t care!¡± I yelled out as the effort of trying to figure out the intrigue of those damn nobles made my head hurt.  I¡¯ll find out tomorrow what the scheme is whether I like it or not.

 Chapter 10: Veronica and the Bounty Hounds

    June 20th, 2088

    I walked past the gates of Malkith, following the crowd of travelers and merchants flooding into the city.  Malkith was a port city on the western coast of the Darkmoon Queendom.  It was a prosperous place and also home to a thriving blackmarket.  Alfenox was clearly here for the blackmarket but he obviously didn¡¯t realize that he would have no luck selling the sword.  No fence would dare try to sell a sword emblazoned with the Fell family crest for fear of reprisal.  The sword was a high level magic artifact, so removing the crest would be impossible without a decent wizard.

    Thus, Alfenox would have to search for a private buyer who would be able to solve that problem.  That¡¯s a tall task and one that would take a long time, so I don¡¯t have to worry about him skipping town soon.  Before I go searching for him however, I need to meet with this Veronica so we don¡¯t work opposed to each other.  Ideally, I¡¯ll just give her a heads-up and we¡¯ll go our separate ways.  Then I can use magic freely to quickly track down Alfenox and finish this job before something bad happens.

    I arrived at the inn where she was staying at.  I never was given her description so I was going to ask the innkeeper, but then I noticed a hooded woman in the corner eating a meal.  Her face was obscured to some extent, but I could tell that she was probably a dark elf and her gear was all top quality.  The outfit screamed ¡°Noble person trying to be incognito¡± and her table manners were flawless which was completely out of place in this run-down inn.  All nobles in the Darkmoon Queendom are dark elves, so it was obvious that this was Veronica.  ¡°So she seems to be a relative of the Fell House, nevertheless what an amateur.¡± I thought to myself as I approached her.

    I sat down opposite to her and calmly slid over the bounty sheet I had received from Prime Minister Fell that had his signature.  ¡°I¡¯ve been hired by the Prime Minister to bring back Alfenox and the sword Nightrage.  I stopped by to let you know in order to avoid conflict.¡±  I didn¡¯t wait for a response before getting up to leave.  At that moment, ¡°CLANG!!!¡± Veronica had jumped up and stabbed at me with her estoc at a blinding speed.  The clang was from me deflecting her sword with one of my ninjato.  There was a brief pause as we looked at each other.  ¡°You seem competent, good.  But surely you aren¡¯t planning on going without me?¡± Veronica spoke with a clear, cold voice.

    Her hood had fallen off with her thrust, allowing me to see her face clearly.  She had a near divine-like beauty, with flawless light caramel skin and long shining silver hair.  She had luscious purple lips with pale violet eyes on a perfectly sculpted face.  Age-wise she appeared to be about 17 and since elves age like humans do at a 10 to 1-year ratio until they reach adulthood she must be 170 years old.  After adulthood, elves maintain their youthful looks.  But unlike many elves, she had a prominent chest which combined with her slender and curvy figure to make her even more dangerously attractive.  Normally even I would be enchanted with her looks for a moment, but I noticed something more shocking.

    Her eyes had an empty look to them that I was all too familiar with.  It¡¯s similar to the look I had right after Hafor, where I just didn¡¯t give a damn about anything for a long while.  I felt a strange feeling of comradery and connection with this girl.  ¡°I don¡¯t work with others, especially not amateurs.¡±  I replied emotionlessly.

    At those words, Veronica finally seemed to notice that when I had used one ninjato to deflect her blade I had drawn the other one with my spare hand and pointed it at her waist simultaneously.  Her face was still expressionless like a statue, but I noticed a slight tinge of red appearing on her long pointed ears.  So she still has feelings despite those empty eyes and cold expression.

    No, I shouldn¡¯t get involved, it doesn¡¯t concern me.  It doesn¡¯t matter that I can feel that she¡¯s suffered hardships similar to me, I shouldn¡¯t get involved.  I opened my mouth to say farewell but instead I said ¡°But if I leave you on your own, you¡¯ll probably make a mess of thing and I¡¯d get blamed.  So I¡¯ll make an exception this once, I suppose.¡±  Veronica clearly didn¡¯t expect that response, her eyes widened and her ears twitched cutely in surprise.

    AHHH, what kind of tsundere shit line was that?!  Damn it, a moment¡¯s weakness is gonna make this mission be a major pain!  Fuck, I¡¯ll have to manage it!  ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I calmly said as I immediately started walking away.  Veronica quickly pulled up her hood, left money for her meal and followed me.  ¡°I never got your name.¡±  Veronica mentioned as we headed down the street.  ¡°It¡¯s Terra.¡±  I replied and silence resumed.  Neither of us were talkers, so the silence was actually quite comfortable.

    After a few hours, we found a lead on Alfenox from a blackmarket fence that I knew from previous visits.  This led us to a dilapidated building that was supposedly where Alfenox was hiding.  Veronica made as if she was going to go in, but stopped as she saw no movement on my part.  As expected of a fellow silent loner type, after a few hours together we were already very familiar with each other¡¯s nonverbal cues.

    I pulled out a flashbang grenade from my rucksack, pulled the pin and tossed it through the window.  There was the expected flash and a cry of pain from whoever was inside.  Instantly, Veronica charged through the doorway with me close behind.  Alfenox, a blue-haired elf, was rolling in pain on the ground clutching his eyes.  Veronica quickly knocked him out before binding him.  She confirmed the presence of Nightrage and then looked up at me.  ¡°What kind of magic item was that?¡± she asked.  ¡°Flashbang.¡± ¡°Where did you get it?¡± ¡°Personal recipe.¡±  ¡°For sale?¡± ¡°No.¡±  ¡°How unfortunate.¡±  During our brief banter, I had a feeling of unease.  My intuition was screaming danger and it made me keep my vigilance even as Veronica relaxed.

    I heard the faint sounds of bows creaking as they were being drawn and I acted immediately, lunging forward and knocking Veronica off her feet.  My momentum caused us to roll to the very edge of the room, where I then covered Veronica with my body.  What happened next was akin to those 1930¡¯s gangster flicks where the mobsters would stand outside a car and just light it up with machine gun fire.  Arrows, iron balls, bolts, flying daggers, throwing axes, javelins and even chakrams tore up the wall of the rickety building.

    Alfenox was killed instantly and his corpse looked like a pincushion that had been thrown into a blender.  Thankfully, Veronica and I were spared that fate due to two factors:  our location on the edge of the room spared us the focus of the salvo and my armor deflected most of the shots that were on target.  Eventually, the old building partially collapsed under the concentrated fire and the rubble cut off the projectiles.

    A sudden calm descended, one which I knew would be brief.  They likely sent a team to infiltrate the back and finish us off while we have no exit.  I got off of Veronica and evaluated the damage I had taken.  My riot gear armor was still intact, but my leather overcoat was in tatters and I was riddled with small wounds.  I also felt like I had a broken rib and there were a few arrows embedded in my back.

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    Overall though I was still in fighting shape.  I looked over at the ground meat that had been Alfenox, luckily his head was still reasonably intact, and so I cut it off and placed it in a sack.  Veronica was holding the sword so the bounty at least had been completed.  I could feel her gaze boring a hole through me as I helped her up, I also noticed that she was red-faced for some reason.

    ¡°Why?¡± she asked as her eyes swept over the plethora of injuries I had received by shielding her.  It was a clear contrast to her state, where she was merely dirty but unharmed.  I shrugged ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, if you get injured they¡¯d likely deduct it from my bounty.¡±  Haa, that was a weak excuse.  Veronica didn¡¯t even bother honoring that with a response and simply continued waiting for an answer.  ¡°Tch, fine.  Unlike nearly everyone else I¡¯ve met in this world, you are somewhat tolerable.¡±  My tsundere power level is over 9000 today, huh.

    A small smile appeared on Veronica¡¯s face, making one hell of a beautiful scene.  ¡°Risking your life so easily for someone you find somewhat tolerable, it makes me wonder what you will do for someone you actually like.¡± She teased.  I simply hmphed, and turned away.  I¡¯ve resigned myself to inexplicably behaving like a tsundere around this girl.  Thankfully, before Veronica could further tease me, we were interrupted.

    ¡°Haha, Adligo surely has blessed me today!  Who¡¯d a thought that I¡¯d run into the famous Peerless Terra during this job!¡±  It was a rough gravelly voice that sounded like a hoarse dog¡¯s barking and a voice that I recognized.  I also finally realized what Arinera¡¯s scheme was.  I glanced at Veronica ¡°Seems like you were set-up.¡± ¡°Yeah, Arinera really doesn¡¯t like me.¡±  Based on Veronica¡¯s comment it seems like this is not the first time Arinera has tried to do something to her.  I really got myself involved in something troublesome, huh.  In preparation for the ensuing shoot-out I drew my two 9mm pistols, while Veronica un-holstered a magic repeating crossbow.

    ¡°Is that you, Loser?¡±  I called out as I started placing shaped blasting charges all along the perimeter of the collapsed rubble.  ¡°You little fuck! It¡¯s Vuser! My name is Vuser, damn it!  By Adligo¡¯s chains, I can¡¯t wait to piss on your corpse!¡±  The man I call Loser, AKA Vuser, is the head of the Bounty Hounds, a bounty hunting group that I have clashed with on multiple occasions.  As the name suggests, all the members are dog-kin.  Bounty hunters often clash since the person who gets the reward is the one who turns in the proof of completion, which does not always match up with the person who actually completed the job.  This is also one of the reasons why there are not any solo bounty hunters:  they make easy pickings since they don¡¯t have any friends backing them up.

    I ignored Loser¡¯s swearing as I finished wiring everything up and briefly told Veronica our plan of action.  ¡°So Loser, why are you here?¡±  I asked ¡°Ho, here I thought that¡­¡± before Loser could actually continue talking I pressed the detonator and the explosion roared into the street.  The piled rubble blasted outwards like shrapnel tearing into the Bounty Hunters, who were not expecting me to attack in the middle of the conversation since it sounded like I was trying to gather information.  Na?ve.

    I immediately rushed forward into the street, where I saw at least 20 dog-kin unconscious or bleeding out on the ground.  Amongst the forces on the ground there were about 10 or so men on the perimeter that were still standing and there was one very large dog kin kneeling in the middle of the fallen due to the shockwave of the explosion.  He had a heavily scarred face and spotted black-brown hair along with floppy ears like a basset hound.  In his hands there was a massive tower shield and a large morningstar.

    Bang, bang, bang, bang!  I focused my gunfire on the survivors and they started dropping like flies.  Veronica joined me and seconds later only Loser was left.  He glared at me in particular and let loose a long howl that echoed in the street calling for reinforcements.  Based on the ease with which I tore through the troops and the lack of magic gear these must be the cannon fodder while the elites were sent to infiltrate the back.

    I shouted to Veronica in a voice full of fighting spirit ¡°Hold off the incoming troops while I deal with Loser.¡±  I quickly pulled out a bag of grey powder and tossed it towards the charging Loser, who immediately stopped and brought his shield up.  A magic circle engraved on the shield glowed and a blast of wind scattered the powder that obscured his vision just in time to see me and Veronica booking it down the street.

    He was dumbfounded at our immediate flight after all the fighting spirit I had been showing and bellowed after me ¡°You damn coward!¡±  His reinforcements coincidentally arrived at that time and they were about to join in pursuit but then the delayed blasting powder I had tossed and which Vuser had scattered activated.  Rather than a large boom, it was more like a series of firecrackers going off.  Unfortunately, only 1 person of the 9 elites died while the rest merely suffered minor injuries and Vuser was unharmed.  But my objective of delaying them was accomplished and by the time they reconsolidated Veronica and I were long gone.

    ¡°Why did we run?  I bet we could have taken them.¡±  Veronica asked after we successfully lost them.  ¡°No point.  I was paid to bring back Alfenox and the sword, not fight the Bounty Hounds.¡±  I replied.  Vuser on his own is a threat level between 10 and 11 due to all of the powerful magic equipment he possesses and his decades of combat experience.  Throw in the veteran elites who also have magic items and the threat level becomes at least a 12.  Even if I freely used magic it would still be a threat level of 10.

    No way am I risking that while injured, even if I have backup.  I¡¯m not invincible after all, so when I knew who we were fighting I immediately told Veronica my plan for escape.  ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true.¡±  Veronica replied with a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice.  ¡°The Bounty Hounds appear to be a large group, but the real members number less than 10 including Loser.  The others are initiates who can only become members if they survive a year of being used as cannon fodder or meat shields.  Rather than recruiting elites, they forge them through combat.  We only faced the weak ones not the well-equipped veterans, hence why it was so easy initially.¡±  This answer satisfied Veronica and a comfortable silence resumed as we walked.

    This callous approach to life used by the Bounty Hounds only worked because of beast-kin¡¯s rapid maturation.  Much like animals in the wild, beast-kin mature quickly and reproduce early.  It is why they are the most populous civilized race.  Rather than spending 6-7 years in puberty like humans, beast-kin take a year to become youthful looking adults and stay like that until they are 30.  After that they age like humans do.  This development can occur as early as 10 years, but will always occur by 12 years of age.  Huh, now that I think about it, Kira is 13 yet she¡¯s still a child.  Maybe cat-kin are different?  I should ask Grandma Kuma when I get back.  As I was thinking about such things, Veronica and I hopped onto an express carriage to Obsidia to report back.

 Chapter 11: The Young Miss of the Fell House

    June 20th, 2088

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    My name is Veronica Fell and I am the daughter of the Prime Minister of the Darkmoon Queendom.  My mother was the younger sister of Queen Marielle Darkmoon and I am in fact 2nd in line to the throne behind my cousin Feneris.  Unfortunately, there has been a faction of nobles who are in favor of making me the crown princess instead of Feneris.  In terms of ability and talent, I am honestly superior to Feneris in every way imaginable.  Administration, leadership, intelligence, knowledge and even beauty I am better than Feneris.  It¡¯s not that Feneris is bad, I am simply better.

    However, I have no interest in the throne and would be perfectly happy succeeding my father as Prime Minister to help Feneris when she becomes Queen.  Apparently this situation is similar to one that occurred when my mother and the current queen were younger.  But the potential civil war was averted when my mother married into the Fell household, willingly giving up her rights to succession.  My parents had a decent relationship, but my father was always busy with his work and thus it never developed into love.  When I was born, my mother doted on me while my father was indifferent to my presence since the Fells had a male line of succession.

    I had a pleasant although isolated childhood, showered with love by my mother, but then she passed away due to illness when I was only 100 years old.  Everything rapidly got worse after that.  My father remarried within the decade to the daughter of an Earl who had madly pursued him before he married my mother.  Naturally, she despised my existence which was a constant reminder of her early failure.  My father was as indifferent as ever, so Arinera made sure to make my life miserable.  However, she always behaved as though she loved me like her own so no one ever suspected her for the various misfortunes I had suffered.

    Around this time, the faction of nobles supporting me started to form.  This must have renewed the inferiority complex my aunt once had towards my mother and directed it at me.  Her hostility was obvious and my relationship with my cousin turned sour.  My friends abandoned me due to fear of getting involved.  I was alone.  There were those who tried to take advantage of my loneliness, they would wear a smile like a mask and pretend to be friendly with me.  Early on due to my loneliness I would naively trust them, and get betrayed for my troubles.  I became unable to trust anyone for fear of getting hurt due to betrayal.  I became cold and withdrawn, focusing on improving myself rather than living like a child should.  Emotions like happiness or sadness faded away, leaving me with nothing but a lonely emptiness.

    70 years later and I found myself in the city of Malkith pursuing a thief who had somehow managed to steal Nightrage, the sword of the founder of our house.  This was an embarrassment of the highest order.  Servants and guards in a high-level noble¡¯s house were usually all slaves who could not betray them, with the exception of the supervisors who oversee them.  Alfenox was one of these supervisors and if his betrayal was made public it would be a huge loss of prestige for us.  So I was sent alone in order to keep things quiet, although Father mentioned he may be sending backup.

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    After a few days of fruitless searching, I was eating a meal at an inn while in disguise when someone sat across from me.  He was completely covered, with his face being obscured by a green bandana with a symbol of a white mountain piercing the clouds on it.  He immediately knew who I was without asking and simply informed me to stay out of his way.  His tone was cold, indifferent and irritating.  For the first time in years I could feel some kind of emotion: annoyance.  I decided to test this lackey sent by Father, so I lunged at him with my blade as he was about to leave.

    My blow was easily blocked and countered, much to my embarrassment.  We were face to face, allowing me to look into his dark green eyes behind his goggles.  And in those striking eyes, I saw something I never thought I would see:  understanding.  It was strange, but I felt a connection with him.  I felt he knew loss like I did and knew why it was so hard to open up to others.  Maybe, just maybe this person could be someone who become my friend.  With that faint hope inexplicably kindling within me, I told him that I wanted to team up.  When he responded I thought he was going to reject me, but to my surprise he accepted albeit in an awkward way.  It was actually pretty cute how he tried to act indifferent yet he still so easily agreed.  Apparently his name is Terra.

    We spent the afternoon searching for Alfenox.  We hardly spoke more than a couple dozen words to each other, yet we were growing much closer.  It was refreshing to be with someone who didn¡¯t bombard me talking about pointless topics and didn¡¯t expect me to reciprocate with exhausting banter.  I didn¡¯t have to worry about hidden motives and could relax somewhat.  After we caught Alfenox, we were ambushed by a bounty hunter group.

    I didn¡¯t expect Arinera to act so boldly by setting me up like this.  Much to my chagrin, I was caught off-guard and should have died.  Yet Terra saved me, getting riddled with injuries in the process.  Why, why did he do that?  He didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately covered me with his own body to weather the bombardment.  We were as close as lovers and I could feel his warmth envelop me, giving me a sense of security I hadn¡¯t felt in decades.  My face got hot at that thought, but when I saw all of Terra¡¯s injuries I refocused.

    I wanted to know why he so easily risked his life, and ended up getting an indifferent response.  I pressed him and finally found out he saved me because he thought of me as ¡°somewhat tolerable¡±.  I¡¯ve been complimented in all kinds of flowery and poetic ways by many well-spoken nobles and knights, but being called ¡°somewhat tolerable¡± by Terra felt like the most flattering thing I had ever heard.

    Furthermore, Terra¡¯s embarrassment while answering was just too cute.  For the first time since my mother died, I smiled.  With this I¡¯ve decided to try and trust someone one last time.  We easily smashed through the ambush and escaped, although I had wanted to stay and finish them off.  Now we were currently on the express carriage to Obsidia, which would arrive there at dawn.  It would be impossible to sleep on the bumpy carriage, so I¡¯m looking forward to being able to pass the time with Terra.  Fufufu, after all I have to work hard to improve my evaluation past ¡°somewhat tolerable¡±.

 Chapter 12: A New Magic

    August 18th, 2088

    It¡¯s been nearly 2 months since the Prime Minister bounty and since then I¡¯ve been spending the time lazily in the other world.  The money I got from that bounty was the most I ever received for one job, 50 gold coins (400,000 dollars).  That was more than enough to justify a vacation.  I only work for the money and I only spend money on supplies, magic materials and bribing the city guard to protect Kira¡¯s neighborhood.

    The rest of it is saved up to give to Kira when she becomes an adult.  I want to make sure she has enough to live a comfortable life without worry.  I won¡¯t be around forever; I plan to never return here after I make sure Kira is set.  As of now the plan is to wait until she finds a suitable mate so she won¡¯t be alone after I leave.  I won¡¯t accept anyone though, my little sister is special after all and only someone special is worthy of her.

    Would I be considered a sis-con?  Most likely.  Anyways, I have enjoyed these days of peace and quiet.  Surprisingly, in addition to spending time with Kira I have also been spending time with Veronica.  Before we parted ways after arriving back from Malkith, she shyly asked me if she could see me again.  Well, to the unobservant onlooker, Veronica simply said in an icy tone ¡°This mission showed me I need practice.  Come back and train with me later.¡±  But as fellow ice royalty, I could read between the lines.

    I saw her ears were quivering, which meant she was anxious about my response.  An elf¡¯s ears, just like a beast-kin¡¯s tail, always signal their honest emotions.  The strange thing I¡¯ve noticed though, is that no one else in this world seems to have realized that.  I responded with a simple ¡°Ok¡± and although her expression was unchanged, I saw her ears perk up.  This meant she was excited.  And so I started visiting her regularly.  We would spar or go hunting monsters.  Sometimes we would simply pass the time quietly sitting together.

    This was done in secret, since the Fell household would definitely disapprove.  For some reason I can¡¯t explain, I just felt content being with her.  I know I probably should cut off my ties with her since it will definitely lead to something troublesome, but I can¡¯t help it.  I know very well what it¡¯s like to have the emptiness that she had when we first met, and now that I see her eyes so lively I can¡¯t just abandon her.  Not to mention that it¡¯s refreshing to spend time with someone else like me.  I felt no pressure to maintain a conversation nor deal with overly-emotional nonsense.

    Back home things were also going well, my parents both managed to get extended time off for once and so we went on vacation to the US.  My parents are often gone due to their work, but they are the overly doting type when they are around so I have never felt neglected.  I also spent time with Reiji, going to events and just hanging out.

    Currently, I am at one of my safe-houses in Obsidia experimenting with a new type of magic.  Specifically, I am trying to shapeshift.  It would be incredibly useful and would also allow me to normally walk around the city when I am with Kira.  I have already mastered transformation magic, which temporarily and instantly alters your form for as long as you supply mana, but it is too inefficient to use for long periods of time.

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    Shapeshifting, on the other hand, would allow me to make permanent magical alterations to my body which would then require me to shapeshift again to revert back to normal.  It¡¯s not suitable for combat, but it¡¯s perfect for long-term transformations.  Up until now I have had no luck due to lack of mana, but I decided to try something new.  I was trying to shapeshift by imagining my DNA being altered to the DNA of the target species, but that approach might be too mana costly because I don¡¯t know what the target species DNA is like.

    Thus, I have a small sample of fur given to me by Kira.  I held it in my hand to use as a catalyst and once again focused on shapeshifting.  The fur started to shimmer as my mana passed through it and I felt a strange sensation envelop me.  It¡¯s difficult to put into words the feeling of have your anatomy rearrange itself.  After a very uncomfortable 5 minutes, I finished my change and looked into the mirror I had set up beforehand.

    I no longer had my human ears and instead there were two brown cat ears tipped with black on the top of my head and a matching tail that managed to poke out from my pants.  It felt weird suddenly gaining extra appendages.  My eyes had cat-like slits and I could clearly see in the dimly lit room as if it were bright daylight.  My body felt lighter, more flexible and I noticed my nails had become much more claw-like.  My balance had changed slightly due to the tail and I could tell that I would need some time to fully adjust to this new form.

    Afterwards, I left for the 9 Lives Trading Outpost to join them for dinner while still shapeshifted as a cat-kin.  It was the first time I didn¡¯t have to cover my ears in years and it was a truly refreshing experience.  I entered the dining room where Kira and Grandma Kuma were waiting.  They both saw me and were shocked.  ¡°Sorry I was late, I was trying out a new spell.  What do you think?¡± I smiled mischievously as I saw their reactions.

    Grandma Kuma was the first to recover ¡°That¡¯s rather impressive, but the explanation will have to wait until after dinner.¡±  I nodded and sat down, although I had to avoid Kira¡¯s attempts to play with my tail the entire time I was there.  Eventually I had to leave and I was told that they would be gone for a few days on a trading expedition to a nearby town.  I waved good-bye to them and saw Kira smiling happily.  Those feelings of guilt that have plagued me for years have finally started to fade and I was actually starting to have positive thoughts about the future.  But of course this rotten world always finds a way to screw things up.

 Chapter 13: Sole Survivor

    August 20th, 2088

    Kira¡¯s POV

    My name is Kira and I am a cat-kin living in Obsidia.  I have the best big brother in the world.  Well he¡¯s not really my brother but I still call him that since it makes him smile every time.  But I don¡¯t want to be considered as just his sibling.  We first met 6 years ago when I was still living in Hafor village with my parents.  At the time everyone thought he was a spirit of the forest.  To me though he was the only kid who would really play with me, since I was the youngest and couldn¡¯t keep up with the others.  He would always come up with the best games, like chase the string.

    He was also so cool with the way he was protecting the village from all kinds of monsters that used to cause problems.  I idolized him and eventually I developed a massive crush on him.  I would follow him around everywhere and when it was just us, I couldn¡¯t help but start purring in contentment.  There are two different kinds of purring that cat-kin do that are different from each other.  The embarrassing thing was that I wouldn¡¯t purr how cat-kin do when happy with friends and family, but I would purr in a different manner which was used to show happiness with one¡¯s mate.  It¡¯s the equivalent of repeatedly saying ¡°I love you!¡±

    Terra had no idea there was a distinction, but one day my mom walked in on me while I was with Terra and purring that way.  It was so embarrassing.  She naturally started teasing me endlessly about it, while adding that she and dad very much approved of him and asking when the binding ceremony was.  All in all though, I was very happy and content.  And then that fateful day occurred.

    On that day I had decided that I would confess to Terra and try to get a promise we would date when I completed my rapid maturation.  Some of the other girls had started to try to get closer to Terra and I was getting anxious one of them would succeed.  So I was waiting by the river in the late afternoon, which was considered to be a romantic spot, for Terra to arrive but he didn¡¯t show.  I had waited for nearly an hour, but he hadn¡¯t come.  ¡°I wonder if he forgot.¡±  I muttered as I headed back to the village.  I smelled smoke as I got closer and when I arrived, a hellish scene greeted me.  The village was in ruins and corpses were everywhere.

    I immediately ran for home while the tears ran off my face.  I stayed quite because my intuition was telling me the bandits might still be nearby.  And there my parents laid, in a pool of their own blood.  My dad was lying across my mom, he had clearly tried to protect her from something, but the large hole in their chests showed that he failed.  At this point, I couldn¡¯t help but cry out ¡°MOM! DAD!¡± as I hugged their corpses which still had remnants of their warmth.  ¡°Oh? Looks like there¡¯s still a live one here.¡±  At that voice I turned around to see two beast-kin I didn¡¯t recognize, armed with various weapons that were stained in blood.

    As I glared at them, they both gave me lewd looks.  ¡°And she¡¯s even a beauty, a bit young, but I won¡¯t complain.¡±  I couldn¡¯t restrain my rage and I immediately lunged at one of them, managing to successfully leave a series of vicious scratches with my claws.  I immediately payed for that action as a heavy boot connected with me and sent me flying.  ¡°THIS BITCH!¡±  I didn¡¯t wait to see what would happen next as I ran for the river.  I can¡¯t make mom and dad sad by dying here, I have to do my best to survive.  But unfortunately I was caught just as I arrived at the river.  I fought my hardest to hold them off but I took a strong hit to the head and my consciousness started to fade.  ¡°Sorry, everyone.  I wasn¡¯t able to survive either.¡±  Those were the last thoughts I had before I blacked out.

    I regained a little consciousness when I was placed in a soft bed and felt warm drops of water fall on my face.  Were those tears?  I could hear Terra¡¯s voice as it repeated over and over in my muddled mind, ¡°I am not a hero.¡±  I fell back into unconsciousness while trying to make sense of what he said.  When I awoke once more in a nice warm bed, I realized I was very much alive.  Granny was sitting next to me and quietly explained that Terra had saved me.  Relief spread throughout me, followed swiftly by sorrow.  I cried while Granny hugged me with tears coming down her face as well.  When I saw Terra again, I could see the sadness in him as he apologized for only being able to save me.  Granny and I did our best to convince him it wasn¡¯t his fault, but I don¡¯t think it worked.  I never had the courage to talk to him about what I heard him say because he made it clear he never wanted to remember Hafor again.

    Why are memories from the past surfacing in my mind right now?  Simply put, it¡¯s because I am currently in a situation eerily similar to that day.  I am standing with my back to a tree, facing off with two beast-kin who were glaring at me with their weapons drawn.  They were part of the bandits who had assaulted the caravan Granny and I were a part of as we were headed back to Obsidia.  In the chaos Granny and I were able to escape, but we were pursued by a group of 7 bandits.  We managed to whittle their numbers down to 4 thanks to the magic items that Terra had given us.  Unfortunately, we ran out of items and the only magic artifact I had was a defensive one which I was using to block the incoming spells from the bandits¡¯ magic tools.

    I wasn¡¯t perfect, and Granny ended up taking a wind blast to the back.  She was knocked unconscious and the wagon swerved violently, throwing me off before toppling over.  I twisted my body while in mid-air and managed to orient myself and land on my feet.  I doubt anyone other than another cat-kin could have managed that.  I quickly turned to face the oncoming bandits, who gave off wicked grins as they finally caught up.  Those expressions were just like the ones the bandits from 3 years ago had, and it ticked me off.  I wasn¡¯t going to be as helpless this time as I was then.  I had trained for combat with Granny and big brother for years in order to avoid being so useless ever again.

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    I drew my twin short swords and immediately threw one at the leading bandit.  He was caught completely off-guard and died as the sword pierced his throat.  In order to draw them away from Granny, I sprinted off-road onto the uneven rocky terrain.  The three bandits dismounted and followed me.  I rounded a corner and waited for them to catch up.  I ambushed them and managed to inflict a couple wounds before I immediately sprinted off again.  I continued this hit and run tactic several times until they finally managed to corner me leading to the current situation.

    There were only two bandits remaining and they were glaring at me with pure hatred in their eyes.  Although they were wounded, it was a two on one and I was exhausted.  I now regret throwing my sword at the beginning.  Although it took out a bandit immediately, having two blades would have made it easier for me to fight multiple people at once.  Granny has always been saying I need to think ahead in a fight, I guess I should start listening if I survive this. Objectively, my chances of winning look to be about 50/50.

    As if it sensed the oncoming danger, the necklace I had gotten from Terra pulsated with a golden light.  It only did so briefly before stopping, much to my confusion.  Next thing I saw was both of the bandit¡¯s heads soaring through the air as they were instantly decapitated in one swing.  Standing between the corpses was Terra.  There was an empty look in his eyes and he was emitting a fearful aura of extreme detachment and apathy.  Without any movement or apparent action on his part I was suddenly enveloped in a warm and gentle light.  I could feel my injuries and fatigue vanish.  The light was even able to soothe my mind, eliminating the anxiety and fear I had accumulated.

    Immediately after the light faded, Terra picked up one of the heads and it burst into emerald green fire.  The head started screeching in agony and quickly bellowed out words in a language I did not know.  Terra patiently waited as the head continued to talk until the fire completely consumed it, leaving only ashes behind that scattered into the wind.  Terra walked towards me and placed his hand on my head, suddenly we arrived in front of the wrecked wagon.

    Before I could even cry out in concern for Granny who was lying unconscious, she was enveloped in the same light that I had been and fully restored.  The light even fixed the wagon and horses to as good as new.  ¡°Head back to the city, I will finish things up here.¡±  Terra told us in an emotionless voice.  Both Granny and I shivered when we heard that voice.  Cat-kin have an outstanding intuition that is useful in various situations and right now it was telling us that Terra was off in a scary way.

    He didn¡¯t wait for a response and simply turned around and started walking away.  I really wanted to chase after him, but I couldn¡¯t abandon Granny when there was still a chance of more bandits being around.  ¡°Be careful!¡±  I shouted after him and got a casual wave in response.  I again was saved by Terra, but I realize now that I don¡¯t fully understand him.  He clearly has still been carrying that burden of guilt from Hafor even though none of it was his fault.  It makes me so mad that I don¡¯t know how to help him move on.  But I¡¯m not going to give up so easily.  I love him after all.  As soon as I grow into an adult, I¡¯ll tell him that I love him and that I¡¯ll proudly stand by his side as his mate.  And we¡¯ll get past the shadow of Hafor together.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! SUBJECT IN DANGER, PLEASE RESPOND TO SOS IMMEDIATELY!  I had just crossed over to Obsidia when the emergency signal amulet I had given Kira activated.  I immediately turned into a nearby alley and without regard for being seen I teleported to where the amulet was.  For the sake of speed, I didn¡¯t draw a magic circle to aid me and simply spent quite a bit of extra mana to teleport successfully.  The amulet functioned as a teleport marker, so even if it was somewhere I had never been I could still jump there.

    Two filthy beast-kin were standing across from Kira, who was currently backed up against a tree.  There was plenty of blood on the ground, most of it was from the two beast-kin.  Kira was holding a short sword with a reverse grip in one hand and was still full of fighting spirit in spite of her obvious exhaustion.  But that wasn¡¯t what entered my vision.  The scene of beast-kin and an injured Kira reopened the old wound on my heart.

    The d¨¦j¨¤ vu overwhelmed me and instead of seeing the reality that was in front of me, I saw the same scene as back then.  The faces of the villager¡¯s corpses appeared in front of me once again, their screams of despair were ringing in my ears and the smell of burnt flesh caused my bile to rise up.  And just like last time, the overwhelming sensations and emotions came to a crescendo and then suddenly there was only silence in my soul.  ¡°I broke again, huh.¡±  That was the last rational thought I had for a while.

 Chapter 14: The Beginning of a Major Problem

    August 20th, 2088

    I managed to save Kira and Grandma Kuma, but that terrible emptiness persisted.  Based off of the last time this happened, I won¡¯t recover for a while.  But there was something far more concerning (although I couldn¡¯t feel concern at the moment), based on the information I extracted from the dead slaver¡¯s soul.

    That¡¯s right, those men weren¡¯t bandits but were in fact heretics known in this world as slavers.  In this world there is only one religion, a monotheistic religion known as the Cult of Chains.  They worship one deity:  Adligo, the God of Freedom and Duty.  According to the Cult, Adligo recreated this world from the ashes of its predecessor which was destroyed by a civil war between the gods and their followers.

    Each god had competed with each other to gain influence and dominance over each other, eventually escalating to war.  Adligo had been one of these gods and had been the only one to abstain from these rivalries along with his worshippers.  He let the mortals and gods fight as was their right as free beings.  And as the world burned into ash, he then chose to punish those who had abandoned the natural duty that every being had to the world they inhabited.

    He slaughtered his fellow gods who were weakened from the war and used their divine energy to provide the power necessary to remake the world.  The surviving believers of those gods were enslaved and forced to help rebuild the world under the watchful eye of his followers:  the Cult of Chains.  And so the world was reborn.

    No other religion has existed since and the only ones who didn¡¯t follow the teachings of the Cult were the heretics and the atheistic savage races.  True to their beginning the Cult of Chains are the only organization that deals with slaves, having a complete monopoly on the industry.  Their priests/priestesses, known as the Bound Ones, are able to create Slave Marks.  These are a type of magical insignia that are etched onto a person and turn them into a perfect slave.  Any order is absolute and they cannot rebel against their masters.  Only Bound Ones can give orders that supersede the orders of the owner.  These marks do not fade, cannot be removed and can be put onto anyone except wizards, who have an innate resistance.

    However, the Cult of Chains only enslaves non-believers and those believers who have broken one of Adligo¡¯s 5 Chains of Duty.  And although the number of ¡°sinners¡± is a very high amount, demand still far exceeds supply.  Naturally, this leads to a black market in an attempt to fill that gap.  However, it is a very small operation since only the Cult can use Slave Marks and that the Cult actively suppresses the illegal slave trade.  Anyone who attempts to enslave someone without the Cult¡¯s involvement/approval are called slavers and are branded as heretics by the Cult of Chains because they are profaning the freedom guaranteed to all by Adligo.  They are then immediately hunted down and killed.

    If I was in my normal state of mind, I wouldn¡¯t bother with the remaining slavers.  I would simply report them to the Cult of Chains and let them do the rest.  However, I was currently an empty shell of myself and thus proceeded to the base that I learned of from the slaver.  I didn¡¯t bother with strategy or hiding myself as I approached the derelict castle that functioned as the heretics¡¯ stronghold.  My mana was surging to levels far beyond anything I usually possessed due to my altered state and so I chose to use brute force.  I lightly stomped my foot on the ground, sending a flood of magic towards the castle foundation and shattering it.

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    With a large rumbling sound the castle started to fall to pieces, which I assisted with by increasing the gravity in the area.  Using magic I was able to observe as 87 of the 134 slavers died amidst the falling rubble.  There weren¡¯t any captives in the castle, not that I would have cared in my state.  I am not a hero after all, so why would I care about a few more casualties in a world where life is so cheap?  The rest of the slavers were funneled out, with the exception of one man who was hiding in a room in the basement of the castle.  It looked like there had been an escape tunnel there that he was trying to use, but it collapsed when I destroyed the castle foundation.

    Ah, looks like the survivors are climbing out of the rubble.  I unholstered one of my 9mm pistols and started shooting the slavers as they appeared.  It really reminded me of one of those shooting games you see in an arcade, as a face popped out of the debris I shot it.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang.  Bang. Reload.  Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

    Dwarves and beast-kin lied on the ground with a single hole in their head.  18 slavers left and I had run out of ammo.  These guys were likely the ones on guard duty, they were fully equipped as they climbed out of the wreckage.  I enveloped myself with barrier magic and drew my rhomphaia.  The slavers drew magic tools and started bombarding me with fireballs, ice spikes, wind blades and the like.  I ignored it as the magic was blocked magnificently by my barrier.

    With my surging mana I felt no strain at all maintaining the barrier.  My rhomphaia easily cut through their armor and soon I had finished killing everyone except for the guy in the basement.  I slowly trudged through the corpses and down the exposed stairs in the rubble to the basement room.  As I entered the dimly lit room I saw an elf frantically trying to excavate the rubble blocking the escape tunnel.  He noticed my approach and panicked ¡°Are you the one who destroyed the castle!?!?¡± He screamed at me.  I said nothing and merely ran forward with both of my ninjato drawn.

    He swore wildly and fumbled with something in a bag and then pulled it out.  I immediately went low and started to slide towards him.  BOOM!  A familiar sound roared out loudly and the wall behind me was blasted apart.  Before he could use that weapon again I rammed into his legs, causing him to fall forward onto my outstretched ninjato.  His own weight and momentum pushed his body down my blades as I skewered him.

    With his death my empty state dissipated.  A flood of emotions that had been repressed charged into my mind like a stampede, nearly causing me to vomit.  But the main emotion I felt was shock as I looked at the magic tool the elf had been using.  ¡°Impossible.  That¡¯s simply impossible.  How could this exist here?¡±  Lying there on the ground was a pump action shotgun with the words ¡°Made in the USA¡± engraved on the barrel alongside shimmering magical runes.

 Chapter 15: The Hunt Begins

    August 31st, 2088

    Summer vacation has ended and the first day of high school starts tomorrow.  The carefree vacation that I was enjoying after the Alfenox bounty changed into an intense investigation into the origin of the shotgun after the slaver raid.  Attempts of psychometry on the shotgun to find the supplier failed.  The person who gave it to the slaver had high level magical interference set-up, so I saw nothing but static where the supplier was supposed to be during the playback.  Only a talented wizard could conjure this interference, so it looks like my opponent this time is on another level.

    From what I could tell during the playback, the slaver was given this gun as a sample and that the actual shipment was coming later.  Hmm, I guess I should just ask the slaver for the details.  When I first started using necromancy I never expected that I would mainly use it for interrogation and tracking.  It is far easier to wrench out information from a soul than from a living person.

    The slaver was freshly slain, so calling back the soul should be pretty easy.  I dipped my fingers in the slaver¡¯s blood and drew a simple pentagram with the body in the center.  I stood at the edge of the pentagram and poured in my mana.  The pentagram glowed lightly as it started to work, but then it went dark unexpectedly.  The body was still unmoving.  This is strange.  The soul should have been sucked back into the flesh it once inhabited.  I decided to try once again, only to have the ritual fail for a second time.

    There¡¯s only one explanation for this.  That damn wizard must have place an anti-magic seal on the slaver to prevent meddling.  It must have been applied directly to the soul for it to linger even after death.  Although the undead do exist in this world, the idea of necromancy doesn¡¯t.  This further supports the idea that this wizard has visited my world or is from it.  But I must say I am surprised that he even took precautions against magic that doesn¡¯t exist in this world. His cautiousness is truly remarkable.

    He also covered his non-magical tracks.  I looked for the gun¡¯s serial number and saw that it had been magical erased.  There were also no fingerprints on the gun other than those belonging to the slaver.  So this person seems familiar with my world to the point of knowing about gun registration and forensics.  Is it really someone who crossed over like me?  Or are they a wizard from the other world who managed to cross the dimensions?

    It seemed like the gun was a dead end, but my years as a bounty hunter aren¡¯t just for show.  If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve learned about magic it¡¯s that it is far harder to account for all the possibilities of magic than it is to create new possibilities through magic.  He had set up magic interference on himself and an anti-magic seal on the slaver, but there were no magic guards on the gun.  So I used psychometry to trace the gun back to the store it was bought from.  To go that far into an object¡¯s past required me to use a magic circle in order to ease the mana cost.  But it managed to lead me to a gun shop in Georgia.  I saw the wizard, still in static due to magical interference, purchasing it from the owner.

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    At this point, I grinned.  Magical interference is extremely useful since it blocks all forms of direct magical observation.  Clairvoyance, divination, psychometry, etc. are useless against magical interference.  However, it requires a constant supply of mana to keep active and it is only useful against direct magical observation.  In addition, if the person using it is not experienced it¡¯ll make them stand out to other wizards in their proximity.

    To circumvent this wizard¡¯s efforts, I am standing in front of the gun store owner in question.  I put him to sleep before beginning my search through his memories.  The wizard was truly careful by having a constant magical interference present, so I have been forced to use indirect magical observation instead.  The magic interference wouldn¡¯t have affected the owner¡¯s memory of the wizard¡¯s appearance, so by simply looking at the memory I can finally get a start on figuring out this guy¡¯s identity.  Yes!  I found the memory at last and immediately took a look.

    Gun Store Owner¡¯s POV

    ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡±  That thought was repeating over and over in my head due to the Georgia summer heat.  The store¡¯s AC had broken 2 days ago and the damn repairmen was late in fixin¡¯ it.  Thankfully, a customer walked in through the door, distracting me from my discomfort as I greeted him.  He was a smaller fella¡¯, wearing a hooded sweatshirt over some jeans and didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the heat at all.  I casually slid my hand under the counter to grip my trusty shotgun.  Being hooded in this heat is damn suspicious and in a gun shop to boot.  To distract the guy from that action, I struck up a conversation ¡°That¡¯s an interesting button.  What¡¯s it say? I ain¡¯t real¡¯ familiar with Chinese.¡±  The bright pink button in question was pinned on his back pack.  ¡°It¡¯s Japanese, actually.  I¡¯m a producer of the show in question.¡±  The man responded.  I could tell he was rather proud of that fact and he started to take off his hood while he was speaking ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m here to purchase some weapons.  Do you have these in stock?¡±¡­.. BSKD(*&)^*)SPEI!*)$*T#$ NHUWE *@#R )HT!

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Damn, he used telepathy to wipe the man¡¯s memory of his face and characteristics.  As disappointing as this is, it¡¯s not an unexpected result.  However, an evil grin broke out on my face.  The guy screwed up.  I now know his gender and build along with his occupation.  That pink button on the backpack had an emblem of a microphone with the words ¡°Japan¡¯s Rising Idol¡± written on it in Japanese.  Japan¡¯s Rising Idol is a TV show where female idol hopefuls perform in order to win a recording contract with a large Japanese talent agency.  Now I¡¯ll just have to confirm the identity of the wizard in question.  It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult with the information I have gathered.  I drew the teleportation circle in high spirits and disappeared into the night.

 Chapter 16: Reunion

    September 1st, 2088

    It¡¯s the first day of high school and I am dozing off during the entrance ceremony.  The Student Council¡¯s speeches are taking way too damn long.  After what seemed like an eternity, it was finally over and the students were sent to their homerooms.  I took my assigned seat next to the window in the back of the room.  The seat to my right was unoccupied, while the one in front of me was occupied by Reiji.  It was an absolutely perfect set-up, so I was in a rather good mood.  Our homeroom teacher than introduced himself.  He looked to be in his early 40¡¯s with shaggy black hair and a face that reminded me of a bloodhound.

    ¡°Welcome everyone to class 1-C.  My name is Kawaguchi Kurou.  I will be your teacher for this year.  But before we go any further, I will introduce a new student to you all.  By some coincidence everyone here is a graduate of our related middle school, so I¡¯ll let our new student introduce herself first to the class.¡±  At that cue, the door opened and an extremely pretty bishoujo walked in.  She had long black hair to her waist, big black eyes set in a childish face and pale white skin.  Her figure was petite yet well-developed.  She looked about 5 feet 4 inches tall and was a classic Yamato Nadeshiko.  Naturally, the class broke out into whispers at her appearance.  ¡°Wow, her hair is so amazing. And her skin is beautiful, I hope she can tell me which products she uses.¡±  ¡°Yes! It¡¯s a cute girl!¡±  ¡°I hope she sits by me!¡±

    I too was looking at her curiously, but it wasn¡¯t because of her looks (which were stunning).  Although I appreciate and value good looks as much as the next person, I have spent too much time in the other world to let that be the deciding factor for whether or not I am attracted to someone.  If the average level of looks here is a 5 out of 10, then the average is a solid 7 in the other world.  The number of truly horrible people who I have met that were also incredibly attractive has made me place more importance on personality.  So why was I staring?  It¡¯s because this girl was rather familiar, but for the life of me I can¡¯t remember from where.

    ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Fujimoto Hikari.  I enjoy kendo and kyudo and I like baking sweets.  I hope we can all become good friends, so please take care of me.¡±  She gave a bow and Kawaguchi-sensei nodded to her ¡°Thank you Fujimoto-san for that introduction, you can sit in that open seat next to Cross-san in the back.¡±  Looking in my direction, Hikari¡¯s eyes widened in surprise and as she approached me she asked ¡°Is that you Minato?¡±  I looked at my old childhood friend warmly and I couldn¡¯t help but give a gentle smile ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Hikari.¡±

    And for some reason there was an even bigger outbreak of whispering in the rest of the class after my response.  ¡°Cross-san actually smiled!  I didn¡¯t think that was possible!¡±  ¡°It¡¯s too bright!  I can¡¯t look at it directly!¡±  ¡°What kind of history do those two have?!?¡±  ¡°NOOO!  The new girl is already taken!  This sucks!¡±  ¡°NOOO!  Minato has been taken!  This sucks!¡±  Hikari on the other hand looked a little flustered due to surprise, and she took her seat next to me quietly.  I look forward to catching up with her after school.  First though, I¡¯ll have to find a moment where I can punch Reiji who had turned around and given me a big grin while mouthing ¡°Childhood friend flag, get!¡±

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    My name is Fujimoto Hikari.  I am the daughter of a corporate executive and a housewife.  For most of my childhood we lived in Tokyo in a rather nice neighborhood, however there were no other children my age to play with.  It was rather lonely for a few years, until I turned 7 and a new family moved in next door.  They had moved here from the US, and they had a child who was my age.  His name was Minato and we quickly became best friends.  He was a goofy kid who was also a bit of a crybaby.  I would always take the lead whenever we played and he would meekly follow.

    We were always together, going to the same school and staying at each other¡¯s houses enough times to be like we were living together.  Our parents also ended up becoming close friends, so we even sometimes went together on vacation.  Unfortunately, these happy times couldn¡¯t last.  My father is an ambitious man, and the chairman of the company he worked for had no close family he could choose as a successor.  He had been my father¡¯s mentor and wanted very much to pass it on to him.  But some distant relatives had been trying to steal the position.  So my father had been slowly accumulating influence and shares in the company in preparation to become the successor.

    As things got more serious, he started to consider using me in an arranged marriage to gain an advantage.  In preparation for that, I started having to go to all manner of etiquette classes and the like in order to become a suitable lady.  So I saw less and less of Minato, who also started being absent from time to time.  However, we still found some time to be together.  When we were 12, my father ended up having to move to Osaka where the company headquarters were located.  He had just become the chairman and he had to leave for headquarters in order to consolidate his position.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    So I had a teary good-bye with Minato and as I took one last look at his cute, boyish face I realized that I had feelings for him.  I was realistic though and knew that there was a high chance that I would be engaged in an arranged marriage.  And even if I wasn¡¯t, I was moving away and it was possible that we would never see each other again.  But, if by some miracle we saw each other again and I was free to choose, I decided that I would make him mine.  With that determination in my heart, I left Tokyo.

    3 years passed and my father was able to gain majority ownership and complete control over the company.  He moved the company HQ to Tokyo and as a result our family was going to move back.  He purchased several lots in the same neighborhood we were in before and built an impressive mansion.  Furthermore, he never had a need to arrange a marriage for me during those 3 years and told me that I was free to date who I wanted as long as he approved of the boy.

    Against all odds, my hopes were fulfilled and I was back across the street from Minato.  I was enrolled into the most prestigious local high school which also happened to be where Minato was attending.  My parents had already told Minato¡¯s parents we were coming back, but they kept Minato in the dark because as they said ¡°It would be fun to surprise him.¡±  Fufufu, I can¡¯t help but look forward to seeing his expression when he sees his old childhood friend and discovers she has turned into a lovely, refined ojou-sama.  I bet he¡¯s still as big of a goofball as always, it¡¯ll be fun to tease him and watch his cute expressions again.

    A high-spec girl as myself should be able to easily get him to fall head over heels for me.  Such idle thoughts crossed through my mind as I introduced myself to the class.  I had scanned through the students checking to see if I had been placed in the same class as Minato but it didn¡¯t look like it.  Kawaguchi-sensei¡¯s voice interrupted my thoughts ¡°Thank you Fujimoto-san for that introduction, you can sit in that open seat next to Cross-san in the back.¡±  Wait, did he just say Cross-san?  I focused on the student in the back Kawaguchi-sensei had indicated and was absolutely dumbfounded, although I managed to restrain it from being shown.

    That super ikemen there in the back with the cold and aloof look is Minato?  What happened to the cute crybaby who I used to make call me onee-chan even though we were the same age?  I mean sure now that I look closely, this fierce eye-candy clearly has many features in common with the Minato I knew, but this is still too much of a change for only 3 years right? Right?  I had to double check so I called out to him ¡°Is that you Minato?¡±  His piercing dark green eyes locked onto mine and I could feel my heart rate accelerate slightly as I observed his serious expression.

    Then the tension disappeared as he broke out into a smile that completely changed his demeanor.  The coldness vanished and that indifferent bad boy vibe changed into one of a warm and caring sweetheart.  My heart started throbbing loudly and I could feel my face becoming red despite my best efforts to stay composed in front of such an attractive smile.  ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Hikari.¡±  This person is without a doubt Minato¡­ What the hell?  This isn¡¯t how this reunion should be going, you should be the one turning bright red after being surprised by the attractiveness of your childhood friend!  I couldn¡¯t respond and simply took my seat next to him, stealing glances at him every so often.

    Class started and like a rainbow dissipating, Minato¡¯s smile faded and he once again had that cold and serious aura.  I wasn¡¯t able to talk to him during breaks because I was swarmed by my new classmates.  The girls in particular were forceful, demanding to know the extent of my relationship with Minato.  During lunch, I was dragged away by one group and we started talking.  I learned that Minato was known throughout middle school as an anti-social, unapproachable yet extremely attractive loner who only interacted meaningfully with one person.  He never said more than a few words to anyone else, and none of them were close enough to him to call him anything other than Cross-san even after 3 years.

    Apparently, that smile this morning was the first they ever saw.  I couldn¡¯t help but blush at that comment as I realized that he smiled only for me and me alone.  My new friends didn¡¯t miss that and started to happily tease me.  After school today, I¡¯ll definitely be walking home together with Minato.  My heart started beating faster at the thought.  You may have won the first round, but just you wait!  I am a remarkable bishoujo in my own right and I¡¯ll be the one with the last laugh as I make you fall madly in love with me!  And I¡¯ll make you sweat it out a bit after you confess before I say yes as payback!

 Chapter 17: Idol Thoughts

    September 15th, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s been two weeks since the start of school and I am currently standing outside of True Talent Studio, sponsors and creators of Japan¡¯s Rising Idol.  They are the number 1 talent agency in the country and the place where most of the top idols have hailed from for the last 20 years.  I stared at the skyscraper as I sipped a coffee at a shop across the street.  Specifically, I am scouting out the 15th floor, where the Japan¡¯s Rising Idol production set is.  There is a decent sized auditorium on that floor that they use and tickets are sold out to the point of there being a waiting period of 2 years to buy.  I haven¡¯t dared to investigate using magical means for fear of being detected.

    Wizards can sense magic after all and I am not so confident in my stealth casting to avoid their notice.  I can also sense some very subtle yet vicious enchantments against magic protecting that floor and I have no interest in testing them out.  So here I am thinking about how to get in there to do some non-magical observation and ferret the wizard out.  I had initially looked up the producers of the show on the internet, and came up with 17 different hits.

    Apparently it¡¯s all the rage to give producer sounding titles to every employee now.  For example, sub-assistant producer of cinematography is the title given to each and every cameraman.  After eliminating the women and bulky build producers, I still have 5 different producers who could be my target and no magical nor non-magical means with which to examine them.  I can¡¯t even do a stakeout to follow them once they leave the building because the studio has always been paranoid about stalkers so they have multiple exits that their staff can use along with extensive surveillance to spot suspicious people on the exterior.

    Frankly speaking I¡¯m stumped.  Well, almost stumped.  There is one way for a random person off the street to get into the studio easily but that¡¯s without a doubt a last resort.  Unfortunately, I¡¯m down to my last resort.  I silently curse at the sign in front of the building that gave me the idea.  If only I hadn¡¯t seen that sign, I could give up or be forced to think of a different option.

    But no, I had to see it and it had to be the perfect way in and out.  I heaved a large sigh, and abandoned my recon in order to start my preparations.  I have a week until this opening, I need to make it count.  This weekend in particular will be the time I need most in order to adjust.  As I exited the shop, a flyer caught by the wind flew past my face.  It was the same as the sign in front of the building.  In big bold script it read:

    RISE TO THE TOP!

    BE JAPAN¡¯S NEXT GREAT IDOL!

    OPEN AUDITIONS FOR THE NEW SEASON!

    SATURDAY AT NOON

    OPEN TO ALL GIRLS AGES 15 TO 18!

    JAPAN¡¯S RISING IDOL

    Damn it, why did I ever learn how to shapeshift.

    Japan¡¯s Rising Idol Scout¡¯s POV

    September 22nd, 2088

    ¡°Haaaaaaah, this¡¯ll be a pain.¡±  I grumbled out loud as I looked out at the huge crowd of girls outside of the building.  It should be expected since Japan¡¯s Rising Idol is currently the most watched show in the country, but there must be hundreds of girls out there.  And this is only one of the several locations for try-outs.  Whatever, my job doesn¡¯t change.  We¡¯ll open up those gates and let them all flood in and I will pick out the ones who are actually talented.  But before we get to the singing and personality portions, we need to start scoring them based on looks.

    It¡¯s unfair but being attractive is vital for an idol.  Naturally though, we can¡¯t explicitly say that.  All of the final candidates, regardless of looks, do need to be able to sing though so it¡¯s not completely unfair.  Evaluating singing is pretty self-explanatory and personality evaluations are to choose some interesting characters for the show.  Ah, there the doors open and the many hopefuls are pouring in.  There are multiple initial screeners at the door who score the entrants¡¯ looks at the same time they assign them a number.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Each applicant is scored by 3 different people on a scale of 1 to 10, these three scores are averaged together.  Then they are put together in groups of 50.  Each group is sent to a separate area and they go in order of number onto a stage and introduce themselves and answer a few questions.  They are given a minute to answer each question, so they can talk quite a bit about themselves.  After that they are requested to sing an excerpt from a random song.  Personality and Performance are also rated on a scale of 1-10 by a group of 3 people and averaged.  The people with total scores of 21 or higher get further interviewed and examined.  After that, the producers select the actual entrants for the show.

    My group of 50 girls are finally filing in, I look at my two fellow scouts and we immediately begin.  44 entrants later and we have not found a single person worthwhile.  There were a couple of individual 6s for singing and personality but absolutely nothing else.  I was starting to get very tired as I called out ¡°Would entrant number 45 please get on the stage?¡±  But as that girl stepped onto the stage, I forgot my exhaustion as I and my fellow scouts stared.

    This girl was a head-turning beauty.  She had a long slender legs leading into a perfect hourglass figure.  She had large full breasts and a well-shaped butt.  Her skin was pale and flawless, while her black hair was glossy and reached to the small of her back.  She had full red lips, big sky blue eyes, and a perfectly sculpted face.  She wore her simple t-shirt and jeans like she was a supermodel.  Her expression was also unique, unlike all of the other entrants who tried to project energy and cheerfulness, she had a serious expression which was actually quite refreshing.

    ¡°Could you please state your name?¡± ¡°¡­Yamamoto Rin¡± At this point, the applicant would go into further detail about themselves but Yamamoto-san didn¡¯t.  ¡°Why do you want to be an idol?¡±  ¡°I love singing.¡±  ¡°Is that it?¡±  ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How old are you?¡±  ¡°18¡± ¡°Are you a fan of the show?¡±  ¡°I have never seen an episode.¡±  ¡°Are you a cat or dog person?¡±  ¡°Cat.¡±  ¡°Why?¡±  ¡°Because they¡¯re fluffier and they purr.¡±  ¡°What kind of music do you like?¡±  ¡°Rock and Roll¡±.

    It was obvious by this point that she was a taciturn type, which wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing.  My final score would depend on why she¡¯s so taciturn.   Even if it is because she¡¯s an arrogant bitch, I would still give her a 6 due to the variety that her personality would add should she get on the show.  Every show needs a villain after all.

    Time for one last question ¡°What would your ideal date be like?  Please also describe what you would look for in the perfect guy.¡±  Surprisingly, at this question Yamamoto-san started turning red.  ¡°Umm, I don¡¯t really know.¡±  She muttered as she fidgeted cutely.  ¡°I guess¡­um¡­ a movie, maybe?¡±  This girl, has she never been on a date before?  She¡¯s been taken completely off-guard.  ¡°What about the perfect guy for you?¡±  ¡°I¡¯m n,n-not sure.  I never r,rr-really thought about it before.¡±  Her face has turned completely red at this point.

    I couldn¡¯t help but ask Yamamoto-san the question that everyone here was wondering ¡°Yamamoto-san, has a boy ever asked you out?¡± ¡°Ehhh!? Ah, um, that is, no¡­ Can we move on to the singing portion please!?!¡±  Yamamoto-san basically had steam coming out of her ears at the last question.  So this taciturn ice queen in fact has an extremely innocent and cute side that can only be seen when she gets flustered.  That is too moe.  ¡°Sure, Yamamoto-san.  Just please give us a minute to discuss and we can start the singing portion.¡±  The personality evaluations after our discussion were: 10, 10 and 10.

    ¡°Thank you for waiting Yamamoto-san.  Please sing the lyrics as they come on screen.¡±  The music started playing and she started to sing and the room went completely silent.  Her voice was one of the best I have ever heard; it was like what I would imagine an angel would sound like.  Eventually the song ended, and just like before we grouped together to discuss.  Singing evaluation scores were: 10, 10, and 10.  And since even a blind man would rate her attractiveness a 10, Yamamoto-san has become the first contestant in the show¡¯s history to get a perfect undisputed 30 in qualifications.  It¡¯s clear that she¡¯ll be the prohibitive favorite on the show.  As I watched Yamamoto-san bow and leave, I couldn¡¯t help but think that this¡¯ll be the best season yet.

 Chapter 18: Target Acquired

    September 22nd, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    NEVER AGAIN.  After suffering through that personality and singing evaluation at Japan¡¯s Rising Idol I have decided never again to gender-swap.  I knew it was going to be tough based on my practices at being a girl during the week leading up to the audition, but those damn judges¡¯ questions really cut me deep.  I had originally planned to have a real upbeat and chipper personality in order to construct a new persona for this body but I couldn¡¯t do it.

    Being the focus of such a large group made me extremely tense and withdrawn.  The one consolation that I have is that I managed to narrow down the potential wizard suspects to 2.  The three assistant producers of casting on the list were fortunately involved in the second stage interview, which I had qualified for after the initial evaluations.  I filled out a variety of fake information I had prepared beforehand and answered a few questions.

    I had enchanted my watch to secretly let out a very irritating low ringing sound that only those who have a sixth sense can notice or ¡°hear¡±.  Kind of like a dog whistle for wizards.  The ¡°sound¡± is the exact same as the actual alarm on this watch.  Thus, my plan is to see if someone notices it.  I¡¯ll then be able to pass off that sound as simply my watch¡¯s alarm going off accidentally so the wizard doesn¡¯t grow suspicious.  My greatest advantage right now is that this wizard doesn¡¯t know that I am looking for him and I don¡¯t want to lose that edge.

    Anyway, I am currently headed toward the exit after I got a ¡°we¡¯ll call you¡± from the casting producers.  It¡¯s a bit disappointing I couldn¡¯t find out who the wizard was from this visit, but I could get away with checking the last pair of producers by pretending to be a desperate applicant and accosting them outside the studio.  As I was planning when to do the stakeout, I bumped into someone who was entering the building.  Due to my lack of coordination in this form, I fell flat on my butt.  ¡°Kya!¡±  That scream was just for acting¡­

    ¡°Sorry about that.  Are you okay?¡±  I looked up and saw a handsome oji-san looking at me with a face of concern.  He had short black hair and black eyes, set in a face with well-defined features.  Based on the sensation when I bumped into him, he definitely was physically fit.  ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I told him as he helped me up.  It looks like I still can¡¯t change my taciturn behavior.  This guy was one of the two left on my list:  executive producer Fujioka Shichiro.  I secretly touched my watch, activating the enchantment.  ¡°What¡¯s that noise?¡± Fujioka-san asked with a hint of suspicion as soon as I turned it on.

    Actual hearing and ¡°hearing¡± with the sixth sense are slightly different so I have to act fast before he notices the irregularity.  ¡°My alarm.¡±  I said as I held up my watch and started fiddling with it, intentionally turning the actual alarm on at full volume before finally turning it all off.  His suspicions disappeared after seeing that and looking at the name tag with my audition number that was still pinned on my shirt.  ¡°Were you here for the audition?¡±  ¡°Yes.¡± I replied.  ¡°Well, best of luck to you.¡±  ¡°Thank you.¡±  I gave him a bow and left.  Bingo, I finally found my mystery man.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    While I was thinking about how to investigate and whether not I should kill Fujioka-san now or later, I arrived home where my mother was cooking dinner.  ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± I called out as I entered.  ¡°Welcome back! How was your day sweetie?¡± My mother asked as she continued cooking.  ¡°It was good.¡±  I smiled at my mother, who was as elegant as ever, before heading upstairs.  ¡°Dinner will be ready in a few minutes! Hikari-chan will be joining us as well so go tidy up!¡± she called out to me.  ¡°Okay!¡± I responded as I entered my room.  Hikari has been over for dinner several times already, so this is no big surprise.  My mother is incredibly fond of her.  I suspect she sees Hikari as the daughter she never had.  My thoughts about Fujioka-san were put on hold as I got ready.

    Yuuna Cross¡¯s POV

    My name is Cross Yuuna.  I am a partner at a high ranking law firm in Tokyo, a happily married woman, and a proud mother of a wonderful son.  My life is as perfect as can be and it was one I would never have dreamed of when I was younger.  I was the youngest child of four in the Hayashi household.  My family were the owners of the Hayashi group, one of the largest corporations in Japan.

    They were a very traditional family with great ambitions, so when it was discovered that I was infertile during a medical exam, they were quick to ostracize me.  I was the family embarrassment with no use as a marriage tool, so when I wanted to go to law school in Texas my family was quick to agree.  I spent the next 4 years as a wild child trying to fill the emptiness from being abandoned, when I met Terrance Cross.

    It quickly developed into a torrid love affair and eventually he proposed to me.  He didn¡¯t care about my infertility, unlike my family, and I happily agreed.  I cut off all ties and contact with my family and eloped with Terry.  Then something miraculous occurred:  I became pregnant.  9 months later and I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy.  He was such an adorable little kid and he was quick to adapt when our family moved to Tokyo.

    He was a kind-hearted and innocent goofball until he got to middle school.  Then he suddenly changed.  He became quiet, serious and withdrawn around everyone except me and Terry.  Even with us he was more reserved, although he still smiled and showed emotion.  We eventually found out from his teachers that he rejected nearly all social interactions.  He was taciturn and cold.  I have been worried about him ever since.  I want him to be happy, but that can¡¯t happen if he¡¯s always alone.  He also inexplicably disappears from time to time and I don¡¯t know what he gets up to.

    So when Hikari-chan returned I was overjoyed.  She¡¯s the one girl who Minato is friendly with and I really like her.  I have to do everything in my power to make sure she becomes my daughter-in-law.  The sooner he gets engaged the better.  I never told my family about Minato and I am fearful of what would happen if they found out.  I don¡¯t want him to be used as a tool for my father¡¯s ambitions.  I want Minato to continue having a normal and happy childhood as he has so far.

 Chapter 19: Letting Off Some Steam

    October 6th, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°WELCOME TO THE BLOODMOON ARENA!!!!!!   ARE YOU ALL PREPARED TO SEE SOME VIOLENCE!?!?!¡±  In response to the announcer¡¯s yells, a coliseum filled with close to 30,000 people roared.  It was a panoply of various species all united in their desire to see some blood.  I could even pick out some hooded hobgoblins who likely hailed from the Savage Empire, the largest ¡°uncivilized¡± nation composed of mainly hobgoblins that is always fighting with the Darkmoon Queendom.

    The Bloodmoon Arena is a battle stage located in Obsidia which hosts daily fights to entertain the populace at the end of the day.  It opens the minute the sun goes down and it is well-known for its copious amounts of bloodshed, hence the name Bloodmoon.  I¡¯ve said it before, but this world is not imaginative with its naming.  The setup is rather reminiscent of the Coliseum in Rome with only a few differences.  There are various magical mirrors that reflect and amplify the moonlight to light the battlefield up.  It is a large oval arena with light red grass on it that requires blood in order to grow.  It is the inspiration for the phrase ¡°watering the grass¡± in this world that has the same meaning as the phrase ¡°feeding the fishes¡± which is commonly used to talk about someone who was killed.

    ¡°ALLLLLRIGHT! SINCE EVERYONE IS LOOKING SO LIVELY, LET¡¯S GET STARTED!!!  WE HAVE AN INTERESTING ONE FOR YOU TONIGHT!  A WANTED MAN WITH A BOUNTY ON HIS HEAD VERSUS A BOUNTY HUNTER!  A NEW TAKE ON THE CLASSIC CAT AND MOUSE CHASE WHERE THE MOUSE FIGHTS BACK!¡±  The dwarf announcer points to one end where a massive iron portcullis slowly rose and a towering humanoid figure emerges.  4 stout legs, 6 long arms and 1 head all are on a huge musclebound 8-foot tall body.  Tan skin and jagged ears complement a rugged face with blue hair and eyes.  The man has a leather skirt covering his waist and each arm carries a flail.

    ¡°IN THIS CORNER, COMING IN AT 800 POUNDS, IS A PROUD MEMBER OF THE ASURA RACE!  HE CURRENTLY HAS A BOUNTY OF 6 GOLD COINS AND HAS BEEN ON THE RUN FOR THE PAST MONTH!  GIVE A BLOODMOON WELCOME TO A FAVORITE OF THE ARENA, ARC ALLARM!!!!  The crowd roared as the Asuran strode confidently into the center of the arena.  Arc Allarm is a fan favorite gladiator here at Bloodmoon who had killed the fourth son of Baron Ild in a drunken dispute at a local pleasure house.

    No one dared to take this bounty until now because the Bloodmoon Arena chose to shelter Arc as a promotional scheme.  The only chance a bounty hunter would have at him would be by challenging him to a 1 on 1 match here at the arena.  But since bounty hunters work in groups, Arc is an expert duelist and I was on vacation, he has been safe for the past month.  Unfortunately for him, I got news this afternoon that made me very stressed and so I chose this bounty in an attempt to distract myself.  The dwarven announcer allowed the crowd to quiet down a bit before continuing.

    ¡°ANNND IN THIS CORNER, IS THE BEST BOUNTY HUNTER IN THE QUEENDOM!!!  HE¡¯S A LEGEND IN THE MAKING AND THAT¡¯S ALL WE KNOW ABOUT THIS MYSTERY MAN APART FROM HIS NAME!  I PRESENT TO YOU THE ONE, THE ONLY, TERRA THE PEERLESS!!!!!!!¡±  The massive portcullis in front of me rose and I walked calmly into the arena as the crowd roared in anticipation.  In one of the VIP boxes, I saw Baron Ild watching intently.  His request was to bring Arc in alive, which was nothing unusual.  Bounties on monsters are to kill while bounties on criminals are usually to capture.  There is only one exception:  if the criminal is too difficult to catch they change it to dead or alive to improve the success rate.  They rarely do that since it would cost them an opportunity to redeem a ¡°sinner¡±.

    In this world there are no prisons:  punishments for crimes are either fines or enslavement.  Most crimes are punished by fines, which vary depending on the crime and past history.  However, if the criminal is unable to pay the fine they are enslaved instead.  Major crimes are punished immediately by enslavement.  The Cult of Chains believes that enslavement allows the undutiful and non-believers the opportunity to gain absolution so their next reincarnation will be permitted.  The ones who are able to maintain their freedom and fulfill their duties will be rewarded with a better reincarnation.

    The Baron Ild¡¯s rights state that since Arc killed his son, Arc would be enslaved to him.  I am sure that Ild doesn¡¯t give a damn about losing his good for nothing son and is instead delighted at the opportunity to acquire an Asuran slave.  Asuran slaves are highly desired by nobles due to their fighting prowess and whenever they come up at auction they go in the 10s of gold coins range.  I stopped about 30 feet away from Arc and the dwarven announcer floated up to the air courtesy of an enchanted platform.  ¡°WHO IS TRULY THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED HERE?  IT¡¯S TIME TO FIND OUT!  LET¡¯S GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!¡±

    A bell rang out just like in boxing.  And at that cue, Arc started whirling all 6 of his flails menacingly as he charged at me.  He kept his rotating flails moving back and forth in front of him to guard against any missiles.  He was swinging them at such velocity that the wind was blowing up loose grass.  I simply stood there waiting for him to reach me as his four legs pounded onto the grass and he gained momentum.

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    This match had a no magic tool restriction, which naturally gave a heavy advantage to the physically imposing Asuran.  It¡¯s also the reason why I evaluated his threat level as a 10 instead of an 8 when I was scouting some of his matches.  The noise level of the crowd increased as he came closer to me.  As he came within 20 feet, I unclasped my rhomphaia and stabbed it lightly into the ground in front of me.  I then drew my two ninjato and waited.

    Then a few feet before I was about to come within Arc¡¯s extended reach of 10 feet and the crowd¡¯s noise reached a fevered pitch, I kicked my rhomphaia.  It awkwardly flew towards Arc before hitting the ground and rattling around right into Arc¡¯s legs.  They got tangled with the rhomphaia and he stumbled forward.  Normally that wouldn¡¯t be problematic for an Asuran, since their four legs made it easy to maintain and recover their balance, but he momentarily lost focus on the 6 flails he had been whirling in front of himself.

    His lowest left flail ended up smacking into his forward left knee, causing a sickening cracking sound.  Simultaneously, the middle right flail hit the upper right flail and the reverberation caused him to drop them.  The sudden change in the weight distribution plus a destroyed leg caused him to fall to the left and crash.  All control over his weapons disappeared and multiple blows rained on himself as he tumbled.  He finally careened to a halt right in front of me as a bloodied and bruised mess.  Without further ado, I immediately stabbed downwards with my two blades to finish the match right then and there.

    But fighting an Asuran would never be so simple and two arms quickly shot out in the path of my blades.  Blood spattered onto my overcoat as I pierced his highest right and left arms.  He wrenched those now wrecked arms with my swords still embedded in them away from me and quickly launched several fearsome punches with his other four arms.  They missed and hit empty air as I had immediately jumped back after losing my weapons.  Arc came to his feet with 3 fewer functioning limbs than before, but he still had a steady expression on his face.  An Asuran is an absolute beast in any kind of physical combat, and practically invincible in a fist fight.  And I no longer had any weapons.

    He charged towards me once more, although his pace was far slower.  His four remaining arms started unleashing a salvo of punches at me.  I dodged and parried his blows patiently while waiting for an opportunity to counter.  Arc had a far longer reach than me and more limbs with which to attack so I had to be cautious.  Blood continued flowing from his many wounds and I could feel his ferocity intensifying as he realized that he would lose if the fight was dragged out.

    He started launching a rapid fire series of feints, trying to throw me off balance when suddenly one of his four arms went full force towards my head, a definite killing blow if it landed.  Unfortunately, I already knew which arm he was going to use and I took advantage of his overextended lunge and stepped up into my own range of attack while dodging the strike.

    Of course one would use their only uninjured arm to launch an all or nothing attack, it really couldn¡¯t be much more obvious.  My flurry of punches accurately targeted his injuries, causing him to freeze momentarily due to the waves of pain.  I then jumped and stomped one foot onto his forward right knee, shattering it and causing him to topple.  As he fell I fluidly lifted up my left knee right into his face, giving him a severe concussion and ending the match.

    ¡°YEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!¡±  The crowd¡¯s roar was deafening in response to the conclusion of the match.  No one had thought that I could physically overwhelm an Asuran, which would be a reasonable assumption to make normally.  Due to the mana rich environment in this world, all of its residents have far superior physical abilities than humans back on Earth.  The mana nourishes their bodies when exercising and growing leading to a far superior physique.  I too got this benefit and could beat any Olympic athlete.  In addition, by alternating between a mana-rich and mana-starved environment I ended up further stimulating my body and have thus acquired physical abilities that are truly impressive even for this world.

    This was the reason why I could beat a somewhat weakened Asuran in a fistfight.  As Arc was led away by the Baron¡¯s men in preparation for his enslavement, I was heading to a blacksmith¡¯s in order to fix my ninjatos and rhomphaia.  The ninjatos got bent after they had pierced Arc¡¯s iron-like skin and the rhomphaia¡¯s blade got several cracks after it got stomped on at the beginning of the fight.  I should also take this opportunity and re-forge them into magic artifacts.  The 6 gold coins I had received from this bounty were jingling cheerfully in my purse, but now that the fight was over my mind went back to my troubles.  Who the hell would have thought that running into my target Fujioka-san could have led to such an outcome?

 Chapter 20: Girl Power

    October 6th, 2088

    The reason for my despair had arrived this morning in the mail, about 2 weeks after my infiltration at Japan¡¯s Rising Idol.  It was a contract for Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, apparently I had qualified.  I shortly afterwards got a call from the studio and was given the details about shooting for the upcoming season.  All competitors actually got paid an impressive amount for appearing on the show and their chances of getting scouted by other talent studios increase tremendously even if they fail to win.  I was about to decline, but then it was mentioned that the creator of the show and executive producer Fujioka-san was particularly impressed with my performance at qualifying and was looking forward to seeing me compete.

    Damn it, if I decline it will be too suspicious.  No one has ever declined an opportunity like this before so it would definitely set off a red flag.  Fujioka is cautious and if I screw this up things will likely go bad in a hurry.  Sooooo¡­. it looks like I¡¯ll be gender-swapping again and not only that, but it¡¯ll be in front of an audience of hundreds of people with millions more watching at home. EHHHHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?!?!?  I CAN¡¯T HANDLE THAT! I NEARLY LOST MY SANITY AFTER THE DEBACLE AT THE TRYOUTS!  THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO FOR THE ACTUAL SHOW THAT IS ALSO LIVE??!?!?!?!?  AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

    Wait, wait calm down!  I¡¯ve risked life and limb in many a situation, yet I can¡¯t handle a simple singing competition?  I can just lose in the first round and get booted, which wouldn¡¯t be suspicious at all.  I can just blame it on nerves.  Right, right I can do this¡­ And instead of thinking more about it I immediately left for the other world in order to do a bounty and forget about it.

    I am currently standing in front of the mirror in my room back home about to shapeshift.  I had the blacksmith repair my weapons and could no longer find anything to distract me.  Hence, I am here preparing myself to go to the studio to turn in my signed contract.  Just like the first time I did it, I simply imagined all my Y chromosomes changing into X chromosomes.  After that I changed my brown hair to black and my dark green eyes to sky blue.  And thus appeared Yamamoto Rin.

    I stared at my peerless reflection and couldn¡¯t help but mutter ¡°My apologies to all boys in the world that I was born a guy.¡±  I took some clothes from my closet and with a simple spell, had a full women¡¯s outfit complete with undergarments.  Yes, it is extremely awkward for me with a female body but it is not undoable.  Even when I first tried this form, it wasn¡¯t the first time I saw a naked girl.  In the other world many wanted men would hide in pleasure houses, which were full of sex slaves.  Some of the depraved acts I saw while bounty hunting in those places would even make a succubus uncomfortable.

    So the female form is not what really bothered me, it was the fact that it was MY female form that made it difficult to adjust.  The difference in height, weight, center of gravity, balance, hormones, etc. make it really awkward.  I also seemed to not have as good control over my emotions in this form.  Not to mention having to deal with clothes.  Thank goodness I can just alter my clothes with magic, I don¡¯t believe I could handle having to go shopping for them.

    After the ordeal of getting ready I have arrived at the studio.  I got escorted to a large conference room where the other contestants were also gathered.  There were 24 contestants including myself.  The show¡¯s competition format is that every episode 2 contestants are eliminated until the final 4, which is when the winner is chosen after a two-episode finale.  This means one season is 12 episodes of 1-hour hell for these contestants.  They don¡¯t bother with extensive interviews and in-depth looks of contestants until there are 8 left.  So all I have to do is be on stage for a total of 5 minutes and I am free.  The judges score the contestant based on singing and personality, but if the viewers call in enough support additional points are added.

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    The other contestants are introducing themselves cheerfully and being really friendly but none of that act is gonna work on me.  These 24 girls were chosen from thousands of applicants, there is a slim chance of an actual normal girl being here.  Most of them are desperate aspiring idols who have gone through extensive training and preparation but just haven¡¯t been able to break through.  They keep up a lovable persona because that¡¯s what idols do, but they would in fact not hesitate to sticking a knife in your back to get ahead.  The two or three lucky girls here who are completely new to this industry are going to be devoured alive.

    And now one such fearsome girl approached me and was about to introduce herself with a smile.  I cut her off curtly ¡°Not interested.¡±  And I quietly sat in my seat without any further conversation for the rest of the hour-long meet and greet.  We were than introduced to the show¡¯s staff and given an extensive explanation of how things are going to be set-up.  We were also told to choose the songs that we would like to sing and let them know by the end of the day.  The first episode was set to air in a month¡¯s time and we were told that although we would practice on our own there was a weekly rehearsal so that we would be familiar with everything for the live show.  With that we were dismissed and I eagerly started to leave.

    ¡°Was being here today that painful for you?¡±  A teasing voice echoed from behind me.  ¡°Yes.¡± I responded as I turned around and saw Fujioka-san leaning against a wall with a small smile on his face.  He gave a small laugh and said ¡°You really are the silent type aren¡¯t you.  I wasn¡¯t sure when I first met you, but after seeing the recording of your interview I¡¯m convinced.¡±  Recording of the interview.

    Those words made me stiffen ever so slightly (15% Damage).  Fujioka didn¡¯t miss that.  ¡°Yep, that absolutely adorable meltdown of yours was quite charming.¡± (55% Damage) My stone-face managed to hold mostly, but this time my lips couldn¡¯t help but twitch.  This also didn¡¯t escape Fujioka¡¯s notice.  He seemed to be quite experienced with reading people.  ¡°Everyone on the show has agreed to do their best to help show that cute side of yours, so feel free to expect some fun questions during the show!¡±  100% Damage, Player Terra has become unable to continue.

    I tried to give an icy glare to Fujioka in an attempt to recover, but since my mental state was an orz pose I don¡¯t know how it actually turned out.  All I know is that it finally stopped Fujioka¡¯s assault on my mental well-being.  ¡°Sorry, sorry.  I couldn¡¯t help teasing you since your reactions are so entertaining.  Anyway, what I really wanted to tell you is that you should try to open up some.  Singing is a performance which means you need communication skills along with musical talent.  You have the talent, but you will need to be able to communicate more in order to become a successful idol.¡±  He nodded towards me and then casually sauntered away into his office.  His office drew my interest, as I noticed that it was heavily warded with powerful magic.  I¡¯ll have to break in there when I get an opportunity.  I have plenty of time right now, so I¡¯ll wait for a chance.

    After that I left the studio and managed to safely sneak back into my room.  I had changed back to my original form and was lying on my bed thinking.  I thought that Fujioka was using this producer job as a cover or a means to gain an income, but it seems like he genuinely enjoys the job.  He had given all the contestants advice on how to become idols and apparently he had always done that.  He also was still in close contact with all of the previous winners and even some of the contestants and has been an important mentor for them.  The crew also had nothing but good things to say about him.  Hell, I even heard he volunteers at a local orphanage.  Why would someone like that be supplying arms to slavers in the other world?  I fell asleep in bed wondering about that question.

 Chapter 21: Afterschool Date

    October 7th, 2088

    ZZZZZZZZZ¡­.. *Thump* ¡°Minato wake up!¡±  Someone is freely hitting me with a pillow as I sleep.  I reluctantly opened my eyes to see Hikari standing there in her school uniform with a pillow in her hand.  ¡°Get up Minato and get ready.  I¡¯ve prepared breakfast downstairs, so hurry up or we¡¯ll be late to school!¡±  She cheerfully said that as she left my room after giving me one last whack with the pillow to make sure I was awake.  Despite all that ¡°ojou-sama training¡± as she called it, she¡¯s still the same energetic girl as always.  How bloody early does she get up in the morning?  I groggily meandered over to the bathroom to take an ice cold shower to wake up.

    It¡¯s a habit I¡¯ve picked up from when I was younger and couldn¡¯t get any sleep due to scenes from Hafor replaying in my nightmares over and over again.  Thankfully those nightmares have become far more sporadic as of late but the habit of taking freezing showers in the morning stuck.  I eventually trudged downstairs where I saw Hikari eating at the table.  I sat down across from her and tried the food.  ¡°Delicious.¡±  I couldn¡¯t help but mutter that as I started eating.  ¡°Fufufufu, of course it¡¯s delicious, I made it after all!  Your mom asked me to look after you while they were gone and I take my responsibilities seriously!¡±  Hikari proudly stated.  My parents had gone together on a romantic getaway to celebrate their wedding anniversary, so starting today I am alone in the house for 2 weeks.  I don¡¯t get why my mother asked Hikari to cook for me and gave her a key to the house, I can cook for myself although it¡¯s limited to simpler recipes.

    I quickly finished breakfast and soon Hikari and I started walking to school.  Ever since she came back we have walked to and from school together.  Everyone in the school seems to be convinced that we are a couple.  I haven¡¯t bothered rectifying that misunderstanding as it prevents me from having to deal with other girls¡¯ advances.  I was well known to be uninterested in middle school, but high school means a large influx of new students who haven¡¯t gotten the memo yet.  About halfway there we ran into Reiji.  ¡°Good morning Hikari-chan!  Good morning Minato!  It¡¯s always such a refreshing sight to behold to see you guys walking together to school.¡±  Damn him, he had such a big dumb grin on his face as he said that.

    Ever since Hikari came back he¡¯s been going on and on about long-lost childhood friends in manga, anime and the like.  This guy absolutely loves it whenever reality happens to coincide with clich¨¦s from his beloved otaku hobbies.  When I first introduced him to Hikari, that idiot nearly cried in joy as he muttered some nonsense about not being the heroine after all.  He then whispered something animatedly to Hikari and suddenly they became best friends.  I still don¡¯t know what the hell that¡¯s all about.

    ¡°Good morning, Reiji-kun!  Are you nervous about finding out the math exam results today?¡±  Hikari asked in greeting.  ¡°Nope!  Math has always been pretty easy for me after all.¡±  Reiji nonchalantly responded.  My eyes slightly narrowed at that statement.  Every subject comes easy to Reiji, which drives someone like me who has to study hard to do well crazy.  I¡¯ve even used magic to improve my memory while I study in order to be more efficient.  I¡¯ve never even seen Reiji studying and yet he always is second in the academic rankings behind me.  Reiji noticed the subtle change in my demeanor and wisely decided to change the topic before I got grumpy.  And so the conversation continued until we finally got to the classroom.

    I ended up placing 1st on the exam as expected, while Reiji was 2nd and Hikari was 5th.  Hikari was thrilled at the result.  ¡°Yes! My dad said that if I placed in the top 5 on this exam he¡¯d let me get a puppy!¡± she exclaimed as she started to excitedly talk about what kind of dog she was thinking of getting.  And then she suddenly asked me ¡°Minato, can you accompany me after school and help me decide which dog to pick?¡±

    I didn¡¯t particularly mind the idea so I simply responded ¡°Sure.¡±  It should be fun, but I made a mental note to myself to make sure she doesn¡¯t pick a basset hound.  After a non-eventful school day Hikari and I headed to the bank.  She had called her father and gotten permission to buy a dog, but she was low on money and so she decided to stop by the bank.  We were waiting in line when suddenly someone in a hooded sweatshirt ahead of us pulled out a gun, shot it into the air and yelled ¡°Everyone line up against the wall now!!!¡±

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    This sucks.  My afterschool date with Minato to get a cute puppy has been ruined by this bank robber.  We are all currently lined up sitting with our backs against the wall as the robber is threatening the tellers to get the money.  This is a small bank and the one security guard here was beaten up and handcuffed to a desk unconscious.  The robber is behaving erratically and honestly speaking, I¡¯m scared.  The silent alarm has probably been tripped and the police are likely on their way, meaning this will probably turn into a hostage situation.

    I might very well be like one of the other 10 people here who are crying or shivering in fright if it weren¡¯t for Minato¡¯s soothing presence.  I am leaning my head on his chest as we sit and wait.  His heart is beating slowly and steadily, unlike mine which was thumping away in fright.  His arms are wrapped around me as if to protect me.  His usual serious expression was still there even now and he was completely calm.  He even looked a little bored, but I figure that¡¯s just my imagination.  I¡¯m still learning how to read his subtle expressions and even with Reiji-kun¡¯s coaching it is tricky.

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    Somehow Reiji-kun knew that I had feelings for Minato and immediately after we first met he excitedly told me that he¡¯ll do his best to help me.  This date was supposed to be the first step in our plan where I get Minato to start doing things only couples would do.  In the words of Reiji-kun ¡°Based on my years of observation, Minato seems to be afraid of making meaningful connections with people.  Something must have happened between after you left and before we met that made him become so withdrawn.  I think it is only because of sheer coincidence that Minato and I managed to become friends, and I am the only friend he¡¯s made since you left.  He seems to cherish those he has connections with, but to upgrade to the intimacy of a romantic relationship will be difficult.  It will have to be gradual and natural, in order not to risk him noticing and running away.¡±  I can¡¯t help but wonder what actually happened to Minato, but now¡¯s not the time as the police sirens could be heard in the distance.

    ¡°Damn it, which asshole called the damn cops!?!?  Do you all think I¡¯m a fucking joke!?!?¡±  The robber then kicked the nearest person to him, a young 20 something year old woman.  She cried out in pain and hit her head on the wall hard.  She was knocked out and laid on the floor without moving.  ¡°Fuck all of you clowns!  I have had enough of being tread on by everyone!  I¡¯m the one in fucking control right now so don¡¯t fuck with me!¡±  The robber was shouting in rage and everyone was getting more and more frightened as the sirens were getting louder.

    ¡°Shit!  Everyone get up right now! And nobody fucking try anything!¡±  He waved the gun around as he continued to curse.  I quickly went over to check on the unconscious woman.  The robber finally grabbed a bag full of money from the teller and was preparing to leave.  Everyone relaxed a bit but then he said ¡°Someone¡¯s going to fucking come along with me and get the cops to back the hell off!¡±

    He started to scan everyone, who shivered fearfully under his gaze, as he tried to decide and then he looked at me.  ¡°You¡¯ll do, now get over here you bitch!¡±  He pointed the gun at me and approached as several people quickly got out of his path.  I desperately tried not to shake in fright and was failing.  That robber had a lecherous look in his eye and even if I didn¡¯t die in the exchange with the police, something worse might happen instead.

    The robber continued talking as he approached ¡°Hmph, a bitch like you wouldn¡¯t even give me a second glance normally, but guess who¡¯s in charge now!¡±  My eyes started getting watery and I knew I was going to start crying.  But before the robber could get any closer, Minato appeared in front of me.  ¡°Pick someone else.¡± He said coldly.  ¡°What did you say, mother fucker?¡±  The robber said in shock.  ¡°I said pick someone else.  Not her.¡±  I peeped over Minato¡¯s broad shoulders at the robber and saw he looked incensed.  ¡°You think you¡¯re a fucking hero huh?  Fucking riajuu like you should go fucking explode!!!  I¡¯ll do whatever the fuck I want and I¡¯ll fucking choose my own hostage you bastard!!  Now fucking move aside and show everyone how much of a pussy you are!!!!¡±

    He brought up the gun and pointed it at Minato¡¯s forehead.  Minato, however, was still unexplainably calm as he started to speak.  ¡°I am not a hero.  I just want to s¡ª¡± But in mid-sentence he suddenly kicked out his right foot at a blinding speed and a sharp cracking sound echoed in the bank.  Minato had just kicked the robber at the fork of his legs, hitting him so hard that he had briefly lifted him off the ground.  The robber¡¯s face became a pale white and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he toppled over in a heap.  Blood could be seen leaking out through his pants and based off of the sound his pelvis was broken.  And that definitely wasn¡¯t the only thing that was broken.

    We all just stood there in shock for a few moments.  One person who finally recovered called out angrily ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do something sooner?  Someone was hurt because you were slow!  And what did you mean by ¡®pick someone else¡¯!?!?!¡±  Minato gave a brief, disinterested look at that person, a 30-ish year old woman and coldly said ¡°I won¡¯t risk my life for strangers I don¡¯t give a damn about.  So fuck off.¡±  Under his gaze the woman flinched and then turned away.  He then ignored her and turned towards me, who was still trembling like a leaf from what had happened.

    That cold expression turned into a caring and tender one as he pulled me into his arms, started stroking my head and gently whispered ¡°It¡¯s okay now, don¡¯t worry.  No matter what happens I¡¯ll protect you.  So don¡¯t be afraid anymore.¡±  I couldn¡¯t help but break out into tears as I let out all the tension and fear from inside me.  He patiently held me as I cried into his chest.  Eventually, I collected myself a little and lifted my head to look at him.  He gave me a kind smile and said ¡°The police are arriving now and we¡¯ll be here a while, so how about we figure out what kind of puppy you want while we wait?¡±  I couldn¡¯t help but smile in response and say ¡°Okay.¡±

    That was the moment for me.  I had strong feelings for Minato, but I know from this point on that I will never be happy unless I make him mine.  I¡¯ll say it openly now:  I love him.  I love him so much that my heart is aching.  I want to spend the rest of my life by his side and for him to keep smiling for me like he has so far.  Yosh!  I¡¯ll have to give it 110% from now on!  Just you wait Minato, I¡¯ll sweep you off your feet for sure!

 Chapter 22: The Major Problem Gets a Promotion to Colonel

    October 13th, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It has been a week since the bank robbery incident.  Thankfully, Hikari seems to be fine psychologically.  I guess that my timely intervention along with her naturally upbeat personality has made it possible to bounce back easily.  We were even able to successfully choose a puppy the next day for her.  Much to my dismay, she fell in love with a basset hound puppy that looked eerily similar to a certain bounty hunter nemesis of mine.  She even named him Snoozer because of how he would often nap in an adorable fashion.  Snoozer also seemed to have a grudge against me, every time I saw him he would stop and stare at me.  It was really creepy and it disturbed me enough to check the dog with magic to make sure he hadn¡¯t been possessed.

    At the pet store, I had planned to take a firm stance against that breed but Hikari looked at me with pleading, upturned eyes and I caved instantly.  I blame my guilt from letting Hikari get exposed to danger during the robbery for my weak resolve at the pet store.  I had initially hoped to just wait out the robbery and then proceed with life, but I had to risk standing out in order to protect Hikari after things went south.  When facing the robber, I had secretly used simple telekinesis to turn his gun¡¯s safety on before I incapacitated him.

    It was an unnecessary precaution, but what irritates me was that I had a slight moment¡¯s hesitation before using magic at the time.  For a half-second I was concerned about it being exposed to Fujioka.  Although nothing happened, hesitation like that could cost me dearly.  I already well know the consequences of being late, yet I still hesitated.  I don¡¯t have the luxury of taking my time with my investigation of Fujioka-san.  As long as he¡¯s an unknown I¡¯m putting at risk everything I care about.

    During today¡¯s rehearsal on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, I secretly examined the magic wards on Fujioka¡¯s office.  And I noticed an opening.  All of the enchantments on this floor as well as his office are designed to deal with magical infiltration or espionage.  There is absolutely nothing to deal with the non-magical counterparts.  He must have assumed that Top Talent¡¯s security was adequate to deal with those threats. I also found out that Fujioka was absent from today¡¯s rehearsal due to ¡°business¡±.  Although that is plenty suspicious, it has given me a priceless opening today to break into his office by picking the lock.

    I had just finished my part in the rehearsal and left for the restroom, which was conveniently nearby Fujioka¡¯s office.  The bulb in one of the powerful stage lights burst thanks to sabotage I had conducted earlier, causing a commotion on the opposite side of the auditorium and attracting the entire crew.  I believe I have about 10 minutes before they replace the light and notice my absence.  The tumblers on the office lock were extremely simple and took me less than 20 seconds to do.  I quickly closed the door behind me as I started rifling everywhere.  Bingo.

    There was a safe behind an antique looking portrait of a pretty young girl with black hair and blue eyes.  She had a pair of bunny ears on top and a serious expression on her small face.  I was a bit surprised at how similar she looked to me.  To most this would look like a kemonomimi enthusiast¡¯s portrait, but I clearly recognized the style as being from the other world.  The safe behind the portrait also had a simple tumbler combination, taking me only 1 minute 40 seconds to solve.  6 minutes left and I come across a plethora of documents that appeared to be written in a series of strange runes.  It was the script of the other world¡¯s universal language.

    Fortunately, I have learned both how to speak and write the language without having to rely on magic translation.  I learned because I didn¡¯t want to risk not being able to communicate with Kira if for some reason I couldn¡¯t use magic.  The few excerpts I read were painting a very bleak picture as to the situation involving Fujioka.  There were a lot of papers left, so I simply looked at each of them as fast as I could.  As long as I have a memory of them, I can look at the details later with magic.  2 minutes left, it¡¯s time to leave.  I carefully placed everything as I found it and left the office without anyone being the wiser.  As soon as I get back home, I¡¯ll start to analyze what I¡¯ve found.  I hope very much that my initial impression was wrong.

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    It is now 5¡¯o clock in the morning, and I have a very haggard appearance.  For once my lack of sleep is not due to my old nightmares, but this new problem that¡¯s dropped onto my lap from fucking nowhere.  I had arrived back from the rehearsals at 6 in the evening and it only had taken me about 2 hours to successfully gather all the information from the documents and compile them onto my laptop.  I then read the documents thoroughly and realized the gravity of the situation.  I desperately wanted to disprove it, so I gathered all the relevant information I could from my world via the internet.

    I then quickly headed over to the other world and started gathering information via rumors, government announcements and local news across the major cities in the queendom.  That wasn¡¯t too difficult, it mainly required me to head to the local tavern and buy everyone a drink and ask for news.  I also got in touch with all black-market fences, information dealers and other unsavory contacts I have made over the years to verify and follow up on details in those documents.  Eventually I reorganized all the gathered data and have since then been frantically connecting the nearly non-existent dots with my own information.  I completely lost track of time as I consumed coffee and magic stimulants in order to keep myself focused. The plot that I was piecing together was so unbelievable I was unable to look away for even a moment despite my exhaustion.  I think it is finally time fo¡­ ZZZZZZ.

    Later on I was woken up by Hikari angrily as she demanded to know where I had been yesterday.  Apparently, I had worked for over 24 hours straight as I dashed about in the other world looking for info and had missed school that day.  Thankfully it was Saturday today, so I could sleep in.  She had covered for me by saying that I was sick.  She was about to press me for details about where I had been, but I simply told her that I had gone to the hospital due to a mild infection.  I then promptly fell asleep.  And in my sleep my nightmares came again after a short absence.  But instead of Hafor Village burning, it was Tokyo.  And instead of the faces of the villagers appearing, the faces of my parents, Reiji, and Hikari appeared instead.  I eventually woke up in a cold sweat at 3 in the afternoon.

    Project Redemption.  That¡¯s the name of the plan that Fujioka and the group he is a part of is working on.  Based on the communications there are 4 other executives distributed in both this world and the other world along with many subordinates.  Although it seems like the subordinates are completely in the dark about the executives¡¯ plans.  Identifying information was redacted and the details of what they are trying to do are mostly absent, but Fujioka appears to be in charge of logistics and human resources.  All those documents detailed shipping and purchasing of weapons, materials and people in both worlds although identifying information was again redacted.

    My frantic investigations were to try and ferret out the redacted information on these documents.  They were going somewhere they called ¡°The Place in Between¡± to move between worlds.  They were supplying the slavers with arms and money in exchange for slaves, but I don¡¯t know what they are doing with them.  In my world they seem to have established corporations to generate income and to provide a cover for the massive amounts of materials they have been collecting.

    The only executive still in the other world is the handler for these slaver groups and he has also been successfully keeping the Cult of Chains off their trail.  From what I can tell, this group is planning to conduct a large-scale magical ritual here in my world.  I don¡¯t know what the purpose of it is, but the sheer scale is dangerous.  I¡¯ll have to get more information about their plan, and the quickest way to do that is to hunt down the unknown executives.  The only lead I have is in the other world:  I¡¯ll interrogate the executive there first and keep Fujioka alive for observation for now.

 Chapter 23: Gentle Persuasion

    October 23rd, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    In the bustling port-city of Malkith, a child was desperately running down a deserted alley.  She was truly cute, with short green hair in a pixie cut over her short pointy ears and big chocolate brown eyes set in her heart-shaped face.  She had simple shorts and a tunic on over her smooth pale skin along with strapped sandals that had small wings made from actual feathers on her small feet.

    Her age appeared to be around 10 years old and her overall appearance would tickle the protective instinct of even the most heartless criminal.  She looked over her shoulder and saw me on the terracotta rooftops.  Her eyes widened and she quickly picked up her pace as I continued to chase her.  She managed to get out of the alley and into the crowded marketplace busy with the morning trade.

    The little girl easily weaved in and out the crowd at a blinding speed.  The winged sandals on her feet glowing with magic the entire time.  Honestly, if I weren¡¯t currently on the rooftops I wouldn¡¯t be able to catch her.  I was breathing heavily as I continued leaping across, taking the shorter route as I kept my eyes glued to the girl.  I was running out of rooftops and the girl was cutting across an empty street that would take her right to the main road of the city.

    I would have no chance of catching her if she reached that point so I took a deep breath and decided to do something reckless.  As I came to the last 2 story roof I jumped off into the deserted street below.  The girl was taken completely off guard as I suddenly landed with a crash in front of her, causing large cracks in the cobblestone.  Phew, I guess my improved physique could handle the drop.  I should really take some time to find out my physical limits.

    The girl skidded to a stop and ended up slipping and falling on her butt in a very cute way.  I, however, was unaffected as I quickly took out my ninjato and stabbed them into her feet, staking them into the ground.  ¡°AHHHH!¡±  The girl let out a tearful wail of pain, but I immediately pinned her down and said ¡°Tell me about the supplier for those Bellowers.¡±  The girl had tears rolling down her lovely face and she replied ¡°I want my mommy and daddy, please stop hurting me!¡±  I was unmoved and instead broke her right arm.  She screamed out in pain yet again and I said ¡°Stop with the bullshit, Delorix, your good friend Rouive has told me all about you and asked me to send his regards.¡±

    At those words, the sniveling little girl¡¯s expression changed into a sneer.  ¡°Tch, that little cocksucker decided to screw me over a lousy 10 copper coin debt huh?  So what does the infamous Terra the Peerless want?¡± the pixie named Delorix asked.  Pixies are one of the minor civilized races in this world that look like human children with the exception of their pointed ears.  They live for as long as elves and are what otakus call loli-babas.  Physically, they are weaker than other species and thus rely on their cunning to survive.

    They often use their innocent looking appearance to manipulate others and they are exceedingly mischievous.  This set of traits makes them well-suited for crime although obviously most pixies aren¡¯t criminals.  One of my first bounties was for a pixie and I ended up taking a poisoned shiv to my side after hesitating due to his child-like appearance.  They may look like children, but pixies can be a bigger headache to deal with than a drunk Asuran.

    ¡°I want information, Delorix.  If you answer my questions, I¡¯ll let you go and even give you compensation for the trouble.¡±  I said as I placed a small bottle and 1 gold coin next to Delorix¡¯s head.  Her eyes widened at this ¡°What do you want so bad from me that¡¯s worth holy potion and this much coin?¡±  she asked with a small smile on her face.  That¡¯s the face a pixie makes when they are about to scam you.

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    I promptly broke her other arm, causing her to cry out again in pain.  ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me.  I know you¡¯re the smuggler for the slavers that have been causing trouble lately and that you have been running those Bellower magic weapons for them.  Unfortunately, they fucked with the wrong people and so here I am.¡±  The Bellower is the name given to firearms in this world and my investigations into the slavers has led to Delorix.  With the amount of weapons she has been smuggling, she must have met with the executive¡¯s personnel here in this world.  Delorix made a face at my words and responded ¡°Who¡¯s the ¡®wrong people¡¯?  As far as I know the Cult don¡¯t hire bounty hunters and I don¡¯t know anyone else who¡¯d be scary enough for the slavers to avoid.¡±

    At those words I briefly flashed her the emblem of the Royal house which I counterfeited for situations like this.  Delorix¡¯s face paled ¡°I just run arms and supplies for them since they can¡¯t exactly walk into town with the Cult after their ¡®eads.  I has nothin¡¯ to do with they¡¯s work and I sure as hell did nothin¡¯ ta piss off the Darkmoons.¡±  She flinched as I moved, expecting me to break something again, but I simply picked up the gold coin next to her.  ¡°You keep yanking me around any longer and I¡¯ll take the holy potion as well and you can die here.¡±  ¡°Alright! Alright!  I¡¯ll tell you what I found out on my last job about the supplier.  I was meeting with the bloke who usually gives me them Bellowers, he¡¯s always worn a hooded cloak so I can¡¯t see nuffin.  It was windy as hell this time though, and his hood was blown slightly off.  He fixed it right quick but I was able to see a Slave Mark circled with chains on his neck!  He was one of the Cult¡¯s slaves!¡±

    This info from Delorix made me pause due to its implications.  All slaves bear the Slave Mark, but the Cult of Chains does not sell all the slaves it collects.  It keeps some of them for itself to serve as workers and soldiers.  These slaves are emblazoned with a chain circle around their Slave Mark to show that they belong to the Cult.  Only Bound Ones can command them.  ¡°See!  If the Cult has a rogue Bound One working with slavers I don¡¯t want no part of it!  I toldz you all I know so please let me go!¡±  Delorix pleaded.

    I nodded in response as I retrieved my ninjato and poured the holy potion down her throat.  Holy potion is a super high class healing potion, second only to Panacea and Elixir in terms of effectiveness.  Delorix¡¯s injuries were healing at a rate visible to the eye and I walked away pondering the information I got.  I wasn¡¯t worried about Delorix selling me out since I had some slow-acting poison applied to my ninjato.  Holy potion can heal wounds but not poison, so Delorix should kick the bucket in the next 15 minutes or so unexplainably.  Pixies tend to hold deep grudges and have long memories so if you ever injure a pixie, finish the job or else it¡¯ll come back to haunt you.

    Besides, I only said I would let her go not that I would let her live.  What¡¯s more pressing is the fact that a Bound One is flouting the scripture of the Cult.  This guy is likely one of the executives working with Fujioka.  It would make perfect sense.  With a Bound One making Slave Marks without restraint, anyone could be enslaved.  They could make a fortune selling them or build a slave army.

    And if the slave army were armed with guns¡­ they could conquer this world.  Furthermore, they could take over my world as well by enslaving top military and government officials and using them as puppets.  Is that what¡¯s going on?  Is this Redemption group aiming for world conquest?  By using the technology of my world and the magic of this one it¡¯s not that difficult, but what¡¯s the giant magic ritual for then?  Haa, things are getting more and more complicated.

 Chapter 24: The 5 Chains of Adligo

    October 25th, 2088

    Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.  The rattling of chains was echoing everywhere in the massive cathedral.  There were many elaborate mosaics and sculptures everywhere.  Most of the light was blocked from entering, creating a dark ambience that seemed like it should be in a dungeon.  Chains and manacles hung from the ceiling and they were freely clinking about despite the still air.  All in all, this place looked to be the fusion of a Roman Catholic Cathedral with a gothic prison.

    There were many Bound Ones, slaves and other members of the Cult around.  They all wore outfits of black leather and metal that made me think I was at a BDSM convention.  One such individual walked over to me where I stood in this place and bowed.  ¡°Greetings Mr. Peerless, the High Inquisitor was delayed in his previous engagement so it will be a while still.  He should be free by the end of the Dutiful Erilom¡¯s sermon so please wait until then.¡±  I nodded in response to the servant¡¯s message and picked a seat in the far back.

    *Sigh* I don¡¯t really like the atmosphere here at the Temple of Adligo.  It is the headquarters of the Cult of Chains in the Darkmoon Queendom and is located in Obsidia.  But I have to meet with the High Inquisitor, a senior figure in the Cult who is in charge of hunting down and killing all heretics as well as being the enforcement arm of the Cult.  Normally I would never get an opportunity to meet such a powerful figure, but after reporting in my encounter with the slavers (omitting the gun and my magic use) I was told to feel free to ask for a favor when necessary.  I had been holding onto this favor until now, but I need to call it in to investigate the rogue Bound One.

    The High Inquisitor is in charge of the Inquisition, which hunts down heretics and it is the equivalent of the armed forces for the Cult of Chains.  They are a separate entity within the Cult and answer directly to the Dutiful One, who is the head of the entire Cult.  They are the perfect people to collaborate with on my investigation.  While I was waiting, the large temple was filling rapidly with devout believers in anticipation for the Dutiful One¡¯s sermon.  However, these people all were ones who wanted to come.  There was no kind of pressure to be religious in this world like there is back home.  As long as you don¡¯t break one of the 5 Chains of Duty the Cult doesn¡¯t care about what you do.  They believe in the freedom of the individual after all.

    Finally, the door to the side of the large black granite pulpit adorned with chains opened.  A lovely mature dark elf woman walked out in what appeared to me to be a rather risqu¨¦ outfit.  Frankly speaking, she was wearing nothing but chains made of a grey metal.  They tightly bound to her figure accentuating it excessively and yet miraculously somehow managed to cover up the bare minimum that clothes should cover up.

    She had blond hair and green eyes along with a well-endowed figure and light brown skin.  The Dutiful Erilom Senria has been leading the Cult for the last 300 years.  She was the 3rd daughter of a frontier count who joined the Cult when she was only 172 years old.  She quickly rose through the ranks as a Bound One and eventually became the Dutiful One at age 337.

    She smiled to the massive delegation gathered and spoke ¡°Everyone, thank you for coming.  Today, I have decided to speak on the 5 Chains of Duty that Adligo has demanded that we all be bound by.¡±  As she was speaking, several Bound Ones came up onto the stage carrying 5 different chains.  I couldn¡¯t help but secretly roll my eyes at this.  The 5 Chains of Duty are the basis on which the Cult enslaves people.  On the surface the rules seem righteous, but look between the lines and you¡¯ll know the truth.

    The Dutiful Erilom picked up one of the chains, which was made from gold.  ¡°This is the Chain of Contract, which represents the duty that we all have requiring us to honor our sworn promises.  Whether it is paying back a debt of coin, giving tribute to our overlords, or upholding a vow made in the name of Adligo, promises which we stake our honor on must be kept.¡±  This one is probably responsible for the majority of enslaved individuals.  You can¡¯t pay tax or pay off a loan you¡¯re enslaved.  Even if you are 1 iron coin short or simply late with a payment you will be enslaved.    Make a careless vow with Adligo¡¯s name when you¡¯re drunk and fail to keep it, you¡¯re enslaved.

    She let go of the golden chain and it started snaking through the air in a circular pattern.  She then grabbed another chain, made of white orichalcium.  ¡°This is the Chain of Law, which represents the duty that we all have to respect the laws of our society.  Law is the basis of civilization and we must follow it in order to prosper.¡±  This one is probably the most reasonable of the 5 although it means that both theft and murder can have the same punishment of enslavement.  Even if you are later proved to be innocent, it¡¯s too late. This chain flew out of her hand at these words and started intertwining with the gold chain dancing in the air.

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    A chain made of a corroded red heart¡¯s iron was chosen next.  ¡°This is the Chain of Blood, which represents the duty that we all have to our kin.  A parent must care for their child, spouses must be devoted to each other and family must stay together.  We must also take responsibility for the sins of our kin and take their place in judgement if necessary.¡±  Sounds good at first, but since slaves are considered property you can have sex with them and it won¡¯t count as being unfaithful.  Slave marks have a side effect of sterilizing the slave, so you don¡¯t even have to worry about pregnancy.  This chain also has the ability to pass someone else¡¯s sins to you.  If your cousin can¡¯t pay off a debt and dies or escapes, it becomes your problem and you¡¯ll get enslaved if you can¡¯t pay.  Same goes with criminal punishment and everything else.

    Again, the chain floated into the air as she finished.  She grabbed a chain made of black shadowsteel and spoke once more.  ¡°This is the Chain of Dominance, which represents the duty we all have to be strong in this unforgiving world.  It is the rule of nature that the weak submit to the strong.  Only the victor deserves the glory that is freedom.  Once we lose, we must submit to survive.  The warriors who show mercy to our defeated selves in battle deserve obedience.  The conquerors who choose not to slaughter us deserve obedience.  The saviors who spare us from a gruesome death deserve obedience.  If we are dominated, our lives belong to them and should be spent serving them with reverence.¡±  You lose a duel and survive you become a slave.  A noble fights another noble and takes over their land everyone living there can be enslaved.  Someone saves your life when a monster attacks, they have the right to enslave you.

    She took the last chain, made of silver mithril, as the black chain flew into the air.  ¡°This is the Chain of Command, which represents the duty we all have to those who put their faith in us and to those we put our faith in.  Rulers must be fair in judgement, nobles must try to bring prosperity to their domain, and when we lead we must take responsibility for our decisions.  As followers we must obey those chosen to lead us.¡±  This chain means don¡¯t be a tyrant and it prevents nobles from making extremely high taxes to force their people to become slaves.  It also means that if you screw up as a leader of a group you can be enslaved.  It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a general after a lost battle or the choirmaster after a horrendous performance at the local talent show, you can be enslaved if your subordinates petition for it successfully.  Any disobedience to authority can also result in enslavement, no matter how minor.

    As the Dutiful Erilom finished her sermon the last chain flew up with the rest.  ¡°We are always bound by these chains; we are always in the embrace of Adligo.  Wear the chains proudly, as they are a sign of his favor and never let them break!¡±  At these last words the flying chains flew towards her.  They quickly bound her up as the gray chains dissipated like smoke.  They constricted tremendously and I watched as Erilom¡¯s face had an expression of both agony and ecstasy on it.  Whether that expression was from religious fervor or masochism I do not know.

    She now had a new outfit with these multi-colored chains that bound her so tightly I was surprised certain parts of her hadn¡¯t burst from the pressure.  This seems far too inappropriate for a religious service but that¡¯s why it is another world I suppose.  ¡°May Adligo¡¯s blessings be with you all.¡±  She gracefully left the pulpit to the roaring applause of the believers.  I was not as moved.  In the end they are just slave traders who have cleverly used religion to justify their existence.

    Slavery in this world is so deeply embedded there is no chance of it fading.  It the basis of the economy, a major facet of their religion and there is no chance of rebellion thanks to the Slave Mark.  But still, those 5 chains were each obscenely powerful magic artifacts.  Furthermore, they were a set item which meant their power increased exponentially when used in tandem.  They were usually worn by the Dutiful One over their robes as a sign of Adligo¡¯s favor, although only Erilom chose to wear nothing but them.  I made a note to myself to never pick a fight with her.  She was scary in more ways than one.  I saw her bishounen slave harem waiting for her through the side door and wished I hadn¡¯t.  ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s time to meet the High Inquisitor.  Hopefully they aren¡¯t as colorful.¡±  I muttered to myself as an attendant approached.

 Chapter 25: Sparring

    October 25th, 2088

    I am now in a very large training arena beneath the Temple of Adligo, which is called the Cage.  As expected of this world¡¯s naming sense, the Cage is named so because it is literally a giant cage with the training grounds within it.  The reason I am here, currently dodging a barrage of small boulders, is because the High Inquisitor is apparently the one person in the Cult who is in fact more colorful a character than the Dutiful One.  Great, just my luck.  Initially I was dodging the medium size rocks with ease as I took a half-step here and there.  Then the size of the stones started increasing.  I had to start taking larger and larger steps and eventually I was zigzagging around this firing range as boulders the size of a person were raining down on me.

    ¡°Wahahaha, you really are something else Terra!  Most people would have been crushed by now!  Excellent!  Let¡¯s take it up another level!¡±  The High Inquisitor is a particularly jacked dwarf with dark blue hair and brown eyes.  He¡¯s also extremely tall for a dwarf, reaching about 4 feet 10 inches tall.  Dwarves in this world are pretty true to the stereotypes.  They are bulky, talented crafters who are gruff, tough and enjoy drinking.  They live for about 250 years and their height is always between 4 and 4 feet 10 inches, with probably 85% of dwarves in the lower half of that range.  It is racially impossible for a dwarf to be taller than 4 feet 10 inches.  It is a defining characteristic of their race, just like how elves are always slender and beautiful and how pixies are always childlike.

    I would say the High Inquisitor¡¯s name at this point but I haven¡¯t actually been introduced yet.  I simply came here as instructed after the sermon and the crazy dwarf started launching magic at me with a magic weapon that looks like a large slingshot.  A ball of tan light would form in the slingshot and he would then shoot it.  The light would then transform into a boulder as he flew towards me.  He was shooting and reloading at such a fast pace that his hands were a blur.  The few people around who were watching all had mixed expressions of pity and relief.  They were likely the poor souls who had to ¡°spar¡± with the High Inquisitor normally.

    And now the boulders have increased to about the size of a car.  *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* It sounded like a damn thunder storm as the boulders continually crashed into ground.  I¡¯ve realized at this point I¡¯ll actually have to beat this guy before getting anywhere.  With that thought in mind I unclasped my refurbished rhomphaia as a boulder the size of an SUV flew directly at me.  *Clang* With one strike, I bisected the boulder and immediately started to sprint forward.  Ever since I turned it into a magic artifact, my rhomphaia has truly become impressive.  The handle is of abyssal ebony with a core of pure mithril.  The blade is tempered adamantite.  It cost a fortune, but it was so worth it.

    ¡°WAHAHA!  FINALLY!  SOMEONE I CAN GO ALL OUT AGAINST!!!  MY BLOOD IS BOILING!!!!¡±  the High Inquisitor had a maniacal grin on his face as he roared in joy and the people in the surrounding immediately started evacuating in a panic.  ¡°Run for it!  An avalanche is coming!¡± ¡°Oh Adligo, please spare us from his onslaught!¡±  ¡°KYAAAAAAA!¡± These people, they have huge reinforced magic steel bars between them and the High Inquisitor, why are they so scared?  Oh, seems like the barrage of boulders has stopped¡­ wait, why has everything become much darker?  I look up and see dozens of rocks varying in size from a semi-truck to a 3 story building rolling towards me like an angry flood.

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    I gripped my rhomphaia tightly and a line of writing started lighting up all along the blade.  It was English in a cursive script and it said All obstacles shall part from my path, or else be cut apart.  I tightly gripped the shining rhomphaia like a baseball bat and swung before the avalanche was about to engulf me.  The rhomphaia left a rigid trail of pulsing white light behind in the air as it moved.  Soon I had a thin half-circle of light between me and the oncoming rocks pouring in.  The light cut through the stone like a knife through butter, and the pieces were forcefully pushed apart as the light pulsated.  After an extremely tense 20 seconds of watching a mountain¡¯s worth of rock pass by, I managed to weather the storm.

    Through the rubble I saw the High Inquisitor preparing for another volley as his slingshot started emitting a loud grating noise.  I spun my rhomphaia around and it collected the shining light in front of me.  I swung my rhomphaia with its now glowing blade downwards, leaving a vertical line of light in the air.  Right as my rhomphaia touched the ground with a *clink* the vertical line shot forwards toward the High Inquisitor leaving a small ravine behind it as it tore up the ground.

    The High Inquisitor saw the attack and batted it aside with his slingshot.  The attack continued until it hit the cage wall and split it apart.  The light then dissipated, leaving behind a brief silence as we took in the devastation.  The cage behind me had been crushed under the avalanche caused by the High Inquisitor and the ground was torn to pieces from my own attack.  A few brave souls poked their heads back into the arena and were dumbstruck by the damage.  ¡°Wahaha!! Now that was a good fight!!¡±  This battle junkie masquerading as a religious official put his hands on his hips as he laughed mightily.

    The bastard doesn¡¯t even seem tired after the massive amount of magic he was channeling through his magic artifact.  Using magic tools and items requires one to expend a lot of physical and mental stamina to control it, even if it doesn¡¯t actually cost them mana.  Yet this guy seems perfectly fine, how freaking strong is he?  ¡°Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself!  I¡¯m Kovart, the head of the Inquisition for the Cult of Chains!  What can I do for you this fine day?¡±  Finally, we got past the introduction.  Hopefully the rest of this meeting isn¡¯t as active.

 Chapter 26: Going Fishing

    October 25th, 2088

    Silence pervaded the small study made with oak and marble as I finished my explanation of why I was there.  I had of course left out most of the details and merely spoke of my investigation into the slavers due to a direct request of someone they attacked.  Kovart sat at his desk, listening intently the entire time.  He sighed as I finished and spoke ¡°A traitor in the Cult and for it to be a Bound One at that.  This is truly a serious matter.  It would also explain why the slavers have become so much more active.¡±

    I nodded in agreement and said ¡°Yes, which is why I would like to request your assistance.  My sources indicate that this individual has also been hindering the Inquisition in its duty to hunt down the slavers, so the person in question must be a truly influential figure.  Are there any who come to mind?¡±  Kovart frowned as he thought.  ¡°There are a few, but I am hesitant to name names without any proof.  Give me two days to look into this further.  I¡¯ll send someone to contact you so we can meet in a different location, the walls have ears here so we should take this precaution.¡±  I nodded in agreement and shook his hand before turning to leave.

    During that handshake, a few extremely thin crystal clear centipedes slipped from my sleeve and into his.  These centipedes were unnoticed by Kovart and seemed to get absorbed as they touched his skin.  As I left the temple and walked a few blocks, I noted the lackeys who were following me from the moment I exited the temple.  I couldn¡¯t help but smile to myself as I now knew the fishing expedition was a success.

    Rather than skulking around and combing through the many members of the Cult to find the traitor, it¡¯s much simpler to make a bit of an uproar and force him to come after me instead.  I dare say that my visit here along with all the enquiries I have been making are enough to make the executive concerned.  But this immediate response to my visit makes it likely that either Kovart is involved or someone close enough to him to set up surveillance on his private study is instead.

    I highly doubt that anyone apart from the Dutiful One can truly hinder the Inquisition, so the executive must be working with the Inquisition to some extent.  I do find it strange that one of the most fanatical wings of the Cult of Chains would work against the Dutiful One and collaborate with slavers though.  I guess that¡¯s what you get for putting faith in a slave trading organization.  I would never trust a slave trader to begin with, so I had slipped several centipede golems to Kovart as insurance in case I have to fight him again.  That battle junkie is likely a threat level of 12 if he got serious in a straight fight.  No way am I winning that without using my magic at full power.  But just a little subterfuge and he¡¯s no longer a threat.

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    I smiled to myself again as I thought about where to spring a counter-ambush on my pursuers.  A very handy skill I have picked up over the years is the ability to notice stalkers.  Whether it is a monster hunting me in the forest or a thief trailing me in the city I can notice them.  If a monster or an amateur is following me my honed senses and intuition will spot them.  This doesn¡¯t work if a professional is following me, so I have developed a different way in order to notice them.

    I walk at an irregular pace of fast and slow which also has a unique rhythmic pattern to it.  Professionals always maintain a set distance from their target when tailing them by matching their pace, but if they do that with me it means they are also using that rhythmic way of walking.  My footsteps are nearly silent, while my ears are listening for that walking rhythm.  Thus, I noticed those slaves from the Cult immediately.  And here¡¯s an isolated alley near enough to the noise of the marketplace to mask screams yet far enough that there shouldn¡¯t be much foot traffic.  Perfect.

    I casually walked into the alley with the 4 lackeys following close behind.  I didn¡¯t even bother with using my weapons, I simply beat them to a pulp and used telepathy to probe their minds.  And so I finally got a look at my target:  he was a lanky elf with blond hair and silver eyes.  He had ordered these slaves to follow me for observation and to only come back and report if something notable happened.

    Apparently Kovart had immediately gone to speak with him after our meeting.  Kovart had come in as the slaves were leaving to discuss the ambush site and I heard the words Bittergourd Canyon come up.  I stopped using telepathy at that point and promptly killed the four slaves with four quick stabs of my ninjato.  The ground beneath the bodies opened up and swallowed them whole, leaving no trace of their existence behind.  Kovart and the executive won¡¯t miss them until it is too late for them.

    I had to resist the urge to let out an evil laugh as I started to plan.  Bittergourd Canyon is a smaller canyon to the south of Obsidia, I bet they¡¯ll say the meeting place is at the bottom and have their men up top to bury me under a deluge of missile fire.  I¡¯m sure that they will bring as many people as they can to ensure I die.  Despite my abilities, even I cannot win against overwhelming numbers head on.  But what¡¯ll happen if all the cliffs are seeded with explosives?  I dare say I can overcome the numbers disadvantage with enough traps and preparation.  With these thoughts in my head I continued to one of my safe houses.

 Chapter 27: Swimming Class

    October 28th, 2088

    Today¡¯s the day that I¡¯ll have my confrontation with the executive.  Yesterday, a slave from the Cult came and told me that High Inquisitor Kovart wishes to meet at Bittergourd Canyon in one day¡¯s time.  The message was as expected and I had already set-up my preparations there.  The only remaining unknown is how many people they will bring.  The number won¡¯t change the outcome, but cleaning up a lot of corpses gets annoying.  It would be nice if the executive comes along as well, but it doesn¡¯t really matter.  I know his face now so he can¡¯t escape from me.

    Currently all I have to do is get through this particularly slow school day and then head to Bittergourd Canyon for the show-down.  It¡¯s physical education next and we¡¯re headed to the indoor pool.  As expected of an expensive private school, they have an Olympic sized swimming pool indoors.  I started changing in the locker room as I looked forward to watching Reiji finally struggle at something for once.  Physical education is the one subject he has to try at and it never gets old seeing his haggard face as we exercise.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s PE class now so I can no longer secretly play my galge games.  Normally I would be sad but instead I am super excited!  We are starting swimming today, so I¡¯ll be able to observe the classic anime trope of guys drooling over the girls in their school swimsuits.  The girls will then be like ¡°Hmph, boys are such animals.¡± and hijinks will then ensue.  It¡¯s going to be awesome to watch!  Fufufu, I wonder how Minato will react when he gets a good look at Hikari.

    I had recommended that Hikari get a swimsuit that is one size too small to emphasize her physical appeal.  She was hesitant at first, but eventually agreed.  In all the animes I have watched with a swimsuit scene, the girl always gets the best reaction from the protagonist when she wears something that is particularly erotic.  Whether the outfit is too revealing or too tight, it¡¯ll always cause the dense male protagonist to get a nose bleed.  There is no reason to think it won¡¯t work in real life as well.  A super bishoujo like her will definitely turn heads.

    Watching and supporting Hikari¡¯s attempts to romance Minato has become one of my favorite pastimes.  It¡¯s like playing a real-life otome game on super high difficulty!  Today¡¯s event is a big one so do your best, Hikari!  It¡¯s either that or Minato is in fact a dense harem protagonist and Hikari is the first of many girls to come.  Hmmm, that somehow seems more likely.  I¡¯ve always felt that beneath Minato¡¯s icy demeanor lies the potential to be a major playboy.

    Oh, there¡¯s Minato now¡­ wow.  I knew Minato exercised a lot, but who the hell would have thought that he would be chiseled like a Greek statue.  What in the world is with that muscular definition?  Does he do nothing but workout and lift weights at home?  Or is it the fact that he has an American heritage mean he gains muscle more easily?  Does he even have an ounce of excess fat?  Minato is making all of the other boys in our class look like pudgy doughboys or skinny sticks right now.  Considering some of them are members of the baseball and basketball team that is a pretty incredible achievement.

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    All the girls including the teacher were openly staring at him.  Most of them were turning red and some were even starting to breathe heavily.  Several boys nearby gave disgusted glances at them and I heard a ¡°Hmph, girls are such animals.¡± Damn it Minato, stop screwing up all of the classic anime tropes!  The cause of the commotion in question showed absolutely no self-awareness as he walked over to me.  ¡°Hey Reiji, are you looking forward to class today?¡±  Minato asked in an even tone.

    No one else could see anything other than indifference on his face, but I know better.  I know very well that he loves watching me suffer in gym class.  My effortless success academically seems to bother him for some reason.  ¡°Yes, it¡¯s swimming after all!¡± I responded happily.  ¡°Ah, I see.  So you¡¯re a pervert who wants to oogle at the girls, right?¡± Minato nodded to himself as if having a revelation. ¡°NO! That¡¯s not it!  And don¡¯t say it so loudly!¡± I hastily scolded him.  I forgot that deep beneath that serious exterior lies a wicked sense of humor.  Minato ignored my scolding as he started to stretch.  I could see all of the girls¡¯ eyes follow his every movement.  *Sigh* This is so wrong.  It should be a beautiful girl who is the center of attention of all the guys, it shouldn¡¯t be the other way around!

    Hikari finally arrived right when class was about to start.  I guess getting into that smaller swimsuit took her some time.  She looked very alluring, but everyone¡¯s eyes were still glued onto Minato¡¯s cut physique.  Hikari seemed annoyed, but then she caught sight of Minato and just like that was entranced with a bright red face like everyone else.  And since Minato wasn¡¯t paying attention to anyone else and simply swimming, he didn¡¯t notice Hikari at all.

    Wait, I saw him look over at Hikari just now!  Ok, let¡¯s see his reaction¡­ why is nothing happening?  Minato clearly saw Hikari in her outfit.  It was tight in all the right places and she was the epitome of any teenage boy¡¯s swimsuit fantasy, yet Minato was completely unaffected.  HOW?!?!  All the other guys are hunching over after finally noticing her and yet Minato is standing as tall as ever.  I¡¯ve underestimated Minato¡¯s immunity to beautiful women in sexy outfits.  This was a major miscalculation on my part.  I just failed this event on the Minato route, didn¡¯t I?

    Eventually class was over and we all headed back to our changing rooms.  My plan to watch classic scenes from anime failed and my plan for Hikari to get Minato¡¯s attention also failed.  I was so looking forward to it too!  My eyes are not getting watery right now ok!  ¡°Oi Reiji, what are you doing?¡±  I turned to look at my friend Minato who magnificently screwed everything up.

    Rivulets of water flowed down his skin and he looked like a damn supermodel at a swim shoot.  I could hear a chorus of steamy sighs from the girls as they looked at him.  If this was an anime, most of the girls would have died from blood loss due to excessive nose bleeds by now.  But yet there wasn¡¯t a single nosebleed.  Today was just another awful day of exercise.  ¡°Why do you mess up everything!?!¡± I cried as I ran away into the locker room, leaving behind a very perplexed Minato.

 Chapter 28: The Hunters Become The Hunted

    October 28th, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I am calmly standing at the bottom of Bittergourd Canyon, waiting for the set-up and ambush to begin.  Most people would be nervous or anxious, but I have had too many life and death encounters to care.  What a sad statement for a 15-year old kid to make.  I am confident in my abilities and in my preparation, there¡¯s no point to thinking any further than that.  I was instead pondering on Reiji¡¯s behavior early today during swim class.  I still don¡¯t understand what I messed up.  I asked Reiji afterwards and he simply turned away with a ¡°Hmph, if you don¡¯t know I won¡¯t tell you why.  Think about it yourself, you dense rom-com harem protagonist!¡±

    Seriously, Reiji¡¯s behavior is too inexplicable sometimes.  I was well-aware that my appearance during PE caused all the girls to stare at me like starving dogs at a piece of meat.  I ignored them since it was annoying.  I also noticed that Hikari was wearing a particularly tight swim-suit, which was apparent based on how everything was straining to burst.  It was rather hot, but based on Hikari¡¯s red face she was probably being self-conscious.  So I didn¡¯t say anything about it.  Besides, the other world has completely skewed my standards on what is revealing or too risqu¨¦ so although it was hot it was not at the level to get my blood boiling.

    The combat slaves have started to secretly gather on the top of the canyon out of my sight.  They seem surprised I came so early.  I look up and see Kovart standing next to the silver-eyed elf.  And next to them tied up with rope and with a gag in her mouth was¡­ my eyes widened in surprise and I stiffened up.  The elf spoke ¡°Hello Terra, I see you recognize our guest.  My name is Eual Percin and I am the Bound One you are looking for.¡±

    He had a serious expression on his face as he continued ¡°You truly are a mysterious person, two days of intense investigation and I didn¡¯t learn a single thing about you.  Had I not finally tracked down our guest, I would have had no choice but to eliminate such an unknown element.  But your reputation precedes you and it would most certainly be a waste of your talents to have you water the grass.  I don¡¯t like senseless killing after all.  As such I¡¯d like to make you an offer of employment.¡±  At those words, the combat slaves all stepped up onto the rim of the canyon.  There seemed to be about 300 of them and they were all armed with basic magic equipment.  I casually looked around at this private army and noted their relative positions before I turned back to Eual and said ¡°I would first have to hear the terms.¡±

    Eual gave a small smile and said ¡°Of course.  I¡¯d pay 10 silver coins a month to keep you on retainer and give bonuses every time you need to actually do a job.  You¡¯d be free to do as you like in the meantime.  I also took the liberty of putting a Slave Mark on the beautiful miss here.  As a precaution against betrayal, I gave her the order to die if you had any treacherous thoughts.  If you accept our offer, you¡¯ll be set as her owner and she¡¯ll follow your every word.  Everyone lives happily ever after.  Not a bad deal, right?¡±  He opened his arms widely as if to welcome me.  ¡°If you decline, you¡¯ll die and we¡¯ll sell this beauty to a pleasure house that caters to rather unique tastes.  It won¡¯t be a pleasant time for her.  Now, what¡¯s your choice?¡±  His small smile broadened into a big one as he thought he had me cornered.

    Much to his surprise, however, all I did in response was laugh.  And as I laughed I started releasing mana without restraint, causing a strong pressure to press down on everyone present.  Looks of shock appeared as they realized that I was a wizard.  I finally started to speak ¡°I never would have thought that my paranoia was so justified, I guess having a decoy was the right choice.  Demon, restrain him.¡±

    At my words, the tied-up elven bitch I had set-up as a decoy so long ago burst into a pink mist which then morphed into something else entirely.  In her place there was a mass of tentacles stemming from a large bloody eye.  The black tentacles had the stingers of bees sticking out of their suckers and the large bloody eye had a vicious mouth full of fangs where the pupil should have been.

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    It was a demon familiar that I had created 3 years ago.  It had possessed the elven bitch I chose as a decoy and gorged on her life force for the past 3 years before consuming her completely at my signal and appearing.  It heeded my command and immediately lunged at Eual, enveloping him in tentacles and injecting paralytic poison with its many stingers.  The ball of tentacles with Eual immediately rolled away from the canyon rim.  This all occurred before anyone else could react.

    I snapped my fingers and chaos ensued.  All around the canyon my explosives went off, causing the walls of the canyon to collapse.  Simultaneously, the ground further back from the rim rose higher as if to fence everyone in.  Everyone fell downwards into the canyon along with a lot of rubble.  Many combat slaves were killed by either the blasts, the fall or the rubble falling on top of them.  Of the 300 or so soldiers, 120 survived.  Kovart was of course among those survivors.

    Far from shock or rage, this battle junkie was absolutely stoked.  ¡°Wahaha, I knew I could count on you to make things interesting!  Who would have thought you¡¯re a wizard!¡±  Kovart had already recovered from the fall and drew his slingshot, which started making a deep grating noise that signaled something big was going to happen.  However, my centipede golems that I had planted on him last time made their move.

    These very small and fragile golems (and also extremely expensive and difficult to make golems) were something I developed as an excellent assassination tool.  They are very difficult to detect and sneak into the body and target several different vital points.  At my signal they simultaneously shattered in the brain, heart and lung.  The shrapnel-like crystal tore apart those organs and the High Inquisitor died with a smile on his face.  That¡¯s what he gets for thinking I would fight fair.

    Now that the biggest threat is dealt with, I started to deal with the slave soldiers.  I drew my two 9mm pistols and proceeded to do the classic run ¡®n¡¯ gun.  I sprinted all around the canyon, shooting away at the slaves while dodging their return fire spells.  Slaves that tried to engage me in melee died as they stepped upon some of the many mines I had planted in the floor of the canyon.  No slave tried to escape as their last order had been to kill me if I was deemed hostile.  This made things easy for me as I freely used magic and gunfire to blast them to shreds without worrying about any stragglers escaping.

    Soon the ground was dyed with red.  5 soldiers managed to surround me and launched a combined attack of lightning, wind and water.  The miniature storm surrounded me but I avoided it by leaping high into the air.  I flipped in mid-air and quickly dispatched those troops with gunfire before landing once more.  There were only 40 some troops remaining, but I was low on ammo and my traps had all been used up.  I quickly casted a spell before they could swarm me.

    A pillar shot out of the ground beneath me, launching me high into the air.  With my high vantage point, I made the earthen walls I had raised earlier collapse inward.  The sky above the soldiers became filled with falling dirt.  I threw the majority of my remaining mana into increasing the weight of the falling earth.  Those 50 soldiers were helplessly crushed.  I landed with a soft *thump* onto the new rim of the canyon, looking at the large carnage I had caused.

    I dusted myself off and then turned towards the ball of tentacles that was rolling towards me with Eual in tow.  This was it.  Eual was not a wizard, nor did he have a plethora of protective enchantments on him.  He would be completely helpless before my telepathy and I¡¯ll tear everything I can out of him.  As Demon arrived, I teleported us to an isolated cave far away.  It¡¯s time to know the truth behind Project Redemption.

 Chapter 29: Project Redemption

    October 28th, 2088

    Eual awoke with a start and soon realized his situation.  Demon had him restrained, with its mouth/eye right behind Eual¡¯s head and its tentacles wrapped tightly around all his limbs.  Eual looked towards me ¡°Truly, a clever person.  I wouldn¡¯t expect that the one clue I could find would in fact be a trap.  So, are you going to take me to your employer now?¡± he inquired calmly.  I shook my head and replied ¡°No.  There is no employer after all.¡±  Eual frowned at me ¡°Then why are you after me?¡±  ¡°I want to know the details of Project Redemption.¡±

    At my words, Eual went pale.  Sweat flowed down his face as he spoke in a whisper ¡°Where did you hear that name?¡±  I chuckled in response ¡°Does it matter?  I¡¯m here and I have you.  Do you think you can resist my magic?¡±  I sketched out a symbol in the air with my finger.  As the symbol was drawn, the air around it became distorted.  This distortion floated slowly to Eual and pressed against his forehead, leaving a sickly green mark with the same shape as the symbol.  ¡°This magic removes one¡¯s ability to lie and at the same time removes your ability to keep silent.  What is the goal of Project Redemption?¡±

    Eual struggled against his restraints, but Demon was unmoving.  Soon he couldn¡¯t help but respond.  ¡°Its goal is what its name implies.  The goal of Project Redemption is to save this world from itself.¡±  ¡°Keep talking.¡±  ¡°Someone like you has seen it right?  The inherent rottenness and cruelty present in this world.  The Darkmoon Queendom dominates most of the continent, yet still wars pointlessly with its neighbors.  The common folk are oppressed, the nobles are drunk on power, and the Cult of Chains is a fraud that deals in lies.¡±

    I was surprised to hear this take from a Bound one.  ¡°If you believe that the Cult is a fraud, why did you join it?¡±  At my question, Eual snorted.  ¡°I thought that the best way to change it was to do so from the inside.  The Dutiful Erilom is a hedonist who is only interested in drugs and orgies with teenage slave boys.  I was planning on staging a coup and tearing down the Cult from within.  Those hypocritical bastards were the ones who opened my eyes to the sorrow in this world and I wanted to personally destroy them before the end.¡±

    The more he talked, the more questions I had.  ¡°Why do you hate the Cult so?¡±  ¡°When I joined the Cult, I was a believer.  I thought upholding the 5 Chains of Duty was my life¡¯s calling.  And yet as I spent my years as an initiate then an apprentice and then finally as a Bound one, I saw the Cult openly flout the very rules they set for the world.  Bound ones freely used their authority to enslave those they wanted and chose to pursue self-gratification instead of fulfilling their duty.  I brought my complaints to the Dutiful Erilom herself and she simply laughed it off.  She said that we were the chosen ones to guard the world from chaos by imposing order through force and that we had the right to do what we want because of that.  That was 180 years ago and since then I have hated them.¡±

    ¡°Who are the other 4 executives?¡±  Eual smiled at that question.  ¡°They¡¯re my dear friends, the ones who have given me hope in this life.  We met some 120 years ago at a tavern brawl.  We were all involved and at the end we were the only ones standing.  It was me, Alren Oyop the bunny-kin, Elna Dupoi the dwarf, Khoreena Folrek the hobgoblin and Jupon Paw the cat-kin.  We started talking and realized that we all had seen the true horrid colors of this world.  That fact helped foster trust and solidarity between us and soon we traveled together.¡±  ¡°What is The Place in Between?¡±

    Eual made a face as I asked that ¡°You are truly well-informed, aren¡¯t you?  The Place in Between is what we call a location at the edge of this world that led us to a completely new world filled with nothing but humans.¡±  He frowned at my lack of shock ¡°Why are you not surprised?  That was a historic discovery.¡±  I laughed lightly at that and ignored his question.  ¡°Where are your friends now and what are they doing?¡±

    ¡°Alren goes by the name of Fujioka Shichiro and is in Japan.  He¡¯s fooling around mostly since he has the easiest job of managing the logistics of the project.  Elna founded a weapon manufacturing firm in London, she goes by the name Erica West.  She¡¯s been in charge of acquiring the materials necessary for the ritual from the human world and also keeping everything under wraps there.  Khoreena is in Atlanta right now, she has been helping Jupon mark all the necessary ley lines to supply the power for the ritual and has also been working with me to collect the necessary materials and people from our world.  She goes by the name Susan Freeman.  Jupon is the leader of our group, he has been coordinating everything and he¡¯s the one in charge of drawing the actual magic circle for the ritual.  He goes by the name Justin Fisher.  I don¡¯t know his location, but the location of the magic circle is in the Empty Quarter in Saudi Arabia.  It¡¯s protected by an extremely powerful barrier made by the four combined.¡±

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    ¡°Is Alren the only wizard?¡± I asked. ¡°No, all of them are wizards except for me.¡± Damn, I suspected as much but it¡¯s disheartening to hear.  And based off the story all of them are over a 100 years old at least.  Wizards naturally grow stronger with age, so they will be without a doubt powerful.  Wait, he said something earlier that I should check up on.  ¡°You said before that you wanted to destroy the Cult before ¡®the end¡¯.  What did you mean by that? And what is the purpose of the magic circle?¡±

    Eual couldn¡¯t help but laugh a rather eerie laugh that echoed throughout the cave.  ¡°When we came across that world we thought how great it could be if our world had turned out like that.  We initially just wanted to live there in peace after giving up on our own world.  But then we noticed signs of its collapse.  Overpopulation, pollution, religious and racial strife along are prevalent in that world.  Wars started occurring with greater frequency and ferocity.  If left on its current path, it would surely consume itself.  That world had different issues from ours yet both were doomed.  So we came up with a plan to save both worlds.  The magic circle is the key to the whole plan.  With its power we will make a new world, one where there is no sorrow, no misery and no regret.¡±

    ¡°How exactly?  And what would happen to these worlds?¡±  I asked.  ¡°The first step of creation is destruction.  In order to create a new world, we will destroy the old ones and fuse them together.  We will ascend to godhood in the process and watch over this paradise.  The magic circle gives us the means to do so.  This is a project nearly a century in the making, it¡¯s something you can¡¯t stop.  My friends will not lose to the likes of you.¡±  Eual gloated as I was in shock.

    I finally snapped back to my senses ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± I stuck my palm onto his forehead and wrenched out his memories, killing him in the process.  Some info may be lost in the transfer, but I already have most of what I need from our conversation. ¡°Demon, you may feed.¡±  My demonic familiar eagerly devoured Eual¡¯s corpse as I left the cave to take in what I had heard.

    The Redemption group wishes to destroy both this world and my own.  The reason behind it doesn¡¯t matter at the moment.  The remaining members are all powerful wizards who have likely infiltrated my world at the upper levels.  There is no one I can tell who can handle this.  I¡¯ll have to solve this problem on my own.  AHHHHH!!!! I am not a hero, so why am I fucking stuck with having to save the world?!?!?  Not only that, but I have to save two worlds!?!?  Don¡¯t fuck with me!!!

    Demon came out at this moment after feeding and latched onto my right bicep, becoming an amorphous black blob that then sank into the skin.  It spread out forming a tribal pattern tattoo of thorns and spikes that went down to my forearm and onto my right pectoral.  An open eye was tattooed onto the bicep.  I managed to calm myself down at this point.  I can do this; all I have to do is kill these remaining four.  They don¡¯t know who I am and they won¡¯t be able to find out.  For the people precious to me, I can¡¯t afford to fail.

 Chapter 30: Showtime

    November 6th, 2088

    Today is an important day.  It¡¯s been a little over a week since I discovered that Project Redemption is in fact an attempt to emulate God and create a new world.  Today is the live broadcast of the first episode of the new Japan¡¯s Rising Idol and I am currently backstage waiting to go on.  It will also be my first encounter with Alren, aka Fujioka-san, since killing Eual.  Fujioka-san is quite cautious and I can¡¯t risk getting into a full-fledged fight with him.  He¡¯s a powerful wizard and my chances of winning in a fair fight are unknown.  So it¡¯ll be even more important now to not raise his suspicions.

    Based on analysis of Eual¡¯s memories, the barrier he mentioned is beyond my ability to break.  I will have to wait until it dissipates on the night of the ritual, May 20th.  Apparently, the star alignments are just right on that day and everyone is supposed to meet up there.  My only chance to stop this plan is to kill the 3 members whose locations I know and then wait for the last one to show at the ritual site.

    Everyone will be on their guard after Eual¡¯s death, so I¡¯ll have to be patient for a few weeks or even months.  I need to make them think he died due to some matter limited to the other world only and that they have not been exposed.  Then I¡¯ll strike. First though, I need to tank this performance and get kicked off.  I don¡¯t have time for this nonsense.

    With a mindset that is likely the exact opposite of all the other contestants here, I walked onto the stage as I was introduced.  We were given free rein with our outfits, as it was a way for us to showcase our individual styles.  Everyone except for me was wearing a variety of dresses or outfits with bright color schemes.  They all went for the cheerful, friendly and cute girl look.  I naturally had no interest in that at all, so I ended up looking most similar to a punk rocker.

    I wore torn black jeans and a black leather jacket over a plain white tank-top.  I had black combat boots on, and I had gathered my hair for a side ponytail this time.  It was simple and understated.  I managed to calmly proceed to the mike with my usual taciturn expression and waited for my song to play.  I didn¡¯t bother with introducing and talking about myself in the space between like all the other contestants did and simply waited to start singing.  I underestimated the length of that space, so everyone sat in silence for about 5 minutes before my song started.  I had chosen an old alternative rock song to sing, which was also completely different from all the modern pop choices the contestants usually sang.

    I looked at the audience and the five judges in front of me... and got massive stage fright.  I have never been the focus of so many people at once and I felt rather exposed without my face covered.  My plans to screw up the song flew right out of my head.  I don¡¯t think I could handle the embarrassment if I got booed.  I¡¯ll have to give it my best shot.  My song started to play and I gave it my all.  When I finished, there was a brief pause.

    I trembled inside as I thought that I had screwed it up, but then the audience let loose a thunderous applause that blew all doubts right out the window.  I never had so many people cheering for me before¡­  The warm feeling from getting the cheers from the crowd combined with the relief that I didn¡¯t screw up and made a shy smile appear on my face, which pumped the audience up even more.

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    Eventually they finally calmed down enough for the judges to speak.  ¡°So Miss Yamamoto, are you ready to hear our evaluations?¡±  the first judge asked me.  I responded ¡°I don¡¯t really care about your opinions.  I¡¯m just satisfied that the audience enjoyed my performance.¡±  I gave a bow and promptly left the stage as the judges just sat there in a shocked silence.  Good, this should get me kicked off in no time.

    As I got backstage, I saw Fujioka-san come over.  I expected him to start yelling at me but he instead flicked my forehead.  It hurt surprisingly more than I had expected.  As I rubbed my forehead while looking at him with watery eyes, I saw him give a rueful smile as he spoke ¡°When I told you to open up more, this wasn¡¯t what I exactly had in mind.  I meant talk more, not say whatever you are actually thinking as it pops into your head.  Self-confidence is a great asset for an idol, but there is something called time and place.  The judges¡¯ evaluations also include a personality portion.  Your silence during your appeal time combined with your blatant disregard for the judges is going to really hurt you, ya know?  Your singing was absolutely amazing though, so it might balance out.¡±  He then started patting my head, which actually felt kind of nice¡­ as I realized what I was thinking my face turned red.  Damn this over-emotional body.

    My final scores followed Fujioka-san¡¯s predictions.  My singing was given a unanimous perfect score of 10, which was rare for the show.  My personality was also given a unanimous score of 0, which was a first in the show¡¯s history.  Based on the total, I was definitely going to be cut.  All the other contestants had gotten scores of at least 12 or higher.

    However, there was still the audience support.  For every 1,000,000 votes a contestant gets, they get an additional point added to their final score.  The highest record of audience support on the show thus far was 4,000,000 votes.  As each of the contestants had a few points added on due to audience support, it was my turn.

    It would be somewhat depressing if I didn¡¯t get even one point of support, but I¡¯ll get over it.  The important thing is that I get kicked off without Fujioka-san becoming suspicious.  Oh, the board showing my audience support seems to be broken.  There¡¯s an extra 0 after the 1,000,000¡­ son of a bitch.

    I shot to first place among the contestants thanks to the historic audience support of over 10,000,000¡­ son of a bitch.  I also discovered that my performance on the show went viral and nearly broke the internet¡­ son of a bitch.  I didn¡¯t even manage to reach my house before I started getting calls from multiple talent agencies letting me know that they were extremely interested¡­ son of a bitch.  I saw the late night news and apparently I have become the favorite to win it all¡­ son of a bitch.  The one consolation is that I got a bonus to my pay from Japan¡¯s Rising Idol for getting first place in the first round.  I just hope there isn¡¯t too much talk about it at tomorrow at school.

 Chapter 31: Consequences of Success

    November 7th, 2088

    Can the Redemption project be moved up to today?  This was the thought that repeated over and over in my head as I walked to school with Hikari.  Based on how much she was gushing about the show and in particular Yamamoto Rin, who has quickly gained the nickname ¡°Rin-sama¡±, school is going to be an absolute nightmare.  And now Reiji has arrived¡­ with a freaking button on his bookbag that has Rin¡¯s face and the words ¡°I don¡¯t really care about your opinions¡± written beneath it.  How the hell did they make those that fast?!?

    ¡°Hikari-chan! Did you see Japan¡¯s Rising Idol last night!?!¡±  He shouted without even saying good morning.  ¡°Yeah, Reiji-kun!  Rin-sama was so amazing!¡±  Hikari started gushing ¡°She was just so cool when she walked onto the stage dignified and composed like a queen (5% Damage)!  That outfit was so cool and she was so beautiful (10% Damage)! Then she started singing and it was incredible! (25% Damage).¡± Reiji eagerly joined in the conversation as I kept taking damage.

    ¡°Yeah! And then when she heard the audience cheering for her and gave that shy smile it was breath-taking (35% Damage)!  The ice queen having such a sweet and innocent side is so moe (45% Damage)!¡±  This combo assault was ruthless and unrelenting on my psyche, please stop you guys.  But no, Reiji then viciously dealt me another hit.  He turned slightly red and then said ¡°Honestly, I think I may have fallen for her.¡± Critical hit!  Player Terra has taken 100% Damage and is unable to continue!

    Please, please stop.  This is starting to turn into a trauma for me.  I have to head off Reiji before he completely destroys me.  ¡°You haven¡¯t.  You haven¡¯t fallen for her.¡±  I repeated that statement twice for emphasis.  Both Reiji and Hikari turned to look at me in confusion, but then Hikari made a realization that went in a direction I didn¡¯t want.  ¡°Come to think of it.  Doesn¡¯t Rin-sama remind you of Minato?¡±  She asked Reiji.

    At that question, Reiji went into deep thought.  He held up his stupid button with Rin¡¯s face next to mine and looked at it.  ¡°Woah, you¡¯re right Hikari-chan.  I mean look how similar their appearances are and their personalities are nearly identical.¡±  Of course they are, Rin is literally me if I were a girl with only the hair and eye color changed.  He looked from the button and then to my face and then back to the button.

    While he kept doing this Hikari had a wicked smile on her face as she added ¡°So when Reiji-kun said he fell for Rin and she¡¯s so similar to Minato, does that mean that Minato is your type?¡±  Reiji¡¯s face turned the most vivid shade of scarlet at that question and he uncharacteristically fell silent.  Hikari started laughing so hard she nearly fell over, but then she suddenly straightened up and asked me with a gleam in her eye ¡°Minato, is someone like Reiji your type?¡±

    I need to get myself out of this situation.  I immediately proceeded to use Fujioka¡¯s technique from yesterday and gave her a masterful flick to the forehead.  ¡°Ouch!¡±  She proceeded to rub her forehead while glaring at me with watery eyes.  I then went into phase two of the maneuver and started patting her head.  ¡°Of course not.¡± I said with a voice of absolute certainty.  Hikari was now turning a shade of scarlet similar to Reiji as she simply said ¡°Un.¡±  Woah, I didn¡¯t know this one two combo was so potent.  Reiji snapped out of his funk at my statement and hurtfully responded ¡°Minato, you didn¡¯t need to be so direct about it¡­¡±  I ignored him and we proceeded with our walk to school.

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    My hopes of not having to listen about ¡°Rin-sama¡± in class were dashed as soon as I walked through the door.  It was the only thing anyone was talking about.  There were many more buttons with Rin¡¯s face on it.  Hell, some of them were replaying clips of her from the show on their phones.  Haaaaaa.  My face was getting more and more serious.  ¡°Minato, are you feeling okay?  You look somewhat ill.¡±  Reiji asked me with some concern.  ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I responded somewhat moodily.  A classmate at this moment decided to butt in.

    ¡°Hey you guys, did you see Japan¡¯s Rising Idol?  It was incredible, right?¡±  The boy asking us was someone who had been in my class in the past.  I don¡¯t know his name though.  Honestly speaking I don¡¯t know any of the names of my classmates.  Why bother learning the names of people I don¡¯t give a damn about?  I¡¯ve had far more important things to focus on over the past few years.  It does make the rare conversation with them more difficult though.

    Reiji jumped at the chance to gush with this kid ¡°It was awesome!  Rin-sama was so cool and poised!  She has such an amazing voice!¡±  The boy gave a somewhat vulgar smile and replied ¡°Her voice was amazing, but it was her body that stole the show.¡±  He continued speaking, not noticing how close to death he was coming as I tried to control my temper.  ¡°She has an awesome rack and the sexiest curves I have ever seen.  And that cold look she always has on her face is such a turn on.¡±

    Stop there.  Stop there and you may yet survive this.  Reiji was not helping the situation as he nodded in agreement.  But the boy decided to give one last push ¡°If she was my girl there would definitely be a different look on her face.  If you know what I mean.¡±  He made a lewd expression on his face to clearly transmit what he meant.  Immediately after that, he felt a fierce pressure that rattled his very soul.

    The force of my full bloodlust is something fearsome indeed.  Less than a second after this pervert received my bloodlust his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed.  Had I not subconsciously restrained myself at the last moment I could have caused some lasting damage.  The class immediately noticed and crowded around him ¡°Arata-kun! Are you alright?¡±  ¡°Someone get the school nurse!  Abe-san has fainted!¡±  ¡°What in the world happened?¡±  Oh, it looks this guy¡¯s name was Abe Arata.  I finally learned the name of one of my classmates.  And I even managed to stop the class¡¯s discussion on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol.  Good.

    It¡¯s becoming increasingly clear that I have to get kicked off Japan¡¯s Rising Idol as soon as possible.  I don¡¯t have the courage to tank a performance and possibly get booed, but I don¡¯t believe that I have the mental strength to last if every day after an episode is like this.  My only hope is to continue tanking personality evaluations.  The audience support should die down as long as I don¡¯t do anything special.  Then I will get eliminated and be free from being ¡°Rin-sama¡±.

 Chapter 32: Old Friends and Rivals

    November 8th, 2088

    In order to escape from the ceaseless chatter about Yamamoto Rin and Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, I have gone to the other world.  There was currently a huge uproar occurring here as well.  The disappearance of a leading candidate to be the Dutiful Erilom¡¯s eventual successor and the simultaneous disappearance of the High Inquisitor have caused shockwaves throughout the whole of the Cult.  They are pulling overtime trying to figure out what happened.

    They have enlisted the help of the royal family as well so the entire Darkmoon Queendom has been affected.  They won¡¯t find any remains, since the first thing I did after interrogating Eual is to go back to the battle site and have Demon devour all of the bodies.  I know that they¡¯ll be looking for me anyway since I was one of the last people to speak with High Inquisitor Kovart, but I really don¡¯t feel like dealing with that right now.

    Thankfully, Terra the Peerless has the well-known reputation of mysteriously vanishing for periods of time so I can put off the eventual interrogation for a while.  With my shapeshifting, I am now a cat-kin cat-napping with Kira by my side on the roof of the Nine Lives Trading Outpost.  Eventually we¡¯ll go to hunt for gadgets for Kira.  Her catlike curiosity has made her into a rather accomplished tinker, so we often go together to find stuff that she can fiddle with.

    I have to work hard to keep her distracted.  Grandma Kuma has been feeling her age lately and has become feeble.  She probably doesn¡¯t have that much longer left.  Kira of course has become sad about that and thus I have been trying to cheer her up.  Letting her play with my tail and ears as much as she wants was particularly effective.  But those are sensitive areas so there¡¯s only so much I could tolerate which is why I suggested the marketplace when I couldn¡¯t take it anymore.

    In the marketplace, Kira and I were walking together looking at myriad of items everywhere.  Kira was particularly enjoying herself, she tightly grasped onto my arm and held it close as her eyes darted around.  Her tail was dancing about in enjoyment.  I too, couldn¡¯t help but let my tail dance around as I took it all in.  Vendors of all species were calling out to passing customers, trying to entice them to take a look.  But I heard sounds of a commotion in the distance.  My ears perked forward and I had a bad feeling.  My intuition has always been reliable and as a cat-kin it seems to be even further enhanced, so I told Kira ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±  She nodded in response and released my arm.  We quickly headed towards the commotion.  I soon heard a noise that sounded like the baying of hounds that have found their quarry.

    I made my way through the crowd and saw Vuser and his elite Bounty Hounds surrounding someone.  It was Veronica.  She was badly injured, with multiple wounds all over her body.  The only weapon she had was an estoc that was broken off halfway down the blade.  I could feel the bloodlust of Vuser and his boys and knew they were not taking her alive.  I whispered to Kira ¡°Clear the side alley route from Dirk¡¯s smithy back to home.  Stay out of sight and when you¡¯re done stay close to the start.¡±  ¡°Ok.  It¡¯ll take me about 10 minutes.¡±  She replied as she easily vanished into the crowd.  Impressive, it seems like she¡¯s become reliable without me even noticing.

    I have neither weapons nor magic items, and even with magic the threat level¡¯s around a 10 if I fight straight up.  I have Demon to help out now, so it¡¯s doable.  I picked up a rock from the street and tossed it up into the air casually as I thought up an impromptu plan.  What I should do is not get involved at all.  Veronica is a noble whom I¡¯ve only known for a few months, and if she¡¯s on the run from the Bounty Hounds it means there¡¯s a bounty on her.  I daresay Arinera finally managed to set her up on some false charges or some such nonsense.  There is absolutely no benefit for me to getting involved at all¡­ but I suppose since I¡¯m already here I¡¯ll lend a hand.  I smiled ruefully to myself at my tsundere like reasoning.

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    How did it come to this?  I¡¯m asking that question to myself as I face off against Vuser and his dogs.  I never did anyone any wrong, I even tried my best to help those that asked for it.  Yet here I am, abandoned and betrayed by my own family.  One day ago I was called into father¡¯s study, where I was told that Arinera was pregnant.  They had consulted with a wizard with some talent in divination and were told that it was going to be a boy.

    My father then said that to smooth things over for his future son to be able to take over the household, I was to be disinherited and banished.  He did not want any part of the Queen¡¯s hostility towards me and since I was of no use to him anymore it was time for me to go.  I knew that father never loved me, but I thought he would at least respect the bond of blood between us.  I thought that there was no one left to betray me, but I was wrong.  Less than 3 hours after that conversation, I was on the street with nothing but my sword, the clothes on my back and 3 silver.  I thought things couldn¡¯t get any worse as I stepped off the property.  But then they did.

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    The city guard promptly came to arrest me for the crime of treason.  I had apparently already been tried in absentia and found guilty, with testimony coming from the Fell house that I was plotting an assassination of Feneris in order to become the Crown Princess.  There was additional ¡°evidence¡± provided by the royal family during their investigation of the claim.  It was so obvious that Arinera had gone to plot with my dear aunt to get rid of me permanently.  I was already going to be tossed into the street alone and penniless, but apparently that was not enough for these two women who bore such a deep hatred for my mother.

    They wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until I was enslaved and my mother¡¯s line ended.  That thought made me furious and I easily broke out from the guard station.  Since then I have been on the run for the last 20 some hours.  A bounty had apparently been posted for me dead or alive, and so here I am surrounded by the Bounty Hounds.  They most certainly remember our last meeting in Malkith, so the best that I can hope for is that they kill me without raping me first.  I no longer have the strength to fight, Terra was right when he said that the elites and Vuser are strong.

    But as I prepared myself for the end, a rock flew out from the crowd that had gathered to watch.  It hit Vuser right in the back of the head, eliciting a yelp of pain from him.  A voice then yelled from the crowd ¡°You filthy mutts!¡±  Mutt is a taboo word to call a dog-kin.  At those words, all of the Bounty Hounds turned to look at the crowd to find who yelled and threw the stone.  But as they turned, a blur sprinted forward from the crowd past them and towards me.

    They picked me up in a princess carry and leaped high into the air, soaring past the tops of buildings almost as if they were reaching for the sky.  I couldn¡¯t help but grasp my rescuer more tightly as we flew into the air.  A golden light then enveloped me, healing my wounds, restoring my strength and even relieving my mental fatigue.  My rescuer than spoke ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my vacation.  How are you going to take responsibility?¡±

    I know that voice, ¡°Terra, is that you?¡± I asked as I looked at his face.  My heart couldn¡¯t help but skip a beat and a small gasp escaped my lips.  He was ridiculously handsome with nothing short of perfect features.  Those stunning dark green eyes were staring right at me and his dark brown hair was fluttering in the wind.  Two cat ears tipped with black were flicking back and forth on top of his head and I could see his matching tail blowing every which way in the sky.  ¡°Hmph, who else would it be?¡± Terra responded.

    Awowowowowo!!!  A large amount of barking interrupted our conversation as the Bounty Hounds realized I was getting away.  Terra landed on a rooftop with a bang, denting it to the point where I thought it was going to break.  He then proceeded to run on rooftops as he tried to lose the Bounty Hounds.  But even when they lost sight of us, they were able to quickly find us again.

    I tensed slightly as I thought we were unable to lose them.  Terra noticed and quickly explained ¡°As expected of dogs, their sense of smell is excellent.  Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re only keeping up with me because I¡¯m letting them.  Enough time has passed now, we should be good.¡±  He then took a sudden right turn and accelerated to an unbelievable speed.  He easily left the Bounty Hounds behind and then suddenly dropped off the 3 story building we were on, landing in a side alley.  Throughout all of this, I was held with such gentleness and tender care that I didn¡¯t experience one bit of discomfort.  I could hear his heartbeat and feel his warmth¡­ no, I should focus!

    Terra finally put me down and an adorable cat-kin girl appeared in the alley.  ¡°Is everything ready?¡±  Terra asked her.  ¡°Yes! It¡¯s all set!¡±  The girl happily responded.  Terra then turned to me ¡°Follow Kira here to a safe location.  I¡¯ll catch up in a bit.¡±  ¡°Why are you staying behind?¡±  I asked.  ¡°I plan to take care of the Bounty Hounds.  Otherwise they¡¯d eventually sniff you down.  Their specialty is tracking after all.¡±  He responded airily.  ¡°What!? You said they were too dangerous to take on alone!¡±  I exclaimed in concern.  I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been this animated in years.

    At this Terra let loose a smile that made my heart stop momentarily.  His hand started glowing as he patted my head ¡°I am a wizard after all, I dare say I can handle them.  Now go.¡± I looked at myself and realized that I looked like a cat-kin.  When I looked up again, Terra was gone.  Kira pulled on my arm ¡°It¡¯s just an illusion spell.  Let¡¯s go, you don¡¯t want to waste this chance do you?¡±  She¡¯s right, I can sort out my emotions later.  I followed this Kira and we quickly disappeared into the back alleys.

 Chapter 33: Saying Good-Bye

    November 8th, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    As soon as I left Veronica and Kira to navigate the alleys back to the store, I wiped some of Veronica¡¯s blood off my clothes and onto my hands.  Demon became an amorphous blob and absorbed the blood.  Suddenly, the blob expanded into a humanoid shape.  Soon after the features were defined and a copy of Veronica was in my arms again.  There was no expression or emotion, Demon was the lowest class of demon after all and didn¡¯t even have self-awareness yet.

    With this fake in my arms, I located the Bounty Hounds who were persistently following our scents.  I leaped high into the air, just like I did when I scooped up Veronica.  I was immensely pleased with my Body Reinforcement magic.  I don¡¯t usually have to use it, but it perfectly fits my needs this time.  I casually sauntered on the roof tops until I saw Vuser and company.

    Awowowo!  Again they started barking and eagerly pursued me as I ¡°barely¡± stayed ahead of them.  I led them out of Obsidia into the nearby forest until I became ¡°trapped¡± at the foot of a cliff.  I had ¡°dropped¡± the fake Veronica when a conjured fireball managed to ¡°hit¡± me.  5 dog-kin plus Vuser surrounded me in a half-circle while the other 3 were securing the fake Veronica. Vuser stepped forward while growling menacingly.

    ¡°You irritating fucking cat!  You think you can fuck with the Bounty Hounds like this!!  I¡¯ll kill you!!¡±  Vuser howled at me as he lifted up his tower shield and Morningstar.  *Sigh* ¡°Hello to you too, Loser.  Since this¡¯ll be the last time we meet like this, I guess I should also say Good Bye.¡±  At my words, a look of recognition flashed across Vuser¡¯s ugly mug.  But before he could say anything Demon made its move.

    ¡°AHHHHHH!¡±  Screams of pain and horror echoed from the 3 Bounty Hounds assigned to ¡®Veronica¡¯ as Demon morphed back into its abominable form.  It had already swallowed one of them whole while the other two were tangled in its tentacles and rapidly losing the ability to resist.  ¡°You two go deal with that fucking thing!¡±  Vuser barked at some of his dogs.  They rushed over, while Vuser and the remaining three charged me.

    I launched a gout of flame at one of the Bounty Hounds, charring him into cinders, before the others reached me.  I sidestepped past Vuser¡¯s overhead slam with his Morningstar that caused the ground to shake, ducked beneath a swinging greatsword that left an icy trail behind it, and then jumped above a flaming spear thrust aimed at my knees.  I then landed directly on said spear, snapping it in two as I sent out a bolt of lightning which roasted the spear wielder.

    Vuser and the swordsman both jumped back to avoid more of my magic at point-blank range.  Vuser then swung his Morningstar down once more, causing everything in a straight line between me and him to go up in a series of explosions.  I raised the ground in front of me to form a wall to shield me from the blast.  I then crushed the earthen wall and sent the pieces flying towards Vuser.  He blocked the deadly projectiles with his tower shield, its enchantments lighting up to negate the impact of the attack.

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    The swordsman charged back in and performed a vertical slash with his frost greatsword, but I executed a sword catch with my hands enveloped in light blue flame.  The frost covering the greatsword sublimated into steam instantly and the force of the expanding gas managed to push back Vuser as he was about to ram me with his shield.  Within the cloud of steam I wrenched the greatsword from the swordsmen¡¯s grasp and immediately impaled him with a conjured earthen spike.

    The steam cloud suddenly was blown away as Vuser used his tower shield¡¯s wind blast.  He then charged forward.  I tossed the greatsword at him, allowing it to rattle towards his feet like I did against Arc the Asuran.  Vuser immediately performed a small jump and avoided the sword magnificently.  However, as he was momentarily in the air I made a horizontal cyclone hit him from the side, driving him deep into the cliff.

    Before he could get out, I let loose a high pressure water jet into the hole.  It cut through the cliff, causing it to collapse in on itself.  I heard a loud growl, and Vuser blasted his way out with his Morningstar causing an explosion that pushed back the rock slide and made the cliff collapse behind him.  His tower shield was bent out of shape, and his Morningstar was cracked due to the overexertion of blasting away the cliff.

    I gave him a come hither sign with two fingers and said ¡°With fists, then?¡±  Vuser snarled and tossed aside his equipment as he walked from out of the rubble of my last attack.  He finally got on level ground and was about to say something before our brawl when I caused a lance of ice to sublimate from the water vapor in the air.  It extended instantly and pierced Vuser¡¯s heart before he could react.  ¡°You fucker¡­¡±  Vuser managed to gasp those words out before dying.

    Only heroes do something as stupid as being fair in a fight.  I am not a hero, thus I don¡¯t need to care about something as superfluous as a warrior¡¯s code of conduct.  All warfare is based on deception (to quote Sun Tzu) and the ones na?ve enough to believe anything an enemy says or does die first.  I looked over to Demon and saw that it had successfully finished things up on its end.  It was missing a few teeth and tentacles but was otherwise fine.

    ¡°Demon, these corpses are all yours.¡±  I watched as it eagerly consumed all the remains.  As it finished devouring Vuser, I felt a change in the bond connecting me with my familiar.  It unexpectedly morphed into its amorphous blob form, then imploded, leaving behind a pitch-black onyx stone the size of a golf ball.  I picked it up and pocketed it.  I can deal with this oddity with Demon later.  Let¡¯s check on Veronica and Kira first.

 Chapter 34: My Feelings

    November 8th, 2088

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    I am sitting in the back room of the Nine Lives Trading Outpost, which apparently is the home base for Terra.  I am sipping on some freshly brewed tea and the memory of facing death just a few hours ago seems so distant.  Kira is sitting across from me, also drinking some tea.  We have long since introduced ourselves and I have discovered that she is a very nice girl.

    We had a good deal of fun swapping stories about Terra and I feel like she could be someone I could eventually become friends with.  Although for right now, the thought of trusting someone else just doesn¡¯t seem possible for me¡­ with the exception of Terra.  As a bounty hunter he must have heard about my bounty and the 700 gold coin reward for my capture.  Yet he instead chose to save me and risk setting an entire country against himself.

    Why?  That question is rattling around my head as I recall how he saved me.  And the shock I felt after seeing his face¡­ And the feeling of safety from being in his arms¡­  And the warmth of his body being pressed against mine¡­  The only fond memories I have had in the last 70 years have all been spent with him.  The emptiness within me disappears and I feel alive again when I am with him.  When I¡¯m with him, I¡¯m happy¡­  Is this what they call love?

    When did I fall in love with him?  Was it from the very beginning?  I had felt a connection between us from the start, which only intensified the longer I was with him.  After Malkith, I would always look forward to spending time with Terra.  I could relax around him.  I felt safe with him.  I was able to be myself without feeling awkward or judged.

    But all that made my love bloom, it wasn¡¯t where it started.  I think it was when Terra saved me in Malkith.  He without hesitation protected a stranger even though I was a noble whose kind generally treats commoners like trash.  He didn¡¯t try to enslave me afterwards, which was in his rights as stated by the Chain of Dominance, he simply protected me out of instinct.  Such inborn kindness is a rare thing indeed in this world.  Terra tries to act cold and indifferent, but I know he¡¯s truly kind at heart.  Yeah, I think that¡¯s what first made me fall in love with him.

    As I was deep in thought, I heard footsteps and Terra walked in shortly after looking completely fine.  He looked at me and flashed another one of his brilliant smiles.  ¡°So you guys made it back safely, that¡¯s good.  I finished up everything on my end too, so for now you¡¯re safe.¡± He told me.  I opened my mouth to say my thanks but instead I asked ¡°Why?¡±  I have to know why he¡¯d do so much for me.

    Terra thought about it for a moment and then responded ¡°At first I thought I was doing it on a whim, but now that I think about it I did it because you became someone I didn¡¯t want to lose.  You became one of the few people I could trust.¡±  He fell silent once more as if he was deciding something.  Someone I didn¡¯t want to lose.  Someone who I could trust.  Those were words I hadn¡¯t heard from anyone before.  Those were the words that I had longed to hear from someone else for so long.  I had been so desperately trying to make a connection with another person since my mother died.  I had been so desperately trying to be valued by someone else.  And now Terra said those words to me.

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    I am no longer alone.  This thought is echoing over and over again in my mind.  I finally have someone by my side.  The only person in this world that I trust, the only person who I have wanted to be with in the last 70 years, the only person that I love.  Terra then spoke up again as I had just finished my revelation.  ¡°And since you have become someone I can trust, I guess I¡¯ll show you who I am.¡±

    Suddenly, his cat traits started to vanish while a pair of rounded ears appeared instead.  ¡°I should properly introduce myself.  My name is Minato Cross.  I go by the name Terra and I am a human.¡±  Normally I would be completely shocked at this, but right now I don¡¯t care.  It is amazing how feelings of love can make everything else seem inconsequential.  The fact that Terra is in fact a member of an extinct mythical species means absolutely nothing to me right now.  I love him.  I stood up and said ¡°Thank you for everything Terra.¡±

    I then walked right over to him and passionately kissed him.  He didn¡¯t resist as I pressed my lips tightly against his and stuck my tongue into his mouth, savoring his sweet taste.  My arms boldly wrapped around him as I embraced him.  There was no space between our bodies and I could feel his forged muscles through his clothes as we pressed tightly against each other.  Kira let out a loud ¡°Nya!¡± in surprise at my actions, but I don¡¯t care.  I simply focused on the wonderful feeling I was experiencing from this kiss.  My heart was beating wildly and I felt alive like never before.

    Only when I was about to run out of breath did I finally let him go.  That was my very first kiss.  I know that my face and ears are now a bright red, but I don¡¯t care.  ¡°You said earlier that I had ruined your vacation.  This is how I¡¯ve decided to take responsibility.¡± I said that to him while my eyes were lowered.

    I received no response, so I timidly looked up at Terra to see that he had an absolutely dumbfounded look on his face which was as red as mine.  It was too adorable and also too funny.  ¡°Pfft, hahahahahaha!¡±  I couldn¡¯t help but burst out into laughter.  This was also something that I hadn¡¯t done since my mother died.  My first smile, my first kiss, my first laugh.  I look forward to all the other firsts that I am going to experience together with Terra in this new life of mine.

 Chapter 35: The New Plan

    November 12th, 2088

    It¡¯s been 4 days since I rescued Veronica.  It¡¯s also been 4 days since the start of our romantic relationship.  I was taken completely off-guard when she gave me her first kiss while also stealing mine, but I have to admit I greatly enjoyed it.  Her bright, clear laughter was also lovely to hear and seeing that smile on her face made me finally acknowledge my own feelings for her.

    I knew that we had a connection from the beginning but I never thought it would have developed into mutual love.  She¡¯s a kindred spirit and the first person whose feelings I believe that I can accept.  Despite what Reiji says, I am not in fact a dense rom-com harem protagonist.  I know very well that Kira is infatuated with me, but I think that it is a coping mechanism.  After the events of Hafor I think that she became overly-attached to me since I am the only living remnant of her happy life from before.

    I care deeply about her and in a different scenario I could easily see myself being together with her.  But it¡¯s because I care that I refuse to take advantage of her misguided feelings.  Instead I treat her like my younger sister in order to hopefully channel her feelings into familial love rather than romantic love.

    I am also aware of Hikari¡¯s feelings for me.  I believe them to be genuine, but there are too many things that divide us.  I cannot tell her about the other world nor can I tell her that I am in fact a ruthless cold-blooded killer.  I don¡¯t want to imagine her reaction.  Lastly and most importantly is the difference in lifespan.

    As a wizard with strong magic, I will maintain my youth while also living for far longer than the average human.  I can¡¯t imagine what it would be like to grow old and die while your lover stays young.  Nor can I imagine watching your lover grow old and die without you.  She¡¯s my beloved childhood friend whom I care deeply about.  I can¡¯t subject her to that nor can I endure it myself.  Both Kira and Hikari will eventually give up and move on so I just need to wait.

    I gave Veronica a magic artifact I had made that has an advanced illusions spell on it.  It changes Veronica¡¯s appearance to that of a cat-kin.  Should someone touch her ears or tail the spell could even mimic the sensations of touch.  To anyone coming in, Veronica is simply Kira¡¯s older sister who came back from traveling.  I also gave her a necklace similar to Kira¡¯s in order to protect her.  Thankfully, the city guard activity has decreased so these are just precautions.

    When I was leading the Bounty Hounds to their demise, the city guard saw that I left the city and thus assumed that Veronica was on the run outside of the city.  After several days of searching just to be sure they have given up.  It has reached the point where I can let Veronica do things outside alone without worry.  She has been adjusting well.  It must be very freeing for her to finally be able to cast off all the poisonous relationships she had from her past life.  Veronica Fells is no more, only Veronica remains.

    She¡¯s still a taciturn ice queen around everyone except me, where she turns into a shy, meek, charming girl with a lovely smile.  After experiencing this gap moe first hand, I now understand why Yamamoto Rin has stolen the hearts of all the guys in my class.  She¡¯s just too damn cute.  I have also finally managed to touch an elf¡¯s ear, after nearly 10 years here in the other world.

    It was the day after I saved her when I noticed that Veronica¡¯s eyes were locked onto my ears.  She saw that I noticed and her ears turned red at the tips.  She then timidly asked if it was okay to touch them.  I saw my chance and told her I¡¯d let her touch them if I could touch her ears in return.  She instantly agreed and had the most fun as she continually rubbed my ears while saying ¡°They¡¯re so cute and round.¡±  I then reciprocated and had a lot of fun running my fingers along her ears and touching her points, but I forgot an important point.

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    Just like a beast-kin¡¯s ears and tail, an elf¡¯s ears are an erogenous zone.  They are sensitive to excessive touching, particularly so if the elf is attracted to the individual doing the touching.  I think Veronica forgot about it as well in her excitement about my ears, so only after she started panting heavily with a flushed face that we remembered and we stopped.

    Although we have strong feelings for each other, it¡¯s still a bit too soon to start with that sort of thing.  Fufufu, take that Reiji!  You are constantly pestering me by wondering aloud about those unanswerable questions about the fantasy world, yet I actually have those answers!  I know what a beast-kin¡¯s ears feel like!  I know what an elf¡¯s ears feel like!  Ahem, but I digress.

    This unexpected romance, although wonderful, is responsible for throwing one of two wrenches into my original plans about leaving this world behind as soon as Kira is independent and happy.  The other wrench is due to a revelation about Kira.  I had finally gotten around to asking Grandma Kuma why Kira hadn¡¯t gone through the rapid puberty that all beast-kin experience before they turn 12.

    Apparently, it is because Kira is a variant.  Variants are mutant beast-kin who have a unique and often quite powerful trait linked to their heritage.  They are rare to the point of many thinking they are just a myth.  There are only three identifying characteristics of a variant:  their maturation occurs after 12 years of age, it lasts far less than the usual year and they have a birthmark related to their trait.

    Cat-kin variants literally have 9 lives.  For Kira to truly pass away, she needs to die 9 times.  Beast-kin normally have a shorter lifespan of around 80 years, but for Kira she¡¯ll live closer to 900.  Dying from old age only counts as 1 life.  Being filled with so much vitality will also mean that she¡¯ll retain her youth just like an elf would as she ages and that each life would last for around 100 years instead of 80.  Kira¡¯s variant birthmark is that mole that looks like a very small 9 beneath her left eye.

    Apparently, a cat-kin variant¡¯s birthmark is literally a counter of how many lives they have left.  If they die, the birthmark changes to the remaining total.  This is the only change that occurs, it¡¯s not like they are reborn as a baby or something.  While this is all very shocking and such, the main point to take away from this is that her maturation is still to come at an unknown date.  And I don¡¯t know if Grandma Kuma can last that long.

    She turned 82 this year and has been getting weaker and weaker.  Beast-kin women are not considered adults until after their rapid maturation finishes and they experience their first heat, so if Kira is left alone after Grandma Kuma¡¯s death she¡¯ll be enslaved for breaking the Chain of Blood.  The wonderful logic in this world concludes that an orphaned child with no remaining relatives to claim them must have flouted their familial duties and had been punished by Adligo.  Thus, they should be enslaved in order to try and regain Adligo¡¯s favor.  It¡¯s bullshit like this that makes me so eager to leave this world behind.

    But I can¡¯t leave Veronica and Kira behind like this, so there¡¯s only one reasonable solution remaining.  It would unfortunately invalidate the majority of the work I have done for the past 3 years in this world.  It would also require quite a bit of preparation on my end and things still may end up being dangerous for the girls.  It¡¯s a big sacrifice to ask of them.  But if they accept, I may be able to finally find peace and leave this damn world behind.  Moving to a new world is a big deal, so everything should be ready before I ask.

 Chapter 36: Episode 2

    November 13th, 2088

    Once again I find myself at Top Talent studios, waiting for when it¡¯s my turn to get on the stage for Japan¡¯s Rising Idol.  I am wearing the exact same outfit as last time, with only my hair style changed to a normal ponytail.  My mindset has also changed. As agonizing as it is to listen to my classmates fantasize about me, I have to stay on the show.   Due to my new plan for Veronica and Kira I need money.  And the only source of income I have that is not through my parents is this show.

    I absolutely do not want to win it all, but I want to last as long as I can to collect as much money from this as possible.  The new goal is the final four contestants.  By that point, the other three should be amazing enough that it won¡¯t be too hard to lose and quietly fade into obscurity.  I may seem popular now, but fads come and go after all.

    So with a new mindset that was still completely different than all of the contestants here, I walked onto the stage.  The audience immediately started cheering and applauding my entrance.  It was far louder and more enthusiastic than it had been for any of the other contestants so far.  It seems like I have already become the fan favorite of the show.  *Sigh* I really hope this enthusiasm fades by the end.  I don¡¯t want to become an idol.

    This round there was a brief question and answer session before the singing portion.  Geh, I can see way too many ¡°I don¡¯t care about your opinions¡± t-shirts.  Have I become a meme?  Is that it?  Thankfully a judge finally distracted me with a question.  ¡°So Yamamoto-san, I see that you¡¯re wearing the same outfit as last time.  Is there a particular reason why?¡±  ¡°Wrong.¡±  ¡°Pardon me?¡±  I pointed to my new hair style as I said ¡°Not the same.¡±

    The judge appeared stumped at my taciturn responses, but before he could follow up another one cut in.  ¡°Yamamoto-san, when did you start singing?¡±  ¡°Long ago.¡±  The judges started getting a handle on my personality and so decided to do short rapid fire questions to maximize the information I gave.  As expected of professionals, they adapt quickly.  ¡°Yamamoto-san, which of the current idols out there is a role model for you?¡±  ¡°None of them.¡±  ¡°Yamamoto-san, what¡¯s your goal in life?¡±  ¡°To sing.¡± ¡°Yamamoto-san, what would you like to say to all the fans out there who voted for you?¡±  ¡°Thanks.¡±  ¡°How does it feel to be in the spotlight after an impressive first round?¡±  ¡°Uncomfortable.¡±

    Finally, the last question appeared: ¡°Yamamoto-san, last time you were saved from elimination thanks to the phenomenal audience support in spite of your historically low personality score.  Have you reflected on your behavior?¡±  ¡°No.¡±  ¡°And why not? You were incredibly rude, you know.¡±

    The judge badgering me about it was a retired idol who had been extremely popular two decades ago.  I guess she took my behavior from last time personally.  ¡°I am who I am, deal with it.¡± ¡­The audience hall was silent for a brief moment and then ¡°YEAAAHHHHHHH!!¡± The audience went wild at my response and I made a mental facepalm as I realized that this was going to be another quote that I would have to see on t-shirts everywhere.

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    The music for my song played, which was coincidentally one of that judge¡¯s old hits.  I sang my heart out again and the audience went wild once more.  I could hear some older fans saying ¡°She did it even better than the original!¡±  As I went backstage Fujioka-san once again approached me.  I couldn¡¯t help but brace myself for another forehead flick, but it never came.

    ¡°Rin-chan, you¡¯re showing improvement!  You only deeply offended one of those five judges this time.  And the audience couldn¡¯t get enough of you.¡± Fujioka-san said with a smile as he immediately started patting my head.  ¡°However, you shouldn¡¯t rely on the audience support to bail you out every time!¡± Before I could react, the forehead flick arrived.

    Damn, he got me off guard by reversing the order this time.  I once again had watery eyes as I rubbed my forehead.  How in the world can a simple forehead flick be so damn potent?  I can take a punch from an angry orc and not even flinch, yet I can¡¯t handle one forehead flick.

    Fujioka-san chuckled lightly as he continued ¡°By the way, the show¡¯s merchandise of you has already sold out 3 times over. Viewership from the first to second episode showed a record improvement and you¡¯re at the center of everything.  The amount of extra money we are making off you is so much that even the higher ups felt it was unfair not to give you some kind of bonus.  We¡¯ll be sending it along with the usual payment, so don¡¯t panic if you see an extra 0.¡±

    That was exactly the kind of news I wanted to hear.  I nodded in thanks to Fujioka-san and went to hear my scores.  Singing score was a 10, while my personality score improved to a 2.  At the audience support phase I received 15 million votes this time, breaking my record from last show by a massive margin and placing me in first at the end of the second round.  I would have qualified for the third round with just my audience support bonus points.

    I think that I have underestimated my popularity.  The average idol only appeals to a small range of demographics.  They are really popular amongst girls under 20 or guys from 30 to 40 and so on.  But I saw the breakdown of the audience support I received and it was concerning.  Men, women and children of all ages voted in large numbers for me.  Only superstars can get such large support from a wide range of demographics.  This has only been my second public appearance¡­ what the hell is going on?

    I left for home while trying to figure out why I was becoming so popular and how to stem this upswing.  Although I couldn¡¯t solve that mystery, I did receive the payment the next day and was absolutely delighted.  If I can make this much money on a weekly basis for the next few months, forget trying to sabotage myself.  I¡¯ll do my best and deal with the consequences later.

 Chapter 37: Getting Locked-On

    November 19th, 2088

    I am currently cursing my bad luck.  Sweat is starting to appear on my brow, and I am regretting discovering this damn world more so than usual.  I am desperately trying to keep my calm and figure a way out of this extraordinarily dangerous situation.  Why am I cursed to live such an eventful live?

    I had reappeared in my masked form in Obsidia after my 10-day disappearance and promptly afterwards the city guard came to tell me that the Cult of Chains would like to interview me about my meeting with the High Inquisitor that occurred 2 days before his disappearance.  I was being treated as a witness, not a suspect, which was a good sign yet I couldn¡¯t help but have a bad premonition.  I arrived at the Temple of Adligo without incident.

    I was a rather popular individual amongst the guards so they were quite polite.  I guess that¡¯s one of the bonuses of bribing so many of them over the years.  I was expecting to interview with the new interim High Inquisitor, but was instead told that the Dutiful Erilom had shown interest in me and decided to do the interview personally.  I was subsequently requested to disarm and remove my armor pieces as a security precaution.  Son of a bitch.

    I was led to her extravagant office which should have its picture under the word opulent in the dictionary.  There was a soft carpet made from the skins of Ancient Frost Wind Tigers on the floor and shimmering curtains made from the wings of a Rainbow Dragon Monarch Butterfly framed large windows that gave a magnificent view of Obsidia.  The cabinets were made from 1,000-year old Black Heart of Evil Oak and were filled with a near priceless collection of books on all topics.

    A large ornate desk matching the cabinet could be seen placed in a far corner of the office, with a towering pile of papers on top of it.  A grand fireplace was the focal point of the room and was carved from a single piece of Eternal Tundra Marble by a legendary sculptor.   In the center of the room, where the desk should have been there were an assortment of soft floor cushions and pillows made from the silk of the Emperor Jade Silkworm.  Right behind it was a breath taking silverwood antique chaise lounge.

    Lying on that chaise lounge was the Dutiful Erilom adorned with her 5 Chains of Adligo outfit.  And much to my disgust, her bishounen slave harem occupied the floor cushions located at the foot of the chaise.  4 elves, 2 pixies, 1 bunny-kin, and 3 dog-kin were there.  One was fanning her with a fan made from the feathers of a Phoenix while a different one was holding a bowl of grapes that she was elegantly sampling.  2 others were busy massaging her feet, a third one was giving her a shoulder rub.  Lastly, one was holding a pitcher of water and a cup for her to drink out of made from white gold.

    The remaining 3 poor souls were lounging in between me and her.  Son of a bitch.  What the hell does this massive pervert want with me?  I had already browsed through some of Eual¡¯s memories of the Cult and seen the extent of its corruption, but experiencing it first hand is something else entirely.  This is her office for goodness¡¯ sake and yet it looked like a damn pleasure house.  Why is the desk in the corner? How many damn unfinished papers does it take to make a stack that tall?

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    I shudder at the thought of what she does when she¡¯s not ¡°working¡±.  The Dutiful Erilom finally noticed my presence after what seemed like an eternity to me.  ¡°Hello Terra.  It¡¯s a pleasure to meet someone who has been such a sensation over the last few years.  I¡¯m a huge fa~n.¡±  She spoke in a playful and seductive tone.  That¡¯s all that it took for me to realize what was really going on.

    And back we are to the present, where I have just realized that the Dutiful Erilom has locked onto me.  Not in a hostile way, which I am in fact quite used to, but in a lustful way.  Someone who is in possession of godly magic artifacts and the unquestioning loyalty of one of the most powerful groups in the world is hitting on me.  This is bad.  Based off of Eual¡¯s memories, it¡¯s a well-known fact within the upper echelons of the Cult that Erilom is a completely useless hedonist.

    However, she is extremely charismatic and popular among the masses.  Combine that with her skillful use of bribery, coercion and manipulation of those who would oppose her, it¡¯s been accepted that there is no way to forcefully replace her.  Eual had been skillfully managing the Cult¡¯s affairs and was the de facto leader while Erilom was simply the figurehead.  He had been making inroads into curbing the rampant corruption before his demise and had widely been considered the best hope for the Cult to get back to its true purpose of helping maintain order for everyone.  Shit, did I just kill a good guy?

    From Eual¡¯s memories I have also learned what Erilom¡¯s favorite hobby is:  seducing young men to the point where they willingly offer themselves to her and ask her to apply the Slave Mark to them.  She succeeds more often than not.  She¡¯s patient and calculating and has taken years if necessary to succeed.  All members of her harem were caught in this manner.  She kills them once they get too old for her tastes.  Her bedroom apparently is covered with the portraits of all her prey and there is a crypt beneath her bed where she keeps their remains.

    Please spare me from this horror film setting, I just want to get the hell out of here.  I gave a disinterested stare to Erilom as I waited for her to actually get to the questioning.  Her smile widened and I felt a chill go down my spine as she continued to speak ¡°Anywa~y, I had originally called you here because I wanted to ask you about your meeting with High Inquisitor Kovart, but on your way over we discovered his notes from the meeting so it¡¯s no longer necessary.¡±  Why the hell am I here then?  Erilom snapped her fingers and all of her slave harem started to leave.  They all had sad expressions as they filed out like they couldn¡¯t bear to not be near her.  I feel nauseous.

    ¡°But I still have something I wanted to talk to you about.¡±  She got up and walked over to me with a regal poise and grace.  Her body was near fully exposed as usual and she radiated the so called ¡°onee-san¡± aura.  She grabbed my arm and pressed it tightly to her chest as she stood on her tip-toes to whisper sexily in my ear ¡°I happen to have a direct request that I was hoping you¡¯d take.  Let¡¯s go somewhere more private to talk about the details.¡±  A direct request from the Dutiful One is bound to be something troublesome, please let it be something I can decline.

 Chapter 38: The Dutiful Oneéˆ¥æªš Request

    November 19th, 2088

    Erilom pulled me along out of the office with my arm still pressed into her chest.  I naturally enjoyed the sensation, but I¡¯m not losing my mind over it like most boys my age would.  I won¡¯t be so easily twined around her finger, but I still need to be cautious around her.  Although I am well-aware of her reputation and I am not an easily swayed individual, this is someone with centuries of experience seducing teenage boys like me.  As Veronica had demonstrated, even I am weak to the right tactic.

    We finally arrived in front of a different door and to my relief Erilom let go of my arm so she could unlock the door.  She walked on in ahead of me, giving an excellent view of her bare back and ass along with her hips as they swayed back and forth.  Tch, this woman is something else entirely. She looked over her shoulder with an enchanting smile on her face.  This scene would drive anyone wild with desire, but I remained unmoved.  ¡°This is my personal room, come on in.  Let me know if you¡¯d like any refreshments.¡±  She said cheerfully.

    I came and sat down on the indicated couch and Erilom then said ¡°Do you mind if I change out of these clothes?  These chains are my official attire, but they can become quite uncomfortable to wear.¡±  ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±  I responded.  ¡°Great.¡±  Erilom smiled and the chains started moving on their own, unwrapping from Erilom¡¯s body and coiling up on some hooks over the mantel that seemed to be made for them.  Did I mention that the chains were the only ¡°clothing¡± she had on?  She then luxuriously stretched like a cat in front of me as she casually talked ¡°Ahh, it always feels so nice right after I get out of those chains¡­¡±

    I am maintaining my composure albeit barely.  She¡¯s really managed to checkmate me here.  As long as she acts like it¡¯s no big deal, I can¡¯t bring it up without giving her an opening where she can go ¡°Oh?  You¡¯ve never seen a woman¡¯s body before?  Are you interested?  Would you like onee-san to teach you about it?¡± or something like that.  And if I continue to ignore it, she¡¯ll get a free pass to wield her ample assets however she wants.  I weighed my options and decided to go down the ¡°whatever¡± route.  Hopefully my indifference will deter her.

    I said nothing and did nothing as she casually sat down next to me and leaned on my shoulder as she spoke.  ¡°Well, my personal request is about an ex-lover of mine.  He is a wizard of minor talent that goes by the name of Ino.  We had a bit of a thing going on, but he quickly became obsessed with me beyond my wildest expectations.  It was to the point where I needed to set the Inquisition after him to finally scare him off.  High Inquisitor Kovart was the only one who could reliably keep that bug away from me, but he¡¯s disappeared.  And I have received reports that my stalker will be back in Obsidia in the next month or so.  I don¡¯t want to have to look over my shoulder for who knows how long until the Inquisition manages to finally get him.  So I¡¯ve decided to do something unexpected.  And that¡¯s where you come in.¡±

    Her hands started to rove as she spoke, they¡¯re currently tracing the outline of my abs.  ¡°My, you¡¯re truly fit aren¡¯t you.¡± She murmured softly before continuing.  ¡°I want to lure him out by using myself as bait and finish things quickly.  He is the jealous type, so he¡¯ll be sure to act if he sees me on a date with another man.  It is a well-known fact that the Cult has no use for bounty hunters since we have the Inquisition for that sort of thing.  But Ine knows the Inquisition very well since they¡¯ve been chasing him all this time, so he¡¯d easily notice them if they were my escort.  But if it was you, he¡¯d have no clue.  You¡¯re rather mysterious after all and no one knows your face.  And you were able to fight with Kovart to a draw, so that means you¡¯re definitely strong enough.¡±

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    I couldn¡¯t help but ask at this point ¡°Even if it is a wizard, wouldn¡¯t the 5 Chains ensure your safety no matter what?¡±  Erilom made a cute pouty face as she responded ¡°Unfortunately, it is in the scripture that the 5 Chains may only be used for official duties.  I cannot use them for a personal matter like this one.¡±  ¡°What¡¯s the pay?  It will have to be impressive considering you¡¯re asking me to break my secrecy.¡±  ¡°For escorting me, I¡¯ll pay 300 gold coins regardless of whether the plan works or not.  If you can catch him, I¡¯ll pay an additional 700 gold coins.¡±  Erilom then smiled seductively and pressed in closer to me as she said ¡°And I¡¯ll even throw in a night with myself into the mix.  Considering how you haven¡¯t complained at all about my nakedness and my familiarity with you, I have to assume you¡¯re interested."

    I had to think about it.  Not the naughty offer, I¡¯ll decline that immediately.  But 1000 gold coins (8,000,000 dollars) is an obscene amount of money in this world.  As expected of the Cult of Chains, they¡¯re absolutely loaded.  My future plans may not require this money, but if I can get this bounty I can splurge on all sorts of things before I leave this world for good.

    It¡¯s tempting, although I would have to deal with this pervert constantly trying to get into my pants for the duration of the job.  And the opponent is a wizard, which makes things much more difficult.  I can¡¯t resist the reward though, so I said ¡°I¡¯ll do it, but only for the money.  Tell me the details of the plan.¡±  Erilom delightedly proceeded to talk while I continually had to avoid her now blatant advances.  I¡¯m already starting to regret taking this job.

    Kira¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s been nearly 2 weeks since Veronica has come to live with me and Granny at Terra¡¯s request, but I¡¯ve already come to like her a lot.  She¡¯s just like Terra in a lot of ways and that¡¯s made it easy for me to interact with her.  She¡¯s withdrawn and seems scared to open up, but we certainly have become friendly with each other even if we haven¡¯t quite yet become friends.

    I¡¯ve taken to calling her Vera so people don¡¯t get suspicious about her name.  I really admire how she was able to gain Terra¡¯s affections.  I plan to do the same thing as Vera and it is nearly time.  I finally felt the growing pains that signal the start of the rapid maturation today, so my chance to tell him how I feel is coming soon.  Vera has thankfully been very supportive of my desire to become one of Terra¡¯s mates.

    A person having several spouses is uncommon but not unusual.  The Cult is fine with it as long as the spouses are faithful to each other as set by the Chain of Blood.  It¡¯s uncommon because most people are only attracted to several people at once because of sexual desire.  But those people can simply buy a slave for that or go to the pleasure house so they don¡¯t bother with multiple spouses.  Hopefully Terra won¡¯t mind.  I just hope that he doesn¡¯t get involved with any bad girls¡­ *shudder* why am I getting such a bad premonition right now?

 Chapter 39: The Abandoned City of Faulk

    November 30th, 2088

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I am currently in a rather hellish looking landscape creatively known as the Infernal Plains fighting a group of 20 or so Devilish Hellfire Spider Monkeys.  They are 6-foot tall grotesque creatures with the right side of a dark red orangutan and the left side of a yellow tarantula.  The monkey half can conjure ominous purple fire with spots of green in it while the spider half shoots out bright orange webbing that is highly flammable and sticky.

    I am using magic to protect myself as I continual fired shining 9mm rounds into the group of horrors charging at me.  My pistols were silver with a dragon¡¯s head located at the end of the barrels.  They were lit up brilliantly by the glow of the magical script inscribed on the barrels.  The script said: Fire and metal was our beginning, Fire and metal will be your end.

    Each time a shining round hit, a much larger hole appeared than the size of the bullet.  It was a wonderful enchantment that gave my guns a bigger punch in damage and stopping power comparable to a shotgun.  Soon I was surrounded by corpses which self-combusted and turned to ash.

    With the break in fighting, I took a look around my surroundings.  Instead of grass there were small fires everywhere and instead of trees there were these ominous looking sulfuric rock formations.  The sky was a dark red and the only thing that lived here were the Devilish Hellfire Spider Monkeys which feed on the sulfur.  This isolated area is tucked within a mountain range on the very southern tip of the Darkmoon Queendom.  No one else comes here due to the hostility of the environment and the complete absence of harvestable materials.  Except for me I suppose.

    It¡¯s been 11 days since Erilom¡¯s request and I have decided to make some additional preparations for the job.  Her offering a 1000 gold coin bounty means that this Ine is crafty for a minor wizard.  If it took that battle junkie Kovart to fend him off, it¡¯s safe to say that I may be forced to use magic in this confrontation unless I take precautions.  Enemy wizards are automatically a threat level 10 or higher and I¡¯ll be in at a disadvantage since I have to also protect Erilom.

    Honestly, I would prefer if she died but then I wouldn¡¯t be able to collect the reward.  So to increase my chances of success without using magic I have come here in an attempt to evolve Demon, who has transformed into an inert state after Veronica¡¯s rescue.  Having a more powerful familiar would be truly invaluable.

    Demons are a type of Spirit and a Spirit is the magical personification of an aspect or object in the material world.  For example, an undine is the magical personification of water, while a brownie is the magical personification of a home.  Spirits are naturally created in this world when mana aggregates due to chance or circumstance.  Wild spirits are not always friendly and can sometimes be bigger threats than monsters.  Mana is very fickle and many odd things could cause the birth of a spirit.  Spirits can be summoned and can enter into contracts with people, although this is uncommon.

    Spirits can also be created artificially by wizards and those are called familiars.  Strength and growth potential are drastically reduced, but absolute loyalty is acquired when creating spirits artificially. Wizards are limited to using familiars as spies or personal servants due to their low strength.

    Demons are the magical personification of negative emotions and desires.  I made Demon by extracting the negative emotions from myself 3 years ago.  It was the most basic of spirits that acted based off of instinct with no intelligence to speak of.  But since it was my familiar, I had its unwavering loyalty and could control it like my own limbs.  Its strength is much higher compared to normal familiars because I nurtured it using the elven bitch¡¯s life force for 3 years.

    After feeding off of so many corpses and their negative emotions, Demon had a spontaneous change occur to it and it became inert in order to adjust.  This almost never happens for familiars, so I was excited when I figured out what had occurred.  It has completed adjustment and could be awaken whenever I want, but I plan to strengthen it further before allowing it to rematerialize once more.

    I spent the next few hours walking through these plains until I came to the mountains in the distance.  I was tired and covered with ash and blood.  Devilish Hellfire Spider Monkeys had constantly assaulted me during the journey, making it take far longer than it should have.  Thankfully it¡¯s the weekend and my parents are gone due to work so I have time to spare.  ¡°Finally made it.¡± I muttered as I looked towards the decrepit tunnel entrance located here.  This small unassuming entrance and what laid beyond was the entire reason I was here in this forsaken place.

    Dark, foreboding and vast.  Those words best describe the ruined dwarven city-state of Faulk that lies beneath the surface of the Infernal Plains.  It is a maze-like place with traps throughout its corridors, storage rooms still filled with items, and the souls of its dead citizens wander the halls as undead.  In other words, it¡¯s a dungeon.

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    Dungeons like from RPGs don¡¯t exist in this world, but this place¡¯s unique set of circumstances make it the one exception.  I had my suspicions about the place when I read about it in an old history book, but now without a doubt I know it is a dungeon.  I am walking down the steps with a conjured ball of light providing illumination of my immediate surroundings.

    And now I have run into my first opponent: a skeleton.  Its bone was bleached white and it had a rusted pickax with which it attacked me.  I was about to draw my rhomphaia, but the corridor is kind of narrow for a polearm.  I then was going to switch to my ninjato, but slashing and piercing is not that effective on a skeleton.  Pistols then, no, ammo is finite and I should not waste it on shooting in the dark against a smaller target like a dwarf skeleton.  I dodged the pickax with a casual back step and then lunged forward and blew away the skeleton with a single punch.  Ok, I guess will have to use martial arts from now on.

    As the skeleton crumbled, the soul of the skeleton rose up and was about to fade into the darkness but instead was absorbed by a small black skull-shaped sapphire that I had prepared.  An important thing to clarify is that the soul, which is the source of life, is different from a spirit, so there is no such thing as the spirit of the dead.  The soul is eternal and whether I gather it for energy or it fades on its own it will return to the cycle of reincarnation.  The memories of the body that the soul inhabited are absorbed by it once it reincarnates and they are superficially forgotten.

    The undead rise when the soul either lingers in the dead body or is called back to it.  Reasons for this occurrence are many and unknown.  Some wandering souls even manifest without a corpse.  This ghost assaulting me right now is a classic example.  The featureless and transparent dwarf struck its arms out at me as I continually dodged.  I didn¡¯t bother trying to attack or block it physically, I simply held out my soul sapphire and sucked it right in.  Although free souls that are not tied to a physical form are ethereal and thus immune to basic physical attacks, they are extremely vulnerable to magic.

    *Whoosh* *Whoosh* *Clang* *Clang* As I turned into this narrow corridor, a trap activated and caused two crossbows to fire.  I barely dodged it by leaning back so far that my head was nearly touched the ground.  Phew, that was close.  During the glory days of Faulk it was known as the ¡°City of Contraptions¡±.  To protect itself from its enemies they created all kinds of elaborate traps that they could arm at a moment¡¯s notice.

    While the majority of them were already activated by the wandering undead, there were still more than enough to kill me.  It was also part of the reason no one ever tried to loot the place.  The city¡¯s location in an isolated and hostile environment, the undead roaming the ruins and the many traps all combine to ward away explorers and mercenaries.  So that¡¯s why this store room I have entered is still filled with various metal ores and other valuables.

    It is times like these that I dearly wished that I could develop an item box magic.  It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t tried many times to develop one, it¡¯s just that it is impossible for me.  The idea of a personal sub-space for storage is great, but such an advanced sci-fi concept that I don¡¯t fully understand makes it impossible for me to translate it into usable magic.  The mana cost for it is way beyond me.  Magic can do anything, but if the caster doesn¡¯t understand what they¡¯re trying to do the magic costs far more mana to use.

    I have a larger mana pool than the average wizard, but it¡¯s not anywhere close to cheat level and thus an item box is beyond me.  But I have come prepared for this!  Before I left I had placed a teleportation circle within the spacious storeroom at the 9 Lives Trading Outpost.  So I just have to draw a circle here and transport the items.  It¡¯s troublesome and somewhat time consuming, but it is far better than leaving behind this loot!

    And so that is how my exploration went, I continued gathering souls and looting everything I could see.  But soon I came to the heart of the city-state and to my final destination.  There stood a decrepit palace which still had some lingering traces of its former grandeur.  And echoing from deep within one could hear wails of regret, screams of agony, cackles of madness, and shouts of rage.  In the throne room of this cursed palace was my target, the so-called boss of this dungeon.  The excitement and nervousness for the battle to come made my heart beat faster.

    The concept of a Hero as depicted in manga and anime does not exist in this world.  There is no summoning ceremony nor is there a title awarded to the exemplary.  But according to ancient history there was one place that prospered solely due to the work of one woman.  She slayed the monsters and evil spirits that had tormented them for ages and led them to a golden era.

    She was a champion who slaughtered invading armies and was said to have been blessed by Adligo himself.  But then one day she betrayed the people she swore to protect, annihilating the entire city-state by herself.  The savior turned into the destroyer and the darkness in her heart consumed her and the city, leaving no place for the dead to rest.  The legend of the Fallen Hero was born and it was due to her that ¡°Heroes¡± have no place in this world.

 Chapter 40: The Fallen One

    November 30th, 2088

    Clara Fox, that¡¯s the name of the dwarf hero who allegedly betrayed her city.  I say allegedly because I am way too familiar with this horrid world.  I find it far more likely that Clara was used when it was convenient for them and then they tried to eliminate her when she became too threatening to their power.

    In the history books it praised how she gave up everything to protect the city.  She never saw her family, she never had a lover, she never had fun and she never had the time to spare for friends.  I believe she was forced or manipulated into doing this.  The strength and power of her negative emotions must have been overwhelming.

    But she stubbornly stuck to her duty in spite of that.  Then she was betrayed by the very people she had sacrificed her everything for.  The already powerful negative emotions became uncontrollable and thus she rampaged.  I am so certain of my theory that I have chosen to invest a lot of time and resources into coming here and exploring.

    Those cursed voices emanating from the palace are the probably the remnants of her consciousness.  They have been growing louder as I proceeded closer to the throne room.  I finally arrived to the 4 story tall doors to the throne room, the pressure from the presence of Fallen Hero is palpable here.  As if waiting for my arrival, the doors opened with an ear-splitting grinding.

    In the center of the throne room there was a kneeling body with a sword impaled in its belly.  From the angle of the sword and the posture of the body, it seems like it was a suicide.  The sword was a magnificent specimen.  There was no excessive embellishment nor were there gaudy adornments on it, but it had a kind of simple beauty that could only come from a master craftsman.  A long, straight and narrow blade led into a simple cross style hand guard.  It was an estoc.  No signs of rust or wear were apparent.  The impaled sword was not the only weapon on the body.  On her back was an impressive looking mechanized crossbow and on her waist were a pair of beautiful butterfly swords along with a matching set of throwing knives.  All of them were made with a similar style to her estoc.  Her armor was standard steel plate.  The body was still intact enough for me to tell it was a female dwarf with black hair.

    This must be the Fallen Hero Clara Fox.  The body was in the midst of decomposing but the fact in hadn¡¯t become dust yet made it obvious that it was an undead, specifically a zombie.  It was likely lying in wait to ambush me.  So I pretended to focus on the throne and I walked towards it.  I had past the body when it suddenly pulled out the estoc from its stomach and stabbed me in the back.

    Or more specifically Clara stabbed my illusory afterimage.  Immediately as she lunged in for her strike, I was above her with my rhomphaia swinging towards her head.  She had already committed her forward momentum and thus could not easily dodge.  But as expected of a hero, instead of trying to go against her momentum she increased it.  So instead of decapitating her cleanly, I ended up knocking away the mechanized crossbow from her back as she flew forward.

    The undead Clara then performed a combat roll and quickly faced my direction just in time to receive two full clips of 9mm rounds.  I was blasting away full force with my magic guns and she had no means to respond.  Pieces of decayed flesh were being picked off, but Clara was lithely avoiding my attempts to get a headshot.  Are zombies usually that limber?  She had been disarmed from her crossbow and the distance was too great for throwing knives to be a threat.  Or so I thought.

    She grabbed all of the 13 throwing knives and tossed them simultaneously at me.  They made a screeching sound as they rent through the air.  She had intentionally spread them out so there was no way to dodge all of them.  I quickly had to contort my body and bring my pistols up to deflect the one knife I couldn¡¯t dodge.  I barely managed it.

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    All of those daggers flew to the other side of the room and easily gouged chunks out of the solid stone walls.  What incredible arm strength.  That was the only thing I could think before Clara was already upon me, thrusting forward with her estoc.  I quickly electrified my pistols and tossed them at her.

    She sensed the danger and hurriedly pulled back¡­ to find that her feet had sunk into quicksand that had appeared from nowhere.  With phenomenal improvisation, she chose to toss her estoc at the pistols.  When they touched my trap activate and a blast of lightning occurred.  Clara had been wearing steel plate armor, so she was like a lightning rod and got bombarded by the lightning.

    I used the force of the blast to slide backwards as I drew my ninjato in preparation for the next exchange.  I activated my body reinforcement magic and threw in all the mana I could spare.  The smoke cleared and the zombie Clara stood there.  Her armor had been melted off from my attack and I could see her lifeless red eyes.  Even as a rotting zombie one could still see traces of her charm from when she was alive.  She truly must have been a lovely woman back in the day.

    She drew the pair of butterfly swords and vanished.  She didn¡¯t really vanish but instead approached with an absolutely shocking speed.  Zombies are supposed to be slow, damn it!  Even with my magically enhanced kinetic vision I lost sight of her momentarily.  I had to rely on my intuition as I brought my ninjato down forcefully to block her rising cuts.

    She pressed her advantage as she unleashed a furious barrage of attacks.  She masterfully flowed from one move to the next.  I barely managed to guard against it.  I conjured a forceful wind to blow her back slightly and used that extra distance to utilize my longer reach and stride.  I continually struck and stepped away as Clara tried to close the distance and get into attack range.

    This hit and run tactic was proving fruitful, as Clara soon had multiple wounds on her limbs.  But she was tireless, and I was running out of the mana I needed to keep up with her.  Time to go for all or nothing.  I secretly magnetized my ninjato and stabbed them both forward recklessly.  She easily parried them as expected, but her swords stuck to mine.  I then increased their weight tremendously in an instant.  Even Clara¡¯s ridiculous strength couldn¡¯t handle it and all four blades landed on the ground with a massive thud, creating a small crater.

    It was now a brawl between me and Clara.  Not.  I pushed off to gain some distance and then I threw all my mana into an exorcism spell.  That had always been the plan from the start, but I needed to disarm her and damage her body so she couldn¡¯t move as quickly.  Now she had no way to interrupt my spell in time, although she still charged forward desperately.

    Golden light coalesced within my cupped hands.  It was gentle, soothing and pure.  I opened my hands palm up and lightly blew on the light.  It scattered into the air and enveloped Clara.  Her rotten body slowly changed into particles of golden light.  All of it was sucked into my soul sapphire, which then started shining brightly due to the strength of the soul fragment.  Soon there was nothing but silence once more in the throne room.

 Chapter 41: A New Companion

    November 30th, 2088

    After that battle, I briefly collapsed as I regained my strength.  Heroes are without a doubt a cheat existence.  All I fought with was a heavily faded remnant that had been worn away after thousands of years.  Her body had become a zombie for some reason, one of the weakest types of undead and the most common naturally occurring.

    The type of undead that rises is not dependent on its body, but on the amount of soul that inhabits it and the remaining memories of that soul.  Undead with nearly intact souls and most of their memories have human-level intelligence and are even more powerful than when they were alive.  The body either amplifies or limits the undead¡¯s power and some of its abilities.  This meant that the zombie Hero was far slower, weaker and dumber than when she was alive.  But amongst zombies she was likely the strongest one in history.

    I collected the throwing knives, crossbow, butterfly swords, and the estoc.  Each of them was a priceless magical treasure.  Whether it be the quality of the materials, the strength of the imbued magic or the level of craftsmanship they were incredible.  It was fortunate that she didn¡¯t have the awareness to activate them.  But even as weakened as she was, I needed to fully expend my mana and stamina in order to win.  That was probably barely 1% of what Clara¡¯s power had been like at her prime.  I¡¯ll say it again:  Heroes are without a doubt a cheat existence.

    As I grumbled to myself, I took out the pitch-black onyx that is Demon.  The throne room in this palace was precisely in the center of the entire city and thus was the ideal location to set up my ritual.  All of the regrets, wrath and sorrow in the city would be sucked in along with the Hero¡¯s negative emotions.  I started carving out a large magic circle into the floor.  Creating magic circles requires one to use symbols that have a meaning to the caster.  The meaning from the same symbol could be different from wizard to wizard.  It¡¯s a matter of personal taste.

    I have always made my designs simple.  There was a circle to contain the mana and circulate it, a 4-pointed star to focus it, and 4 diamonds in between the star points that were connected with lines in a square arrangement to reinforce the magic circle and to stabilize the incoming mana.  Lastly, I had drawn a broken heart in the very center of the circle to filter everything out except for negative emotions.  Demon¡¯s onyx stone was placed there alongside the filled soul sapphire.  The magic circle was 10 meters in diameter and it had taken me a while to arrange everything.

    I stood at the edge of the magic circle and started to speak an improvised incantation.  I originally wanted to just use the circle without speaking, but after fighting Clara I felt a sense of comradery with her.  They say warriors can communicate with their blades and during our fight I could tell she shared my hatred for this world.  She deserves someone to acknowledge her.  So I chose to speak out my own feelings even if no one could hear. ¡°Here lies a victim of this rotten world, betrayed by both her people and history itself.  She was cursed to be a Hero and was consumed by that responsibility.  May the darkness that dwelt in her heart and lingered through time gain new purpose.  May that darkness fulfill the desires she could never pursue.  May that darkness become my companion as I leave for a new world.  May that darkness grow alongside me as we pursue personal goals and selfish gains.  I am not a hero, and may the darkness I summon be of the same ilk.¡±  As I spoke I started supplying the magic circle with mana and broke open the soul sapphire.

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    The circle started to ominously glow with a dark light.  I could feel all the negative emotions that lingered within the city start to rapidly flow towards it.  Soon it became a rainbow colored vortex flowing into Demon¡¯s onyx stone.  My mana was merely used to maintain control of the ritual while I relied on the soul energy and environmental mana to truly power it.  Eventually I could see the rainbow vortex start to dim, meaning that I had almost finished, when something unexpected happened.

    Apparently my words earlier had resonated with Clara¡¯s soul and mana from the environment started aggregating here at an abnormal pace.  This amount was far beyond anything I had gathered so far.  It surged and caused an explosion that roared against the magic circle, shattering it.  All the darkness vanished in the city as an unknown light shined throughout it for a moment.

    During that moment a phantom of a black haired, red-eyed dwarven woman appeared in front of me.  She simply gave me a carefree smile, like all her burdens had been lifted off her shoulders and faded away with the light.  The onyx stone then started to swell to the size of a beach ball.  It subsequently burst and I could feel the bond between master and familiar that had gone dormant awaken with a roar.  I could feel truly impressive power from my familiar.  This level of power would rival high-ranking wild spirits.

    I fumbled in the dark for a moment before my conjured light illuminated the wreckage that once was my magic circle.  Lying in the center was a small fox kit.  It had jet-black fur with white markings on its paws, the tips of its fluffy tail and ears, and on the front of its chest.  It opened its eyes and I saw that they were a sky blue and filled with intelligence.  It cutely tilted its head at me as it waited for me to give it a name.

    When a spirit gains sentient intelligence, it either chooses or is given a name in order to anchor its identity.  Since it was my familiar it was waiting for me to give it its name.  I paused for a moment as I thought of some options, but the ones I had prepared were all male names.  I could feel that this familiar was female.

    I took another look at my demonic familiar that was born from my own feelings and refined by those of the fallen hero.  From our bond I could tell that this demonic fox has a sly, wicked and playful personality.  She¡¯s a truly dishonorable rogue who would do whatever is necessary to get what she wants yet she has certain unbreakable rules by which she lives by.  I already like her a lot.

    And then an amusing thought for a name came to mind as I looked at her black fur and familiar looking sky-blue eyes.  I picked up the fox and whispered ¡°I¡¯m Minato Cross.  It¡¯s nice to meet you, Rin.¡±  Rin cutely yipped her own greeting in response and then faded away as she merged with me.  She¡¯s a young spirit, so it¡¯s too early for her to communicate with words.  As a demonic fox spirit it¡¯ll probably be when she grows her third tail that she¡¯ll be able to speak.  Poor thing is also tired from just being created, I¡¯ll let her rest for a while.  She¡¯ll be put to work soon enough.

 Chapter 42: The Next Step

    December 6th, 2088

    After taking on Erilom¡¯s direct request, I had several weeks of relative calm to enjoy before the plan was scheduled to begin.  I spent the majority of that time in Faulk, thoroughly emptying the place of treasure.  Apart from my dungeon-diving, I also managed to survive three more rounds on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, placing 1st overall each time.

    I was getting used to the format, but they change it up as the season progresses.  The idea is to progress from just singing all the way up to an actual idol concert as the contestants ¡®rise¡¯ to idol level.  The next couple of episodes will require we dance amongst other things.  And the final 2 episodes will require us to create our own songs.  We were told already to start writing.  Haaa.  Seeing all that money add up in my bank account though is really quite satisfying.  I¡¯ve also been keeping busy preparing the plan for Veronica and Kira.

    Hikari had some big news to share during this time also.  She just yesterday got a part-time job as a model at a famous modeling agency.  She seemed really excited about the pay and the access to a lot of amazing clothes.  But apparently her father set a condition that he never wants her to be at a shoot alone.  The modeling industry has had some scandals in the past that have made him paranoid.  So Hikari kept badgering me to agree to be her chaperone until I said yes.  *Sigh* I think her first photo shoot is coming up at the beginning of next month.

    Honestly, I¡¯m getting exhausted by all the things I¡¯ve been having to do.  And I still have to deal with the Redemption group.  Haa, I think their guard will have lowered by the end of January, I should start making preparations for that as well.  My current dream is to one day wake up and realize I have nothing to do and then promptly go back to sleep.  That dream seems a long way off as I am currently headed back home after scouting out some apartments.

    I opened the door with a weary ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± as I was thinking about what still needed to get done in the other world.  And then suddenly¡­. ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY MINATO!¡±  I was ambushed by my parents, Hikari and Reiji with a surprise party.  Oh right, it¡¯s my 16th birthday today.  I casually put the dagger I had just drawn back into its sheathe before anyone noticed and proceeded to my dining room table that had a fantastic meal set on it.  Both of my parents were wearing dumb doting looks on their faces, my dad even had a video camera and was filming everything.  He was 6 foot 4 inches with brown hair far lighter than mine, green eyes and a large build.  He was what one would call ¡°ruggedly handsome¡± and was a stark contrast with my slender and elegant mother.

    It was a small gathering, but everyone here was someone that I care about.  I felt a warm feeling spread throughout me and I couldn¡¯t help but give a happy smile as I said ¡°Thank you everyone.¡±  I then spent a very pleasant afternoon with them.  My dad and Reiji were animatedly talking about American comic books while I was listening in and my mother and Hikari were discussing something in whispers while sending glances my way every once in a while.  Eventually though Hikari and Reiji left, and my parents had gone to bed after drinking a little too much.  They both have low tolerance for alcohol, so they¡¯ll be out until the late morning tomorrow.

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    It was later in the evening, but it wasn¡¯t quite night yet, so I decided to visit the 9 Lives Trading outpost briefly since I had the time.  I entered through the doorway and greeted Kira and Veronica.  We spent a good deal of time chatting at first but soon we were simply sitting together in silence, enjoying each other¡¯s company.  Kira had fallen asleep on my lap, her cat ears were cutely twitching as she dreamed.  Veronica was still awake and she was lying in my arms contently.

    During these past few weeks, Veronica and I have gotten even closer.  Our dates were always a lot of fun and we never tired of each other¡¯s company.  Veronica now stirred a bit and said ¡°Terra, I¡¯m getting a bit sleepy.  I¡¯m going up to my room.  Please come say good bye once you put Kira to bed.¡±  She gave me a kiss good night, gently stroked Kira¡¯s hair and went up the stairs.  She¡¯s really developed a soft spot for Kira, huh.  That¡¯s good, it looks like they¡¯ve become friends.

    I gently put Kira in her bed as instructed and lightly knocked outside of Veronica¡¯s room.  After I heard a faint ¡°come in¡± I entered the room and saw Veronica sitting on the edge of her bed in a white silken robe.  The moon was full tonight and the light shined through the window, giving the whole scene a surreal feeling.

    As I closed the door behind me, she stood up elegantly and I noticed at this time that her face was a little flushed and the tips of her twitching ears were red.  Her hands seemed to tremble slightly from either nervousness or excitement as she undid her robe and let it slide off her shoulders and onto the floor.

    She was wearing nothing beneath it.  Her soft and slender body was on full display, her flawless light caramel skin practically glowing in the moonlight.  Her perfect hourglass figure and large perky breasts were exposed completely to my eyes.  All the blood right now is rushing to my head and my mind has gone blank.  I was able to keep my composure when Erilom did this same maneuver, but with Veronica I don¡¯t even know what the word composure means right now.

    Her face and ears are turning red under my unabashed gaze and she only said one word filled with emotion and meaning as she looked at me with pleading violet eyes ¡°Terra.¡±  *Whoosh* I have never moved so fast in my life up to this point.  She barely finished saying my name before my clothes were off and I already had her in a passionate embrace where we then shared a long, long kiss.

    I pushed her down onto the bed where she laid there shyly, ¡°I love you, Terra.¡± She said.  I leaned in for another long kiss and then I responded ¡°I love you too, Veronica.¡±  Her whole body was quivering slightly as her breathing became ragged ¡°Please make me yours.  I¡¯ll do whatever you¡¯d like.¡±  Veronica whispered.  Her face and ears were completely red by this point.  Her shy and submissive demeanor made my blood boil as I gave in to my desires.  I had my way with her for the rest of the night as we took another big step forward in our relationship.

 Chapter 43: Animal Ears

    December 17th, 2088

    I am getting ready for the 6th round of Japan¡¯s Rising Idol back stage while in an extraordinarily good mood.  The exhaustion I was suffering recently has vanished as one good thing after another has occurred.  I managed to find and sign the lease for a large 2-bedroom 2-bathroom apartment that was less than a 5-minute walk from my house.  The landlady is a kind old oba-san and the rent is reasonable.  I already paid in full for 3 years and have fully furnished the place.  I had to use some magic here and there in order to accomplish all this, but it was necessary for the plan.

    I have also been training with Rin, and her abilities are far beyond anything I could have ever hoped.  I knew using a fallen hero as a base ingredient for her creation was a good idea.  I put the equipment I gained from Clara to good use as well.  Both Kira and Veronica were absolutely delighted with their presents, with Kira getting the butterfly swords and the throwing daggers, and Veronica getting the estoc and mechanized repeating crossbow.

    Kira in general was happier than she had ever been since Grandma Kuma became ill, thanks to her maturation finally starting.  Her happiness has in turn made me happier.  And of course the main reason for my good mood is that I no longer sleep alone at night.  I now spend my nights with Veronica in my embrace before leaving for my world and school.

    Having someone else¡¯s warmth and presence nearby soothes me, allowing me to sleep peacefully like never before.  Up until now, even if the nightmares didn¡¯t come I would toss and turn restlessly.  But it¡¯s been nearly two weeks now and I haven¡¯t had even a hint of my nightmares.  The guilt is still there, but it no longer appears in my dreams.  Naturally, we also do a lot more than just sleep when we¡¯re together at night.  Veronica¡¯s surprisingly shy and submissive behavior in bed makes me unable and unwilling to restrain myself.

    So here I am at Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, starting to cause a stir amongst everyone here as I was visibly happy.  Instead of the usually dead serious expression, I had a small smile on my face that wouldn¡¯t fade.  Considering no one has seen me smile since the 1st episode, it has become momentous news.  Then Fujioka-san came over.

    He looked at my expression and said ¡°You seem so happy all of a sudden.  Could it be that spring has finally come for you Rin-chan?¡±  How the hell did he know?  My surprise at his instant understanding was apparent and he couldn¡¯t help but smile as he explained ¡°You remind me a lot of my younger sister.  She was the taciturn type as well and you two make the same expressions.  When she first started dating the boy she really liked, she too had a silly smile plastered on her face.¡±  He turned to leave as he added ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time to find out what the audience theme is for this episode.  So brace yourself.  Ah, before I forget, I¡¯ve done a favor for a friend of mine in the business and am showing around his son and his friend.  Help me out and introduce yourself to them after the audience theme selection.¡±

    He was referring to a poll that the show sends out to its viewers where they get to pick a fun theme for the contestant wardrobe for two different episodes.  One time the audience voted for a Wild West theme and all the contestants had to wear cowboy hats and the like while performing.  It is superficial, but it helps generate a lot of audience interest so the show continues to do it.  So all the contestants including myself were peeking up at the board waiting for the announcement.

    A variety of pictures representing various themes flashed one after another and then it stopped on a pair of animal ears¡­ son of a bitch.  My happiness has gone and my smile has vanished.  I even saw Fujioka-san make an odd expression as he looked over at me, he¡¯s probably planning out how to tease me about this.  I stood stock still there for a while, as the other contestants happily headed over to the dressing room to pick out their ears and tail.

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    Can this get any worse?  I gloomily thought to myself as Fujioka-san motioned for me to come over and say hi to his guests.  I don¡¯t want to cosplay in front of millions of people!  I looked over at the people at his side and froze.  Son of a bitch.  It has gotten worse.  ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Yamamoto-san!  I am a huge fan!¡±  ¡°Me too!  It¡¯s wonderful to meet you Yamamoto-san!¡±  There stand Reiji and Hikari in front of me with big grins on their stupid faces.  Reiji¡¯s father is a TV producer, so he must have pulled the strings for them to get on the show.  ¡°Likewise.¡± I responded with a bow before heading to the dressing room.

    I heard whispers of ¡°She¡¯s so pretty in person, isn¡¯t she?  I wonder what animal she¡¯ll choose?¡±  ¡°I really hope its nekomimi!¡± behind me as I shut the door.  I was the last one so all of the options were already taken by the other 13 contestants.  Why is it a bloody kemonomimi theme?  Fujioka-san has come from behind and tapped me on the shoulder.  ¡°While you were busy being a statue, I did you a favor and grabbed a pair that I think would suit you.¡±  I took a look and sighed internally.  There were worse options I suppose.  I took them with a quiet ¡°Thank you.¡± and shut the door.

    It was my turn to sing at last and I walked out onto the stage.  I was in the usual jeans and jacket outfit, with my hair unbound this time.  My black bunny ears were twitching cutely on top of my hair along with the white tail on my tailbone.  These electronic kemonomimi are surprisingly realistic.

    Before performing, every contestant was asked why they chose their kemonomimi.  ¡°So Yamamoto-san, why did you choose bunny ears?¡±  ¡°Pass.¡±  ¡°Pardon?¡±  ¡°Pass.¡±  ¡°Yamamoto-san, this isn¡¯t a game show where you can skip a question like that.¡±  ¡°¡­Pass.¡±  *Sigh* ¡°Okay, please proceed.¡±  After that exchange and my creation of a new internet meme, I sang my heart out as usual while I danced.  Footwork for combat translates surprisingly easily to footwork for dancing, so I was able to somehow manage.

    The crowd roared for me like usual and I walked off the stage to where Fujioka-san was watching.  He had an unfamiliar expression on his face, are his eyes slightly watery?  ¡°Fujioka-san?¡±  I couldn¡¯t help but tilt my head slightly in confusion.  Fujioka-san blinked his eyes and shook his head ¡°Sorry, sorry I was thinking about something.  You did a great job Toyela, I mean Rin-chan.¡±  He mixed my name up for a moment but then he gave me a big smile and started patting me on the head as usual.

    My singing score was a 10 and my dancing score was also a 10.  Throw in the now expected audience support of over 15 million and I once again left everyone in the dust as I took 1st place.  Good, I could use the bonus money after all.  But the competition is too weak, at this rate I¡¯ll end up as the winner and have to actually become an idol.

    ¡°Yamamoto-san! You were incredible! Could we get a photo with you!?!¡±  Reiji ran up with sparkling eyes with Hikari close behind.  I took another long sigh internally and nodded ¡°Sure.¡±  10 photos, 4 autographs and a lot of personal anguish later I was finally released from Reiji and Hikari¡¯s grasp.  I headed home a tired and defeated person.  The worst part about all this is that¡¯ll I have to relive the event tomorrow on the way to school as those two gush about it.

 Chapter 44: Date Night

    December 18th, 2088

    The day of the Ine bounty has arrived.  Erilom¡¯s spies have managed to confirm that he has successfully entered Obsidia, although they could not find his precise location.  A fake date, a yandere wizard and a horny pervert are all that stand between me and 1000 gold coins.  I¡¯ve currently shapeshifted to be an elf with blond hair and blue eyes.  I made sure to lower my attractiveness by making my features far more androgynous.

    A racial characteristic of elves is that they are beautiful, so the elves¡¯ evaluation of attractiveness amongst themselves is somewhat different than other species.  Elves generally are extremely androgynous, with most of the men and women being nearly interchangeable in looks.  So what elves consider attractive is being beautiful with prominent masculinity or femininity.

    Basically the less androgynous you are the more attractive you are as an elf.  Veronica, for example, is considered a beautiful woman even by elvish standards in part because she has prominent feminine curves and large breasts as opposed to the standard flat-chested boyish figure most female elves have.  Hopefully, my highly androgynous features will serve to curb Erilom¡¯s enthusiastic one-sided advances.  My build is still rather muscular for an elf, but if I change too much with my shapeshifting it¡¯ll interfere with my ability to fight.

    Although shapeshifting is incredibly useful, adapting to a new form takes time depending on the extent of the change.  Furthermore, mentally there is a nagging sensation of ¡°wrongness¡± for not being in one¡¯s true form.  It is like an itch you can¡¯t scratch and it gets worse the longer you are shapeshifted and the larger the difference between your original form and the current one.

    My usual selection of gear has also been restricted because it would seem far too suspicious if Erilom¡¯s ¡°boyfriend¡± was in full battle equipment on their date.  So I have been given the limit of no armor and only one light weapon.  I have a sneaking suspicion that the no armor limit was made simply so Erilom can feel me up, but I can¡¯t prove it.  Haa, so now I am in a baggy green tunic and brown pants with nothing but an ordinary shortsword at my waist.  It is the classic elf look.  My ninjato and pistols are too unique so I had to choose something else, creating yet another disadvantage I will have to work around.

    I was waiting outside the Temple of Adligo for Erilom to come out.  It was evening and the street lights were lit.  Rin was materialized and chose to drape herself on my shoulders.  I plan to pass her off as a young fox spirit that I had contracted with recently.  Anyone can contract with spirits although it is rare, but only wizards can create familiars.  Rin will be my main battle potential as I will try my best not to show off my magic with Erilom present.

    The side door I was waiting by opened and Erilom walked out¡­ *sigh* this will be difficult won¡¯t it.  This world is far more accepting of risqu¨¦ outfits than my own world.  A revealing outfit here is just a revealing outfit.  It¡¯s considered a style of dress, not an indication of promiscuity.  Even so, I had hoped that walking around in public would have encouraged Erilom to make some more conservative choices.  It didn¡¯t.

    She had a black crop top made from highly elastic Lunging Viper skin which stuck to her like latex.  She had black quad-bull leather hotpants that were so tight I truly can¡¯t comprehend how she got them on and thigh-high dragonskin boots that were just as form-fitting.  Whatever, I won¡¯t be shaken this time around.  As pretty as Erilom is, my Veronica is way beyond her.  So I will be calm like a still lake.

    ¡°Hello Terra! So this is your actual appearance!¡±  Erilom looked me up and down.  I saw the fire of lust in her eyes dim greatly as she looked at my androgynous face.  YES!  It¡¯s working!  Erilom then noticed Rin ¡°Oh, is this cutie your contracted spirit?¡±  ¡°Yeah, but she doesn¡¯t like to be touched.¡±  ¡°Such a shame.  Well, shall we be off?¡±  I nodded in response to Erilom¡¯s query and we started walking along.

    She grabbed onto my arm just like last time and we obviously appeared to our surroundings as a couple.  The plan for this date is to watch the finals of the Bloodmoon Arena¡¯s Bloody Brawl Tournament, then go to the Obsidian Steakhouse to have dinner.  After that we are to pretend to head to an inn to do naughty stuff.  Erilom very much wanted to actually do it when we were discussing the plan, but I declined.  Repeatedly.

    ¡°WOOOAHHHH!!!!¡±  The audience at the arena cheered loudly as a massive bear-kin just finished beating a brawny dog-kin into a bloody pulp.  The Bloody Brawl is as its name described:  a bare fist death-match.  The bear-kin was covered in red as he made a victory pose to the crowd.  The dwarven announcer then started speaking ¡°ALRIGHT WHAT A BEAUTIFULLY BRUTAL VICTORY BY WOKU!  GIVE IT UP FOR OUR NOW 5-TIME DEFENDING CHAMPION!!!¡±

    The audience roared loudly once more.  It was a pretty boring fight to watch since unarmed combat in this world is underdeveloped.  And for good reason since there¡¯s no point in trying to punch a dragon to death without magic enhancement.  So for these types of tournaments it¡¯s usually down to size and strength.  I thankfully didn¡¯t have to deal with Erilom¡¯s advances during the match.  Her interest has disappeared after seeing my face.  There has been no hint of Ine yet.

    I was thinking about what I wanted to order for dinner when things took a strange turn.  An employee of the Bloodmoon Arena ran up to the announcer and whispered something.  Then he whispered to Woku, who nodded in reply.  The announcer nodded and then turned to the crowd.  ¡°AS A THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH AN AMAZING CROWD, WE HAVE A SPECIAL BONUS ROUND FOR YOU!!!!  LET¡¯S INTRODUCE THE MYSTERIOUS CHALLENGER WHO¡¯LL FIGHT RIGHT NOW!!!¡±

    As he said that, I felt a magic spell quickly envelop me.  My surroundings blurred for a moment and I realized I was on the field of the arena.  ¡°AND HERE HE IS!!! CAN THIS ELF SURVIVE THE WRATH OF WOKU?!?!?!? OR WILL HE END UP WATERING THE GRASS!?!? LET¡¯S FIND OUT!!!!¡±  I gave a small sigh as I realized that this Ine was quite clever.  He must have bribed or magically charmed the staff to set this up.  A non-hostile transport spell would also not trigger most defensive magic items, so it was a well-thought plan.

    I calmly removed my weapon and gave it to the ref before I took a simple stance while waiting for Wuko to come.  The crowd was cheering, looking forward to the one-sided beatdown that they expected to happen.  Elves are lacking in strength and bulk compared to most other species, so a fistfight would be their doom most of the time.

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    Wuko let out a roar and charged at me.  As he soon as he was within range, I leaped high into the air and performed a spinning roundhouse kick.  My foot smashed into the side of his head and removed it from his shoulders.  A fountain of blood spurted out from his neck and the fresh corpse toppled.  Unfortunately, one his arms flailed as he fell and his claw hooked onto my baggy tunic and tore it off.  I landed, shirtless, in a pool of the champion¡¯s blood.

    For what was likely the first time in its history after a match, the entire Bloodmoon Arena was silent.  No one would have thought that an elf could kill the 5-time champion of the world¡¯s foremost brawling tournament in a single strike.  I walked off the field calmly.  Erilom was waiting for me along with Rin in the hall.  She was panting as she openly stared.  Son of a bitch.  My look ugly strategy to keep her off me has been blown out of the water now.  An elf having a muscular physique like mine is without a doubt considered exceedingly masculine and thus attractive.

    In order to distract her, I said ¡°It seems like Ine doesn¡¯t want to openly confront us.¡±  Erilom nodded to that statement ¡°Yeah, he was always a bit hesitant.  He likely won¡¯t directly take action until his jealousy overcomes his timidity.¡±  ¡°And when would that be?¡±  ¡°Probably when he sees we¡¯re about to make love.¡±  ¡°So until then he¡¯ll keep trying these kind of indirect assassinations?¡±  ¡°Probably.¡±  This is going to be a pain.

    I told Rin to start observing our surroundings to see if she can engage Ine the next time he tries to cast a spell.  My familiar gave a cute nod and quickly melted into the shadows.  While trying to fend off Erilom¡¯s resurgent advances, I left the arena with her in tow and headed to the restaurant.  Fortunately, the arena was able to provide me with a replacement shirt, a simple tank top that showed off my muscles rather than hiding them.

    The endless lustful stares I had to suffer from the elven women around us as we entered the restaurant was unsettling.  Haa.  I didn¡¯t know that elven women had such a muscle fetish.  No wonder Veronica gets so frisky when she sees me training with my shirt off.  Not that I mind when it¡¯s her.

    We entered the Obsidian Steakhouse and were led to our table by a dog-kin slave in a maid outfit.  Yep, the Obsidian Steakhouse is a strange fusion of a medieval themed maid caf¨¦ and an American steakhouse.  It doesn¡¯t make sense, but that¡¯s why it is another world.  I am rather looking forward to trying the quad-bull steak here though.  How does the other world steak stack up to my world?  It must be my father¡¯s culinary influence as to why I am kind of excited for this.

    A cute pixie maid took our order and while we were waiting I was checking with Rin.  Ine was nowhere to be found.  I was wondering where he could be as I was about to drink my water¡­ and stopped.  In this world it is important to always be on guard with all senses.  I could smell the faintest trace of a bittersweet fragrance in my water.  It looks like Ine poisoned my drink.  Hmm, it looks like for the second attempt on my life he¡¯s going for subterfuge rather than magic.

    It¡¯s a good idea, but poison is unreliable unless you¡¯re an expert at using it.  I refrained from drinking my water as the food finally arrived.  The golden quad-bull steak was releasing a truly mouth-watering aroma and I was about to happily dig in¡­ when I noticed the faint hint of another poison.  This one was an odorless poison, but the meat had a slight unnatural discoloration to it.  *Sigh* Ine is certainly persistent if not inventive.

    The dessert I ordered after the steak was also poisoned, so I ended up eating nothing as Erilom happily munched away at her own food.  Rin wasn¡¯t able to find Ine, so it looks like the inn will be our last shot to bait him out.  We left the steakhouse and I was ignoring my empty stomach.  It was the first time I had left a restaurant hungrier than when I entered it.

    We checked into an inn and headed up to a spacious room with a large single bed.  I closed the blinds and turned to tell Erilom to start faking moaning sounds, but she had other ideas.  In the two seconds it had taken me to close the curtains, she had somehow managed to strip off everything except for her thigh-high boots and was about to push me down.  But then my guardian angel Ine saved me.

    A blast of wind blew the window open and pushed Erilom off of me.  A series of ice needles then perforated the wall and headed towards me, which I easily dodged.  I could already hear that Rin had located Ine and that he was on the rooftop of the opposite building across the street.  I signaled her to wait until he had exhausted more mana before striking.

    The walls all creaked inwards as thorny branches suddenly grew from them.  They all went towards me, forcing me to draw my sword and hack away at them.  As I finished my gardening, the wall with the window was blasted apart.  The target finally revealed himself as he appeared in the wrecked room.

    Ine was an elf like me who had blond hair and red eyes.  Those red eyes were also fully bloodshot, giving him a really creepy look.  ¡°YOU WILL GET AWAY FROM MY ERILOM! SHE IS MINE! I WON¡¯T HAND HER OVER TO ANYONE ELSE!¡± he roared madly.  Looks like he has lost control.  Ine¡¯s body started to swell and contort as he used some strange magic on himself.

    When it finished, Ine looked like a caricature of a steroid using bodybuilder.  ¡°ERILOM! LOOK AT ME! I AM FAR SUPERIOR TO THIS PUNY THING!!!¡± he screamed. I slowly inched closer as Rin also was about to take her place.  I couldn¡¯t just rashly engage him because I had to look out for Erilom.  This handicap is why I normally don¡¯t do escort jobs.

    ¡°DIE!!!!¡±  Ine swung one of his arms towards me, which I naturally sidestepped and hacked at with my sword.  *Ching* My simple shortsword broke as it failed to leave a mark on Ine¡¯s toughened skin.  I miss my rhomphaia so much right now.  Ine pulled back his arm to swing it again, when suddenly Rin appeared right behind him.  She expanded to the size of a horse and then bit down hard on his neck, killing him instantly.  Phew, it¡¯s over thank goodness.  He wasn¡¯t as tough as I thought.  I looked over at the pouting Erilom and said ¡°Now if you would be so kind, let¡¯s head back to the Temple so you can pay me my money.¡±

 Chapter 45: First Modeling Job

    January 4th, 2089

    I have officially retired from the bounty hunting business.  With that 1000 gold coin reward, there is no longer a need to work.  My time in the other world is no longer spent fighting and suffering.  Now I simply relax the day away while spending time with Kira and Veronica.  I also help take care of Grandma Kuma.

    By this point it has also become clear that Kira was in the midst of her maturation.  Maturation for beast-kin means mental as well as physical development.  She no longer calls me big brother and has become much more mature.  Physically, she has already grown a lot and it looks like she¡¯ll end up at about the same height as Veronica at 5 foot 8 inches.  She has also grown a lot in other places too, and my prediction of her becoming an earth-shattering beauty is being proven.

    Honestly it looks like she¡¯s going to be the first person I¡¯ve seen who¡¯s on par with Veronica in terms of looks.  Speaking of which, Veronica and Kira at this point have become unexpectedly close.  They¡¯re now the best of friends, which is naturally great to hear.  Veronica has been helping Kira when she¡¯s been suffering too much growing pain, while Kira has taken it upon herself to teach Veronica all the academics I had taught her.  But it looks like it¡¯ll soon be over since she has the variant¡¯s shortened maturation, she should finish her transformation into an 18-year old woman soon.

    However, today is not about Kira it¡¯s about Hikari.  Her first modeling job is today and it is for a shopping catalogue.  This means that I¡¯ll be forced to spend my afternoon making sure she doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.  I would have brought Reiji along so I could have someone to talk to, but he¡¯s gotten rather sick due to some viral illness.  I had noticed a couple weeks ago that he looked a bit unhealthy and had lost some weight but I didn¡¯t think it was this bad.

    He has missed about a week of school so far and it looks like he won¡¯t come back too soon as the illness is worsening.  It¡¯s not life-threatening though according to his doctor, so he¡¯ll survive after another miserable month or so.  Anyway, I am walking alongside Hikari as she happily heads into the studio.  Hopefully this doesn¡¯t take too long.

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    Yes! The day has finally arrived for my first modeling job!  I was so excited ever since I accepted the offer from the agency.  I had been looking for a part-time job in order to get some financial independence.  My father said that I can date whoever I want, but he could just as easily change his mind and arrange a marriage for me.  I wanted to be prepared in case I have to cut off relations with my father.

    My heart completely belongs to Minato, even if the dense idiot doesn¡¯t realize it yet.  I¡¯m prepared to leave my family if my father gets in my way.  Although my dad does really approve of Minato and Minato¡¯s dad owns a wildly successful restaurant chain which would be a good fit with my father¡¯s conglomerate.  And our parents our really close friends¡­ wait, doesn¡¯t this mean Father would be ecstatic if I was with Minato?

    If he decided to arrange a marriage for me right now, Minato would definitely be the top choice on his list¡­ this is something I should follow up on later.  But for now I should focus on my work!  With Minato in tow, I opened the doors to the studio and became very worried in an instant.  The studio was finishing up with a prior shoot for the shopping catalogue¡¯s¡­ lingerie section.  There were a dozen models all in a variety of sexy clothing and since I had kind of slammed open the door in my excitement as I entered, everyone¡¯s eyes looked over to us.  All those eyes then locked onto Minato.  WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?!?!!

    As I was currently cursing myself for my lack of foresight, the photographer Todowara-san came over.  ¡°Hello Hikari-chan, you¡¯re a little bit early but I¡¯m happy to see such enthusiasm.  You can go ahead and change into the first outfit now.¡±  He then noticed Minato and greeted him as well ¡°Ah, hello!  You must be Hikari¡¯s escort.  I¡¯m Todowara Yojo, the photographer for today¡¯s shoot.  It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±  Minato responded with a simple ¡°I¡¯m Cross Minato.¡±  I was then whisked away to the dressing room to put on the first outfit, leaving Minato alone as the lingerie shoot continued.  Damn it all.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Bored.  I am so bored right now.  Hikari was quickly taken away to get ready for her shoot and left me alone to browse my holophone looking for any updates on my favorite web novels.  Unfortunately, my phone¡¯s reception was spotty here so it was taking forever to load.  But I was soon distracted.  ¡°Hello, you seem to be new around here.  Are you a new model the agency has hired?¡±  I am not someone who particularly enjoys conversation, but anything was better than being this bored.

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    I put away my phone as I looked up ¡°I¡¯m not a model, I¡¯m just here for a friend.¡±  The person who started the conversation was one of the models who had just finished shooting.  She looked to be eighteen or so, with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes.  She was quite pretty, with good facial features and a gravure idol like figure that was further emphasized by the tight lingerie she was wearing.  Although Hikari was more attractive, this girl wasn¡¯t bad either.

    The view would have been dangerous for any normal teenage boy, but I am far from normal.  I had seen plenty of outfits with greater levels of skin exposure in the other world after all.  But unlike the other models who had all been flashing flirty smiles and provocatively showcasing their figures towards me, this one had a cheerful smile and didn¡¯t seem to emanate any lust.  ¡°I¡¯m Tachibana Akemi, nice to meet you.  If you¡¯re not a new model, does that mean you came with Hikari-chan?¡±  ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Cross Minato.¡±  ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re Cross-san!  Hikari-chan has told me a lot about you.¡±  ¡°Oi, Akemi-chan!  Don¡¯t hog him all to yourself!¡±

    Before our conversation could continue, the other models intruded.  They all started introducing themselves, but I didn¡¯t bother remembering their names.  It was a ceaseless flurry of girly tittering and fluttering of the eyes.  The bolder ones would try to do alluring things like leaning over to show off their cleavage or cross their arms in a way that would prop up their chests.  Tachibana-san was shunted to the side by this crowd and left to go get changed after she said good-bye.  It¡¯s good that Hikari at least has one nice sempai like her.  Now please can someone save me from these girls!

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    After finally making it back from changing and make-up, I saw my worst fears were confirmed.  Minato was being swarmed by the other girls.  But much to my surprise, he was completely unaffected despite being surrounded by lingerie models.  I saw Akemi-sempai come over ¡°Ah Hikari-chan, why did you bring your lamb to this lion¡¯s den?  These girls are rather persistent.¡±  She teased me as I grumpily responded ¡°I didn¡¯t think about it.  But Minato¡¯s so dense that it likely won¡¯t amount to anything.¡±  ¡°I don¡¯t know, he seems pretty perceptive to me.  I think that you should lock him up quick before you lose him to someone else.¡±

    Akemi-sempai gave me a bit of a wicked smile before continuing ¡°If you keep dragging your feet, I think I might take him instead.¡±  ¡°Don¡¯t joke like that sempai!¡±  I reprimanded as Akemi-sempai let out a small giggle.  She said it in a joking manner, but I don¡¯t know if she was completely kidding.  If someone on Akemi-sempai¡¯s level were to go after Minato¡­ I think it¡¯s time to do something drastic.  I started making a plan in my head as I headed over to brush away the bugs buzzing around my Minato.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    After 3 hours of agony, I was finally free from the photo shoot.  Hikari eventually came and saved me from the models, much to my relief.  After that, the shoot proceeded as expected.  I wasn¡¯t even that bored, since Tachibana-san stayed behind for a while and talked with me.  I discovered that she was in fact a massive otaku on par with Reiji, so time went by relatively quickly as we talked.

    The best part is as we were walking back Hikari told me that she¡¯d have one of her girlfriends come along with her next time.  I was released from my chaperoning duties!  I could feel it, the day where I would have as much leisure time as a regular high schooler was approaching!  All that stands between me and that are 3 remaining episodes of Japan¡¯s Rising Idol and a secret plot to destroy the world!  And now I¡¯m depressed due to thinking about those two things.

    Audience support has now reached 16 million votes per round for me, more than quadruple the next closest contestant.  I¡¯ve resigned myself at this point to winning.  I¡¯ll deal with the fallout later.  More importantly, I¡¯ve made my preparations to deal with the Redemption group.  I¡¯ll hit them hard and fast right after the Japan¡¯s Rising Idol finale.  Based on Fujioka¡¯s behavior, they have maintained their modus operandi after Eual¡¯s death.  Good.  It will make it easier for me to massacre them all.

 Chapter 46: It Begins

    January 25th, 2089

    Fujioka Shichiro¡¯s POV

    My name is Alren Oyop, although I am known as Fujioka Shichiro in this world.  I am a wizard and bunny-kin, both of which don¡¯t exist here.  I¡¯ve been using magic to blend in unnoticed, although I sometimes head to cosplay conventions in order to be able to release my disguise for a while.  I work as the executive producer for Japan¡¯s Rising Idol and I am quite happy with life here.

    This world has its problems, but it is truly far better than life in my world.  I still struggle a little bit with some regrets over what my friends and I are planning to do.  I agree with them that our world is lost and should be remade, but I felt that this world still has hope.  The humans seem to have done a much better job than us and do not seem to be doomed to self-destruction.

    My friends eventually managed to persuade me otherwise, this world is necessary to help supplement the energy cost of creating a new world.  Jupon said something about ¡°Ensuring that the chains are not broken¡± during the re-creation process.  I didn¡¯t fully understand, but Jupon refused to elaborate.  He merely warned that the consequences would be dire.

    After decades of experimenting and even more decades of preparations, we are ready.  We went to great lengths to ensure that this ritual does not simply kill everyone.  They will be reborn in our new world and live lives free from worry and sorrow.  As we come to the end of our plan, I thought that I had completely gotten over my guilt.  But then I met a girl who changed that.

    When I was younger and living in my world, I had a younger sister named Toyela.  She was the cutest little sister one could ask for, with lovely long black hair and these breath-taking sky blue eyes.  She was a taciturn type, but I could read her expressions with ease.  Her bunny ears always telegraphed her true feelings.  She was a quiet and serious individual who didn¡¯t get flustered easily, but when she did it was always way too cute.  I became rather accomplished at poking through her fa?ade.  There was one thing that would always get Toyela to become talkative and lively though:  music.  She had a wonderful singing voice and it was her dream to become a performer.

    Our parents died when Toyela was still young, so I raised her myself.  Thanks to my magical abilities, we were able to live relatively comfortably.  I wanted Toyela to live a happy life, but I failed her.  The town we were in was on the frontier, life was harsh there.  The ruling noble was more interested in harvesting slaves and money from the population than helping them prosper, so he imposed a heavy tax.

    The Bound One in charge of the local church of the Cult did nothing to stop him.  The noble¡¯s guards actively terrorized the people and life became difficult.  I had refused to become the noble¡¯s retainer, so he started using means other than persuasion to change my mind.  I was careless one day and left home for longer than I should have.

    I came back and the sight that greeted me was my sister¡¯s corpse.  The guards had apparently come to kidnap her, she resisted and they ended up killing her in the struggle.  She was only 12 years old at the time.  My rage and sorrow made my magic rampage and I ended up killing everyone in the town.  It did nothing to soothe me.

    I spent the next few years as drunken wanderer, when one day I got involved in a brawl at the tavern I was drinking in.  It was there I met my dear friends and companions.  A couple of decades later and our group started working on the plan.  Gathering slaves for labor and to harvest their souls and life for energy, purchasing materials in bulk from both worlds and generating the finances necessary for it.

    All these things needed someone to do the accounting and organize everything.  That was my job.  I did it as best as I could and in the last decade I had a lot less to do.  I chose to spend my newfound free time creating and working on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol.  Toyela never had the opportunity to become a famous singer, so I started a show to help girls who shared her dream to get that opportunity.

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    It was the start of another season for the show and I was cheerfully entering the building when I collided with someone.  I checked to see if they were alright and my heart stopped for a moment.  This was a girl who looked too much like Toyela.  She had the pale skin, long black hair and even those sky-blue eyes.  It was like I was seeing what Toyela would have looked like when she grew up.  I noticed that she was a contestant and decided to see her interview after she left.

    As I watched her, the similarity between her and Toyela was even more pronounced.  The taciturn demeanor and even the cute flustered reactions were the same.  Her singing was incredible as well.  I wanted to meet her again and did so when the contestants came in for their orientation.  Fufufu, I almost forgot that she wasn¡¯t Toyela when I teased her.  Her subtle facial expressions were just too similar.  She even made that watery stare that Toyela did whenever I scored a critical hit and made her flustered.

    I started to enjoy actively teasing Rin-chan whenever I saw her.  Rin-chan was exceedingly talented and her taciturn personality was a huge hit with the audiences.  As the season progressed, I started to lose the ability to differentiate between Rin-chan and Toyela.  The one episode where they had to wear kemonomimi while performing, I intentionally picked out the bunny ears and gave it to Rin-chan.  And when I saw her, I became convinced that Toyela reincarnated as Rin.

    I could feel tears come to my eyes, at the hope that Toyela was currently living a better life as Rin this time around.  I continued to watch as she dominated the show.  Currently, it is the finale of the season and Rin will win it.  The audience chosen theme this time around was beach wear, and I had an exceedingly fun time teasing her as usual.  She was completely distraught over having to wear a swimsuit.

    After this show, she¡¯ll move on to the Top Talent Agency and start her idol career.  But it won¡¯t last for long, since the Redemption plan will finish everything in just a few months¡­ those feelings of regret I¡¯ve had have come back stronger than ever.  I won¡¯t turn back now, but it doesn¡¯t stop my heart from aching as I watched Rin win Japan¡¯s Rising Idol by a record margin.

    There was a large celebration, but eventually the audience hall was empty.  Rin was still there though and apparently had been waiting for me.  I could have sworn that she had already gone.  Everyone else had long gone and we were the only two people left.  ¡°Yo, Rin-chan.  You haven¡¯t left yet?¡±  ¡°No.¡±  ¡°Why not?¡±  ¡°I was waiting for you.¡±  ¡°Oho?  I guess I haven¡¯t given you your congratulatory pat yet.¡±  I walked over to Rin and started to pat her on the head just like I had always done to Toyela.

    I¡¯ve decided to look into saving Rin¡¯s memories when she reincarnates into the new world.  Khoreena has already done the research on the topic, I can just ask he¡­ *schink* *drip* *drip* *drip*.  A coldness has started to spread through my chest.  I look down and see a stiletto lodged in my heart.  Although I have emergency life magic applied, it will only give me a few minutes at most.  There¡¯s no chance of healing, I can feel hex magic spreading from the wound as the blade faded away from existence.  My blood is dripping onto the floor of the stage.

    I look up to see Rin staring at me with her usual expressionless face.  ¡°Why?¡±  I asked.  ¡°Because you want to destroy the world.¡±  She replied.  I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at that ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a pretty good reason.  But I don¡¯t want to destroy it, I want to save it.  The way this world is headed, it¡¯s only a matter of time before it consumes itself.¡±  ¡°Even so, it¡¯s not your decision to make.  This world made its choices, for better or for worse.  Its fate should be decided by its own people.¡±

    I fell to my knees as I could feel death approaching.  I should be feeling rage or sorrow or surprise due to this betrayal, but instead I feel calm.  I no longer have to regret anything and maybe Toyela can continue her dream of being a famous singer.  ¡°Ha, I guess you¡¯re right Toyela.¡±  My eyes have started to close and my magic has faded.  I guess this is the end.

 Chapter 47: The Second Target

    January 26th, 2089

    Khoreena Folrek¡¯s POV

    My name is Khoreena Folrek.  I am a hobgoblin of the Savage Empire.  We are the largest of the ¡°uncivilized¡± countries and one of the few who have been able to tenuously resist the Darkmoon Queendom.  During my childhood, I became a refugee with my family after the Darkmoon troops slaughtered or enslaved the majority of our village.  That was the first of many scenes of violence and hatred between our peoples that I witnessed.

    At first I completely hated the civilized races for their barbaric acts of cruelty, but when I joined the army to fight back I saw our side do things just as evil.  Why do our differences drive us to such malice and ill intent towards one another?  I soon left and started to travel the Darkmoon Queendom, trying to see what the differences that divided us truly were.  I then met my beloved companions and realized that everyone could live in harmony and peace.  But it seemed impossible here in our world.

    When we found the human world, it was eye-opening.  At first I thought it was paradise.  The amount of war and conflict was almost non-existent compared to our world.  But eventually I saw hidden discrimination and racial strife festering beneath the surface.  The signs of it escalating were there.  During our time here, we even saw a war envelop the entire world that caused so many to die.  Similar world wars had happened twice before in the past and they would likely happen again in the future.  So I eagerly pursued our plan to save this world as well as our own.  After a near century of preparations it is time.

    Right now I am sitting at a caf¨¦ in Atlanta drinking a sweet lemonade with my husband Andre Smith.  We¡¯re going on 12 years of marriage and I am truly happy.  He¡¯s a wonderful sweetheart and I love him dearly.  My one regret was that I never had the courage to tell him the truth about me.  He doesn¡¯t know that I am a hobgoblin.

    That was also the reason we never had children, since it would expose me.  I had told him I was infertile when we were dating and yet he still chose to marry me.  During our decade together, I researched and perfected preserving one¡¯s memories after reincarnation.  When the new world is born, I plan to reincarnate Andre with his memories as a hobgoblin like myself.  We¡¯ll reunite and finally start a family together.  Fufu, he¡¯ll be really sexy as a hobgoblin.

    I happily was chatting with him while thinking such thoughts when suddenly I sensed magic.  The surroundings seemed blurred like looking through a sheer veil.  I then noticed an overwhelming amount of bloodlust and killing intent.  It was something that could only be forged from countless battles.  I looked over and saw a man in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt walk towards me.  Normally I would fight, but Andre was here.  I can¡¯t risk losing him.

    ¡°Please.  Please let¡¯s not fight here.¡±  I sent the message telepathically to the hooded figure as he continued walking towards us.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to involve these innocent people.  I swear I will not run away, so please not here.  I won¡¯t bring weapons or anything else to the fight, so please not here.¡±  I begged desperately.  He was almost upon us, but instead of attacking he continued to walk right by the table brushing it slightly as he went on his way.  His bloodlust and killing intent was completely retracted and a telepathic message resonated in my head ¡°The abandoned warehouse on 6th and Jackson.  Come at midnight.¡±

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    He left and I was completely shaken by his appearance.  Why is a hostile wizard here and what does he want with me?  The only answer that makes sense was that our plan to save the world was blown.  My blood ran cold at the thought and what had been a lovely morning spent with my husband turned sour in an instant.  The lemonade that was so sweet just moments ago now left a slight bitter aftertaste in my mouth.

    I did as instructed and was waiting at the warehouse in the middle of the night.  True to my word I did not bring any weapons or artifacts.  I pride myself on my integrity and am not so shameless as to take advantage of this assassin¡¯s small act of mercy.  And there he is, wearing the same dark hooded sweatshirt as before.  It obscured his face so I still didn¡¯t know what he looked like.

    ¡°Why are you here?¡±  I asked.  ¡°To stop you from destroying the world.¡±  He responded emotionlessly.  His answer was expected but irritating to hear.  He doesn¡¯t understand what we are trying to do.  ¡°We¡¯re not destroying the world, we are creating something beautiful!  Using the best parts of both worlds and combining them into something that¡¯s even greater.  We¡¯ll create a paradise for everyone!¡± I asserted.

    ¡°I hear the ravings of someone whose eyes are blinded by the bright light of their impossible goal.  You desire to save the world, yet you enslave others and sacrifice them along the way.  You wish to end suffering, yet perpetuate it.  The sins you are committing seem worth it for the thing you hope to create.  But upon success you will realize to your horror that your beautiful creation is in fact a monster, Dr. Frankenstein.¡±  ¡°I will not waver from the path my friends and I tread.¡±  At this point, I gathered lightning into my hands and readied a fighting stance.

    However, my opponent simply continued calmly standing there.  He asked me ¡°Where is your equipment?¡±  ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t bring it, I keep my word.  Now let¡¯s fight!  Or are you here to talk?¡±  The hooded man shook his head ¡°Your honor and honesty are commendable, but have no place in a battle.  I am neither here to fight nor talk.¡±  Suddenly, an ill sensation spread throughout my body and my magic dissipated as I lost the ability to control it.  I fell to my hands and knees and vomited blood.  The hooded man was unsurprised at my situation and calmly continued speaking ¡°I was simply waiting for the poison to take effect from earlier.¡±

    Ah, I see now.  That slight bitter aftertaste from the lemonade was due to poison, not my shock.  Did he intentionally appear with such timing earlier to rattle me and make me vulnerable for such a tactic?  That would explain why he simply appeared instead of launching a surprise attack.  What an insidious person.  The poison was truly potent and my consciousness is already fading.  I¡¯m sorry Andre, it looks like we will never have the chance to start a family together after all.  I¡¯ll wait for you on the other side.  Please forgive me.

 Chapter 48: The Third Target

    January 27th, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Alren and Khoreena are both dead.  The cursed stiletto and the wizard¡¯s bane poison I purchased were both exorbitantly expensive and one use only.  A year¡¯s worth of savings those items cost me, but they saved me two potentially difficult fights so it was worth it.  The last one on the list is Elna Dupoi, a.k.a Erica West.  That dwarf is in London and has an impressive compound that is impervious to stealthy infiltration.  I can¡¯t move against her there, so I had made plans beforehand.

    The Royal family holds a royal masquerade ball every year to celebrate the crown princess¡¯s birthday.  It is a grand event and has been ever since England had returned to being an absolute monarchy.  Elna will without a doubt be there, and that will be my opportunity.  I managed to sneak myself onto the list so I will walk right into the ball and assassinate her at the first opportunity.  I have changed into a rather slick looking tuxedo sans bowtie and a kitsune mask.  I handed my invitation over at the door, and took in the magnificent scenery.

    There were scores upon scores of stylishly dressed individuals with a variety of masks chatting with each other.  There were two rules at this ball:  you are not allowed to remove your mask nor are you allowed identify yourself.  The goal is to allow for anonymity so that everyone can talk equally to one another.  This also allows the royal family and the crown princess in particular the rare opportunity to be informal.

    There are rumors that this ball is in fact hosted so that the crown princess can choose a husband.  It would explain why the guest list is filled with so many noble sons, heirs to wildly successful corporations and other influential young men that could be married into royalty.   It took me 4 bribes, 9 mind control spells and 2 forgeries to get my name on the invitation list.

    Security was extremely thorough, and I had no chance of bringing any type of weapon into the venue.  *Sigh* It¡¯s times like these where my lack of a dimensional storage really hurts.  So I¡¯ll have to use magic.  I have greatly improved with my stealth casting in preparation for today so I actually believe I can manage it.  And since Elna is a dwarf, I don¡¯t have to bother with investigating all the masked guests.

    While walking through the chandelier lit halls on a soft Persian carpet, I kept scanning the guests.  Bingo.  Out in the ballroom, I could see a shorter woman of a little over 4 feet chatting with some other guests.  I started lining up a particularly nasty spell that would induce a series of strokes, but before I could get a clear shot Elna walked out onto the dance floor.  In order to get closer without arousing suspicion I need a partner¡­  There!

    I see a young woman with a pseudo-Venetian opera mask on reluctantly talking with a pudgy guy with a smiling mask on.  Based on her posture it¡¯s obvious that she wants to escape.  She¡¯s the closest person who isn¡¯t in a group that I can pick.  I secretly prepared a bewitching spell to place on her as I walked over.  I cut in front of the pudgy guy and told the woman ¡°You seem bored.  Why don¡¯t you join me for a dance?¡±  I held her hand without waiting for a response and pulled her over onto the dance floor.

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    My bewitching spell was ready to go if I felt resistance.  To my surprise though, I didn¡¯t have to use it.  Wow, she must have really wanted to escape from that guy.  We were dancing quite elegantly for a while in silence.  Thanks to all my experience from Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, I¡¯ve become quite proficient at dancing.  Finally, the girl spoke as I slowly maneuvered us towards Elna.

    ¡°You are quite the odd one aren¡¯t you.  After so boldly snatching me away, you haven¡¯t said a thing.  Most men would be busy chatting me up by now.¡±  She said.  I focused back to her and for the first time really looked at her.  She was wearing a daring crimson dress with gold trimmings that matched well with her sleek platinum blonde hair that cascaded over her bare shoulders.  Her eyes were a dark blue and she had bright red lips.  The rest of her face was obscured by her gold mask, although her confidence was that of a beauty¡¯s.

    We¡¯re closing in on Elna¡¯s position, so I just need to keep the conversation going for a couple more songs.  This ballroom is way too big.  ¡°I only asked you to dance, thus we¡¯re dancing.  I do what I say, nothing more and nothing less.¡±  I replied ¡°Fufufu, that¡¯s an interesting way of thinking.  It must be nice to be able to be so free with yourself.¡±  ¡°Ho, is life that stifling for you?¡±  ¡°Yes, my family has big expectations for me after all.  My life has been completely scripted since I was born.¡±

    This woman then started gloomily complaining to me about everything that¡¯s tough with her life of luxury in a family with high expectations for her.  She talked for quite a while and at this point we have come close enough to Elna and I¡¯m just about ready to launch my attack.  Let¡¯s end the conversation and the dance here so I can brush past Elna on my way off the dance floor and finish her.  ¡°If you¡¯re not happy with your life do something about it.¡± I interrupted her in mid-sentence.  ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±  ¡°Yes it is.  If you claim to have the resolve and desire to change, then prove it.  Simply listening to your whining is boring for me.¡±  ¡°But what about my family?¡±  ¡°Who cares?  Live your life the way you want.  That¡¯s what counts.¡±

    The song ended and I made to leave but to my surprise this girl held onto my hand.  ¡°But¡­¡±  Haa, so she¡¯s still hesitating.  Time for the old stand-by.  I flicked her forehead hard, causing her to let go of my hand and rub her forehead while glaring at me with watery eyes.  I then patted her head.  ¡°No buts.  You can either accept the obligations placed upon you by your family or you can¡¯t.  Figure out what the hell you want and then go get it.  Enough with the passiveness.¡±

    I left the stunned girl to figure out her emotions.  I walked off the dance floor and as Elna came up on my right I was about to unleash my lethal magic.  To maximize the potency, I¡¯ll transmit it through touch.   Right as I was about to make contact and end my three day killing spree¡­ a bomb exploded.

 Chapter 49: Time to Improvise

    January 27th, 2089

    The hell is wrong with my luck?!  This ball is supposedly one of the most secure events in the world.  I barely managed to sneak in and I literally had to use magic to do so.  The finest knights of the Kingdom are standing guard outside and throughout the venue.  All guests are heavily vetted before being invited and before entering the building they have to agree to a DNA scan to prove their identity along with a battery of other screening procedures.

    I spent most of my prep time on this job along with my entire allowance I had saved up from my parents to this point.  And right when I am about to be finished with my work, a freaking attack by republican rebels occurs.  Later on I would learn from the news that they had smuggled the bomb within the body of one of the party goers.  They had taken his family hostage and forced him to become a suicide bomber.

    Those morons don¡¯t seem to realize that those kind of actions harm their cause irreparably amongst the general populace and make it near impossible for democracy to return to England.  I was unable to get a magic barrier up because I had my other spell fully charged and ready to launch.  To release that spell and cast a barrier is like trying to regain posture after one¡¯s stance is broken, so I couldn¡¯t make it in time with magic.

    Thanks to my enhanced senses I was able to react quickly and lunge away, but I was still caught within the blast radius.  The force of the explosion added to my lunge¡¯s momentum and I was launched across the ballroom.  *Boom* *Crumble* I slammed into the stone wall, leaving a very large dent.  I fell onto the ground where some rubble fell on top.  My head was ringing and I could feel people screaming and gunfire ringing out.

    It seems like the rebels are staging a full on assault.  My mask was knocked askew and I had some cuts and bruises from the blast.  My quick reaction and sturdy physique managed to mitigate the majority of the damage.  ¡°Hey! Are you okay?!¡±  The girl I had been dancing with appeared in my vision and started to move some of the rubble off me.  She had been out of the blast radius so she was unharmed.  ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±  I responded as I fixed my mask and stood up.

    The view that entered my eyes was one of carnage.  There were bodies everywhere and at the other end of the hall masked soldiers were shooting at everyone that moved.  The guards were retaliating but that bomb had done a good deal of damage and they were taken by surprise.  The only reason the rebels hadn¡¯t overwhelmed the hall yet was because of Elna.  She had survived the blast unscathed thanks to the magic barrier that she had on and was using a looted rifle to pick off the rebels.  She yelled for the civilians to evacuate while also rallying the guards.

    The screams of terror, the bloodthirsty cries of the rebels and the bodies lying around while fires were burning brought back memories of Hafor.  My emotions were become increasingly turbulent as they always do before I break.  I thought that I had moved on but just because the nightmares aren¡¯t around anymore doesn¡¯t mean the shadow on my heart has faded.

    No, no I can¡¯t break here.  If I break here and have a dissociative episode, I¡¯ll start indiscriminately slaughtering everyone until I kill Elna.  I started breathing heavily and I could feel my mana becoming much more plentiful.  The pulses of power will most certainly not go unnoticed by Elna.  I could see her flinch as she noticed another wizard was here.  No, no, no, no.  ¡°HEY! Don¡¯t just stand there!  We need to run!¡±  the girl grabbed my hand and pulled me along.  The feeling of warmth from her hand allowed me to rein in my emotions and calm down.

    As we were running, I saw a grenade tumble towards us.  Without saying a word, I embraced the girl and jumped to the side.  *BOOM* For the second time in less than 2 minutes, I was sent flying by an explosion.  And again I smacked into a wall.  I made sure to cradle the girl as best I could to minimize her injury.  Since she managed to prevent me from breaking, I¡¯ll return the favor and protect her.  My plan has been shot to hell anyway.  I stood up again with the girl in a princess carry.  Her mask had been lost in the explosion, revealing a classically beautiful face.  She didn¡¯t appear to be harmed from our impact.

    ¡°You okay?¡± I asked her.  She nodded ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±  I set her down and I picked up a pistol from one of the guards who had died nearby.  I then grabbed her hand and said ¡°Stay close by me.¡±  Elna continued to heroically fight off the rebels as reinforcements for both sides arrived.  The ballroom turned into a massive shootout at one of the entrances.

    I chose to go out through the other door.  Seeing Elna staying behind to evacuate and help the other guests means that I might still have a chance to assassinate her tonight.  But only after I save this girl.  We burst into the now empty hallway, where we saw several rebels heading towards us.  Before they could do anything, *Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*.  They all went down with a bullet between their eyes.

    The girl let out a frightened whimper and I consoled her ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I¡¯ll protect you, so stay calm.¡±  We continued to move as I shot down another 10 or so rebels.  Eventually, we had to stop and rest since the girl didn¡¯t have my stamina.  ¡°Thank you.¡±  The girl said after regaining her breath.  ¡°Save it for after we get out.  Are you okay to walk?  Those heels can¡¯t be helping.¡±  The girl couldn¡¯t go barefoot due to the shattered glass everywhere, but we were slowed down tremendously by her pace.

    ¡°U-um, I think so.¡±  She stammered in response.  That is not encouraging.  ¡°We¡¯ll do it this way.¡±  I picked her up in a princess carry much to her surprise.  She reflexively put her arms around my neck and also turned as red as her dress.  Her embarrassment made her silent as we finally exited into the mass of emergency vehicles and police at the outside.  Sounds of fighting were still going on in the ballroom where the majority of the guests were.

    The girl was quickly surrounded by various security personnel and shuttled away.  I gave her a casual wave goodbye and vanished into the crowd before anyone tried to take me away.  I headed back inside the building.  With my cover blown from earlier, I don¡¯t have to hold back with the magic.  I know Elna is still in there, so let¡¯s try and salvage tonight.

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    Vivian Pendragon¡¯s POV

    My name is Vivian Pendragon, 1st born daughter of King William Pendragon and the presumptive crown princess of England.  My investiture will occur when I become 18.  All my life I have had to live with the expectations of my family and the country hanging over my head.  It¡¯s been exhausting and I do not look forward to the increase in responsibility when I officially become the crown princess.

    However, I am exceedingly talented at ruling despite my anxiety about the job.  Law and administration come very easily to me, but I dislike the pressure that comes with it.  The thought of being responsible for an entire kingdom makes me queasy inside.  It doesn¡¯t help that my younger sister has been exceedingly jealous of my position.

    It¡¯s likely that she¡¯ll start scheming against me soon now that she has a finance whom can give her the resources to do so.  I¡¯d gladly hand over my claim, but my parents have been adamant that I¡¯ll be their successor due to my extraordinary talent.  I have often entertained the fantasy of running away and living a normal life.  But I never thought about it seriously until now.

    It is my 16th birthday today and I am at the usual masquerade ball held in my honor.  I was unfortunately caught by a rather annoying man and have been stuck listening to him prattle on about himself for the last half-hour.  Much to my relief, a man in an eastern style fox mask rescued me and pulled me to the dance floor.

    He was an excellent dancer and I could tell even through his clothes that he had an amazing body.  I was rather looking forward to flirting with him, but he simply kept dancing with me without uttering a word.  Eventually I initiated conversation and it somehow turned into me complaining about my life.

    I still don¡¯t understand the impulse that came over me to do that.  The fox man listened to me patiently for a while then cut me off and berated me to be decisive.  He was right, I need to figure out what I want and then go get it.  Then a rebel attack occurred and I saw my dance partner get blasted across the room.

    Looking back on it now, it¡¯s obvious that he should have become a red smear on the wall but he instead survived it relatively unscathed.  His mask was knocked askew, allowing me to peek in on his amazing looks and piercing dark green eyes as I helped him up.  Before we could escape, a grenade went off and he protected me without hesitation.

    It should have been fatal for him, yet he again survived with just some injuries.  He led me away from the hall and started easily dispatching the rebels as we went.  He reassured me and eventually embraced me as he carried me out of there.  I couldn¡¯t help but be extremely embarrassed at the close contact.  Although I did really enjoy it¡­ I was swarmed by my retainers and they took me away before I could say good-bye.

    The man with his fox mask simply gave me a cheeky wave and disappeared.  His advice from earlier echoed in my head as I remembered the carnage.  What should I do?  If I run away, my sister would inherit the throne.  She¡¯s a headstrong and brash individual who would be a major liability as I ruler.  If I take the throne, I know I could do a good job but would I be able to handle the hardships?

    I would need someone I could trust to lean on from time to time.  At this point, the fox man¡¯s face appeared in my mind.  Yeah, if he was by my side¡­ I think I could handle it.  I only spent a little time with him, but I felt like he was someone I could truly rely on.  I want him.  I-It¡¯s not because I¡¯m attracted to him okay!  I¡¯ve decided to become the Queen, so I need to surround myself with capable people.   So I¡¯ll search for this mystery man and make him one of my retainers!

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I ran full speed ahead back to the ballroom, which was a true breakneck pace.  I had illusion magic out so I didn¡¯t have to worry about being exposed.  I really need to one day investigate the limits of my physical abilities.  Back in the ballroom, the battle was coming to a close.  Elna was tending to the injuries of the surviving guests as the guards cleaned up the remnants.

    I saw a chance and took it as I launched a fireball that roared like a missile across the room.  I simultaneously put all the onlookers to sleep.  Elna reacted beautifully and tossed out several crystals that hung in the air.  My spell was negated before it could reach her as it got sucked up by the crystals.  Haa, this will be troublesome.  According to Eual¡¯s memories, Elna is the weakest wizard in the group but when it comes to the creation and use of magic artifacts she is without equal.

    I had hoped she wouldn¡¯t be able to bring any items, but it looks like she smuggled some in disguised as jewelry.  I raised a wall of stone from the ground as a ruby ring on Elna¡¯s finger shot out a jet of flame.  It struck my barrier and the stone started to quickly melt from the heat.  I struck out my magic clad palm towards the scorching stone barricade and knocked it towards Elna, pushing back the flamethrower flames as I did so.  The crystals from earlier shined for a moment and a protective membrane appeared to deflect the incoming stone.  It shattered and dust rose throughout the room.

    Elna and I had a moment¡¯s pause after our first exchange while the dust was settling.  ¡°So you¡¯re the one who has killed Eual, Khoreena and Alren.  I¡¯ll pay you back for that.¡±  Elna said quietly.  I could feel the emotion and anger behind her calm words.  I responded by sending a blast of lightning that was suppressed by those floating crystals.  The crystals suddenly shot across the room while Elna launched a flurry of metal shards towards me.  I deflected the shrapnel with a wind wall while the crystals formed a circle around the two of us.

    Damn it, she¡¯s setting up a teleportation circle!  Elna continued casting spells to occupy me as the magic circle activated.  Shit.  I frantically managed to throw up some magic disruption to screw up the destination as both Elna and I disappeared from the ball room in London.

 Chapter 50: Ghost Town Showdown

    January 28th, 2089

    The cold wind howled through a frozen ghost town as snow continued to fall from the dark grey clouds in the nighttime sky.  A flash of light shined in the amusement park, one that hadn¡¯t even been opened before being abandoned and I crashed down next to some swings in the snow.  I stood up while brushing snow off myself.

    My suit was in tatters and provided no insulation against the biting cold. *Sigh* I casted a spell for warmth as I evaluated my injuries.  Even though I have no idea where I am, it¡¯s better than getting sent to Elna¡¯s intended location.  She was probably aiming for her compound, where I would have been at a complete disadvantage.

    The cost of abandoning my defense for the brief moment it took to disrupt the teleportation was several deep cuts that went all the way to the bone from the wind blades she had shot at me.  After healing those cuts, I quickly climbed up the highest building in my vicinity to observe my surroundings.  On top of that decrepit Ferris wheel I looked around at the old concrete buildings focused on functionality that surrounded me.  I could feel the presence of a poison in the air that attacked every cell of my body.  My physique rebuffed it, but I still casted a filter spell to ward it away.

    Hmm, this place seems like somewhere I know¡­  There¡¯s an abandoned town that seems frozen in an older time with a poison in the air.  I looked around more and saw a dome in the distance that seemed to be confining something.  I¡¯ve realized it now that this must be the town of Pripyat.

    Wow, I really did send us off course during the teleportation.  Where did Elna land?  As if she was waiting for me to ask that question, I sensed a massive surge of mana that felt like a summoning spell of some sort.  Shortly after that I heard a whirling sound as I saw an attack helicopter rise above the buildings and soar towards me.  And it was not just any attack helicopter it was a freaking magic vehicle.

    There were countless runes and magic crystals all over it and I could feel the enormous amount of mana flowing within it.  Son of a bitch.  This hybrid of magic and machine flew towards me with Elna in the cockpit.  The missile launchers started blasting away and a salvo of missiles homed in on me.  I would normally dodge these but I had a sneaking suspicion that there was high-level tracking magic within them.

    So I performed an accelerated drop from the Ferris wheel while also conjuring a series of fireballs above me to screen my descent.  It was the right choice as all of the missiles made an impossible 90 degree turn to follow me, but ran into my makeshift flares.  The explosions blew away the Ferris wheel while Elna started up the minigun.

    As soon as I landed I ramped up magic into body reinforcement and sprinted towards the buildings for cover.  Bullets tore up the ground around me and tore me up as well.  This isn¡¯t like the movies where one can dodge hundreds of bullets miraculously unscathed.  At least a dozen bullets found their mark before I jumped through a second story window into some cover for a brief respite.  Shit, the bullets must have been magically strengthened else they wouldn¡¯t have been able to tear through my reinforced skin so easily.

    I muttered an incantation to reduce the mana cost of my healing as I continued moving.  I have no weapons nor magic artifacts and am completely reliant on magic to fight.  Thus, I have to conserve mana where I can.  Elna literally has me outgunned right now so I have to figure out a plan.  Her magic artifacts are truly ridiculous, how can a few crystals be enough to summon a helicopter from hundreds of miles away?  And how much did she invest in that damn thing?

    It¡¯s broadcasting a magic spatial jamming signal to prevent teleportation and I can feel mana pulses pinpointing my location.  The armor seems to be specially reinforced against attack spells and the weapons are likewise enhanced.  *Sigh* This situation looks pretty grim.  But I am not alone. ¡°Rin.¡±  I called out and my familiar materialized by my side.  She immediately understood my plan and ran off before Elna noticed her.  If I can survive for the next 10 or so minutes, I can win.

    *BOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *BOOOOM* *CRUMBLE* The building I was running in was being blown to pieces as Elna found me.  I sprinted ahead of the crumbling floor and was forced to barrel through a concrete wall to escape.  While I was airborne an additional missile blasted into me.  It was something I expected when I jumped so I had a barrier around me in preparation.

    The impact blew me through several buildings and I only came to a stop after leaving a small canyon in a road.  Is this a damn anime fight scene or what?  I spat out blood as I got up, letting my regeneration fix the minor broken bones and internal injuries I had sustained.  A perk of body reinforcement magic is that it improves everything of the body, including self-regeneration.  9 minutes to go.

    Elna¡¯s helicopter made its way over to my crash site and greeted me with further minigun fire.  I used earth magic to create an escape tunnel below me and I continued my frantic avoidance.  8 minutes to go.

    Several missiles flew down the tunnel and forced me to create an exit shaft.  I hopped up while closing the opening behind me.  The earth shuddered for a moment as the missiles exploded underground.  Several green vines emerged from my palm to wrap around the under-mounted minigun and hinder its ability to turn.  That gave me a precious few seconds to dash into another building without getting lit up by gunfire.  7 minutes to go.

    The minigun has broken free from the vines and has proceeded to tear up the apartment complex I am in.  I sprint up the stairs and onto the roof as I lunge forward onto another rooftop.  The structural damage is too much and the apartment building collapses. 6 minutes to go.

    I started hopping from one building to the next as Elna continues to decimate them.  At this point the entire neighborhood is a pile of rubble.  5 minutes to go.

    From my connection with Rin I can tell she is nearly done with preparations on her end.  I made an abrupt about face and charged the helicopter.  The outline of my body blurred and suddenly there were 12 copies including myself charging towards Elna.  7 of my illusory copies were cut down by minigun fire during the approach.  The remaining 4 copies and I scattered to encircle the helicopter.  I started firing off fire-based attack magic which had no effect on the enchanted armor of the helicopter.  But it did cause the snow from all around to melt and then evaporate into large gouts of steam.  4 minutes to go.

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    The hot air buffeted the helicopter throwing off the missiles it was firing and allowing me to continue attacking.  A backdrop of explosions occurred behind me as I continued my assault.  3 minutes to go.

    Now this area looks like it is a giant sauna with all the white clouds of steam rising around us.  It has helped with obscuring Elna¡¯s aim, but by this point the other copies have been destroyed.  I myself have acquired a variety of bullet holes across my body.  This must be what Swiss cheese feels like.  Suddenly, the clouds were blown away as magic symbols on the attack helicopter lit up.  I could feel Elna¡¯s gaze along with the targeting lasers of her gunship.  She was oblivious to the fact that the steam clouds above her were being formed into a large magic circle.  2 minutes to go.

    Rin has done her part and reappeared on a rooftop near the helicopter.  She leapt above the helicopter while expanding to the size of a horse.  She pounced onto the tail trying to bite off the rotor, causing the helicopter to spiral as it was thrown a kilter by the sudden weight increase.  But then the gunship pulsed with magic for a moment and Rin was blown off by a jolt of electricity that traveled along the machine.  She¡¯s alive but out of commission, that lightning attack was quite powerful.  1 minute to go.

    My steam cloud magic circle activated silently as it started working in tandem with the larger magic circle Rin had drawn on the ground while Elna had been attacking me.  There is a start-up phase so I have to survive until they activate.  There were no more buildings nor steam clouds in my vicinity to use as cover as I felt all the weapon systems target me.  There¡¯s no way for me to dodge so I have to commit to defense.

    I abandoned my body reinforcement and gathered all the rubble in the vicinity to create layered walls of metal and stone around myself.  I took advantage of the cold environment to intersperse walls of ice in between them.  I used what remaining mana I could spare to create the usual telekinetic barrier around myself as the roar of the gunship armaments ripped through the air.  My defenses started getting torn to shreds at once.

    Layer after layer was destroyed as missiles and bullets rained down on me.  I continued gritting my teeth and enduring as I was left with only my barrier.  I strengthened the barrier surrounding my vitals to ward off fatal shots as the rest of the bullets tore me up.  It hurts incredibly.  I have a high pain tolerance, but this is something else entirely.

    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity my trap activated.  Elna finally noticed as the massive magic circle burned into the ground burst into light and the giant magic circle of steam in the sky did the same.  She immediately abandoned her assault to channel all mana into her protective wards as she waited for whatever happened next, leaving a bloody pile on the ground that was me.  I was alive, but barely.

    There was a brief pause as if nothing happened, but I looked into the cockpit to see Elna thrashing about in extreme agony.  She was vomiting while having uncontrollable seizures.  She lost control and the helicopter spun around before crashing into the ground and coming to a stop a little too close to me for comfort.  The cockpit was totaled, leaving her exposed as she continued to convulse from the effects of extremely acute radiation syndrome.

    The magic circles Rin and I had drawn had leached off all the radiation that was present here and concentrated it into Elna¡¯s cockpit.  Her helicopter was made of mana resistant materials, not radiation proof ones so it could not protect her.  I made sure to also accelerate her cell division to manifest the symptoms of the radiation poisoning as fast as I could.

    Healing magic glowed around Elna as she instinctively tried to counter the damage but it was too late.  All she managed to do was preserve her consciousness and suppress the symptoms as her body started to fail.  She looked at me who was also powerlessly lying on the ground as my own healing magic worked on my injuries and spoke.  ¡°I dare say that the others all gave passionate speeches about saving these two worlds as you watched them die.  I¡¯m not like them.  I have no particular desire to save the world.¡±

    I looked at the dying dwarf curiously as I asked ¡°So why did you join them?¡±  ¡°I have always liked creating magic artifacts you know.  My dream has been to make inventions that improve everyone¡¯s life.  Yet all those items sat unsold as I was forced to create magic weapons that were designed to end life.  In this world it was more of the same since selling weapons is far more profitable than selling anything else.  I simply wanted to finally live in a world where people are more interested in a new stove than a new sword.¡±  She gave a gasping chuckle as she continued ¡°You probably think I am incredibly selfish to want to sacrifice two worlds just for that.¡±

    She gazed at my face to see my reaction before she faded.  ¡°Out of all of the justifications I have heard, yours is the one I most sympathize with.¡±  Elna simply gave a small smile at those words before she was gone, leaving me alone here at the site of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.  It¡¯s strange how that tragedy from so many years ago turned out to be my salvation in this fight.  Rin limped over to me as I finally had the strength to lift myself up.

    I so want to go to sleep right now, but I have to clean up here.  I don¡¯t need anyone from this world to start investigating and possibly finding out about the other world or myself.  There¡¯s no way I can fix all this damage with my meager magic reserves, but I¡¯ll do the best that I can.  Rin hopped up to my shoulder and gave an encouraging yip as I started.  I need to get back home fast, my parents were gone for the weekend but will be coming home soon.  With that thought in mind, I started wandering the frozen town in the night.

 Chapter 51: The Scars of My Past

    January 29th, 2089

    After I came back home, I fell asleep due to exhaustion.  I slept solidly through my alarm in the morning and came to school late.  I kept dozing off throughout my classes throughout the day and had to have Hikari shake me awake several times.  I managed to get home where I immediately went back to sleep.  After another solid 8 hours of sleep I finally woke up feeling normal.  Repeated unnatural rapid healing, whether from magic or potion, puts a strain on the body.  I can endure the exhaustion during the fight, but afterwards I have to rest.

    Kira¡¯s pendant suddenly started signaling me, meaning it was time to apply more healing magic to Grandma Kuma.  I immediately left for the other world and arrived at Grandma Kuma¡¯s side.  Kira and Veronica were there, with Kira in tears while Veronica was comforting her.  At my appearance, Veronica took Kira from the room to let me work in peace.

    As I examined Grandma Kuma, I frowned as I saw that her dwindling life force was nearly gone.  ¡°How long do I have Terra?¡±  Grandma Kuma asked me calmly.  ¡°1 week.¡±  ¡°Ara, that time is coming up quickly.¡±  ¡°You¡¯re awfully calm about this.¡±  ¡°Of course I am, dying from old age in this world is a great blessing and a sign that Adligo favored me.¡±

    She started to purr, showing she was content, but it sounded different from what Kira usually does.  ¡°Why does your purr sound so different from Kira¡¯s?¡±  I asked her.  ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m purring from contentment with my friends and family, which is not what Kira does with you.¡± She responded.  ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Fufu, I shouldn¡¯t say this but I can¡¯t resist seeing the expression you¡¯ll make when I do.¡±  Grandma Kuma smiled mysteriously while baiting me. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Cat-kin have two different types of purr you know?  One is for friends and family like I just did, and the other is only for your mate.¡±  A dumbfounded look appeared on my face as I stared blankly at Grandma Kuma, who giggled mischievously.  ¡°B-but she¡¯s been doing that purr for as long as I can remember.¡±  ¡°Of course, since she has been in love with you from the very beginning.¡±  I am having trouble thinking straight right now.  My assumption that Kira developed her attachments to me due to the trauma of Hafor has been blown out of the water.  I used that thought as an excuse to play dumb and avoid her feelings, now I don¡¯t know what to do.

    Grandma Kuma pressed me while I was confused ¡°And it¡¯s obvious to me that you love her as well, so what are you hesitating for?¡±  ¡°I c-can¡¯t, I already have Veronica.¡±  ¡°So?  It¡¯s only natural to have multiple mates.  One needs to have many kittens after all.¡±  ¡°B-but, she¡¯s only 14!  That¡¯s too young!¡±  ¡°For a human maybe, but for a beast-kin she¡¯s an adult as soon as she experiences her first heat.  It¡¯s about maturity after all.  Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t you be far too young for Veronica?¡±  Geh, Grandma Kuma has been easily brushing away all my feeble excuses.

    She laughed lightly as she saw my consternation ¡°Terra, you have been like another grandchild to me all these years.  It pains me to see you deny yourself happiness with Kira due to guilt from Hafor.  Go talk to her yourself now and figure out your thoughts.¡±  Grandma Kuma looked towards the door and called out ¡°Kira, you can stop eavesdropping now.  Terra¡¯s coming out, so finally tell him how you feel.¡±

    At Grandma Kuma¡¯s urging I left the room to see both Veronica and Kira right outside the door.  Veronica chose to go downstairs, but not before whispering to me ¡°I like Kira a lot, so don¡¯t worry and be true to yourself.¡±  I stood still for a moment, but followed Kira into her room where we could talk.

    We sat on the bed, looking at each other in silence for a while before Kira finally spoke ¡°I love you Terra.¡±  ¡°I love you too, Kira.  But I¡¯m no good for you.¡±  ¡°¡­Why would you say that?¡±  ¡°Because I failed to save everyone back then.  I couldn¡¯t even save your parents!¡±  My voice was full of sorrow and I could see the corpses of Kira¡¯s parents in my mind.  Kira fell silent as well and I knew she too was remembering Hafor.

    She started breathing heavily as she muttered something ¡°-iot.¡±  ¡°What?¡±  ¡°Idiot!¡± Kira shouted, startling me.  Her eyes turned watery as she looked at me ¡°Why do you insist on tormenting yourself about that?¡±  She pressed close to me as she continued to breathe heavily, putting her face close to mine.  Her body was extremely warm.  I could see her sculpted face with its perfect features and her amber cat eyes looking at me intently.  That beauty mole in the shape of a nine stood out beneath her left eye and her golden hair shimmered in the light from the magic orb illuminating the room.

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    Kira continued to speak as I stared at her.  ¡°When you rescued me, I was still conscious to some extent.  I remember you crying as you kept saying ¡®I am not a hero¡¯.  You couldn¡¯t be more wrong.  You may not be a hero, but you are my hero.¡±

    Huh?  My eyes widened as I continued to stare into Kira¡¯s amber eyes.  She gave me a gentle smile as she continued ¡°You were my friend when I was alone as a kid, you saved my life many times and supported me as I grew up.  Thanks to you, I¡¯ve been able to find happiness again.  You¡¯re my hero, Terra.  Without you I wouldn¡¯t be here today.  So don¡¯t you dare blame yourself any longer.¡±

    I am her hero.  I am her hero.  I am her hero.  Her words echoed inside my head as I could feel something warm trickling down my face.  I reached up my hand to touch it and realized it was my tears.  I haven¡¯t shed tears since Hafor, so why am I crying now?

    Kira started to purr, the one cat-kin use only for their mate and the one she has used with me since the beginning.  She leaned over that small distance still between us and kissed me.  Her lips had an intoxicating flavor that set my heart pounding.  Kira started to pant heavily and her face started turning extremely flush.  The body heat emanating from her spiked as she continued kissing me.

    It was clear that Kira was starting to experience her first heat.  Female beast-kin experience a ¡°heat¡± once a year after their maturation.  It is a state of arousal that amplifies their feelings of attraction towards males they like.  It makes them aggressive towards the ones they identify as potential mates and they also release pheromones that act like as an aphrodisiac to the males that share their feelings.  Kira¡¯s pheromones right now have hit me full force and my mind has started to go blank.

    I tore off Kira¡¯s clothing as she let out a loud ¡°nya¡±.  She likewise had torn my clothes to shreds with her claws.  She fell backwards onto the bed, giving me a full view of her newly developed body.  Unlike Veronica¡¯s soft and slender figure, Kira¡¯s figure was taut and athletic.  Her muscles had a well-defined tone which only added to her sex appeal.  Her large well-shaped breasts and prominent curves rivaled Veronica¡¯s and her cream colored skin was flawless.  I pounced onto Kira and we proceeded to spend the rest of the night like the animals in heat that we were.

    Sunlight streamed through the window as I awoke in the ruins of the bed with Kira sleeping peacefully in my arms.  I started remembering the previous night and sighed in amazement.  I never knew how potent a beast-kin¡¯s heat was.  The bedframe was broken into pieces and the mattress had many gashes in the cloth.  The sheets were still damp from all the sweat and I had multiple bite and claw marks on me due to Kira¡¯s enthusiasm. She definitely liked it wild and rough.

    I heard Kira purring and looked down to see her awake in my arms and looking at me lovingly.  I smiled back at her while petting her gently.  We spent some time like that before finally dressing and going downstairs.  Veronica was there waiting for us.  Kira ran over to her as she happily spoke ¡°Vera, you were right!  Terra really is amazing in bed!¡±  Huh, what on earth do those two talk about?

    I gave a glance at Veronica to see her embarrassed look as she realized she was busted.  But before Kira was about to start chatting with Veronica she turned back and gave me an intense look as she said ¡°Don¡¯t forget our conversation from yesterday!  Remember, you¡¯re my hero and Vera¡¯s hero as well.¡±  She turned to Veronica as she asked ¡°Right?¡± and I saw Veronica smile and nod in agreement ¡°Yes!  Terra¡¯s our hero for sure!¡±

    I looked at Veronica and Kira smiling at me and a refreshing feeling starting spreading throughout me.  The best way to describe it was that I felt lighter.  My heart felt like it was beating more easily and my shoulders felt like a weight had been removed from them.  I let out a sigh and finally, after more than 3 years, moved on from Hafor.  I guess even the ugliest scars can fade away.  The tears that had begun yesterday started up once more.  I smiled back at the two loves of my life as the tears flowed freely down my face and simply said ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 52: Celestial Spirit Steel

    February 2nd, 2089

    It¡¯s been 4 days since I have made Kira my mate and it¡¯s been 5 days since my raid on the Redemption group.  I have also finally let go of Hafor, which has led to a surprising discovery.  The refreshing feeling that appeared when I overcame my trauma was due to a rapid increase in my mana.

    My mana pool has increased to the levels that I would only have during a dissociative episode.  I¡¯ve realized now that this mana has always been present within me, but it had been sealed away by the guilt in my heart due to Hafor.  Now though I am at peace and my abilities have improved tremendously.

    If the average wizard has a small pond of mana that is replenished by a brook, than I had a large pool of mana being replenished by a stream.  But now my mana has expanded to the size of a lake with a river feeding into it.  It is a level that only truly talented wizards in the other world achieve after many years.

    This mana is so vast that it has manifested on me in a physical form.  My eyes now have a light glow to them that is especially noticeable in the dark.  I can suppress it, but if I lose focus they start up.  *Sigh* Although it is not quite on the level of a cheat, it would have been nice to have this much mana these past couple of years.

    Currently, I am at the marketplace in Obsidia disguised as an elf.  I have done a lot of business here the past weeks selling my loot from Faulk.  I kept valuable materials and unique magic artifacts but sold everything else.  Rather than accumulating even more gold, I had bartered to acquire even more valuable materials.

    Fufufu, and since I now have the necessary mana to finally use dimensional storage I can keep everything with me.  The creation of the personal dimension required a massive amount of mana, but it does not require mana to maintain.  The space is not infinite.  Whenever I reach capacity I have to expand the personal dimension, which requires a lot of mana.  To open and close the personal dimension also requires a large amount of mana, but with my current pool of mana that is not an issue.

    Today¡¯s visit will likely be my last time here as I had received a message from a supplier that they had acquired the last item that I had been looking for.  I walked into a small store that sat on the corner on the market square.  The name above the door read ¡°Gnorden¡¯s Exotic Supplies¡± and the interior was elegantly decorated with tasteful darkwood furniture and colorful tapestries.

    At the counter of the store was a well-dressed gnome.  He was a classic example of a gnome, with the long nose and wrinkly face.  His height was the same as a pixie and his white beard nearly touched the floor.  He looked up and smiled at me ¡°Welcome Igor, I see you have received my message.¡±  ¡°Hello Gnorden, you never fail to amaze.  I wouldn¡¯t have thought you could find it at all, let alone so quickly.¡±  I praised the gnome for his good work.

    Gnorden specializes in finding unusual and unique items and as a result has a lot of contacts all over the queendom.  He even has merchant acquaintances in the uncivilized countries.  So I asked him to find an item that I had only heard of in old history books, Celestial Spirit Steel.  It¡¯s the rarest metal in the world and only appears when a star falls from the heavens.  The meteorite must then be exposed to the natural birth of a high-level spirit.  It absorbs the spirit before its consciousness is developed during the mana aggregation and Celestial Spirit Steel is created.

    From what I have read, it has near perfect mana conduction and is the strongest of all metals.  I believe the tales are over exaggerated, but it should still be an impressive material.  Gnorden went into the back and returned while carrying a small box.  He placed it on the counter and opened it to reveal a perfect sphere of a white-silver metal the size of a baseball.  ¡°Truly amazing, you managed to acquire this amount!¡±  I exclaimed in joy.  I lightly touched the metal, and the surface undulated like it was jelly.  This is without a doubt Celestial Spirit Steel.  I would have been happy had he acquired anything at all, yet he got this much.

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    ¡°How much for all of it?¡±  Gnorden showed surprise at my question ¡°You want to buy all of it?  This is the most valuable material in the world!  I¡¯m not sure you can--.¡±  ¡°Name your price.¡±  I interrupted him right there.  He looked at the metal and back at me and then spoke ¡°1500 gold coins.¡±

    There was a pause as I thought about it.  The total amount of money I have remaining from all of my efforts in this world is 1700 gold coins (13,600,000 dollars).  It¡¯s clear that Gnorden must have spent a large fortune to acquire this much.  His store was rather barren compared to the last time I came here, he must have sold his stock to get enough money to get the Celestial Spirit Steel.  It¡¯s a gamble, but if he can sell this he¡¯ll be set for life.

    His target market will be upper nobles, the Cult or the royal family.  He probably only called me in to fulfill the Chain of Contract since I was the one who commissioned his search.  The price was also probably the upper limit of what he could stand to make selling it piecemeal.  He would probably get a higher number by putting it up for auction, but since he¡¯s a commoner there is a high chance the auctioneers will screw him over since they don¡¯t have to fear retaliation.  Regardless of Gnorden¡¯s high asking price, I must have this steel.  I can sense the power within it and I have a feeling its properties may actually match the legends surrounding it.

    I reached into my dimensional storage and brought out 1500 gold coins.  Gnorden¡¯s eyes bulged out at seeing that much money in one place.  The magic scanner confirmed the amount and Gnorden quickly snatched the gold while handing the box with the steel to me.  I gave him a smile as I said ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure, Gnorden.  Try not to spend it all in one place.¡±  The gnome cackled in response ¡°Right you are Igor, it¡¯s been a pleasure doing business with you as well!¡±

    I left the store and immediately teleported to a cave that I had converted into a lab.  The reason why I have spent the majority of my life savings here on this metal was because of my battle with Elna.  I was too weak and could barely win against her.  My mana may have expanded tremendously, but against the leader of the Redemption group I am nothing but an annoying fly.

    I didn¡¯t have all of Eual¡¯s memories about Jupon, but the few I did all point to one terrifying conclusion: he¡¯s a monster.  His mana pool is ridiculously large and he is the oldest of the group.  A wizard naturally becomes stronger as they age since they become more accustomed to magic and their mana pool grows.

    I saw in Eual¡¯s memories that Jupon could take on a pair of dragons by himself and win easily.  Even as I am right now I could barely survive against one dragon.  The gap is too great for me to close without taking some major risks.  Thus, I have drawn inspiration from sci-fi in my world and have decided to do some human augmentation on myself to try and gain power. There¡¯s a chance of me dying a horrible death or becoming a hideous abomination, but if I don¡¯t do this I¡¯ll lose to Jupon for sure and I¡¯ll die when both worlds end anyway.

    I had actually been slowly preparing for this even before my raid against the Redemption group, but I wanted to see how I fared during my raid before committing to it.  My struggles against Elna show that I¡¯ve only been able to win against them with trickery and deceit.  But against those with overwhelming power like Jupon, those ploys are worthless.  I don¡¯t want to do this, but for Kira and Veronica I will risk it.

 Chapter 53: Human Experimentation

    February 2nd, 2089

    In my cave lab, I have taken out a set of materials that would be considered stuff of myth and legends.  7 items in total and they are all valuable beyond measure.  Most of these items I acquired during my travel while the remainder I managed to buy at great personal cost.

    The reverse scale of a Titanic Desert Dragon, the ashes of a Heretic Phoenix, a seed of a Cloudy Skyward Tree, a vine of a Voracious Abyssal Strangler, water from the Tearful Maiden¡¯s Spring, a completely pure Inspirational Light Crystal and of course the Celestial Spirit Steel were all in front of me.  The crystal and steel I had to buy at great cost while the other five I gathered after encountering them or their remains in my travels.

    Back home I had faked having the flu and had Rin mimic my form to fool my parents.  I have 3 days completely to myself to conduct my experiments.  I plan to first fully examine the properties of the materials here, particularly the Celestial Spirit Steel.

    After a day¡¯s worth of analyzing I believe that I have gotten this Celestial Spirit Steel at an absolute bargain.  My examination into this metal can be summarized as follows:  it has near-perfect mana conduction, it has the consistency of quicksilver, and most importantly it can be considered a ¡°living¡± metal.  It can grow and self-repair and even mutate given the right conditions, materials and enough mana.  The legends were right on the money which is somewhat surprising.

    It will be the perfect anchor for the magic ritual I am going to perform.  Other than the unattributed Celestial Spirit Steel, each material I have here represents one of the 6 elements of the world.  These elemental particles are not directly used by normal wizards, we use unattributed mana which is an even composite of the 6.

    To access the elements for spells we have to convert unattributed mana, which is somewhat inefficient.  Some wizards actually choose to specialize in an element, they intentionally create an imbalance within themselves and accumulate pure elemental particles in their body instead of unattributed mana.  They are called elementalists and although their spell selection becomes more limited due to the imbalance they gain incredible control, power and efficiency with their chosen elemental specialization.

    I plan to take advantage of this by accumulating all 6 kinds of elemental particles in my body while still keeping my unattributed mana.  In other words, my plan is to become an ¡°elementalist¡± with all the elements.  This will only be possible by fusing the 6 elemental materials I have to myself.  My augmented body will then naturally accumulate elemental particles so I won¡¯t have to cause an imbalance in my own mana pool.    The Celestial Spirit Steel will be the most important item because it will alter and augment my body so it can handle the strain of the additional elemental particles.

    Well, I think it will.  Frankly speaking I am basing this all off of my own conjectures and research so I have no idea what will actually happen.  The ideal scenario is that my body, senses and mind all become far more potent while my magic becomes more potent as an elementalist.  Unfortunately, there is also a possible scenario of me dying or worse.  But if things work out, I will not only become stronger I will also gain the traits unique to the items I am using themselves.

    The reverse scale of the Titanic Desert Dragon is the size of a surfboard and is widely known as both the toughest and yet also the softest material in this world.  It is extremely difficult to penetrate and is overflowing with the Earth element.  I encountered the corpse of one while in the Sinister Desert.  It is an Eastern style dragon and surprisingly the rest of the body is completely worthless even though its reverse scale is nearly priceless.

    The Heretic Phoenix has an inexhaustible vitality compared to ordinary phoenixes, yet it cannot be reborn from its ashes unless the life blood of another phoenix soaks upon it.  The ashes still contain remnants of its life force and is full of the Fire element.  When I was hunting phoenixes for a bounty I found a Heretic Phoenix among them and attacked it.  It took me a full day of hacking at it with my rhomphaia before it finally died.

    The Cloudy Skyward Tree is an odd plant that only grows on clouds high up in the atmosphere.  It has incredible adaptability, being able to weather the freezing cold, the low oxygen levels and the high UV exposure without worry.  Only on the windiest of days does it release a seed and I received one by accident when I practiced flying and got caught by a fierce updraft.  I was only able to stop by wrapping myself around one of those trees which was when I got the seed which had an amazing amount of Wind element.  I nearly died trying to descend back down, though.

    The Voracious Abyssal Strangler is a truly rare creeping vine that grows only in the deepest, darkest crevices and specializes in dragging in victims who come to close to it.  The strength and flexibility of their vines are unmatched in the world.  They suffocate their victims in the dark and use them as nutrients for the plant.  I nearly was one of those victims before I managed to barely cut off the vine pulling at me and escape.  The cut off vine continued to try and strangle me and it took me a day to finally remove the damn thing.  It of course contained a lot of the darkness element.

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    The Tearful Maiden¡¯s Spring was a legendary spring located in the heart of the Clear Glacier far to the north.  Its water can cure any illness, curse or poison.  Its location was well known and there was even a trade town located around it, but the spring would only flow when a virgin with a heart-breaking amount of sorrow approached it.  And it would only flow once for each individual.  The gender of the virgin didn¡¯t matter.  I discovered that fact when I met a client at that spring for a personal bounty.  The spring flowed as I came close and the water had large amounts of Water element in it.

    The pure Inspirational Light Crystal was bought from a Bound One in need of coin.  It supposedly shines with the light of wisdom and can allow one to become smarter and more innovative in its presence.  It was gathered from Saint¡¯s Head Peak which is the tallest mountain in the Darkmoon Queendom where the sun had not stopped shining on it for more than a century.  Hundreds of slaves died when the Cult went to harvest the crystals located at the top.  The light element was prevalent within it.

    I spent the next day carving the magic circle into the bedrock of the cave while working out the steps of the ritual in my head.

    I stuck to my simple style, making a large seven-pointed star to represent the seven separate stages of the ritual, a smaller circle within to circulate the mana, and an even smaller square within the circle to stabilize the reaction.  Each point of the large star had a smaller five-pointed star where the materials were placed along with the mana sources for the ritual.

    I lied naked within the square as I braced myself for the beginning of the ritual.  My mana surged outwards, causing all of the mana sources to break open and flooding the magic circle with mana.  The first 5-pointed star to shine was the one with the Celestial Spirit Steel, it evaporated into a white-silver mist that enveloped me and seeped into my entire body.  It hurt like hell and I started sweating out a goop comprised of various colors as the Celestial Spirit Steel molecules replaced every biometal and inorganic molecule in my body¡¯s cells and even integrated itself into my DNA.

    The second star started shining and the reverse scale of the Titanic Desert Dragon crawled across the ground and started being woven together with my own skin.  It felt like I was being skinned and I had to start yelling wildly due to the pain.  This torturous experience didn¡¯t stop as the third star started to shine and the ashes of the Heretic Phoenix turned into a bullet that pierced into my heart.  My heart felt like it was burning as the life force within the ashes was ignited by my own life¡¯s blood.

    The fourth star shone and the seed of the Cloudy Skyward Tree was sucked into my lungs, where it started to grow and tear apart my lungs before it too was integrated into my body.  The fifth star shined brightly and the vine of the Voracious Abyssal Strangler regained life as it snuck under my skin and intertwined itself with my musculature and was absorbed.

    I was barely holding onto my consciousness as the sixth star lit up and the flask of Tearful Maiden¡¯s water burst.  It quickly flowed into me and was sucked up by my bone marrow.  I could feel my blood go cold as it started being purified.  The last star finally shone brightly and the Inspirational Light Crystal shattered in a burst of brilliance that seared my eyes and went right into my brain.  The seven stars were shining brightly as I thrashed about in agony for who knows how long.  I finally lost consciousness as the ritual continued to remake my body down to my very DNA.

    I awoke with a start in the dark cave.  The pain had thankfully vanished, but that wasn¡¯t what I was concerned about.  I stood up and looked into a conjured mirror.  And to my shock I saw¡­ nothing different.  I looked almost the same as before the ritual.

    Rather than becoming hideous, I seem to have had my looks improve.  My hair was silkier than before and my skin had a nice gloss to it.  I gained about an inch to become an even 6 feet tall and my muscles were bigger and had better tone than before.  I seemed to have acquired a pleasant smelling natural musk and when I spoke I could tell my voice had a more musical chime to it.

    But in stark contrast to the minor superficial changes, I felt that the changes within me were enormous.  My mind was clear and working faster than ever, my senses were sharper and every part of my body felt like it was overflowing with power.  I could feel the elements coalescing inside of me just like my mana.  Fufufu, the fusion of sci-fi and fantasy was a truly brilliant idea on my part!  I might be able to defeat Jupon after all.  With that hope in my heart, I vanished from the other world.

 Chapter 54: 3 Is My Favorite Number

    February 5th, 2089

    ¡°Knock it off Hikari.¡±  ¡°I can¡¯t help it though¡± *Pat* *Pat* *Pat* ¡°I¡¯m not a dog, Hikari.¡±  ¡°I know you¡¯re not, but petting you is rather addictive.¡± *Sigh* ¡°Do as you like.¡±  ¡°Yay!!!¡±  *Pat* *Pat* *Pat* *Pat* *Pat* *Pat* It¡¯s a little before the school day starts and Hikari is enthusiastically patting my head.  My augmentation has made more changes to my body than I realized, one of which was my hair was softer.  I underestimated the newfound fluffiness of my hair and ever since my augmentation Hikari has enjoyed playing it.

    The bell finally rang and Kawaguchi-sensei walked in, forcing Hikari to take her seat.  Class was boring as usual and then it was finally lunch break.  Hikari and I ate together in the classroom, where I enjoyed Hikari¡¯s excellent bento as usual.  I ate calmly as Hikari happily chattered away at me.  Her modeling was going well and she was getting along with Akemi-sempai.  Snoozer was also doing great it seemed and was as adorably sleepy as ever.

    It was the same as usual until the classroom door was opened and an ikemen walked in.  He was the star of the basketball team and was also on the Student Council.  He had black hair and eyes with a handsome face.  He was the most popular freshman and even had his own fan club.  His family also owned a successful company and he was the next in line to inherit it.  I would say his name, but I neither remember it nor care to remember it.

    He walked over to where we were sitting and approached Hikari.  He gave a winner¡¯s smile as he spoke ¡°Hikari-chan, could I have some of your time?¡±  ¡°Sure Shirou-kun, what¡¯s up?¡±  ¡°Are you and Cross-san dating?¡±  At that direct question every eye in the classroom turned towards us.  Shit, the Hikari barrier had been so effective up until now I hadn¡¯t thought anyone would notice.  At Shirou¡¯s question, Hikari turned red as she stammered ¡°N-no, but I would lik-, I mean no.¡±

    A commotion was raised in the classroom as the guys got excited that the school idol was available and the girls got excited because I was available.  Haaa, I¡¯m going to have to start rejecting confessions again now.  ¡°So Hikari-chan, would you like to go out with me?¡±  Shirou-kun gave a smile to Hikari as he confidently asked in front of the class.  Wow, he is really bold isn¡¯t he?  I couldn¡¯t help but get a sudden urge to punch his face in.  Is it because he¡¯s asking Hikari out?

    I looked over at Hikari with a slightly more serious expression than usual.  Hikari glanced at me before responding to Shirou-kun with a curt ¡°I refuse.¡±  The class broke out in whispers at her response and I saw an ugly expression flash across Shirou-kun¡¯s face.  Ah, so he¡¯s that type huh.  He¡¯s nice as long as everything goes his way but he is in fact a major asshole when it doesn¡¯t.  ¡°Can we talk in private for a moment?¡±  Shirou-kun asked as he reached for Hikari¡¯s hand to pull her along.

    But before his filthy hands could touch her I had already grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground.  ¡°Fuck off.¡±  I growled at him with quite a bit of hostility.  Damn, I¡¯m really protective of Hikari aren¡¯t I?  I then proceeded over to the classroom door and tossed him out like the trash he is before walking back to Hikari and continuing eating the bento she made for me.  I have met Shirou¡¯s type in the other world before.  This won¡¯t end so simply, but I don¡¯t care.  He can¡¯t have Hikari.

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    Today was an interesting day.  The misunderstanding the entire school has had about me and Minato dating for the past few months has been resolved due to Shirou-kun¡¯s meddling.  When he exposed the truth I had become rather worried about Minato being swarmed by a bunch of annoying bugs, but then I saw his reaction when Shirou-kun asked me out.

    By this point thanks to Reiji-sensei¡¯s guidance I have become proficient in reading Minato¡¯s facial expressions.  And that extra serious look he gave me meant that he was upset.  YES!!!! FINALLY, A SIGN THAT HE MIGHT HAVE FEELINGS FOR ME!!!!  He¡¯s obviously too dense to realize it, but that look was all that I needed to confidently reject Shirou-kun.  Then Minato literally threw him out of the classroom.

    He was so forceful and domineering.  It was super sexy.  He gave me a deep and possessive gaze that sent shivers through me before going back to eating the bento I had made for him.  Shirou-kun¡¯s intervention was unwanted, but it has created a perfect opportunity to put into motion my plan that I had developed after my first model shoot.  I happily walked home with Minato and then immediately went to Father to make my request.  Fufufu, you¡¯ll soon be mine at last Minato!

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    Terra¡¯s POV

    After today¡¯s incident at school, I walked back home with an oddly cheerful Hikari.  I dropped her off as usual and headed to the other world.  What greeted me as I arrived was a tearful Kira.  ¡°Granny¡¯s starting to fade.¡± She cried to me.  She knew that there was only a week left, but she still couldn¡¯t help but get tearful as the final day arrived.  We went up together to see Grandma Kuma on her death bed.

    She gave us a big smile as she spoke her final words ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to say except that I¡¯m so happy that the two of you are together at last.  May Adligo bless you both.¡±  She closed her eyes for the last time as Kira cried into my chest.  I too couldn¡¯t help but get watery eyes as I saw the person who was a grandparent to me die.  My father is an orphan and my mother is estranged from her family, so Grandma Kuma was the only grandparent I have ever had.

    I casted a spell and her body turned to a sparkling dust that faded into nothingness.  The dead are not buried in this world due to fear of them rising as undead.  They are cremated instead and with little fanfare unless they are a noble.  Kira too was quick to recover and had already stopped crying after several hours after Grandma Kuma¡¯s passing.  Death is a common thing here, so people have become more resilient as a result.

    We are currently downstairs with Veronica.  The shop was empty like it had been since Grandma Kuma had become frail.  I looked at both Kira and Veronica as I spoke ¡°I never said this outright before, but I think that it has become fairly obvious I am not from this world.¡±  My girls showed mild surprise, but like I had said it wasn¡¯t a big secret.  I am a human after all, so it makes sense that I am not from around here.

    ¡°I have been traveling between my world and this one since the very beginning.  But I no longer plan on returning here.  This world has caused me endless grief and misery and if it weren¡¯t for the two of you I would have left already.  Will you come with me?¡±  I had barely finished the question before both Kira and Veronica had responded ¡°Yes!¡±

    My heart couldn¡¯t help but grow warm at their quick response but I had to make sure.  ¡°If you leave with me you will never be able to return here.  My world is one entirely comprised of humans.  You¡¯ll have to hide your identities to a certain extent, and learn an entirely new way of life.  Are you prepared for that?¡±

    Kira responded confidently ¡°You are my world, so as long as I am with you I am happy.¡±  Veronica nodded in agreement and added ¡°This world has not been kind to the two of us either.  I have no attachments here so as long as I am with you I will be content.¡±  I looked at the firm resolve of the two and couldn¡¯t help but smile at them.  ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.  But rest assured, my world may have its faults but I feel it is a far kinder place than this one.  We¡¯ll be able to have peaceful lives there together.¡±

    Both Kira and Veronica smiled happily at that thought and the atmosphere has become rather pink.  The two girls looked at each other and flashed mischievous grins before looking back at me.  ¡°You know, for the past week you have spent all of your time with Terra.  It has made me feel kind of lonely.¡± Veronica teased Kira as she started to strip.  Kira nodded in agreement as she too started to strip ¡°Yeah, I haven¡¯t been able to spend much time with you at all.¡±

    Both of them completely ignored me as they became stark naked. ¡°So will you stay with me tonight?¡±  Veronica asked.  ¡°Sure!¡± Kira responded and the two embraced each other sexily while leaving me completely out in the cold.  I am extremely turned on right now, but I have no idea what to do.  The two girls turned towards me while still holding each other close and asked in unison with wicked smiles on their faces ¡°¡°Would you like to join?¡±¡±

    Thank goodness they finally said that.  My response was to grab them tight and teleport them up to the bedroom where I then discovered that my augmentation had improved my stamina in all aspects.  My first three-way only ended as dawn broke.  Kira and Veronica were asleep in my arms and I was as happy as can be as I too drifted off to sleep.  I¡¯ll take them to their apartment in the afternoon tomorrow and settle them in.  I¡¯ll also tie up all loose ends here before finally leaving for good.  I¡¯ll then just have to stop the end of the world and I¡¯ll finally be able to live a normal life again.

 Chapter 55: Trap-kun

    March 1st, 2089

    It has been close to a month since I have moved Kira and Veronica to my world.  The apartment was all set up for them and I equipped them with a variety of magic artifacts I had already prepared.  There was the standard illusion artifact that made them look like two normal Japanese girls of high school age.  They had translation artifacts so they could speak the language.  I also gave them a communicator that allowed them to contact me telepathically from anywhere at any time.

    But most importantly I had given each of them a magical grimoire filled with all the information I knew about this world.  It contained detailed explanations tailored to someone from their world and even contained some of my memories that it could transfer to them to imbue them with knowledge faster.  It took me forever and a lot of valuable materials to make these grimoires but they have already proven to be an invaluable investment.

    Kira and Veronica have been placed under a temporary house arrest while they study.  We do go on daily excursions outside to isolated areas, but I will not allow them out into populated areas until they can pass a test involving this world¡¯s common sense and knowledge.

    They have been making progress on that front recently, so I¡¯ll have to start preparing for our outing.  There was one minor miscalculation I had made when picking the apartment though.  One of the two bedrooms I had set up in the apartment has never been used since the three of us would sleep together in the same bed every night.  It¡¯s a waste of the extra cost I¡¯m paying to rent a two-bedroom apartment but I don¡¯t care.

    Seeing Kira sleeping on my left and Veronica sleeping on my right while their bodies press up against mine every night does a wonderful job of keeping me positive.  On a less positive note, I am trying to figure out what to do about my Rin persona.  I won Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, much to my dismay, and did so by a record margin.

    Top Talent had to greatly increase their contract offer due to the number of competing deals that had been offered to me, so the money is particularly attractive.  I desperately need the money with my two girls to support, but the time requirements are somewhat daunting.  I have hired an agent and hope to negotiate terms so that I minimize the commitments that Top Talent wants from me.   Any contract I do sign will take effect in the summer, so I don¡¯t have to worry about it for now.

    Today is another day of school and so I reluctantly extricated myself from Kira and Veronica¡¯s embraces in order to get ready.  School had been a major pain recently thanks to Shirou.  He hasn¡¯t stopped his pursuit of Hikari and has deemed me to be the biggest obstacle obstructing him.  He first tried to spread malicious rumors about me, which I have ignored since I don¡¯t care about what everyone thinks.

    His next attempt was to humiliate me publicly with some traps and awkward situations which I easily avoided.  He then resorted to getting some of his lackeys together to try and intimidate me.  That ended with me meticulously beating the living daylights out of all 5 of those idiots and Shirou himself.  I made sure to not break anything and focused on their torsos so the bruises wouldn¡¯t be apparent.  After this last attempt, he has been quiet.  I dare say he¡¯s been scared off at last.  I think my unbridled killing intent during our last encounter did the trick.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    One good thing about school is that Reiji is coming back after his two-month absence.  I had kept in touch via e-mail, but I hadn¡¯t been able to see him in person due to concerns he might have been contagious.  In celebration of his return, Hikari and I both decided to head over to his house and meet him at the door before walking to school together.  We were there waiting when the door creaked open and we finally saw Reiji again.

    Rather than joy, our response was one of great laughter.  ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!¡±  Hikari has literally fallen over from laughing so hard and even I am laughing to the point where I am out of breath.  Reiji glared at us while yelling ¡°You guys suck!¡±  I managed to barely pull myself together long enough to respond ¡°Sorry, Reiji-chan¡­ HAHAHAHAHA!!!¡± Before falling into another round of laughter.  Hikari has now progressed to crying due to laughing so hard.

    Reiji¡¯s illness had caused him to have an extremely strong sensitivity to sunlight, fever, loss of appetite, severe nausea and a loss of vocal function among other varied symptoms.  As a result, he had lost an incredible amount of weight these past two months and his skin had become much paler.  His vocal cords have also altered due to damage from the infection, making him have a higher pitch than before.

    Reiji had always been a feminine looking guy with some nice facial features despite his many folds of fat.  But now that he is so slender he has transformed into a super androgynous bishounen.  His cute little nose with his heart-shaped face and innocent eyes have combined with his smaller figure and pale skin to make him look like a pretty girl with a boyish charm.  Even his higher pitched voice would make people think he is a cute girl.  Honestly he is more attractive than a lot of the girls in our class.  And that¡¯s why it is so damn funny.

    We eventually managed to recover and walked with Trap-kun to school.  I have become rather fond of that nickname for Reiji while Hikari seems to favor Reiji-chan.  Reiji was pouting due to our behavior, which made him look even more like a girl.  When we entered the classroom, a silence fell over the students as they saw Reiji.  Hikari and I both managed to keep straight faces as the guys started to drool over ¡°her¡± while the girls enviously looked at ¡°her¡± lovable appearance.  Then the bomb dropped when Reiji took his seat and Kawaguchi-sensei told everyone he had returned.

    All the guys had a shell-shocked look on their faces and all the girls had a dead eye look at the fact that a boy was so much prettier than them.  Hikari and I both could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing once more.  The rest of the school day was spent cheerfully as we continued to laugh at everyone¡¯s reactions to Reiji¡¯s drastically changed appearance.  But when I arrived home, my parents were waiting for me with a surprising announcement ¡°Minato, your father and I have arranged a marriage for you.¡±  ¡­Hah?

 Chapter 56: An Unexpected Engagement

    March 2nd, 2089

    Apparently, I have been promised in marriage to Hikari.  It was her father who had first brought up this proposal a few weeks ago and my parents had accepted it after some consideration.  They were concerned about how I isolate myself from people.  The only two friends that I have are Reiji and Hikari after all.  My parents had been concerned that I would never fall in love and would be alone my entire life.  In addition, my mother was extremely fond of Hikari and had always hoped that the two of us would become a couple.

    Objectively speaking Hikari and I were as great a match as could be.  Our families like each other a lot, our fathers have business that would merge together really well, and we are already very close with each other.  Nevertheless, I was going to reject it immediately, but before I could say anything my parents told me to first talk with Hikari and only if both of us agreed to it would they respect our wishes and break it off.  So I have promptly gone over to Hikari to get some answers.

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    Yes! My plan has worked!  Minato¡¯s parents finally accepted the marriage proposal!  Now that we¡¯re betrothed to each other I don¡¯t have to worry about any bugs around him nor do I have to worry about getting married off before I win his heart!  All I have to do now is get Minato to fall for me!  The order of these events may be backwards but I don¡¯t care!  But before I could even finish celebrating I found out that Minato was here to see me.

    *Shiver* He must have just heard about the arranged marriage.  AHHHHH!!!! What do I do?  Should I take this chance to confess?  But what if he rejects me?  I already have some excuses so he doesn¡¯t try to break off the engagement, but that¡¯s dependent on him not finding out that I was one the one who asked Father to do this.  What do I do?  What do I do?  What do I¡ª ¡°Hello Hikari.¡±  KYAAAA!!!

    Minato has appeared in front of me, as dangerously handsome as ever.  I think he may have become even more attractive recently, which right now is making it harder to focus.  ¡°Hi M-Minato.¡±  ¡°Did you know about this marriage arrangement between our parents?¡±  ¡°N-no, I just heard about it now.¡±  ¡°I see.  So if it was done without your knowledge as well, let¡¯s get them to break it off.¡±  ¡°NO!¡±  Oops, my response was a little too heated.  Minato is looking at me strangely, I have to use my excuse here.

    ¡°Please Minato, let¡¯s keep it for now.¡±  ¡°Why?¡±  ¡°I am concerned about Shirou-kun.¡±  Minato made an expression of understanding as he got the meaning of my words.  ¡°Ah, you¡¯re worried he might try and get his family to arrange a marriage with yours.¡±  ¡°Yes, but he can¡¯t do that if I am already spoken for.  So please Minato, let¡¯s just keep it for now.  We just need to tell people we¡¯re engaged and that¡¯s it.¡±

    Minato gave a brief moment¡¯s thought about it and then nodded ¡°Okay, Hikari.¡±  He left immediately after, leaving me alone with my thoughts.  *Sigh* I didn¡¯t have the courage to tell him the truth.  I¡¯ll have to do my best to win his heart and then confess when the time is right.  If that doesn¡¯t work¡­*Blush* I¡¯ll s-s,seduce him and then force him to take responsibility.  It¡¯s a despicable last resort, but I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make Minato mine.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I left Hikari¡¯s with a better understanding of the situation.  This arranged marriage will be convenient for me as well by warding off all the girls at school.  I left to go see Kira and Veronica for our daily excursion and to explain to them the situation with Hikari.  In the other world there are binding ceremonies instead of marriages.

    Those are modest events and simply involve a Bound One blessing us and symbolically binding us together with the Chain of Blood.  At that point onwards we are considered spouses.  Before leaving the other world I had done those ceremonies with Kira and Veronica, much to their delight.  In order for them not too feel locked up while they study I have taken the liberty of showing them around Earth.  Teleportation is truly a convenient magic.

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    Currently, we are in the Great Plains in the heart of the US.  We are sparring, like we have done every day since they came to my world.  I¡¯ve used these spars to fully evaluate my augmentation and my conclusion is that I am an absolute beast.  Both Kira and Veronica are fully armed and are staring me down as they prepare to attack.

    I have no equipment on and will only be using my martial arts without any magical assistance.  Kira lunged forward at a breakneck speed while Veronica started blasting away covering fire with her repeating crossbow.  To my eyes however, it seemed like they were going in slow motion.  I casually dodged most of the bolts with a show of breathtaking flexibility while allowing a few to hit me.  The bolts exploded on contact, but as the smoke cleared I stood there unaffected.

    Kira closed the distance and struck with her butterfly swords, but I easily parried her swords with my bare hands.  The few small cuts they left behind started to naturally heal and by the time Kira regained her balance I was already as good as new.  Her swords started to glow as she activated their magic.  The swords became longer and more whip-like as she continued her frenetic assault and it felt like they were alive.

    The blades twisted, lengthened and contracted as they tried to strike at my vitals.  However, I was still able to predict their erratic movements and avoid them with ease.  I soon caught her swords between my fingers and no matter how hard she tried she couldn¡¯t move them.  I then gave her a gentle push while she was struggling to pull free.  Kira flew back dozens of feet before gracefully twisting in the air to land on her feet.  How very catlike.

    I calmly turned my head to the side to avoid Veronica¡¯s estoc as it stabbed at my head from behind.  My senses alerted me to her long before she attempted her surprise attack.  Veronica didn¡¯t falter and sent a flurry of thrusts towards me.  Her elegant footwork made it seem like she was dancing as she tried to riddle me with holes.  I parried her blade with my hands as I waited for an opening.

    The blade started glowing as Veronica turned its magic on and dodging suddenly became much more difficult.  Every time she stabbed a small portal appeared in front of her blade.  A linked portal would appear somewhere else around me and as her sword went into the portal it exited out of the other one.  The blade of the estoc started coming from every angle and became near impossible to dodge.  To counter this, I stomped on the ground lightly, creating a crater around me and causing Veronica to lose her footing.

    I then gently tossed her away as Kira started flinging throwing knives that were vibrating at high frequencies.  They could easily tear through steel and even as I dodged them they flew back towards Kira like boomerangs.  Veronica recovered and now joined Kira in her ranged assault.  It looks like it¡¯s time for me to go on the offensive.  I swung my arm at full strength, causing a fierce non-magical wind to knock Veronica and Kira over.  My body flickered for a moment and then I was on top of the two, ready to strike.

    ¡°Is the record now 17-0 in my favor?¡± I asked teasingly as my two girls stood back up panting and sweating profusely from their exertion.  My breathing hadn¡¯t changed at all, nor did I have a single drop of sweat.  ¡°Hmph, it won¡¯t last forever!  I¡¯ll win eventually!¡±  Kira said with a voice full of fighting spirit.  Veronica nodded in agreement ¡°Yeah.¡±  Both of them would be considered top-caliber fighters in the other world in both pure physical ability and technique.

    I would not have been able to beat them unarmed before my augmentation, but now they are at a severe disadvantage.  I am not at the level of a cheat yet, but I must say I am starting to become rather powerful.  *Sigh* And again I ask myself why I couldn¡¯t have had this almost cheat these past 3 years while working as a bounty hunter.  ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s time to head back.¡± ¡°Already?¡±  I nodded to them ¡°Yeah, I need to finally go back to the other world to tie up loose ends.¡±  I embraced the two of them before we vanished from the plains.

 Chapter 57: A Royal Pain

    March 3rd, 2089

    I look around the streets of Obsidia in a cheerful mood as I walk towards the 9 Lives Trading Outpost.  I¡¯m in my full bounty hunter gear and I have also shapeshifted beneath to my elven form.  I have moved the gargoyles and the vengeful undead ghosts to the apartment, while also removing all my hex magic.

    Real estate is valuable here so I am selling the store to gather funds to purchase consumables for my upcoming battle with Jupon.  Higher level healing potions are quite expensive after all.  I¡¯ll leave a couple of my safe houses in Obsidia intact just in case I do ever have to return here.  The buyer was a dwarf planning to open up a smithy and he was happy to pay my 20 gold asking price.

    I handed over the keys and immediately headed to the nearest alchemist where I blew 120 of my 220 gold coins on the very best potions available.  I have decided to keep the remaining 100 gold as an emergency fund in case I come back here.  I have absolutely no intention of doing so, but I have learned that things happen regardless of one¡¯s intentions.

    A good example would be what¡¯s happening right now as I am surrounded by members of the Queensguard right as I left the alchemist¡¯s shop.  As expected of this world¡¯s naming sense, the Queensguard are the elite personal guard of the Queen comprised of dark elves.  A single one of them would have qualified as a threat level 11 before my recent upgrades.  Now however, the entire group is probably around a 5.

    ¡°You have been summoned to appear before her majesty the Queen.  Follow us.¡±  I am surprised that the Queen even knows my name let alone that she wants to meet with me.  What on earth does she want from me?  I kept thinking about that question as I followed the soldiers.

    After about a half hour or so of walking the Darkmoon Castle loomed above us.  It was constructed of obsidian and dark mortar and seemed like the residence of a demon king.  It had many jagged spires and gothic style decorations on it.  But I think it was the gibbets all around the castle that made it look so demonic.  We entered through the raised portcullis and I started doing my usual preparations for a hasty escape.  I distributed faeire dust freely around and made sure to note quick exit points as I entered the throne room.

    On the throne sat an attractive dark elven woman with blue eyes and silver hair similar to Veronica¡¯s. Queen Marielle Darkmoon, arguably the most powerful person in this world.  By her side was a young dark elf girl around Veronica¡¯s age with the same blue eyes and silver hair as the queen.  She was pretty by elvish standards, with some modest feminine features.  That must be the crown princess Feneris.  And much to my disgust, the Dutiful Erilom was there along with the pregnant Arinera and Icarus Fell.

    The rest of the room had the Queensguard standing at attention and the Inquisition standing by Erilom¡¯s side.  There were also 15 people standing behind the throne who were emanating impressive amounts of mana.  These must be the Court Wizards.  Erilom was wearing the 5 Chains of Adligo, so she must be here on official business.  I went down to one knee as I waited for the Queen to start speaking.

    Surprisingly, I had my full equipment still with me.  The Queensguard must be truly confident in themselves to allow a heavily armed individual into the throne room.  Finally, the Queen spoke ¡°So you are the bounty hunter whose name I have been hearing recently.  You may remove your mask, Erilom has already told me about your appearance.¡±

    Uh oh.  Although I shapeshifted into an elven form, it was not the ¡°ugly¡± androgynous face that I showed to Erilom.  It is my natural face but in elven form.  I did this so I could lessen the mental ¡°itch¡± I get from shapeshifting, and my natural facial features are quite masculine, so¡­ I have a bad feeling about this.  I can¡¯t alter it now, shapeshifting takes too long and the court wizards might notice.  Shit.  I took off my helmet, goggles and bandana.  It was quite refreshing to free my long pointy ears from being pinned back, but the problems will start now.

    I could already feel Erilom¡¯s lecherous eyes fixing on me.  ¡°My, my.  The last time I saw you Terra, you had a rather different face.  Care to explain?¡±  Erilom asked sweetly.  ¡°I had hired a wizard to cast an illusion on my face in case Ine had managed to escape.  I had no interest in giving identifying info to a hostile wizard.¡±  I responded calmly.  The Queen coughed lightly and then cut in our conversation ¡°Regardless of your appearance, I have called you here to ask you for information and to possibly make a request depending on the information you provide.¡±

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I naturally have no interest in her request.  The only reason I haven¡¯t slaughtered the Queen, Arinera and Icarus for their roles in harming Veronica is because Veronica asked me not to.  She has moved on and has no interest in revenge.  I¡¯ll honor her wishes, but that does not mean I have to agree to anything.

    ¡°I will do my best to assist your Majesty, however I have retired from bounty hunting so I don¡¯t believe I will be of any help for your request.¡±  The Queen made a frown at that statement ¡°I will be the one to decide that.  The information I would like is about the Fey Woods.¡±  She nodded towards Icarus as she spoke ¡°The Prime Minister has provided some rather valuable information regarding the Fey Woods along with other compensation in order to pay for and pardon his daughter¡¯s treasonous actions.  However, I would like to confirm it.  Otherwise I will be forced to allow the Dutiful One to enslave him as specified by the Chain of Blood.¡±

    This is way too amusing.  Arinera¡¯s plot to eliminate Veronica has backfired since she escaped capture.  Even though the Queen was a collaborator, she was quick to take advantage and suppress the Fell House with this incident.  Since Veronica has escaped judgement, her sins fall to her closest relative:  her father.  Haha, he must have gone bankrupt in order to get the Queen to ¡°pardon¡± his daughter so he doesn¡¯t get enslaved.

    I really want to refute whatever the info is just so I can see Arinera and Icarus freak out, but the Court Wizards likely have cast truth spells of some sort.  I believe the 5 Chains also grant Erilom the ability to recognize lies.  So as tempting as it is to screw over the Fells, I will have to restrain myself.  ¡°I am at your Majesty¡¯s service, please ask.¡±

    The Queen nodded regally and then asked ¡°You are the first person to have successfully journeyed to the Fairy Queen¡¯s Grove in the heart of the Fey Woods in the past 300 years.  The Prime Minister has provided information passed down his household for generations that claims that one can contract with the one of the high-level fairy spirits that reside there if they bring an offering of water from the Tearful Maiden¡¯s Spring.  Is there a naturally formed cup and altar at the grove where one can pour in the water?¡±  I paused at her question as I brought back my memories of the Fey Woods.

    The Fey Woods are located in the northeast of the Darkmoon Queendom and are a forest of illusions with many wild fairies roaming there.  The Fairy Queen¡¯s Grove is where the strongest fairies reside and they are notoriously difficult to contract with.  Fairies are a subset of spirits that are the magical personifications of the natural world.  Dryads, undines, etc. are all considered fairies.

    Elves and pixies are in fact believed to be descended from fairies and thus are sometimes called fairy-kin.  Spirits are able to reproduce with residents of the material world, although they have to be extremely high-level to do so.  Interestingly, it is believed that the human was the precursor to all of the races of this world.  They mingled with the various spirits in this world and eventually the pure-blooded human disappeared.  This theory does explain why all the races can interbreed and why they all have somewhat similar forms and ways of thought.  But I digress.

    The illusions in the Fey Woods cause people to get lost and fall prey to the creatures lurking there.  I had gone there to hunt Dreamwood Treants for an alchemist that needed their bark for his experiments.  I was able to navigate by using a compass to keep my bearings, which doesn¡¯t exist in this world, while also mapping my environment.  I then ran into a high level dryad and immediately ran away before it noticed and seduced me.

    In my haste I got lost and ended up at the grove.  There had been a cup and altar there made of wood and flower.  ¡°Yes your Majesty, I do remember a cup and altar at the grove.¡± I responded.  The Prime Minister and Arinera visibly relaxed at my confirmation.  The Queen nodded ¡°I see, then I declare the debt settled regarding my niece¡¯s treason.¡±  At this point Erilom stepped forward ¡°I have witnessed this declaration.  The Prime Minister has honored the Chain of Blood.¡±

    The Queen nodded towards them ¡°You may leave now.  The rest of this discussion will not concern you.¡±  Arinera and Icarus were sent out and the Queen now brought her attention back to me.  ¡°Now I will tell you my request.¡±  I really want to leave, but I am wary of the Court Wizards and the 5 Chains of Adligo.  I¡¯ll have to hear out this request, hopefully I can get out of having to do it.

 Chapter 58: The Queenéˆ¥æªš Request

    March 3rd, 2089

    ¡°I want my daughter to contract with one of the spirits at the Fairy Queen¡¯s Grove.  I will be arranging an expedition to escort her there.  Your job will be to guide the expedition.¡±  As the Queen said that, I glanced over at Feneris, who blushed at my gaze.  *Sigh* It just had to be an escort mission.  I hate escort missions.

    The Queen is probably trying to get Feneris a contract with a high-level spirit to shore up her claim for the throne.  If she appears too weak, it could invite rebellion.  ¡°Your Majesty, I am unable to fulfill this request.  I have retired from mercenary work and am no longer fit for this kind of duty.  I will happily provide the map I made of the Fey Wood as a gift, but I fear that I will not be able to provide any further assistance.¡±

    The Queen¡¯s brow furrowed at my response and I could tell she has gotten annoyed.  ¡°Nonsense.¡±  She signaled one of the Queensguard, a handsome dark elf with some masculine features in the standard-issue black half-plate armor.  He stepped forward and drew a longsword and round shield out.  He then promptly attacked me with a vertical chop.  Elven warriors are always dangerous due to their centuries of training and combat experience.  However, when there is such a massive gap in physical ability like now it means nothing.

    During the very long time it took for the sword to reach me, I was pondering whether or not it would be better to take the hit and act incompetent.  But then I realized that the sword would break on my skin, which would be too eye-catching.  Let¡¯s play it safe.  I casually leaned over while still on one knee, allowing the sword to pass by harmlessly.  I simultaneously rose upward and delivered a restrained uppercut to the guard.  The blow still sent him flying like he was a bird and he landed unconscious a dozen feet away from me.

    ¡°You seem plenty capable to me.  So it is more a matter of whether or not you wish to defy a royal command.¡±  The Queen¡¯s eyes glittered dangerously as she said that.  I promptly went back down to one knee ¡°Of course not, your Majesty.¡±  I so want to punch this woman¡¯s face in right now.  Hmph, as soon as I leave this building I¡¯ll be gone for good.  Screw this mission.

    ¡°Good.  Now as I was saying, you will be guiding this expedition.  It will be a small party, consisting of my four finest Queensguard, two Court Wizards, Feneris and Erilom.¡±  Why the hell is the pervert coming along?  ¡°Your Majesty, pardon me but why is the Dutiful One coming along?¡±  ¡°She¡¯ll be your supervisor of course.  You have a commendable reputation, but I won¡¯t take any risks when it concerns my daughter the Crown Princess.  Originally I had simply asked for a Bound One, but she has kindly offered to come herself.¡±

    There was an awkward pause as I tried to figure out what she was saying.  One of the few faults with slaves in this world is that they have a limited ability to operate independently.  So for people who own a lot of slaves they need to hire free people to direct them.  These people are known as supervisors.  So with the Queen saying Erilom will be my supervisor, it makes me nervous.  Do they want to enslave me?

    Erilom helpfully chimed in at this moment ¡°Marielle doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯ll be enslaved.  Bound Ones can inscribe an Oath Mark, which compels one to honor whatever promise they made when it was inscribed.  These marks can even be applied to wizards, unlike Slave Marks.  Unfortunately, they fade over time and need to be renewed.  That¡¯s why I would come along as your supervisor, to ensure your Oath Mark doesn¡¯t disappear before the mission is complete.¡±

    Fuck me.  I have just been put into checkmate.  I don¡¯t want to risk escaping right now due to Erilom being present with her cheat item the 5 Chains of Adligo, and by the time I am allowed to leave I¡¯ll be magically coerced into the job.  ¡°What will be my compensation?¡±  I asked.  If I am forced into doing this for free, I¡¯ll risk it and leave right now.  The Queen indifferently answered ¡°You can pick whatever you¡¯d like from the treasury.  As a sign of goodwill you can choose today after getting the Oath Mark applied.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    All my irritation up to this point has vanished and my ears couldn¡¯t help but twitch at that as my interest was perked.  I made more money with one job for Erilom than I had made in 3 years of bounty hunting.  The gap between the poor and rich in this world is enormous indeed when Erilom can casually spend a thousand gold coins for one job while a simple laborer makes one gold coin a year.  And the Royal Family are even richer than the Cult of Chains.  Their treasury will definitely be something spectacular.

    I nodded my understanding and waited as Erilom came forward to apply the Oath Mark.  ¡°The mark needs to be placed directly on the skin and although the mark can be placed anywhere, it will definitely be most effective when placed over the heart.¡±  Erilom claimed.  She is so lying through her teeth right now.  But before I could object the Queen spoke ¡°Then apply it there.¡±  Wait, why does she seem somewhat eager?  You¡¯re several centuries older than me and have a daughter for goodness¡¯s sake!  Speaking of the daughter I am surprised steam hasn¡¯t come out of her head yet.  *Sigh* These muscle fetishists could at least throw money while they force me to strip.

    The application of the Oath Mark ended up taking a while since Erilom¡¯s hands kept wandering.  And no one except me was raising any objections to that.  My oath was that I would guide Feneris to the Fairy Queen¡¯s Grove and protect her along the way.  Erilom tried to get me to put in some vague statements that would have likely forced me to provide additional ¡°service¡± but I managed to avoid those traps.  Shortly after that I was guided to the treasury and it was something impressive.

    There was a sea of gold coins that one could swim in and scattered treasures lying everywhere.  I wandered the treasury which was the size of football field for a long time as I tried to decide on something.  Well, the treasurer was not a wizard so I was secretly loading up my dimensional storage with a variety of valuable items.  But I should actually pick something out before he gets suspicious.

    Bingo.  I saw a pile of what looked like junk with a battered leather bound book lying on top.  The only reason why this stuff was in the treasury was because all of the ¡°junk¡± was crafted from a variety of valuable metals and materials.  Other than that it was unremarkable in almost every way, but I could sense a very intricate magic in every part.  Whatever wizard made these odd whimsical contraptions was a master enchanter and a genius tinkerer.

    ¡°Who made this?¡± I asked as I looked over a wire frame that was shaped like a forearm.  The treasurer showing me around responded ¡°This pile of oddities was collected from an abandoned lab rumored to have belonged to the legendary Artificer Steale, an expert golemancer and craftsdwarf.¡±  The treasurer nodded toward the book ¡°We believe that to be his journal, but there is a powerful spell on it that prevents us from opening it.  As a result, we are also uncertain what all these parts are for.  At first we thought it was for a golem, but all the parts are too small and detailed.  He might have been making a doll or something.¡±

    I nodded to the treasurer that this was my choice and he had it packed up for my departure.  I left the castle with a small wagon with my treasure on it.  As soon as I left their sight I placed everything in my dimensional storage and returned home.

    I smiled as I sat in my room holding one of the parts left behind by Artificer Steale, a porcelain-like mask that looked like a human face.  I never thought that the other world would have an automata.  The value of this thing and Steale¡¯s journal is damn near priceless.  No matter how much of a pain this escort job turns out to be this payment will make it worthwhile.  *Shudder* I think I just jinxed myself.

 Chapter 59: Into the Woods

    March 6th, 2089

    FINALLY, WE¡¯RE HERE!  That was the thought that echoed repeatedly in my head as I looked to this beautiful meadow dotted with trees and flowers.  In the center of this place stood a swamp with an altar made from a plethora of plants at its heart.  It grew right out of the swamp and on the top of the altar, a shape of a cup could be seen.  It has been a 2-day journey straight from hell to get to this point.

    1 day after the meeting with the Queen, the expedition was already at the Fey Woods.  It would have normally been a week long journey, but it¡¯s amazing how fast a Pegasus can travel.  I had Rin mimic me being ill to cover up my absence at home for the next few days.  I¡¯ll have to spoil Rin when I get back though, since she¡¯s been getting a little annoyed at being left behind repeatedly.

    The party consisted of 4 Queensguard, 2 Court Wizards, myself, Feneris and Erilom as discussed.  Since I was the guide, I also acted as the scout which allowed me to stealthily eliminate the majority of the creatures we came across before anyone else noticed.  This helped us pick up the pace.  My relief at arriving at our destination came mostly from the fact that I would no longer have to deal with Erilom.

    Feneris was the typical spoiled ojou-sama, so although she was a pain to deal with it was not too problematic.  But Erilom has gotten to the point where I fear for my safety.  I have not slept since we started the expedition.  Although that has yet to become a problem thanks to my augmentation, the stress is killing me.  She has definitely transitioned from aggressive to yandere level behavior.  Haaa, I¡¯ve already decided to leave immediately after the Oath Mark fades.  Screw the return trip, I do not want to risk it.

    Our group is approaching the swamp where the altar is located¡­ wait, why is it a swamp?  It¡¯s been a couple years since I have been here but I am certain that it was clear pond surrounding the altar¡­ not a swamp.  Feneris eagerly outpaced her guards as she headed towards the altar with the bottle of Tearful Maiden Spring Water in her hand, but just as she reached the edge a serpent like head rose out of the water.  It was followed shortly after by another 12 heads.  ¡°HYDRA!!!¡± one of the Queensguard yelled as everyone sprang into action.

    I sprinted forward and grabbed Feneris just in time as the hydra let out a hiss and spat out a toxic breath that melted the ground where she was standing.  I have rated hydras as a threat level 12 in the past due to their insane magic based regeneration that is second only to a troll and their highly toxic bodies.

    They have the body of a serpent with up to 13 heads and two powerful front legs on their body for added mobility.  Their scales are a purplish grey and they are known to have a horrible temper.  Throw in their massive size comparable to a 3-story building and large number of heads to deal with and most people give them a wide berth.  I ran towards Erilom as the wizards launched several fireballs towards the hydra, creating a series of explosions.  The smoke faded and there was some damage done to it, which made go into a rage.

    I quickly dropped off Feneris next to Erilom, who was still acting rather care free.  ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t expect to see a fully grown hydra here.¡± She said casually.  ¡°You seem rather relaxed considering the situation.¡± I responded to Erilom as I drew my rhomphaia and waited.  The 4 queensguard and the two wizards were working well together and managing to push back the hydra.  As expected of the most elite forces in the queendom.  For right now I can wait in reserve.

    Erilom shrugged at my comment ¡°Hydras are powerful, but we have two wizards here to deal with it.¡± ¡­ at her words one of the wizards went down after getting sprayed with the hydra¡¯s venom ¡°¡­Okay, we have one wizard here to deal with it.¡±  ¡­ The other wizard just got tail whipped into a bloody red pulp.  ¡°¡­The guards can still manage.¡±  On cue with her words, one of the queensguard got careless and was promptly devoured by the 3 story tall hydra.  The other 3 were now steadily being pushed back.   ¡°¡­ It¡¯s okay!  I have the 5 Chains of Adligo, although I am not a fighter I can still handle any one on one fight!  And there¡¯s only one monster!¡±

    I heard an unearthly roar echo right after Erilom spoke and looked up to see a Skeletal Dragon flying towards us.  A dragon must have starved to death after getting lost in the Fey Woods and reanimated.  The uproar due to the hydra must have attracted its attention.  Erilom now has lost her composure and was about to continue ¡°It¡¯s okay, at least¡­¡±  I quickly put my hand to her mouth before she could make the situation any worse.  ¡°Deal with it.¡±

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Without waiting for Erilom to respond I grabbed her by her chains and flung her into the air towards the dragon.  I myself lunged forward to decapitate a head of the hydra before it could devour another one of the guards.  The hydra roared in pain as a new head started growing.  ¡°Go protect the princess!¡±  I yelled towards the exhausted dark elves, who eagerly followed my instructions as they retreated towards Feneris.

    The hydra finished re-growing its head, and all 26 of its eyes locked onto me.  I sprinted around the swamp as the beast lunged its heads at me, but I kept barely staying ahead of it.  The hydra then swung 2 of its heads like a whip towards me.  I cut off the first head to reach me and then jumped onto the other head.  The hydra roared in pain, but became confused as it lost sight of me.  When I stabbed my rhomphaia into the head I was riding, it found me again.

    4 heads lunged at me as I jumped onto a different head and stabbed it just like before.  I continued this process of jumping and stabbing like I was in a platforming game.  After placing a large hole in each of the 13 heads I jumped off the hydra, dodging the toxic breath that it was spitting by tumbling through the air like a gymnast.  I stuck a perfect landing and looked towards the bloodied hydra.  It was fuming mad and lost its composure.

    It placed all of its 13 heads in an even-level semi-circle facing me, took a very deep breath, and spat out all of its reserves of toxins.  Gotcha!  I activated my rhomphaia¡¯s enchantment and swung out a line of cutting light that cleanly bisected through the toxic cloud, dispersing it away from me.  My attack continued towards the hydra and caused major damage.  Since it had grouped all of its heads close together for its breath attack, my counterattack was able to decapitate all of its heads but one.

    Tch, it is unfortunate I couldn¡¯t get that last head.  If a hydra has all of its heads decapitated at any point or its heart is destroyed it will die instantly.  Its regeneration is dependent on there being the heart and at least one head intact.  This is unlike the regeneration of a troll, which is basically immortal until its fat reserves run out.  I promptly switched to my ninjato to go for the kill while the hydra was still crippled.  The magic on my ninjato activated and lines of text appeared on the blades.  They read:  With many strikes, even the toughest of foes shall fall.

    The body of the hydra thrashed about as it tried to ward me off so it could regenerate its heads.  I easily avoided its efforts and swung my ninjato at the place where its heart should be.  The last head was intentionally keeping its distance, so I was forced to aim at a different vital point.  After my first swing, a small scratch appeared on the hydra¡¯s scales.  Then my ninjato glowed as the magic activated.

    Suddenly, the scratch became a deep cut, as if I had already sliced at that exact spot another 20 times.  With this multiplicative effect I quickly reached the hydra¡¯s heart after only a few swings of my ninjato.  My augmented body was able to resist the toxic blood spurting from the wound so I attacked without restraint.  I stabbed the heart, creating a small hole that quickly expanded and the hydra collapsed.

    Phew, that was kind of difficult.  I looked back to see the situation with the skeletal dragon and as expected there was merely a pile of bone dust left behind.  Erilom was lying next to it, sweating heavily and covered in grime.  She obviously doesn¡¯t train much or else the fight would have been over much more quickly.  No matter how efficient and powerful a magic artifact is its full potential will be limited if the user is weak.

    I ignored her and led Feneris to the altar, where she placed the offering and ended up successfully contracting with a dryad.  My oath was fulfilled and my oath mark faded.  Erilom was too exhausted to use the 5 Chains and there were no remaining wizards to stop me.  I promptly vanished from the other world for the last time.  Will the expedition find their way home?  Not my problem.  They have the map; they can figure it out.

 Chapter 60: Our First Outing

    March 19th, 2089

    Kira and Veronica have both passed my common sense and knowledge test of the world.  Thus, today is the day where they have their first outing into human society.  I am taking them to the mall, where we will check out the stores and also grab some food.  Both of the girls were really excited.  They were looking around in awe at the skyscrapers and at all of the humans around.  Obsidia is a highly populated city, with probably around 5 million inhabitants, but compared to Tokyo it is just a small town.  I couldn¡¯t help but smile at their awe, it reminded me of the time when I first came to the other world.

    I could see Kira¡¯s tail dancing around excitedly, while Veronica¡¯s ears were flicking back and forth from excitement as well.  They were just too cute right now.  Although they were well-informed about many things in this world due to the magical grimoires I made them read, seeing it in real life was still impressive.  They were entranced by all the cars when we first got onto a busy road and it took me 5 minutes to get them to stop staring.  Reactions like that were why I made them study first.  Who knows how they would have reacted otherwise to seeing a car without any forewarning.  To all other onlookers however, they would only see two pretty Japanese high school girls that seemed to be from the countryside due to their amazement at the city.  Their features are the same as their actual forms, but my magic made sure to dull their appeal somewhat.  There¡¯s no need for them to attract unwanted attention after all.

    They particularly enjoyed riding the subway, it was like they were on an amusement ride.  After seeing their reactions to that, I plan to take them to an amusement park next time.  I¡¯ve noticed that both of them get really excited by the technology of this world, just like how I get excited by magic.  I guess the novelty of it is what is so interesting.

    We¡¯ve now arrived at the mall and the girls are already dragging me to all of the clothing stores in sight.  The other world has a much more limited selection of everyday clothing, so it was heaven for Veronica and Kira.  This was particularly true for undergarments, which would explain why I spent so much time having to give my opinion on every single pair they got.

    The number of bags I had to carry grew exponentially in a very short time.  Girls will be girls when it comes to shopping, regardless of the world.  But it was worth it.  We ended up getting lunch at a burger place, where Veronica was fascinated by the carbonated drinks and Kira devoured 5 hamburgers with ease.  I forgot that beast-kin are quite gluttonous.  But while we were eating, something unexpected happened.

    ¡°Hey Minato! What are you doing here?¡±  Reiji apparently was out shopping as well this weekend.  ¡°Hi Reiji.  I¡¯m out shopping.  Let me introduce you.  This is Kira and that is Veronica.  This is Reiji, he¡¯s a friend and is surprisingly a guy.¡±  ¡°Oi, don¡¯t phrase it like that.  Anyways, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet both of you.  I would have never thought Minato had other friends.¡±  Than Kira dropped a bomb ¡°We¡¯re not friends, we¡¯re lovers.¡±  Veronica nodded in agreement ¡°Yes.¡±  I did a mental face-palm as Reiji made a shocked expression.  Despite my precautions about learning common sense something like this still happened.  In the other world, people are rather direct about this sort of thing.  Well, it is the truth.  Trying to deny it would only lead to hurting Kira and Veronica¡¯s feelings so I can¡¯t do that.

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    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I agreed as well, causing Reiji¡¯s surprise to upgrade to being absolutely floored.  While he was still processing this, me and the girls left.  I¡¯ll take him out tomorrow and try to salvage the situation.  When we arrived home, I asked them if they had fun and got a resounding ¡°Yeah!¡± in response.  They were delighted with all the clothes and undergarments they bought, and later that night I got treated to a special viewing of some of their bolder choices.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    What. Just. Happened.  DID I JUST RUN INTO MINATO ON A DATE WITH TWO WOMEN AT THE SAME TIME?!?!?!  Wow, I thought he was a dense rom-com harem protagonist but in fact he is a self-aware harem protagonist.  The girls seemed pretty but it looked like he was going for quantity rather than quality.  And he didn¡¯t even try to hide it or get flustered by me finding out.  Woah, and how is Hikari-chan going to react?  This is definitely turning into a shoujo drama rather than a harem rom-com.  But this will at least force her to be more direct with her feelings, she¡¯s been too passive about it all due to the lack of competition.

    Hmm, how can I help her take Minato back? ¡­¡­¡­. I got it!  Those two have been friends forever and are perfect for each other, but that friendship is also what is blocking them from getting closer.  I just need to get them together in a situation where Minato¡¯s teenage hormones overwhelm the friend zone!  Now I just need to decide how to do it¡­  I need a scenario that can provide an opportunity for Minato and Hikari to be together while she is in an especially seductive outfit.  It has to be subtle and she can¡¯t come off as desperate or promiscuous.  She¡¯s prettier than those two girls, so I just need to showcase that in front of Minato and she should sweep him of his feet.  But how can I accomplish that without acting suspicious¡­  Well, there is a cosplay convention in April.

    That should be a good opportunity.  Hikari could wear a scandalous outfit and no one would bat an eye.  Not that she would, but cosplay conventions are pretty wild.  I¡¯ll invite his two ¡°lovers¡± as well.  Hikari will have to overcome them if she has any hope to get Minato.  I should have plenty of time to help Hikari get an awesome costume together and everything in preparation for the showdown.  Fufufu, I already can¡¯t wait to find out if my scheme will work.  Man, it never gets boring watching this ¡°will they or won¡¯t they¡± between my two friends.  It¡¯s getting even better than most of my anime shows!

 Chapter 61: An Anime ClichèŒ…

    March 20th, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s the morning after Veronica and Kira¡¯s first outing and I am taking Reiji out to lunch in order to try and get him to not spread news of my relationship with those two around.  It doesn¡¯t matter if he does, but things would get irritating.  And technically I am engaged, so if this were to reach the ears of my parents¡­ *Shudder* I¡¯d rather fight a hydra again than face my mother¡¯s wrath.

    As we were walking in silence, I could overhear other people¡¯s conversations as we passed.  ¡°Wow, look at that perfect couple.  The girl is so small and lovable, yet that guy is so serious and sexy.  It¡¯s an amazing match!¡±  ¡°Damn it, why do some guys have all the luck when it comes to women?¡±  And so on caught my ear.  I couldn¡¯t help but comment to Reiji ¡°You need to find a way to signal people you¡¯re a guy.  Right now everyone around us seems to think that we are a guy and girl on a date.¡±

    Reiji made a pouting expression that only emphasized his femininity as he complained ¡°I¡¯ve tried, but apart from walking around naked I don¡¯t have any other ideas left.  Everyone thinks I¡¯m just a tomboy.  It¡¯s scary how many guys have tried to pick me up.¡±  I chuckled lightly at that thought ¡°Ah Trap-kun is hard at work it seems.¡±  ¡°¡­You suck.¡±

    We were walking past an alley on this deserted street when we heard a girl¡¯s cry of ¡°Get away from me!¡± resound.  We both turned to look at the sound and saw a pretty girl with brown hair surrounded by three older thugs.  I noticed a tattoo on one of their forearms that depicted a dragon weeping blood.  That was the mark of the local Yakuza in this area.  Damn, that girl has no luck at all.  Oh, it¡¯s Tachibana-san.  Well that sucks for her.

    I proceeded to continue on my way but stopped as I realized that Reiji wasn¡¯t moving.  ¡°What are you doing Reiji?¡±  ¡°I should be asking you that, why aren¡¯t you going over to help her?¡±  The look of reproach he was giving me was annoying so I decided to lay things out for him.

    ¡°Those guys are members of the Blood Dragon Yakuza, who specialize in loan sharking.  They aren¡¯t high school delinquents, they¡¯re career criminals.  They don¡¯t randomly harass people.  So Tachibana-san or an immediate family member has a loan from them that they are not paying off.  I have no interest in getting involved in something that could piss of an entire criminal organization for some girl I don¡¯t care about.  This ain¡¯t an anime where the girl always gets saved.¡±

    ¡°Wait you know her and still won¡¯t help?!?!¡±  Reiji responded in an outraged tone.  What does that have to do with anything?  ¡°That girl is one of Hikari¡¯s modeling sempais.  And just because I know her doesn¡¯t mean I care.  It¡¯s not worth the hassle.¡±  ¡°Fine! If you aren¡¯t going to do anything about it, I will!¡±  And just like that he charged down the alleyway, leaving me standing dumbfounded behind him.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    Damn it Minato, I knew you were a cold-hearted loner but I thought you would always save someone if you saw them in trouble.  I started drawing closer to the thugs and the girl.  One of them was yelling ¡°Your trash of a father skipped town on us, so it¡¯s your problem now to pay his debt!  So cough it up or else we¡¯ll make you work it off in a different way!¡±  The other two gave lecherous smiles as the girl started to cry.

    ¡°Leave her alone!¡± I yelled at them, finally attracting their attention.  ¡°Who the hell is this girl?¡±  One of them asked.  The others just shrugged in confusion.  ¡°My name is Okamura Reiji and I¡¯m a boy, damn it!¡±  While they were still confused I put myself in front of the girl and smiled to her as I said ¡°It¡¯ll be okay now, so don¡¯t worry.¡±

    The girl seemed a few years older than me, and was completely in my strike zone.  Brown hair, green eyes and big breasts made her incredibly attractive.  Ah, how I love the onee-san type.  I refocused my attention to the thugs and realized that they were all a lot bigger and more menacing up close.  And they did not look happy at my intervention.  ¡°Well, your timing was unexpected but convenient.¡± He then directed his next statement to the girl at my back ¡°We¡¯re going to fucking beat the shit of this wannabe hero to show you what¡¯ll happen if you don¡¯t pay up by our next visit!¡±

    Ah crap, what do I do now.  In the manga and anime, the protagonist always scares them off by this point, but I have absolutely no real fighting experience.  Shit, is that guy putting on brass knuckles?  They started to approach me as I started trembling from fear.  But I didn¡¯t move away from the girl.  I will protect her because that¡¯s the right thing to do.  The first fist came crashing down and I closed my eyes in preparation for the pain that¡­ didn¡¯t come.

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    I felt a light wind and opened my eyes in time to see the thug who was about to strike me fly a dozen feet into some trash cans.  He wasn¡¯t moving.  ¡°Fucking moron, now you¡¯ve dragged me into this shit as well.¡±  Minato was standing beside me, with his serious expression and demeanor as cold as ever.  When did he get here?  Before the other two gangsters could react Minato kicked one in the solar plexus and then elbowed the other guy in the face.  Both collapsed on the spot.

    There was a brief silence until the girl spoke up ¡°Thank you Minato-san and um¡­¡± Before she could ask my name Minato interrupted ¡°Don¡¯t thank me.  I had no intention of helping you.  I only got involved to save this idiot Reiji.¡±  The girl seemed taken aback for a moment but then nodded and smiled towards me like a goddess.  ¡°Thank you very much, Reiji-san.  My name is Tachibana Akemi, please take care of me.¡±  ¡°Of course.  I¡¯m Okamura Reiji, please take care of me as well.¡±  I responded with a blush coming to my face.  YES! I think I may have just cleared a romance flag!  It went a little differently than expected but it should still count!  But then Minato rudely brought me back to reality.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    *Sigh* Damn Reiji has now gotten me involved into something troublesome.  He also has a goofy look on his face, he¡¯s probably thinking right now ¡°Romance flag get!¡± for Tachibana-san.  ¡°Before you go celebrating, remember that you just gave identifying information to an organization famous for being especially vicious to those people that oppose it.¡±  At my words, Reiji¡¯s face became grave.

    Tachibana-san also looked guilty as she spoke ¡°My worthless father had taken out a loan with them and then ran away.  So they have been harassing me for it.  I¡¯m so sorry for dragging you into this.¡±  ¡°Don¡¯t be!  It¡¯ll work out somehow!¡±  Reiji instantly consoled her and gave her a full power bishounen smile.  She couldn¡¯t help but blush at that and I could feel a pink atmosphere building rapidly.  Haaa, I have had it now.

    ¡°Alright you two, go ahead and flirt elsewhere while I call the police and wait here for them.¡±  I told them.  ¡°What?¡±  Both Reiji and Tachibana-san asked in unison.  I sighed ¡°They already know your guys¡¯ names.  Seeing it on a police report will only infuriate them more.  So let¡¯s get the police involved early via myself and make it seem more of a pain to deal with us while we try and scrounge up the money to pay them.  Okay?¡±

    They were both about to argue so I decided to distract them ¡°Hey Tachibana-san, did you know you¡¯re Reiji¡¯s type?  He¡¯s a huge fan of older big breasted women.  He¡¯s also a virgin.¡±  Reiji fell silent in shock at my statements.  ¡°And Reiji, did you know that the little brother bishounen type is what Tachibana-san fantasizes about alone at night?  She¡¯s a virgin just like you and a closet otaku.¡±  Now Tachibana-san has sunk into a dumbfounded silence, she probably didn¡¯t expect that Hikari would talk to me about her secrets.

    Both of their faces couldn¡¯t be any redder so I gave them a gentle nudge ¡°Now go on your guys¡¯ date before I start saying more of your secrets.¡±  They both started walking away in a daze at my words.  Hmph, they clearly fell for each other just now so they should thank me for helping them jump directly to the becoming a couple part.  Having to watch the ¡°will they or won¡¯t they¡± back and forth that would have occurred without my intervention for the next few weeks before finally becoming a couple would have driven me crazy.

    I waited until I was certain they were gone and then called out ¡°Rin¡±.  My adorable demonic fox materialized at my call and gave me an enthusiastic yip.  ¡°I¡¯ll need your help on a job tonight, but first could you get rid of these guys for me?¡±  Rin¡¯s tail was wagging like a dog¡¯s as her excitement at doing a job radiated from our bond.

    She observed the unconscious thugs for a moment and then a small black flame appeared on the tip of her tail.  She did a cute little tail whip and bits of the black flame landed on each of the thugs.  They quickly burned into a thick black fog, but there was no smell nor noise of fire burning.  She then opened her small mouth and sucked in all of the fog.  Once she finished she gave a slight hiccup and then leaped into my arms.  I of course petted and praised her for her work.

    There were no remains of the thugs nor were there any signs that they were ever there.  The Blood Dragons would most certainly not forgive people standing up to them, but if they never hear about it then there¡¯s no problem.  Unfortunately, Reiji and Tachibana-san have clearly had a love-at-first-sight moment so Reiji will be involved with Tachibana-san¡¯s debt situation no matter what.  Haaa, so now I have to take care of it because Reiji¡¯s involved.  Friendship can be so annoying at times.  At least this will be a good opportunity to help nourish Rin¡¯s growth.

 Chapter 62: Slaughter

    March 20th, 2089

    The headquarters of the Blood Dragon Yakuza was a non-descript 4 story commercial building located in a bad neighborhood.  It was a little before midnight and the majority of the group was here calculating the day¡¯s take and discussing any issues that had occurred.  This yakuza was actually a relatively small-time operation.

    Organized crime in general has become more prevalent over the past few decades in Japan, and there were far scarier groups out there.  I know because I had done dealings with some of these groups to get various banned equipment such as explosives and grenades for my other world work.  No one would really miss some minor loan sharks nor would they be shocked at their annihilation.  They would just chalk it up to a rival group.

    I calmly walked in through the front door while Rin was coming down through the roof.  The two guards who tried to stop me were both knocked out cold with blood dripping from severe head injuries.  I had a simple aluminum baseball bat slung over my shoulder along with a hanya mask on my face.  My non-descript black hooded sweatshirt and black jeans blended into the shadows of the ill lit hallways.  I also had my music player with me and was listening to music as I walked along.

    This entire Yakuza barely counts as a threat level 1, so I needed something to keep me from being bored.  I could tell Rin had already absorbed 6 sleeping gangsters like she had done with the earlier thugs from the alley.  As a demonic fox she could grow more powerful more quickly by absorbing the life force of sentient beings such as humans.  This absorption leaves no trace after it and even a wizard specialized in detection would find it hard to notice.

    ¡°Who the hell are you?!?¡±  Ah, another gangster has come.  He fumbled as he tried to draw his pistol, but before he could even cock it I had closed the distance.  I gave a light swing of the bat and the man was down as his teeth flew all across the floor.  I calmly stepped over him as I continued walking in tune with the song I was listening to.

    The various cameras were zooming in on me and I could tell that the rest of the Yakuza was on alert.  But as their attention was focused below, they failed to notice the danger from above.  Rin was sneakily picking off the stragglers who were headed towards me one by one.  The group of 53 men was already down to 34 when I burst open the doors of a conference room to see 12 men wielding a variety of melee weapons waiting for me.  Crowbars, katanas, brass knuckles, baseball bats and tire irons were all present.

    A man with a katana stepped forward and sneered ¡°You fuckin¡¯ punk!  We¡¯re gonna beat the shit out of you and then find out who you¡¯re working for!  Get ¡®im!¡±  The group of 12 men split into two groups of six and went around each side of the large conference table in the center of the room.  I calmly walked up to the table that was bolted to the floor and kicked at it from below.  It was ripped from its bindings and flew to the left, pining the 6 gangsters on that side and incapacitating them.

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    The other 6 paused for a moment, completely stunned by my inhuman display of strength.  That was a mistake.  I suddenly appeared among them, my bat whistling through the air.  Blood was spurting everywhere, teeth were flying, but there were no cries of pain.  One hit, one knockout.  Before anyone could even to attempt to resist they were all unconscious and bleeding into the carpet.

    The total number now was down to 22.  They were split up into two large groups.  I could sense one group of 9 was on the floor above, in a big office that likely belonged to the boss.  The other 13 looked like they were trying to meet up with the 9 in the office, but Rin had intercepted them.  She was happily devouring their life force while playing around with them, so I had nothing to worry about.  I continued to calmly walk until I reached the office doors.

    I pushed them open to the scene of the 9 gangsters hiding behind overturned furniture and they were all armed with pistols.  I was unperturbed, with my augmented body I was basically immune to low-caliber sidearm fire.  They would need something larger than a .40 caliber pistol before they could actually start doing notable damage.  I could see a scarred old man amongst the gangsters, he must be the boss.  My assumption was confirmed as he tried to speak out to me ¡°What do you want you bastard?¡±  I ignored him and simply kept walking towards them like a veritable shinigami.

    The remaining men couldn¡¯t handle the tension and started to unload entire clips of ammo at me desperately.  But not a single shot hit me as I continued walking.  I predicted the flight paths of the bullets and avoided them ahead of time.  Even with my augmentation I am not yet at the level where I can dodge bullets by reflex.  Yet.  I can feel my strength increasing as I haven¡¯t yet finished growing.  In a few years I will definitely become a cheat-level individual.

    I came up to the barricade and gave it a light kick, sending a 200-pound desk and the 5 guys behind it flying towards the wall.  The remaining four men were swiftly dispatch with a single swing to the head each.  It was all quiet again in the room as I started searching through the boss¡¯s memories to find the security room and where they stored their money.  Rin by this point had finished off the others and reported in.

    I notified her via our bond that she should devour all of the unconscious gangsters I had left behind for that purpose.  She eagerly left to clean up as I destroyed all the video evidence from the cameras and also stored a large amount of money into my dimensional storage.  This new infusion of funds was truly welcome as I was starting to run low.  Providing for two people is more expensive than I thought.  I cheerfully hummed along to my music as I exited the now empty building with a somewhat plumper than usual Rin on my shoulder.

 Chapter 63: Cosplay Convention

    April 9th, 2089

    The Blood Dragon incident has been resolved, although I lied to Reiji and Tachibana-san, ahem, Akemi-san by saying the police scared them off.  As expected those two have become a couple now.  Reiji¡¯s parents must be overjoyed to find out that Reiji has developed an interest in 3-D girls at last.  He also blabbed about my date with Kira and Veronica to Hikari, who got truly incensed and gave me the silent treatment that has only stopped recently.  Haa, she¡¯s acting like I¡¯m a cheating husband yet we¡¯re not even dating.

    Speaking of dates, I used my newfound money to take Kira and Veronica on some individual dates in order to pamper them.  I don¡¯t want either of them feeling neglected after all.  We also went on group dates to the amusement park and the beach.  They¡¯ve really started to acclimate to life here.  The next step is for them to start making friends of their own.  I want them to develop the necessary social skills for this world.  The plan is to eventually get them to attend my school.  I already created their identities as Japanese citizens thanks to a very large amount of mind control magic at the local government offices, so it¡¯s time to put that to use.

    Today will be an important day for that plan.  Reiji had invited myself, Kira and Veronica to a cosplay convention being held at the Tokyo Dome.  It¡¯s the biggest one of its kind and Hikari and Akemi-san are also coming along.  My hope is that Kira and Veronica can become friends with them, but it¡¯ll be dependent on Hikari¡¯s behavior.  Those two were extremely excited for today since it means they¡¯ll be able to walk around freely as themselves.  I was looking at my outfit in the mirror with Rin on my shoulder.  She really wanted to come along, and I couldn¡¯t say no when she appealed to me with her upturned fox eyes.  So I agreed and she dematerialized and appeared as a black fox tattoo on my left bicep.

    I had shapeshifted to have a pair of black horns sprouting upwards from my forehead and have a black whip-like tail.  My hair was changed to pure white and my eyes were red.  I had a tight form fitting black and red shirt on with dark long pants.  My gauntlets and greaves were also black with red accents, making me look truly demonic.  I nodded in satisfaction and left to see the girls waiting for me.

    ¡°Terra, how do I look?¡±  Kira excitedly asked me as she did a light spin.  She was wearing brown leather hotpants with a matching leather jerkin over a white tunic.  She had a pair of combat boots and metal gauntlets on.  Her golden hair was unbound and both her ears and tail were freely showing.  ¡°Mesmerizing.¡±  I responded with a smile as I pulled her in for a kiss.

    ¡°Terra.¡±  I looked over at Veronica who just called my name.  She wore a snug silver hunting gown with a light skirt that matched her hair which was in a ponytail perfectly.  The outfit was reinforced with metal covering her vitals and she had metal greaves beneath her skirt.  Her long pointy ears were on full display.  ¡°Radiant.¡±  I gave her a smile and pulled her in for a kiss just like I did with Kira.

    ¡°You guys ready?¡±  ¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±  We left for the planned meeting place with Reiji, Hikari and Akemi.  On the subway we were greeted with quite a few stares.  We explained that we were on our way to the cosplay convention and the stares lessened somewhat.  Coincidentally, I had told Veronica and Kira to use that as their excuse if their illusion ring ever broke and they were stranded in public.

    Reiji and Akemi-san were already there waiting for us when we arrived at the meeting place.  Akemi-san, as expected, was dressed like a cat-kin.  She was also wearing a sexy schoolgirl outfit with culottes and I was secretly wondering what Reiji promised her in order to get her to wear that.  That question was immediately answered as I looked over at Reiji and couldn¡¯t help but start laughing.

    Reiji had on elven ears and was dressed like a girl.  He was wearing a white short skirt and a light green blouse on top.  I could see hints of make-up on his face and anyone who saw him would be convinced that he was that popular elven little sister character of an ongoing anime show.  HAHAHAHAHA!  I bet he promised Akemi-san that she could dress him up if he was allowed to dress her up.  I know he¡¯s likely regretting it now.  ¡°Yo, Akemi-san and Reiji-chan, your guys¡¯ costumes look great.¡±

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    Reiji simply blushed and was too embarrassed to say anything so Akemi-san responded ¡°Hello Minato-san, thanks for the compliment but it¡¯s obvious that your guys¡¯ costumes are the incredible ones!  If I didn¡¯t know otherwise, I would really think you guys were a demon, a cat girl and a dark elf!¡±  I introduced Kira and Veronica to her and they started chatting together as I continued to laugh at Reiji while we waited for Hikari.

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    Today¡¯s the day where I finally see my competition.  When Reiji messaged me that he saw Minato on a date with two girls, it¡¯s safe to say that I lost it a little bit.  Thankfully no one was around to see my outburst.  Am I turning into a yandere?  *Shudder* I hope not.  Damn it Minato, when did you suddenly turn into a player?  I couldn¡¯t even speak to him for a while for fear of losing it, but Reiji managed to calm me down.  He told me that it¡¯s time for me to directly tell him my feelings.

    He¡¯s right, I can¡¯t be so passive anymore.  But first I have to face my competition.  The goal for today is to make it clear that I am superior to these other girls.  I need to make Minato doubt his choice and then I¡¯ll go for it.  In preparation for that I am wearing a particularly sexy outfit.   Reiji notified me beforehand that Minato was going as a demon, so I decided to dress as a biker chick from the most popular anime out right now who also happened to be a demoness.  Hopefully it will subtly emphasize how we suit each other.

    I had skin tight black leather pants on with an equally tight black leather vest adorned with metal studs on it.  I had black leather fingerless gloves and black boots along with bright red lipstick and red horns sticking out of my hair.  I know there will be even more risqu¨¦ outfits at the convention, but I can¡¯t help but still be self-conscious.  I am only keeping my composure by imagining Minato smiling at me and saying I look beautiful.

    I finally arrived at the meeting place and saw everyone there including my rivals.  I looked towards the dark elf and cat girl by Minato¡¯s sides and¡­ lost all my fighting spirit.  I know that I am a beauty by anyone¡¯s standards, but those two women¡¯s looks put supermodels to shame.  How the hell can I compete with that?  And to try and break up a m¨¦nage a trois between those two and Minato is impossible.  *Sniff* What am I going to do now?  I have never felt so inferior to someone else in terms of looks before.

    I gave a half-hearted greeting to Reiji-kun and Akemi-sempai before turning to see Minato staring intently at me.  His costume was amazing, he looked like a true Demon King that could seduce any girl he wanted.  He came over and smiled as he told me ¡°You look stunning.¡±  My heart was beating wildly and I could feel a blush forming on my face.  Just a simple smile and complement from him and my shattered confidence was completely restored.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce you to Kira and Veronica.  This is my childhood friend Hikari that I have told you about.¡±  After introducing us, Minato went over to Reiji and said ¡°There¡¯s a famous voice actress who is signing autographs that Reiji wants to go see.  I¡¯ll escort him to make sure he doesn¡¯t get surrounded by lonely otakus.  It¡¯ll probably take a while so you girls should go on your own and have some fun.¡±

    He then walked away with Reiji, who I¡¯ve just noticed is dressed in a skirt and blouse.  Wow, I must have been really focused on Minato to have missed that.  I was hoping to go along with Minato, but he was already gone before I could ask.  ¡°Well, let¡¯s go then!¡±  Akemi-sempai cheerfully said as she started to lead us.  This will be a good opportunity to get to know Kira-san and Veronica-san.  Bring it on!  I won¡¯t let go of Minato so easily!

 Chapter 64: Making Friends

    April 9th, 2089

    Most of the day has passed since Akemi-sempai, Kira-chan, Vera-chan and I have been at the convention together.  Surprisingly enough, I have been getting along great with Kira-chan and Vera-chan.  It¡¯s to the point where we can already speak casually to each other.  Kira-chan is friendly and cheerful, while Vera-chan reminds me a lot of Minato with her quiet and cool demeanor.

    They both get excited over the strangest things and everything seems new and interesting to them.  It¡¯s rather amusing to watch.  When I woke up this morning I did not expect that I would become friends with my love rivals.  Uuuu, this is making things tough for me now.  It¡¯s obvious to anyone that talks with them about it that they are head over heels in love with Minato, just like me.  It¡¯s part of the reason why we are getting along so well.

    What do I do?  I thought that I could scare them off by bringing up my engagement with him, but that didn¡¯t work with these two.  And since I am not Minato¡¯s wife yet, I don¡¯t have the right to prevent Minato from marrying them.  Unlike at the beginning of the new millennia, polygamy has become much more widespread throughout the world.  After the devastating 3rd World War there was a large gender imbalance between men and women, which forced religions and governments to promote polygamy to keep populations growing in order to replenish the enormous casualties from the conflict.

    There were certain rules imposed however.  To marry additional spouses requires the approval of all the current spouses.  The spouses who are in the ¡°harem¡± give up their right to have their own ¡°harem¡±.  The inheritance of the shared parent is evenly split amongst the children while the non-shared parent¡¯s inheritance is passed along only to their children.

    There are no additional legal rights to being the first spouse, second spouse, etc. although most harems have an unspoken seniority system amongst spouses.  It makes sense considering the earlier spouses allow the later spouses to join the harem.  There is no social stigma for being part of a harem, however.  Nowadays, polygamy is most common amongst the rich and powerful since they can afford it.  Having multiple husbands/wives is now seen as a status symbol of success.  I myself was almost married off as a 3rd wife when my dad was taking over his company.

    Right now, Kira-chan, Vera-chan and I are sitting together as we are eating some snacks.  Akemi-sempai and Reiji-kun have left to meet some of Reiji¡¯s otaku friends and Minato was currently being swarmed at the photo taking area so we are alone.  I was drinking my ice tea when Kira-chan suddenly spoke ¡°So how long have you been in love with Minato?¡±  I ended up spitting out my tea comically at that upfront question.  ¡°H-h,how did you know?¡±

    I stammered as my face turned red.  ¡°Too obvious.¡±  Vera-chan commented as Kira-chan nodded in agreement.  ¡°Yeah, anyone who observed you around Minato for 5 minutes could tell.  Anyways, when was it for you?¡±  I was red faced as I responded ¡°Since childhood.¡±  Kira smiled happily at that as her cat ears were cutely twitching, ¡°Me too!¡±  Wait, she¡¯s known Minato since childhood?

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    But before I could ask her about it she dropped a bomb ¡°Honestly I was a little nervous about meeting the other girl who Minato was in love with, but I really like you.¡±  Vera-chan nodded in agreement as my mind went blank for a moment as I forgot to breathe.  ¡°H,he loves me!?!?¡± I grabbed Kira-chan by the shoulders, causing her to let out a ¡°Nya!¡± in surprise, and I stared deep into her gorgeous amber eyes.  Wow, she even has a cat-slit pupil, how detailed is her costume?

    ¡°Of course he does, silly!  He only smiles for the people he loves after all.¡±  She giggled a little bit at my shock before continuing ¡°You¡¯ve known him for a long time right?  Think about it.  He¡¯s normally cold and indifferent to everyone, yet he is so kind and sweet towards you.  What other explanation could it be except love?¡±  ¡­She¡¯s right.  ¡°But then why hasn¡¯t he done anything?  I¡¯ve made it obvious how I feel about him right?¡±

    At my words, Kira-chan and Vera-chan exchanged looks as if deciding on something.  Vera-chan then spoke up ¡°If Terra admits his feelings for you, he¡¯d have to tell you everything.  And he¡¯s scared to do that.¡±  ¡°Terra?¡±  They didn¡¯t answer that question and instead Kira told me ¡°Akemi-san and Reiji-san are gone, right?  We¡¯ll leave now as well so you can be alone with Minato.  Waiting won¡¯t change anything, confront him directly and see how true his feelings really are.  Make him tell you everything.  Good luck!¡±

    And just like that Kira-chan and Vera-chan got up and left me there to sort out my tumultuous emotions.  How do I confront Minato about this?  It seems like he has a big secret, what exactly is it?  Ah, looks like Minato has finally extricated himself from the photo section.  ¡°Hey Hikari, where did the others go?¡±  ¡°Kira-chan and Vera-chan said they¡¯re headed home.¡±  ¡°-chan?  Hikari, have you become friends with Kira and Veronica?¡±  ¡°Yeah!¡±  As I said that he gave one of his wonderful smiles as he said ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡±

    Mou, it¡¯s unfair that one smile has that much destructive power.  ¡°I¡¯ve also gotten kind of tired, do you mind taking me home?¡±  ¡°Sure.¡±  He grabbed my hand and we left the convention.  He held my hand the entire way to my house.  I don¡¯t know how to go about this, but I¡¯ll wing it.  ¡°Hey Minato, can you come over in an hour?  I need to talk to you about something.¡±  ¡°Okay.¡±  He left, giving me time to prepare.  My parents aren¡¯t home tonight, so this will be my best opportunity to confess.  I changed out of my cosplay outfit and put nothing on but a simple and easy to remove cotton dress.  I¡¯ve decided to stake everything on tonight.

 Chapter 65: Secrets Are Made For Sharing

    April 9th, 2089

    One hour later and Minato was sitting in my room, waiting for the important issue that I needed to discuss with him.  He had changed back to normal with his piercing dark green eyes and his dark brown hair.  He had a simple t-shirt and sweatpants on, yet he still was as attractive as ever.  Haa, even his scent was intoxicating.  No Hikari, don¡¯t lose focus now!

    ¡°So what did you want to talk about?¡±  Minato asked me.  I took a deep breath before I spoke and decided to go for broke ¡°Do you love me?¡±  ¡°¡­Hah?¡±  Minato made a surprised expression that was rather adorable but I wasn¡¯t going to be distracted.  ¡°Do you love me?¡±  I repeated myself as Minato was silent.  ¡°I want to know because I love you and I need to find out how far I have still to go.¡±  ¡°¡­I can¡¯t answer that.¡±  ¡°Why not?  It¡¯s very simple, you either say ¡®yes¡¯ or you say ¡®no¡¯.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­..¡±  A tense silence was all I got from Minato.  I decided to continue speaking.  ¡°Well I¡¯m not letting you go until I hear your answer.  I was the one who asked my father to arrange the marriage between us.  I did it because I want to be with you forever.  I will never agree to dissolving our engagement.¡±  I know Minato is extremely filial towards his parents and wouldn¡¯t go against their wishes.  And unless I agree to break off the marriage, his parents won¡¯t budge.  I know because I talked with his mother about it.  But even with my provocations, Minato remained silent.

    He was clearly struggling with something internally.  Time to push him further.  I slipped off my dress, revealing my naked body.  This is so embarrassing, but I don¡¯t care.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and sat onto his lap.  ¡°I love you.  I want to be with you.  I don¡¯t even mind joining your harem.  So please, answer my question.  Do you love me?¡±  I need to know.  Kira-chan¡¯s words lit a fire in my heart and made me have to find out his feelings for sure.

    I looked at him intently and after what seemed like an eternity, Minato finally spoke.  ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Before I could fully comprehend what he had just said, he pulled me in for a deep and passionate kiss.  He took my first kiss away so forcefully, it sent shivers through me.  When he finally released me and I started breathing heavily he repeated himself.  ¡°I love you, Hikari.¡±  My self-restraint seemed to have vanished as soon as he said those words.  I gave him a hot kiss as I tore away his clothes and pushed him down onto the bed where I then mounted him.  No other words were said for the rest of the night as we became one.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    What have I done?  This thought is bouncing around my head this morning as I woke up to a naked Hikari sleeping on my chest.  I could feel the entirety of her delicate and petite figure along with her decent-sized breasts pressed up against me.  Her porcelain-like pale skin gleamed in the morning light, and her raven black hair had a lovely scent on it.  Looking at her doll-like appearance one wouldn¡¯t realize how assertive and dominant she was last night in bed.  It was especially surprising given that she was a virgin.  But I guess it must be due to her energetic and somewhat bossy personality.

    I have to think about what to do now though.  My love for Hikari is genuine and I can¡¯t say I regret making her mine.  But now I am in quite the uncomfortable position.  I have never told anyone from my world about the other world and I quite frankly never planned to.  Although Reiji is my best (and only) friend and I love my parents dearly, I would never tell them.

    And until now I had put Hikari at an arm¡¯s length, too afraid of our different lifespans and my secrets to admit my feelings for her.  I thought I could ignore my feelings and they would fade away.  But they didn¡¯t fade and thus here I am.  So now I¡¯ll have to figure out a way to lengthen her lifespan and decide what secrets I will and will not tell her.

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    I don¡¯t know if I should tell her everything or not.  I really don¡¯t want to lie to her though.  *Sigh* For now I won¡¯t say anything, she doesn¡¯t know anything about it nor does she have any reason to start questioning me.  At this point I could feel Hikari stirring on my chest as she woke up.  ¡°Good morning, did you sleep well?¡±  I asked her quietly as she had a broad smile on her face.

    ¡°Un. You¡¯re softer and more comfortable to sleep on than a body pillow.¡±  She said as she gave me a kiss.  ¡°You¡¯ll take full responsibility, right?¡±  she suddenly asked me.  I nodded in response.  This was already my third time ¡°taking responsibility¡± for a girl, so I immediately knew what she was referring to.  ¡°Great, now that the important discussions are over.  I want to ask something.  What is your big secret that Kira and Vera know that made you afraid to admit your feelings to me?  And why do they call you Terra?  They told me to make you tell me about it.¡±  I immediately stiffened at her words.  Damnit.  Why did those girls blab to her about that?

    ¡°What else did they tell you?¡±  ¡°They told me that you loved me and to confront you about it.¡±  She gave me another kiss before saying ¡°I¡¯m glad I followed their advice.  Now don¡¯t avoid the question, what is your secret?¡±  Haaa, I guess I have no choice.  ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell you but first let¡¯s get dressed.  It¡¯ll be simpler if Kira and Veronica are present as well.¡±  Hikari nodded as she got off me and went to get dressed.

    A short time later Hikari and I were at Veronica and Kira¡¯s apartment.  ¡°Why are you two still in your cosplay costumes?¡± Hikari asked in confusion upon seeing them.  I answered her question ¡°Those aren¡¯t costumes.¡±  ¡°Eh?¡±  Hikari made a dumbfounded expression at my statement.  Before she could start denying me, I conjured a ball of light in my hand that looked like a rainbow.  It split apart into a brilliant glitter that swirled around the room before fading away.  ¡°My secret is that I have traveled to another world.  Kira and Veronica are former residents from that world with whom I fell in love with and brought back with me.¡±

    There was a pause as Hikari tried to process that.  She then silently walked over to Kira and starting touching her ears and tail.  ¡°Nya!  Ari-chan!  Warn someone before doing that!¡±  Is Hikari in shock?  She doesn¡¯t seem to hear Kira as she continues petting her.  Oh, she¡¯s stopped and focused on Veronica.  ¡°Ah! Be more gentle please!¡±  Now Hikari is rubbing Veronica¡¯s ears to confirm that they are real.  She eventually released Veronica and simply walked over to the couch and sat down.  I need to snap her out of it.

    ¡°Rin, come out.  I need you to be extra cute right now.¡±  Rin materialized at my call and the cute, fluffy fox demon managed to finally snap Hikari back to reality.  After petting Rin for a while, Hikari fully recovered ¡°Another world, huh?¡±  ¡°Yeah.¡±  ¡°So you¡¯re called Terra because?¡±  ¡°I used that name over there.¡± ¡°And you learned magic there?¡±  ¡°Sort of.  Magic is an inborn trait, which I had but only found out about there.¡±  ¡°Is it like in the novels?¡±  ¡°No.  It is a horrible place and it screwed me up a lot. I am never going back.¡±  And on and on the questions went.  I patiently answered every one of them and also told her about some of my time there.

    It was mid-afternoon by the time Hikari was satisfied.  Kira took this opportunity to ask something as well ¡°So Ari-chan, since Terra didn¡¯t come home last night does that mean your confession was a success?¡±  Hikari gave a big smile as she happily responded ¡°Yes.  And please don¡¯t use honorifics with me, we¡¯re now lovers of the same man after all.  We should be more familiar with each other.¡±  ¡°Ok!  You can drop honorifics with me as well!¡±  ¡°Me too.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I saw the three most precious people to me getting along so well together.  Then suddenly Hikari kicked me out of the apartment saying ¡°It¡¯s time for the first meeting of the harem, you¡¯re not allowed to be here. Shoo please.¡±  She then closed the door in my face¡­ what just happened?

 Chapter 66: 4 is My Favorite Number

    April 30th, 2089

    It has been three weeks since Hikari has joined my ¡°harem¡±.  The first harem meeting apparently was to determine the seniority and expansion policy.  They ended up agreeing that Hikari would be the first wife since our families had arranged a marriage between us.  Veronica was the second wife since she became my lover first and Kira was the third wife since she was the youngest by age.  The expansion policy was to decide whether or not they would allow me to add additional girls to the harem.

    Surprisingly, I was given approval to expand the harem if I so wished.  The approval doesn¡¯t matter to me since I have absolutely no intention of expanding.  I would have been satisfied with one loving partner, but circumstance has made it so I have three lovers.  There is no need to go further than that.  It is just a coincidence that the only 3 women that I ever really interacted with all fell in love with me.  Although when I brought this up with Kira, Veronica and Hikari they all laughed at me.  They seemed convinced that there is more to come.

    Apparently the consensus among them was ¡°We all know firsthand how strongly women fall in love with you after they get to know you.  It would be cruel to deny them their feelings by trying to monopolize you.  We know that you don¡¯t play around with women and that you¡¯ll never neglect us, so we will trust you.¡±  Needless to say I was shocked at this, particularly with Hikari.  I thought she would have been against it for sure.  When I asked her she told me ¡°If Kira and Veronica hadn¡¯t been so accepting and supportive of me I would have never managed to be with you.  So I too will be supportive and open to additional girls who love you as much as I do.¡±

    It is true that the three of them have been getting along wonderfully together, which is great news.  Having a girl of this world to show Kira and Veronica stuff that I am not familiar with has also been a big help.  They have gone out together often for ¡°harem bonding¡± as Hikari puts it.  They have gone to salons, spas, and karaoke amongst other activities.  Hikari¡¯s energy never fades no matter the situation, huh.  Since I have been financing these ¡°harem bonding¡± sessions, I have been burning through my savings at a faster rate than expected.  The Blood Dragon money will definitely not last for as long as I had hoped.

    I won¡¯t complain though since their outings have given me much more spare time recently, which I have spent tinkering with the automata.  I have just managed to get the most basic frame together.  It¡¯s been a very slow process since I have mostly been studying from Artificer Steale¡¯s journal.  I have always been very interested in golemancy, but never had a chance to really learn it.

    The two gargoyles I had created were the most basic of golems and would probably be more accurately described as possessed statues instead of golems.  I did make those centipede golems, but it took a lot of trial and error to get those to work.  It¡¯s been very fun actually learning golemancy properly.  I look forward to the day I create an automata maid...  Did I just say that? Damn it, this is definitely a result of Reiji¡¯s influence.

    I have also taken advantage of this extra alone time to do rigorous training.  My body adapts and grows much more quickly since the augmentation so training is especially effective.  The showdown with Jupon is coming up in May and I will not lose.  I do the hellish training regime with Rin and it is already paying dividends.  Rin has just recently grown her 2nd tail, giving her a boost in power, making her more intelligent and inching her closer to being able to communicate directly through human speech.

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    Right now though I am in school, where things have also been peaceful.  Shirou has long since given up his pursuit of Hikari now that she¡¯s officially engaged to me.  I am still on his blacklist though, but he¡¯s an annoying punk at best so he¡¯s easy to ignore.  We are currently discussing what we want to do for our school¡¯s cultural festival in May.  Reiji had been strongly pushing a cosplay or maid caf¨¦, but when he realized we would make him cross-dress he quickly backed off.  The class was waffling on what to do until Hikari threw out a suggestion ¡°How about a magic show?¡± she then gave me a meaningful look.  Oi, what do you think you¡¯re doing?

    To my surprise the class seemed amenable to it, but then one classmate asked ¡°That sounds like fun, but does anyone here do magic?¡±  Hikari had a grin as she said ¡°Minato is actually pretty good at magic.¡±  Everyone turned to look at me as I gave a bit of a glare at Hikari, who pretended not to see it.  I sighed as I was forced to show them a pencil disappear and then pull it out from behind a classmate¡¯s ear.  It was simple to do by putting and removing the pencil from dimensional storage, but I was on edge.  I have always hidden my magic in both worlds since I first started doing it.  And now Hikari so casually forced me out into the open where exposure could easily occur.

    Much to my dismay, my simple demonstrations fired the class up and it was decided that we were doing a magic show with me as the lead.  Damnit Hikari.  As if she knew the scolding I was going to give her, she ran off from school as I had to stay behind with the festival planning committee and tell them our class¡¯s plan.

    Later that evening I received an email from her to come over to the apartment which I did so while in a grumpy mood.  I was currently quite upset at Hikari.  I opened the door to the apartment and was greeted by something beyond my expectations.  ¡°¡°¡°Welcome home Minato, would like dinner, a drink, or us?¡±¡±¡±  Kira, Veronica and Hikari all stood in front of me while wearing the legendary naked apron.  The destructive power of this scene was unimaginable.  This must have been Hikari¡¯s doing.  All my anger at Hikari vanished as I had some extremely enjoyable naughty time with the three.

    I still made sure to impress upon Hikari that I wanted to keep my magic under wraps.  I guess she was treating it too lightly because she didn¡¯t have the experiences that I have had.  After she fully realized the implications of what would happen should my magic be exposed, she became quite apologetic for her reckless behavior.  Naturally, I forgave her.

    Tonight also became the first night I spent with all three girls at once.  Up until now, I had been alternating between spending the night with Hikari, Kira and Veronica.  It was wild.  But I did have to take into consideration that Hikari couldn¡¯t keep up with Kira and Veronica.  She doesn¡¯t have their superior physique after all.

    I woke up in the morning with Hikari sleeping on top of me, and Kira and Veronica hugging me tightly on either side.  It was pure unadulterated bliss.  If I can just overcome Jupon, I¡¯ll be able to spend every day like this.  The peaceful times I have been dreaming about for years are coming closer, I just have to be strong enough to take it.

 Chapter 67: Cultural Festival

    May 15th, 2089

    It¡¯s less than a week until Project Redemption is slated to start and the tense build-up is wearing on me.  If it weren¡¯t for the blissful nights I have been spending together with Hikari, Veronica and Kira up until this point I might have already snapped.  I have gone over and over all the equipment and weapons I have prepared in anticipation while frantically thinking if I have forgotten something.  This is too big of a situation to fail.  But I have done my best to put on a brave face so the girls don¡¯t notice my troubles.

    I haven¡¯t told them about the end of the world because they couldn¡¯t do anything about it.  It¡¯s better if they spend their time carefree rather than worrying like me.  After today¡¯s cultural festival I plan to take the rest of the week off by playing sick.  My parents are both leaving town after today so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to do.  I¡¯ll use that time to scout out the magic circle location in the Empty Quarter and to try and make preliminary preparations there.  I have always relied on foresight, guile and ruthlessness to win and there is no reason to change that now.

    ¡°Hey, Minato. It¡¯s time for the show!¡±  Hikari brought me back to reality.  I had been spacing out while waiting for my turn to go on in the show.  Our class had divided up into several groups, which each group preparing to do one or two big tricks during the show.  I was sent in last and only with Hikari as my assistant, since I already had experience doing ¡°magic¡±.  She was dressed for the part, with one of those classic glittery outfits that magician¡¯s assistants always wear.  Although technically I am a wizard.  There are no ¡°magicians¡± in the other world. *Sigh* Hikari was rather excited about this, but I of course was more preoccupied with the upcoming end of the world.

    I made Hikari disappear and reappear (via teleportation), I conjured a variety of minor illusions (using simple illusion magic) and I pulled a rabbit out of a hat (via summoning magic, living things die in dimensional storage).  I flew around for a bit and I grew a flower from the palm of my hand.  The crowd absolutely loved it and broke into a thunderous applause at the end of my show.  I had to do additional tricks as the crowd demanded 3 additional encores.  I ignored my classmates who swarmed me afterwards, demanding to know how exactly did I do those tricks.

    After I was freed from my performance, I took Hikari on a date as we went around to the various booths at the festival.  Having three lovers is amazing and all, but it does require a lot of invested time and effort.  I¡¯ve made sure to spend alone time with each of them and to take them on individual dates often so none of them feel neglected.

    Today was Hikari¡¯s turn. 3 individual dates a week plus group dates makes quite a lot of my time and money disappear.  It¡¯s worth it of course, in order to see them happy.  Hikari was tightly grasping my arm as we went from booth to booth, when I noticed that someone was following us.  Out of habit I was doing my usual irregular walking pattern and I picked up on this guy.

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    He was obviously a professional, but am I his target or is it Hikari?  ¡°Hey Hikari, I¡¯m going to go pick up some drinks, do you want anything?¡±  ¡°A soda please!¡±  I then walked away from Hikari after secretly deploying Rin to look after her.  The pursuer continued after me.  Hmm, so it looks like I am the one being followed.  Rather than trying to catch him here in public where I¡¯d stand out, I can gain some info just by observing my observer.

    After purchasing drinks, I turned towards my pursuer and focused my augmented vision.  The pursuer was a Japanese man in his early 40¡¯s wearing a suit and tie.  He very much gave off a private investigator feel, so I decided to place a tracking spell on him so I can follow up later on.  For now though I merely sent a minor hex his way to cause major indigestion.

    Immediately I could see his face scrunch up in pain as he rushed to the nearest restroom.

    Hmph, serves you right for distracting me from my date.  I returned to Hikari and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying her company.  That was the theme for my last few days before the final showdown.  Spending time with the few people I care about.

    It was the night of May 20th, the night of the showdown.  I was spending what could possibly be my last evening alive with the three most important people in my life.  The stress and anticipation for the upcoming battle made me far more unrestrained than usual, causing Hikari, Kira and Veronica to collapse from excess exhaustion and pleasure.  Hikari was particularly spent, since she determinedly tried to keep up with Kira and Veronica in spite of her physical disadvantage.

    It¡¯s time for me to go, but I can¡¯t help but linger for a little while longer.  I applied a simple sleeping charm to the three of them.  Just in case the world does end, I don¡¯t want their final moments to be ones of fear.  They will stay asleep for the next 15 hours or so.  I planted a kiss on each of their foreheads as I left.

    I also left a journal on the coffee table in the living room just in case I manage to stop the ritual but die in the process.  It contains my memories regarding Project Redemption and a good-bye message for everyone I care about.  It¡¯s time for my desperate attempt to save the two worlds.  No, I should be more specific.  It¡¯s time for my desperate attempt to save my parents, Reiji, Hikari, Kira and Veronica.  The two worlds and everyone else can go fend for themselves.

 Chapter 68: Threat Level 13

    May 20th, 2089

    Endless sand and a clear night sky full of stars.  That was the scene to greet my eyes as I teleported to the magic circle in the Empty Quarter of Saudi Arabia.  The desert air was fresh and cool.  I was in my full bounty hunter gear.  The light brown hiking pants with dark brown steel-toed combat boots and steel greaves were all enhanced with defensive enchantments.  Up top I had my green long sleeved shirt beneath a black chest-piece of a military riot armor along with some steel demi-gauntlets.  They too were all enchanted.

    I also embedded magic circles in various locations to aid with my magic casting.  My dark brown leather overcoat as always was worn over all this with a tan combat helmet on my head and my face was covered with my signature dark green bandana and motorcycle goggles.  The bandana had my white insignia depicting a single mountain peak piercing through a layer of clouds.  My rhomphaia was already out in my hand, my ninjato were freshly sharpened and my 9mm pistols were fully loaded.

    I stood on the northern edge of the barrier surrounding the magic circle.  I say northern edge because this magic circle is the largest I have ever seen, with a diameter of 100 miles.  It is also the most intricate one I have ever seen, with a plethora of shapes and symbols etched into the sand magically along with miles of script from the other world.  I can very well understand why it took the Redemption group nearly a century to draw and build it.  I can also see why they needed so many slaves and magic sources to gather the necessary mana needed to start the ritual.

    The placement of the circle was precisely on a junction of ley lines here in Earth that was also directly beneath an alignment of stars which would funnel an unimaginable amount of mana into the magic circle.  Yes, Earth has environmental mana even though magic is not used.  But unlike the other world, the mana on Earth is not evenly distributed.  It is nearly all trapped within the Earth or dispersed amongst the stars.

    This discovery has made me realize that magic once existed here on Earth.  It was not as powerful nor as flashy as the magic of the other world, but it existed.  It makes me wonder about the connection between my world and the other world.  There are simply too many similarities between the two for them to be completely unrelated.  Why else would the two worlds have myths and legends about each other?  Were they once one world that split apart in some catastrophe?  Or were they simply connected with a dimensional bridge at some point in their history?  These questions are something that have been bugging me.

    But I can wonder about that later.  I made some attempts to get past the barrier, but it was to no avail.  The barrier surrounding this thing is impressive, but it will soon dissipate at midnight.  Jupon will certainly arrive before then.  Otherwise, I could just mar one portion of the circle to render it useless and Jupon would have to wait another 1000 years before the conditions are right for the ritual again.

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    I waited calmly as the minutes passed into hours.  I don¡¯t have to worry about him avoiding me, on the contrary he¡¯ll be looking for me so he can eliminate me before I screw anything up.  All I need to do is wait for his arrival.  I also took the liberty of littering this area with all the traps I could.  Mines, curses, concealed undead, hidden demons and other nasty surprises were set all around me.

    It¡¯s 11:45 PM and I see something that looks like a shining white comet headed towards me.  It landed a couple dozen yards away with a rumble and an upturned cloud of sand.  So that¡¯s Jupon Paw¡­ shit, I am going to die.  My threat level system numbers 1 to 13, and although it changes based on whether or not I am using magic, I have never met a true threat level of 13 until now.

    Jupon is fully armed and equipped.  His shining pure white plate armor was unblemished and matched his pure white hair.  He had two round tiger ears on top and a striped black and white tail poking out from behind. He was quite handsome and his overall appearance was rather heroic.  But that was not why I knew I was going to die.  It was the magnificent longsword he was carrying that made me think that.

    A masterpiece of metal, the sword was a brilliant white that glowed with holy power and shone brightly in the darkness.  The 5 Chains of Adligo are known as the most powerful magic artifacts in the other world, to the point where they are called god artifacts.  They were first wielded by the original Dutiful One in service to Adligo when he revived the world.

    However, there was one other ¡°god artifact¡± on par with the 5 Chains that the first Dutiful One wielded.  After all the 5 Chains of Adligo only represent ¡°Duty¡±, and Adligo is the God of Freedom and Duty.  The legendary sword called Liberator represented ¡°Freedom¡± and it was supposedly lost in the war with the Treacherous Gods.  But here it is in front of me being wielded by Jupon.  Legends say that it would only allow those of pure and noble heart to wield it.

    Its aura of power was tyrannical, completely unlike the 5 Chains wielded by Erilom.  Which is to be expected, since a magic artifact can only display its full power with a strong wielder.  And Jupon was strong.  I could tell just by looking at him.  Shit, I am going to die.  I was wrong when I estimated Jupon to be a monster, he¡¯s something far scarier.  A cheat-level individual with a pure and noble heart wielding a legendary holy sword can only be one type of existence:  a Hero.

 Chapter 69: Rejecting Redemption

    May 20th, 2089

    ¡°I was wondering who killed my friends.  To think it was a bounty hunter from back home.  Terra the Peerless, right?  You are truly extraordinary.  I searched very hard for you these past months, but could only find traces here and there.  Were you hired by someone?¡±  Jupon questioned me.  I didn¡¯t respond and instead readied my rhomphaia while activating my body reinforcement magic.

    I don¡¯t have the luxury of responding.  The slightest distraction would be fatal against a cheat-level existence like Jupon.  It¡¯s not like my current strength is a joke.  In the other world I could probably fight on an even footing with the entire Darkmoon army.  It¡¯s just that Jupon is a frickin¡¯ aberration.  My only advantage is that I have my traps set up.  The Plan A of winning the fight is now abandoned.  It¡¯s time for Plan B, which is to survive long enough to screw up the ritual and then run away.  ¡°So you won¡¯t say anything then?  Very well, I will avenge my friends here and now before achieving our long cherished dream!¡±

    He lunged forward at a speed that even my augmented kinetic vision could barely keep up with.  He moved faster than my mines could detonate, so a trail of explosions followed after him.  The curses and trap spells did not fare any better.  They were able to activate in time, but failed to penetrate his defense.  I swung my rhomphaia as he came into range, but he easily ducked beneath it.

    However, my attack slowed him down enough for him to fall into the pitfall that opened beneath his feet.  It was filled with blasting powder and hydra venom, which activated as he fell.  I jumped backwards as an eruption of purple and green fire came forth from the pit.  Hydra venom is one of the most potent toxins in the other world, but it didn¡¯t seem to faze Jupon at all as he leaped out of the pit.

    He stabbed his sword Liberator into the ground, sending out a pulse of white light that promptly annihilated all of my remaining traps.  I did not miss this opening and my rhomphaia shined with its own white light as it stabbed towards Jupon.  But the opening turned out to be a feint as Jupon recovered faster than I could have imagined.

    My rhomphaia was parried and I was blasted away with one swing of Liberator.  And just like that, I landed 100 yards away in a bloody heap.  There was a massive diagonal gash from my right hip up to my left shoulder that was so deep and wide you could see my internal organs.  My left arm had also been cut deeply and ended up tearing off during the impact.  My right leg was twisted awkwardly, and it felt like about a third of my bones were broken.  My enchanted armor did nothing to lessen the blow.  If I hadn¡¯t augmented myself, I would most certainly be dead instead of almost dead.

    This entire exchange between myself and Jupon lasted less than 30 seconds and ended with me completely beat down.  I don¡¯t even have the strength to move a finger nor the focus to cast magic due to the excruciating pain.  Ah, so this is the gap between me and a Hero.  Jupon gave me a glance and saw I was on the verge of death.  He dispersed the barrier guarding the magic circle and disappeared as he headed towards the center.

    I must say I feel a little insulted that he didn¡¯t even bother to make sure I died.  It works to my advantage though, since I didn¡¯t have to use Rin as a decoy to buy time while I healed.  Yes, even though I was on the verge of death I was recovering.  Thank goodness for my augmentation.  My wounds were slowly starting to close, and I could feel the muscle strands of my left shoulder growing out like vines towards my amputated arm to reattach it.  But my regeneration was too slow.

    The clock struck midnight and the ritual began.  A massive pillar of light shot up into the atmosphere, visible for hundreds if not thousands of miles.  The sky above seemed to be tearing itself apart and the desert was lit up with a pale light.  As a wizard I could sense the near infinite amount of mana that was rushing towards the circle from the stars and the earth.  The magic circle started to contract at an incredible rate.

    I managed to recover enough to drink an Elixir to heal and I quickly pursued the receding magic circle.  This is bad.  If the circle disappears, I may have to alter my strategy again.  My memories from Eual about the ritual indicate that there is a start-up phase, which just occurred, and then 3 stages after that.  After giving up the idea of killing Jupon, I had hoped to damage the circle before the end of the start-up phase and then escape.

    Now the 1st stage has started, which is the preparation stage.  The endless mana being harnessed right now is flowing to the other world in order to eventually reshape it.  I rushed to the center, where I saw Jupon standing stock still as the miles of magic circle finished compressing onto his skin as a tattoo.  I could see the endless mana being drawn towards Liberator like a conducting rod and then going into the magic circle tattoo.  He now radiated an aura of mana that even a non-wizard could see as he was channeling the environmental mana for the ritual.  Shit, plan B has failed it¡¯s on to plan C.

    I have to kill Jupon before stage 2, which is the remaking phase.  At the start of that stage the other world will be destroyed and my world will slowly be picked apart as they build up a new world from the two.  The third stage is when ascension to godhood occurs.  I didn¡¯t hesitate as I quickly formed several hand seals and chanted ¡°I call upon the endless hunger of the inferno.  Devour everything, consume all, leave nothing but ash behind!¡± A giant maw made of scorching flames and filled with fangs, appeared above Jupon.  It snapped shut and started chewing, enclosing Jupon in the searing blaze.

    Then the inferno suddenly dissipated as a blast of white light snuffed it out like it was a candle.  Jupon stood there unharmed and looked at me with irritation ¡°You¡¯re still alive?  Hmph, I¡¯ll settle that soon enough!¡±  He swung Liberator, which let off a humming noise, and a salvo of light arrows zoomed towards me.  Right when they were about to strike me, I teleported up into the sky above Jupon.  I extended my palm downwards toward him and a magic circle I had drawn on my palm lit up, bombarding Jupon with lightning.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    My assault was interrupted, however, when the light arrows I had dodged earlier came homing in on me.  Damn.  I managed to throw up an opaque golden barrier that mitigated most of the force from the ensuing blast.  The remaining force was enough to send me crashing to the ground, where Jupon was instantly upon me.  He thrust Liberator through my heart.  There was a pause after that supposed deathblow and then my form dissipated like smoke.

    During the moment of impact with the light arrows, I had teleported out of my barrier and left behind a magic simulacrum to distract Jupon.  Simultaneously with my decoy¡¯s disappearance the sands around Jupon lunged at him with a speed and strength that would easily strip flesh from bone.  Jupon guarded against it with his own barrier, but his vision was obscured as the sands roared past.  He was oblivious to my presence behind him.

    During that opening I rapidly spoke an incantation ¡°The void is eternal.  Lives end, legacies fade and reality decays to nothingness.  But the void will remain.  Vanish now into its infinite depths!¡±  With Jupon as the epicenter, everything within a 10-meter radius became nothing.  The sand, the air, the light from the night sky, it was all erased from existence.  A vacuum was created in that space for a moment before it was filled in by the surroundings.  This was one of my strongest attacks, a space-time spell that I had used to insta-kill a wyvern in the past.  So when I saw Jupon still there without so much as a crack in his armor, I was shocked.  I had used an incantation to strengthen the spell and still nothing happened.

    He turned to face me and sprinted towards me to engage in close quarters combat.  It looks like he finds me too shifty for a wizard¡¯s duel.  I flew backwards with magic in an attempt to preserve our distance as I unholstered my pistols and fired away at him.  Jupon responded by chopping my bullets into pieces with Liberator without slowing down.  Uwah, I hate cheats!  How the hell is he doing that?

    Jupon than brought his hand up to Liberator and gently flicked it.  A clear bell like sound rang out.  The resonance of the sword¡¯s vibration caused my pistols to shatter into pieces.  Jupon was then upon me.  He was too close for me to use my rhomphaia, so I frantically drew my ninjato to block his swing.  They were broken into pieces and I was launched deep into a sand dune.

    My left forearm was shattered and my wrists were both broken but other than that I was mostly okay.  I used a tunneling spell to exit out of the back of the sand dune, barely managing to evade a direct hit from a shockwave of power that completely annihilated the sand dune.  I was still within the blast radius and was sent flying once again.  I landed with a crash and my right leg followed shortly after.  I withstood the massive pain and quickly drank an Elixir as I reattached my leg.  A healing spell would have been quicker, but I can¡¯t waste mana at this point.

    Jupon was looking around the enormous crater he created in order to see if I was still alive.  I decided to help him answer that question by teleporting in front of him every grenade, explosive device and attack-oriented magic artifact I still had.  But I underestimated his reaction time.  Jupon leapt backwards with an unmatchable speed while conjuring up a shield of shining white light to protect himself from the earth-shaking explosion of magic and gunpowder.  As he landed he countered with a chanted spell of his own: ¡°O Holy Light I beseech you to cleanse all evil and to smite the wicked!¡± Oh shit.

    A calm soothing light started radiating from Liberator, but as it fell upon me my body burned.  It was like getting hit by a laser beam from all sides.  White smoke started coming from my body as I was being purified.  Jupon didn¡¯t miss this opportunity and charged forward.  I managed to put up a telekinetic barrier as he thrust Liberator forward, moving it to the side slightly and preventing my immediate death.  A huge hole opened up on the right side of my torso which one could see straight through and I was blasted away again.  My right arm and leg were both annihilated and I was so tired as I laid there in the desert sand.

    I managed to drink another Elixir, but my healing was slow.  That spell Jupon used caused massive internal damage and I had to regrow two limbs in addition to that.  It is hard to explain how exhausting it is to constantly heal and regenerate only to be obliterated once more.  My weariness made me want to just keep lying there in the sand.

    I¡¯m too weak.  That realization flashed through my mind.  I have no chance of winning like this.  The only reason why Jupon hasn¡¯t finished me off at this moment is that he ended up neglecting the ritual too much when he was trying to kill me.  This caused some instability in the ritual which he is now completely engrossed in fixing.  Haa, I am so tired.

    Maybe I should just give up now and spare myself from anymore agony and despair.  I can¡¯t handle the cheat known as the Hero Jupon as I am now.  I have tried so very hard; it should be fine for me to stop at last.  I am only 16 and yet I am a veteran of many battles and conflicts.  I shouldn¡¯t have to be the one to futilely struggle.  I deserve a break after all I have been through, right?  Why am I even here in the first place?  In response to my introspection, the faces of the very few people that I care about flashed before my eyes.  Yeah, that¡¯s right.  I am here for the ones I love and care for.  If this was like one of those manga, I would now unlock some hidden potential that would allow me to overcome Jupon.

    But this is real life and so it didn¡¯t happen.  Remembering who I am fighting for did not give me strength, but it did give me the willpower to once again stand back up.  Fuck it all.  I can¡¯t win, but I¡¯ll be damned if I give up.  For those few people I love I will keep going until the end.

 Chapter 70: Cheating against the Cheat

    May 21th, 2089

    ¡°Rin, time for the failsafe.¡± At my words, Rin materialized and immediately turned into an ominous dark cloud that enveloped me and was quickly absorbed.  As far as spirits go, demons are not the strongest subcategory.  But they are among the most intelligent and they have a special ability unique to them:  possession.  With Rin possessing me, our strengths were merging and my body changed.  If this was an anime, I would get a cute pair of fox ears and tail and that would be it.  But this isn¡¯t an anime.

    My hands elongated into talons and black tentacles grew out of my right forearm.  My teeth sharpened into fangs and a large eye with a bloody maw where the pupil should be appeared on my swollen left bicep.  My eyes turned pitch black from iris to sclera and eerie, jarring red tattoos appeared all across my skin.

    Possession by a demon means the demon gives up its form to inhabit the new body.  The excess negative emotions that make up the demon can cause random changes depending on how much control the demon gives up, since the host has no way to suppress the negative emotions.  Rin possessed me yet gave me total control of my body, leading to this abominable form.  If I am careless and lose control of this power, the possession could cause irreparable damage to my mind and body, which is why it is a failsafe.

    Jupon had finished stabilizing the ritual and spoke again ¡°So you allowed a demonic possession to strengthen yourself.  What a desperate maneuver.  You¡¯ve evaded death thus far, but no longer!¡±  He brandished Liberator and charged towards me.  I took advantage of my rhomphaia¡¯s longer reach to strike first with a vertical slash.  Jupon blocked and then sent a horizontal swipe to my side, which I parried.

    We had a furious back and forth with no spells cast.  Jupon couldn¡¯t use magic anymore because the ritual had progressed to a point where he needed all of his mana to control it and I was focusing all my remaining mana onto body reinforcement magic.  Soon however, I lost our exchange and was sent flying again.

    I became a bloody mess, but not as bad as before, with only 2 ruptured organs and a dozen broken bones.  I tossed out faerie dust at Jupon, which bought me a few seconds as I frantically drank another Elixir.  My armor and apparel had by this point turned into tattered scraps, exposing more of my hideously altered body.  *Sigh* Based on appearances alone, anyone would think that I am the monstrous villain trying to destroy the world rather than Jupon.

    I recovered and charged Jupon.  I twirled my rhomphaia around, leaving trails of cutting light in the air that tried to wrap around Jupon.  He dispersed it with Liberator and swung at my knees.  I didn¡¯t jump, choosing to keep my footing instead and evade with quick steps backwards.  I kicked up sand at Jupon¡¯s eyes as I did so.  I then did a vertical chop while he was blinded.  But of course that level of trickery would not phase a Hero.  He sensed my oncoming blow and stopped it with Liberator.  It turned into a contest of strength, which I lost.

    I managed to recover my balance in time to dodge a killing blow from Jupon.  My right arm was sacrificed instead and the rhomphaia it was holding went soaring along with it.  I transformed my left forearm into the front half of a lion to hold Jupon off while a tentacle grew from my back to grab my amputated arm and the rhomphaia.  My hand became the lion¡¯s mouth and it roared as I tried to bite Jupon¡¯s throat with it while the claws struck at his torso.

    Such a strange attack took Jupon completely off-guard and he was forced to block.  While his sword was occupied, I kicked at him from below to separate us.  I augmented the kick with a magic concussive blast.  Distance opened up between us, giving me a brief respite.  My arm was re-attached during that pause and I had my rhomphaia in my grasp again.

    Jupon lunged forward at full strength, giving me little time to react.  Liberator sang as it cut through the air towards me.  I had no time to evade and I wasn¡¯t going to risk destroying my last weapon by trying to block.  I did my best to minimize the damage as my left side was obliterated and my blood sprayed into the air.  Before Jupon could get another strike in I used a blood magic to ignite and detonate my own blood.  The explosion knocked Jupon back and launched me away.  I rolled to a stop and rapidly drained my last Elixir to heal.

    I stood up again after surviving yet another nearly fatal exchange.  I am trembling from the excessive exertion and can barely hold onto my rhomphaia right now.  I am channeling the little mana I have left into body reinforcement magic.  I am also barely maintaining control of my demonic possession.  I looked at Jupon¡¯s condition and it was unchanged from the moment I first saw him.  He was neither breathing heavily nor was there a sign of any injury.  Hell, there wasn¡¯t even a smudge on his armor!  Heroes are too cheat!

    Jupon was staring at my battered figure and spoke ¡°You are annoyingly persistent.  But your heroism is completely misplaced.  I am trying to save these two worlds, but to truly do that requires one to remake them.  Why can¡¯t you understand I am trying to do what¡¯s best?  Your attempts to stop me are not protecting these worlds but dooming them.¡±

    I spat out some clotted blood from my throat as I responded ¡°I am not a hero.  I don¡¯t care that much about this world and I despise the other world.  But the people important to me live in this world, so I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to protect them.  Everyone else can go die for all I care.¡±

    A pulsating noise started emanating from the rent sky above us.  It sounded like a beating heart, and it was the signal that the second stage will start soon.  And that signal, along with our brief exchange, has just given me an insidious idea for victory.  When faced with an impossible final boss, I see no reason not to use a cheat code.  I took a defensive posture instead of charging, causing Jupon to curiously question me ¡°What are you doing?¡±  ¡°Waiting.¡±  ¡°For what?¡±  ¡°For the transition between the 1st and 2nd stage.¡±  At those words Jupon showed an expression of horror as he realized my plan.

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The transition is when the other world will be fully destroyed and when absolute focus is required during the ritual.  Jupon will be crippled during that period and I will be able to kill him.  His only hope to survive would be to kill me before the transition since he would die if he tried to abandon the ritual now.  I had entered into this fight on the mistaken premise that I needed to save both worlds.  I don¡¯t.  Only a hero would have to save everyone.  I am not a hero, so I only need to save my world.

    ¡°You monster, you would willingly sacrifice a world to stop the one hope for the salvation of the two!¡±  Jupon yelled in outrage.  ¡°You¡¯re the one destroying a world.  I am simply not bothering to try and stop you.¡±  I replied as I braced myself.  Jupon roared as he desperately went on the offensive.  I made great use of my rhomphaia¡¯s superior reach, forcing him to frantically dance around as he tried to attack.  His turbulent emotions made his swordplay less focused allowing me to hold out despite my exhaustion.

    I was very calculative during this last exchange.  I accumulated a variety of smaller injuries in order to avoid showing large openings where Jupon could try and finish me.  And when I say smaller, I mean relatively.  Chunks of flesh were missing from my body, showing my pearly white bones, and I had multiple fractures.  But by completely abandoning my offense, I was able to weather Jupon¡¯s onslaught.

    Finally, the rent in the sky burst even wider open, showing a glowing mass similar to a sun.  Jupon froze as the magic circle on his skin started synergizing with the mana sun.  I did not miss this opportunity and my rhomphaia whistled as it barely decapitated Jupon in one strike.  I finally managed to do damage to Jupon, although my rhomphaia shattered at the stress of doing so.  The corpse of the Hero fell and disappeared in a flash of brilliance as the magic circle on its skin dissipated.  Only the sword Liberator remained behind.

    I had no time to rejoice in my underhanded victory, since without the magic circle to control it the ritual would rampage out of control.  I have to use Liberator to cut off the link between the two worlds before too much damage is done to my world.  The streaks of mana shooting out of that dimensional rift looked like lightning and the ground was starting to shake ominously.  The mana sun above me looked like it was soon going to go supernova and I doubt my world would survive if it did that.  Out of curiosity I tried to sense for the other world like I always have before traveling there, but I didn¡¯t feel a thing.  It was gone.  That mana sun must be all that is left of it.  Surprisingly, I felt neither relief nor regret at its disappearance.  I was completely indifferent.

    I walked over to Liberator and picked it up.  And it hurts.  I can feel the sword rejecting me with all its might.  I most certainly do not have a pure and noble heart, and the feedback from the sword is doing major damage to me.  I swung it upwards into the air while resisting the pain.  I forcefully overloaded Liberator with my own mana and stopped it from channeling mana to the other world.

    The rent in the sky started to close, and the mana sun behind it which was all that was left of the other world soon left my vision.  But now the near infinite mana being gathered started to fill the sword instead and even a god artifact like Liberator could not store that much mana.  It exploded, sending one last pillar of white light upwards that enveloped me.  The desert was dark and ordinary once more.

    I was on my back, seeing a clear view of the stars as I was slowly dying.  I am suffering from a mana overdose and my body is shutting down.  It is something way beyond my ability to heal.  Rin has released the possession, thus returning my body to normal.  She was exhausted, but unharmed since it was my body taking all the damage.  *Sigh* My eyes have closed and as the darkness slowly creeped upon my consciousness my thoughts have turned to my girls.

    I hope they can eventually move on, but I fear they will not when they find out I¡¯ve died.  I don¡¯t want to make them sad.  No, I won¡¯t make them sad.  If I die they¡¯ll be sad, so I can¡¯t let myself die.  That line of thought made me maintain a tenuous grasp on life.  The darkness stopped encroaching on my mind, but it wasn¡¯t receding.  So there I laid in the desert, unable to recover but refusing to die, until the first light of dawn started showing on the horizon.

    The warm light fell onto my body and thanks to my augmented cells drinking in the solar energy, I was able to break the stalemate I was in.  Slowly but surely I started to recover to the point where I could stand once more.  Relief, joy, excitement were all emotions I was not feeling right now.  I was simply tired.

    All I want to do right now is to go home and get back into bed with my girls.  I painstakingly drew a teleportation circle and vanished.  I appeared in the apartment living room, where I removed the little ragged clothing that remained and stumbled over to the bed.  There I saw Veronica, Hikari and Kira all sleeping together peacefully.  I inserted myself among them and started to fall asleep.  I can finally become a normal high school kid again.  Well, almost normal.  I¡¯m sure that there will be no major fallout in this world from a botched cataclysmic level magical catastrophe, right?  *Sigh*  Whatever, I¡¯ll deal with it tomorrow.

    END OF ARC 1:  THE REDEMPTION PROJECT

 Authors Note 2

    Hello, hello! It¡¯s writer.101 again! First off, let me thank everyone for your support and opinions! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my story take the number 1 spot for the month of September in 2016! I have completed the second arc of The Bounty Hunter, a title that has become completely inaccurate at this point. If anyone has any good suggestions for a new title, please let me know. This arc is 105,000 words long, so be prepared for a good binge!

    I have taken in all the helpful comments and criticisms of the first arc and did my best to incorporate the advice into my writing. I tried to include character development for all important side characters and antagonists, I removed most of the Weebo terms (I had to google what that meant, it also made the writing much easier without them), I tried to make the story more continuous, and I tried to explain the background of the world better. Key words being <u>tried</u>, please let me know how successful I was.

    Speaking of background, I should clarify something. The Earth that Minato lives on is our world in the future. I had put the setting in the future simply because it gave me more leeway to adjust the ¡°future history¡± between 2017 and 2088 in order to suit my story better. However, I don¡¯t really do sci-fi that well (love the genre though) so I neglected to expand on it properly. I tried to fix it somewhat, but don¡¯t expect miracles.

    And to those who say Minato is a Gary Stu, you are probably right. I have nothing against Gary Stu and Mary Sue, so long as the story is entertaining. Gary Stu also happens to be an easier character type to write, perfect for a novice writer. My apologies to those who can¡¯t stand them. Also, I put in a few mildly graphic ¡°mature¡± scenes between Minato and his harem. My reasons for doing this are threefold. First, I feel like my story hasn¡¯t really earned its mature tag yet. Second, it was a challenge to see if I could write such scenes (Verdict: I can¡¯t, but I left them in anyway). Third, I always found harem stories where the protagonist never had sex with the love interests in their supposed ¡°harem¡± kind of silly.

    Furthermore, while I am open to criticisms and don¡¯t want people to sugar coat their honest thoughts, please remember that I am an amateur writer presenting my work on a fiction-sharing site on the internet. Temper your expectations please, I cannot and do not guarantee a written masterpiece. The only thing I can guarantee is readable grammar. My story is a rough draft and anyone who reads it is my editor, so tell me something specific to improve on rather than just generic dislike. I plan on eventually rewriting the whole story when it¡¯s complete so it becomes one continuous style that¡¯s hopefully some high-quality stuff. Your comments will have a direct impact on that and upcoming arcs.

    I would also greatly appreciate it if any future reviews on the story specify whether they refer to the first or second arc or the story as a whole. Please rate once you have read the story. I look forward to/slightly fear reading your opinions! In addition, nothing in this new arc changes any tags on the story. It is still Fantasy, Gender Bender, Harem, Romance, School Life, Original. I repeat, nothing in this new arc changes the tags on the story. It is still Fantasy, Gender Bender, Harem, Romance, School Life, Original. This may not make sense to you now, but I am proactively addressing the questions that some may have once they start reading.

    Fun fact, this arc was not part of the initial 3 arcs I had planned when I first started writing. However, the positive reception made me decide to add another arc to the story (for a grand total of 4 arcs), resulting in what you will be reading shortly. You will need to remember things from the first arc in order to read the second, so I recommend rereading it if things are a little hazy. I have put a brief refresher below to help if necessary. Now without further ado, LET THE BINGE BEGIN!Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Here is a quick synopsis and character list of people from Arc 1 that you should remember for Arc 2! This is very brief and is only to serve as a refresher for those who have already read Arc 1. If this is not enough of a refresher, it is probably a sign that you should re-read Arc 1.

    Synopsis of Arc 1: The Redemption Project

    Minato is a high school kid in Japan who has had the ability to travel to an ¡°other world¡± of fantasy and magic since he was a child. He is a wizard, a powerful individual who is naturally able to use magic. He has become jaded and cold as a result of his time in the other world, and sincerely wishes to be done with it. This is due to a traumatic event in his childhood where he came across the ruin of Hafor, a village he often visited. He watched the rape and pillage of Hafor through magic in an attempt to hunt down the bandits, resulting in his trauma. His guilt leads him to take responsibility for the only survivor, Kira, a girl his own age who was his friend there. He takes work as a bounty hunter, further exposing him to the horrible nature of the other world. He meets Veronica on a job, who becomes the only person other than Kira who he gives a damn about in the other world. Eventually, he brings Kira and Veronica along with him when he leaves the other world for good.

    On a job, Minato comes across evidence that someone else is aware of the two worlds. His investigation leads to the discovery of a plot to ¡°redeem¡± the horrid other world and Earth by destroying them and creating a new, better world from the ashes. The individuals also wish to ascend to godhood in the process. He hunts down and kills the members of this Redemption Project, culminating in a final showdown with the Hero Jupon when the ritual begins on Earth. Minato barely survives, killing Jupon by sacrificing the other world and halting the ritual. A massive amount of mana was let loose on Earth due to the ritual, the consequences of which are discovered in Arc 2.

    Notable Characters from Arc 1 that are mentioned in Arc 2:

    Minato Cross: The main character of this story, he is a handsome individual who is half American and half Japanese. He has dark brown hair and vivid green eyes. He is a cold-hearted loner who is uncaring and unfriendly towards everyone except his family and the few people he has gotten close to. He is an extremely powerful fighter and wizard, and is the only known magic user on Earth.

    Jupon: A Hero and the head of Project Redemption, he was killed by Minato at the end of Arc 1.

    Kira: One of Minato¡¯s love interests, she is a cat-kin whom he met in Hafor, a village in the other world that was destroyed by bandits. She has golden blond hair and amber eyes, enjoys tinkering as a hobby, and is a cheerful and fun-loving individual.

    Veronica: One of Minato¡¯s love interests, she is a dark elf noblewoman he met on a job in the other world. She has silver hair and violet eyes. She is serious and quiet, a result of a difficult childhood.

    Hikari Fujimoto: One of Minato¡¯s love interests and his childhood friend. She has black hair and eyes, and is a veryenergetic and upbeat person. She is the only person from Earth aware of Minato¡¯s abilities and history.

    Reiji Okamura: Minato¡¯s best friend, he is an intelligent, nerdy otaku who doesn¡¯t know of Minato¡¯s magic and other world travels. He has black hair and eyes, and is extremely androgynous.

    Akemi Tachibana: Reiji¡¯s girlfriend and an acquaintance of Hikari¡¯s from her modeling job.

    Rin Yamamoto: Minato¡¯s alternate identity as a female idol, she has black hair and sky-blue eyes.

    Rin: Minato¡¯s demonic fox familiar, who he named after his alternate persona on a whim. She has black fur with white on the tips of her ears and tails. She also has sky-blue eyes.

    Yuuna Hayashi: Minato¡¯s mother

    Terrance Cross: Minato¡¯s father

    Vivian Pendragon: The Crown Princess of the Kindom of England, she was saved by Minato from a terrorist attack at a royal ball. She doesn¡¯t know his true identity and is currently searching for him. She has platinum blonde hair and dark blue eyes.

 Chapter 71: Inferno of Fun

    May 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It has been two days since Project Redemption and there has been surprisingly minimal fallout. There was only a slew of natural disasters across the globe. Flooding, tornadoes, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. all occurred with a stronger than average ferocity and some of these were out of season. The meteorology departments across the globe were probably having heart attacks since these events were all unexpected. Weather forecasts are 95% accurate so having so many surprises likely made them dumbfounded.

    Early theories are blaming the weather phenomena on a passing comet or some other astral body. There has been major damage done due to the berserk weather and it¡¯s likely to continue for the next couple of days but it can¡¯t be helped. Considering how close to doomsday we all were, I think this is an acceptable result. I could have sworn that more mana had leaked out before I closed the dimensional rift, but I don¡¯t mind being wrong.

    If there was more mana released back into this world it would have manifested itself by now. *Sigh* I¡¯ll just have to wait and see. Magic once existed on Earth, before it was supplanted by technology. Mana is still present, but it lies dormant deep in the Earth and up in the stars. Having such a jolt of active mana from the Redemption Project could maybe awaken old sites of legend or ancient legacies that have nearly faded from existence.

    Hmmm¡­ that could be rather beneficial for me. I haven¡¯t forgotten about my plans to lengthen Hikari¡¯s lifespan and there are legends and relics here that could help with that. That¡¯s assuming of course that there is extra mana that could revitalize them and rouse the inert mana in our environment. *Sigh* How wonderful. I spent so much effort hiding my magic and now there¡¯s a chance of Stonehenge once again miraculously healing the dying. And if magic is confirmed to exist, the next step would be hunting down magic practitioners. There¡¯s only one magic user on Earth: me. I can¡¯t help but panic a bit at the thought.

    Speaking of panic, I apparently caused my girls some concern when I slept like a rock for two straight days before finally waking up. I had to lie about my sleepiness by claiming it was due to a miscast spell. I don¡¯t want to lie to them, but neither do I want to tell them about the fact that I sacrificed millions (maybe billions) of people to save our world. I don¡¯t regret my decision since it was the only option, but I am scared to find out Kira, Hikari and Veronica¡¯s reaction to that. To find out your homeworld was annihilated would be heartbreaking even if you had already abandoned it. And I don¡¯t want to find out what Hikari thinks about my actions. When I first told her about my other world life and job, I knew that she didn¡¯t fully understand.

    The other world was still an abstract concept to her, a place that she only knew of from stories and fiction. Talking of fighting and killing there just doesn¡¯t have the same impact. She assumed that I only killed the monsters, and that all those people I caught for their bounties were the bad guys and that I was the ¡°hero¡±, a misunderstanding that has only been reinforced due to Kira and Veronica¡¯s stories about me. I don¡¯t blame her for this error, in fact I am grateful for it. I too had that same illusion when I first traveled to the other world. But I learned quickly that it wasn¡¯t only the bad guys that had ¡°dead or alive¡± bounties. Money is money and since I will not actively resort to crime to make it I learned not to fuss about the details on legal money-making opportunities.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    I am not a hero, but I am not a villain either. I do my best to get by within the rules and I will only break them if necessary. The other world changed me into a paranoid, cold-hearted bastard, but it is gone now and my world remains. There¡¯s no reason to think that I can¡¯t slowly start changing back into a normal human being now that my days of conflict are behind me and I can finally rest peacefully.

    ???¡¯s POV

    Hello world! My name is¡­ well, I don¡¯t have a name quite yet. I was only born 2 days ago after all. Despite my limited life experience, I can already say that this world is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo boooooooooooooooooring! There¡¯s no rampant destruction or wanton death anywhere! There hasn¡¯t even been a war in this world in the last 5 years. 5 years!

    The only things the world has going for it are the letter o, the massive amount of succulent 2-legged cattle, and the fact that I am now here to make things more lively. The fresh corpse sitting next to me might disagree, but fuck him he¡¯s dead! That librarian deserved it though, the nerve of him asking whether I have a library card! Just remembering it again makes me so agitated!!!!! *Crunch* *Smash* *Tear* Ahhhhh, nothing like mauling a corpse to lift one¡¯s spirits. As one might suspect due to there being a librarian¡¯s corpse nearby, I am currently in a library. Even though I had some instinctive general knowledge imbued to me at my birth, it was woefully inadequate. Thus, I decided to go to a library. The internet it had was very helpful.

    It was thanks to the internet that I realized the plight of this world. By reading the news and learning about the many issues and problems in this world I have discovered my calling. I need to save this world from progressing down the wrong path of ABSOLUTE FUCKING MONOTONY! I will show the world the beauty of blood-stained anything, the awesomeness of excessive explooooosions, the jooooys of the letter o, and how to properly cook a beef tartare.

    I will need minions to accomplish the above goals (because seriously, who doesn¡¯t know that cooking with friends is way more fun than cooking alone). Luckily, I have quite a few younger brothers and sisters. They were born the same day I was, although I was born first and with the biggest ¡°bang¡±. They are currently scattered about but I can sniff them out easily enough. There may be some rebellious ones but nothing a few eviscerations can¡¯t fix.

    My lovely siblings will be excellent minions even if they are not as strong, smart or handsome as myself. A lean 6-foot frame with red hair and red eyes along with a pale, non-descript face make me quite attractive. Okay, I lied. I am rather ordinary looking apart from my coloring. But in comparison to my siblings, I am by far the most attractive. I will make a fine-looking statue after I save the world (or possibly destroy it, but let¡¯s not sweat the small details).

    Before I can start down that path I need to pick a name for myself. I can¡¯t imagine the kind of person who would do something as amazing as saving the world and not even tell anyone about it. I need a name for the unwashed masses to cry out in despair as I ignite the faint embers of dullness in this world into an inferno of fun! Ohh, I rather like the phrase ¡°inferno of fun¡± it¡¯s such a delicious mix of arson, playfulness and the letter o. It¡¯s decided, that will be my life¡¯s motto.

    Anyway, back to figuring out my name. Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Lucifer is an option that appeals to me, but although I truly love his work I want a name that doesn¡¯t have so much history behind it. Same reasoning would also eliminate the name Elmo. Man, this is a tough question to answer¡­ Wait, I have it! As the one who will create an inferno of fun in this world, I need a name that is fitting towards that theme! And I have just the one! Ahem, so let¡¯s try the intro again. Hello world! My name is Dante and I will be leading you into an inferno of fun!

 Chapter 72: The Council of Nine

    May 23<sup>rd</sup>, 2089

    William Pendragon¡¯s POV

    My name is William Pendragon and I am the King of England. Although I am proud to be a king, it is most certainly a trying task to be solely responsible for the prosperity of so many souls. I understand why my eldest daughter was so hesitant about becoming my successor. She finally agreed, although she had a strange condition that she demanded be fulfilled before she would consent to the investiture as crown princess. ¡°I want the authorization and resources to look for the man in the eastern fox mask that attended my birthday masquerade ball. I have no interest in being Queen unless I can get reliable retainers I can trust such as him.¡±

    As a father, I automatically have a dislike towards this man that seemingly captured my daughter¡¯s interest, but as a king I am intrigued at what my daughter told me about him. How could anyone survive two consecutive explosions let alone do so without any notable injuries? My instincts cry out that there is more to this than meets the eye, so I acceded to my daughter¡¯s wishes and even exceeded her initial requested manpower and resources.

    That decision occurred about 4 months ago, and we have yet to even catch a trace of him. Looking into the guest list we got his name but discovered it was fake. All his documentation was also falsified and it was apparent that he was an infiltrator of some sort. We then proceeded to comb through our immigration records to see if we could get any photos of him at the airport or if we had his passport in our records. We have a rough sketch of his face courtesy of my daughter. She is quite talented at drawing, but she apparently only caught a brief glimpse of his face so we only have an approximation to work with.

    We checked all travel records for the two months leading up to the masquerade ball and have found absolutely nothing. We are operating under the assumption that he is either Japanese due to his mask and facial features or that he is American due to his accent when speaking English. We investigated all of the American and Japanese passports that entered and exited our country since November of last year and have found nothing. This fox clearly smuggled himself into and out of the country illegally but we have no idea how. This has moved beyond a simple search to a major national security concern. Who is this man and how did he so easily bypass our security measures? We need to find him and find out.

    ¡°Excuse me your majesty, but we have arrived.¡± My chauffeur¡¯s statement broke me out of my rumination and I exited my limo. Before me stood an ornate palace, built in the Victorian style. It was grand and imposing, although still a far cry from my own home. Currently I am in Brussels for a Council of Nine meeting. We normally use holographic projections, but especially important matters cause us to meet in person. This is never a pleasant experience. I personally think of it as a lunch table at a primary school. The amount of immature squabbling and petty back and forth is enough to make even the most talented statesman throw up his hands in frustration. It is to be expected though. The 3<sup>rd</sup> World War has been over for decades now, but the scars and enmities that remain run very, very deep.

    The Council of Nine is comprised of the nine most powerful countries in the world who set global policy, and it is the spiritual successor to the United Nations. Much like the League of Nations after World War 2, the United Nations was disbanded after the 3<sup>rd</sup> World War and replaced with the Council of Nine. Rather than continuing with pretenses of equality and every country having a say on issues, we acknowledged reality and made the global organization an oligarchy.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The nine strongest countries remaining after the war took up their places on the Council to arbitrate disputes between the lesser nations, promote global cooperation and most importantly maintain peace in the world. These nine countries are: the United States of America, the Neo-Soviet Union, the Empire of Zaire, the People¡¯s Republic of China, the Central African Confederacy, the Republic of India, the Kingdom of England, the Persian Hegemony and the Federal Republic of Germany.

    The weaker countries pay a percentage of their GDP as tribute and can make appeals and requests to the Council, who then decide on a course of action. Much like its predecessor the UN though, not much is accomplished. Each member has its own strategic interests and allies amongst the many smaller countries, leading to gridlock as personal interests undermine most debates. But on the rare occasion that the Council agrees on something, it gets done. Power grants the best authority after all. The Council is also a useful means to mediate grudges as it gives rivals and archenemies a political arena in which to fight in rather than through open war.

    All the benefits still do not make me feel any better about entering the Council chambers, where I can already hear the President of the United States of America and the Premier of the Neo-Soviet Union bellowing at each other. *Sigh* I entered the room to see the large, built-like a bull American President face to face with the Neo-Soviet Premier who could easily be mistaken for a bear from a distance. I have never seen a man with so much hair before. At least there is no need to worry about a new Cold War between these two. Neither man understands the concept of subtlety. To be honest, I question their ability to even spell the word.

    ¡°You frost-bitten, vodka-chugging buffoon! How dare you make such unfounded accusations?!?!¡± President Morris shouted with enough vigor to shake the rafters. ¡°Continue to spew shit from your mouth and I will start wondering whether I am actually talking to your face! I know for a fact that the US has been subverting the International Treaty on Large-Scale Energy Weaponry! Do you still have the balls to claim otherwise after your failed weapons test 2 days ago in the Empty Quarter?!?!¡± Premier Sharapov roared back with equal ferocity.

    I could see the rest of the Council tiredly looking on the exchange. No one was reckless enough to try and interfere. In fact, the posturing between these two is a regular occurrence. Experience has shown that it is far easier to wait until they became too hoarse to shout before continuing with Council business. I, however, decided that today was not the time to be continuing as usual. Especially considering that an unknown event of global proportions occurred two days ago. Whether it was first contact with foreign life forms, an unexpected cosmic phenomenon, or an illegal weapon test we need to investigate with the highest possible urgency.

    ¡°Mr. President, Honorable Premier. Now is not the time for the usual squabbling.¡± My voice was harsh and quite unlike its usual even tone. It succeeded in attracting their attention and I chose to continue speaking while they were still processing. ¡°Two days ago, we had an unknown event occur that suspiciously coincided with the start of a series of unprecedented natural disasters around the globe that are still ongoing. We need to investigate the cause and respond appropriately. And that will not happen if we do not cease our bickering immediately.¡±

    One of the other Council members, Emperor Akintola of Zaire, chose to interject ¡°King William is correct, this matter is one of utmost importance. Empty accusations will lead us nowhere. So, let¡¯s start this meeting.¡± I gave him a subtle nod in appreciation which he returned. As the only two monarchs on the council, we often support each other.

    President Morris and Premier Sharapov gave each other a brief glare before nodding and sitting down for the Council meeting. Finally, we can get started. I will do my utmost to ensure that every single intelligence apparatus available to us is investigating this event. I also want on-site investigators in Saudi Arabia as soon as possible. No secret will be kept from us and that also applies to the fox that has been eluding me so far. The Kingdom of England does not give up so easily. The hounds are coming, Mr. Fox, the hounds are coming.

 Chapter 73: Family Ties

    June 1<sup>st</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I ducked beneath the oncoming fist that was heading towards my face and countered with an uppercut. My muscles bunched and knotted from the exertion, sweat was dripping off every part of my body. My assailant lightly sidestepped my attack and then lunged forward. He used his superior size to perform a marvelous takedown, slamming me into the mat. Shit, there¡¯s no way I can win a grappling match against this guy. I quickly tried to extricate myself but it was too late. I was swiftly pinned and chose to forfeit the match.

    ¡°Nice try son, but it¡¯ll still be a couple years before you can go toe to toe with your old man!¡± My father, Terrance Cross, laughed heartily as he stood up from the ring. He is a very tall man with a large build and a jovial personality. His light brown hair was cropped short and his green eyes that were the same as mine had an amused glint in them as he spoke. ¡°Enjoy it while it lasts dad, I¡¯ll catch up with you eventually.¡± I responded. My dad loves boxing and wrestling, and recently he started taking me out to a local gym for some sparring. In his words ¡°That karate or some such stuff you¡¯ve been learning over the years is alright, but there is no substitute for a good hard strike to the jaw.¡±

    I don¡¯t mind spending more time with my father, but at first it was kind of tricky holding back. I have grown tremendously over this past year and with my self-augmentation I have become nearly inhuman. I am fine controlling my strength in everyday life, but when I fight the chances of me using too much power increase more than I am comfortable with. I managed to solve that problem with a combination of restraint seals, debilitating curses and gravity enchantments. My power is restrained and it serves as a form of intense training at the same time. Physically I am now equivalent to a high school star athlete. These spells can be shed in an instant so I am still amply able to respond to any potential danger in time.

    But Dad seems to be anxious about something. I can hear his heart beating at a slightly higher pace, there is the faintest scent of perspiration lingering around him even after the shower, and I can see the slight occasional tensing of his muscles. Having extraordinary senses is quite helpful for reading people, but I wish he¡¯d hurry up and say whatever it is he¡¯s going to say.

    ¡°Son, there¡¯s something I need to talk to you about.¡± My father had an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face as we left the gym. ¡°What is it, Dad?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, uh, your mother¡¯s family contacted her a couple days back and they seem to want to reconcile.¡± I stopped walking as this was news I suspected but hoped against hope wouldn¡¯t be true. My mom does not talk about her family. Ever. I also doubt that her family is doing this out of the goodness of their heart. This doubt stems from my intuition and the fact that I got around to interrogating that PI who was following me during the school festival a couple of weeks ago.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    My grandfather hired the PI, for reasons unknown at the moment, to observe me. He apparently had already located my mother previously, but the PI was after me this time around. I also discovered that my mother comes from a rather prestigious family that runs a prominent business here in Japan. The parallels between them and some scheming noble families from the other world are too many. I don¡¯t like it. This feels like when I would observe a bounty before engaging. Whatever my grandfather wants, it is not to just have my mother back in the family again.

    ¡°Son, are you okay?¡± My dad asked after he noticed I stopped. I gave a small smile and replied ¡°Yeah, I guess it¡¯s simply not what I was expecting.¡± ¡°I know, but the most important thing right now is that we support your mother no matter what she decides to do.¡± I nodded in agreement and we proceeded back home. I¡¯ll let this play out while I decide what I should do. Worst case scenario I will resort to magic to kick them back out of our lives.

    Daiki Hayashi¡¯s POV

    I looked upon this sniveling idiot quaking in his tasteless suit in front of me as he kept babbling and resisted the urge to sigh. I had to listen to this waste of oxygen grovel and try to excuse his failures for the last 20 minutes. I¡¯ve had enough. When I told my executives that I wanted the profit margin for this quarter to increase by 10%, did they think I was joking? ¡°Get out, you imbecile. I don¡¯t want to risk your incompetence being contagious.¡± The pathetic looking man squeaked and scurried out of my office. I stood up, turning to look out of my window to see the entirety of downtown. Usually the sight of standing high above the rest of the city would soothe me, but not today.

    9% increase. Only a 9% increase in profit margins and my son thought he could walk in here and I¡¯d be impressed. If he weren¡¯t my eldest child I would have fired him. Getting close to success is not success it is failure. The Hayashi Group did not rise to be the #1 corporation in all of Japan based on failure. It pains me to think that eventually I will have to leave the running of this company to one of my children. The only one with any promise had been my youngest daughter, but she turned out to be defective.

    That¡¯s what I thought until recently, when I discovered that my daughter Yuuna had miraculously managed to have a child with some cowboy gutter trash from the USA. It had been simple coincidence that I noticed her work on a rather high-profile corporate case in the news one day. That piqued my interest enough to follow-up. And then I discovered to my delight that I had a grandson. A mutt with tainted blood, but still my grandson none the less. My private investigators reported that he was handsome, intelligent and by all accounts filial. The timing couldn¡¯t have been better.

    I have been in negotiations with the Global Trading Company, the largest corporation in the world, for a merger. The Hayashi Group would take over and become their East Asia branch, and I was planning to then slowly usurp control and replace the current Chairman. But knowing I have a grandson changes things. The head of the GTC has no family other than a single daughter of about 16 years of age and by all accounts she is intolerable and he has been desperate trying to get her a suitable match. My other 2 grandsons are too pitiful (and too old) and would have no chance of catching the child¡¯s eye, but with Minato I can accelerate my plans.

    An arranged marriage between Minato and that she-devil would be the perfect way to solidify the merger between our two companies while also placing the Hayashi family in line to succeed the chairmanship. It would be simple enough to arrange for an ¡°accident¡± to befall the GTC chairman and I would be in control of the largest company in the world 10 years earlier than originally planned. It¡¯s absolutely perfect. I just need to bring my wayward daughter to heel and get rid of this fianc¨¦ that my grandson has entangled himself with.

 Chapter 74: A Cat and A Rat

    June 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2089

    Kira¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s nighttime and I have been taking my usual stroll around the streets of Tokyo. It has already been 5 months since Terra brought Veronica and me to his world and yet I still find this place so amazing. Instead of using magic to subvert the laws of reality, the humans have chosen to learn the laws with such fluency that they can apply them in miraculous ways. Horseless carriages that are powered by lightning, mechanical familiars that provide knowledge, and massive buildings that can touch the sky. Such incredible things like cars, computers and skyscrapers fill this world and it is only a small portion of the wonders that inhabit it. It is so inspiring that I have taken to sauntering the streets in the hope of glimpsing more.

    I have always loved learning how things work and now I am in a world which embodies that ideal. I can¡¯t wait to finally attend this place of learning that Terra calls ¡°school¡±. Only 3 months to go until I too can start to unravel the mysteries of the universe. *Flash* ¡°NYA!¡± *Smash* *Shatter* ¡­Well, this is awkward. I was walking by one of those gambling dens they call ¡°casinos¡± when one of the machines they had out front as a promotional event starting flashing.

    A sudden flash of light back home would more often than not mean someone just ambushed you with a magic attack, so I couldn¡¯t help but reflexively strike out at the source. Which is why I am now standing in front of a sparking mess of what once was¡­ I¡¯m not sure what it was actually. Ehehehe, this is kind of awkward. Everyone around me is staring at me and my handiwork. Do I run for it? I know that the police here are not like the guards back home, but I still don¡¯t know if I should risk it.

    Oh, well I guess I don¡¯t have to worry. The owner has just come out¡­ by Adligo¡¯s chains it¡¯s a rat-kin! Wait, false alarm, it¡¯s just a human that looks like a rat. He¡¯s scrawny, has a pinched face and a long nose though so it was an honest mistake! His dull black eyes widened at the sight of the broken machine and he turned to me and spoke ¡°How the hell did you manage to break my newest slot machine model?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help but scratch the back of my head in embarrassment as I responded ¡°It startled me and I struck out by accident, sorry about that.¡± ¡°This model was a prototype not even in production yet. It cost me a damn fortune to get. It¡¯s supposed to be built to withstand even the angriest of gambling losers, and yet you¡¯re telling me you broke it with a single punch?¡± the owner asked me incredulously. ¡°Um, yes?¡± I responded tentatively, leading to a silence that was only punctuated by the sparking of the broken machine.

    The rat-faced man¡¯s expression was unreadable, but then he turned to me and said ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this in my office.¡± He then turned to the crowd and screeched in an irritating voice ¡°Move along, there¡¯s nothing to see here!¡± The crowd dispersed and I quietly followed him into a somewhat dingy office in the back of the casino. He shut the door behind me and then after we settled in he spoke. ¡°The slot machine you broke is something that no high schooler would have the money to pay for and I doubt your parents would like to be stuck with the bill. So, I have a proposition for you that I¡¯d like you to hear out. Should you accept I¡¯ll forget about the broken machine and we¡¯ll both have an opportunity to make a very large amount of money. Are you interested?¡±

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    There was a pause for a moment as I thought about it. I know that Terra could pay for the machine (or do something scarier if necessary), but I don¡¯t want to burden him with my silly mistake. He¡¯s been looking after me for so long already and even more so now that I¡¯m in his world. Back at Granny¡¯s shop I at least worked and earned money on a daily basis, but for the past few months I have been lounging around way too much. I guess that makes my decision obvious. ¡°Yes. What are you proposing?¡±

    The man broke out into a sly smile as he spoke ¡°Excellent! Although I mainly work as the manager of this fine casino, I also dabble in some other forms of gambling. The most popular are the Pits and they are the ones where we can make the most money.¡± ¡°What are these Pits?¡± I interjected. When Terra was teaching us about his world he only covered the most general knowledge and common sense. ¡°The Pits are the fighting arena of course! With your strength and appearance, you¡¯ll always be underestimated. The odds makers will never know what hit them when we clean them out!¡± The man cackled in glee at the thought.

    I frowned at the mention of the fighting arena ¡°I am not interested in killing anyone though.¡± ¡°Who said anything about killing? You just need to beat them until they are unconscious or they give up.¡± Wow, that¡¯s pretty wimpy. The Bloodmoon arena matches were nearly always to the death, although on occasion losers were enslaved instead. It¡¯s just further proof that this world is far more peaceful than my previous home.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do it. But I want 70% of the profits.¡± ¡°Are you crazy?!? I am the one organizing everything and it¡¯ll be my money on the line! You can have 40%.¡± ¡°I am the one who¡¯ll risk getting my face bashed in every fight. 60%¡± ¡°50% and not a penny more!¡± I smiled menacingly as I let loose some killing intent. It¡¯s nowhere near as impressive as Terra¡¯s, but I fought and killed plenty enough in my life to be intimidating. The man paled as he relented ¡°Fine, 60%. It¡¯ll take me about a month or so to get you entered, come back here on the 15<sup>th</sup> at midnight and we can start making a lot of money.¡± I nodded in understanding as I stood to leave ¡°Pleasure doing business with you, Mr¡­¡± ¡°Souji Chino.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kira. See you later Mr. Chino.¡±

    And so, I left, trying my best to hide my delight. Maintaining a calm demeanor is vital for good business. I can jump around in joy later when I get to the apartment. After making some money from this arrangement I might start up a business once more. A new 9 Lives Trading Outpost sounds rather good to me. Fufufu, it¡¯s going to be rather fun to surprise Terra about my new job. He always makes the most adorable faces when he¡¯s taken off guard after all.

    Ratface¡¯s POV

    I watched as the psychotic girl left and couldn¡¯t help but already start calculating the money we were going to make. Who¡¯d of thought that I would run into a moneymaking opportunity so easily. She even called me Mr. Chino, which is a refreshing change of pace from my other asshole associates who know me as Ratface. It¡¯s a useful moniker in the underworld, but I ain¡¯t fuckin¡¯ blind. I know very well that I look like a rat and don¡¯t need a constant fuckin¡¯ reminder every time someone opens their mouth.

    When I first saw that girl and my ruined slot machine, I was pissed. Then I realized that it was a teenage girl who broke my supposedly unbreakable slot machine. In one hit. Fortunately, I realized this in time to stop myself from swearing nonsensically at her. I¡¯ve only dipped my toes into the cesspool known as the Tokyo underworld, but I¡¯ve been around long enough to know freaks hide in plain sight.

    No normal person could do that much damage in a single strike. I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s an illegal genetic splicing experiment or sporting malfunctioning cybernetic enhancements, but I know she¡¯s not a simple little girl. There are all sorts of weird and crazy shit that the government and big corporations get involved in and the best way to keep that quiet is to outsource it to criminal enterprises. I¡¯m betting this Kira is a failed product.

    I reviewed the security footage and saw how she overreacted to a simple flash of light. She clearly has issues, which were only confirmed when she assumed that she needed to kill her opponents and when she emanated that creepy chill during our negotiations. That¡¯s the main reason why human enhancement, whether through genes or cybernetics, is still in development. People tend to go crazy.

    Thankfully, she hasn¡¯t seemed to have completely lost her marbles yet. It¡¯s a risk doing business with her, but I currently owe a lot of money to some very bad people and need to make some dough fast. I don¡¯t want to end up like the Blood Dragons who were wiped out without a trace in a single night.

 Chapter 75: 666 is My Favorite Number

    June 10<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Dante¡¯s POV

    ¡°Bad dog! Really bad dog!¡± I shouted as I sprinted through the burning ruins of what once was a cheerful little town in Macedonia that had been in the midst of a summer festival. I¡¯m sure it was once a charming place, based on the scenic mountainside it was located on and the quaint homes. Unfortunately for them, one of my siblings decided to visit with his minions and ravage everything. The 4-story 3 headed dog with a mane of dead snakes and a chain like tail of bone and muscle barked out in frustration as he continued to try and devour me. Or char me to a crisp. Or melt me into a fleshy puddle. It¡¯s hard to tell which one exactly as he kept alternating from breathing fire, spewing acid and simply biting at me.

    This is the last of my siblings that I need to convince (pummel), thankfully. My kin are naturally drawn to making and respecting hierarchies of power, so it was rather easy so far to bring them into line. I just needed to beat down the leader, grant them a name and the rest followed obediently. 572 of my 666 siblings have submitted, all that is remaining is bad doggie and his friends. ¡°WOOF!¡± ¡°DON¡¯T WOOF AT ME YOU DAMN MUTT! I KNOW YOU CAN TALK DAMNIT!¡± Cue the frantic pirouetting as the bad doggie started spitting boatloads (literally) of acid.

    Pssh!!! My rhythmic evasive maneuvers were effective and quite stylish as well. I should consider a career in dance. It¡¯s all in the hips. Cha cha cha! Avoid dog bites with a double backflip. Cha cha cha! Oh, here comes the fire breath again. Go low like in limbo to slide beneath it. Cha cha cha! And then Cerberus uses Tail Whip, a gaming classic! Hop over it like I did in that pick-up game of double dutch yesterday. Cha cha cha! And now¡­ RUN!!!

    I quickly scampered from the path of the frustrated dog that has resorted to trying to crush me by rolling over the ground where I just was. Ha, a dog rolling over, it¡¯s like I am training him! ¡°What are you going to do next, big guy? Sit on me?¡± I heard a loud growling and finally my assailant spoke ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me.¡± And damn it, apparently, I am a sultry temptress because I saw a big, furry canine butt descending upon me like the wrath of the heavens. As funny as death by dog butt would be to have on my epitaph, I¡¯ll have to decline. One frantic emergency barrel roll later, I was back to running as the three-headed dog chased me.

    *Sigh* I was having fun pretending to be weak, but it¡¯s getting repetitive now that we¡¯re back to the chasing. I guess I should wrap things up. I suddenly stopped and turned with my fist cocked back as tens of thousands of kilograms of smelly dog came upon me. ¡°SUPER AWESOME INSTANT COUNTER!!!!¡± I roared as I activated my magic for an epic punch. My shoes became so heavy that a large crater formed around me. My pants grew like roots to pierce the ground and anchor me in place. Lastly, my sleeve and glove bulked up as if there were suddenly the massive muscles of a giant beneath them instead of my lean frame. The lunging doggie face full of teeth met my oncoming fist and shattered. A high-pitched yelp was emitted as the now two headed dog was flung backwards and the shockwave decimated the few remaining houses standing in the town square.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    The bad doggie groggily tried to get up from my blow, but he then fell back down as he didn¡¯t have the strength to stand. It was like watching a cute puppy trying to take its first steps. Aww, it¡¯s too damn cute! I am now going to proceed to viciously beat this cute little puppy until he acknowledges me as his new boss. *Smash* *Break* *Crack* *Squeals of Pain* *Repeat for the next 2 hours* ¡°So, who is the new lord of you and your former subordinates?¡± I asked as I wiped off the blood that I was drenched in. ¡°You are.¡± ¡°And my orders are?¡± ¡°Absolute.¡±

    I smiled cheerful at my new groveling subordinate. ¡°Okay, as your new lord and master I shall grant you your name. Rise as my vassal, Cerberus.¡± Granting and accepting a name among our kind is the equivalent of acknowledging a contract of servitude. As treacherous a breed as we are, we never violate a contract. As Cerberus rose, I couldn¡¯t help but get a warm, bubbly feeling inside. Then the indigestion faded and I started thinking about my situation.

    I now have all 666 of my lesser kin under my control. It is time to call everyone together and for me to explain my vision. These poor misguided fools were just gleefully slaughtering wherever they went up until now. Luckily, I caught up with them rather quickly and they at least had enough sense to keep to the shadows. This world may have left magic behind centuries ago, but if they knew the truth behind our existence that could change. There are still artifacts of yore that hold power here, but they are currently collecting dust in ruins and museums. I want to keep it that way. Or better yet, claim those items for myself.

    Furthermore, only a fool would underestimate this world simply because they don¡¯t use magic anymore. The power of technology and industry is matchless in open warfare. Had Cerberus, for example, continued his rampaging without being discreet in the Balkan peninsula he would have been brought to heel. A well-organized army, coordinating with their artillery and air force, could bring him down (not without casualties however).

    Teamwork, the strength of numbers, and the relentlessness of machines can bring down all but the most powerful beings and users of magic if one is willing to pay the price. Sadly, many of my newfound subordinates are weak. They barely have any magical capability or intelligence and a few trained soldiers with guns could handle them in a fair fight. An open battlefield would eradicate the majority of them. I would be fine in open war, but what kind of lord would have no subordinates?

    Magic may not necessarily be supreme on the open battlefield, but when it comes to smaller-scale engagements and subterfuge there is nothing better. It is simply a matter of quality over quantity. Especially when this world has no defense against it, no way to detect it or even a general awareness of its existence. But skulking in secrecy the entire time would be tooo booooring. Going for a one-hit kill by launching all of the world powers¡¯ nuclear arsenal while disabling their missile defense systems would be just as dull since I wouldn¡¯t even be able to savor slowly corrupting this world. And who wants to rule over a pile of radioactive rubble? So, I simply need to obscure our true nature as we spread terror and destruction in my quest to create an inferno of fun.

    I already have a plan for that. There are these wonderful enterprising groups all over the world who are known as ¡°terrorists¡±. They actively seek to spread terror and do so in all the most inventive ways. It¡¯s disappointing that they all try to use that terror for a political or social purpose rather than simply seeking to spread it for fun, but no one is perfect.

    Ah, but if I want to start a terrorist organization I need a cool name! That¡¯s an absolute must when running any organization. Even more so when we will eventually become the most notorious group on the planet! Although we¡¯ll be hiding our true forms, I kind of like the idea of secretly rubbing it in everyone¡¯s face. And then when it is far too late to stop us, we¡¯ll let them realize the truth. Anarchy, despair, violence and depravity, we¡¯ll spread it all. It¡¯ll be bedlam. It¡¯ll be chaos. It¡¯ll be mayhem. It¡¯ll be pure¡­ Pandemonium.

 Chapter 76: Sparring with Friends

    June 17<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    I stood in the center of the dojo, enjoying the feeling of the cool hardwood floor beneath my bare feet. Out of the many new things I have seen and experienced in this new world, I find that training in the peace and quiet of the dojo is one of my favorites. It¡¯s even better when I am accompanied by Terra or one of my few precious friends.

    ¡°Vera, I *wheeze* can¡¯t *wheeze* go *wheeze* *wheeze* on¡­¡± Hikari, one of those few precious friends, was lying in front of me in a puddle of sweat. ¡°I don¡¯t care for excuses, get up.¡± I stabbed my blunted rapier at the prone Hikari, who frantically rolled away while grabbing her weighted shinai. She quickly got up and readied herself for another exchange of blows despite her many bruises and exhaustion.

    I¡¯ve taken it upon myself to train Hikari these past few months in combat. This world may be far more peaceful than my home, but that doesn¡¯t mean it is perfect. She needs to be able to defend herself just in case. This is something Kira, Terra and I are in agreement upon, but it was decided I was the most suitable instructor. Both Kira and Terra use a 2-sword fighting style, which is not compatible with Hikari. She has practiced a one-sword style of kendo since she was a child, which is a blessing since she already has a strong understanding of the basics. Hikari is quite talented with the sword, but she lacks experience. Thus, our training has been me beating her senseless in an attempt to instill some fighting prowess and grit.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Hikari didn¡¯t have the breath to respond, simply nodding her head instead. I slowly took a single step forward, but as my foot touched the floor I rocketed forward while emanating some minor killing intent. Hikari desperately attempted to parry, but she was too slow. However, this was not due to a delayed reaction or her being scared by my bloodlust. Even her form while parrying was respectable. I was simply too fast and she was too tired. The result was me knocking the wind from her as she collapsed once more into a heap. I didn¡¯t stop and promptly went to kick her.

    To my pleasant surprise, Hikari managed to scramble out of the way while lashing out with her shinai. I easily avoided her strike, but the fact is that not only did she hold on to her sword after being struck, she also managed to put up resistance even when she was injured and completely spent. ¡°We¡¯ll stop here for today.¡± I said as Hikari sprawled out on the dojo floor. I heard the faintest ¡°¡­ok¡± from her as I brought some water over.

    A shadow of a smile appeared on my face as I looked at her disheveled appearance. It reminds me of when my mother first started training me. She was even more brutal, breaking several of my bones during my first few months of training. In her words ¡°My love makes it hard for me to hold back. I want to make sure you are able to protect yourself. Bones can be healed with magic, but life cannot be regained once lost.¡± It was touching, but it didn¡¯t make the injuries feel any better afterwards.

    ¡°Vera, how did I do?¡± Hikari asked me after finally catching her breath and rehydrating. ¡°Well, I think. You have finally started showing some fighting sense, so I think it is time to change things up. We can get Kira and Terra to spar with you, it¡¯s important to have various kinds of opponents.¡±

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Yay! You better watch out Vera, soon I won¡¯t be the only getting bruises from our spars!¡± Hikari cheered as she slightly bounced up and down in happiness. No one would think that only five minutes ago she was too exhausted to even stand. Her energy is truly extraordinary. Normally I would find that sort of person extremely irritating, but somehow Hikari makes it rather endearing. I can¡¯t help but get a little pumped up too whenever I am around her.

    ¡°Woof!¡± My musings were interrupted by a short bark, causing me to instinctively jump backwards and ready my sword. I looked up to see that Hikari¡¯s dog Snoozer had woken up from his nap. ¡°Vera, I don¡¯t understand why you dislike dogs so much. It¡¯d make sense if it was Kira, but with you it¡¯s baffling.¡± Hikari sighed while picking up Snoozer and petting him. ¡°Why in the world would Kira have a problem with dogs?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but tilt my head in confusion. As far as I know, Kira was never hunted by dog-kin for an entire day and night like I was. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. It was just a wrong assumption on my part.¡± Hikari responded after thinking for a moment. I could hear her mutter faintly something about cats and dogs not getting along.

    ¡°Anyways, I think you¡¯ll be ready soon to go on a hunt for your first kill.¡± Hikari nearly dropped Snoozer after hearing me. ¡°¡­What?¡± she asked me in a quiet voice. ¡°Hesitation is the most common reason why newbies lose a fight. And dealing the final blow is the most common reason why newbies hesitate.¡± I explained as Hikari turned pale. I ignored this and continued on ¡°Back home there were plenty of monsters and bandits that one could fight, but that¡¯s not an option here. So, I think a simple hunt will be the best we can do.¡±

    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to kill at all¡­¡± *Sigh* It truly is wonderful to be able to grow up to her age and still be so innocent. I can¡¯t help but wonder how I would have turned out if I had been born in this world instead. ¡°Mercy, honor, and kindness are wonderful things but they are luxuries reserved for the <u>strong</u>.¡± To illustrate my point, I picked up her weighted wooden shinai and exerted some strength into my grip, crushing the solid wood into splinters. I ignored the blood now leaking from my splintered hand as I kept my eyes locked onto Hikari. ¡°You are not strong, so you must be ruthless, underhanded and desperate instead.¡±

    Hikari avoided my gaze, instead looking at her now broken shinai. ¡°You broke it¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Terra can fix it easily, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°And you hurt your hand¡­¡± ¡°A minor injury like this isn¡¯t even worth bothering Terra for.¡± I calmly wrapped some gauze around my injury. There was a pregnant pause as I waited for her to finally react to my statement. I waited patiently as the seconds turned into minutes.

    Finally, Hikari spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to do it, but since you think it¡¯s for the best I¡¯ll at least try.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair enough. I know it¡¯s hard, but remember that this is for an important reason.¡± I patted her on the back as I continued ¡°I just want to make sure if you ever get into a situation where it¡¯s either you or them you are able to choose yourself. Kira, Terra and I have all lost people close to us and I don¡¯t want it to ever happen again.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but turn a little red as I finished. It¡¯s kind of embarrassing speaking at length about my feelings like this.

    ¡°Who did you lose?¡± Hikari¡¯s question snapped me out of my thoughts. I guess I haven¡¯t ever told her about it. Apart from general details about home and my relationship with Terra, I never talked with Hikari about my personal life from before. It was easier to let Kira chatter away instead. I don¡¯t care to reminisce much about it after all. ¡°My mother.¡± I replied. ¡°I see¡­¡± Hikari said as she fell into thought briefly before asking ¡°Did it change you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it did. It¡¯s impossible not to change when someone precious to you passes away. Life was very hard for a time.¡± I became quiet for a moment as I thought back to all those lonely years before meeting Terra. ¡°But, I¡¯ve discovered since then that finding new precious people can change things in a good way. Like meeting Terra, Kira and you.¡± A small smile graced my face as I finished. Smiling used to be so hard for me, but now it¡¯s getting easier and easier. I only have a small circle of precious people right now, but I daresay that it¡¯ll grow. School should be a good opportunity for that to happen.

    ¡°Vera!!!¡± Hikari tackle-hugged me at a speed I couldn¡¯t dodge, causing us to fall to the floor in a tangle of limbs. I immediately regret sharing my emotions openly. ¡°Kari, get off! You¡¯re sticky and gross!!¡± ¡°Ha! It¡¯s too late! You¡¯ve already gone ¡®dere¡¯, you can¡¯t switch back to ¡®tsun¡¯ anymore!¡± Hikari laughed as she proceeded to snuggle up to me shamelessly. Her cheerfulness must be infectious, because I couldn¡¯t help but smile once again at her antics. The thought that the rest of my life is likely to be as carefree as this is truly wonderful.

 Chapter 77: The Boredom of My New Life

    June 28<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Ever since the reveal about my mother¡¯s family trying to mend fences with her, I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surprisingly though, nothing has happened yet. They have been taking things slowly, simply talking with my mother from time to time over the phone. There have been no gifts to try and bribe her nor have there been any demands. I guess nearly 2 decades apart might have changed things between them.

    Anyways, I am currently alone in Kira and Veronica¡¯s apartment, the unused 2<sup>nd</sup> bedroom to be specific. It has become my personal workshop, where I have spent a very large amount of my newfound free time tinkering with the automaton. I have been making significant progress on that front. The skeleton and exterior have been assembled as written in Artificer Steale¡¯s journal. The automaton was a finished product, but unfortunately Steale died before he completed the final assembly and activated it. The next steps are to install the magic circuitry, clockwork gear musculature, and the steamwork viscera. The robotics elective I took back in middle school is being put to good use now. Although Artificer Steale¡¯s work is far ahead of where my world is at.

    While the field of robotics has advanced, it is nowhere near where it could have been. This is true for many technological fields. Estimates say that we would have been at least 90 years ahead as a civilization had it not been for the aftermath of the 3<sup>rd</sup> World War. Some historians are even arguing that the end date of 2043 for WW3 should be changed to 2046 due to the vicious cyber-war that lasted for 3 years after the final ceasefire. The power of computerized weaponry, with processing powers encroaching onto the levels of virtual intelligence, was shown to be incredible. Energy weapons like laser cannons and plasma guns, automated hive-mind drones, and power suits all relied on miniaturized supercomputers, which were created from a revolutionary discovery in computing.

    But this technology had a glaring weakness: vulnerability to computer malware. So, hostile countries tried to sabotage each other¡¯s war potentials in anticipation for an eventual resumption of conflict. The last ceasefire at the time hadn¡¯t been expected to last, but then a global calamity occurred. The cyber warfare division in China managed to create a computer virus targeting the very basis of supercomputer technology that proved to be unstoppable. They managed this by drawing inspiration from biological viruses, and coding into it the ability to mutate. They underestimated its dangerousness, so when they ran it on a supposedly isolated computer for a test run, they didn¡¯t expect it to mutate spontaneously mid test and break through their firewall and get onto the internet.

    The result was the technological equivalent of the Black Plague back in the Middle Ages, resulting in it being now known as the Cyber-Plague. All the supercomputerized equipment in both the military and the civilian worlds were decimated. Fortunately, supercomputers in civilian life were not too widespread as they had only relatively recently been introduced to the public. Militaries all over the globe though were crippled as much of their capabilities vanished. Had the Chinese been able to protect themselves from the virus, they could have conquered the world easily at that point. However, everyone was equally devastated. Combine that with the enormous losses of human life that had already occurred during the war and the world was simply incapable of continuing the conflict.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Attempts to counteract the virus failed and technology development as a whole was forced back as scientists had to develop a new style of computing that wouldn¡¯t be vulnerable to the virus. Older tech was reintroduced as a stop-gap measure and eventually a new supercomputer was developed. However, it was far inferior to its predecessor in almost every way, causing the military capabilities to be far lower than they were before. Some technologies like power suits and mechanized combat platforms are still unable to be fully utilized, although there are rumors that several countries on the Council of Nine have regained that capability.

    Furthermore, attempts to reintroduce the supercomputer in daily life met large public backlash. Mistrust of advanced technology has persisted amongst the population, causing daily life to still be rather similar to how it was shortly after the turn of the millennia. Not to mention that the entire world still has a major grudge against the Chinese. Being ostracized on a global level has forced China to ally itself with the most unstable regimes that are enemies with everyone. With China¡¯s protection as a Council of Nine member, these smaller autocracies have persistently feuded with and antagonized their neighbors. The only reason they haven¡¯t initiated any wars is because China is managing to restrain them from going too far.

    *Bzzt* ¡°Shit! That stings!¡± My first attempt at installing a magic circuit failed as I got some painful feedback through my soldering laser. Rin, who was napping nearby, gave a small yip in amusement. She¡¯s gotten rather cheeky since the ritual, indicating that her personality is starting to fully form. She¡¯ll probably be growing her third tail soon.

    As I nursed my injury, a far more severe pain suddenly occurred in my head. ¡°AH!¡± This splitting migraine managed to elicit a groan of pain from me before I gritted my teeth and controlled myself. My senses of sight, hearing and smell were all assaulted by various unknown stimuli. And then it disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving me with a broken soldering laser from my tight grip and a concerned Rin nuzzling me as she checked for potential injuries.

    Where are these migraines coming from? I stared at the non-descript ceiling as I asked myself that question. I started getting some minor headaches recently and thought nothing of it, but they have been progressively getting worse and worse. This last migraine even had minor hallucinations accompanying it. Maybe I should consider getting a prescription or something.

    I sighed as I used a simple spell to fix my broken soldering laser. Damn this migraine, I¡¯ve lost the initiative to continue working. Now I don¡¯t know what to do with myself. My parents are both gone on business trips and the girls are out. *Sigh* Normally, this would be when I¡¯d leave for the other world to hunt down a bounty. This transition is tougher than I thought it would be. I think I might be missing the excitement of being in the other world despite all the fighting I did. Damn¡­ am I really that messed up?

    I guess I could move up my plans to investigate the Earth¡¯s past magical history. I promised myself that I¡¯d find a way to extend Hikari¡¯s lifespan, and the first legend that comes to mind is the Fountain of Youth. It should be exciting enough searching for lost ruins that I won¡¯t catch myself missing the damn other world. Everything always looks better in hindsight. But all this introspection still hasn¡¯t answered what I should do for now.

    With nothing else to do, my only remaining option is to meet up with Reiji. He invited me to join him and his friends today, so I guess I can go. I then have to do some work as Rin later this week. I just hope against hope that the ¡°friends¡± he mentioned aren¡¯t those three super weirdos.

 Chapter 78: Fan Club

    June 28<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    I just got a call from Minato accepting my invitation to join me, Aito, Kiyoshi and Koji today. This has honestly never happened before. Minato avoids socializing to an extreme and he¡¯s incredibly awkward when it comes to social scenarios. I have no idea what miracle happened to change his mind, but I¡¯ll take it! Now we¡¯ll have 5 members of the Rin Yamamoto Fan Club!

    I turned to my fellow founders and happily told them the news. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to recruit a new member! He¡¯s on his way right now!¡± The reactions I received were mixed. ¡°Tch, why couldn¡¯t it have been a girl? Damnit Reiji, we need girls! Preferably cute ones, but right now I¡¯m not gonna be particularly picky!¡± Aito exclaimed as he finished combing over his shaggy hair. He has the standard Japanese black hair and black eyes, with a pudgy build overall. He has pockmarked skin and a smile that looks like a perverted leer. He¡¯s a very nice person, but he is terrible with women due to his somewhat lecherous nature. He is an elf-otaku and someone I always argue with over whether cat-girls are better than elves.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Kiyoshi was silent as expected, he simply gave me a thumbs-up to show that he approved. Kiyoshi does not talk. He¡¯s not mute, he just chooses not to speak. We don¡¯t know why. He even has a voice projector he can type in to speak with instead of using his own voice. He had shoulder-length brown hair with a beak nose and black eyes. He is both tall and thin and towers over the rest of us. He is a worshipper at the altar of everything mecha and is an avid model maker.

    ¡°Mwahahaha! Another soul has chosen to succumb to the temptation. Excellent, our secret organization shall grow to dominate the world!!!¡± Koji excitedly spoke as he started going off on a tangent. His fine shoulder-length hair fell like silk on his shoulders as he moved. His dyed hair is a platinum blond color and his eyes are a deep brown. He is of average height with a statuesque figure and facial features. He looks like he could be any girl¡¯s fantasy bad boy, but unfortunately for women everywhere he is a massive chuunibyou with all kinds of strange delusions.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the new member?¡± Aito asked. I was about to answer when the doorbell rang. Aito went down to answer it since we were at his house and shortly afterwards I heard him bellow ¡°REIJI!!! GET DOWN HERE AND EXPLAIN!!!!¡± I sighed as I trotted downstairs with Kiyoshi and Koji.

    Minato was standing in the doorway with his usual impassive demeanor while Aito was glaring intensely at him. ¡°Reiji, why did you invite my arch-nemesis?!?!¡± Aito demanded as he dramatically pointed at Minato, who remained unperturbed. ¡°Well, you said you wanted as many members as possible, right?¡± I responded. ¡°Yes, but not him!! I can¡¯t stand people like him!!¡± At this point, Minato chose to interject ¡°You mean people with girlfriends?¡±

    A blood vessel started throbbing on Aito¡¯s temple and I quickly inserted myself between the two to defuse the situation. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it Minato. He knows I have a girlfriend and he has no problem with it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of your girlish looks. I¡¯m sure this pervert is willing to overlook anything about you since you¡¯re the closest he¡¯ll ever get to a pretty girl.¡± Shit. Aito has just developed a nosebleed, likely from a blood vessel bursting in his head due to rage. Huh, I have never seen that happen before in real life. Should he get that checked out?Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Right before things went completely south, Koji swooped in to save the day. ¡°I shall assist you Aito in repelling this foul being!!! Take this!!! SEAL OF THE ENLIGHTENED SHADOW EMPEROR!!!!¡± He then tossed a black talisman (which he probably got from the Shinto shrine his family manages) at Minato, completely breaking the confrontational mood. Minato just gave a very long sigh as Aito wordlessly allowed him inside.

    ¡°So¡ª¡± Minato started speaking as if Koji hadn¡¯t just done anything. ¡°¡ªwhat are we doing?¡± Aito, who also seemed to be focusing on ignoring Koji, replied ¡°We¡¯re starting up the Rin Yamamoto Fan Club.¡± At those words, Minato made an expression that I had never seen before. The corner of his mouth twitched while his eyebrows furrowed momentarily. Even I, the master of reading Minato¡¯s expressions to see his true feelings, didn¡¯t know what to make of it. Could it be¡­ he¡¯s afraid? Fear is the only emotion I have never matched an expression to.

    My suspicion was only confirmed as Minato immediately turned around and attempted to walk out the door. ¡°Good luck with that.¡± He said tersely as he tried to escape. ¡°Quick! Stop him!¡± I yelled as I grabbed onto Minato¡¯s arm. Aito blocked the door as Kiyoshi followed my lead and grabbed onto Minato¡¯s other arm while Koji leaped forward to grab onto his ankles. ¡°It¡¯s too late to run! So, accept your fate as our fifth member!¡± I declared happily as Minato shoulders slumped over as if everything good in the world had vanished.

    After Minato¡¯s failed escape attempt, we were back in Aito¡¯s room and discussing the charter of the fan club and why we love Rin Yamamoto. By ¡°we¡± I mean Aito, myself and Koji. Kiyoshi participated with his usual gestures and silent body language, while Minato was quiet even for him with a dead-eyed look that would not look out of place on a survivor of a traumatic experience. After a lengthy debate over what type of t-shirts we should make, our talks turned to other less important topics. ¡°Fufu, guess what I managed to sneak my hands-on Reiji?¡± Aito started triumphantly gloating as I immediately understood what he was talking about ¡°No way, is that even possible?¡± I asked in shock.

    ¡°Yep, I have managed to acquire a limited First Edition of the amazing ¡®Naughty Fantasy Girls¡¯, created by the legendary author ¡°#1-Otaku¡± and filled with his iconic ultra-realistic drawings comparable to photography!¡± Aito removed a thick book with an old-fashioned leather binding while Koji, Kiyoshi and I all applauded appreciatively. Aito started flipping through pages, showing us some of the best renditions of cat-girls, elves, succubi and other fantasy race girls in sexy poses. I looked over at Minato to see that instead of a dead eye look his shoulders were shaking instead. Uh oh, he must be mad that we¡¯re making him look at ecchi stuff.

    My misunderstanding was quickly resolved when Minato couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore after Aito starting talking about how awesome it would be to feel an elf¡¯s ears. ¡°BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!¡± A full-throated laughter rang out into the room, interrupting Aito¡¯s soliloquy. Aito glared at Minato ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± he demanded. Minato just shook his head ¡°If I told you, you¡¯d probably try to kill me.¡± He continued chuckling, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time for me to head out. Later.¡± And with that he casually strode out the room and left, leaving the four of us behind. *Sigh* Minato is just as bad with social situations as ever huh. You don¡¯t just laugh at someone and then leave so rudely.

    Kiyoshi¡¯s voice projector rang out as it spoke ¡°Reiji, your friend is an ass.¡± Both Aito and Koji nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, he kind of has trust issues, I think, but he¡¯s actually a really good guy once you get to know him.¡± Aito simply shook his head at my rebuttal ¡°Whatever. Now, before we disperse we should go over the main mission of the Fan Club. Koji, you have the floor, try to keep your delusions to a minimum.¡± ¡°Of course, Aito. Rin Yamamoto is an enigma. She never shared any personal information during her time on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol nor did reporters ever have any success in finding out about her past. Her mysteriousness is part of her allure, but as her devoted fans we must pierce that veil of mystery. So, our mission is to learn more about the person herself. Is she a fallen angel? A kitsune stealing the souls of men? Or is she a yuki-onna desiring the warmth of the crowd? Or¡ª¡° *Thwack* ¡°OW! Kiyoshi, how dare you strike this king!¡± *Sounds of typing* ¡°Shut up moron.¡±

    Aito cut in at this point ¡°Gentlemen please! Let¡¯s not get off topic here! The goal of this club is to show our support for Rin¡¯s debut as an idol as well as to learn more about her. Are there any objections?¡± There was silence for a brief moment before Aito continued ¡°Excellent! With this the meeting is adjourned!¡±

 Chapter 79: No Survivors

    July 1<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Colonel Oliveira¡¯s POV

    Paperwork. The bane of any military¡¯s man existence is currently making me its latest victim. I can only take a moment to longingly look out my window at the simply perfect evening weather we¡¯re experiencing here in Sao Paulo before I turn back to my work. Supply requisition forms, personnel evaluations, and status reports all need to be completed before I can leave. My unit is currently outside laughing as they smoke and play cards. Those bastards placed themselves nearby so they could rub their freedom in my face!

    The last light of the setting sun faded by the time I finished all my work. I stretched as I stood up and walked out into the now dark military base. The overcast clouds hinted at an upcoming storm. I greeted the patrolling MPs as I headed towards my private room next to the barracks. A light rain started falling, warm and refreshing after the stuffy office. I noted a strange smell accompanying it, but I attributed it to the pollution. I entered my room with a weary sigh, thankful that higher-ranking officers had their own quarters. I flicked on the lights and then froze as I saw myself in front of the mirror.

    Red. A very bloody red. It was all over me, staining my face and uniform crimson. ¡°Where the hell did all this blood come from?!?!?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but scream in shock before suddenly falling quiet as the realization hit me. It was the strange smelling rain. It was raining blood. Why?

    The earth started shaking and I heard loud booming noises that could only come from explosions, followed shortly after by the screaming of men. We¡¯re under attack! I tried using the short-range communicator but there was not even static. Damn it, the assailants must be using a high-grade electromagnetic jammer! I grabbed my standard issue sidearm and ran over to the barracks next door where my 10-man unit was.

    I burst in to the sight of 10 rifles pointing at me. ¡°Captain! Are you okay?¡± Sergeant Silva asked in shock at my bloody appearance. I completely ignored his question. ¡°We are under attack by an unknown enemy with state-of-the art equipment! Communications are down, so we¡¯ll go to the rally point at HQ and engage the enemy if encountered along the way!¡± I shouted over the noise of battle outside. ¡°Yes sir!¡± My loyal squad assented and then followed me out into the completely dark base.

    ¡°The enemy seems to have completely cut-off our power supply. Everyone switch to light equalizer vision.¡± My men assented and with our newfound sight in the darkness we quickly made our way to the rally point. And at that place we saw Hell. Body parts were flying everywhere and, in the distance, I saw a massive three-headed dog spewing fire like it was a fucking dragon. The storm also was in full swing, with lightning strikes appearing everywhere and thunder booming. There were these grotesque creatures of cloven hoof and horn rampaging all over and mauling the unprepared soldiers. ¡°AHHH!¡± ¡°HELP ME!!¡± ¡°GOD SAVE US ALL!!¡±

    I was just as terrified as the other men in my unit at the sight and roared ¡°ENEMY CONTACT!!! ENGAGE!!!¡±. We desperately fired at the creatures, but we barely got any shots off before lightning struck right in the middle of our formation. We were blown aside and most my guys were electrocuted. I was flung into a light pole and suffered a major hit to my head. I was barely hanging on to my consciousness, but through my blurry vision I could see strands of lightning that looked like hands start reaching down and picking up my fallen unit. And as they disappeared into the clouds, blood started to rain.

    ¡°The storm is a monster too and its eating my comrades¡­¡± that thought crossed my mind as I helplessly watched the monsters capture and restrain the few soldiers of my unit who were still in fighting condition. Several of the monsters walked up to them and seemed to get sucked into my men. My men were released, yet they were no longer fighting the monsters nor were the monsters attacking. They were possessed¡­ what in the world are those things???The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The monsters seemed to have mistakenly thought I was dead. Maybe it would be better if I were dead, then I wouldn¡¯t have to helplessly watch the horrors going on. My light equalizer goggles were still working, and so I saw the rest of the attack play out. My possessed unit integrated itself with other unsuspecting soldiers rushing to the rally point and then slaughtered them easily by tearing them to shreds and ripping out their throats. Several more minutes passed and I saw more monsters gather.

    They were conjuring fire in their hands and incinerating troops left and right. A woman as white as a corpse and with long silvery light blue hair blew out a freezing breath that turned soldiers to ice. A one-armed giant eagerly snatched up men and swallowed them whole, completely oblivious to the rifle fire that couldn¡¯t leave a mark on his body. A fat imp casually waved its hand and a series of explosions decimated the soldiers in entrenched positions.

    After what seemed like an eternity, but had only been 12 minutes according to the virtual display on my goggles, everything turned quiet. A few hundred monsters had managed to massacre a base of nearly 6,000 soldiers in a little over a quarter of an hour. All those monsters started to gather here at headquarters, and they stood there as if they were waiting. Suddenly they kneeled as a lone figure walked through the crowd. Out of everyone there, he looked the most ordinary and human. He had unremarkable features and wore a black leather jacket with blue jeans. He looked to be of college-age and only his blood-red hair and eyes hinted at him being something more.

    While my gaze was transfixed on the one who seemed to be the leader of these monsters, one of the monsters near me grumbled to his neighbor, ¡°Why did half of us bother attacking this place? The humans here were just as weak as the humans in the nearby city, we could have killed far more people if we had just focused on the city.¡± ¡°You idiot! We attacked this place so the others in the city could slaughter without having to worry about human reinforcements coming! Now shut up before our lord hears you!¡± His neighbor frantically scolded him as he simultaneously tried to shush him. Unfortunately, the ¡°lord¡± overheard them. Faster than the eye could see, he appeared in front of them, and I was treated to the odd sight of a pair of nightmarish monsters quaking in fear at what appeared to be a human.

    ¡°You¡¯re both wrong, you know.¡± The lord spoke casually towards the two monsters that were moments away from pissing themselves from fear. Both monsters suddenly started choking themselves as the lord continued speaking. They struggled futilely, but it was as if their claws were no longer listening to their brains. ¡°The reason I decided to have you attack this place is to prevent reinforcements from ruining things for our lesser brethren at Sao Paulo. This place is also a great place to get some footage for our promotional video. However, those are my reasons. The reason you two attacked this place was because I commanded you to. Make no mistake about your place as minions. My orders are the only reason for your existence.¡± Right before the monsters passed out they were released from whatever control they had been under, only to be knocked over as an absolutely vicious aura of malice emanated from the lord. ¡°Do I make myself clear?¡±

    Even in the half-conscious state I was in, I couldn¡¯t help but shriek out in terror. The vileness of that aura was beyond belief. That shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. God shouldn¡¯t allow something that evil to exist in this world. Yet that evil monster looks and acts like a human most of the time. I started to hyperventilate as I came to a horrible realization. ¡°Oh, look at what we have here, it¡¯s a survivor.¡± He casually walked over to me before crouching down and removing my goggles to get a closer look at my panicking face. He conjured a light and lightly commented on my appearance ¡°You look like shit.¡± The menacing aura was gone and he once again appeared to be just an average person. But I wasn¡¯t fooled. ¡°Get away from me¡­ demon.¡±

    The demon gave a friendly smile at my comment as he laughed lightly ¡°Mostly correct. These fellows here-¡± He waved around us to indicate all the other demons. ¡°-are demons. I-¡± He pointed to himself ¡°-am a demon lord, which is WAY COOOLER.¡± He brushed himself off as he stood up ¡°As fun as it would be to continue chatting, I have things to do. It¡¯s nothing personal, but I need you to die now. This attack on Sao Paulo and its military base is Pandemonium¡¯s big entrance onto the global stage. And ¡®no survivors of the military base attack¡¯ sounds way better than ¡®one survivor of the military base attack¡¯. So, it¡¯s time to honor that age-old tradition amongst soldiers: pointlessly dying.¡±

    My hand started to creep towards my neck, despite the fact I was not trying to move it. I started getting throttled by my own appendage as the demon lord watched. ¡°Remote possession. It¡¯s awesome, huh? I can take control of others without even having to give up my corporeal form and I can take over several at a time. All the usual perks of possession apply. As far as I know, it¡¯s an ability unique to me.¡± Power surged into my possessed arm and as my neck snapped as darkness took me.

 Chapter 80: A Late Night

    July 10<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Well, that covers everything I wanted to discuss. Thank you for coming, Rin.¡± ¡°Of course, Ms. Miyagi.¡± I bowed to the president of Top Talent as she left after our meeting involving my future. The plan is to build-up my hype over this month by releasing a few songs as teasers and by going on a few shows before having my first concert sometime in August. I started heading towards the music studios on the 3<sup>rd</sup> floor, only stopping briefly at a memorial plaque that caught my eye. ¡°To our beloved founder and colleague, Fujioka Shichiro. Many pursue their dreams, but only a few make the dreams of others possible. Your inspiring presence will be missed and our memories of you shall always be cherished. Rest in peace.¡±

    The sudden and unexplainable disappearance of Shichiro had thrown Top Talent into disarray and had cast a gloom on what otherwise should have been a celebration of the best season in Japan¡¯s Rising Idol¡¯s history. Police never found a body and he was declared dead after several months and the case went cold. And yet his killer is here casually walking by his memorial plaque. Magic truly trumps all. The only part in the investigation I had was a brief interview as a potential witness. A couple of outright lies later and that was the end of it.

    Anyways, after a mind-numbing recording session that lasted well into the night where the producer was yelling that he wanted to create ¡°music of the gods¡± throughout, I left the studios a complete mess. Whilst dealing with that crazy producer, I also had to spend my break time absolutely refusing to wear anything other than jeans and a t-shirt during my performances/public appearances. I may have accepted this strange occupation of pretending to be a female idol, but I won¡¯t willingly submit to all the requirements. Luckily, I made sure to include the final say on all wardrobe decisions in my contract.

    Other helpful clauses include no mandatory publicity events, the right to refuse interviews, and only having a manager when needed. Top Talent tried to tempt me into getting rid of some of these rights by increasing the money, but I stood firm. I need money, but not that badly that I¡¯ll sell my remaining shreds of dignity. *Sigh* Who am I kidding? I have no dignity left. My best friend started a freaking fan club in my name with three super otakus. Just the thought of that causes me to have a headache. *Sigh* Whatever, let¡¯s just get back home and sleep.

    Giichi the Gruesome¡¯s POV

    My name is Giichi and I am pleased to say that it¡¯s another lovely summer night! The city lights of Tokyo are shining bright and there is a cool summer breeze blowing through the warm night air. I smiled as I looked at the perfect weather and decided it was time for another one of my ¡°excursions¡±.

    My humdrum office job forces me to be indoors most of the day so I had to start taking ¡°excursions¡± in order to spend quality time outside. I only started recently, but I have quickly fallen in love with my new hobby. I hummed to myself happily as I walked along the darker streets of the city. The minutes passed into hours and the night grew darker. I paid it no mind as I continued to search for my companion for tonight¡¯s ¡°excursion¡±.

    I lovingly patted one of the pockets of my trench coat where my gutting knife was located. It was a rusty red due to its frequent use and my refusal to clean it. I rather liked the color after all. Soon, precious, soon I will get to hear you sing again as you tear through the flesh of a vibrant young girl. It is always a lovely song to hear with the girl¡¯s screams as the chorus. I don¡¯t know why the media insists on calling me ¡°gruesome¡±. I¡¯d much prefer being called a composer. But enough of that, for I have found tonight¡¯s lucky winner! I observed as a girl exited out of a building I knew to be a recording studio. Ohh, what great luck I have! This girl must be an idol-in-training. I bet she has a lovely voice.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I stealthily followed this girl as she started walking down a deserted alley next to a construction zone. My luck really is amazing, this girl has even so kindly chosen the perfect spot for us to create our song! I prepared to strike the girl from behind. It is simpler to incapacitate them first and then prep the stage before starting the music. I creeped behind the girl, as I had done several times before, and raised a meat mallet with which to strike. It¡¯ll be a shame to besmirch that lovely raven black hair with blood, but it is necessary.

    I swung down with all my strength, having no doubt of my success, when suddenly I lost my balance as my meat mallet hit nothing but air. I barely managed to avoid falling over due to the unexpected miss. What just happened? How did the girl avoid my attack? I looked towards the girl who was now facing me. She was a beauty, with an exquisite face and figure. I can¡¯t wait to see if her insides are just as pretty.

    I felt her sky-blue eyes gaze upon me. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± she asked with an angelic voice that I just cannot wait to hear screaming. I shivered uncontrollably in anticipation. ¡°Why, I¡¯m simply trying to get you to help me make the most wonderful music!¡± I responded with a grin as I drew out my darling gutting knife. I¡¯d have preferred to have tied her up first before starting, but I¡¯ll make do.

    The girl was surprisingly unperturbed at my actions, or is it simply that she has gone into shock from realizing who I am? My notoriety has become rather high these past few weeks, but nevertheless I should introduce myself. ¡°I am Giichi the Composer, although the tasteless news has taken to calling me the Gruesome Killer. I simply can¡¯t wait to hear your lovely voice in song.¡± I waited expectantly for the usual terror and despair to appear on her face, but she remained unmoved.

    I don¡¯t like it. I hate being ignored by women. They have been doing it to me my whole life. Does she think she¡¯s too good to even talk to me? Grrr¡­ ¡°SaY SOmeTHinG BITcH!!!¡± At my violent scream the girl finally seemed to focus on me again. ¡°Sorry about that. I was just trying to decide on whether to kill you or to cripple you and leave you for the police.¡± ¡­What did she just say?

    Before I could respond, I suddenly was paralyzed by a primal fear. A palpable bloodlust started emanating from that beautiful girl that shook me down to my very soul. I couldn¡¯t even breathe due to the pressure and I was helpless as she walked over and place a slender, delicate hand on my shoulder and squeezed. *CRUNCH* My shoulder completely shattered and the pain was excruciating. But I still couldn¡¯t move. The monster disguised as a girl then placed her hand on my other shoulder and shattered it as well. Then my knees were next. The agony I was in should have knocked me unconscious but I wasn¡¯t even able to do that under that fearsome bloodlust.

    ¡°Be grateful. I have decided to let you live. The families of the victims deserve closure after all.¡± The monster spoke to me calmly as if she hadn¡¯t just permanently and gruesomely crippled me in a way that will torture me for the rest of my life. Damn it, had I managed to kill just one more person I could have joined Pandemonium. The bloodlust was retracted and I gratefully embraced the darkness as my consciousness slipped from me.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It was 4¡¯o clock in the morning when I finally managed to get back to the apartment. After crippling the serial killer, I had called the cops. I then had to arrange the scene to make it look like some misplaced cinderblocks had fallen on the killer when he tried to attack me while also wiping his memory of our little ¡°chat¡±. I was then interviewed by the police repeatedly. The entire process took FOREVER!

    Apparently, there have been concerns about a rise in serial killings after the terrorist group called ¡°Pandemonium¡± put out a statement saying that it is looking for people willing to ¡°let loose their inner demons¡± and one needs to kill at least 5 people before trying to join them. Considering the splash they made with their debut in Sao Paulo, police are rightly paranoid that murders will start increasing.

    The one positive was that I didn¡¯t have to worry about going to court. A simple compulsion curse and the moron was professing his guilt before the police even managed to take him away. I can already see the news going crazy over the fact that an idol caught a serial killer. Hurray¡­ more publicity. I¡¯ve already realized at this point that I could have simply laid the compulsion curse on him and called the police anonymously, but the long-term shapeshifting today was distracting me. And so the legend of Yamamoto Rin continues to grow. *Sigh* I think I¡¯m going to stop and buy some ice cream to eat before I head home.

 Chapter 81: Fight Night

    July 15<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Kira¡¯s POV

    Tonight was the first night of my money-making opportunity. ¡°So you came, good. Ready to make some money?¡± Mr. Chino greeted me cheerfully as I entered his casino as previously arranged. ¡°I sure am!¡± I replied excitedly. Then Mr. Chino¡¯s smile faltered as he noticed that I wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Hey, hey who¡¯s the friend and why is she here? I never said anything about a plus one.¡± Vera, my ¡°plus one¡±, didn¡¯t bother acknowledging him, leaving it to me to explain.

    ¡°Well, I thought it would be wise to bring someone along before going with a stranger to who knows where. And I also thought it wise to leave behind some information pointing to you in case I don¡¯t return.¡± I smiled sweetly, expecting Mr. Chino to get offended, but to my surprise he gave a hoarse squeaking laugh. ¡°It¡¯s reassuring that you¡¯re not a complete fucking idiot.¡± He then motioned for the two of us to follow him, which we did, and after getting into his car and driving for around a half hour we arrived at what appeared to be a derelict warehouse. Mr. Chino walked up to a barred door and loudly banged on it with his foot.

    A small peephole was opened and a surly voice sounded out ¡°What the fuck do you want, Ratface?¡± I nearly snorted in amusement while Vera muttered to me ¡°What an accurate nickname.¡± Mr. Chino, or Ratface, was unfazed by the rudeness of the gatekeeper. ¡°Open up the fucking door, I got a fighter here for the Pits.¡± There was a brief pause, but then the peephole was shut and the sounds of at least 6 different locks being unlocked echoed from behind the door before it finally opened.

    A very large Japanese man stood behind said door, being at least 400 pounds of fat and muscle on a 6 foot 4 frame. I think he is one of those Japanese warriors known as ¡°sumo wrestlers¡±. He showed no surprise at seeing two high school Japanese girls standing next to Mr. Chino as his supposed ¡°fighters¡±. ¡°Head down the corridor and go to the left, you¡¯ll arrive at the fighter¡¯s locker room.¡± The sumo man spoke gruffly to us. We walked by him and started walking down the long, empty corridor as he returned to guard duty. It was dark and dusty, and I had to resist the urge to sneeze as we proceeded down the hallway.

    Once we were out of earshot, I couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Hey Ra-, Mr. Chino, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Kid, around this group of bottom-feeders just call me Ratface. It¡¯s what I go by. What do you want to know?¡± Ratface responded in a somewhat grumpy tone. ¡°Why did the guard not act surprised when he saw two teenage girls as ¡®fighters¡¯?¡± Ratface gave an evil smile at the question ¡°Teenagers fight all the time at the Pits. They come here and then get the living shit beaten out of them for the amusement of the crowd. The spectators especially love it when it¡¯s a pretty young thing such as yourself, those sick, sadistic bastards.¡±

    He waited for a moment, as if expecting either Vera or me to interrupt in horror or outrage, but continued when we didn¡¯t (back home you could find establishments where you could personally torture child slaves to death for the right price). ¡°The crowds love betting on how long those desperate brats can last, no one ever expects them to win, which is how we are going to clean them out.¡± Vera interjected at this point ¡°How do you get them to sign on for such a beat-down?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather easy actually. Their parents owe the wrong people money or they¡¯re out on the streets and would rather sell their bodies for violence than for sex. I estimate we can get two or three fights with outrageous odds before they wizen up and realize you¡¯re the real fuckin¡¯ deal.¡± Ratface started rubbing his hands together eagerly in anticipation ¡°And that¡¯s all we need to make a shit-ton of money.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    We arrived at the fighter¡¯s locker room, where an elderly woman with graying hair and a lot of wrinkles was manning a desk. She looked up at us, and spoke ¡°So Ratface, which one is the fighter?¡± Ratface pointed at me as he replied ¡°She¡¯s the one, the other is just a friend.¡± The elderly lady nodded before turning her attention towards me. ¡°Ok, your fight is up next. All you have to do is last 10 minutes in the ring with your opponent and that¡¯s it. You can run, hide, cry or whatever. The audience will eat it all up regardless of what you do. Just stay in the ring, no matter how much it hurts, because I can guarantee my associates and I can do far worse if you mess things up for us.¡± She then let loose the faintest, most pathetic sliver of killing intent I had ever felt.

    Vera stiffened slightly next to me, a clear sign that she¡¯s trying to restrain from snickering at that pathetic attempt at intimidation. Terra wasn¡¯t lying when he said most people in this world are wusses. The old hag mistook our held-in laughter for fear and assumed her message was sent across. She turned back to Ratface ¡°You and the other girl can go over to the manager¡¯s box to watch the match.¡± Vera gave me a light pat on the shoulder while whispering ¡°Be sure to fight in moderation, we do not need too much attention.¡± before she left with Ratface and I entered the holding box waiting for my fight to begin.

    Shockingly enough there was no loud-mouthed announcer drumming up hype like at the Bloodmoon Arena. Instead, there was a simple call of ¡°Kira versus Bonecrusher will commence now. No more bets will be accepted.¡± I jumped up onto the large circular ring set in the center of the empty warehouse. The rusted iron and rotted wood added to the decrepit feel of the place. The audience was hidden in shadows around the arena, although as a cat-kin my night vision still allowed me to see them clearly.

    I could see Ratface rubbing his palms together with a creepy grin on his face while Vera was just watching with a bored expression. I owe her one for coming along tonight. My attention focused back onto my opponent, a bulky man of nearly 7 feet composed of scars and muscle who had a feral grin that only widened as he saw me. My response to the scare tactic was ¡®meh. Asurans are way scarier as a species, this ¡°Bonecrusher¡± can come back and try again after he gets 4 more arms and another 200 pounds of muscle.

    A bell rang out and Bonecrusher slowly walked over to me as he taunted ¡°So they got a pretty one this time, that¡¯s good. The last girl was some fatty whose daddy got in deep with the sharks. She didn¡¯t even last one minute, how long will you last I wonder?¡± I tried to restrain myself, but nope. I had to do a facepalm at this guy. Which I did, while simultaneously sighing.

    The scariest people are the ones who don¡¯t need to say a single word in order for you to get the picture of how badly they are going to fuck you up. This wimp doesn¡¯t even have any blood lust! The audience started murmuring at my actions, I noticed that Vera had copied my facepalm. Goodness me, I don¡¯t even want to be near this guy for any longer. I can feel myself becoming more of a weakling just from the proximity.

    I waited as the loser came over and then went with a move that Terra always advises to use against male opponents. The cracking sound of Bonecrusher¡¯s pelvis blended with his high-pitched squeal from suddenly being halfway to becoming a girl, causing everyone in the audience to jump. I withdrew my foot and watched as Bonecrusher fell over, his collision with the floor being the only sound in the arena as the audience was completely gob-smacked. A brief pause later and the announcer¡¯s voice rang out ¡°Winner: Kira.¡±

    The audience continued to be quiet, until there was a loud yell of excitement ¡°SHOW ME THE MONNEEEYY!!!!¡± I turned and saw Ratface dancing around happily as Vera conducted another facepalm. I couldn¡¯t help but give a grin that Hikari once told me was like the Cheshire Cat. I have no idea who that person is. I had fun tonight despite the unsatisfying fight. I think I might keep at it and make some more money while I do. With that thought in my mind I ran over to Vera and immediately told her ¡°Let¡¯s spar when we get back, I¡¯m still all fired up!¡±

 Chapter 82: The Next Step in the Plan

    July 20<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Dante¡¯s POV

    In a lovely castle in Denmark situated on the coast of the North Sea, I was casually sitting upon a throne of bones. These bones were generously donated by the previous owners of this castle and drastically helped improve the feng shui. All 666 demons of Pandemonium were kneeled before me, a delightful smorgasbord of horns, tentacles, talons and other ghastly appendages. My eyes, however, were focused on my 6 chosen lieutenants. These 6 were the ones I had to beat down early on to bring the gang together and they were naturally the strongest after me.

    Cerberus, the three-headed dog, was currently possessing the body of a human since he would be way too large to fit in here otherwise. Standing at 4-stories tall, he is the largest demon in Pandemonium. He looks like a gigantic pure black Rottweiler, if you ignore the fact he has 3 heads and a creepy tail. He¡¯s a dumb dog, but he is obedient. Sparky, a storm demon, was a humanoid being of crackling lightning wearing dark grey clouds like a trench coat. He stands at about 7 feet tall with 3 long, slender fingers per hand. He is the definition of hyperactive.

    Susan, a classic yuki-onna, was looking smoking hot in her rather revealing pseudo-kimono. Her skin was as white as snow and her silvery-blue hair that nearly touches the floor reminds one of ice. Her eyes matched her hair and even her voice was cold and monotonous. Unlike what one would expect, she has an extremely volatile and fiery personality. Although she can only talk in a monotone voice, making it kind of hard to take notice when she¡¯s getting angry. Which then results in severe frostbite as she is forced to resort to violence to communicate her wrath.

    Ibaraki-doji, the one-armed oni, looked imposing as he towered over the others. Standing at a good 2-stories, if he were any larger he too would have to possess a human to fit in here. Fortunately, this property has high-vaulted ceilings. Then there¡¯s Jumbo, a fat little imp that looks like a cross between a bat and an obese goblin. His skin is an off-putting shade of mauve and his slanted gray eyes reveal creepy square-shaped pupils. He¡¯s the weakest of the group but by far the most conniving. And lastly there was Mannequin, a faceless doll that looks exactly like her namesake. She was a dream demoness that had been particularly defiant, forcing me to nearly eradicate her before she submitted. The damage was so great she had to possess a nearby mannequin to survive. She¡¯ll recover enough to take her corporeal form again eventually. And it is one hell of a corporeal form, I¡¯m getting a hard-on just thinking about it.

    Anyways, we had a grand entrance and made quite the splash on the global stage, but it¡¯s nowhere near close enough to what I want. While I and my strongest demons were occupying the nearby military base, I had sent the low-level demons to possess random members of the Sao Paulo populace. They took guns, knives and other assorted weaponry and proceeded to kill as many people as they could before help from a different military base arrived. I sent Mannequin along with them to target and exterminate the various firefighting stations in the city. Then, right before we all pulled out, I had my minions set fires throughout the city.

    It took ages for the off-duty firefighters to organize and by the time they did and military help arrived, there was a massive amount of damage done. There were also quite a few additional deaths due to the fire. Most importantly was the fact that Pandemonium suffered no casualties. This is of paramount importance since there aren¡¯t any additional demons with which we can replenish our ranks. That mana calamity and the enormous negative emotions that gave birth to all of us was a one-off deal. There isn¡¯t enough free mana for a natural occurring birth of a demon to occur in the world. I have to be careful not to be wasteful with even the weakest of my minions for now at least.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Eventually we will be able to control enough human pawns to make my lesser kin who can barely even possess someone unnecessary. I¡¯ve already sent out some recruiting promotions to try and attract all the sociopaths, psychos and other degenerates of society. I have no qualms about busting some promising recruits out of prison if they are willing to join. I also plan on making friends in low places and leveraging their own influence and lackeys to my advantage. A well-placed possession by a minion can result in me taking over an entire criminal enterprise without much effort. I could also use remote possession to acquire additional volunteers, but the more possessions I have ongoing the less magic I can access at the same time. I¡¯ll save that for only when it¡¯s necessary.

    To better improve our burgeoning infamy, select minions were filming the whole city assault and I personally edited the footage for the greatest impact (and to make sure no hints of the supernatural were there) before posting online. And to my great surprise, ¡°Pandemonium visits San Pauolo¡± fucking got only the second most views this month. We were like 2 million views behind ¡°Mr. Tinkles takes a Nap¡±. A damn fucking cat ruined my efforts to gain notoriety!!! I had to fucking track down and force a hacker to set up our site and to post our video without it being removed and that effort was for fucking second place?!?! FUCK!!!!! Thankfully, our most recently posted video named ¡°Mr. Tinkles, his Owner and their Family take a Dirt Nap after 3 Hours of Torture¡± looks to be on pace to break the internet, so I should calm down.

    Other than those two videos, however, Pandemonium has been quiet. I wanted to observe how the world reacts before starting to plan our moves for the next few months. Apart from a variety of denouncements of our actions and the Brazilian government vowing to track us down, nothing has happened. We are also officially on the Council of Nine¡¯s list of significant terror threats, which is almost unheard of for such a new group like ourselves. But considering we had just conducted the worst terror attack in history with a total of over 100,000 people dead (that fire racked up the death toll, LOL) it¡¯s understandable.

    The reactions were all as expected, so it is now time to get things into motion and to do what leaders do best: delegate. ¡°Jumbo, take 87 demons and go to the Central African Confederacy. You already know the list of targets. Do not act until I tell you to.¡± ¡°Sure thing, boss.¡± Jumbo croaked out like a frog before flying away.

    ¡°Cerberus, take 113 demons and head to Germany. You¡¯ll be the first to move so be ready.¡± Cerberus barked an affirmative and left. ¡°Mannequin, your assignment is North America. Take 100 demons and set up like the others.¡± Mannequin nodded before silently vanishing. ¡°Susan and Sparky, I want you both in China along with 306 demons. Follow my directions there to the letter. Our operations there will have priority for the foreseeable future.¡±

    The two also left, leaving Ibaraki-doji, myself and only 60 demons remaining. ¡°Ibaraki-doji, go build the set for the show. I want to film the first episode now.¡± ¡°AS YOU COMMAND MY LORD!!!!!!!!¡± Ibaraki-doji¡¯s overenthusiastic roar literally blew me off my throne. I forgot that this guy can only speak in ALL CAPS! ¡°Oi, take it down a few notches! This isn¡¯t a fuckin¡¯ spirit competition!! You do not get bonus points for enthusiasm!¡± A suitably chastised Ibaraki-doji left to set things up as I sat back on my throne and continued my pondering. It¡¯s times like these where I wish I had a goatee I could stroke in contemplation.

    I plan to make Pandemonium strong enough to openly challenge the Council of Nine. They are the key peace-keepers in this world. It is due to their recent efforts that no wars have started these past five years. In other words, they are a major buzz kill. As long as that organization has a unified front it will be difficult to start an inferno of fun.

    Luckily, the members have a large amount of animosity towards one another. I just need to undermine the Council¡¯s authority amongst the non-member nations, get them to suspect one another of ulterior motives and then toss one betrayal into that mess to create my desired inferno. There is already so much kindling from past grievances and oppression, all it needs is one little spark to start burning.

    Fufufu, I can¡¯t help it. Thinking about my evil plot in my ominous castle makes me want to do a maniacal laugh. ¡°MWHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!¡± Ahhh, that was refreshing. I idly unrolled a map as I tried to decide on where I wanted to take my personal troops. A month of minimal violence has made me kind of jumpy, like a junkie who hasn¡¯t had their fix for a while. I will hold off for a little bit longer until things start rolling for Pandemonium, but then I can really let loose. And I know just the place for it.

 Chapter 83: An Unexpected Transformation

    August 1<sup>st</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    BOOM!!! Damnit! I¡¯ve been making good progress on the automaton, getting the magic circuitry and clockwork musculature installed without issue. Artificer Steale¡¯s journal was detailed with the steps, but the steamwork viscera is a different matter. After many trials and errors, I got most of it finished except for the heart, which of course is the most important part. I muttered a quick spell to disperse the superheated steam that now filled the room after my latest attempt exploded. It looks like I¡¯ll have to keep trying. This is the second to last step and after it is done all that is left is the start-up ritual.

    ¡°Still having problems, Terra?¡± Kira popped her head into my workshop to check the aftermath. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know how to contain the pressure necessary to operate the steam pump.¡± Kira walked in to examine the remnants of the mechanical heart. She has been helping with some of the work on the automaton, particularly with the finer and more delicate details. ¡°I think you need to alter the composition of the heart, the current metals don¡¯t seem able to withstand the pressure.¡± That¡¯s a reasonable thought but I had to shake my head in disagreement.

    ¡°The current composition is necessary to be mana conducive. That is an essential component, since the heart will be the primary mana generator for the operation of the automaton.¡± Kira pondered for a moment before responding ¡°How about adding a pressure release valve? Efficiency will drop, but the output should be enough to compensate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s brilliant! I¡¯ll be sure to try it!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile and embrace Kira for a surprise kiss. ¡°Nya! Don¡¯t do that so suddenly!¡± ¡°So should I stop?¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Things started heating up as we got more amorous, but before we could get past 2<sup>nd</sup> base something unexpected happened.

    ¡°Terra! Let¡¯s play!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t right now, Rin.¡± Wait, did Rin just talk? I turned around and saw a young girl of around 8 years standing in front of me. She had sky-blue eyes, long black hair, and looked like she was the younger sister of Rin Yamamoto. There were also very prominent facial features that looked identical to the fallen hero she was born from. A pair of white-tipped black fox ears could be seen on her head along with 3 white-tipped black fox tails peeking out from behind the kimono that she was wearing.

    Obviously, Rin¡¯s third tail had just come in. So, she has now become capable of human speech and transformation. It¡¯s odd to think that this little cutie was originally a hideous abomination with way too many tentacles and teeth. ¡°Come on, Terra! You can do your naughty stuff later! I want to play!¡± My demonic fox familiar gave an adorable pout as she tried to persuade me. She was incredibly cute and would have possibly convinced me, but she made a critical mistake.

    I glanced at Kira, who had gone stock still at Rin¡¯s transformation. What happened next was something I had only seen in nature documentaries. Kira¡¯s ears perked up and her tail straightened as she tensed, ready to hunt. Rin¡¯s own animal instincts kicked in as she realized her danger. She quickly turned and scrambled for the door, zig-zagging to present a tougher target. But it was all for naught. Like a lioness hunting zebra on the savanna, Kira pounced onto Rin, sweeping her up into her arms as she let loose a cry of ¡°SOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!¡± and proceeded to nuzzle and pet her extensively while purring. Rin conducted a few futile escape attempts before resigning herself to Kira¡¯s adoration.Stolen novel; please report.

    I laughed at her predicament, but then Kira dropped a bomb on me. Her eyes seemed to glow with a mysterious light as she turned to me and said ¡°Terra, I want kittens.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Mental processes have temporarily shut-down, initializing emergency back-ups. Initializing¡­ 3¡­2¡­1¡­Error, damage has exceeded maximum capacity, Reboot in process. Rebooting¡­3¡­2¡­1¡­ Reboot Complete. ¡°Um, what?¡± I managed to ask while realizing that I should have seen this coming. Like animals in the wild, beast-kin mature quickly and reproduce early. For a cat-kin like Kira, it only makes sense to start having kittens after finding a mate. Damn, I should have talked to her about it earlier. Anything I say now will just seem like an excuse. Shit, what do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

    ¡°Pfft, hahahaha! Ah, Terra you should see your face right now!¡± Kira nearly doubled over as she laughed. Rin was released from her captivity and promptly ran away to the living room. Poor thing didn¡¯t yet realize that Veronica and Hikari had just returned from one of their training sessions and were in the living room. I heard a squeal that could have only emanated from Hikari that indicated that Rin¡¯s cuddling torment was going to continue. Kira recovered from her laughter as she explained ¡°Relax. I know that humans mate later than beast-kin, Hikari told me

    all about it.¡± She sauntered on over like the cat she is before kissing me once more. ¡°No kittens¡­ for now. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t practice.¡±

    Her claws flexed, tearing my clothing to shreds while I did the same for her as we embraced. I placed a noise-canceling enchantment on the room so we wouldn¡¯t disturb anyone. Kira took the opportunity to playfully nip me on the neck, purring while she did so. I responded by giving a strong tug on her tail, causing her to release a lusty moan. I followed up by biting down on each of her twitching cat ears, drawing out another pair of moans. She clawed at my back as she grinded up her toned body against mine while I continued teasing her cat appendages roughly. This back and forth ended when Kira smiled at me seductively and slipped one of her hands below my waist. She then proceeded to show off her manual dexterity as I became the one letting loose noisy sounds of enjoyment.

    Eventually we became turned on enough to dispense with the foreplay. Kira wrapped her legs and arms around me as I lifted her up and pistoned her up against the wall. Kira bit down on my shoulder hard, as she muffled yet another loud moan. I freely fondled her breasts as I pressed her up against the wall, causing her to quiver in pleasure. I then decided to change to Kira¡¯s favorite position. I pried her away from me, with her leaving behind a multitude of red claw marks as she resisted, too hot and bothered to realize what I was trying to do.

    I fiercely pinned Kira to the floor and took her violently from behind. She let out many loud and erotic cat-like yowls in appreciation that got even louder as I started stroking and yanking her tail. Her firm and supple ass quivered in pleasure at the contact, making me unable to resist spanking it occasionally to further excite Kira. I too was experiencing waves of pleasure as we continued our copulation. Our enhanced stamina was put to good use, although I outlasted Kira as per usual.

    The room was steamy and we were drenched in sweat when we finished. Kira was purring in contentment as I used magic to clean us up and to heal the scratches and bites all over my body. I swear that Kira¡¯s demand for rough and wild sex would be dangerous to me had I been a normal human. Even by beast-kin standards, her carnal desires are rather intense. Maybe it¡¯s because she is a variant?

    After our extensive ¡°practice¡±, Kira than took the initiative to surprise me yet again by telling me that she got herself a part-time job. At an underground fighting ring. All I could do is ask one question. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, because it¡¯s easy money, I set my own hours, and I only have to work once every so often. It¡¯s also fun and it¡¯ll eventually grant me the start-up capital to open a new 9 Lives Trading Outpost!¡± Kira responded proudly. That¡¯s¡­ reasonable enough, I suppose. As much as I want to tell her to stop, I shouldn¡¯t become overprotective.

    ¡°Fine, I don¡¯t have any problem with it. Just be sure to be careful, okay?¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Kira replied. We headed out to the living room, where Hikari and Veronica were lounging after cleaning up from their spar. Poor Rin was still in Hikari¡¯s lap like a stuffed toy, looking like everything good was gone in the world. I smiled as I prepared to give a brief explanation as to why Rin looks so much like her namesake. There¡¯s no need to leave hints after all, not with a newly found fan club on my trail.

 Chapter 84: Vision

    August 8<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    It is a beautiful summer day and the weather is pleasant, which is unusual for Tokyo at this time of the summer. Veronica and I have taken full advantage of that, currently sitting outside having a picnic at a local park for one of our regular dates. We¡¯re both lying beside each other on the blanket, gazing at the clouds as they float by. Normally, Veronica would be training Hikari, but Kira volunteered to spar with her today. Seems like her part-time job has reawakened her fighting spirit. Rin went along with them so she could watch. They¡¯ll be back late since Hikari also has a photo shoot for her modeling job afterwards.

    ¡°Terra, do you think we¡¯ll be able to fit in at school?¡± Veronica asked me. With the 1<sup>st</sup> day of school less than a month away, Kira and Veronica have been getting both anxious and very excited. That¡¯s understandable though since it is a completely foreign concept to them. Education in the other world was through parents, tutors and apprenticeships. It was just about always a one-on-one learning experience. I smiled lightly to reassure her as I responded ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I have no doubts that you will not only fit in, but you¡¯ll become some of the most popular people in school.¡± She gave one of her dazzling smiles in response. ¡°Okay, since you¡¯re so confident I have no choice but to trust your judgement.¡±

    Veronica than paused for a moment before asking a new question ¡°Have you been making any headway on Hikari¡¯s situation?¡± I sighed at the question before responding ¡°Not yet, but I have been looking into one of the legends here that could potentially solve that problem.¡± Veronica and Kira are both aware of and in support of my desire to try and figure out a way to lengthen Hikari¡¯s lifespan. 100 years is simply not that long of a time, considering that both Veronica and Kira are likely to live up to about 1000 years and I could potentially live just as long if not longer due to my magic and augmentation.

    ¡°What legend are you talking about?¡± ¡°The Fountain of Youth.¡± ¡°A fountain? How strange.¡± Veronica listened attentively as I explained the myth behind it. ¡°It was said that if you drank or bathed in the waters of the Fountain of Youth your youth would be restored. There have been accounts of the Fountain of Youth ranging back thousands of years from all over the globe. It was not always a fountain, sometimes it was described as a spring or a river. However, the most prominent of the stories involves an explorer named Juan Ponce de Leon, who was said to have searched for the Fountain 600 years ago by the command of his King. He allegedly never found the fountain, although the details of his travels indicate several potential locations I can look at.¡±

    Veronica briefly contemplated what I had said. She then turned to me and said ¡°I think that it sounds promising, but given this world doesn¡¯t have as much of a background in magic I would not get my hopes up.¡± I sighed as I knew she was right. I am not too concerned about finding the Fountain, since I am confident that de Leon was on the right track. Records show that he asked the locals for the location, presumably in a coercive manner. Magic users in Europe likely died out by the 16<sup>th</sup> century due to the hundreds of years of the Inquisition before that, but I believe that magic was still used by the shamans of the indigenous tribes in the new world.

    It would make sense if they were aware of the magical Fountain and were forced to tell de Leon about it. He probably never found it because it was magically warded, but that won¡¯t hinder me. Hopefully, the fountain isn¡¯t dormant or gone dry. At that point, my only remaining option would then be to try and develop a ritual that would lengthen Hikari¡¯s lifespan. But I have no clue how to go about that. The best I can do right now is enchant her telomeres so that she retains her youth. It¡¯s a poor mimicry of the Fountain, since it won¡¯t stop her from dying of old age.

    Veronica and I fell back into a companionable silence as we continued to gaze at the clouds. Her hand was entwined with mine and her warmth was a comforting presence. I did not keep track of how much time flew by as we simply lied there together without uttering a single word. Her scent was intoxicating, reminding me of a forest in spring, and her hand was smooth and soft. I could feel my desire building up, but I restrained myself and simply continued enjoying the moment.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    As the sun started to set we packed up and returned to the apartment, where we found a note from Kira saying that she and Rin were staying with Hikari tonight. Immediately after reading the note, I swept Veronica off her feet and kissed her passionately as I headed towards the bedroom. Once there, Veronica and I slowly started stripping each other as we continued exchanging deep, prolonged kisses. Her lovely pointed ears flicked to and fro cutely, making me unable to resist rubbing them.

    The moment I did so, Veronica¡¯s composure vanished as she let loose a moan. She promptly blushed as she shyly stuttered ¡°P-please don¡¯t do that.¡± I knew better though. Veronica wants me to be strong and controlling in bed, ignoring her pleas and asserting my dominance. I don¡¯t know if she is self-aware of her major masochistic tendencies though. Her moist eyes were gazing at me expectantly and I obliged. I brought my lips close to her left ear and whispered ¡°No. I think I¡¯ll continue.¡± I then bit her lightly on the tip of the ear with my teeth while I simultaneously pinched the other ear. Veronica let loose an amorous cry as she got further aroused. Before she could put up a token protest, I kissed her again. I vigorously rubbed her ears, watching as her body trembled from the build-up of pleasure.

    I pushed her down onto the bed, taking the time to play with her nipples and breasts, before entering her while we were closely entwined. I gazed deep into her eyes the entire time as I slowly and gently had my way with her. Eventually, Veronica reached her ¡°limit¡± and breathlessly begged me to stop. Again, it was obvious that she wanted me to do the exact opposite. I did so happily, ignoring her entreaties, as I whispered various things about how I¡¯ll only stop when I want to and the like.

    Each time I denied her with coldly spoken words, I would ¡°punish¡± her by biting her ears hard. I could feel Veronica¡¯s body shiver excitedly even as she let loose a gasp of pain each time. She was so cute and submissive that it flipped a sadistic switch in me that I didn¡¯t even know I had, causing me to ¡°punish¡± her more frequently just to see her reactions. This eclectic mix of tender loving and S&M was an amazing turn on, leading me to have my way with Veronica until she was satisfyingly exhausted of all her stamina.

    After our enthusiastic romp in the sheets, I stared up at the ceiling with Veronica sleeping gently in my arms. The moonlight filtered through the curtains and I slowly closed my eyes as sleep started to claim me. But before I could slip into my dreams after a blissful day, one of my splitting migraines suddenly appeared. I gritted my teeth as I weathered the pain, refusing to make any noise of discomfort or to move and wake Veronica up. The splitting pain soon passed, allowing me to finally fall asleep.

    Other than the nightmares that used to plague me in the past, I was not the type of person to dream. I am especially not the type of person to have as unusual a dream as the one I am currently having. Why am I standing in the middle of a meadow at night?

    It was a very strange meadow, one that was seemingly endless and filled with flowers that were covered in part by eerie, unnatural mist. The flowers were many and varied, some of which I could recognize and others which I had never seen before. The nighttime stars were obscured, save for a single gap which allowed the full moon to shine down in all its glory. The lights of a city could barely be seen through the mist and darkness, situated somewhere within the boundless meadow of flowers. There was an artificial quiet, as if the vision was on mute, that broke suddenly as the sounds of metal clashing upon metal, the death cries of man and beast, and chants that activated magic resounded. Figures in the mist danced back and forth as the sounds of battle continued.

    In just a few minutes, however, those sounds died out as one side achieved victory. A bat-like shriek echoed into the night, causing the mist to part and show me the battlefield. The flowers there were trampled into the ground, covered in blood and gore. The pungent smell of blood mixed with the sweet scents of the flowers to create a disconcerting perfume. The area was strewn with freshly made corpses, the features of which were obscured by their metal full face helmets. They all bore the same coat of arms: a two-headed brown serpent entwined with a red rose.

    I focused my attention onto the victors, noting their crimson eyes that stood out against their pallor. Their pronounced canines were extremely conspicuous as they let out jubilant cries of triumph. A hoarse whisper entered my ears as I continued to observe ¡°Soon, the city of Verlush shall fall and then we shall feast.¡± Another sharp pain stabbed into my brain, causing my eyes to close once more. When I opened them, I was greeted by the sight of my bedroom ceiling. A feeling of exhaustion surged through me, causing me to fall back asleep before I could even ponder about my strange dream.

 Chapter 85: Investigation

    August 18<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Vivian Pendragon¡¯s POV

    I stood in the throne room of Buckingham Palace, gazing upon my father King William as I awaited his command. ¡°My dear daughter, I wish to entrust the task of investigating this terror group known as Pandemonium to you.¡± I nodded in acknowledgement, but couldn¡¯t resist asking a question. ¡°Father, I am honored that you would choose me, but shouldn¡¯t the Council already have a task force regarding Pandemonium?¡± At my mention of the Council, I noticed my father resist releasing a sigh. He has often regaled me with stories about the Council meetings and their shenanigans. I daresay that as soon as I officially become the Crown Princess he¡¯ll make me go to these meetings in his stead to save himself great heartache.

    ¡°I attempted to get the Council to approve such a force, but for some reason the Chinese greatly opposed. I feel it was a retaliation due to my refusal to budge regarding our trade agreements last month. As such, we will do this on our own.¡± I could tell that Father was tired, so instead of pursuing the matter I curtsied and left. Hopefully my efforts regarding this newly minted task force will be more fruitful than my attempts at finding my mystery man. Months of searching have all been for naught, but I refuse to give up so easily. His face came unbidden to my mind, and I could feel myself blushing. Damn hormones, I just want him as a retainer! I don¡¯t care about his incredible looks or his chiseled body as he gently carried me¡­ AHHH!!! Never mind! I need to focus right now.

    After a silent freak out I managed to collect myself and started to go over what I know of Pandemonium. I am due to meet with the team leaders in an hour so I should do my best to prepare. The first public appearance of Pandemonium was on July 1<sup>st</sup>, 2089 in Sao Pauolo, Brazil. They exterminated the nearby military base before launching a brutal assault on the city resulting in a total death count of over 100,000, making it the deadliest terror attack in history. They were originally believed to be some sort of rebel group that was limited to Brazil, but after a month where they went quiet we realized that was most certainly not the case.

    Pandemonium has not done any attacks on the scale of Sao Pauolo since then, but instead they have done numerous small-scale assaults. Each of these attacks was recorded and posted on their site on the internet. A chemical attack targeting a simple janitor in Nairobi, the bombing of a concession stand at Mount Rushmore, a stabbing spree at a gymnastics academy in Moscow, a shooting rampage at a hospice care center in France, the list goes on and on.

    Pandemonium has claimed responsibility for 32 separate terrorist actions over the span of 29 days for a total death toll of 108. It has been completely baffling trying to figure out their motives. The bombing of the concession stand is a good example. The amount of explosives they had used was enough to blow up the monument itself, yet they chose to instead destroy the nearby hot dog stand because it ¡°overpriced their bratwurst¡±.

    Such low-level incidents should be completely unremarkable, yet Pandemonium has successfully been causing wide-scale unrest throughout the world as citizens are pressuring their leaders to take action. Pandemonium has been so effectively terrifying the populace psychologically even though they have not been causing that much damage due to two reasons. First off, every one of their attacks have been <u>completely unrelated</u>. A superficial analysis shows absolutely no pattern or reason with their targets. They have attacked major government buildings and they have attacked the local bingo night in a rural small town. This has made people realize that anyone and anything could become a target.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Secondly, the members who have conducted these attacks are abnormal and inconsistent. An 84-year old French grandmother of 3, a 10-year old Kenyan orphan, a 42-year old American paraplegic, the assailants in the attacks are many and varied. This has made people paranoid, since anyone could be a Pandemonium member. This has raised an outcry demanding that they be stopped. Naturally, in the face of such a major security concern the world will turn to the Council of Nine since they are the international peacekeepers. But if what father said was true and the Council of Nine was unable to even agree on starting a task force, it would be a major blow to their credibility when public opinion in many countries is already unfavorable.

    Pandemonium does not make any demands and as of now they have no known purpose other than to actively cause terror. Their motto of ¡°Unleash your inner demons¡± and their numerous web videos have inspired many sociopaths and serial killers, and major crimes have already started rising. The only thing we have managed to learn of them is the name of their leader: Dante. We wouldn¡¯t even know this normally, but for some reason he has started broadcasting an online cooking show that airs weekly. Strangely enough, he¡¯s rather talented at cooking and the show has become quite popular.

    However, Dante enjoys stocking his audience with the corpses of freshly murdered individuals who he kidnaps weekly from across the globe. Young, old, men, women he does not distinguish between his victims. He has also released quite a few videos detailing the finer points of torture, which he then demonstrates on some unfortunate ¡°volunteer¡±. These volunteers have included children. His heartlessness and his status as the leader of the psychotic terror group Pandemonium has quickly earned him a new moniker: Demon Lord. It is one that he has embraced with great enthusiasm, going so far as to now actively introduce himself as Demon Lord Dante.

    I look at the clock and realize that it is time to meet the team leaders. This task force will have about 40 people total, although I will be mostly working with the 4 supervisors. I gather up the documents I have been surveying and quickly hurried to the designated meeting room in the east wing of the palace. 4 high ranking agents from the intelligence agency were already situated inside, 3 men and 1 women, who all stood up and bowed as I entered the room. No other formalities were shown, thankfully, as we went straight to business.

    I already knew their names from my previous work revamping security protocols in the wake of the rebel attack and they were already aware that I was competent so there was nothing else to do but start. ¡°Mr. Harris, would you please begin with the general briefing? I know everyone here is already well-informed about Pandemonium, but I would like us to synchronize what we know and make sure no one is missing any important points.¡± Mr. Harris, a non-descript man with coal-black hair and brown eyes, stood up and succinctly summarized everything we knew about the terror group, which was not any different from what I had just reviewed prior to coming here.

    I nodded to Mr. Harris after he finished and then stood up to address the room. ¡°Obviously, it has become clear that right now we cannot predict the actions of Pandemonium. However, that does not mean we can¡¯t track them down. Any suggestions?¡± There was a brief silence before one of the supervisors, Mr. Smith, spoke up. He has blond hair and blue eyes on a handsome face that is unfortunately marred with some fearsome scars on his jaw. ¡°Yeah, we just need to track the money. Terror groups always need money, so we should follow the paper trail.¡± Miss O¡¯Reilly, a red headed Irishwoman, nodded in agreement ¡°That¡¯s a good start, but I believe we should also investigate our contacts in the underworld. There¡¯s no way that Pandemonium hasn¡¯t gotten involved, they must have either friends or enemies down there.¡±

    The discussion quickly took off after that and soon we had a plan of action in place. We can¡¯t predict their movements, so we¡¯ll go after their foundation instead. Their recruitment, fundraising, and networking in the underworld all are weak points we can target. However, everyone has forgotten something. ¡°I believe that while we are cutting off Pandemonium¡¯s legs, we should also go after its head. I propose that we put out a bounty on Dante. Pandemonium seems to be held together by his leadership and charisma alone, so if he dies so does Pandemonium.¡±

    My declaration set off another round of discussions as we debated what the bounty amount should be and if we should just passively post the bounty or actively shop it around to various private agencies. I personally don¡¯t care as long as we implement it immediately. The sooner we cut this organization off the better, I shudder to think what they would start doing after they expand.

 Chapter 86: A Close Call

    August 28<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Thank you so much for agreeing to join us, Miss Yamamoto! Welcome to the Rising Sun Talk Show!¡± I nodded silently in response to the talk show host who then proceeded to all but gush over my appearance. Top Talents finally managed to convince me to do some publicity for my first concert on the 30<sup>th</sup>. Honestly, I needn¡¯t have bothered.

    Apparently, my reluctance to show up in public only increased my so called ¡°mysterious allure¡±. Then came that incident with the dumbass wannabe serial killer, which garnered quite a bit of media coverage. But my manager was literally reduced to tears at my insistence of avoiding attention, which I guess is kind of the opposite of what being an idol is all about. So, after having a moment of weakness due to seeing a 43-year old grown man bawling his eyes out, I find myself on the most popular talk show in Japan.

    The host, Airi, managed to finally finish her spiel about my looks and asked me a question ¡°So Rin, I hear you are having your debut concert two days from now. Are you excited?¡± ¡°Yes, it will be very fun to perform and show all of my hard work to the audience.¡± I responded neutrally, with the intent of just getting through the show as quickly as possible. ¡°I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we are all looking forward to it! But first we just have to ask about your recent heroic exploits. How does it feel to have caught the Gruesome Killer?¡± ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t really do anything. The man attempted to attack me when I was walking home and accidently got hit by some falling cinder blocks from the nearby construction site.¡±

    ¡°You are so cute when you are being modest Rin!¡± Airi then hopped over and gave my cheeks a quick pinch, making me flush in embarrassment. The audience started cheering, which only made my embarrassment worse. It¡¯s that damn gap moe in effect again. Airi started chatting away, interrogating me about my life, hobbies, and whether I had a boyfriend. 15 agonizing minutes later and the show was over.

    I was backstage getting ready to do some mandatory meet and greets with some fans when something unexpected happened: my holophone started ringing. I pulled it out and answered ¡°Hello?¡± Strangely enough I heard a gasp at the other end that perfectly matched one that someone let out nearby. I turned to look and saw 4 people who were wearing the most awful looking pink outfits with the words ¡°The Official Rin Yamamoto Fan Club¡± emblazoned all over in big, obnoxious gold letters. Aito, Kiyoshi, Koji, and Reiji apparently were in attendance today, courtesy of Reiji¡¯s TV producer father no doubt. Other than their hideous apparel, Reiji was holding a holophone in his hand. Then I had a horrible realization as I looked at my own holophone.

    It wasn¡¯t the one I use for my Rin persona. SHIT! I must have forgotten to switch it out when I left the apartment. I ended the call and heard the beep from Reiji¡¯s phone down the hall. SHIT! Reiji¡¯s looking at me in disbelief and presses the redial button on the holophone, causing my phone to ring the same ringtone I¡¯ve used for years.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    My face is as blank as a mask, but inside I am panicking. I can remain calm under the threat of death as that is nothing new to me, but the fear of absolute humiliation is something else entirely. I can¡¯t just magick them right now, there are cameras and witnesses everywhere, but if I don¡¯t do it soon the memories will be too embedded for me to do anything about without risking severe harm to them. SHIT!!!!

    ¡°Um, Miss Yamamoto¡­ may I ask about your holophone?¡± Reiji¡¯s words slowly filtered their way into my brain and in my distress, I ended up blurting out an approximation of the truth without thinking. ¡°The holophone isn¡¯t mine, I must have accidentally grabbed the wrong one on my way out this morning.¡± ¡­.The silence between me and my supposed fan club lasted at most 10 seconds, but it felt much closer to an eternity. Damnit!!!

    Reiji is a genius and I just gave him a huge hint about my identity!!! With my looks and the fact I have Minato¡¯s phone, he must have put it together! His otakuness also means he might consider magic as a possible explanation. Reiji spoke once more ¡°Eto, do you know a Minato Cross?¡± ¡­.What? ¡°That must be it, why else would you have his phone?¡± But before Reiji could ask any further he was rudely interrupted as Aito seemed to have a horrifying epiphany. ¡°This is what Minato was talking about. THAT ASS!!!¡±

    The Otaku 3 and Reiji turned to look at him as he continued ¡°Remember when he started laughing randomly during our first fan club meeting!? He also tried to leave at the start! It must have been because he was already Rin¡¯s lover! Why else would she have taken his phone as she left <u>in the morning</u>?¡± Realization dawned on everyone¡¯s face as I turned a lovely shade of scarlet. Of course, the pervert jumps to such a conclusion. I can¡¯t even deny it because there really is no other reasonable explanation.

    ¡°That can¡¯t be it Aito! Minato is already dating someone else!¡± Reiji argued, completely forgetting I was there. ¡°Face it Reiji! He must be a heartless scum who¡¯s stringing poor Rin along!¡± Aito responded with absolute conviction. ¡°I agree! My familiars have warned me that Minato may in fact be an incubus in disguise. It makes sense that Rin and him are together since she¡¯s a succubus!¡± Koji interjected, warranting a cuff upside the head from Kiyoshi as he typed into his voice projector ¡°Everyone shut up. Let¡¯s just ask Rin and solve the issue.¡±

    The 4 of them all refocused their attention back to me expectantly. Okay, I am in hot water right now. My only option is to deflect Reiji and co. by acknowledging that I am in a sexual relationship with myself, which will then lead to Reiji confronting me and telling the girls about it. My ¡°harem¡± won¡¯t get mad at me for getting involved with another woman (supposedly, but I have my doubts despite their assurances), but they will most certainly insist on meeting her.

    I can¡¯t be in two places at once and illusion magic would only allow me to stall for so long. My secret would inevitably come out and I shudder to imagine what would happen then. I would never live it down. <u>NEVER</u>. But I could break up with myself before I ever got to the point of having to meet the girls. And I think I know just how to do it.

    ¡°Yes, I am dating Minato.¡± The totally dumbfounded expressions on their faces would most certainly have made me laugh in just about any other situation. Before any of them could say anything I continued on ¡°But I never knew anything about him seeing someone else. I¡¯m going to have to talk to him about this.¡± Ignoring Aito¡¯s triumphant look, I continued ¡°Do you four mind keeping this to yourselves until I talk to him about this? I want to confront him about this myself.¡± I swallowed the remaining fragments of my pitiful pride and gave a charming smile, which caused all four of them to be in a daze as they nodded. ¡°Great! I appreciate it!¡± I then turned tail and scampered away before they could regain their bearings.

    *Sigh* That was too close. Good thing Aito jumped to the wrong conclusion and gave me an opportunity to fix my mistake. Now all I need to do is break up with myself under the pretense that I am not interested in sharing a man. A little fast talking to Reiji and after that I am safe. However, this near disaster has made me reconsider the merits of continuing with the idol persona. It¡¯s too risky even if the money is great. I¡¯ll finish out my year-long contract, but after that I¡¯ll quit. If I am successful enough I should have the money to pay for Kira and Veronica¡¯s expenses and schooling by then. I need to make sure this concert is a big hit and go from there.

 Chapter 87: Concert Debut

    August 30<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    I stood in the darkness off-stage as I braced myself to go on. The arena is packed to capacity with 6,000 people who are already cheering as the dimming lights indicate it is showtime. With my heightened senses I am painfully aware that my fan club, which has expanded beyond the 4 founders, is occupying most of the first few rows. Reiji, his girlfriend Akemi, Kiyoshi, Aito, and Koji are all ecstatically watching the stage, waiting for the show to start. My hair is up in its usual high ponytail style, and I even allowed the makeup artist to touch up my face. I have on a pair of white tight-fitting jeans along with a sky-blue blouse that matches my eyes perfectly.

    My heart is pounding and I can feel the metaphorical butterflies in my stomach. Even though I have technically performed in the eyes of millions of people on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol, there is something about seeing so many people live and in person that gives it a whole different atmosphere. The producer nods to me and starts a silent countdown to my arrival on stage. He did it just like we had done many times before during rehearsal and the similarity helped soothe my anxiety. Let¡¯s knock ¡®em dead with the performance.

    At the signal, I took one last calming deep breath and walked out onto the stage as the crowd roared in anticipation. Many different cameras tracked me as I moved, a stark reminder that there are even more people watching at home. Unlike with nearly every other artist, Top Talent chose to not release most of the songs on my album (apart from a few teasers) until after my concert. In other words, no one has any idea what exactly they¡¯ll be hearing. It is a rather bold strategy to build up hype and it is completely reliant on the fact that I garnered so much public attention during my time on Japan¡¯s Rising Idol. My album will be released at the end of my concert, so a good performance is vital.

    I reached the microphone at the center stage and the lights all focused on me as my back-up dancers and the band filed out onto the stage in the shadows behind me. Alright, it¡¯s time to begin. I kept up my usual poker face as I spoke ¡°Hello everyone, I am Rin Yamamoto and I am delighted that everyone could attend.¡± I paused to allow for the enthusiastic cheering at my words to die out a bit before continuing ¡°So now let¡¯s have some fun. Are you ready?¡± I gave a mischievous smirk, which I had practiced beforehand in the mirror at home, to psyche up the crowd. The band started playing and I started my performance as I lost myself in the roar of the people.

    The flashing lights, the sound of my own voice, the sweat and exertion of dancing, so many things blurred together as the concert went on. I lost myself as I focused on doing the best I could, and I only regained my self-awareness as I concluded the finale. The audience had cheered themselves hoarse by this point, but nevertheless they responded to the end with their loudest cries of appreciation yet. The applause rang out and I couldn¡¯t help but give a truly heartfelt smile as I waved to the crowd in acknowledgement. ¡°Thank you everyone for a wonderful evening! I just have one thing to ask: did you all have fun?¡± Everyone in the stadium bellowed out a resounding ¡°YES!¡±, prompting yet another smile from me.

    The concert is finally over, but before I could walk off the stage someone else walked onto it. The man clapped lightly as he spoke into a mic of his own ¡°Such a marvelous performance¡­ I was planning to cut in earlier, but I was entranced. It was one hell of a show.¡± He wore jeans and a black tank-top with a red leather jacket over it that had black accents. The jacket matched his crimson hair and eyes, but that wasn¡¯t what was most shocking about him. It was the fact that he reeked of freshly spilled blood, a scent that I am far too familiar with.

    The noise from the crowd vanished as they saw his face on the giant projector screens that showed the stage. An ominous silence overtook the 6,000 people. The normal looking face split into an eerie smile as the figure continued speaking to the audience who were all deathly aware of who he was ¡°But it can¡¯t truly be a <u>hell</u> of a show without a little¡­ Pandemonium.¡± Dante, the ¡°Demon Lord¡± of Pandemonium, continued smiling after his awful pun as if he were waiting for something. That something became apparent when the silence broke as cries of terror and panic rang out from the audience.

    I saw the cameras and the stage lights all be taken offline, plunging the stadium into darkness and I heard gunshots and explosions as the terrorists attacked. My eyesight was unaffected, so I decided to make this asshole pay for ruining this concert. I¡¯ll then deal with the lackeys. I lunged forward at full speed, causing the stage to splinter beneath me, and struck out with a fist that would knock this terrorist¡¯s head clean off his shoulders. BOOM! The concussive force of my blow sounded like a small-scale explosion had occurred, but contrary to my expectations, there was not a headless corpse collapsing on the stage while blood spurted out. Instead, there was a wickedly grinning man holding my fist in his hand and radiating <u>magic</u>.

    Dante¡¯s POV

    Now isn¡¯t this a pleasant surprise. I came to this concert intending to simply interrupt in the middle and finally scratch my slaughtering itch, but instead I meet a Remnant. And boy is she one hell of a looker too. Her expressionless face is focused on me despite the gunfire and my rampaging minions. I was fortunate that the stage did not provide enough of a footing for her to get all her strength behind her attack, else I would have looked rather pathetic getting knocked right across the stadium. ¡°You want to dance, cupcake?¡± I taunted her while tightening my grip with enough force to crush concrete. There was no change in her beautiful face, nor was there the sound of crunching bone.

    That was all I could see before a foot met my face and sent me flying right through the backdrop of the stage. Ohh, so she¡¯s rather flexible, that¡¯s good to know. I picked myself up and brushed off the dust as I magically constructed a shield from the surrounding debris to intercept a vicious wind blade as it cut through the air. The impact scattered the debris like cannonballs into the crowd, eliciting a variety of screams that made me quiver in delight as the impromptu projectiles struck. I remotely possessed 20 different nearby audience members and sent them to intercept her before she could follow up with her attack. Fufu, no matter how strong of a Remnant she is she¡¯s still only human. She¡¯ll definitely hesi¡­ *squelching sounds and body parts flying*¡­tate?

    The idol known as Rin Yamamoto landed amidst the pile of bodies I had sent moments before, drenched in blood. Her face was as indifferent and expressionless as ever, as if the cold-blooded murder of her fellow humans was nothing new to her. Those sky-blue eyes stood out against the crimson blood that was splattered across her pale face and stole my heart away. That cruel ruthlessness hidden behind her mesmerizing exterior is so beautiful. There¡¯s nothing more pleasurable than defiling something beautiful. I want to make her mine and ravage her. I want to see her face contort into pain and agony as she screams my name in hatred. My blood is boiling and right now I don¡¯t give a damn about anything else. I want to break that mask hiding her emotions. It is time to go crazy. ¡°LET ME SEE YOUR DESPAIR!!!¡±

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    I am frantically scrambling for cover as Pandemonium terrorists have started gleefully massacring the fleeing audience. Every exit so far has been sealed in some unknown manner, meaning that we are all like fish in a barrel. Akemi, Aito, Kiyoshi, and Koji are following me closely as we fumbled about in the near darkness. The other fan club members were either separated from us or killed when a RPG flew right into our row. I honestly have no clue how we survived the blast. The only light we have is from the emergency lights. Everyone¡¯s holophones seemed to have been shorted out via an electromagnetic pulse or something, meaning that there is no police or military intervention coming in a timely fashion.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! Hurry!¡± I screamed at the others as we had to detour at yet another locked emergency exit. Akemi¡¯s hand was held tightly in mind as we moved. She was silently crying in terror, and my heart ached at the sight. Gunfire continued to surround us, along with the occasional flashing of light. Are they using energy weapons as well? Every time the light appeared, something strange happened. I had no time to ponder as our group tried to avoid getting trampled by the panicking crowd. Bullets seemed to dance all around us, striking everyone we could see yet missing us entirely. I don¡¯t know if a guardian angel or something is watching over us, but I¡¯ll take anything I can get. Then it happened.

    Shattered blocks of steel and concrete were launched into the crowd, one such block was headed towards our group. I reacted instinctively, pushing Akemi away from the danger. There was no time for me or the others to dodge. Heh, at least I¡¯ll go out saving a hot girl that I really like. The next part of this script is that I¡¯ll reincarnate, right? Ohh, maybe I¡¯ll finally meet a cat girl! I¡¯m not sure why I was able to so easily accept my death, but I think it was because I thought that I at least managed to help someone in my final moments. I was wrong.

    The block that I thought was going to kill me missed by inches, breaking apart onto the ground and sending out fragments of rebar and concrete like shrapnel from a bomb. These all miraculously missed me, but they did not miss Akemi. I don¡¯t know how exactly, but she died. She was alive, and now she¡¯s dead. Had I not pushed her away, she might have survived. Had I not given her an extra ticket I had when a club member canceled this morning, she wouldn¡¯t have been here and would still be alive. Had she never met me, she would still be alive.

    ¡°NOOOO!!! AKEMI!¡± I tried to rush over to her body, maybe CPR can still save her, but Aito and the others pulled me back. Another explosion sounded and Akemi¡¯s body disappeared amongst the flames. ¡°DAMNIT, REIJI! YOU CAN¡¯T HELP HER!!! SHE¡¯S GONE!!!¡± Aito roared at me as they dragged me away. The tears were flowing freely down my face. After that we managed to escape the death trap that was the open arena. I can¡¯t even recall how we did it. All I can remember is a lot of screaming, panicking, and blood. It doesn¡¯t matter though. Akemi¡¯s dead. I couldn¡¯t help her. Kiyoshi had to slap me repeatedly across the face before I came to my senses just enough to leave my grieving for later. But that wound is very much fresh on my heart.

    Currently we are cowering behind a concession stand, breathlessly waiting for the situation to change. Minutes later and the sound of gunfire is starting to dwindle. Kiyoshi is quietly typing into his voice projector to ask a question at low volume, but Aito cuts him off with an angry whisper ¡°Don¡¯t use that damned voice projector! I know you can talk damnit!¡±

    Kiyoshi responded by flipping him off and the two were going to start arguing now of all times. But before they could, the echoing sounds of approaching footsteps cut them off. ¡°Mommy!!!¡± a child¡¯s crying voice reached us as an older woman¡¯s voice frantically tried to shush her kid. 2 gunshots rang out, followed by a cry of pain which was then followed by the thumping sound a body makes when falling to the ground.

    I peeked over the counter and saw a non-descript salaryman with an assault rifle looming over the unmoving mother and her 6-year-old child. His back was facing the concession stand where we were hiding. I looked at Aito, who was pale as a ghost, Kiyoshi, who was sweating, and Koji, who was twitching nervously. I too was terrified, but all four of us came to the same conclusion after a rapid series of nonverbal cues and hand motions. They had lost friends amongst the fan club members and I had lost my lover, but we won¡¯t watch another person die who we could have helped. Otaku bravery at its finest, where our belief in reincarnation stymies our fears of dying.

    We creeped over the counter, and right as the terrorist raised his weapon we jumped. Aito and I tackled the man, while Koji ran to the mother and child. His weapon was flung from his grasp due to the impact and we started desperately punching him while the child continued crying. Kiyoshi grabbed the gun off from the ground, but had no chance of a clear shot. As Aito pinned the man¡¯s arms I grabbed a nearby chunk of concrete and slammed it down onto the terrorist¡¯s neck. There was a cracking sound and the man went limp with his head at an unnatural angle. I just killed someone.

    The horror over my actions flooded into me and I leaned over and vomited. Aito looked queasy as well, but he collected himself enough to ask ¡°Koji. Is the mom still alive?¡± Koji nodded ¡°There are two bullet holes in her left leg, I think she hit her head falling and was knocked unconscious.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move the two back into the concession stand and continue hiding.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± But before we could do anything else, the man who I thought to be dead let loose an inhuman growl and I was sent sailing into the wall, followed shortly after by my friends.

    ¡°Fucking humans, you could have lived had you continued scurrying in the dark like the worthless rats your kind are.¡± The supposedly dead terrorist stood up despite his fatal wound and glared at us. ¡°Now you are going to¨C¡± *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* Kiyoshi had pulled the trigger on the assault rifle and fired. However, a wall of smoke appeared in front of the terrorist, stopping the bullets in their tracks.

    The terrorist waved his hand and a bolt of lightning shot out and struck Kiyoshi, causing him to seize and drop the gun. ¡°Kiyoshi!¡± Aito cried out as I continued to look at the terrorist in shock. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, scum. I made sure not to kill him with that. It¡¯s no fun killing with magic after all. I prefer being up close and personal.¡± A black miasma started leaking out from the terrorist, who then fell to the ground with blank eyes like the corpse it should have been.

    The miasma solidified into a grotesque creature. It had a head like a vertical cylinder with numerous eyes covering it all over. Instead of a neck there was a gaping maw with far too many molar like teeth. The body was that of an obese orangutan, with very long arms ending in three talon-like fingers, squat legs and folds of fat covered with matted burnt orange fur. Who would have thought that the members of Pandemonium were quite literally demons. Magic also seems to in fact exist. Somehow that detail doesn¡¯t seem as wonderful as I thought it would be. The creature than spoke in a voice that sounded like a little girl. ¡°AlLlow mE TO inTROduce myself, mY name is Ori aNd iT iS Now yOUR TiME To DiE!!!¡±

    One of its long arms reached out to my throat as Aito fainted in terror and joined Kiyoshi in unconsciousness. ¡°SEAL OF THE ENLIGHTENED SHADOW EMPEROR!¡± Koji threw a black talisman at the demon, apparently even the threat of death is not enough to knock him out of his chunnibyou delusions. Contrary to my expectations, the demon shrieked out in pain as the talisman touched it. Why the hell did that work? As far as I know from all the games I played, demons are only vulnerable to items with a holy attribute¡­ like a talisman from a Shinto Shrine. Koji tossed several more talismans at the demon, and it was getting pushed back.

    ¡°wHO ArE YOU?¡± The demon cried out in rage. ¡°I am the legendary Abyssal Vortex Champion! Fear my mastery of the corrosive dark!¡± Koji then threw yet another black talisman, eliciting yet another cry of pain. The demon was completely enraged, but before it could retaliate something happened. The very air grew heavy, and I felt despair and hopelessness press down on me. I can¡¯t breathe. Make it stop. Please make it stop! As if it were a signal, the demon turned to leave and hissed angrily ¡°ThE DEmoN LoRD shalL kNow oF YOu!¡± He launched a fireball at a paralyzed Koji before fleeing, not even waiting to see the outcome. I felt a surge of energy within me, allowing me to shake off paralyzing pressure and to lunge forward to push Koji out of the way.

    We can¡¯t afford to lose him. I don¡¯t know if it is simply because of the talismans or if Koji might have some sort of magic, but he is our best chance of surviving this demonic onslaught. Even if that means that I might die instead. I hope Minato doesn¡¯t get too mad at me. He may be socially and emotionally stunted, but when he cares he does it with all his heart. Hopefully Hikari can also move on. It¡¯s a relief that neither of them came to the concert today. Ah, looks like I¡¯ll be with Akemi soon. I hope she doesn¡¯t scold me too much for failing to survive.

    BOOOM!! The fireball exploded, yet I didn¡¯t have any sensation of heat or pain. I opened my eyes and saw a golden barrier of light shining all around me and the others. The plain looking wristband I had received from Minato ages ago was glowing with a strange script I had never seen before. I could feel my injuries fading away and even the feelings of despair, grief, and terror plaguing my mind were treated by the soothing light. The light then started getting brighter and brighter, blinding me without causing any discomfort.

    When I regained my vision, I realized that we were all in the parking lot outside of the stadium. The others, except for Koji, were still unconscious although they no longer had any injuries. Were we just teleported to safety? I took out my holophone and saw that it was working once more. I immediately called the police. I know they won¡¯t believe me about the demons, so let¡¯s just let them know about the terrorist attack instead.

 Chapter 88: The Show Must Go On

    August 30<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I am grumpy. I thought that when I uncovered and stopped a plot to annihilate two worlds that I had used up my allotted number of troublesome things one deals with in life. In nearly every web novel I have ever read, the protagonist lives happily ever after with his harem after terminating a world-ending threat. I have a harem, I was sort of like a protagonist, and I did successfully terminate a <u>worlds</u>-ending threat. Yet here I am, fighting an actual fucking demon lord while shapeshifted as a woman. Oi! Heroes are supposed to come to your world to kill you, not the other way around!

    We were both holding back at first, but after his declaration he unleashed his demonic aura and attacked at full force. Any doubts about his title disappeared the moment he revealed his true strength. There¡¯s a reason why the stories say Heroes are the only ones who can kill demon lords. Shortly after that I sensed the protective magic artifact I gave Reiji activate. Good, since he¡¯s safe I no longer need to worry about collateral damage.

    I ducked beneath Dante¡¯s roundhouse kick and countered with a ferocious uppercut which he evaded by detonating an explosive magic beneath his foot. The shockwave propelled him away while also engulfing me in flames. I doused it immediately with water I pulled from the moisture in the air and then pressurized it into a steel-cutting jet. Dante responded with a gout of burning white hot flame, turning my water jet into steam instantly. I swung my arm at full strength, using the wind caused by the motion to disperse the steam.

    I saw Dante standing in the upper levels of the stadium with his left arm raised high. He then brought it down while yelling ¡°Fire!!¡±. All around me were various terrorists and creatures I recognized as demons who started unloading a full salvo of bullets, hexes and explosives at Dante¡¯s signal. I clapped my hands, amplifying the sound to create a massive sonic boom that blasted away the incoming projectiles and shattered all the glass fixtures in the arena. I then flickered above Dante and drastically increased the gravity in the area, pinning him in place temporarily while simultaneously powering up my falling drop kick.

    ¡°MY LORD! I HAVE COME TO ASSIST!!!¡± Something knocked me away mid-kick, sending me careening back towards the stage. The impact destroyed what little of the stage was still standing. I barely managed to extract myself from the rubble before my new assailant was already upon me. ¡°HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY LORD! PERISH!!!¡± A massive one-armed oni with two prominent horns, a shaggy mane of black hair and huge jagged fangs that couldn¡¯t even fit into his mouth loomed over me with a ridiculously sized kanabo. His bright red skin gleamed like it was bronze, barely containing enormous muscles.

    He slammed the kanabo down with great power, forcing me to teleport away to avoid becoming a red smear on the floor. The concrete floor was pulverized and the very ground shook from the blow. I reappeared in the middle of the lower level and leaped to the side to avoid another salvo of long-range attacks from the peanut gallery.

    Shit, it seems like Dante has signaled all his lackeys to stop their slaughter and focus on me instead. At least he hasn¡¯t bothered trying to control any more audience members after the first try. I guess he realized that I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to strike them down. I didn¡¯t really want to kill innocent civilians, but they were dead the moment they were possessed. I don¡¯t know how the hell did he manage to possess multiple people remotely and at the same time, but it doesn¡¯t matter right now.

    Before I could reengage him, Dante carved a curse sigil into the flesh of his arm and I could feel it brand itself onto my own arm. Crap, I know this spell. It¡¯s a blood magic curse of debilitation that works on both the cursemonger and the target. The embodiment of ¡°an eye for an eye¡± this curse takes as much from the victim as the cursemonger is willing to give up themselves. I hate blood magic with such a passion! It consumes life-force along with mana to power some of the most vindictive and vicious spells imaginable! There¡¯s no way to properly defend against it unless you¡¯re a fucking vampire and are thus immune to it!

    I felt my mana reserves drop drastically and my body felt weaker, putting me at a severe disadvantage as I engaged the oni bearing down on me like a typhoon. He swung his kanabo with reckless abandon, forcing me to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge once more. His reach was far greater than mine so I couldn¡¯t manage close combat, but every time I tried to put distance between us so I could try to break the curse the peanut gallery fired on me. Trying to undo blood magic is hard enough as it is without distractions, it¡¯s impossible in this situation. My attempts to eliminate the small-fry were thwarted by Dante and so I was locked into a stalemate that was slowly whittling away at my strength.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    I know the moment I show an opening, Dante will pounce. I miss my rhomphaia, guns and ninjato so much right now. I didn¡¯t bother replacing them after they were destroyed during the battle with the Hero due to my mistaken belief that I was finished with fighting. I thought my magic and martial arts were sufficient for any future threats, but I was wrong. Damnit!

    I decided to gamble and rushed the oni, jumping high over a low swipe and reinforcing my fist to the limit that my reduced reserves could allow to deliver a potentially lethal blow. The oni is strong, but frankly it is nowhere near the level of Dante or myself. If it weren¡¯t for the damn blood magic I would have wiped the floor with it already. But right as I was about to strike the oni, I saw Dante give a smirk as he fell to one knee. The curse sigil glowed and suddenly the magic I had in my fist dissipated, and I was weakened even further. I still followed through on my punch, but instead of smashing the oni¡¯s face in I barely managed to knock him back. He slid backwards, but I was still within his reach.

    I saw the kanabo home in on me and I was smashed into the ground. Hard. An impressive crater formed as I vomited up blood. 8 strikes later and my world was spinning. Another 14 strikes and I was teetering on the edge of consciousness. ¡°That¡¯s enough Ibaraki-doji, I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± Chains wrapped around my limbs and were pulled taut, lifting me off the ground slightly and splaying me out like a starfish. The coldness of the metal managed to rouse me enough to open my eyes once more. ¡°Ah good, I was worried that you were bludgeoned into unconsciousness by Ibaraki-doji. That would have put a dampener on things.¡± Dante was standing some distance in front of me with a huge grin on his face.

    This is bad. At least 30% of my bones are broken, I have multiple internal injuries, ranging from a punctured spleen to a ruptured kidney, and I am all but drained of my mana. I maintained my indifferent expression, knowing that demons get off on getting reactions out of others. I won¡¯t give them that satisfaction. The low-level demons and possessed terrorists were all gathered around me, they must have all stopped their assault to assist Dante. The pitch-black chains restraining me were anchored to dark portals floating in the air. Dante slowly walked towards me, slightly unsteady on his feet. His face was quite pale and he had slight tremors as he moved, it seems he gave up nearly all his power for the curse.

    He noticed my gaze and let loose a snicker ¡°I knew there were still Remnants in this world, but you¡¯re damn near Hero level. I am almost fully spent with that curse. It¡¯s embarrassing to say, but you seem to be slightly stronger than me one on one. But true power is more than just the strength someone possesses on their own.¡± He wiped away some of the blood on my face, I don¡¯t know if it was my own or from someone else, and licked it.

    His eyes were glowing in delight for some reason and his demonic aura was pulsating powerfully, causing the other demons to watch him in awe and worship. But something he said stuck out to me ¡°What do you mean by ¡®Remnants¡¯?¡± I asked. ¡°You speak to me at last! Since you¡¯re going to become my woman I¡¯ll tell you, but you¡¯ll have to wait for now, darling.¡±

    What. The. Fuck? Did he just say I¡¯m going to become his woman? I summoned the last of my strength and spat out a stream of fire, aiming to incinerate Dante. If he dies, the curse sigil would fade, allowing me to regain my strength.

    Unfortunately, my last-ditch effort was for naught. A barrier shielded Dante, one that had been created beforehand by several of his minions. ¡°OOOOH! You naughty, naughty girl! Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t have any protection prepared now that I am nearly as weak as a regular human? But I must say I am impressed. Even now when all seems lost, you remain proud, aloof and cold.¡± His mocking grin morphed into a truly demonic one as he continued ¡°I so look forward to breaking you.¡± Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

    ¡°My lord! The police and military are approaching! Someone managed to get past the seals and alert them!¡± A small, purple imp flapped over to Dante while yelling. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s disappointing. I assumed we would still have plenty of time to slaughter everyone even after I got side-tracked by my new play-toy.¡± He blew a kiss at me before asking ¡°How many did y¡¯all manage to get?¡± ¡°We believe that it was about 1,400.¡± ¡°Tch, that¡¯s not even a quarter of all the attendees. How unsatisfying. Alright then, activate the fail-safe.¡±

    The oni at that moment chose to interject ¡°WILL THE POISION WORK TO DIVERT THEIR ATTENTION?¡± His roar knocked Dante onto his back, causing him to let loose a very long sigh. He picked himself up, dusted himself off, and then asked the oni in a tired voice ¡°¡­What have I said about using your inside voice?¡± The oni opened its mouth to respond, but then closed it. Dante let loose another sigh ¡°Well that¡¯s progress at least. Anyways, to answer your loud question, the hallucinogenic gas that is currently being flooded throughout the building will eliminate the credibility of the witnesses. They¡¯ll think we were hallucinations, keeping our cover intact and helping spread our notoriety even further.¡± He turned back towards me ¡°Let¡¯s go darling! I can¡¯t wait to show you my pad. There¡¯s this lovely dungeon that¡¯ll really take your breath away!¡±

    Fuck. Fuck. Fu¡ª never mind. I just sensed something that changes this situation drastically. I looked at Dante, gave him the frostiest glare I could muster and coldly said ¡°Go fuck yourself.¡± Dante, who was obviously startled by my actions, was about to ask about it when there was suddenly a very large explosion on the roof of the arena. Steel and black fire rained down, followed shortly after by a 3-tailed demonic fox the size of a bus. The demons nearby scattered as Rin landed right in front of me, snarling and ready for a fight.

 Chapter 89: Reprieve

    August 30<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Rin¡¯s POV

    I glared at the jerks who dared to hurt Master, ready to kick their ugly butts! ¡°Rin¡­ aim for the one with red hair. He¡¯s channeling a curse that¡¯s crippling me.¡± Master sounded so weak through our telepathic link, it¡¯s scary. I launched my foxfire in a circle, scorching a bunch of the pathetic demons. Why are they even considered demons like me? They are so lame! Hmph, I am so much better and cuter than all of them! The chains restraining Master vanished, likely due to the death of the conjurer.

    The rest started running about like ants while I wrapped one of my tails around Master. He always liked stroking my tails, he said the fluffiness was ¡°healing¡±. I hope it works fast, he seems badly hurt. I locked onto the ginger who Master told me to attack and charged. A big red giant with a stupid looking stick moved to stop me.

    I jumped high into the air as the one-armed doofus swung his stick. I then shrank my body (except for my tail with master), allowing the stick to swing by. The giant ended up overextending and leaned forward due to the unexpected miss, allowing me to land on the upper part of his back. I then expanded back to full size, making the red dumbo eat concrete hard as I pushed off.

    I soared through the air towards the ginger, who was surrounded by a bunch of small-fry demons. They braced for my pounce, but that¡¯s not what I was planning to do! I opened my mouth and created as much foxfire as I could muster, condensed it to the size of a marble, and then released it. My super-duper foxfire laser tore through 12 different demons right towards the ginger. There was a big, big boom and I saw nothing but black fire in the area! Yes! He¡¯s toast! I can feel that the curse on Master has disappeared. Master is getting all better and is going to praise me and pet me and cuddle with me!

    ¡°Surprises, surprises¡­ Who would have thought that Tokyo is such a fun Jack-in-the-Box? I meet a Remnant and a true kin of mine back to back.¡± My fur stood up in fright at that aura. Ginger was standing up with most of his clothing burned off, but was otherwise unhurt. Scary! ¡°Relax, little kit. The sirens indicate that our playtime is over for now.¡± He looked past me at Master who was all better and glaring at him. ¡°Bye, bye darling. I¡¯ll be back for you.¡± The scary ginger winked at Master before vanishing along with the other jerks, leaving just me and master in the ruined stadium.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Rin.¡± Master was smiling at me as he held out his arms. I shrunk down to my usual size and leaped into his arms. ¡°Did you see me?! I was like ¡®bam¡¯ and they were like ¡®nooo¡¯ and then I was like ¡®kapow¡¯!¡± Master started laughing lightly at my words as he set-up the teleportation magic. But right before we disappeared I asked about something that was bothering me ¡°Master, that scary ginger called you darling. Isn¡¯t that only for couples? Is he joining your harem?¡± I tilted my head as Master suddenly started coughing. What? Did I say something strange?

    Terra¡¯s POV

    After Rin¡¯s timely intervention, I managed to stagger back home. The concert was in the late morning, but it was evening by the time I came back home. My parents were supposed to have returned from their business trip today, but the voicemail indicated that they would be delayed another 3 days. Good, I wouldn¡¯t want them to see me like this. I have some gnarly looking cuts and bruises scattered on my body. With my mana restored it was easy enough to heal the worst of my injuries, but there¡¯s still a lingering taint from that blood magic curse that was interfering with my recovery. I could power through it, but I am paranoid about leaving myself vulnerable by draining my mana too much while Dante and co. are still out there.

    My augmented constitution will be able to handle it given a few hours. It won¡¯t be able to repair the mental trauma I¡¯ve incurred. My alternate persona has stolen the heart of an actual Demon Lord, and he wants to turn me into his lover/sex slave. Fuck. My. Life. I won¡¯t be able to ever use my ¡°Rin¡± persona again without risking a damn demon attack. My idol career is over, which means that I need a new source of income. I also have a rampaging demon lord and his demon army to deal with and school starts in two days.

    AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! This is bad, this is really, really bad. I now know what happened to all the released mana from the Redemption Project. I never considered the possibility of the mana aggregating to form spirits, let alone demons and a demon lord. Demon lords are the highest known class of demon and thus are among the strongest spirits in general. I don¡¯t know much else about them. There was not a lot of material written on them in the other world due to their rarity. I don¡¯t know how they are born, what abilities they have, nothing other than that a demon lord is considered the equivalent of a major natural calamity. Nevertheless, Dante shouldn¡¯t have won our fight. I am someone who managed to kill a Hero, and Dante even admitted that I was slightly stronger than him. Yet I not only lost, I got my ass handed to me. Have my few months of peace dulled my fighting edge that much?This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    My brooding was interrupted as I heard the footsteps of someone approaching the front door. I tensed for a second, but quickly relaxed after I recognized the scent. ¡°Minato? Are you home?¡± Hikari had unlocked the door with her spare key and entered. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in the living room.¡± I replied. ¡°Your mom called me to let me know they weren¡¯t coming home today, she apparently is convinced that you are unable to cook for yourself.¡± Hikari giggled as I huffed at that statement. I can cook, although it is limited to simple dishes. Very bland and simple dishes, but it still counts.

    Hikari tactfully chose not to comment further about my cooking skills, deciding instead to unpack the two bentos she had brought along. We ate quietly for a little bit, but with Hikari silence never lasts for long. ¡°Did you see the news about the Pandemonium attack?¡± she asked as I winced at one of my injuries I had received during said attack. ¡°Yeah, I saw it. Kind of hard not to given the declared state of emergency and all the news channels covering it.¡± I replied as I continued eating my tasty bento. The flavor was marred by the guilt I had in lying through omission to Hikari. I don¡¯t like lying to the people I love and I do my best not to, but there are a couple of exceptions. The whole ¡°I saved the world but also sacrificed millions of individuals to do it¡± and my Rin persona are two things that I will lie my ass off about to them.

    ¡°Reiji was at the concert. He¡¯s pretty traumatized by the attack. I think he lost someone close, but he wouldn¡¯t tell me who. I did my best to comfort him, but I¡¯m not the right person for the job.¡± She gave me a pointed look as she continued ¡°I have no experience with death and killing after all. In fact, I¡¯m rather surprised that I was the first person to contact him.¡± I sighed as I understood what she was getting at. I wasn¡¯t up to answering Reiji¡¯s questions today, but there was a bigger reason for my reluctance. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. It might be surprising to you, but I lack good people skills.¡±

    Hikari¡¯s response was to reach out and stretch my cheeks irritably. ¡°True, but this isn¡¯t people, it¡¯s Reiji. You¡¯re friends. Do your best and it should work out.¡± She released my cheeks after one last pull, leaving prominent red marks on my face. She¡¯s right, I shouldn¡¯t overthink this. Reiji is my friend and he needs me right now. He¡¯ll ask about the magic artifact I gave him and I¡¯ll tell him the truth. I¡¯ll leave out the parts about me being Rin and Project Redemption, but he¡¯ll know everything else. This can also apply to my new demonic problem. I already saved the world from one threat, there¡¯s no reason I can¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll just do my best and it should work out. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯ll go to him tomorrow.¡± I gave Hikari a smile, which she returned while gazing at me lovingly.

    ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve been such a good boy, I think a reward is in order.¡± Hikari said enticingly as she stripped down to reveal some rather daring black lace lingerie. She walked over to me and kneeled down in front of me. She gave me a sultry glance while licking her lips as she undid my pants. Yeah, so Hikari has progressed from just being assertive in bed into being a full-fledged dominant in the bedroom. We don¡¯t do anything too kinky, but the variety does spice up the sex.

    Hikari¡¯s stamina is the weakest in the harem and she lacked the ¡°exoticness¡± of being a different species, so she focused on sex techniques to compensate. Naughty cosplay, sex toys, dirty talk, etc. were all things that Hikari turned to in her attempt to ¡°keep up¡± with the other girls. It¡¯s unnecessary, since I find Hikari just as attractive as the other girls, but I certainly don¡¯t mind her efforts. It was rather amusing at first at how embarrassed she got as she did something particularly lewd. She¡¯d hide her embarrassment by acting confident and domineering. That fa?ade eventually became real as her sadistic tendencies blossomed.

    That evolution leads me to now, where Hikari is showing amazing skill with her mouth and tongue as I started letting out hot sighs as I got turned on. After a short while, the blissful feeling ended. ¡°Ara, looks like you¡¯re already ready. You¡¯re rather eager for your reward, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hikari teased after she finished her opening act. She got off her knees, and slowly removed her lingerie to reveal her impressive body. I remained unmoving on the chair, despite my throbbing urge to jump her. I wouldn¡¯t want to be ¡°punished¡± after all.

    She picked up the light scarf she had on before as part of her outfit and lightly tied my hands together behind the back of my chair. ¡°There are two simple rules you need to obey while I¡¯m giving you your reward. One, no touching. Two, no looking. I expect you to have your eyes closed and hands behind your back the entire time. Break either of the two rules, and I¡¯ll turn your reward into a punish~ment.¡± She cooed at me while having an obvious look in her eye that said she really wanted to punish me. I closed my eyes obligingly and waited. Hikari placed her arms on my shoulders and straddled me across the chair.

    She teasingly rubbed her body against mine while whispering a variety of sexy sweet nothings in my ear. Like a temptress, she tried to get me to break one of her two rules, but I held firm. Barely. When she had worked up a light sweat, she realized her efforts were futile and she then decided to finally mount me. I started moving my body in-sync with hers and soon we were both letting out moans of pleasure. We indulged in each other bodies for as long as we could before Hikari was fully spent, leaving it up to me to tuck her into bed while I spent some time thinking.

    My naughty time with Hikari has done wonders to clear my mind. I was overthinking my problems and I was being too insecure. Who cares if I am still a cold, heartless bastard due to my time in the other world? I have people I love and who love me. If there is a threat to those I love, I eradicate it with all possible prejudice. Fuck Dante and fuck Pandemonium. I¡¯ll kill them all. Dante also conveniently has a large bounty on him, it¡¯s only fair that I collect on it to compensate for the fact that he sabotaged my idol career. A feral grin made its way onto my face at the thought. Be prepared Dante, I¡¯m coming for you.

 Chapter 90: Revelations

    August 31<sup>st</sup>, 2089

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    I was running down a dark corridor, desperately trying to get away from my pursuer. I was gasping for breath as I felt that evil and oppressive aura once more. I tripped, sprawling to the ground. I saw Akemi¡¯s cold corpse lying there, eyes open and looking right at me. Accusing me. A faint whisper of ¡°Why did you kill me?¡± resounded in my head. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s my fault.

    I scrambled to my feet, but it was too late. Out of the darkness emerged a cylindrical head with far too many eyes. Its mouth/neck twisted into a vicious sneer, revealing its blocky teeth. It stretched out one of its hands with talons around my neck and squeezed. ¡°AHHHHHH!!!!!!¡± I woke up gasping, my body drenched in sweat. I can¡¯t breathe. It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I am in my room at home. That demon is not here. I am safe. I am safe.

    Once my panic attack subsided, I couldn¡¯t find the initiative to get up. I chose instead to just stare at my ceiling and think about what happened yesterday. After calling the police, Koji and I stayed with Aito, Kiyoshi, and the two people we saved. It was calm and peaceful outside the stadium, with no sign of the horrific slaughter that was going on inside. Shortly before the emergency services arrived, there was a large explosion on the roof of the stadium. I only caught a glimpse, but I swear that I saw something big and furry on the roof right before the blast.

    A few minutes after that, and the doors opened and people started pouring out. They were all high as kites, and ended up causing a massive amount of chaos before the disaster response team could corral them. Apparently, Pandemonium had flooded the building with a hallucinogenic gas. I was tempted to delude myself into thinking that everything I saw was due to the hallucinogen, but the wristband weighing heavily on my arm was a constant reminder of the truth. During the medical assessment, it was shown that our group had not been drugged, causing the police to interview us extensively to find out what had happened. Koji¡¯s chunnibyou delusions immediately disqualified everything he said and the others were still unconscious, so the investigators interrogated me instead for 3 straight hours.

    Had my parents not threatened to get a lawyer, I¡¯d likely still be there. Instead, I came home and simply sat in a daze in my room. Hikari stopped by and helped get my mind off it for a little while. I think the magic on my wristband also had healed some of my emotional and mental wounds. Instead of completely detaching from reality to cope, I was recovered enough to stay sane. I can still feel the pain though. I tried not thinking about what happened, but the internet was blowing up about it, and I heard from the news that Rin Yamamoto was among the missing and presumed dead. For some inexplicable reason that was the final straw. The delicate equilibrium in my mind that was made by the wristband was destroyed as I broke down into hysterics alone in my room, before exhaustion caused me to fall asleep.

    I managed to finally gather enough energy to sit up on my bed, blearily rubbing my eyes as I noted the clock in my room. Huh, it¡¯s 2:45 pm. Wow, I really slept in. My heart was a mess of emotions, but somehow I was still managing. I could feel the wristband activating, its magic continually trying to soothe my heartbreak. My holophone rang, and I reached out to turn it off, but then I saw that it was Minato¡¯s number. I picked it up and answered ¡°Hey, Minato.¡± ¡°Reiji, do you mind if I stop by?¡± ¡°No, feel free to come over and head up to my room.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Minato ended the call. If he¡¯s coming over, I should get out of bed and get dressed. But before I could even get up, Minato appeared in my room. And by appeared, I mean out of nowhere in an instant. He just teleported into my room.

    ¡°Ack!¡± I let out a rather comical sound as I fell off my bed in surprise. ¡°Yo.¡± Minato said nonchalantly, as if he hadn¡¯t just broken who knows how many laws of physics. ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®yo¡¯ me! What the hell was that?!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Magic.¡± Minato replied casually. I know I just saw magic yesterday and there were actual demons trying to kill me, but hearing Minato say that sounded so unreal. ¡°We have a lot to talk about, so let¡¯s do it somewhere a little more private.¡± He placed a hand on my shoulder, I blinked, and then we were on a white sandy beach with palm trees facing a salty ocean breeze. I was still in my pajamas.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll find something more suitable to wear.¡± Minato then reached into some kind of distortion in the air and pulled out two pairs of swim trunks. A quick change later, and we were sitting on the beach and staring at the ocean. We were both silent, Minato because he was a naturally quiet person, and me because I had a lot to process. The silence was a comfortable one, and I took the opportunity to enjoy the scenery. Eventually though, I broke the silence. ¡°So, magic, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°My wristband?¡± ¡°A defensive magic artifact. It protects the wearer by deflecting incoming danger.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t do that. It made a barrier of light that healed me and teleported me to safety.¡± ¡°It only does that in response to a magical attack or to grave injury. Usually it¡¯s like an invisible force field. There¡¯s a reason why you weren¡¯t hit by any gunfire yesterday.¡±

    Minato let out a sigh before continuing ¡°But that¡¯s not why I stopped by. How are you doing?¡± That¡¯s a good question to ask. I wish I knew the answer. I allowed myself to fall back onto the sand, staring up at the carefree blue sky as I answered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It just all seems so unreal at the moment.¡± ¡°Are you talking about the magic or yesterday¡¯s events?¡± ¡°Both. People died, I nearly died, and I even had to kill. Akemi died, Minato! I tried to save her and yet she died! It¡¯s all my fault! How can I just go back to school tomorrow like nothing¡¯s wrong?!?¡± I was shouting by the end of my answer as I recalled the myriad of emotions that I experienced. Am still experiencing.

    Minato was unperturbed at my outburst. He gave me a moment to compose myself before he spoke ¡°I don¡¯t have anything I can say that can make what you¡¯re going through any better. I know what it¡¯s like to kill and to nearly be killed. I even know what it¡¯s like to see people close to you die.¡± Minato gave off a very somber vibe as he spoke, as if his experience with death was just that extensive. ¡°I just want you to know that I understand what you¡¯re going through. It sucks, it¡¯ll continue to suck for a long while, and even after that it¡¯ll suck when you reminisce on it. But that¡¯s not the point.¡± He placed his hand on my shoulder as he concluded ¡°What I¡¯m really trying to say is, you¡¯re my friend, and I want you to know I¡¯m here for you.¡±

    ¡­I think that¡¯s been the longest I¡¯ve heard Minato ever speak at one time. Heck, I think it is the first time I¡¯ve ever heard him talk about feelings. He bumbled through it, but it¡¯s¡­ nice to know that he cares. The mess of emotions knotted in my chest was still there, but the knot felt a little looser now. I could feel my wristband deactivate, as if his talk had helped enough that it no longer needed to try and calm me. ¡°Thanks, Minato.¡± The silence resumed between us as we continued to enjoy the sunshine and ocean breeze. I don¡¯t know how much time passed as we listened to the waves. I decided to ignore my emotions for now and instead distract myself by trying to figure out how to grill Minato about his magic.

    It was Minato who broke the silence first. ¡°Ask your damn questions already, I know that you¡¯re barely holding it in.¡± Well, since he gave permission¡­ ¡°Wheredidyoulearntousemagic, canIlearnittoo, arecatgirlsreal, ifsocanImeetone?¡± Minato gave out a drawn-out sigh at my barrage of questions. ¡°One question at a time, or I swear that I¡¯ll strand you here.¡± I had a sheepish smile as I tried again ¡°Are cat girls real? If so, where can I meet one?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your first question!?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Minato sighed again, but answered. ¡°Yes, cat-kin are real. And yes, that is the proper term for humanoid creatures with cat-like appendages.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t help myself, I let out a squeal of excitement. ¡°CAN I MEET ONE?¡± Minato just looked at me and said ¡°You already have.¡± What does he mean by that? I never met a cat-girl¡­ wait just a moment. No way, no way, no way! ¡°KIRA IS AN ACTUAL CAT-GIRL!?!?! DO YOU THINK SHE¡¯LL LET ME TOUCH HER EARS AND TAIL?!?!¡± I was going to say more, but Minato cut me off with a roar. ¡°THE PROPER TERM IS CAT-KIN! AND SINCE A CAT-KIN¡¯S EARS AND TAIL ARE EROGENOUS ZONES, NO SHE WILL NOT LET YOU TOUCH THEM!! NOR WOULD I LET YOU TOUCH THEM!!!! WOULD YOU LET SOMEONE TOUCH YOUR GIRLFRIEND¡¯S ASS?!?!?¡±

    Your girlfriend. Those words made me waver momentarily (much to Minato¡¯s dismay, I could almost hear him scolding himself mentally for the slip), but I collected my emotions by fixating on the implication behind what he said. ¡°Girlfriend? I thought you were engaged to Hikari? Wait, do you have a harem?!?¡± Minato nodded once to my question ¡°Yeah, Hikari, Kira and Veronica. Veronica was the dark elf back at the anime expo.¡± Damn, so that¡¯s why he laughed his ass off during the inaugural meeting of the Yamamoto Rin Fan Club. Aito really would try to kill him if he knew the truth. Speaking of which¡­ ¡°Sorry about Rin. I know you two were dating.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t date for long. Also, she¡¯s not dead.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Minato snorted at me ¡°It¡¯s safer to be thought of as dead, Pandemonium won¡¯t try to finish the job.¡±

    I don¡¯t know how many more surprises I can take today. And I haven¡¯t yet started asking about magic. ¡°That¡¯s a relief to hear. Ok! Now it¡¯s story time! You have to tell me all about your magic, and how you met Kira and Veronica!¡± Minato gave a small smile and started his story by asking me a question that blew my mind: ¡°Do you believe in other worlds?¡±

 Chapter 91: First Day of School

    September 1<sup>st</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Today is the long awaited first day of school. Kira and Veronica were so excited that they didn¡¯t sleep at all last night. And since they didn¡¯t sleep, neither did I as we passed the time with our usual nighttime activities. ¡°Terra! Are you ready yet? We don¡¯t want to be late!¡± Kira called out as I finished putting on my uniform. Rin, having refused to be left behind, had decided to merge with me as a tattoo so she could come along to school. ¡°Jeez, Kira. Relax, we still have an hour until school starts!¡± I replied as I finished and stepped out into the hallway.

    Kira was fidgeting in front of the door and it felt like she was a racer waiting for the start signal. Veronica stood beside her calmly, although her ears were flicking about, signaling her own excitement. Both had their schoolbags and supplies and they were looking exceptionally cute in their uniforms. It¡¯s a good thing that I updated their illusion magic artifacts to make their looks different from before.

    It¡¯s best to start with a clean slate, especially since Kira now has contacts in the underworld who know what her previous illusory appearance looks like. I made sure to make them look ordinary, with no remarkable features to speak of. No one would call them ugly, but neither would they call them pretty. I have enough on my plate as it is, killing horny high school boys that hit on my girls would be a pain.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡± Hikari was outside, having patiently waited for us to emerge. We walked together to Reiji¡¯s place to pick him up. Our talk yesterday seemed to have invigorated him enough to come to school today. The magic artifact I gave him helps soothe mental trauma. It can¡¯t heal the trauma, but the magic makes it easier to cope with. I also know that at least 65% of his desire to go to school is because he wants to see Kira. He truly is obsessed with cat-girls. But upon hearing the reality of the situation, he agreed to restrain himself. Nevertheless, I chose to demonstrate just how potent my fire magic is to reinforce the ¡°Yes Look, No Touch¡± policy about Kira¡¯s cat appendages. And so, Reiji has been gifted an additional enchantment to his wristband that lets him see through the illusion artifacts.

    ¡°Morning, everyone!¡± Reiji skipped out his front door right when we arrived. ¡°Hey Reiji, allow me to reintroduce you to Kira and Veronica. Kira is the blond cat-kin, Veronica is the silver-haired dark elf. Ladies, this is Reiji from the anime expo.¡± Kira gave a cheerful wave, while Veronica gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Reiji had a broad smile on his face as he politely responded ¡°I¡¯m Reiji Okamura! Please take care of me from now on!¡±

    With the introductions over, we proceeded to school. I had used my magic beforehand when enrolling Kira and Veronica to ensure that all of us were in the same class together, that way Hikari and I could keep an eye on Kira and Veronica to make sure nothing happens.

    I know I¡¯m breaking my self-imposed rule to minimize magic usage here, but my stealth casting has improved to the point where a wizard could be in the next room and not notice. Besides, keeping a low-profile on magic has kind of become a lost cause with a band of demons now roaming around.

    Kira and Veronica split off from the group to meet with the homeroom teacher before class, while the rest of us headed to homeroom 2-7C. I took my usual seat in the back corner of the room, Reiji took the seat directly in front of me, and Hikari took the seat to my right.

    I surveyed the rest of room indifferently as I waited for class to start. Hikari started chatting with some of the other girls in the class, while Reiji was reading a book examining the mythology and origins of demons. Hmm, I guess that¡¯s better than simply lying in bed in a terrified state. Whatever helps him deal with it.

    ¡°Alright class, take a seat. It¡¯s time to start.¡± Kurou Kawaguchi, my homeroom teacher from last year, walked in with Kira and Veronica following him. ¡°I¡¯d like to introduce two new students transferring in this year. Come on girls and introduce yourselves.¡± Kira stepped forward cheerfully and said ¡°Hello everyone, my name is Kira! I like sword fighting, tinkering, and bartering! It¡¯s nice to meet you all!¡± It was Veronica¡¯s turn next. She stepped forward and simply said ¡°I¡¯m Veronica, I look forward to getting to know everyone.¡± Both then went to their assigned seats, which were next to Hikari in the back.

    Amongst the many artifacts I had given the two when they moved here, one was a translation artifact. Although they¡¯ve started learning Japanese, it¡¯s nowhere close to day-to-day conversation yet. It also translated their names into some common Japanese names. Those unaffected by the illusion will hear their names as Kira and Veronica, everyone else will hear Akane and Aiko something or other. It¡¯s more secure this way, since there won¡¯t be any mix ups involving their real and false names.

    ¡°Now you may be wondering about some of the empty seats in the class. A few of our students were involved with the Pandemonium attacks two days ago and have been excused until they feel fit to resume classes. When they do return, please be sensitive to the difficulties they¡¯re going through.¡± There was a chorus of ¡°Yes, Sensei.¡± and class started after that.

    During breaks, Kira and Veronica were swarmed by curious students and had to answer all their inane questions. Or rather, Kira answered them all. She was taking to the whole social scene like fish to water while Veronica was like stone. Poor thing has no idea how to deal with so many talking people.

    ¡°How are you holding up, Veronica?¡± I asked her telepathically. ¡°I feel¡­ uneasy. I don¡¯t know if I can make friends mingling like this.¡± Veronica thought back. ¡°I understand. There¡¯s more than one way to make friends at school, so don¡¯t worry. Eventually you¡¯ll find the right fit. Let me know if I can help.¡± ¡°Ok, thanks Terra.¡± She had a ghost of a smile on her lips as we finished our brief conversation, imperceptible to all but those who know her the most intimately.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Kira and Veronica¡¯s hard work and study these past few months paid off as they had no problems following the material in class. Both of them were well-educated to begin with by other world standards since Veronica was the daughter of the Prime Minister and I tutored Kira whenever I could. The translation artifacts allowed them to breeze through Japanese, since it also covers written language (reading it and writing it). Damn, I¡¯m brilliant for adding that function.

    At lunchtime, Kira went off to chat with Hikari and a small group of girls who she seemed to really get along with during the breaks. Veronica chose to keep me company and take shelter in the bubble of silence and solitude that surrounds me due to my reputation amongst my classmates. School hasn¡¯t been as fun for her as it has been for Kira, it seems. Reiji came along as well, choosing to focus on eating and reading his book rather than talking. Again, this is extremely out-of-character for Reiji, but understandable given what¡¯s he has gone through. It seems like his chipper attitude this morning was simply a front.

    Nothing eventful happened in the early afternoon classes, although it was rather fun to watch Kira and Veronica¡¯s reactions during the physics and chemistry classes. Science to them is like what magic initially was to me, and it was hilarious to see them restrain themselves from oohing and ahhing as the teachers did some simple demonstrations. I had to answer all sorts of questions from Kira telepathically throughout the classes. Her curiosity is definitely cat-like and she just couldn¡¯t resist asking ¡°How?¡± repeatedly.

    We were on our last class of the day, physical education, when I realized that I had made a mistake. Things were going well at first, the teacher had decided to just have the class play a game of basketball after showing everyone the basics. I wasn¡¯t concerned about Kira and Veronica showing off too much physical prowess, since I had decided to add the same restraining/training seals on them that I wear to hide my physical strength. Hikari had them on as well, at her insistence when she saw me applying them to the others.

    Half of the class was resting while the other half were playing 5-on-5. Veronica was on a team with Hikari, a girl, and two guys while Kira and I were resting. I had no clue who the two guys were, but I think the girl is on the school¡¯s basketball team. Adachi something is her name, I think. Hikari inbounded the ball to the other girl, who dribbled up the court before giving it up to Veronica who was just within the opposing half-court. The dark elf was just given the ball in a game that relies on long-range accuracy. Oh shit.

    Elves in the other world were among the weaker species based on raw physical strength, but they compensated for it with excellent agility, dexterity, visual acuity, and hearing. These characteristics give elves a natural advantage in archery, fencing, and other such activities. These traits also happen to align extremely well with basketball. I saw her eye the basket with her extraordinary elven eyesight, while shifting her grip on the ball. She went into the shooting motion and smoothly launched the ball, resulting in a short, crisp ¡°swish¡± as she made the shot at a half-court distance with ease.

    ¡°Woah!!!!¡± The spectating half of the class cheered as the opposing team just stared at Veronica. My attempt to contact her via telepathy to cut off what I knew was going to be a basketball clinic failed, as the other team turned the ball over almost instantly after inbounding. The ball bounced over to Veronica, who was again far beyond the 3-point line, and she picked it up and shot it without hesitation. It flew in a perfect parabolic arc and another crisp ¡°swish¡± sounded out in the gym.

    I was half-tempted to freeze everyone in the room and perform a memory wipe before the memories got too embedded to remove easily (Note to self: work on a better way to wipe memories). I instead chose to settle for telepathically warning Veronica as originally planned. But of course, it was at this time that my migraines chose to return. Splitting pain radiated in my head, I smelled blood and burning flesh mixed with floral undertones, tasted the acidic aftertaste from vomit, heard metal-on-metal clashing, and saw hazy black images in front of me.

    My poker face held, but I was in no condition to intervene as Veronica proceeded to demonstrate why she was considered a sharpshooter even by eleven standards by not missing a single shot from anywhere on the court. 2-pointers, 3-pointers, free throws, and half-court heaves all ended with the same ¡°swish¡±. The game ended on a mercy rule with Veronica¡¯s team winning by 35 points. The unknown girl on her team approached as they left the court.

    Due to my ongoing migraine, I was unable to hear what they talked about. My migraines only ended as Veronica approached me with a large (for her) smile on her face. ¡°Haruko asked if I would like to join the girl¡¯s basketball club. Apparently, it¡¯s a gathering where they play this entertaining pastime all the time. I accepted. You were right, Terra. I think that I found my fit.¡± Veronica¡¯s outpouring of words showed that she was really excited about finally making some connections at school.

    I promptly forgot any irritation I had at failing to stop her as I returned her smile with one of my own. ¡°Good to hear. Just be sure to tone it down a bit. Aim between 40 and 50% accuracy from now on, okay?¡± I got a nod from Veronica as she understood my point. It was now my turn to get out on the court with Kira, Reiji, and two other guys I¡¯ve seen before but whose names I never bothered remembering. The game was going on and I gave it the usual minimal effort. The worst of the migraines was over, but I still had a lingering headache. This distracted state of mind is what I blame for what happened next.

    One of the unknown guys attempted a lob pass to me down in the post as I was fronted by a shorter player. He screwed it up, sending the ball flying higher than intended. It was going to overshoot me and go out of bounds. I was too distracted by my headache to notice and adjust, so Reiji decided to yell to get my attention ¡°Minato!! UP!!¡± I looked up, saw the ball headed near the rim and thought what any American person who watched the NBA would think. Alley-oop. I released from my defender, took a few steps, and jumped. My two hands extended to grab the ball and I then proceeded to slam the ball through the hoop with authority as I descended.

    There were various gasps of surprise and awe after I landed, and Reiji ran towards me. The fool was yelling ¡°That was so cool!¡± and decided that the best way to celebrate was to do a chest bump with me. I declined by dodging said attempt, allowing him to fall onto the floor. Why was I concerned about this idiot being traumatized again?

    One of my nameless male classmates tried to approach me, likely to recruit me for the basketball club, but I gave him a glare that promised death, despair and general unpleasantness should he dare try to disturb me. He scurried away, leaving me to deal with the rest of the class who started crowding me to ask about my athletic display. Apparently, the awe from the play was enough to overcome the general intimidating aura that I exude to keep people away. Help! I don¡¯t know what to do with this many people in my personal space that aren¡¯t trying to kill me! I must have made an amusing face during my discomfort, because Hikari, Kira, and even Veronica were all giggling at my misfortune.

    The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class and of school for that day. We hit the showers, got our things, and left. ¡°So how did you like school?¡± Hikari asked Veronica and Kira on our walk home. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go back!¡± Kira exclaimed. ¡°Yes, it was very entertaining. Especially when poor Terra was mobbed at the end.¡± Veronica deadpanned. All the girls and Reiji (who looks enough like a girl to count as one) laughed at that as we walked home. First day is done, only the rest of the year to go.

 Chapter 92: Ignition

    September 6<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    I am standing alone in the empty expanse of a wide, rolling prairie. The sky above me is a cloudy grey, and there¡¯s a bit of a nip in the air that indicates autumn¡¯s approach. The reason why I am in a desolate stretch of Wyoming on my first weekend break from school is because it is finally time to power up the automaton. I wisely foresaw that doing an extremely volatile activation ritual in a small bedroom apartment would be risky, hence my current location. There¡¯s nothing to destroy and no one around to see anything.

    Hikari is spending time with her parents, and Kira and Veronica are working on their first homework assignments so none of them could come. It¡¯s for the best, since I don¡¯t know what safety precautions I should take. Artificer Steale¡¯s journal lists the proposed plan for the ritual, but it was only about 90% complete. He died before he could finish hammering out the details, so I¡¯ve been forced to fill in the remaining blanks myself.

    The body of the automaton is lying in the center of a large, intricate magic circle I made based on the rough sketches in Artificer Steale¡¯s journal. I added my own touches, which resulted in the circle looking like it was cut from a circuit board with occult undertones. This magic circle has several important functions. Firstly, it will program the initial desired personality, values, and knowledge, allowing the automaton to have a sense of self and the mindset of an adult. Secondly, it will mold the artificial build of the body into something much more lifelike. Lastly, it will jumpstart the mana pump heart, allowing the automaton to activate. If everything goes right, the automaton should be almost exactly like a human.

    Originally, I was building this automaton to see if I could and to have another person I could assign to guard those who are precious to me. With the involvement of Dante and Pandemonium, my priorities changed. I won¡¯t be able to hunt him down and go to school at the same time. So, I plan for this automaton to do it instead. I¡¯ll give it a teleportation marker, and when it finds Dante I¡¯ll teleport to it along with Rin. The automaton and Rin can then take care of the lackeys while I engage Dante.

    I finished the last of my preparations and decided to start. I walked over to the automaton, stopping in the middle of a small, jagged circle that would be my position for the duration of the ritual. I looked at the body of the automaton one last time to ensure everything was ready. The focus of several months of effort for me and a lifetime¡¯s work from Artificer Steale lied on the prairie grass unmoving. To say it looked like a large doll would not do it justice. A more apt description would be that it was like a sculpture of metal. I decided to honor Artificer Steale¡¯s efforts by keeping the appearance and the personality that he had desired for it to have.

    The hair, which was made from fine strands of a corroded red heart¡¯s iron and white gold alloy, was a light maroon color and was cut in a wavy asymmetrical bob style with the right side nearly reaching her chin while the other was kept short. The face was angular and had prominent cheekbones that went well with the delicate nose and full, red cupid¡¯s bow lips. The skin was a pale white tinged with pink, made from an 80:20 ratio white orichalcium to blood ore alloy. The body was an even 5 foot 10 inches tall with a willowy figure and a respectably sized bosom.

    I didn¡¯t notice anything wrong, so I took a knife and cut my wrist to release a spray of blood that manifested itself into a miniaturized version of the magic circle directly above the heart of the automaton. The miraculous spark known as life cannot be created by mere magic (that I know of), but the spark can be shared. That¡¯s what my blood was for, to give the automaton the spark of life that will grow into a full flame by naturally drawing in a soul from the cycle of reincarnation. This step in the ritual will alter the automaton in ways that vary depending on the one whose blood was given.

    The blood circle slowly descended towards the automaton as the magic circle was pulsating with my supplied mana. The pulsation then stopped and the magic circle started glowing steadily as I managed to tap into the ley-line beneath it. The blood circle at this point was lying on the skin above the heart, and it was now pulsating like the larger magic circle had been doing before. The softest ¡°thump¡± was heard as it pulsated, reminiscent of a heartbeat. The blood circle then proceeded to sink through the skin of the automaton. The thumping grew louder as the light from the blood circle faded.

    ¡°Thump. Thump. Thump.¡± The body was visibly shaking with each pseudo heartbeat. The magic circle surrounding the body restarted its pulsating from early, keeping in time with the heartbeat. ¡°Thump. Thump. Thump.¡± With each beat, part of the magic circle vanished and the light got stronger. I looked at the body, which started looking softer and more human as more of the magic circle vanished. ¡°Thump. Thump. Thump.¡± At this point, the only remaining part of the circle was where I was standing and where the body was.

    It¡¯s time for the last part of the ritual, one that I¡¯m highly skeptical about, but one that the Artificer claimed was ¡°absolutely vital¡±. The circle beneath my feet faded, leaving just the center beneath the body. It was shining so strongly that I had to squint. ¡°Thump. Thump. Thump.¡± The body of the automaton was now indistinguishable from a normal person. The hard edges and shine of metal covering had transformed into soft skin. The stiff, dull strands of hair became silky and glossy.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I leaned over the automaton, cleared my throat, and prepared to say the incantation for the final part of the ritual. It will finish the activation and grant it a name to cement its sense of self. ¡°WAKE UP IRENE!!!!¡± I bellowed at full strength in the ear of the automaton. The strength of my shout actually caused a small gale in the vicinity. The last portion of the magic circle went off like a flash bang, sending me flying a short distance. To clarify, it wasn¡¯t the magic circle detonating that sent me flying. That was supposed to happen. What sent me flying was the fist of the automaton as she reacted to my wake-up call.

    Had I been a normal human, I would have died. However, I am someone who could now tank a missile strike if necessary. I stood up, idly rubbing the spot where I was struck. It was a nice, strong strike. Good. A clarion voice interrupted my musings ¡°Are you my master?¡±

    I turned to the automaton, no, to Irene and responded ¡°I suppose so.¡± Irene¡¯s smoky grey eyes stood out against her pale, pink-tinged skin and light maroon hair as they looked over me. I could faintly hear the sounds of clanking gears and the hiss of steam within her body as I waited for her response.

    ¡°You¡¯re a damn disappointment.¡± Her words made me nearly fall over in surprise. ¡°What makes you think that?!¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°I would expect my master to be strong, tough and bold as hell. Not some pussy, punk-ass bitch that got sent flying by one punch to the jaw. You can¡¯t even tell me you¡¯re my boss properly.¡± She crossed her arms across her breasts, drawing attention to the fact that she was still naked. I couldn¡¯t help but blush slightly at the sight.

    The lovely automaton snorted at my reaction. ¡°What? Have you never seen a girl¡¯s cunt before? Or is it the knockers? Fucking virgins, I swear.¡± She dramatically threw her hands up to the sky as she beseeched some unknown deity ¡°Why have I been cursed with this pathetic bastard? What did I do in a past life? What did I¡ª¡± A girl¡¯s outfit consisting of a tank-top, capris and the necessary underwear hit her in the face, interrupting her questions. ¡°Put those on, and prepared to become the first girl I¡¯ve fucked over to not have enjoyed it.¡± I said coldly. I did not put in all those resources, time, and effort just for this asshole. I wasn¡¯t expecting a servant or anything of the sort, but I at least wanted someone I could get along with. Irene¡¯s response to my threat was a feral smile ¡°Hoh, looks like the bitch has some bark after all.¡± as she dressed herself.

    We both got into ready stances, waiting for someone to move first. Irene had inexplicably picked up a stone from the ground and held it in her hand. ¡°I knew you were a pussy. Waiting for the girl to move first, grow some balls already jackass.¡± Irene taunted. Why is this beauty so damn crude? I know I swear a lot in my thoughts, but with this girl it¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t believe in having a filter between her mind and her mouth. I kicked at the ground, gouging a large furrow in the earth, and sending an impressive amount of dirt and stone towards Irene. She tightened her grip on the rock in her hand and said ¡°Optimize.¡± Lines of light appeared on the rock as she side-armed it towards the wave of earth. The stone rocketed forward like there was no air resistance and pierced through the wave easily on its way towards my head.

    I stood unmoving, curious as to what exactly she did to the rock. Automaton use mana to power themselves, but they are not inherently able to use magic. Artificer Steale did note that depending on the potency of the blood used to activate them, the automaton may gain an additional functional capability. My blood is certainly potent, so let¡¯s see what this is. The rock collided with my forehead with a weight and velocity that should not have been possible with just Irene¡¯s normal specifications. Automaton can develop and improve just like living beings, but right now she¡¯s still at the initial specifications I had made. Nevertheless, I neither flinched nor faltered at the impact. I was not holding back against this girl who so accurately pushed my buttons.

    Irene, who had dodged my attack after launching her own, lunged towards me to engage in close combat. She had that feral grin on again and a manic gleam in her eye that I¡¯ve seen before on various battle junkies I¡¯ve fought. Nope, not gonna draw this fight out. I intercepted Irene mid-step with a punch to the gut, causing her body to curve like the letter C as she was sent flying across the prairie.

    Her flight was cut short however, when I moved ahead of her path and clotheslined her into the ground. Irene landed unconscious flat on her back, showcasing some major dents and a couple of rents in her skin. I could see her clockwork musculature ticking away, and wisps of steam could be seen leaking out. A jigsaw pattern of lights, indicating the magic circuits, appeared across her body and slowly mended her injuries.

    With her reboot complete, Irene opened her eyes to my cold visage as I stood over her. Contrary to my expectations of her being mad or defiant, a huge smile crossed her face. She jumped up spryly and then tackle hugged me. I was knocked over by the display of affection since she was far heavier than she looked. ¡°That was fucking amazing! Oh, it¡¯s such a relief to know my boss isn¡¯t a wimp!¡± she gushed.

    ¡­Huh? What happened to the jerk that picked a fight with me? ¡°So, you were being confrontational to test me?¡± I asked. ¡°The dumb fuck finally puts it together. Yes, I evaluated you to see what needed to be optimized. My boss won¡¯t be second best to anyone!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Optimized?¡± I questioned. She nodded ¡°Yep. According to the self-diagnostic test that I ran, your blood and all these top tier materials you used resulted in my magic circuits humming with more mana than I need to maintain peak performance. I can¡¯t use magic, but I can use the excess mana and my processing capabilities to improve the function of anything I touch. I call it optimization, and it¡¯s fuckin¡¯ incredible!¡± Irene gave a smirk as she continued while flicking her pinkie suggestively ¡°So, if you ever have ¡®performance¡¯ issues, I can optimize that too.¡±

    I sighed at her actions, but decided to ask one last question. ¡°What would you have done had I just been a weak loser?¡± I need to know the extent of her loyalty. I can make do if she¡¯s only following me because of my strength, but I¡¯d rather have someone I can eventually trust. ¡°I¡¯d have beaten your punk-ass into shape.¡± Irene turned her head away as she muttered one last line softly ¡°You¡¯re my creator after all. I¡¯d never abandon you.¡±

    Is that a hint of red on her cheeks? I foolishly decided to try and tease her about it ¡°Aww, so you can be cute after all.¡± WHAM! A fist met my face and buried me into the dirt. ¡°YOU MAY BE THE BOSS, BUT I¡¯LL STILL BEAT YOUR ASS IF YOU GET TOO CHEEKY WITH ME! I¡¯M SEXY AND COOL, NOT CUTE DAMNIT!!!¡±

    Artificer Steale, I¡¯m not sure about your preferences if this was the programmed personality you came up with.

 Chapter 93: Team Terra

    September 7<sup>th</sup> 2089

    ¡°This is Irene, the automaton Kira and I have been working on these past few months.¡± I said as I finished introducing Irene to the girls. ¡°Nice to meet you Irene.¡± The girls responded politely. Irene returned their greetings before giving them all a once over and letting loose an impressed whistle. ¡°Shit, Terra, are these three broads your harem?¡± Irene asked. I nodded, leading Irene to slapping me on the back ¡°Nice fucking work! As expected of the boss!¡± Irene gave a grin to the startled girls, and then turned her attention to Rin. ¡°Who¡¯s the furball?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a furball! I¡¯m Rin!¡± ¡°I call it like I see it, ya damn furball.¡± Irene told Rin. ¡°Hmph, then you¡¯re a boiler brain!¡± Rin taunted back.

    ¡°Ahn?!? You wanna repeat that? I¡¯ve been thinking of getting a fox skin scarf, ya damn furball!¡± Irene was sounding completely like a mobster with her speech now. Rin was unintimidated ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t hear anything but ¡®pssh, pssh¡¯. Boiler brain!¡± ¡°Why you cheeky fuck!¡± Irene glared at Rin, who chose to expand to a similar height to glare back. The two butted heads and looked like they were about to get into it. I sighed once and promptly flicked both of them on the forehead. *Clang* *Whine* Both Irene and Rin, who transformed into her human form after the strike, backed away while holding their foreheads. The other girls started giggling at their misfortune.

    ¡°Damnit, Boss! Force calculations and damage assessment indicate that this shouldn¡¯t be hurting this much!! How the hell is this possible?!¡± Irene complained while holding her forehead. ¡°Owwie! Master, it hurts!¡± Rin let out a fox-like whine as she looked at me with watery eyes. Poor, poor Rin. You should have learned by now that you shouldn¡¯t look so cute while in proximity to Kira and Hikari. *Glomp* ¡°MASTER, HELP!¡± Rin cried out as Kira and Hikari were fighting over who got to hold her. Veronica impassively watched them with amusement twinkling in her eyes, showing no inclination to go and save Rin from the others.

    ¡°Ha! Take that you damn furball!¡± Irene cackled at Rin¡¯s predicament. I ignored her as I proceeded to talk ¡°Alright, listen up everyone. Irene will be staying here at the apartment in the spare bedroom. She¡¯ll be gone often since I asked her to assist me in hunting down Pandemonium. Rin, you¡¯ll be helping her.¡± My statement was met with a collective ¡°WHAT!?!¡± from the girls, Irene, and even Rin. ¡°Master! Why do I have to work with boiler brain?¡± ¡°Damnit, boss! I don¡¯t want to work with the furball!¡± Faster than it took to blink, I flicked both Irene and Rin in the forehead again. They wisely voiced no further objections as they nursed their injured foreheads.

    I turned to look at Kira, Veronica, and Hikari, who were all glaring at me. ¡°What is your guys¡¯ problem?¡± The three of them gave me a pointed look. Hikari was the first to speak ¡°In this plan to go after Pandemonium, why are we not mentioned?¡± Before I could say anything, Veronica cut me off ¡°You better not say ¡®it¡¯s too dangerous¡¯.¡± Kira then added ¡°Yeah, Terra. We want to help!¡±

    I looked at the three of them, who were looking at me rebelliously. ¡°Look, the truth is that it is going to be very dangerous. I don¡¯t want to risk losing any of you.¡± Kira shouted back angrily at my words ¡°Don¡¯t be so selfish! You¡¯re not the only one who worries! Did it ever occur to you that we don¡¯t want to risk losing you?!? Idiot!¡± Veronica then quietly followed up ¡°Terra, you¡¯ve done so much for us, but we don¡¯t want to be so dependent. We want to support you as you have supported us. That¡¯s what a loving relationship is all about.¡± Hikari nodded in agreement ¡°We, I in particular, may not be as strong as you, but that doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t improve. We want to help anyway we can, so help us become strong so we can stand by your side.¡±

    A pair of amber, a pair of black, and a pair of violet eyes bore holes in me as they waited for my response. I guess they¡¯re right. This must be what Dante was referring to when he beat me. ¡®True power is more than just the strength someone possesses on their own¡¯ It¡¯s kind of sad that a demon lord knew that better than I did. I have been so used to trying to do everything alone that I don¡¯t even know where to begin with this. Having people that I rely on will be a first for me, but the girls deserve and have earned my trust. ¡°Fine. But I¡¯m going to train you all into the ground. Especially you, Hikari, since you have a lot of catching up to do.¡±

    There was a brief pause as my words sinked in, then I got tackle hugged by the three girls simultaneously. I let them celebrate a little bit, before allowing an evil smile to show on my face. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start training!¡± A flash of light occurred as I teleported everyone out of the apartment. Hehe, this is going to be fun.

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s been only an hour since Minato teleported us for training, but Kira, Vera and I are already collapsed on the ground. All three of us have no energy to stand or speak. Rin and Irene are currently duking it out in the background. It is strange seeing a massive 3-tailed fox trying to trample a girl with a baseball bat, but I guess this is normal around Minato.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Speaking of Minato, he¡¯s standing over our prone forms carefreely. ¡°We¡¯ll be doing this for an hour every morning from now on. If it¡¯s too much for you, let me know and we¡¯ll stop.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s his plan. I thought that he had caved a little too easily about letting us help him. So, he wants to scare us off with harsh training. Ha! ¡°¡­Don¡¯t underestimate our determination, Minato!¡± I gasped out at him. His striking green eyes focused on me as he let out a sigh. ¡°I have to at least try, right?¡± he gave a shrug as he passed out some water. ¡°As for you, Hikari, it¡¯s time to go get your first kill.¡± I nodded reluctantly to his words. If I am to become someone who Minato relies on, I have to get stronger.

    He turned towards Vera and Kira, who had miraculously already recovered from their exhaustion. It¡¯s incredible how physically superior the other world residents are. ¡°Go spar with Irene and Rin, it¡¯ll be good practice.¡± He then vanished, leaving me to wait for about 5 minutes before returning. In his arms he had 3 adorable bunnies, which he trapped on the ground with a simple spell. He then pulled out a katana from his item box and handed it to me.

    The sheath was black, with gold trim on the edges. I drew out the katana, which was the ideal weight and length for me, and saw a dark grey metal branded with a crimson pentagram right above the hilt. ¡°This is a sword I had made for myself in the other world once upon a time. However, I never ended up using it. I¡¯ve altered it for you instead.¡± Minato spoke as I admired the craftsmanship and balance of the blade. ¡°It can convert the kinetic energy from its movement into mana and then release it as a magical projectile. It also can absorb and store kinetic energy from combat to power up the strength of the magical attack. It has a very large capacity.¡± ¡°What¡¯s its name?¡± I asked, only to get a confused look from Minato. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have one, none of the weapons I used had a name.¡± ¡°What!? You have to name your weapons! Especially when they have cool abilities like this!¡± I exclaimed. How did he never get that idea? He hangs out with Reiji after all!

    ¡°Anyways, stop trying to change the subject.¡± Minato pointed at the three adorable bunnies that were immobilized on the ground. ¡°Kill them.¡± He commanded. I looked at the three bunnies who were twitching their whiskers ever so cutely, and couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. Minato did not comment, and simply waited. Eventually, I managed to make myself walk over to the bunnies with my unsheathed katana. I lifted up the sword, trembling slightly as I aimed for their necks.

    Breathe. If you want to fight demons, you have to be able to kill. This is something that Minato, Kira, and Vera have all done. This is something they can do without hesitation, even to other intelligent beings. Yet I¡¯m still hesitating. It¡¯s not even a person and yet I¡¯m still hesitating. Is it really this hard to willfully kill? I want to be able to protect three of the most important people in my life and I still can¡¯t muster up the courage?

    ¡­I think I now see why Minato doesn¡¯t really like talking about his job and the things he¡¯s done in the other world. Ha, my naivety must have looked so stupid to him as I pestered him about the monsters he slayed or the criminals he caught. *Sniff* I can feel some tears rolling down my face and I know that I must appear really pathetic to him right now, not even able to kill a couple of bunnies. *Sniff* *Hic* How can I even claim to love him when I don¡¯t even understand him? *Sniff* *Hic* *Sniff*

    My rumination was interrupted when a pair of familiar arms gently took away the katana and wrapped around me. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t cry.¡± Minato soothingly whispered as he pulled me into his embrace. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be easy at first. Killing is dirty and repulsive. It¡¯s only natural that someone still innocent like you would be so troubled. This can break someone who is not ready for it, and it¡¯s not something so easily fixed.¡± His voice was so understanding and so kind, and he sounded far, far older than his actual age. ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t do it. It¡¯s fine to keep that innocence, you know?¡± he continued comforting me. I could tell that he really meant it too.

    He was broken, wasn¡¯t he? Kira told me about Hafor, and about how Minato couldn¡¯t move past that for the longest time. She told me how he had relived the event using magic in order to track the bandits, and how he never confided about it to anyone. He carried the burden alone for such a long time before finally coming to terms with it. I never mentioned it to Minato, waiting for the time to come when he would tell me himself. But I don¡¯t think he ever will. I know it¡¯s why that lovable goofball I played with as a child transformed into the cold, silent loner. Is he ashamed of himself? Does he feel tarnished by what he¡¯s done? Is that why he¡¯s so accepting of my inability to kill?

    ¡°Kira told me about Hafor.¡± I blurted out those words before I could stop myself. Minato let loose a small sigh ¡°Yeah, that messed me up a lot. I¡¯m over it, but the scars are still there and they won¡¯t fade for a long time. Kira and Veronica also have their own scars from the other world. We all have been messed up. That¡¯s why it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not like us.¡± No, it¡¯s not fine. How can I call myself Kira and Vera¡¯s friend and Minato¡¯s fianc¨¦ if I can¡¯t even make myself experience a simple sliver of the challenges they have overcome.

    I extricated myself from Minato¡¯s embrace, grabbed my katana from him, and immediately slashed downwards towards the animals. A strange sensation seemed to flow into me from the blade, and the next thing I know a small blade of light emanated downwards from the steel. The bunnies were chopped into clean pieces and a deep cut appeared on the ground. I quivered a little bit from the shock of my first kills as the blood splattered across me, but my will held firm. I¡¯ll stand by those precious to me, no matter what.

    I turned back to Minato, who had his adorable surprised face on, and smiled ¡°I¡¯ll be by your side no matter what. Who cares if you¡¯re messed up, I love you and that¡¯s what counts. Everything else is just details.¡± I flashed a look towards Kira and Vera and added ¡°That goes for you two as well!¡± For the first time in this relationship, I was the calm one while Minato, Kira and Vera were all surprised. It was a rather refreshing feeling. My new sword was still humming, although I¡¯d like to think it was laughing along with me. If it¡¯s going to be my new partner, it deserves a good name¡­ I think that ¡°Dynamo¡± is a good fit.

 Chapter 94: So Close and Yet So Far

    September 10<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Daiki Hayashi. I¡¯m your grandfather.¡± A man with piercing black eyes and short, cropped brown hair spoke to me as he introduced himself. My mother, normally a strong and confident woman, was radiating anxiety. She put on an excellent front, but it was excruciatingly obvious to my senses that she was uncomfortable being here. I too was uncomfortable, as I saw my grandfather¡¯s eyes clearly assessing me. How did I end up here on a random Wednesday?

    I had woken up early in the morning, took a sadistic pleasure in rousing the girls for their early-morning training, and then tortured, ahem, trained them for the subsequent hour. I took a shower, had breakfast, and then went to school with the gang. I left Irene and Rin to continue fighting out their differences and to work on their teamwork. There¡¯s no point sending them out to fight Pandemonium yet if they are too busy fighting each other.

    Class was uneventful, although during one of the breaks Veronica discovered what a ¡°Santa¡¯s Elf¡± was. I¡¯m not sure how that topic came up in September, but I digress. Her reaction was priceless. Kira couldn¡¯t resist teasing her about it until lunch, where she finally pushed Veronica over the edge. Hikari nearly busted a gut laughing at the aftermath, I had to devise a new charm to fix the damage, and Kira discovered what superglue is. She was rather intrigued by the substance, which only made the clean-up more difficult.

    After the amusing lunch, I was called out of class to see my mother in the principal¡¯s office along with a black-suited chauffeur. One car ride later and here we are, at the top of a high-rise in the heart of Tokyo. Apparently, things have progressed between my mother and her family to the point of meeting face to face. My father is gone on business (the health department has inexplicably been cracking down on the restaurants recently), so I suspect I am being brought along mainly as emotional support.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡± My grandfather commanded as he placed himself behind his desk. My mother and I were seated across from him, giving the impression of a business meeting rather than a family reunion. ¡°So Yuuna, I hear that you have been doing rather well at the law firm. How do you like it there?¡± my grandfather asked my mother. ¡°Ah, um, well, I enjoy my work very much!¡± my mother replied rather awkwardly.

    I could see my grandfather resist the urge to sigh at the response, and he immediately got to the point. ¡°I thought that it would be best to commence some small talk first to lighten the mood, but that obviously won¡¯t work. I was wrong, Yuuna.¡± My mother had a shocked expression on her face as she only managed to respond with an ¡°Eh?¡±. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. I was wrong to dismiss your potential simply because of your gender and perceived infertility.¡± ¡°¡­EHHH!?!¡±

    This time my grandfather did openly sigh at my mother¡¯s reaction. ¡°I understand it is a rare occurrence for me to be wrong, let alone openly admit it, but do try and control yourself. What were all those etiquette lessons for?¡± His words snapped my mother out of her funk, and she blushed. ¡°Sorry Father, but it is all a bit too sudden. I came over with Minato so he could meet his grandfather and so we could attempt talking face-to-face. I had no plans about revisiting the past.¡±

    My grandfather brushed that statement away ¡°Nonsense. To mend the rifts between us requires that we acknowledge the mistakes we made that led up to this point. But for now, this should be enough. I did not simply request the two of you over so I could humble myself. I would also like to personally extend an invitation to the two of you and Mr. Cross to attend the Hayashi Group¡¯s Gala for the Day of Peace in November. ¡°¡­EHHHHH!?!?¡± I joined my grandfather this time in sighing at my mother¡¯s reaction, although I certainly understand her surprise. The Day of Peace is the global celebration that marks the final armistice of the 3<sup>rd</sup> World War (not counting the ensuing mayhem from the Cyber Plague). Every country has it declared as a national holiday, and it is a widely celebrated one.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The Hayashi Group hosts a party on the Day of Peace that has become known as ¡°the place to be¡± for that day. The elites in business, politics, fashion, entertainment, and sports all attend. Everyone from the Prime Minister to the MVP of the Japanese Baseball League can be seen in the ballroom. The guest list is exceedingly exclusive, and it has grown in popularity to the point where even foreign dignitaries have started attending. An invitation to this event is worth the invitee¡¯s weight in platinum.

    The intercom on grandfather¡¯s desk rang and his secretary¡¯s voice rang out ¡°Sir, your 3 o¡¯clock is here.¡± ¡°I understand, send them up.¡± My grandfather then returned his attention to us ¡°I apologize, but work calls. Yuuna, I¡¯ll video chat you soon so we can continue talking. Minato, it was a pleasure finally meeting you.¡± With that we were dismissed, bringing to a close my first meeting with my grandfather.

    Daiki Hayashi¡¯s POV

    I watched as my daughter and grandson left. It was intriguing to see the calm poise that Minato exuded throughout the meeting. He has an excellent grasp on his emotions. He reminds me a bit of myself, dare I say that this is grandfatherly pride I am feeling right now? It¡¯s a shame his blood is tainted, but at least the Hayashi side appears dominant in him.

    The door to my office opened as my 3 o¡¯clock arrived. He was dressed impeccably in a black suit with a red tie, sunglasses, and a black bowler hat. The one mar in his outfit was a gaudy neon pink pin on his lapel with gold letters that read ¡°Rin Yamamoto¡¯s Number #1 Fan¡±. He sat with a flourish, taking off his hat and glasses to reveal crimson eyes and hair that matched his tie perfectly. The air suddenly seemed to gain a cutting chill to it.

    ¡°Hello, Mr. Hayashi. I heard from some friends in low places that you are looking for a ¡®cleaner¡¯, so I¡¯ve taken the liberty to come over. I¡¯m Dante.¡± So, it looks like the 47 Ronin group has been taken over by Pandemonium. He doesn¡¯t seem to be here to kill me, but with unstable individuals it¡¯s always an uncertainty as to their motives. Nevertheless, I can use this. I maintained my composure as I stared down the wildly infamous ¡°Demon Lord¡± Dante. ¡°The head of Pandemonium himself comes to visit me, I must say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Dante lightly smiled, giving me the impression of a predator looking at prey. ¡°Well, chaos and mass murder isn¡¯t cheap, so the group has been branching out into more unsavory enterprises other than good ol¡¯ fashioned terrorism.¡±

    His words confirmed my suspicions. Any secret organization would require copious amounts of money to operate as successfully as they have. ¡°Since you are here, you must know what I am requesting, correct?¡± I continued after Dante nodded ¡°Very well. Name your price.¡± Dante put a finger to his chin and tilted his head as he thought. It was¡­ disconcerting seeing an adult male doing that gesture.

    He came to a decision and then spoke ¡°I don¡¯t want your money, what I want is your reach.¡± ¡°Elaborate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in love.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s this lovely girl that has caught my attention, but she¡¯s proven rather adept at hiding.¡± He pointed at his pin ¡°It¡¯s impressive, given how famous she was getting. I can¡¯t allocate the necessary resources to find her myself.¡± ¡°I see, so you wish instead to utilize the Hayashi Group¡¯s reach here in Japan.¡± ¡°Yep. I¡¯ll take care of your problem in exchange for agreeing to help. When you find her, I¡¯ll throw in one more free contract.¡± I paused to consider the proposition.

    Pandemonium¡¯s record of completely random attacks make them an excellent choice for my problems. No one would suspect motive in a Pandemonium attack. It¡¯s perfect. I can accelerate my plans even further with this and start more forcefully suppressing Yuuna and her husband¡¯s livelihoods. ¡°I agree to your proposal. Timing is everything with the first contract, I¡¯ll contact you when I believe the moment is right.¡± ¡°Okey dokey! Just use the usual number, everyone is working for me now anyways.¡± Dante donned his hat and sunglasses once more as he turned to leave. ¡°Toooo~dles!¡±

    And just like that, the Demon Lord left. I released my breath which I hadn¡¯t even realized I was holding in. I then noticed the cold sweat I was in and that my heart rate was accelerated. Although I intend to use this Dante for my own ends, I must remember to tread carefully. He is clearly someone not to be antagonized.

 Chapter 95: A Girls Best Friend

    September 13<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Is this the place?¡± I asked Kira as we stopped in front of an abandoned storefront. ¡°Yeah, this is it!¡± Kira responded cheerfully as Irene was munching on some chips. As an automaton she doesn¡¯t need to eat, but she¡¯s found it rather enjoyable. She told me that she eats only partially for the taste. The real fun is where she can tease the other girls by gorging on a mountain of sweets without caring about her weight. The food energy is converted into a minimal amount of mana, which she can store or simply burn off instantly.

    We entered the store, where Kira¡¯s fighting manager Mr. Chino, AKA Ratface, was waiting. I heard from both Kira and Veronica that he looks like a rat-kin, but I didn¡¯t realize that he was such a dead ringer for those shifty bastards. All he¡¯s missing are the ears, whiskers and tail. ¡°Hey Mr. Chino! This is Terra, he¡¯s the buyer I mentioned.¡± Kira called out to the ratty looking man. Ratface nodded in greeting, showing no surprise at the bandanas Irene and I were wearing across our faces. They were the same as what I used to wear back in the other world. It feels good to have it on again. And of course, once the girls saw it they all demanded one. Kira isn¡¯t wearing it currently since she is using her illusion artifact.

    We followed Ratface to the basement, where a barred door was unlocked once they saw who it was. The dank room was filled to the brim with guns, ammo and explosives. SMGs, pistols, shotguns, light machine guns, assault weapons, I even saw a laser rifle hanging on the wall. The reason why we¡¯re here is because my former gun running contact has vanished. I had bought all my illegal arms from him back when the other world was still around. However, there has been a major shake-up in the underworld recently, resulting in his death. I¡¯ve been unable to get any more details than that.

    The grizzly looking store owner gave us a once over before muttering ¡°Show me you¡¯re good for the money, or you can get the fuck out. No e-cash, paper only.¡± Kira took off the backpack she was carrying and unzipped it, showing the stacks of bills inside. The owner grunted in acknowledgement before going back to his magazine.

    I was waiting for Irene to start swearing at the owner, but her silence left me confused. I turned to look at her, and her eyes were literally sparkling at the sight of all the weapons. I didn¡¯t know automatons could do that. ¡°Is that a M250 Punisher?!? Oh wait, there¡¯s a Tyrant revolver with a chrome finish! Ahhh! There are too many choices! My processor is going to overload!¡± she immediately moved over to me ¡°Boss, how many guns can I buy?!?¡± I looked at her joyful face and sighed ¡°Three.¡± The joyful look disappeared, to be replaced with her yakuza enforcer shaking down a target look. ¡°Oi, are you shittin¡¯ me right now? Three guns. Da fuck am I to do with just three guns? Boss, I demand at least eight, god damnit!¡±

    Ratface and the store owner stared at Irene during her outburst. Despite the bandana, anyone can tell the person behind it is a pretty, young woman. Hearing said person swear worse than a sailor is disturbing to say the least. I gave a subtle signal to Kira to distract Ratface and the store owner while I tried to placate the grumpy automaton. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll bump it up to four a¡ª¡± ¡°You cock-sucking, dog-fucking, sorry excuse for a unic, cunt!¡± Before she could continue, I performed a light hand chop to her head. She let out an indignant squeak, giving me the opening to finish my original sentence. ¡°Four guns, and I¡¯ll throw in some magic artifacts as well.¡± Irene¡¯s anger vanished, and she was once again delighted.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re the fuckin¡¯ best, Boss!¡± I sighed at her antics. ¡°Irene, why do always talk so crudely?¡± Irene tilted her head at the question ¡°My speech isn¡¯t crude, it¡¯s optimal. The first thing I did after activation was optimize everything from my movement programs to my speech patterns.¡± She continued her talking, oblivious to the fact that I was about to face palm. ¡°Blunt, direct speech supplemented with swear words was calculated to be the most optimal way to communicate.¡± ¡°Really? You¡¯re not just messing with me?¡± ¡°Damnit fucktard! It¡¯s either this or I can switch to the second most optimal setting of binary code mixed with sign language!¡±

    There was a pause as she let that option sink in. ¡°¡­ Choose your guns.¡± Irene gave me a quick one-armed hug after my response before dashing off to look at some of the armaments. *Sigh* Let¡¯s get my own shopping out of the way before I forget. I headed towards the 9mm caliber weapons, debating between my old 9mm pistols or something new. It¡¯s an important decision given that they¡¯ll be my primary weapons from now on. I¡¯d much prefer my old rhomphaia, hell, I¡¯d settle for any half-decent melee weapon. But that¡¯s not an option. The last weapon I had was the katana, which I had modified for Hikari ages ago.

    Unfortunately, creating magic artifacts is dependent on the materials used. The enchantment also has to be applied while the item is being made for it to be permanent. Most materials on Earth can¡¯t hold an enchantment well, if at all. My old guns were enchanted because I had a dwarven blacksmith smelt in mithril when I was getting my rhomphaia and ninjato reforged after that Asuran bounty damaged them.

    I am not a master blacksmith, nor am I a gunsmith, so I can¡¯t forge my own weaponry. I have some basic metalworking skills, picked up way back when in Hafor, but it is not sufficient. I could technically do it with magic, but that very magic would prevent any enchantments from sticking with the metal. Finding a blacksmith here on Earth isn¡¯t an option since the other worldly materials require specialized knowledge to work with. Not to mention the questions I would have to answer about the materials. The few magic artifacts I¡¯ve made only require a little crafting skill, which is why I can do it in the first place.

    As I searched through the illegal weaponry, I noticed a pair of .75 caliber custom pistols. They had extended clips and an emblem of a shattered bone on the barrels. I know these guns, they were a limited-edition neo pistol set called ¡°Wristbreakers¡±. The creator utilized the burgeoning supercomputer technology of the time to create the largest caliber handgun in history. The supercomputers coordinated the magnetic dampeners in order to make it physically possible to fire without breaking bone. It was a revolutionary design that allowed for unheard of range and stopping power for a handgun. The power was too strong for it to be categorize as a pistol, thus it was classified as a ¡°hand cannon¡±. This magnetic dampener technology was then applied to other firearms, leading to a new age of ballistic weaponry. It was the last step before the invention of energy-based weaponry.

    Like most pre-war weaponry, the Wristbreakers became useless after the Cyber Plague of 2046. Without the computer-coordinated magnetic dampeners, these guns literally break the wrists of any normal human who fires them. ¡°How much?¡± I asked the store owner as I placed them on the counter. ¡°You¡¯re the first person to ask about those. I¡¯ll do 200. Get those wastes of space off my wall.¡± Huh, the owner listed a reasonable price.

    ¡°Boss! Get the fuck over here! I need your opinion.¡± Irene called me over to watch as she expertly twirled a rifle in here hands. She took a pose with it and asked ¡°What do you think?¡± I nodded in approval ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°I know! What do you think of this one then?¡± And thus the next 3 hours passed. Ratface had left, while Kira was snoring next me as she leaned on my shoulder as we sat. The store owner was still reading his magazine.

    ¡°Okay! I think I¡¯ve decided.¡± Irene finally announced. Kira jerked awake at her words, ¡°Is it over?¡± she asked hopefully. ¡°Blondie, you need to learn to appreciate the finer fucking things in life. Guns are a girl¡¯s best friends you know? It¡¯s like a better version of a guy. It shoots off when you want it to and it always keeps away the other guys when you say no. And the only thing better than a good fuck is a good fight.¡± Irene sagely said as Kira listened attentively. ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Kira responded skeptically. I too would find it hard to believe anything someone said if they were cuddling a shotgun like it was a teddy bear while saying it.

    I paid for Irene¡¯s painstakingly selected twin sawed-off shotguns, light machine gun, and sniper rifle before we left the establishment. ¡°Irene, you ready to start hunting?¡± I asked as we walked home. Irene¡¯s response was a beautiful smile that radiated bloodlust ¡°Hell yeah.¡±

 Chapter 96: The Return of the Three

    September 15<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s been two days since Irene and I acquired some weapons. Now we need a target to use them on. The first step in our hunt will be to find some leads. My current plan is to pay a visit with Irene to the police HQ after school today and take whatever info they got on the concert attack. If they have nothing, I¡¯ll move on to other police stations in areas where Pandemonium attacks have occurred. If those are dead ends¡­ I¡¯ll masquerade as Rin and see if I can tempt Dante out. That¡¯s an absolutely last resort.

    ¡°Minato, could you please answer the question?¡± My daydreaming about tracking and killing a demon lord was interrupted by my history teacher, who was looking irritated by my lack of attention. ¡°The Return of the King occurred in the year 2035, when the monarch of England took advantage of the massive public distrust of the government to reestablish England as an absolute monarchy. The fulcrum of this change was King Arthur¡¯s archaeological hobbies. He was working on a site in Cornwall when he discovered the sword and sheathe of his namesake. The politically savvy King used his discovery of the blade as a symbol of his divine right to rule, rallying the people to his cause. After the successful royal revolution, he took on the surname Pendragon to cut off all ties with the ¡®puppet¡¯ royal family of the past.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s correct.¡±

    The old crone of a history teacher turned back to the chalkboard as I resumed my daydreaming.

    One of the great perks of having an augmented brain is that I can think fast and react even faster. I can look at something once and have it permanently memorized. This is invaluable when called out by the teacher, because my time perception can slow down and give me time to think.

    The old crone then chose to torment a different classmate who she noticed had let their attention wander. ¡°Aito, since today¡¯s class has been focused on the member nations of the Council of Nine, please tell us about the current relationships between them.¡± ¡°Um, I don¡¯t really know.¡±

    *Sigh* ¡°Very well then.¡± The teacher started to lecture us. ¡°The Council of Nine members can be subdivided into 4 factions. These factions extend out to each country¡¯s allies amongst the minor nations and so the world itself can be divided into these four factions. The Monarch Faction, led by the Empire of Zaire and Kingdom of England, is best characterized by the fact that every member in the faction is a monarchy of some sort. The United Faction consists of the USA, Germany, and India. The Neo Faction consists of the Neo-Soviet Union, Persia, and the CAC. These two factions are the continuations of the old alliances from WW3. The last faction is the Sino Faction, which is led by China and whose member nations are mostly led by corrupt autocrats and despotic dictators. Japan is a member of the United faction and has been a longtime historical ally to the US.¡±

    The class hurriedly wrote down what the teacher was saying, while I simply stared out the window. I heard a faint ¡°Tch¡± from across the room as Aito noticed my behavior. He was sitting next to Koji and Kiyoshi. Yeah, so the missing students that Kawaguchi-sensei told us about were the Super Otaku 3. They finally managed to recover enough to return to school. This has presented a problem for me because I can see Reiji staring me and I know that he¡¯ll try and persuade me to tell those three about myself. I have no intention of doing so. I don¡¯t talk about magic or the other world. Reiji was my traumatized best friend, so he was an exception. I¡¯m not giving out my life¡¯s story to 2 acquaintances and one pseudo-enemy.

    The feared encounter occurred during lunch. It was just me and Reiji eating. This has become a common occurrence. Hikari and Kira usually eat lunch together with a shared group of friends, giggling and gossiping about all sorts of subjects. Even Veronica now takes lunch with fellow members of the basketball club. It¡¯s good to see the girls adapting so well.

    Anyways, the moment arrived as Reiji spoke ¡°Minato, when do you plan on telling the others about magic?¡± I stopped sipping my drink to reply ¡°Never.¡± ¡°What!? Why!?¡± Reiji demanded to know. ¡°To protect Kira, Veronica and myself from exposure. When a secret is known by more than one person it is not a secret, it is a liability. I already have enough liabilities, I don¡¯t plan on adding even more.¡± ¡°But Minato, ¡ª¡± I cut Reiji off to emphasize my point ¡°I haven¡¯t even told my parents, Reiji. You and Hikari are the only two people from this world who know my secret. And yet you want me to tell those 3. I decline. It is as simple as that. This has nothing to do with them.¡±

    Silence prevailed between us as Reiji was contemplating my words. ¡°Fine. You¡¯re right about not telling them details. But they¡¯ve already seen magic and demons! They¡¯ll be confused and scared! They deserve answers!¡± Reiji finally responded. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but leave me and the others out of it. I don¡¯t care how you explain why you know what you know, as long as you don¡¯t mention us.¡± I fixed Reiji with a level stare before continuing ¡°If they learn something they shouldn¡¯t, I won¡¯t hesitate to wipe their memories.¡± I finished my lunch and left after saying one last thing ¡°Even if it harms them in the process.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    ¡°You were awesome as usual, Veronica!¡± I nodded in acknowledgement to Haruko¡¯s exuberant praise. Basketball practice had just finished up, and we were in the locker room getting changed while exchanging small talk. I¡¯m still working on the talk, but my teammates seem to have no issue with my reticence. Haruko had told me ¡°Actions speak louder than words, and your game on the court does all the talking you¡¯ll ever need.¡± *Snap* ¡°Haruko! Enough with the towel already!¡± I turned to see several of the girls exiting the showers, where Haruko had been horsing around.

    I couldn¡¯t help but observe those girls out of curiosity. It¡¯s times like these when I notice another of the major differences between this world and my own. Flat. Short. Plain. I guess Minato skewed my expectations on the appearances of humans. I didn¡¯t expect everyone here to be on the level of Minato or Hikari, but it is a little surprising how ordinary everyone appears compared to back in the other world. ¡°Something wrong, Veronica?¡± One of the girls asked me. ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that I got a feeling you were pitying me or something.¡± I shook my head to refute that suspicion, even though that was exactly what I was doing.

    I finished dressing and left for home, marveling at the absolutely massive number of people walking in the streets. And not a single one of the thousands of people I saw was wearing a weapon, nor were they starved, nor were they diseased and dying. The quality of life here is exceptional. Yet this Pandemonium group is now threatening to take this away. Wild demons have always been a persistent nuisance, even in the other world. However, the residents there were hardened survivors and demon hunts were commonly conducted by the Queen¡¯s men to minimize the damage they cause. The people here are like sheep that are just waiting to be devoured by those demonic wolves.

    I entered the apartment while thinking these dark thoughts and came across Terra and Irene who were just leaving. They were fully armed, and Terra was wearing the bandana he always wears when on a job. ¡°Where are you two going?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re breaking into a police station. We¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± Terra said as he gave me a quick kiss good-bye. ¡°Boss, you can fuck Caramel later. Let¡¯s get this damn infiltration mission over with. They¡¯re boring as hell, so let¡¯s not drag it out.¡± Irene grumbled while following Terra out the door rather closely. Despite her harsh words and tone, she seems rather eager to be alone with Terra. Hmm, does that mean what I think it does?

    ¡°Big sis! I wanna¡¯ go to the park!¡± Rin¡¯s demand broke me out of my speculation as she looked up at me eagerly. She was in her humanoid form and looking heartbreakingly adorable as usual. Contrary to what the others believe, I too am susceptible to Rin¡¯s charms. However, by restraining myself I¡¯ve become Rin¡¯s safeguard from the attentions of Hikari and Kira. She runs to me to escape them. Fufufu, I then can have her all to myself.

    ¡°Sure, just give me a moment.¡± I watched the little demonic familiar joyfully scamper away to change into more suitable clothes. We then went to the nearby park, where I sat lithely on the branch of a large oak tree at the center of the park while Rin ran around the playground with the other children. Terra told me that 9-tailed demonic foxes do not mature based on time, but instead are dependent on the number of tails they grow.

    As a three-tailed fox, Rin has an elementary school kid¡¯s mentality and thus should be treated as one. Of course, she¡¯s also a high-level demon so we don¡¯t let her out by herself to avoid accidents. School is also a no until she has more tails. Regardless, she doesn¡¯t need to learn anything yet since she is Terra¡¯s familiar and was imprinted with his general knowledge when created. ¡°Big Sis Vera! Look at this!¡± Rin was hanging upside down on the monkey bars, looking like any other normal child with her fox appendages hidden by magic. I smiled at her antics as I enjoyed the feeling of the tree at my back. I felt content while watching Rin play with the other children. A light autumn wind ruffled my hair, letting my silver hair sparkle in the sunlight.

    A strong sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu overtook me as I remembered a time in my childhood where I had been playing in the garden while my mother watched over me with a gentle smile. Her hair had been shining in the light back then too. Is this how motherhood would feel? *Blush* It¡¯s still fifty years too soon to even think about having children. Although¡­ I really have settled into this world if I¡¯m thinking about that already.

    Amongst the many surprises and wonders of this world, one of the most remarkable was the fact that I felt so at home here. The peaceful and uneventful (until recently) everyday life was so easy to adjust to. I never once missed anything from the ¡°other¡± world. The only thing worthwhile there had been family, which was taken from me early in life. Honestly, that world could be gone and I wouldn¡¯t feel any sorrow over it. I know Kira shares my sentiments.

    ¡°Watcha doin¡¯?¡± Rin suddenly had appeared beside me, startling me out of my thoughts. I nearly grabbed my crossbow from the ¡°storage ring¡± magic artifact that Terra gifted everyone with recently. He demanded that we carry our weapons with us at all times because he ¡®learned the hard way that troublesome problems will appear when unprepared and then things will just get worse¡¯. He shuddered as he remembered that event, but refused to elaborate.

    ¡°Do you want to go home?¡± ¡°Yeah! Master and boiler brain should be back by now! Big Sis Kira and Big Sis Kari will be there too! I wanna eat dinner with them!¡± I picked up Rin in my arms, savoring the snuggly feeling from her tails as I did so, and lightly jumped off the tree branch. The drop may have been a bit further than what humans could manage without injury, but it¡¯ll be fine. I was just as eager as Rin to get home. My new family was there waiting for me after all.

 Chapter 97: Youthful Endeavors

    September 21<sup>st</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Welcome to Juan¡¯s Stop ¡®n¡¯ Shop. Where the prices are loco~.¡± The middle-aged greeter at the grocery store did his job with an impressive lack of enthusiasm as I entered. As one would suspect from a store named ¡°Juan¡¯s¡±, I am not in Japan. I am in a barrio in Miami, where my search for the Fountain of Youth has led me to this dump. I¡¯ve been doing this search casually on the weekends, teleporting back and forth from wherever I left off.

    Juan Ponce de Leon¡¯s journey was well-documented, making it easy for me to follow. When I was traveling along his supposedly ¡°false¡± route into Florida, I noticed lingering traces of ancient magic. It was so faint that in a few more years it would have completely faded. I followed the traces to an old waystone, which I realized was a marker for an underwater aquifer that ran along a ley line. I followed said aquifer to this store. Had this place not been located on a massive intersection of ley lines while simultaneously being directly under a constellation that was channeling mana, I would have assumed I made a mistake. As it stands, I need to pinpoint the exact location of the Fountain and see if it has run dry or not.

    I started browsing some snacks, while keeping my sense open. The store was dank, ill-lit, and a major health hazard. I saw a rat mugging a cockroach, for goodness¡¯ sake. I repressed a shudder and moved on. ¡°Hey chica, what¡¯s a beauty like you doin¡¯ in a place like this?¡± And there it is. I was shapeshifted as Rin for this little expedition. It was to keep my true identity a secret, and to hopefully mislead Dante as to where I am. If he¡¯s tearing up Tokyo with demons trying to find me, it¡¯ll be inevitable for me to clash with them as Minato. Thus, he if thinks Rin has gone elsewhere, I won¡¯t have to worry about my hometown.

    Fortunately, a year of experience masquerading as a girl has taught me the light touch needed to extricate myself from this situation (which has happened far too frequently for my liking). *Click* Wristbreaker was cocked and pointed in the face of the pendejo who was hitting on me. ¡°Not interested.¡± The wannabe homeboy paled at the sight of the hand cannon, and quickly scurried away.

    The only witness to my actions was a frail old lady with a walker and oxygen tank, who didn¡¯t show any surprise at a gun being drawn in the store. She had grey, wispy hair, a wrinkled face and a hunched back from age. I immediately drew my other gun and fired on the old lady. With inhuman dexterity the lady used her walker to vault over the aisle, dodging my initial barrage.

    I continued firing, knowing that my bullets could pierce through that thin cover. I was rewarded with the sound of bullet striking bone and the smell of fresh blood. The oxygen tank was thrown towards me, followed by a fireball. I teleported away into the aisle the old lady had escaped into, staring her down as an explosion echoed in the building. Her right arm was nothing but pulverized meat, yet there was no show of pain or discomfort. A bored voice then sounded out over the PA system. ¡°Shoppers, please exit the store. Another explosion has occurred. Thank you for shopping at Juan¡¯s.¡± Another? Does this sort of thing happen here often?

    I charged forward, making sure to restrain myself. I want to capture, not kill. The possessed old lady parried my jab with her walker, forcing me to adjust and do a leg sweep. She backflipped over the move and stabbed back with her walker. Magic was running down the metal, sharpening the points into daggers. I sidestepped, watching as the walker pierced the ground with ease.

    I kicked towards the demon¡¯s head, forcing it to decide between dodging and losing its impromptu weapon or to trying to tank my hit. The demon chose neither option, he channeled more magic into the ground, causing another explosion. My illusory clone (which I had created when sidestepping the initial attack) dissipated in the explosion, while I phased out of the ground behind the demon and slapped a seal on him. The possessed body turned rigid, falling over while the demon was pulled out due to the seal I had placed on it. An exceedingly fat and ugly imp with mauve skin and grey eyes was left helpless in my grip.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°So, care to share why a Pandemonium member is here?¡± the demon was unresponsive. Here I was searching for leads on Pandemonium, and this gift walks right into my arms. My happiness caused me to reveal an evil smile as I called upon my mana. The demon flinched at the sight and spoke ¡°¡­Way too similar.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That smile reminds me way too much of the boss, no wonder he¡¯s declared you his future waifu.¡± And¡­ my good mood has gone.

    I put quite a bit of strength into my grip around the imp¡¯s throat, causing his eyes to bulge out like a squeeze toy¡¯s. My killing intent was let loose at full force, and had any regular humans still been around they would have likely been killed by the potency of it. ¡°Answer my question.¡± ¡°Ack! I was sent here to find the Fountain of Youth!!! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± the imp hastily responded.

    ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because the boss wants to locate all potentially useful relics before the humans rediscover magic! The fountain¡¯s water might be useless for us, but it would be a perfect way to tempt humans into joining. We¡¯d also not have to worry about them kicking the bucket after only 100 years.¡± *Sigh* Things just have to get more complicated. Even if only 1 in 50 of the relics on Earth have been reawakened by the mana calamity, that¡¯d be enough have repercussions. Dante seems to be planning on making up the difference in personal strength between us with equipment.

    More importantly though, Pandemonium has just become predictable. Now that I know what they¡¯re after, arranging an ambush should be simple enough. I doubt the imp will spill anything more. Demons are selfish, but when under contract there¡¯s only so far they can go against the contractor¡¯s interests. I was about to tighten my grip and finish off the demon, but then those thrice-blasted headaches struck once more. My vision remained, but auditory hallucinations appeared instead. ¡°My lady, what does thou intendth?¡± ¡°To utilize the ancient artifact and ritual to call uponth the Devil. In exchange for a pure maiden¡¯s soul, he will answer a wish.¡± ¡°NO! My lady, you are the last of the House of Meadow! If you die, so does the line!¡± ¡°The duty of a noble is to protect their people. I will do so and meet the Gods with pride.¡± ¡°¡­Very well. May the Redeemers bless you.¡±

    The imp noticed my distracted state, and activated a magical bomb that had been in the old woman¡¯s corpse. The resulting explosion tore my grip from him, and I could sense him teleport away with a muttered ¡°The boss is going to tear me a new one for sure.¡± I was sent flying into the gardening section, where my impact was padded by an enormous number of lush, verdant plants. I got up, grumbling at the lost chance to kill one of Dante¡¯s high-level henchmen. Based on the imp¡¯s aura, he was on a similar level to the oni. Why the hell am I getting hallucinations like these? Even that dream was related! I never heard that your hallucinations form a continuous story line!

    I stopped my internal rant and decided to finish my mission before the police arrived. They¡¯ll be slow, since this is a notorious barrio here in Miami and cops generally avoid the crime-ridden area unless they are in force. I noticed my surroundings, and was completely agape to see the flourishing plant life here. The roses were a vibrant red and were overgrowing from their pots, out of season plants were growing beautifully, and this was all despite being located in the darkest, dankest part of the entire store. A sneaking suspicion grew on me as I located the watering hose.

    I tested the water, and traced its source to an underground well which was fed into by the aquafer that I had been following. Yep, there¡¯s still a trace of primal magic here. The owner of this store seems to have dug illegally into this underground well (based on what I saw through psychometry) to avoid paying additional water bills, inadvertently finding and using the last drops of the Fountain of Youth in watering his plants.

    It seems like the mana calamity did just enough to get the Fountain to reactivate for a short period of time, unfortunately it has been wasted on plants. Let¡¯s salvage what we can. I drained every plant in the room of all its moisture, leaving dried husks in my wake. I then made a kind of magic filter, eliminating all the normal water and leaving only water from the Fountain of Youth. As simple as it sounded, it was extremely difficult.

    The end result was 7 drops. This is not enough to grant eternal youth. The legends said you need at least a mouthful or to bathe in it. At best, this will provide youth throughout the natural lifespan, which is something I can already manage by enchanting one¡¯s telomeres. Veronica was right, this was a bust. At least I got a lead on Pandemonium. I vanished from the store after making sure that no signs of my presence or magic was leaked.

 Chapter 98: Relics and Remnants

    September, 28<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Dante¡¯s POV

    ¡°We end our tour of the remarkable Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology with a look at its newest addition: the Was-sceptre of the Pharoah Khufu! King Khufu reigned during the 4<sup>th</sup> dynasty, during the time of the mythical Egyptian magician Dedi. The completed Westcar Papyrus claims that King Khufu¡¯s sceptre was blessed by Dedi to have miraculous abilities. And-¡± I tuned out the rest of the tour guide¡¯s speech as I examined the staff myself. It was 5 feet long, with a stylized animal head of the mythical Sha on one end and a fork on the other end. The Sha is the totem animal of Set, the ancient Egyptian god of desert, storms, disorder, and violence. He sounds like the kind of guy I would want to have a beach party with, but I digress.

    I am here at this museum in London, along with Sparky and Jumbo, because this Was-sceptre was one of the few relics reactivated by the mana calamity that resulted in my birth. Normally I¡¯d send a minion to retrieve it when it was discovered, but I needed to do this personally. The Council of Nine failed to organize a coherent response to Pandemonium¡¯s rapid expansion across the world, but the Kingdom of England has still managed to become a nuisance.

    This task force of theirs has actually been making some headway in being a pain up my ass. Arresting criminal affiliates, interfering with recruitment, putting a bounty on my head, the list goes on and on. The fuckers have also been conducting annoying cyber attacks targeting our financials. Shockingly enough, demons are not very good with computers so I haven¡¯t been able to stop them. It hasn¡¯t crippled us by any stretch of the imagination, but it¡¯s irritating.

    I¡¯m here to send a message to King William that their efforts are futile. It is the first step in my plan to torment the fool. I hear he dotes on his eldest daughter, fufufu she also happens to be the one leading the task force. She¡¯ll come running after this heist. Mwhahaha! Come to my web, little butterfly, come to my web. The girl is supposedly quite the beauty too¡­ NO! I must remain faithful to my darling!

    It¡¯s only been a month since I met my future waifu yet I can¡¯t help but think of her wherever I go. Food has lost its taste, color is less vibrant, and the screams of the people I torture are muted compared to before I met Rin. *Sigh* That little minx has stolen my black heart and made me heartless! I cannot be tempted by another! But¡­ this is another world, so doesn¡¯t that automatically mean a harem situation? Rin will be my bottom bitch, so adding another plaything or too should be fine, right?

    ¡°Uh, boss? Are you okay?¡± Jumbo asked me from his new guise possessing a 9 year old boy. His old body was destroyed a week ago by my sweetheart. His terrified demeanor as he recounted his encounter with my darling made me feel a warming sensation of happiness and pride. Clearly, she¡¯s the perfect woman for me. My joy caused me to lessen Jumbo¡¯s punishment for failing to find the Fountain of Youth. I only had him be a chew toy for Cerberus for 2 hours instead of 3. Which reminds me, I should talk to Cerberus and address his fetish for behaving like a dog. We¡¯re demons true, and we are influenced by our true forms to varying extents, but Cerberus is pushing full-fledged furry fandom here.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine! It¡¯s time to make our move. Sparky, it¡¯s all you! Dazzle me.¡± I waved to Sparky, who was possessing an ordinary looking middle-aged Englishman. ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yes! I, I, I, I got, got, got, got, this, this, this, this!¡± Sparky responded with his trademark rapid fire staccato broken record-like speech. The storm demon released his possession, resulting in dark grey clouds suddenly filling the entire museum. Cries of confusion and shock echoed in the building as everyone¡¯s senses were obstructed. There was a short *bzzzt*, followed by an amusing display of bodies dropping and shaking on the floor from being electrocuted.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Just as quickly as the clouds appeared they vanished, getting sucked back into Sparky¡¯s body. Jumbo and I were laughing at the corpses as they twitched. ¡°Such a shocking display, Sparky!¡± Jumbo called out with a chuckle. That chuckle was interrupted as I punted my subordinate into the distance. ¡°WHYYYY???¡± Jumbo cried out pitifully as he crashed into some Pharaoh¡¯s statue, causing it to crumble around him. ¡°HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY PUN!!!¡± I roared! ¡°DO THAT AGAIN AND I¡¯LL HAVE YOU PLAYING FETCH WITH CERBERUS FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR!! I DON¡¯T CARE IF I AM ENABLING HIS FETISH!!!¡±

    I collected myself after my outburst and quickly came up with a different pun to preserve my reputation as the wittiest demon in Pandemonium. ¡°That was an electrifying performance, Sparky.¡± ¡°Thank, thank, thank, thank, you, you, you, you, sir, sir, sir, sir!!!¡± Sparky gave a chipper salute in response to my praise. Jumbo dragged himself out of the rubble and came over to my side, only to get punted again. I eclipsed my previous distance by a fair bit. ¡°Go destroy the cameras. Sparky probably got them all, but I don¡¯t want any surprises.¡± I ordered as I approached Khufu¡¯s Was-sceptre of Set. Damn, that¡¯s a mouthful.

    I picked up the staff (after breaking through the bulletproof glass display) and gave it a twirl, noting how the pressure it emanated caused cracks to appear throughout the room. I wasn¡¯t even trying to do anything. Ooooh, this one is definitely a keeper. Dedi was certainly a fearsome magician if he was able to craft this. A lot of slaves were probably sacrificed in the process, but nevertheless it is impressive.

    My research into these relics and their origins has shown me that this world has a strange relationship with magic. Even before its widespread extinction, magic users were uncommon and their abilities were mostly unremarkable. However, every so often there would appear a practitioner with such power that it was ridiculous. Dedi, Abe no Seimei, Merlin, Baba Yaga, Morgan le Fay, Sun Wukong, Medea, etc. the list of these individuals is embedded in the history and legends of humanity.

    However, these people were few and far between and they became even rarer as magic died out. It was a vicious cycle where fewer people with potential for magic appeared and those that did appear never realized their potential since magic was no longer used. The genes for magic got filtered out of the gene pool due to the joys of natural selection and evolution, leading us to the modern day where the only people with the potential for magic are either de novo mutants or directly descended from one of the legends of the past. And of these one in a million people, most die in ignorance of their abilities.

    There are a few amongst the few who discover magic in one way or another, but their abilities are meager. These ¡°Remnants¡± are all that remain from the era of magic, shadows of their predecessors¡¯ former glory who are at best on the level of petty conjurers. The chances of a Remnant having the power to match me is infinitesimally small, yet my darling Rin shows it is possible. Even more unlikely is that a minion of mine mentioned encountering another Remnant at that very same concert. This Abyssal Vortex Champion sounds like a potential threat, if the name is anything to go by. Good thing I sent Ibaraki-doji and Susan to track down and eliminate him. The two should be more than enough for the assignment, since Ori was able to survive her encounter with the Champion.

    ¡°Boss! I got incoming police! Some passersby probably heard the screams and called it in!¡± Jumbo reported as he returned from his assignment. Normally at this point the team and I would skedaddle, but I happen to have a Khufu¡¯s Was-sceptre of Set that I¡¯m just dying to try out. Although I won¡¯t be the one ¡°dying¡± per say. ¡°Sparky, ditch the body. I want you in the electrical grid in case we need some widespread devastation. Jumbo, you¡¯re in charge of the cover-up.¡± I ordered as I did some light calisthenics to loosen up. I don¡¯t want to pull a muscle after all.

    Sparky nodded before once again canceling his possession, although this time he consumed his host before he became an electrical blur that vanished into the wiring. Jumbo faded away as he cast illusion magic and hid himself. I strolled over to an impressive looking throne and plopped my fine behind on top of it. The sounds of the doors being broken down reached my ears, and I saw a full tactical team storm the room. A wicked grin adorned my face as I readied myself for a slaughter. Time to have some fun.

 Chapter 99: Strip Club Hijinks

    September 28<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Vivian¡¯s POV

    I gazed around the blood-spattered, corpse-strewn room where the Royal Police Force attempted to apprehend the Demon Lord Dante, noting the many shattered artifacts and the damage the building itself took in the struggle. The carnage was disturbing to see, but I have grown as an individual since that royal ball in January and managed to keep my composure. ¡°What on Earth caused this?¡± I muttered to myself. There were no reports of a bomb going off, did Dante have a power suit? ¡°Wilson! Did you get anything off the body cams?¡± I called out to one of my subordinates. ¡°No, your highness. There was some kind of interference that made them useless.¡±

    I cursed internally at the news. The first terror attack by Pandemonium on my homeland and I have no means of retaliating. I should have expected an attack, given that my task force has been managing to undermine Pandemonium¡¯s efforts in northern Europe. A personal appearance by Dante here was obviously to send a message that Pandemonium is still going strong despite our best efforts. ¡°Deborah, have you finished taking inventory?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Everything is accounted for except for one item.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°The Was-sceptre of King Khufu is missing.¡±

    Hmm, did Dante steal it? I know that Pandemonium has attacked museums before, but generally there was so much destruction it was impossible to tell what was missing. ¡°Your highness! Dante¡¯s made a mistake! We¡¯ve got a lead!¡± My musings were interrupted by another of my subordinates. ¡°What?¡± I asked. ¡°A traffic cam caught Dante¡¯s getaway vehicle! A law enforcement satellite has locked on and we know where he is right now!¡± This is it. ¡°I want a full perimeter, but be sure not to spook him! Let¡¯s get the Royal Knights in place with drone support before moving in! I want to take the head of Pandemonium right now!¡± People were sent scurrying after my orders as I ran to my vehicle. I want to be on-site for this.

    Dante¡¯s POV

    ¡°Boss, they¡¯ve taken the bait.¡± Jumbo reported in to me via telepathy from his observation post. ¡°How long until they arrive?¡± I asked. ¡°15 minutes.¡± ¡°Great! I have enough time to enjoy the rest of this lapdance.¡± I leaned back and let Chastity continue her fine work. The girls here at the Silk Kisses Exotic Dance Club really know their stuff. I¡¯ll be sure to get them to teach my darling once I¡¯ve broken her in. Let¡¯s get Mannequin to buy this place cheap after it gets trashed. She¡¯s the one who is in charge of the prostitution rings that we¡¯ve been running.

    My time with Chastity was up, so I walked over to the bar to get a drink before the trap is sprung. I sat next to a willowy beauty with maroon hair and a nice rack while waiting for the bartender to get my order. ¡°Hey beautiful, do you work here?¡± I flirted with the woman as practice for my next encounter with my darling. ¡°How goddamn original. Look here, I ain¡¯t interested, so go find someone who gives a flying fuck!¡± The woman snarled as she turned to face me.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    When she saw my face, her eyes widen slightly in recognition and she fell silent. Ohh, is she going to cry, scream, or beg for her life? This should be interesting to watch. Contrary to my expectations, a bloodthirsty smile appeared on her face instead. She leaned in and softly whispered in my ear ¡°Ya ready to go to hell where ya belong, demon?¡± A gun was pressed up against me, hidden from sight. The faint sound of cogs and steam indicated she was an automaton. Did it get reactivated due to the mana calamity? 10 minutes until the trap is sprung, that should be enough time to play around with this gearhead. I have a weakness for feisty girls after all.

    But before I could wipe the floor, wall and ceilings with the automaton (this club needs the cleaning, there was glitter <u>everywhere</u>), I felt teleportation magic being used behind me. I turned to see the icy glare of my future waifu as she saw me and the maroon haired girl way too close together. ¡°Darling, I can explain. You¡¯ll always be the number one in my heart, it¡¯s just that I get a little lonely sometimes¡­¡± The rest of my explanation was interrupted as the automaton and my darling both attacked.

    The automaton was blasted out of her chair by Sparky (who had been dwelling in the lighting system) before she could shoot me, while I backflipped away from my darling¡¯s enhanced punch. Jumbo quickly killed all the patrons and staff in the club with a death hex before joining in the scuffle. I promptly punted him away. ¡°WHYYYY?!?!¡± He cried out as he broke through two separate stripper poles before stopping. Like hell will I let Jumbo interrupt my one on one time with darling. ¡°Irene, take care of the storm demon. Dante is mine.¡± Rin¡¯s merciless blue eyes were glowing as they locked onto mine. *Shiver* Damn, I¡¯m so turned on right now.

    I drew out my new toy from subspace, savoring the imminent beat-down I¡¯ll be applying to my waifu. Khufu¡¯s Was-sceptre of Set, newly named as Dante¡¯s Pole (DP for short), started humming as my mana coursed through it. Rin¡¯s hands hovered over a pair of holstered hand cannons as she waited for the first move. Wind started to pick up within in the building as Rin and I had a stare-down. Or as much a stare-down as one can have when there¡¯s a violently swearing automaton unleashing light machine gun fire on a prancing storm demon in the background. Poor Jumbo was caught up in that exchange, desperately trying to avoid the rampaging automaton.

    I broke the standoff with a forward charge, whirling DP in front to ward off bullets as Rin opened fire. I sent a little more mana into DP, causing a concussive blast of wind to rush towards Rin. A pillar of ice flash froze into existence just in time to intercept, causing shards of ice to fly like shrapnel. A simple swing of DP annihilated the ice, along with a good portion of the bar. Rin leaned back to avoid the magical attack, kicking upwards as she transitioned into a backflip. I leaned sideways to dodge before stabbing my staff forwards. Rin parried with her guns, and chose to close the distance. A frantic back and forth ensued as I avoided her gun-fu and retaliated with my staffwork.

    I was having the time of my life as we exchanged blows, but I feel like I¡¯m forgetting something. The sound of sirens reached my ears, reminding me of the trap that I had been preparing. Oops, tee hee pero. I should have told Jumbo to run interference. Entry points were blasted into the roof and walls, as other units charged in through the doors and windows. It was a veritable mosh pit of violence as the tactical teams were shooting at both sides. It was a chaotic mess and my previous plan was up in smoke, but I don¡¯t care. I swung DP, clearing a bloody swath of people as the staff caused them to dissolve into puddles of blood. I sprinted forward to reengage Rin. This is what I want the entire world to be like. This is the goal. An inferno of violence, mayhem, and fun!

 Chapter 100: Round Two

    September 28<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Irene¡¯s POV

    *Ratatatata* My Mark IV Lancer LMG let out the most beautiful sound as it tore through the annoying fucking flies that were interfering with my battle. ¡°GET OUT THE WAY, YA LIMP DICKS!!!¡± I roared as I shot through the crowd to hit that jumpy demon. ¡°What, what, what, what, is, is, is, is, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, with, with, with, with, you, you, you, you?¡± The storm demon demanded as it jumped around. Even with my optimized targeting systems he was managing to dodge my attacks. I stabbed my LMG through the head of one policeman and moved the corpse just in time to block several bolts of lightning my way. The charred flesh registered on my olfactory sensors as I pulled the trigger of my gun. ¡°EAT THIS YOU TWITCHY FUCK!!¡±

    *Ratatata* The storm demon let out a yelp as I finally got a hit on the ass. Literally and metaphorically. ¡°You, you, you, you, bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch!¡± He cried out. I just responded with a mocking smirk, which then vanished as the demon let loose a blast of electricity that fried everyone in there except me, my gender-bent boss, and her demon lord wanna-be lover. The amount of shit I gave the boss when he first showed me his alternate persona was enormous. I nearly popped a gear from laughing so hard.

    Anyways, my boss and the demon lord brushed off that lethal attack like it was static shock, I however, am not a monster like those two. *Bzzzt* The electricity ran throughout my body and blew me through a wall. Fuck, that hurt. Good thing I¡¯m a clockwork automaton else my circuits would have shorted out. My gun¡¯s barrel was melted from the attack, no longer being operational. The boss should be able to fix it, but he¡¯s a little occupied at the moment. ¡°FUCK!¡± I swore as I drew my two sawed-off shotguns. Optimization program activated. Target parameter: Stopping Power. Initializing¡­ In progress¡­ In progress¡­ Optimization complete.

    ¡°Damn it, Sparky! Friendly fire! Friendly fire!¡± The blackened corpse of a child exuded a foul miasma that coalesced into an ugly, fat imp. Before the imp could say anything else, *BOOM* he went flying through another wall. I walked back into the main room with my twin Punishers in hand. Sparky (such a fucking unimaginative name), was rubbing his ass in hurt. My boss and Dante were still doing their god damn kung-fu fighting bullshit, every blow causing the air to reverberate and the ground to quiver.

    Sparky noticed me and charged in a zig-zagging motion. Which was pointless in the face of my weapons¡¯ bullet spread. *BOOM x 2* Sparky was blown back, and I decided to press my advantage, only to have to dive for cover from a series of fireballs. ¡°You owe me for this Sparky!¡± The imp called out as the two congregated on my position. I reloaded, and readied myself. Despite my predicament, I couldn¡¯t help the smile on my face. I am having so much fuckin¡¯ fun right now!

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°You know darling, I pictured our reunion differently. I was thinking a sunset on a beach with a bottle of wine and-¡± Dante¡¯s speech was interrupted as he raised his staff to block my axe kick. I used the opening to fire with my Wristbreakers into his torso, but that damned staff hummed and caused my bullets to disintegrate. We disengaged and had another staredown as his two minions (I think he called them Jumbo and Sparky?) were trying to deal with Irene. My battle junkie automaton was cackling ecstatically as she was firing away at the two. It¡¯s unfortunate that Rin wasn¡¯t around when I got the signal, her help would have been invaluable.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    The bodies of the unfortunate law enforcement and military lied around us, making a grizzly sight. No more troops have entered since Sparky¡¯s AOE attack. Seriously, I question whether Dante even cares about keeping the truth a secret anymore. The sooner I put him down the better, although his newfound relic is making things trickier. It¡¯s been bridging the minor power advantage I¡¯ve had. It looks Egyptian in origin, and the animal on the staff looks like a Sha. I know it¡¯s supposed to be the totem animal of a notable Egyptian god, but I don¡¯t know which one.

    Dante noticed where my gaze was. He twirled the staff casually as he commented ¡°Do you like my rod, darling? If you think that one is good, I have another I plan to show you.¡± Is it sad that I¡¯ve gotten used to these come-ons to the point where I don¡¯t even react violently anymore? Suddenly, both of us got distracted as we sensed something incoming. Shit, is that what I think it is?

    ¡°Time to go, boys.¡± Dante cheerfully called out as he appeared near his demonic brethren. ¡°Thank goodness, boss! I have had it up to here with psychotic women!¡± Jumbo breathily complained. ¡°I, I, I, I concur, concur, concur, concur. Gearhead, Gearhead, Gearhead, Gearhead is, is, is, is, scary, scary, scary, scary!¡± Sparky exclaimed. ¡° ¡®DA FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!?!¡± Irene yelled. She moved to shoot, but Dante waved his staff and sent her sprawling.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a blast, darling. Dancing through a battlefield of corpses stained in blood with you was simply marvelous. I want to do it again. Next time though, I¡¯ll find you.¡± A magic circle appeared beneath the three demons as they prepared to exit. Even though I know there¡¯s a missile strike from a drone inbound, I¡¯m debating whether or not to let them go. ¡°Oh, right. I forgot to mention that the gents here all are wearing body cams. If you don¡¯t want the secret out, you better get on that. Good luck!¡± Dante and co. vanished as I grabbed Irene, and jumped through the one window that wasn¡¯t yet broken.

    The missile strike that decimated the strip club did not have a wide blast radius. It seems to be one of those smart missiles that are tailored for urban warfare. That makes sense considering the building is still within the city limits of London. The buildings around the blast had all been evacuated beforehand, which led to an impressive crowd that witnessed myself and Irene exiting the building. I didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately bewitched everyone in the vicinity. They fell into a trance, and won¡¯t remember us nor the time that passed when I release them.

    I rushed over to the impromptu command center, and plopped the automaton in front of the computer. ¡°Oh, sure, let¡¯s have the automaton do the hacking because we all know that they¡¯re part computer anyway! THIS IS A FUCKING STEREOTYPE, GODDAMNIT! ¡°Do this right, and I¡¯ll give you a bonus.¡± ¡°Command order acknowledged by CPU Irene, sir! She immediately went to work, her previous outrage completely forgotten.

    While she furiously typed away on the keyboard, I let out a sigh as I reviewed our recent skirmish. It was fortunate timing that Irene was about to investigate the Petrie Museum when the attack happened. She successfully followed them back to the club, although she failed to maintain composure upon contact. Irene was also able to hold her own against Dante¡¯s demon sidekicks, although there wasn¡¯t a clear outcome. What¡¯s far more concerning is that relic. If Dante has several more of those, his fighting prowess will increase and our clashes will start to favor him.

    ¡°Fuck, yeah! I¡¯m in, boss! Deleting footage now!¡± Irene exclaimed as the various videos of our fight flashed across the screen. Soon it was over, and the evidence was gone. I removed the memories of the video from the officers in the tent and prepared to leave. There¡¯s no time to search everyone¡¯s memories for the video, it should be fine the way it is. Even if I missed one or two people, they¡¯ll have no proof and won¡¯t be able to do anything about it. Phew, it¡¯s time to go home at last.

 Chapter 101: Take Me Up

    October 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2089

    Vivian¡¯s POV

    It has been less than a week since Pandemonium¡¯s attack on London occurred. The total death toll was 169, with 45 of those individuals being members of the military and police. Video footage from the body cams of the brave men and women who stormed the building mysteriously vanished. Even so, I know that there were at least eight individuals other than myself who had seen the footage as it was filming. Not a single one of those eight remember the contents nor do they recall ever viewing the footage.

    Considering that the contents indicate the presence of magic, it has led me to believe that their memories were altered. In all honesty I question what I saw, particularly since I cannot review the video to allay my doubts. There is still one way to confirm this. I recognized the weapon that Dante was using as the missing was-sceptre from the museum. It granted him power over the winds and of destruction itself. It was an artifact mentioned in legends for its miraculously abilities, surely it is not the only one where the legends were accurate.

    I am currently in the most guarded location in the Royal Treasury, looking at the family heirloom that has granted Kingship twice-over. I am alone here, warily observing the relic. My hesitation in wielding it is due to both the awe-inspiring history behind the sword and my own denial. If magic is real, the world as I know it will change irrevocably. If magic is real, then those creatures in the videos are actual demons. If magic is real, then Pandemonium may be the vanguard of the world¡¯s annihilation.

    I mastered my breathing, as I have been taught in my lessons, and finally reached out to Excalibur. The sword has gone untouched since my grandfather placed it here after reclaiming the throne. It is the symbol of royal authority for the Pendragon family. My hand wrapped around the hilt, and a strange sensation surged through me. A weak and uncertain light emanated from the blade, as if it were debating whether or not to show its true brilliance. The light flickered, and I could tell that if I did nothing the it would fade back into oblivion and I wouldn¡¯t be able to rouse it again. A sudden impulse came over me, causing me to lightly cut my thumb against the blade. The crimson red of my blood stood out against the silver steel, before it was absorbed into the blade.

    A feeling of recognition swept through the blade, as if it understood that I was a descendent of its first master. The fading light immediately became one of a blinding brilliance, although I was unaffected. I utilized the many lessons in swordplay I had been taught as a child and did a simple overhead chop. Excalibur seemed to sing as it sliced through the air. It moved so easily that I overdid my swing and cut into the solid steel pedestal like it was butter. Power, righteous and holy, was overflowing from the blade, which was as excited as a child on Christmas morning to be wielded once more.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    It appears that Dante and the ones opposing him were actually using magic. Magic is real after all¡­ EHHHHHHHH!?!?!?! *A short time later* Ahem, once I managed to collect myself I took the sword and sheathe from the vault, replacing it with a replica. I wrapped up the sheathe in a non-descript cover to hide its identity. I was walking back towards my quarters, trying to figure out what to do next. I could prove the existence of magic with Excalibur, but the effects it would have on the public would be enormous.

    Furthermore, it seems the forces that use magic do their best to keep it hidden. If I were attempt to oust them, I¡¯d likely be eliminated. My mind returns to the events at the royal ball in January. It seems that my rescuer was a magic user, it is the only explanation as to why he could survive those explosions and avoid our investigation. No, I would not want to garner the ire of people like him. It also seems rather wasteful to squander the benefits this could bring to the kingdom by keeping it secret. We would have an insurmountable advantage over the other council nations if we utilized magic. For now though, I think I will keep this to myself until I have a better understanding.

    ¡°Princess! His majesty requests your presence.¡± I nodded to the messenger who stopped me and altered my destination to my father¡¯s study. A brief walk later and I stood before my father. ¡°Vivian, I just concluded a call with the Japanese Prime Minister. They have expressed interest in collaborating with our efforts in defeating Pandemonium.¡± ¡°Really, Father? Are they looking for something in return?¡± My father shook his head in denial ¡°The attack on the concert in Tokyo has put great pressure on the government to take action. Given our successes in stymying Pandemonium, working with us would be a politically expedient move.¡± I gave a somewhat unrefined snort at the murkiness of democracy, a sentiment I knew my father shared since he did not chide me for my undignified behavior.

    ¡°But that news alone is not why I have called you here. As a sign of goodwill, the government has revealed the existence of a survivor who had not been addled by the hallucinogenic gas during the attack. We have permission to interview him for ourselves.¡± That statement attracted my attention. A live witness could provide invaluable information. He may have even seen magic. Or he could be a magic user himself. ¡°Father! I would like to conduct the interview personally!¡± I readied myself for an argument but my father¡¯s response took me off guard ¡°Of course. I have already arranged for the jet to leave in 3 days. You also have my permission to do the interview informally, no need to make the witness wary or uncomfortable.¡±

    My father being so agreeable to my demands is unusual. What is his angle? ¡°Talking with the witness and trading intelligence will certainly take some time, so I have decided that you might as well do some diplomatic work while there. There¡¯s a rather notable gala in Tokyo on the Day of Peace that I would like you to attend in my place.¡± Aha! There it is. ¡°Father, are you trying to fob off something troublesome onto me?¡± I asked tersely. My father smiled weakly ¡°Well, the Prime Minister was being rather persistent in getting me to come. I daresay it would be an excellent photo op to assist him in the upcoming elections. I have enough heartache from Council of Nine meetings, so forgive me for avoiding further nuisances.¡±

    I sighed, but decided not to protest. ¡°Alright Father, I¡¯ll do it. At least I can get out of having to attend Aoife¡¯s 16<sup>th</sup> birthday party.¡± ¡°Well, her and her father will be at the gala. Chairman Byrne is in talks with the Hayashi Group to merge with the World Trading Company. They¡¯re the hosts, so both Mr. Byrne and his daughter will be there.¡± A grimace involuntarily came to my face at the thought of having to deal with all the pomp and circumstance that will surely surround the Heiress to the most powerful corporation in the world. I am quite friendly with Aoife, but I deal with enough attention from the public and potential suitors as it is. When I¡¯m with Aoife there is a veritable flood of men trying to woo us and it is quite irritating. It looks like my visit to Japan will be rather eventful.

 Chapter 102: Contact

    October 7<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    King William¡¯s POV

    I took a seat in the holographic projector room, waiting as the device slowly started generating the chambers that the Council of Nine meets in. I kept still as the light scanned over me in order to recreate a likeness of myself. I opened my eyes to see the council chambers as if I were there. Chancellor Hermann of Germany was seated on my left, while Secretary Zhao of China was on my right. The Secretary looked unwell, with odd markings under his eyes, likely due to a lack of sleep.

    The chambers were uncharacteristically silent as everyone reviewed the information that caused us to hold our meeting early, not even President Morris nor Premier Sharapov made a sound. Emperor Akintola was the first to break the quiet, as we had planned beforehand. ¡°I feel that I speak for everyone here when I say that it is hard to believe the conclusions that the reports from Saudi Arabia are leading us towards.¡± He paused momentarily for someone to disagree, but continued on when that was not the case. ¡°I propose that we establish a coalitionary base at the site for further research. Should our suspicions be confirmed, it will also allow us to have the flexibility for rapid military response once the situation has progressed.¡±

    That declaration finally managed to rouse the other members. ¡°Establishing a base that deep in the Empty Quarter would be an enormous expenditure, even if we divided up the cost!¡± Chancellor Hermann exclaimed as Secretary Zhao also interjected. ¡°I agree with the Chancellor. I also find it suspicious that the Emperor would suggest this base within the confines of a fellow monarchy. All evidence at this time is indicative, but still inconclusive. It is nowhere near sufficient to justify such action.¡±

    Murmurs went through the members as they thought about Secretary Zhao¡¯s words. I decided to speak. ¡°It is difficult to take China¡¯s call for inaction seriously, given their previous position on Pandemonium. I recall then that Secretary Zhao argued against a coalitionary task force on the same basis as now. ¡®Pandemonium has yet to establish themselves as a true threat to global security.¡¯ Those were the precise words. And yet here we are today, holding an emergency meeting in part because of the rise of Pandemonium.¡±

    Secretary Zhao shot me a glare that was¡­ disconcerting after I finished speaking. Before he could respond, however, the two-man parade of buffoons decided to act up. ¡°William is right! Pandemonium has been a massive pain in the ass since they started and it¡¯s only getting worse! The Tokyo attack in particular has shown they¡¯re getting bolder!¡± President Morris yelled with his usual bluster. ¡°For once I agree with the Americans. The Sino faction has done nothing but been an obstacle. It is very easy to dismiss the threat when your nation has yet to be targeted! As such, I will treat any further obstruction on the issue of Pandemonium by China as an open admittance of state sponsorship!¡± Premier Sharapov added.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    There was a collective intake at the Premier¡¯s declaration. The Treaty of Tehran in 2035 has defined state sponsored terrorism as an overt act of war, giving a legal basis for the targeted nation to respond with full force militarily without repercussions from the international community. The Premier must be under significant pressure by his party to take action against Pandemonium.

    A formal proposal was put forward to establish an international task force to deal with Pandemonium, which passed 8-0 with China abstaining. But I fear that this is too little too late. Getting set up will take time, which simply gives more opportunity for Pandemonium to spread like the cancerous tumor that they are. Their rapid expansion has been remarkable and I fear they have already become embedded globally through various proxies ranging from criminal enterprises to legitimate corporations. Unless they are foolish enough to overcommit their core forces on an operation and fail, I doubt we will be able to eradicate them anytime soon. This is why I wished to start the task force preemptively in the first place.

    Discussions shifted back to the establishment of the coalition base. ¡°I support the idea for a dedicated research and security team on site, but I fail to see why a full-fledged military installation would be necessary.¡± President Abdikarim of the Central African Confederacy spoke to the room.

    I saw many of the other council members nod in agreement, seeing this compromise as reasonable. They do not seem to realize what could occur if the anomaly stabilizes. They are only seeing the short-term risks and benefits, as expected of politicians who are more focused on getting re-elected than on the actual well-being of their nation and people.

    I chose to intervene once more. ¡°I would agree with that logic, however, the council has ruled differently on a previous issue that has striking parallels to this one. President Abdikarim, I believe you were the strongest proponent of placing military defenses on the Mars research outpost, were you not?¡± ¡°Yes, I was.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, it was because of the possibility for¡­¡± President Abdikarim stopped in mid-sentence as he realized my point.

    There was a poignant pause in the council chambers, only to be broken as Secretary Zhao said ¡°I second the original motion proposed by Emperor Akintola and wish to carry it for a vote.¡± The full-fledged coalition research and military base proposal passed 9-0, ending the emergency council session and allowing for us to all go and start organizing with our allies for this undertaking.

    I sighed as the holograph projection ceased, holding back an undignified yawn as I walked over to my study after waving away the servants. I will have to contact my daughter and let her know that she will have to let her task force be integrated into the international one once it gets up and running. I dare say she will be cross for losing her oversight of the investigation. Hopefully she can get additional information from the witness in Japan, ideally it will be enough to cause her to stay in the region longer than the initial timetable allotted.

    A small smile crossed my face at the thought. If Vivian needs to stay longer, she will be able to take my place in a variety of bothersome diplomatic affairs in East Asia that I would rather not deal with. She will be exasperated with me, but she will still do it. At least there is some good occurring from this whole affair.

 Chapter 103: Unexpected Encounters

    October 10<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Vivian¡¯s POV

    ¡°Princess, this is the address listed.¡± ¡°Thank you, Beverly, that will be all.¡± I stepped out of the car, leaving my chauffeur and security detail outside. They¡¯ve already cleared the area for potential threats, allowing me to conduct this interview informally. I walked up to the residence and knocked on the door. It was a quaint two-story building, with a well-kept yard and exterior. There was no response, leading me to knock on the door once more. Still nothing.

    I heard the sound of a commotion going on behind the door, what on Earth? I tensed slightly, laying a hand on Excalibur as it hung at my waist. The weapon has a rather convenient feature of being unnoticeable as long as I haven¡¯t drawn it from the sheathe. The door suddenly opened, revealing an adorable girl who was cross-dressing in a male school uniform. There was a piece of toast in her mouth and she seemed to be in a hurry.

    So much of a hurry in fact, that she did not notice me at the door and ran headlong into me. ¡°Oof!¡± I let out a rather inelegant sound as I fell over with the girl right on top of me. Barely three days in Japan and yet I have already encountered an anime clich¨¦. I am not amused. We managed to disentangle from each other, but I can feel the mirthful gazes of my security team upon me. I swear if they breathe a word of this to anyone else, I¡¯ll charge them with lese majeste.

    Regardless, I helped the girl up. ¡°Excuse me miss,¡ª¡± I began in slightly accented Japanese ¡°I¡¯m looking for a Reiji Okamura, does he live here?¡± The girl gave me a severe glare, making me wonder if I had made an error with my Japanese. She then responded in flawless English ¡°I¡¯m Reiji Okamura and whatever you want it will have to wait because I am late, I¡¯m very, very late!¡± The <u>boy</u> who had run into me promptly resumed his sprint. It took me a few moments to react after realizing that the pretty girl was a pretty boy. ¡°Late for what?¡± I called out after him. ¡°School, of course!¡± he shouted back (he still had the piece of toast in his mouth somehow) before rounding the corner.

    Ah, I hadn¡¯t thought of that. I suppose ordinary children would go to school rather than having tutors. I walked back to the chauffeur, feeling a strange mixture of confusion and embarrassment at the encounter. Japan is strange. ¡°What now, your highness?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll meet him after school. Let¡¯s head back to the embassy for now.¡±

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    ¡°No.¡± ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Pretty please!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°With a cherry on top?¡± ¡°No. No.¡± ¡°You said it twice!?¡± ¡°I decided to be proactive for your next attempt.¡± I grumpily poked stupid Minato¡¯s stupid face with my chopsticks as he continued putting food into his stupid mouth. ¡°Kira mentioned you could shapeshift! Why can¡¯t you use that magic to make me look manlier?¡± Minato finished his food and turned towards me. ¡°Because¡ª¡± he began seriously, making me lean forward in anticipation. I love listening to Minato about magic, it¡¯s just so cool!

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± His lackluster response nearly made me fall over. But unfortunately for him, I have a comeback. ¡°You didn¡¯t have a problem when Hikari was curious about what being a cat girl was like.¡± On Minato¡¯s stoic demeanor, I saw his right eyebrow twitch slightly. Ha, direct hit. ¡°You also didn¡¯t have a problem when Hikari wanted to get naughty with a cat boy. I know you¡¯ve taken all kinds of requests from the girls, you pervert.¡± A small spasm flitted across his face. Yes! Critical hit!

    ¡°How did you hear about that?¡± he demanded, not bothering to deny it. I gave a small shrug ¡°I think they sometimes forget I¡¯m a boy, so they include me in their girl talk. They¡¯re big fans of you bringing magic into the bedroom, by the way. So, if you want your sex life to be private, remove mine curse o¡¯ brave wizard!¡± I grinned at Minato as he let loose a long sigh. He then fixed his piercing gaze onto me and asked ¡°Out of curiosity, why are you bringing this up today?¡±

    I thought back to the blonde bombshell that I ran into on my way out the door this morning. I had the toast in my mouth and everything. That was a flag if I¡¯ve ever seen one, and it reminded me of Akemi. Hell, I see my face in the mirror and I¡¯m reminded of her and how she would gush I¡¯m just her type appearance-wise. It hurts, remembering her. I don¡¯t want to be reminded anymore. ¡°I was mistaken for a girl again this morning. I just thought that maybe a change would help.¡± I said, hoping he wouldn¡¯t dig any deeper into it.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    I¡¯m not sure if I managed to fool him, but he changed the topic regardless. ¡°So how have the others taken to discovering that magic exists?¡± Minato asked indifferently as he lied down. Aww, it¡¯s been a while since he¡¯s pulled this tsundere act. If he really didn¡¯t care, he wouldn¡¯t ask. He used to do this with me too when we first started hanging out. I have had a lot of fun swapping stories with Veronica about his best tsundere moments.

    ¡°About as well as one could expect. Koji is no different than before, since he¡¯s always acted like magic was real. Aito has been determinedly searching for proof of elves existing. Kiyoshi has likewise become determined to build an automaton, although he has no clue how to start. They believed me when I told them I discovered it by accident when I bought the wristband. The good thing about it is that it has helped take their minds off the bad stuff.¡± I told Minato while watching him like a hawk. The slight relaxing of his shoulders showed that he did in fact have some minor concern for their well-being.

    Before I could call him out on it, there was a flare of black fire that resulted in a 3-tailed black fox appearing. It happily pounced on Minato, transforming into a young girl with fox ears and tails as it cuddled with him. Oh, this is perfect. I gasped, dramatically pointed at him, and yelled ¡°Lolicon!¡± Minato became extremely flustered at that, his usually impeccable calm fa?ade vanishing as he shouted back ¡°I am not!¡±. Rin simply ignored our banter and continued snuggling with Minato.

    When I was first introduced to Rin, I was somewhat apprehensive. Minato had mentioned having a demonic familiar and I naturally demanded to meet her. What if it was similar to the demons of Pandemonium? I saw the little cutie and all my concerns flew out the window. Although when I heard that she can change her size I started getting a little suspicious about that big and furry thing I saw on the stadium during the Pandemonium attack. Minato¡¯s hiding something, I can feel it. However, I don¡¯t know what exactly and if I tip him off it¡¯ll be even harder to find out the truth. For now I content myself with accusing him of being a lolicon (which I know he isn¡¯t) every time Rin cuddles with him. It is immensely amusing to see his reactions.

    I left Minato embarrassed and spluttering on the roof as I headed to class, which was boring as usual. I chose to snooze through English class, having picked up the language from Minato rather easily when we first started hanging out. He was waiting for me alone after we got released for the day. ¡°Where are the others?¡± I asked him. ¡°Veronica has basketball practice, Hikari has a modeling job, and Kira is going out with some friends.¡± He responded casually as we headed towards the door.

    We were just exiting the building when two things occurred near simultaneously. I noticed the blonde from this morning waiting on the street and I heard a ¡°Hey Boss!¡± that was interrupted by a strange *clang* and ¡°Gah!¡± sound, like if someone was tackling a metal can that talks. I turned to ask Minato what was that, but he was no longer next to me. I glanced around the surrounding area and found Minato in the bushes some 30 feet away on top of a maroon-haired girl.

    *Sigh* I¡¯m not even going to ask. I decided to just wait as I saw the blonde come over to talk to me. Let¡¯s see what this is all about.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    That was close. I snuck a look at the girl I had danced with at the royal ball from the bushes I managed to dive into the instant I saw her. Irene was here as well, since I had promised her a bonus for her work in London. She wanted me to escort her around for the day because and I quote: ¡°It¡¯s nice to have the Boss be my bitch for once.¡± Unfortunately, Irene just had to be in between the direct path of me and the bushes, which meant my sudden dive collided with her and took her along.

    This has led us to this rather compromising position where I¡¯m pressed on top of her like we were lovers as I tried to remain out of sight of the girl who should not be here. The girl is also positively radiating magic, or rather the sword she¡¯s wearing is. It has a powerful concealing charm on it, but not strong enough to fool me. The only reason I haven¡¯t attacked her is because the sword has a holy aura to it, meaning there¡¯s no way the girl is a demon.

    Irene seems strangely flustered, which I don¡¯t have time to go into other than being thankful that it is making her stay quiet. I don¡¯t have much longer to hide though, as whatever spell that came over Irene seems to be wearing off. If we stay like this much longer she¡¯ll either start swearing loudly, beating me up, or most likely both.

    Fortunately, Reiji and the blonde started walking away from the school. I telepathically commanded Rin to follow them. I then picked myself and Irene up, which broke her out of her reverie. ¡°Fucking hell boss, I ain¡¯t an exhibitionist. So, next time you wanna¡¯ jump me, do it in private ya¡¯ sick bastard.¡± She commented in a strange tone that I couldn¡¯t quite place. Yeah, I did just kind of tackle her, didn¡¯t I?

    I gave an apologetic smile as I said ¡°Sorry.¡± Irene snorted and looked away ¡°You¡¯re lucky, I¡¯m in a good mood, bastard. I¡¯ll let it slide for today only.¡± She suddenly grabbed my hand with a vice-like grip as she started leading me to the mall where we agreed I¡¯d buy her anything she wanted. I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re holding hands though. As if she could feel my questioning gaze on her, Irene spoke in a snarky manner. ¡°Malls are often crowded, right? So, it is most optimal if we stay connected to avoid losing contact! Jeezus, think with your goddamn brain occasionally!¡±

    I simply responded by tightening my own grip on her hand, which seemed to startle her. ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re not a complete moron.¡± She harrumphed, although it lacked her usual cutting tone and her eyes seem to soften fractionally. I pushed the thoughts of why that blonde girl was here away and decided to focus on rewarding Irene for a job well-done. Rin will contact me if anything happens.

 Chapter 104: Even More Unexpected Encounters

    October 10<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    ¡°Come again?¡± I asked the girl who I ran into this morning while Minato was still hiding in the bushes. ¡°My name is Vivian Pendragon. I am in charge of a Pandemonium Task Force in England, and I would like to ask you about the incident on August 30<sup>th</sup>.¡± ¡°Pendragon, as in the Royal Family?¡± Please say no, please say no, please say no. The girl nodded in affirmation. SHE SAID YES!!! I ASSAULTED ROYALTY THIS MORNING!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

    ¡°Um, are you okay?¡± the Crown Princess Vivian, the future head of one of the nine most powerful countries in the world, looked at me worriedly as I resisted the urge to panic. Now I know why Minato dived out of the way. Had I known she was a princess I would¡¯ve tried to run away as well. The ojou-sama type does nothing to tickle my otaku heart, I¡¯m a cat-girl man all the way! GAHHHH!!!!! I do not need this right now!

    ¡°Oi, Reiji! What are you doing?¡± Thank goodness, Aito and the others have arrived. I saw him flush a little red after noticing Vivian. Kiyoshi was silent and Koji was talking about angels from heaven. I introduced the group to each other, noting how the Princess showed flashes of recognition at their names. Ah, she¡¯s here about Pandemonium after all. It makes sense if she knows the names of the only few witnesses who weren¡¯t drugged out of their minds.

    We started walking away from the school, the Princess perfectly content to walk along with a group of strangers. I shudder to think how many guns and the like are focused on us from her security team. ¡°So, could you tell me about the attack?¡± she asked once again. The four of us went quiet as we each remembered that day in our own way. The blood, the gore, running in fear, Akemi disappearing in the inferno. The knot of emotions in my chest tightened painfully as I remembered everything I went through. The Princess did not say anything as she waited patiently for us to speak. None of us did, not even Koji. She then said something that was shocking.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have been so callous.¡± All four of us turned to stare at her. ¡°I can¡¯t claim to know exactly how you feel, but I actually went through a similar experience myself. There was an attack by Republican Rebels on the royal ball at the start of the year, I believe their main objective was killing me. I was saved by a mysterious stranger whose face I only got a glimpse of.¡± She gave a sad smile, her dark blue eyes laden with an unknown emotion. ¡°Frankly speaking, it felt like sheer luck I survived. Still does. Had I not been dancing with my savior at the start of the attack I don¡¯t believe I would have made it.¡±

    I remember seeing the news about that attack, it was brutal. And yet here she is, looking so, well, normal. ¡°How did you move on?¡± Aito blurted out as if he desperately wanted to know. ¡°There¡¯s not really a secret to it. For the first few weeks after, I was a mess internally. I didn¡¯t know if I should be feeling guilt, relief, sorrow or anger at the attack and my survival. It was like a knot right in my heart. Then slowly but surely it started unraveling. Friends, family, simply being alive and remembering the joy of living allowed me to overcome it.¡±

    Her voice grew softer as she continued. ¡°I know it is difficult to remember. But I suppose I can make it easier by asking just one question. It is one of the utmost importance, so I implore you all to find the courage to answer truthfully.¡± I had lost track of where we were walking during the conversation, but at this point we were all alone in a park. The Princess motioned for us to sit on the edge of the fountain. She paused, as if trying to decide how best to word it, before she finally asked. ¡°Did any of you see something supernatural or magical in nature during the attack?¡±

    The princess had a faint blush as she asked, likely expecting some sort of ridicule for asking such an irrational question. ¡°Yes.¡± We said in unison, although Aito quickly added on ¡°Reiji and Koji were conscious for the entirety of it. Heck, Reiji uses magic himself so he can tell you all about it.¡± As awesome as it felt to have a beautiful princess stare at me with wonder, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in my head that Aito proved Minato right for not telling them. He spilled the beans so quickly in the face of a pretty girl.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Really!?!¡± Princess Vivian leaned in close as if to get a better look at me. Her nose was nearly touching mine, giving me a close up view of her fine features. Had I not been used to interacting with gorgeous women, I may have become irrevocably flustered. However, Minato¡¯s harem has increased my immunity! ¡°Um, kind of.¡± ¡°Could you demonstrate?¡± A barrier of light emanated from my wristband, surrounding the five of us. It did not appear because I was demonstrating. It appeared because a ginormous red oni appeared out of nowhere and tried to hammer us with his kanabo.

    ¡°ABYSSAL VORTEX CHAMPION! I SHALL DESTROY YOU!!!¡± The oni roared as he swung back the kanabo to strike the barrier once more. It quivered under the onslaught, but held firm. ¡°Ibaraki-doji, you idiot. I told you not to rush head long into things. If I weren¡¯t around to have paralyzed the hidden guards, we would be swimming in human vermin right now.¡± A beautiful woman in a kimono with the palest skin and floor-length silver blue hair appeared in a whirl of snowflakes. Frost emanated from the place she stood and the air chilled around her. My breath crystallized in the air due to the cold.

    ¡°SUSAN, YOUR ASSISTANCE IS APPRECIATED BUT UNNECESSARY! I ALONE CAN DEAL WITH THIS REMNANT!¡± Ibaraki-doji bellowed as he continued to thrash my barrier. His dedication was paying off, as I could feel the artifact¡¯s magic start to waver. Princess Veronica though decided not to wait. She drew a shining sword from what looked like nowhere and slashed at Ibaraki-doji, who was forced to try and block. The shining sword detonated as it hit the kanabo, knocking the oni over. ¡°Excellent! I shall assist you! Seal of the Enlightened Shadow Emperor!¡± Koji pulled out a pair of talismans, crumpled them up, and threw them at Ibaraki-doji. Before they could connect, a pillar of ice erupted from the ground and blocked them.

    ¡°Ha. He carries no smell of inner mana. It appears that the Abyssal Vortex Champion is merely a normal human who uses magic items. What a waste of time. Ibaraki-doji, clear out the scum while I deal with the human with the relic.¡± Susan coldly spoke without an ounce of inflection in her voice. She waved her arm, causing an icy wind to blast Princess Vivian off to the side before she could retreat back inside the barrier. She looked rather injured by the move, although the sheathe of her sword was shining and seemed to be healing her. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯ll finish in time to get the princess to stand up and deal with the slowly approaching ice demon. I would try and save her, but I¡¯m trapped here as Ibaraki-doji resumed his attack on my barrier. Damnit! What do I do now!? Am I going to have to watch another person die?!? Shit, if only I weren¡¯t so weak! Minato, where the hell are you?!?

    And of course, the instant I asked that question is when a piercing bolt of light blasted into Susan. She had managed to conjure a frozen shield, but it simply shattered under the force of the shot, blasting her away to slam into a nearby tree. Ibaraki-doji turned to check on his comrade, which ended up being a mistake. A very large black fox with 3 tails rammed into him and sent him flying in the direction of Susan. ¡°Shit. Lord Dante¡¯s betrothed seems to be here. Ibaraki-doji, we¡¯re leaving. This other fraud isn¡¯t worth our time.¡± Susan said as magic enveloped her and the red oni. They teleported away, just in time to avoid a salvo of magic bullets that tore up the area where they were just in. Wait, did they say ¡®Dante¡¯s betrothed¡¯?

    I looked at the terrifying form of Rin, which was spitting black flame everywhere as she snarled at the fleeing demons. Yep, I can now confirm that Rin was at the concert attack. That was definitely her that blasted off the stadium roof. Minato was there at the concert attack. Why didn¡¯t he mention that? What is he hiding? What¡¯s his relationship with ¡®Dante¡¯s betrothed¡¯? Is that a reference to Rin? I put the questions out of my mind as I ran over to check on the Princess. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked as she managed to unsteadily get back on her feet. ¡°A little frostbitten, but otherwise I¡¯m alright. Are the others okay?¡± I glanced back at Aito, Koji, and Kiyoshi, who were all staring at Rin warily. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine our end.¡± I responded. Princess Vivian followed my look, and she understandably stiffened at the sight of Rin.

    ¡°Is that thing a threat?¡± she asked warily. I was about to answer no, but the demon fox apparently overheard. ¡°I¡¯m not a thing! You¡¯re a thing! Meanie!¡± The demon fox turned her head away as she pouted in displeasure. It was odd, seeing a monstrous fox doing that. She then vanished in a puff of black smoke, leaving behind 4 shocked individuals and a facepalming me. After some pause in which we confirmed that the confrontation was really over, the Princess sheathed her sword (which then seemed to vanish from sight) and focused her attention onto me. ¡°You know that fox. You relaxed when it appeared and didn¡¯t show any surprise at our sudden magical assistance. Explain, and while you¡¯re at it explain everything you know about magic and the true nature of Pandemonium.¡± Her blue eyes seemed to bore a hole through me as she waited for a response.

    ¡­I hope you¡¯re happy with yourself Minato. Your refusal to reveal yourself and your demand that I keep you out of this has forced me to have to start lying my ass off to a princess. What has happened to my life? Mysterious and magical best friends, princesses, demons galore all are conspiring to mess up my life! And yet I¡¯m still an ordinary otaku with no supernatural talents! I want a refund on this crappy anime setting!

 Chapter 105: Change in Plans

    October 15<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Dante¡¯s POV

    ¡°I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and bright! And I pity, any demon who isn¡¯t me tonight!¡± I sang a jaunty tone as I skipped down the halls of my recently acquired high-rise penthouse in Dubai. It was a gaudy place, lavishly decorated with gold, platinum, and rare gemstones. I added my own personal touch, accenting the d¨¦cor with bones that were generously donated by the previous owners and drastically helped improve the feng shui.

    The few minions I had around were busy cleaning up the blood of Ori that still decorated parts of the wall, floor, and ceiling. That dumbass wasted my time when she claimed there was another Remnant at the concert in Tokyo. Turns out it was just some idiot who happened to have some blessed talismans. I nearly lost Susan and Ibaraki-doji to my darling Rin, who intercepted them early into the fight. Ori¡¯s lucky that valuable information was obtained about the Princess Vivian claiming her family¡¯s relic. That discovery, along with my merciful nature, allowed Ori to keep her life and only have to suffer through 3 days of torture.

    Rin¡¯s multiple interventions have made it clear that I¡¯ll have to switch up the game plan a bit. Her companions have made direct confrontation far less desirable, and although I could regain the upper hand by bringing more minions along it would delay my end goal. That demonpower is needed elsewhere. It¡¯s an easy peasy fix, however. Rin and the world in general have been reactionary, moving only in response to my actions as if they were puppets and I was pulling on the string. For the important jobs, I¡¯ll simply do a multi-prong approach. My future waifu is amazing, but even she can¡¯t be in two places at once.

    *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* Oh? Who could be calling me at this time? ¡°Hey, hey, hey! This is Dante! Who¡¯s calling?¡± ¡°I believe you are aware of who I am. You¡¯ve received the information, I presume?¡± ¡°Yeah, but it sucks! What do you mean ¡®she doesn¡¯t exist¡¯? All I got was a last address that is no longer valid! That¡¯s not good enough for my services!¡± ¡°I am well aware of that, however I am willing to make up the difference in cash. I¡¯ve heard the English have been quite effective recently in hampering your income, can you afford to ignore the offer?¡±

    Hehe, Mr. Hayashi has become rather bold since our first encounter. But... having a legitimate corporate front from which we can exert influence would be useful. Pandemonium has a lock on most of the notable criminal undergrounds from across the globe and we have just about fully infiltrated a major political player, so all we need now is a pawn in the corporate world. And if Mr. Hayashi is successful in usurping control of the Global Trading Company, I can have him possessed and Pandemonium will then be set to start our world conquest.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°You sure know how to sweet-talk me, you old horn dog. Alright, alright, I¡¯ll send two of my best to take care of it. When do you want it done?¡± A few minutes of boring plotting later and it was settled. I sat back in my chair, having decided that I am not a savage and thus would sit and talk on the phone, and thought about my new partner. He¡¯s having his estranged grandson¡¯s fianc¨¦ killed so he can then exploit said grandson in a corporate power play. And don¡¯t forget that¡¯s all after he manipulates his estranged daughter by backstabbing her as he offers a hand of reconciliation. Even to a guy like me, that¡¯s cold.

    ¡°Susan. Sparky. Report.¡± My two loyal lieutenants appeared instantly at my summons. ¡°S¡¯up.¡± I greeted them as they prostrated themselves before me. ¡°Lord Dante. Things have been proceeding as directed. We have finished assuming direct control.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yes! We¡¯re, we¡¯re, we¡¯re, we¡¯re, good, good, good, good, to, to, to, to, go, go, go, go!¡± Sparky concurred.

    ¡°Excellent! Now get the fuck out of here! I wish to solemnly contemplate something.¡± The two demons vanished as quickly as they came. Hehe, I already knew the situation, I just wanted to get a rush bossing some lackeys around. Anyways, back to the contemplation.

    As a demon lord, I am in tune with happenings that eclipse mortal understanding. It¡¯s hard to explain to lesser beings, but suffice it to say that I feel it when something big is in the works. Said event was nothing more than a mere rumbling for now, but it was enough for me to realize that time is tickin¡¯ away and the world is on a severely shortened schedule before something happens that takes its attention away from me. It¡¯s pathetic! I¡¯ll be playing second-fiddle to everything that unfolds from then on. AND I REFUSE TO DO SO! I AM A DEMON LORD! I AM THE ONE WHO RULES! I AM THE ONE WHO SPREADS CHAOS! I WILL ACHIEVE MY INFERNO OF FUN AND NO MAN OR GOD WILL STOP ME!

    Whoopsie, I got a little carried away. I shouldn¡¯t focus on that. I¡¯m a demon after all, I should be safe. As long as I can get my fun in before the shit hits the fans it won¡¯t matter what happens afterwards. So, long expose cut short: I need to speed up the plan. I wanted to build-up my forces over 2 years before starting the inferno, but now I have to do it in one. Which is the only reason why I¡¯m even pretending to be working with a human.

    I have to abandon the search for relics, although I already collected a fair amount. Most of the notable ones in museums and private collections that reactivated have been found, so it is not much of a loss. I even picked up a trump card should things go south. That avenue of hope for humanity has been all but closed off. Who cares that the Princess has a relic? Even if it is one of the most powerful in human history, it is still limited by its wielder. She¡¯s nothing but a toy that I can break at any time.

    The only true remaining threat is Rin and her allies. Currently she¡¯s been forced to be reactionary, which has allowed me to divert her attention and minimize the damage she¡¯s causing. However, that will change once Pandemonium fully reveals itself. We¡¯ll become a big and easy target and she¡¯ll definitely strike regardless of hostages or potential human casualties. She will do what we¡¯re doing now: strike hard and disappear fast. We need to overwhelm her while we are at full strength and force her to commit to a losing battle. Then she¡¯ll become my toy and I get to watch her slowly break as she witnesses the destruction of the world. Oh yeah. That¡¯ll be so god damn hot. Soon. That dark, twisted fantasy will become reality soon.

 Chapter 106: Undefeated

    October 20<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Kira¡¯s POV

    I lashed out with my fist, sending blood and teeth flying as I pummeled my opponent¡¯s face. The strike knocked him off his feet as he fell unconscious. My intuition warned me of an attack coming from my blind spot. I dropped into a crouch, letting the punch hit empty air above me. I turned back and kicked at the man¡¯s shin, a sharp crack indicating that I did more than just bruise it. The large, beefy man fell with a cry of pain while I rolled away as a 3<sup>rd</sup> enemy stomped the ground where I had just been.

    I dashed away into a nearby tangle of people, taking full advantage of their distraction with each other to sneak in cheap shots to necks, kidneys, and any other vulnerable areas. Several more people fell to the ground. Other fights soon resolved, leaving only myself and 3 fighters. Those three looked to each other and came to an unspoken agreement, resulting in a 3 on 1 scenario. The three men all looked to have a foot and 200 pounds on me, yet they were clearly frightened at facing a teenage girl in combat.

    I sprinted forward, choosing not to engage in the long-time tradition of a stare-down prior to a fight. Seizing the initiative is vital in any battle. I shoulder charged into the nearest brute, sending him sprawling a dozen feet away. I lashed out with my foot, striking the second man in the gut, then I kneed him in the face as he hunched over from my initial attack. The last man was going to surrender, but my beast-kin¡¯s blood was boiling and demanding that I go for the kill. I didn¡¯t kill him, naturally, but I did unleash a vicious uppercut that lifted him off his feet. He landed in a heap and didn¡¯t move.

    ¡°Winner: Kira.¡± The calm announcer¡¯s voice rang out after the 12-person free-for-all brawl ended with just me standing. The other fighters were all huge, ripped and even had some combat experience, but they were still no match for me. Terra¡¯s daily torture, ahem, training has really been making an impact. I walked out of the arena, looking for Mr. Chino so he could pay me my share of the winnings. It¡¯s been a fun diversion fighting here these past few months, and I felt useful when I started paying some of the expenses again.

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    My ears perked up at the sound of squeaking, which I have come to associate with Mr. Chino. He was happily cackling away at his touchpad, not tearing away his eyes from the line of numbers that showed the large amount of e-cash that was just deposited into his account. ¡°Hey, Mr. Chino! Haven¡¯t I told you to stop with the cackling? You¡¯ll never find yourself a lady friend by being creepy!¡± I admonished him.

    Mr. Chino gave me a half-hearted glare as I just smiled. He looks like and acts like he¡¯s a tough-shot criminal, but it¡¯s a fa?ade. It¡¯s kind of similar to Terra, now that I think about it. ¡°Don¡¯t get cheeky with me, brat. If it weren¡¯t for the money we¡¯ve been raking in, I wouldn¡¯t put up with your sass.¡± I waved off his remark as I responded ¡°Please, we both know you¡¯re secretly fond of me.¡± There was a grumpy pause as Mr. Chino didn¡¯t deny my assertion before he spoke again. ¡°Listen, there¡¯s something we need to discuss.¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming that this is about the fact that no one wants to fight me anymore here at the Pits?¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve had a good run and we¡¯ve made a lot of money off those suckers. But that wasn¡¯t exactly what I wanted to ask.¡± ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°With the money we¡¯ve made, I¡¯ve paid off my debts and made sure there¡¯s no one left who wants to kill me. I¡¯ve decided to get out of the game and just run my casino legally.¡± He snorted ¡°Unfortunately, my casino is still in a shit part of town and I¡¯ll have scum around all the time. I need some muscle to keep the drunks and angry gamblers in line. You interested?¡± There was a silence as he waited for my answer. ¡°¡­You just can¡¯t let me go, can you?¡± ¡°Shut up, brat!¡± Mr. Chino huffed.

    I wisely decided not to push it and instead changed the subject. ¡°What sparked the change?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never waded too deep into the sewer that is the Tokyo underground. There is a lot of messed-up shit, and I am just a greedy bastard. As long as it made me money, I was satisfied with my place. But even so, things have become scary. The recent uproar over some upstarts muscling their way in has ended in a complete takeover. The 47 Ronin, the Katsuragi family, and the Youkai are all gone. Now those psychos from Pandemonium are in charge. I¡¯m a crook, not an evil and heartless monster.¡±

    I had no reply to that, still being caught in the midst of processing what he just said. Terra needs to hear this. It was only a little over a week ago when Reiji and his friends got attacked by Pandemonium demons, if they¡¯ve established an outpost here it¡¯s only going to get worse. Their terrorist attacks have been increasing in both frequency and ferocity around the world. Japan has managed to avoid the brunt of it, I suspect it is because of Terra. He¡¯s been gone so frequently lately trying to hunt down those demons that I¡¯m worried he¡¯s overworking himself even with Rin and Irene¡¯s help.

    ¡°Hey, Mr. Chino. Do you know anything else about Pandemonium?¡± I asked him as we were driving back to the casino. ¡°From what I heard from my associates before they turned, died, or ran away, Pandemonium isn¡¯t too interested in making money. They want manpower and influence, and they¡¯re very willing to pay for it. Frankly, it looks like they¡¯re gearing up for a war.¡± We didn¡¯t speak anymore after that. I was too busy thinking and Mr. Chino was too busy fantasizing about how he was going to spend his money.

 Chapter 107: The Hayashi Gala

    November 2<sup>nd</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Minato! Are you ready?¡± my mother called out as I walked down the stairs. ¡°Yeah!¡± I called back as I came to the entrance hall. ¡°Good, we can¡¯t be late.¡± My mother nervously said. Her hair was elegantly put up in a bun, framing her face and showcasing her beautiful features. She had a little black dress on which further emphasized her head-turning looks and figure. My dad was standing next to her, filling out a black tuxedo extremely well, his rugged good looks somehow complementing the elegant suit.

    My father picked up on my mother¡¯s nerves, and he gently placed an arm around her and pulled her close. ¡°Relax, dear. I know that we¡¯ve had some setbacks recently, but don¡¯t think about that tonight. It¡¯s a party after all.¡± He then gently kissed her, much to my dismay. Seeing one¡¯s parents being romantic is always distressing. After the kiss, my mother smiled brilliantly at my dad ¡°I can always count on you to cheer me up.¡± The atmosphere between them turned the pinkest of pink.

    GAHHHHHH! My eyes!!!!! And it¡¯s not only my eyes that are suffering. I can hear their heartbeats picking up and I can literally smell the arousal. My parents are clearly in the mood and if I weren¡¯t here, I have a feeling that they would end up¡­ late to the party. If my mom wasn¡¯t infertile, I know I would have ended up with at least two or three siblings to look after. *Shudder* Let¡¯s end this before I get traumatized.

    ¡°Mom, Dad we need to leave now or we¡¯ll be late.¡± Pop, there goes the pink atmosphere. We piled into the limousine and left for the Grand Tokyo Hotel, the largest and fanciest hotel in Japan. The ballroom where the gala was being hosted was in a classical Greek style, with large marble columns and various statues of gods and goddesses adorning the surroundings. The enormous chandelier that was the centerpiece of the space was made of crystal and glittered in the light it provided. It was opulent beyond belief and filled to the brim with various notable personages. My parents and I made our way to where my grandfather was, garnering appreciative looks from various individuals. I was too used to such looks to be bothered, my mother was too preoccupied to notice, and my father was too dense to realize it.

    ¡°Yuuna, I¡¯m very glad that you could come.¡± My grandfather greeted as he gave my mother a brief hug. ¡°Hello Father, the party looks wonderful.¡± My mother replied with a small smile. The nervousness that she had had around her father seems to have vanished. The two of them have been getting along rather well, and they have all but reconciled. I daresay that my mother is going to be written back into the family and the will, and I¡¯ll eventually be meeting the relatives who I never knew existed. ¡°Minato, good to see you. Terrance, I¡¯m glad you could make it as well.¡± My grandfather said, prompting my father and I to return the greetings.

    ¡°Unfortunately, the rest of the family has already dispersed amongst the guests so I cannot introduce you all at the moment. I plan on having a quieter family gathering later on so everyone can get to know each other.¡± My grandfather spoke. ¡°For now, I would like to reintroduce you to some old acquaintances.¡± He promptly dragged my parents off, giving them barely enough time to say good-bye.

    I was left to my own devices, although I was told that the youths around my age were congregating over on the far left of the ballroom. Naturally, I headed to the far right. There are some secluded areas there, perfect for me to hide in until this gala is over. I have no desire to mingle, nor do I actually know how to. I casually leaned against an ostentatious marble column and calmly sipped my non-alcoholic beverage that I was handed by a server. Out of curiosity, I decided to focus my attention to the area where the others of my age were.

    There were a couple of pop idols, a few child actors, and the like who were politely chatting. Several others seemed to be the children of corporate executives or political figures, and then there was a true ojou-sama. She had light red hair curled into drills, green eyes, and a nice figure. Her dress was clearly made from the finest materials, and she had the classic snooty look that high society members often sport amongst those they deem inferior company. She seemed to be looking around for someone, and when she couldn¡¯t find them I could see the beginnings of a tantrum starting.

    I chose to look elsewhere at that point, having no interest in watching that debacle further. I felt the start of one of my hallucinatory headaches coming on and sighed in irritation. My vision became blurry, with unintelligible shapes moving randomly while crackly voices rattled around in my ears. I couldn¡¯t understand a single word spoken, and it served no purpose except to exacerbate my throbbing headache. I took another sip of my drink, patiently waiting for the half-assed vision to dissipate. I have no time to try and figure what these visions are, not when I learned from Kira that Pandemonium has fully infiltrated the Tokyo criminal underground.

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    The moment she told me I left to go exterminate them, but I quickly ran into an impasse. Not a single criminal was an actual demon, they were all being manipulated from the shadows. Unless I was willing to kill thousands of people, there was no feasible way to eliminate Pandemonium¡¯s influence. And what scared me was the fact that I was considering it. I was actively contemplating massacring not hundreds, but thousands of people. Sure, some were horrible criminals, but others were likely just desperate people trying to get by anyway they can. I felt shameful at the realization. I don¡¯t want to be a cold-hearted bastard anymore, I want to be someone who can share everything about themselves with their loved ones and not have to worry whether or not they will recoil away in disgust.

    But what other choice do I have? I have made next to zero inroads in dealing with Pandemonium, apart from minimizing their overt activities in Japan. This isn¡¯t the other world, where I had managed to build-up a network of contacts and informants. I have no intel on where to strike and have been stuck trying to predict the actions of a mad demon lord. Irene¡¯s random searches have been ineffective and I don¡¯t know what to do next.

    ¡°Minato! What are you doing here by yourself?¡± My thoughts were interrupted by my father, who was as usual looming over the crowd. I gave him a shrug, and ignored his subsequent frown. My parents are well-aware of my anti-social tendencies, but that doesn¡¯t mean they approve. ¡°Daiki and your mother are busy chatting up some big-wigs, you should take this opportunity to make some friends. Daiki even made sure to mention you to some of them already, so you¡¯re expected.¡± my dad then placed an iron grip on my shoulder and easily dragged me away despite my protests. We skirted around the dancers that started appearing as the orchestra played.

    My dad eventually stopped in front of the ojou-sama I noticed from earlier and an older man who had the same shade of red hair and green eyes. ¡°Hey, Chairman Byrne. This is my son Minato I¡¯ve been telling you about.¡± My father introduced me to one of the most powerful men in the world as casually as can be. I stifled a smile of fond exasperation at my dad¡¯s actions. Mom told me that he¡¯s always been like that, unflappable no matter the situation. Chairman Byrne gave me a friendly smile as he shook my hand ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you at last! Hayashi has mentioned you several times now, so I couldn¡¯t resist the opportunity. He¡¯s quite fond of you. Allow me to introduce my daughter, Aoife.¡± He took the hand of his daughter, who gave a small curtsey in greeting.

    ¡°Hello, I am Aoife Byrne.¡± The next few minutes were spent engaging the Byrnes in polite conversation. The Chairman was quite charismatic as well as insightful, and I rather enjoyed talking with him and my dad about business and various other things. Aoife was mostly quiet, although she did occasionally contribute to the conversation. Her boredom was becoming quite apparent, so when the orchestra¡¯s music could be heard in the lull of our talking I felt the expectant looks from both my dad and the Chairman. *Sigh* ¡°Would you like to dance, Aoife?¡± I proffered my hand as expected of me, to which Aoife smiled ¡°I would love to.¡± and took it. I took her out to the dance floor and we started waltzing. And right as we were out of sight of our parents, the friendly expression on her face vanished.

    ¡°Listen here, the only reason I¡¯m pretending to associate with trash like yourself is because my father is forcing me to. Don¡¯t think this means anything, even if you¡¯re passable in appearance. Are we clear?¡± she said haughtily as we continued keeping time to the music. That was exactly what I wanted to hear. Last thing I need is for an ojou-sama to start pursuing me. I relaxed slightly, causing a small smile to grace my face as I responded ¡°Yes.¡± Aoife blushed, but made no further comments as we danced in silence for the rest of the song.

    We exited the dance floor to notice that our fathers were talking with my mother and grandfather some ways away, leaving us to our own devices. ¡°Tch, what are they trying to pull here?¡± Aoife grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I answered. If I wasn¡¯t already engaged, I¡¯d suspect that they were trying to set us up or something. ¡°Well, Father would be upset with me if I just abandoned you. Come along.¡± Aoife then turned and walked away, fully expecting me to follow. I wasn¡¯t going to, but I made the mistake of catching the gaze of my mother. Her eyes promised me a great scolding should I snub the heiress to the Global Trading Company. Reluctantly, I trailed after Aoife while doing my best to tune out whatever she was talking about.

    I closed off my senses to a certain extent, making myself oblivious to any non-threats. It¡¯s a wonderful way to ignore someone without them realizing. ¡°Vivi! Over here!¡± Aoife suddenly cried out, startling me back into awareness. ¡°Who?¡± I murmured reflexively. Aoife scoffed at the question, ¡°She¡¯s one of the few people with the heritage and sophistication to be worth my time. You can go away now, it¡¯s been long enough that no one would find it strange.¡± Before she finished her sentence I was walking away. ¡°Who was that?¡± A new, familiar voice behind me was heard as I left. ¡°No one important.¡± Aoife said hastily. ¡°Oh? The only time you¡¯re so secretive is when you¡¯re crushing on someone.¡± The other girl teased. ¡°What?! No, that¡¯s not it!¡± Aoife was trying to deny it as I stopped eavesdropping. I migrated back to my family, where my parents and grandfather were talking.

    ¡°How has the trouble that¡¯s been occurring at your firm coming along? Has it been resolved yet, Yuuna?¡± Daiki asked as my mother sipped from her wineglass. ¡°No, it¡¯s gotten worse. One of the partners is attempting a hostile take-over of the board. I don¡¯t know what possessed him to do so, but I¡¯ve been placed in the position where I have to support one side or the other. I don¡¯t care for office politics, but I can¡¯t stay out of this. Whoever wins this struggle will most certainly purge the opposing side afterwards. If I choose wrongly, I could lose everything I¡¯ve worked for.¡±

    Their conversation stopped when they saw me approach. Mom and Dad have tried to hide the recent troubles they¡¯ve been having at work from me, but they¡¯ve been unsuccessful. Mom has that intracompany war going on, while Dad¡¯s restaurants have been getting harassed by the Health department. ¡°How was your time with Aoife? You two were dancing so beautifully that everyone couldn¡¯t look away. Remember, you already have a fianc¨¦.¡± My mother teased me as I openly rolled my eyes at her words.

    ¡°Yes, Aoife is rather notorious for being difficult to deal with. Yet, she seemed quite taken with you. Mr. Byrne was also rather impressed by you. He congratulated me on having such a remarkable grandson.¡± Something about my grandfather¡¯s words was disconcerting. I can¡¯t place my finger on what it is precisely, but my intuition was warning me to be cautious. ¡°Enough with the teasing you two, let¡¯s enjoy the party.¡± My dad chided them, saving me from any interrogation about my time with Aoife. And we did just that.

 Chapter 108: Good-Bye and Hello

    November 3<sup>rd</sup>, 2089

    Vivian¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s my last day here in Japan, having stayed for the Hayashi gala and paid my diplomatic dues with the Japanese government. Aoife was behaving rather strangely last night, becoming unusually flustered when I pressed her about the guy she was with. I didn¡¯t get a good look at him, but he felt familiar. I also met Chairman Hayashi, the host of the party and the head of the largest corporation in Japan. That was an experience I could do without. I have met many of his kind before: vicious, conniving snakes who would betray anyone in a heartbeat if it meant advancing their own interests. I pity his family, Mr. Cross and Mrs. Cross seem like very nice people.

    This past month has been a goldmine of information. Reiji has been extremely helpful in getting an understanding about magic, and the demon attack revealed the true nature of our adversary. Father has managed to get Council of Nine approval to start an international task force dedicated to the annihilation of Pandemonium. Currently he plans on disbanding my task force and turning over all relevant information, but once I present him with my discoveries relating to magic I hope that he¡¯ll simply reassign the task force into researching the paranormal.

    ¡°Beverly, please get the car around. I would like to say good-bye to some¡­ friends I have made during my stay here.¡± ¡°Right away, Princess.¡± Reiji, Koji, Kiyoshi and Aito have been fun to hang around with. I guess the shock of demons and magic being real has mitigated the shock of me being a princess. It¡¯s been a refreshing change, being treated like a regular girl. I have especially enjoyed being around Reiji. He¡¯s always making me laugh, and he¡¯s just so darn cute. Most teenage boys get flustered around me due to my appearance, but Reiji has not once been shaken. Somehow, I feel a little disappointed at that.

    I fully intend to keep in touch with Reiji, but I still would like to say good-bye in person. It is a Saturday, so he should be home right now. Fufufu, let¡¯s surprise him. That¡¯s what friends do with each other right? Traffic was light, so we made good time. I headed over to the front door and knocked, just like I did upon our first meeting. I waited slightly off to the side, just in case Reiji was sprinting somewhere again. The door opened and my world stopped. A pair of piercing green eyes were staring at me with an unreadable emotion, framed in a chiseled face with dark brown hair. I¡¯ve searched for my mystery man for months, using the resources of an entire nation, without success. And yet here he is, standing in front of me within arm¡¯s reach due to chance.

    I was truly dumbfounded, unable to react to the sudden discovery of my savior from that ball so many months ago. The man recovered first. ¡°Yo. It¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it?¡± The casualness of his response snapped me out of my daze. He was as attractive as I imagined him to be, but strangely enough I did not feel the heat of infatuation after finally seeing him. No, whatever crush I had was eclipsed by my gratitude. Gratitude for saving my life and gratitude for helping me figure out my purpose. And so I did something that I¡¯ve been wanting to do since he left. I stepped forward, hugged him tightly, and softly said ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Yeah, so I¡¯ve gone and done it. I¡¯ve revealed myself to the girl I saved at the royal ball back when I was trying to sabotage Project Redemption. She also happens to be the Crown Princess, a fact I learned when Reiji yelled at me for abandoning him with her when I first saw her. Originally, I planned on avoiding her until she left, but my failure to deal with Pandemonium has changed things. I need resources, particularly intel, in order to deal with Pandemonium. Princess Vivian is uniquely qualified to provide those things. She somehow has already discovered the existence of magic and she¡¯s been the only person who has had some success at being a thorn in Pandemonium¡¯s side.

    Reiji, the Princess, and I are sitting in Reiji¡¯s living room. His parents are out for the day, giving us the opportunity to talk. I talked about magic, how the Princess and I met before, and about my relationship with Reiji. I pointedly avoided any mention of the other world and the girls. Reiji was currently sitting with his head in his hands, and an extremely exasperated look on his face. ¡°I know you love flags, but really Minato? You¡¯re the mysterious stranger Vivian was always talking about? What were you even doing there in the first place?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I replied, choosing to change the conversation before I had to tread upon one of my two darkest secrets.

    ¡°Minato, why did you choose to reveal yourself to me?¡± Vivian asked. ¡°Simple, I need a global intelligence apparatus to be able to track down Dante. You already know of magic and you owe me, so I¡¯ve decided to try and partner with you.¡± ¡°Were you the one who assisted us when we were attacked in the park?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Vivian was taking this all calmly, likely having used up her life¡¯s quota of surprise with the revelation of magic and demons existing. ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything before talking to my father, however I will do my utmost to help regardless.¡±

    ¡°But before we go any further, I want to know what you were doing yesterday with Aoife.¡± I scoffed at that. ¡°Nothing, I was forced to accompany her by my family.¡± I ignored Reiji¡¯s muttered ¡°Seriously, how many more girls is Minato going to get?¡± Vivian was quiet for a moment, before saying ¡°Be careful of your grandfather, he is not the type you should trust.¡± *Sigh* ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s family nonetheless. He deserves a chance.¡±

    Vivian left soon after that, leaving her personal contact number to both me and Reiji. I noticed that she and Reiji were getting along rather well. ¡°So, you seem rather close to the Princess.¡± I remarked slyly. Reiji blushed shyly at my comment. ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°She seems good for you. You haven¡¯t been so legitimately cheerful since the concert.¡± I acted nonchalant, but in reality I had all my senses focused to the utmost on Reiji. He¡¯s been getting better since the attack, but he¡¯s developed a tendency to fake like he¡¯s completely recovered. I want to poke him where it¡¯s tender to evaluate how much he¡¯s really healed.

    Reiji smiled at my question, clearly perceiving my real intentions. ¡°The scar will always be there, but I think I have overcome it. Considering how much healing magic you¡¯ve been casting on me, I¡¯m surprised it hasn¡¯t happened sooner.¡± He giggled at my poker face. ¡°Yeah, you think I wouldn¡¯t realize that you were involved when mysterious lights would appear in my dreams and ward away the nightmares? Especially when Aito, Koji, and Kiyoshi mentioned seeing similar lights that block their nightmares as well?¡± I continued maintaining my neutral expression. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± Reiji waved off that statement ¡°Sure, sure, you massive tsundere.¡±

    An amicable silence fell between us as we sat there. ¡°Minato?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Do you think you could train me to fight?¡± ¡°¡­Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Hikari mentioned it. Pandemonium is still out there, ruining other lives and causing sorrow to spread. I never want to be in another situation where I can¡¯t protect those I care about.¡± I looked at Reiji¡¯s determined face and decided to agree. ¡°Fine. But prepare for hell. You need to show me your determination in order to improve.¡± I had an evil smile on my face as I started planning on how to best torture, ahem, train Reiji.

    ¡°Umm, Minato? I don¡¯t want to interrupt whatever¡­ this is, but you¡¯re making a rather scary face¡­¡±

 Chapter 109: Magic and Training

    November 14<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    King William¡¯s POV

    ¡°Father, I don¡¯t believe it is wise to drink whiskey this early in the day.¡± I ignored my daughter in favor of refilling my glass. ¡°Allow me this, Vivian. You have just proven the existence of magic and that the world is currently under assault by real demons. And you have found your mysterious man, who happens to be a powerful sorcerer. Any drinking man would be drinking at this news.¡± My daughter and I were in my private study, having retired there after she had demonstrated the power of our ancestor¡¯s heirloom. ¡°What do you think we should do now?¡± Vivian asked me. ¡°Keep it secret. The exposure of the supernatural to the rest of the world will cause chaos on the level of the Cyber Plague. We will do as proposed by Mr. Cross: search for Pandemonium so that he may destroy them. I will gather some trusted people to start researching the occult in the meantime.¡±

    I finished off the last of my whiskey, before turning to the computer console to start on the logistics of this endeavor. I am getting far too old for this. And there is the investiture to begin planning for as well.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    Somewhere in the vast, empty plains of Mongolia, there was a boy who was deeply regretting a request he made yesterday to his secretly insane friend. Spoiler: that boy is me. ¡°I HATE YOU!!!!¡± I gasped out as I was frantically running. ¡°If you have enough breath left to shout, it means I haven¡¯t been pushing you far enough. Irene, if you would.¡± Minato spoke while sipping some tea in a comfy chair that was floating in midair.

    There was a strange shimmering around him, which he had said was him releasing mana. He said that the high levels of ambient mana in the air was part of the reason why the otherworlders were so physically superior. Thus, he mimics that by releasing mana during the training sessions. Our worn-down muscles will incorporate the mana while repairing and thus strengthen. None of which matters as the psychotic automaton hefted up her big-ass machine gun with a grin ¡°It¡¯d be my pleasure, boss. RUN THE FUCK FASTER, TRAP-KUN!!!¡± *Ratatatatatata* Rubber bullets pelted the area around me, many of them hitting me and hurting like hell. Although my inner otaku is delighted at meeting an automaton, I wish this first meeting didn¡¯t sting so much!

    Pain is an amazing motivator, causing me to move at speeds I hadn¡¯t even known I could reach. That still doesn¡¯t make it okay. Eventually my torment was over and I was on the ground, unable to move due to the severe aching in my muscles. ¡°Reiji, I must say I¡¯m a little disappointed. All we¡¯re doing right now is some light cardio, yet you¡¯re barely managing.¡± ¡°YOU CALL THIS LIGHT CARDIO!?!?!?!!?!¡± I yelled at him, unable to even raise my head to glare at him. ¡°Fucking hell, you¡¯re a whiny bitch. Look at the harem and what they have to fucking do before you complain about some lousy running, ya pussy!¡± Irene jerked her thumb towards Kira, Veronica, and Hikari. I managed to gather enough energy to turn my head and gawk at the sight that was the higher level training.

    They were training with strange markings on them that Minato said were weight seals, frantically trying to fend off Rin as she did her best to rampage amongst them. She was having far too much fun, clearly using the ¡°training¡± as a chance for vengeance against all the one-sided cuddling done by Kira and Hikari. ¡°NYA! Vera, put out that fire!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother with that, dodge the tail!¡± ¡°MINATO, I PROMISE I¡¯LL MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL AFTER THIS YOU SADISTIC BASTARD!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Shortly after that, the three girls were on the ground like me, unable to move. Rin was getting praised by Minato for a job well-done, while Irene was snickering at our pathetic forms. ¡°Okay everyone, good work. Now it is time for the end of practice spars.¡± The girls collectively groaned at Minato¡¯s words. ¡°End of practice spars?¡± I asked in confusion. Minato spared me an indifferent glance ¡°It¡¯s nothing that you should worry about just yet. We need to build-up your body first, so for now you¡¯ll watch and get a feel for combat.¡±

    Minato gave a simple wave of his arm and the earth rumbled as a large elevated platform rose into existence. It even came with a set of stands for onlookers. ¡°Woah, that¡¯s so cool!¡± I gushed. I sat down next to Rin as Irene eagerly hopped onto the stage, while Hikari was far less enthusiastic. She wearily trudged up the steps, clearly exhausted despite having the weight seals removed for the fight. ¡°Hey Minato.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why do you have these spars when the girls are completely spent?¡± ¡°They need to learn how to fight in all conditions, including when they¡¯re exhausted. Once they get that down, I¡¯ll have them learn how to fight while injured.¡± I winced at the thought.

    Irene had drawn out an aluminum baseball bat, an unusual choice of melee weapon, but it oddly suited her. The words ¡°Common Sense¡± were carved into the bat. ¡°Bring it on, Doll-Face!¡± She taunted as she twirled her bat. Hikari drew her katana and gave Irene a bright smile ¡°Don¡¯t cry when you lose!¡± And with that, Hikari lunged forward at a speed that would make her the top sprinter in the track & field club in school. Her draw-slash was parried with a casual swing of Irene¡¯s bat, but Hikari seemed to expect that. She used the redirected momentum to pirouette and conduct a side-swipe. Irene jumped backwards to dodge, before charging back in on the offensive. Her overhead smash was deflected, and it left a noticeable dent in the solid stone of the arena floor. Hikari understandably paled at the sight, and quickly disengaged with a solid kick to Irene¡¯s midsection.

    After putting distance between them, Hikari¡¯s sword started to glow. ¡°Light ¡®em up! Dynamo!¡± she yelled, swinging the glowing blade. The light was flung off the sword and flew towards Irene, who muttered something before swinging her bat at the ball of light like she was playing baseball. There was a bright explosion, blinding everyone. Once the glare faded, I was shocked to see Irene standing unharmed.

    ¡°Well-done, Hikari. You¡¯ve really improved. But try not to waste the mana you¡¯ve generated with Dynamo. I know you have plenty left, but the more you have in reserve the more powerful of a trump card it will be.¡± Minato was already on the stage, patting Hikari on the head. ¡°So, Irene? What needs to be optimized?¡± ¡°Hmm, Doll-Face really does have talent with the blade. However, humans are fucking weak as hell. She needs to improve her physique.¡± Minato nodded in agreement, before taking Hikari back to the stands. I was staring at Hikari in amazement. Will I be able to do that eventually if I keep training?

    Kira was up next, and she lithely jumped onto the stage. Her tail was dancing back and forth in excitement. God, cat girls are the greatest! ¡°So, Blondie¡¯s next?¡± Kira gave a feral grin as she replied ¡°Yep!¡±. She had twin butterfly swords in hand, settling into a clearly practiced stance despite being so weary. ¡°GO!¡± Minato yelled. The brawl that happened was incredible. Kira and Irene were moving at speeds that were at least Olympic level, sparks went flying every time their weapons collided. My kinetic vision couldn¡¯t keep up with their movements after a while, they turned into blurs as the sound of clanging filled my ears. The fight only concluded when Kira¡¯s exhaustion made it impossible for her to continue. ¡°You¡¯re doing well, Blondie. Your technique is sub-optimal when you¡¯re forced into prolonged clashes, so work on that.¡± Irene advised. Kira sleepily nodded in acknowledgement before being placed next to Hikari to rest.

    Lastly, Veronica slowly walked up onto the stage with her estoc in hand. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this up, Caramel!¡± Irene yelled. The ensuing fight was not a ferocious brawl at high-speeds, instead it was an incredible display of precision and agility as Veronica danced around Irene¡¯s attacks. Irene compensated for Veronica¡¯s evasiveness by increasing the strength of her swings. The backdrafts from her attacks caused winds to buffet the area, knocking Veronica off balance. She was able to recover most of the time, but eventually she too collapsed from over-exertion.

    ¡°OK! Let¡¯s head home, everyone. We¡¯ll be back here tomorrow.¡± Minato called out cheerfully. A chorus of groans was the only response he got from us. ¡°Bastard.¡± I muttered, only to be quickly shushed by the others. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Kira whispered frantically. ¡°He doubles the training load if we complain too much!¡± Hikari added on. ¡°Did someone say something?¡± Minato asked. ¡°¡°¡°NO!¡±¡±¡±

 Chapter 110: Basketball and an Invitation

    November 17<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    ¡°Alright team, just do as we did in practice and we¡¯ll win! Let¡¯s do our best!¡± Haruko said as we broke from our pre-game huddle and prepared to start. Tonight is the first game of the high school basketball season, and I am slightly ashamed to admit that I am a little nervous. I didn¡¯t realize that high school basketball games have an audience, let alone one of a couple hundred people. When I first noticed the number of people staring at me, it was rather unnerving. I was almost considering withdrawing due to my discomfort.

    However, Terra and the rest of my dear family were in the stands. They had these large, colorful signs of support and were cheering for me wholeheartedly and without shame despite acting like court buffoons while doing so. Only Terra was restraining himself, seemingly content with holding his sign up high. It was particularly amusing when he had to hastily muffle Irene when she started yelling her curse-laden encouragement. She struck him hard in the head, apparently outraged at his interference. Terra simply gave an apologetic smile, which succeeded in causing Irene to turn a remarkable shade of red and become quite flustered. Her crush has been rather obvious to everyone except him (and given his past record on the topic, that is not surprising).

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at their silly antics, and my high anxiety reduced to just this current twinge of nervousness. Terra has increased the training seals on me to reduce my physical abilities to about average. All the fun in playing the game would have been lost otherwise. The other team is also aware of my shooting abilities due to preseason scouting reports, so Haruko warned me that they will do their best to press me. Thus, I won¡¯t be able to coast through this with my superior accuracy. I will have to rely on my other basketball skills and teamwork in order to contribute.

    Ayaka, our center, won the jump ball and the game was officially on. Haruko claimed the loose ball and dribbled up the right side of the court. I ran for my designated position behind the 3-point line with my defender trailing close behind. Momoka set a screen for me, freeing me up to catch the pass from Haruko and shoot a long 3-pointer. I made it, naturally, and the crowd cheered at the fact that the home team was on the board first. It was thrilling to hear the crowd rooting for me. I didn¡¯t get lost in the moment, choosing to instead hurry back on defense. The player I was guarding was dribbling it up the floor, but she was too careless. I saw an opportunity and took it, swiping the ball away and sprinting down the floor for an uncontested lay-up to make it 5-0. Momoka gave me an enthusiastic hi-five as I returned and the crowd¡¯s cheers grew even louder.

    The quick start set the tone for the rest of the game. The opposing team was no match to us, being forced to overextend themselves to prevent me from dismantling them from the 3-point line. This made them vulnerable to the pick and roll, allowing Haruko and Ayaka to wreak havoc on the interior. The final score was 74 -56, and I finished as the top scorer with 19 points. ¡°Great job, Veronica! You were awesome!¡± Haruko exclaimed as we headed off the court. My other teammates chorused their agreement. ¡°It was a team effort, so that means we were all awesome.¡± I replied. My friends smiled at my words. This shared comradery was not something that I would expect to experience by simply playing a game, but it¡¯s nice.

    I declined the offer to go out with some of the team, citing a prior commitment to have dinner with Terra and the others. Terra had reserved a private room at his father¡¯s restaurant. It was wonderful. Irene, Rin, Kira, Hikari, and Reiji were all enjoying the feast along with Terra and me. After eating our fill, we spent the rest of the time there simply being together. Irene and Rin were having a cake-eating contest while Reiji refereed. Kira and Hikari were engrossed in an intense discussion about clothes and shoes. I was nestled up against Terra, savoring his warm and firm body. He had a gentle smile on as he gazed around the room. Just like me, Terra has begun smiling a lot more since we came to his world.

    ¡°And to think that you were such a grump when we first met.¡± I murmured softly, grabbing his attention. ¡°I guess I was, wasn¡¯t I? You were just so charming during our first encounter that I couldn¡¯t be such a grump anymore, at least not to you.¡± Terra replied teasingly. I giggled lightly and gave him a firm poke. ¡°Why are you acting so charming all of a sudden? Is there something particularly naughty you want to ask me to do later or what?¡± I said. His arm around me flexed, pulling me in close against his muscular chest. His face was inches away from mine, and he stared deeply into my eyes as he whispered ¡°Trust me, I don¡¯t plan on asking.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    My face and the tips of my ears became flushed. A feeling of electricity tingled down my spine and I couldn¡¯t resist leaning in and giving him a deep kiss. As always, I can¡¯t help but be turned on when Terra is so domineering. We stayed like that, enveloped in our own little world, until it happened.

    In an instant, Terra clasped a hand to his head as he let loose a small grunt of pain. ¡°Terra, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked worriedly as the others also noticed Terra¡¯s sudden issue. He didn¡¯t act as if he had heard me, and simply clenched his teeth as he tried to endure whatever it was that was happening. His eyes seemed to glaze over slightly, as if he were looking at something other than what was in front of him. Eventually, whatever it was that ailed him passed. He let loose a sigh of relief, before realizing that everyone was staring at him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± He said ¡°I¡¯ve just been getting some migraines recently.¡± ¡°You sure? Because I¡¯ve never heard you utter a sound while you¡¯re in pain before, and I¡¯ve seen you get fuckin¡¯ mauled.¡± Irene said suspiciously.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m fin¡ª¡± Terra¡¯s words were interrupted as a strong golden light appeared beneath us, arranging itself into an intricate array written in an illegible glowing script. ¡°A summoning array?!?!?¡± Kira exclaimed in surprise. ¡°YESS!!! Here comes my other world adventure!!¡± Reiji yelled. Hikari¡¯s response was to slap him upside the back of the head. ¡°KEEP YOUR OTAKUNESS TO A MINIMUM WHILE WE¡¯RE GETTING KIDNAPPED!¡± Hikari bellowed back at Reiji as we all started feeling a powerful pulling sensation. Our surroundings blurred as the summoning was starting to transport us. Everyone staggered at the sensation, with poor Reiji slipping and hitting his head on the table as he fell. He went out like a light.

    ¡°I beseech the Peerless Devil, destroyer of worlds, to answer mine call. In exchange for the ultimate sacrifice, come forth to grant my wish!¡± Those words echoed in the private room as I felt the summoning circle about to take full effect. Everyone in the room except for Terra had some look of great emotion on them varying between apprehension and surprise. His expression, however, was one of frustrated exasperation. He then spoke, as if in response to the words of the summoner.

    ¡°Fuck that shit.¡± He said, promptly unleashing his magic to extinguish the summoning circle. Its connection to us was severed completely, causing the room to come back into focus. He pointed at Reiji, releasing a quick burst of healing magic that woke him right up. Reiji was quick to readjust to his surroundings, looking like he had expected something different. When he realized we were still at the restaurant, he was not pleased. ¡°NOOOO!!!¡± Reiji wailed. He turned to Terra. ¡°You heartless bastard! I was about to see the promise land! We could¡¯ve been summoned to a kingdom of cat-girls!¡± He then promptly dissolved into tears. Rin started patting him on the back ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Big Sis! It¡¯ll be okay?¡± ¡°Why are you saying it as a question!?!¡±

    I chose to ignore the 2-man comedy routine going on to instead question Terra on behalf of the group. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡°A damn clich¨¦, that¡¯s what.¡± Terra responded moodily. ¡°And it was horrible timing. This sort of thing is supposed to happen <u>after</u> the current crisis facing the protagonist is resolved.¡± ¡°How do you know that it was targeting you specifically? Couldn¡¯t it have been any one of us and the rest were simply being dragged in?¡± Hikari astutely asked.

    ¡°No, it had to have been Terra. She said ¡®the Peerless Devil¡¯, after all. Terra was known as the Peerless back home. But it doesn¡¯t make sense, there is no such thing as a summoning ritual for non-spirits. And I don¡¯t understand the ¡®Devil¡¯ and destroyer of worlds parts either.¡± Kira said. Terra shook his head at Kira¡¯s words. ¡°I have no clue about the phrasing, but it isn¡¯t crazy to assume that there is more than our world and the other world out there. Maybe they have a hero summoning ceremony or something.¡±

    ¡°Hero summoning?¡± I asked. ¡°Calling an OP guy who fights the demon lord and gets the harem of beauties.¡± Reiji responded, finally tuning back in to the conversation. ¡°You mean like the boss?¡± Irene asked. ¡°Yep! Minato is the textbook definition of a Hero somebody would summon!¡± His words caused Terra to openly scowl ¡°I am not a Hero.¡± He said with an air of absolute conviction. ¡°Yeah, right. And the summoner was most certainly not a beautiful young maiden who was going to offer herself to you in exchange for your help. You¡¯re a hero, Minato. You save people and do the right thing.¡± Reiji said.

    Minato snorted at those words ¡°If only you knew.¡± He muttered, although no one seemed to have heard him except me. ¡°Anyways, this is all irrelevant since I interrupted the summoning circle. Let¡¯s head on home.¡± I walked with him as he went to pay the bill. He seemed to be brooding, which was extremely unusual for him. Is it related to what he said at the end of the discussion?

    ¡°Terra.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I may not know why Reiji¡¯s words upset you, but I¡¯m here when you¡¯re ready to talk about it.¡± ¡°¡­Ok.¡± I smiled at him, leaning in to give him another kiss before whispering ¡°Cheer up, wasn¡¯t there something that you weren¡¯t going to ask me to do tonight?¡±

    Terra broke out into one of his incredible smiles at my invitation. ¡°Yeah, I suppose there was.¡±

 Chapter 111: Casino Royale

    Novemeber 30<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Kira¡¯s POV

    Working at Mr. Chino¡¯s casino has been uneventful yet enjoyable. There¡¯s always a rowdy idiot or two who underestimate me and try to resist, allowing me to beat the living daylights out of them before tossing them into the street. The regulars have learned to stay clear of me by now. Mr. Chino claims that he¡¯s had less security incidents than ever since he hired me. I can¡¯t take all of the credit for that though. Irene¡¯s started working here as well when I needed someone to take some of the shifts for me. She was already rather Yakuza-like, so she adapted easily to this environment.

    And if the patrons are wary of me, they are all absolutely terrified of Irene. I think the one and only guy that tried feeling her up during her first shift on the job is still in the intensive care unit at Tokyo General. Apart from casino security, Mr. Chino also sends us to collect on debts. We¡¯ve been extremely effective. The debtors never see us coming, and the disconnect between our appearance and strength is shocking enough that they always cough up the money the first time we ask.

    My shift for tonight is just about over, so I wandered over to Mr. Chino¡¯s office. ¡°Do you need me to do anything before I leave?¡± I asked him. ¡°Nah, everyone¡¯s been kicked out and I¡¯ve finished counting the night¡¯s take. You can leave.¡± He said, but then something on the security monitor outside caught his eye. ¡°Scratch that, I¡¯ll be paying you overtime. It looks like we have some company.¡± He immediately reached over to grab his Thinker III smart pistol. I peeked over his shoulder at the monitor and saw three people standing outside. Two of them were ordinary looking thugs, but the leader seemed to be a silvery-blue haired woman in her late 20s.

    Mr. Chino walked out the casino, with me right behind him, to talk with the visitors. The street was completely deserted and quiet, which was strange. My hearing always picks up at least traffic the next street over, and there¡¯s always traffic in Tokyo. ¡°Are you Ratface?¡± the woman asked neutrally. ¡°Used to be. Who the fuck wants to know?¡± Mr. Chino challenged aggressively. ¡°Pandemonium is offering protection from all the unsavory characters in this neighborhood. All it takes is a small fee.¡± I did my best to avoid tensing at the mention of the name. I quickly tried to contact Terra via the telepathy artifact, but something was interfering. All I heard was static.

    Mr. Chino snickered rudely at the lady¡¯s words. ¡°Those unsavory characters are some of my best customers. I also already have my own security.¡± The woman seemed to be getting rather irritated with Mr. Chino, her hands were clenched tightly, yet her voice was still neutral. ¡°To decline our offer would be unwise.¡± ¡°I ain¡¯t declining, I just want you to know that I am well aware of your racketeering bullshit. Jeez, I thought Pandemonium was a crack operation.¡± Mr. Chino prodded her further with his response.

    It is not a good idea to antagonize these people! I swiftly leaned in to whisper ¡°What are you doing? These are not people you want to piss off!¡± ¡°Relax, brat. With these types of stand-offs it¡¯s vital to establish yourself and not be a pushover, otherwise they¡¯ll start raising the rates. I know how far to take it.¡± Mr. Chino casually responded. He nodded towards the woman, who was contemplating something, as if to say that he knew what he was doing.

    The woman looked up at Mr. Chino and the air turned cold. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. Forget the protection offer. I¡¯ll just kill you instead, you worthless human filth. You will die in frozen agony, maybe in the next life you will know better than to disrespect Pandemonium.¡± A cross-shaped spear of ice appeared in her hand, which she promptly stabbed at Mr. Chino. I reacted instantly, materializing my own swords from my storage ring to parry the strike.

    The spear stabbed into a vending machine, causing it to flash freeze at the contact. ¡°Get inside and call the police!¡± I shouted at Mr. Chino, causing him to scurry back into the casino. Hopefully the police coming here will attract Terra¡¯s attention. I¡¯ll keep trying to contact him via telepathy in the meantime. The ice lady moved to pursue him, but I diverted her attention. She was forced to bring her spear up to block one of my swords, leaving her midsection wide open. I stabbed with the other sword, but a pillar of ice extended downwards from the spear and blocked my attack.

    ¡°Go get the rat, I¡¯ll deal with this Remnant.¡± The woman said. ¡°Yes, Lady Susan!¡± The thugs yelled before running into the casino after Mr. Chino. Susan redirected her focus to me, and my intuition barely warned me in time to disengage. I leapt backwards as Susan¡¯s hair shimmered. The temperature of the air within her immediate vicinity dropped sharply, causing a small amount of hail to form from the moisture in the air being frozen instantly. My defensive artifact started glowing as it blocked the part of the spell, even though I was just on the edge of its area of effect. Why did it have to be an ice elementalist? I hate the cold!This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    I took out my throwing knives, opting for a ranged battle rather than risk getting frozen again. They hummed menacingly as they soared through the air, gouging large chunks of ice from the shield that Susan conjured for protection against them. She didn¡¯t notice that the deflected projectiles gathered above her in the air. I drew my butterfly swords out once more, and charged. As soon as I saw Susan channeling the same flash freeze spell as before, I willed my trap to spring.

    The knives dropped towards Susan, interrupting her spell midway. She reacted phenomenally, twisting out of the way to avoid getting hit in any vital areas. My efforts were still rewarded as I saw a multitude of deep gashes along her body. Susan didn¡¯t have any time to recover as I engaged right after the barrage. She barely managed to swing her spear to fend me off momentarily. I sensed my advantage and activated the enchantment on my blades. The rigid steel became soft and supple, elongating to become more similar to a bladed whip than a sword. My right sword twisted around Susan, and constricted like a serpent. But instead of crushing, my blade cut through her, leaving nothing but a pile of snow. Wait, snow?!? It was a decoy!

    Susan appeared behind me, her ice spear morphing into an intimidating greataxe. She swung down on my exposed back with all her might, only to be intercepted as my left blade formed a protective cocoon around me. There was a loud ringing sound, as if she had struck a bell. Before she could strike again, my throwing knives rose from the ground like a flock of angry birds and soared towards her.

    I quickly backed away to safety as she was forced to take defensive action. Phew, that was too close. Terra¡¯s intense training really is paying off. The old me would never be able to use the full power of these heroic artifacts otherwise. Longfangs and Farclaws, those are the names of my swords and throwing knives respectively. The names appeared on the weapons on the day I fully unlocked their power during training. Longfangs can change from rigid to flexible and elongate and contract at will, moving as if it were a part of me. I have yet to discover its maximum length. Farclaws can be thrown and manipulated with merely my mind, and it can easily pierce steel. Furthermore, they have a helpful automatic function that allows them to operate independently of me.

    A cold wind passed between us, as we stared each other down. I could sense the unrestrained rage bubbling within her, yet her face was completely impassive. It was if it was frozen like that. ¡°Annoying bitch. I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Susan spoke in her monotone voice. Her wounds from Farclaws were dripping bluish blood, which froze upon contact with the ground. I contracted Longfangs back to their original length, while I controlled Farclaws to surround me in a defensive position. The surroundings went from cold to even colder as I hoped that Mr. Chino manages to contact the police.

    Ratface¡¯s POV

    I thought retirement from crime meant that I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this shit anymore! My holophone is not fucking working and the wired line I have in my office is currently being blocked off by the two racketeers. I frantically dodged as another slot machine was destroyed and yet another hole appeared in the wall behind it. ¡°Stop blowing holes in my place!¡± I screeched as I tried firing back at the two Pandemonium stooges. My aim is not the greatest, but thankfully I have my smart pistol. I managed to mark the two with my scanner, allowing my pistol to adjust my shots as I pull the trigger to ensure that my aim is on target. I stuck my pistol out of cover and blindly fired, knowing that the pistol would compensate for my shit aim as long as I pointed in the right direction.

    One of the thugs roared in pain, indicating that I got him. Ha! It was worth overpaying that asshole of a quartermaster to sneak me this gun! ¡°Koyrie! Use the new gear! If we take any longer Susan is going to make popsicles out of us!¡± New gear? What does he mean by that? The whirling sound of a repeating laser rifle answered my question. ¡°FUCK!!!¡± I screamed as I hit the deck right when a searing salvo of laser fire melted through the card table I was hiding behind. I am so fucked, worse than the hooker I saw last week. My smart pistol, military grade weapon that it is, has no chance against goddamn lost technology! Only the most powerful militaries in the world have managed to start recreating that tech! What goddamn Council of Nine member do they have in their pocket?

    The wall behind me collapsed, giving me a new route to my office. I sprinted into the newly accessible back room, and opened up the trap door hidden within there. The tunnel beneath it leads into my office, or rather, the tunnel beneath my office leads here. It was originally an escape route for me in case police (or somebody worse) came charging into my office.

    ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! Fuck it!!! Nemiyet, go possess him!¡± ¡°Fine!!!¡± Shit, that sounds freaky. I grabbed the hardline in my office, it seems to still be working. Good, old tech has always been more reliable. ¡°Emergency Response, please state your emergency.¡± ¡°PANDEMONIUM ATTACK!!!!!¡± I bellowed into the phone, likely deafening the operator in the process. ¡°We have your location, security forces are in bound.¡± 30 seconds passed before the Pandemonium members figured out where I was. The office door was kicked in and one human walked in. He was lugging the repeating laser rifle from earlier, but on his shoulder was a little red monstrosity with goat horns, bat wings, and a forked tail. Fuck me, is that what I think it is?

    ¡°He¡¯s all yours, Nemiyet.¡± The man evilly said. But before anything could happen, the man¡¯s head turned into a pink mist, and the imp turned into a green mist. Standing behind him was that terrifying boyfriend of Kira¡¯s, clad in his trench coat and bandana with Kira close behind. My eyes were quickly drawn back to the corpse, which was twitching as another hideous little imp materialized out of it. It didn¡¯t even have time to screech before a searing blue flame turned it into ash. Holy fuck, what is going on?!? ¡°Relax, Ratface. You won¡¯t remember a thing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, Terra!¡±

 Chapter 112: Distraction

    December 11<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    It has been over a month since Vivian and I have come to an understanding regarding Pandemonium. Our partnership has been a simple one. She tells me where the identified affiliates of Pandemonium are, and then Irene, Rin, and I go eliminate the problem. The suspects turn themselves in and confess after a little magical manipulation, although occasionally we have to kill. There are sleeper agents who have been magically enthralled to follow Pandemonium¡¯s will, and those individuals have to be put down. It is a useful substitute for possession. No demons have been encountered on these raids as of yet.

    Since the Council of Nine has taken over Vivian¡¯s Pandemonium task force, they have expanded upon her bounty idea. Now any confirmed member of Pandemonium has a bounty on them, which has resulted in me making a lot of money this past month. Our association was also invaluable when Kira fought with a Pandemonium demon. Seconds after the emergency call was made and the words Pandemonium attack were uttered, the global security net (which the Council of Nine says doesn¡¯t exist) caught it and routed the relevant info to Vivian who then passed it on to me. The moment I broke past the isolation barrier, Susan ran. I figured as much would happen. Pandemonium has been doing nothing but these hit and runs since they were created. But now it has become so much harder for them to hide.

    On a different note, I have been consistently harassed by the summoners who tried to summon me a while back. The summoning circle has appeared beneath me no less than 12 different times this past month. It has appeared regardless of whether it¡¯s the public restroom (it was empty at the time), my house, or when I am in the middle of naughty time with the girls. I have had no luck in magically blocking it, I can only interrupt the summoning once it has occurred. It¡¯s like dealing with a persistent telemarketer who has your number.

    My holophone started ringing, interrupting my thoughts. I looked at the message, which read: ¡°Dante spotted in New York. Currently holding everyone in the Empire State Building hostage.¡± I immediately contacted Irene and Rin telepathically, before shapeshifting into Rin. Less than 2 minutes later, the three of us are soaring through the skies of New York City. We¡¯re invisible and headed to the top floor restaurant. ¡°Remember, do not engage Dante, he¡¯s on a completely different level than the rest.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± ¡°As long as there¡¯s someone else to fight, I don¡¯t fucking care.¡± And with that said, we burst into the top floor ready for combat.

    Dante was seated at a table in the center of the restaurant, with a full meal and a bottle of wine in front of him. He was wearing a simple suit, but his undershirt was strange. It was a dark and unusual hide of some sort which was clearly a relic. My eyes were also drawn to his hand, where I saw two rings that were also relics. I couldn¡¯t sense anything from them. He also had an illusion on him that covered him from the electronic surveillance. Surrounding him were not demons, but the very people he was holding hostage. Damnit, he¡¯s doing his strange possession technique on them. They were all armed extensively, and said armament was being point at myself, Rin, and Irene.

    ¡°Howdy! Would you care to join me?¡± Dante cheerfully spoke, not at all surprised at my appearance. I ignored his invitation and was about to charge, but then he spoke again singsong voice. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you~¡± He pointed towards the various cameras around the restaurant. ¡°Those babies directly upload their video to the internet. I very much doubt that you want the sight of you slaughtering the hostages to go worldwide. Although, I¡¯d be delighted if you do decide to become a terrorist.¡± He said.

    I didn¡¯t respond, opting to instead cast an illusionary spell to hide me and the others. But to my surprise, one of the rings on Dante¡¯s hand dispelled it. ¡°The Ring of Dispel is such a handy relic, don¡¯t you think?¡± Shit. He waved his hand and the remotely possessed hostages readied their weapons. ¡°You have two choices here: Option 1, you fight despite the eyes upon you and deal with the public aftermath later. I am still very much able to use illusions, so the world would not see you fighting armed combatants. They¡¯d see you butchering innocents with me nowhere in sight. Magic would most likely be exposed as well. Option 2, you sit down and chat with me for a bit. When the conversation is over, I¡¯ll leave peacefully and you¡¯re a hero for saving everyone.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Fucking demon lords. ¡°You¡¯re willing to expose yourself for this?¡± I demanded. ¡°Yep, what can I say? I¡¯m crazy in love.¡± He replied sweetly. Geh. Fine, I can use this as a chance to gain intel. I walked over to the table and sat down. Telepathically I told Irene and Rin to scout the area and search for the other hidden demons I know that are present. I ignored the food and wine that was brought out for me by one of the possessed hostages, choosing instead to glare at Dante until he started speaking.

    ¡°Hmm. Now that I think about it, we never really did do proper introductions, did we? Hi, my name is Dante! I¡¯m a demon lord who enjoys killing, torture, and cooking. My life¡¯s wish is to save this world from boredom and start an inferno of fun!¡± His crimson eyes locked onto mine as he waited expectantly. ¡°¡­Rin Yamamoto. I¡¯m a¡­ girl who enjoys killing Pandemonium members. My life¡¯s wish is to exterminate the lot of you.¡± Dante chuckled at my intro ¡°Way to ruin the mood we had going, darling.¡± ¡°Fuck off.¡± ¡°Only if you¡¯d join me.¡±

    Lightning magic coalesced around me as I lost my patience. Fuck the aftermath, I¡¯ll deal with it somehow. ¡°Wait! Alright, I came on too strong for a first date!!!! Tell you what, I¡¯ll tell you about demon lords and myself! You don¡¯t know much, right?!?¡± Not good enough. I was about to attack when Dante hurriedly added ¡°I can also tell you about your origins!! Haven¡¯t you ever wondered why you have magic in a magicless world?!?¡± I paused, unable to deny that my curiosity was piqued.

    Dante let loose a sigh of relief as I calmed down. ¡°Talk. And explain how you know this.¡± I commanded. ¡°Well, darling, I¡¯m a high-level spirit after all. Mana is my very being, of course I can read its currents and learn about the world.¡± He took another sip of wine as he continued. ¡°I was born on May 21<sup>st</sup>, 2089 as a result of a massive mana calamity. My kin were born afterwards. Mana alone is not enough to ensure the birth of a demon, it requires the presence of negative emotion as well. That does not mean that demons are inherently evil, per say, just that they are more predisposed to being evil. It varies on a case by case basis.¡±

    None of this is news to me. ¡°Now, demon lords are naturally much more special. We have very defined requirements to be created. There has to be a massive amount of mana congregating, along with the darkest and most potent negative emotions. And the only beings who can provide that are Heroes.¡± My poker face couldn¡¯t help but slip at that revelation. I quickly recollected myself, but it was obvious that Dante noticed. ¡°Oh? You didn¡¯t know that your little demon familiar is actually a demon lord? I thought it was rather clear. Demon Lords and Heroes are inextricably linked because of this fact. The lowest lows can only occur when falling from the highest heights. The brightest lights create the darkest shadows and all that philosophical mumbo-jumbo.¡±

    I didn¡¯t respond for a moment, choosing instead to contact Rin. ¡°Rin?¡± ¡°Yes, master?¡± ¡°Did you know that you¡¯re a demon lord?¡± ¡°Yes! Wasn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Wow, I feel a little stupid. I never asked Rin what she was, I just assumed she was a demon. And across the table is the Demon Lord created from Jupon. Well, I guess he would be feeling some potent negative emotions as I killed him and the world he was trying to save. Fucking Project Redemption is still fucking with me. Ok, let¡¯s focus. Dante is freely giving away valuable information, I have to take advantage of this opportunity.

    ¡°And about this world?¡± I prompted him. ¡°It¡¯s simple really, this world is one-half of a whole. Long story short, a massive war occurred due to some big bruhaha surrounding an upstart who was getting way too big for his britches. The upstart¡¯s colleagues were forced to seal him, and the event split the world into two. One-half became a prison for the bad boy, the other half became this world. The prison world kept all the mana, this one slowly lost its own reserves. Magic users faded away, leaving only Remnants who are shadows of their legacy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rather vague.¡± I said to him. I knew the other world and this one were related, but I didn¡¯t think that it broke apart in a war. Who is this imprisoned being? ¡°Mah, I can¡¯t give away everything on the first date. How else will I tempt you back next time?¡± ¡°This is not a date.¡± At that moment, I received a sudden SOS call from the defensive artifacts that Hikari and Veronica had. Son of a bitch. Dante must have seen it on my face that I realized that this entire incident was a planned distraction. ¡°Looks like someone has connected the dots! That¡¯s my cue to leave! Until next time, darling!¡± And with that he teleported away as the possessed hostages opened fire on me.

    I conjured a shield of light to ward them off, but many of them had plasma cannons as well as laser rifles. For the first time in ages, I could feel a palpable strain on my barrier as it blocked the gun fire. ¡°Rin, Irene, are there any demons around?¡± ¡°No, it was a damn feint! The only demon here seems to have been Dante.¡± ¡°No meanies found!¡± I don¡¯t have time for this! Veronica and Hikari are in danger!

    The hostages have been remotely possessed by Dante, meaning that I cannot save them. ¡°Boss, the cameras are down.¡± Irene¡¯s words were all the signal I needed. ¡°Come forth, beast of the sky, howl in defiance of your chains, and unleash your fury!¡± A strong wind coalesced around me, manifesting into the shape of a snarling wolf. It started circling me, turning into a vicious twister that sucked all the assailants in. They were torn to shreds, littering the surroundings with blood and gore. Without further ado, I gathered Irene and Rin and teleported back home. Please let me get there in time.

 Chapter 113: Dog Days

    December 11<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    I surveyed the board in front of me, carefully considering my moves. Everything so far has progressed as plan, but a single moment of carelessness can ruin everything. I moved my knight, and waited for Hikari¡¯s reaction. Her brows were furrowed and she couldn¡¯t help but drum a beat on the table with her fingers. She moved her bishop, as I had anticipated, leaving me open to end the game. I moved my queen into position ¡°Checkmate.¡± ¡°¡­Shoot, I lost again.¡±

    Hikari gave a cute pout as she surveyed the board, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive. Patience is the most important aspect of chess.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just too good at chess, Vera. The only person who can play on even ground with you is Minato.¡± I gave a smile at the comment before changing the subject. ¡°Well, now it is your turn to show off. What will the great Chef Kari, ruler of the kitchen, be teaching me to cook tonight?¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not sure yet. We¡¯ll need to go to the grocery store for inspiration!¡±

    And with that, Hikari and I got dressed and headed out into the winter weather. Cooking has been fun to learn, but difficult to become good at. As a noblewoman, I never really had to learn how to cook or clean or do the other mundane household chores before. I have mastered everything but the cooking at this point. Although Kira and Hikari have been quick to comfort me by saying that my food is far better than what Terra can make, and he¡¯s been trying to learn for years.

    We were cutting through the park on the way to the grocery store when I noticed our stalkers. They were stealthy, but they clearly were unaware of my elven hearing. I immediately whispered to Hikari ¡°We have someone trailing us, be ready for conflict.¡± Hikari tensed at my words, but she did not panic or expose that we were aware of the stalkers. Good, it seems Terra¡¯s training has been paying off for her. He¡¯s very thorough and addressed all kinds of scenarios in his training sessions.

    Unfortunately, not even Terra thought of a scenario where a dog demon the size of a 4-story building with 3 heads attacks. He appeared suddenly and whipped his knotted tail towards us. I immediately drew out my estoc and just barely parried the blow. Even though I was successful, it still knocked me several dozen feet away. The dog then attempted to stomp on Hikari. She dived out of the way, just barely avoiding death.

    I readied my estoc, Waymaker, and used its true power. I slashed at the open air in front of me, creating a portal that was linked to directly beneath where Hikari was. She dropped through it and fell out besides me. She faceplanted into the dirt due to the way she entered the portal. The momentum and orientation that you have going into a portal is what you have going out of it. If you¡¯re standing and go through a portal below you, you will emerge from the linked portal feet first.

    I tried to contact Terra, but the telepathy artifact couldn¡¯t reach him. By Adligo¡¯s chains, this is bad. I sensed another assailant sneaking up behind us and reacted with Waymaker just in time, creating a portal that swallowed the green fire launched towards us and redirecting it to the gargantuan dog. It whined in pain as the fire left a noticeable trail of purulent burns on its hide. ¡°Mannequin, you whore! How dare you hit me?!?¡± the dog growled at the shadowy figure. ¡°The girl redirected my attack, it wasn¡¯t my fault. Besides, it¡¯s just a small burn. You¡¯re a big dog Cerberus, you¡¯ll walk it off.¡± A white plastic mannequin, the kind you see in department stores, was revealed as it stepped out into the light of the park lamp. It wore no clothing, nor did it have any discernible features on it.

    I used the telepathy artifact to secretly converse with Hikari while the two demons were arguing. ¡°Vera, I can¡¯t contact Minato!¡± ¡°I know, I haven¡¯t had any success either.¡± ¡°What do we do?!?¡± ¡°¡­We fight. It is all we can do. Hopefully we can disrupt their magical interference by causing enough mayhem during the battle or attract the attention of the police. You fight this Mannequin, remember your training and focus on survival. I¡¯ll take care of Cerberus.¡±

    I broke the link off as I readied myself to fight. Hikari drew out her katana and settled into her ready stance, despite her trembling. It¡¯s to be expected with her first true fight. I focused on Cerberus, who was looming above me, and inwardly cursed. Out of all the Pandemonium members, I just had to get the canine. Cerberus charged at me, clearly planning to trample me with his mass. I can¡¯t carelessly move, or else Hikari will be hit instead. I stabbed downwards with Waymaker, creating a portal that I fell into. It was linked to the sky above Cerberus, his broad back looming below. I switched out Waymaker with my crossbow and fired upon the beast. The single bolt started having parts of itself peel off as it drew closer to the demon, eventually resembling a large cloud of darts as it struck his left head.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    A series of small-scale explosions occurred upon contact, combining with one another to create a powerful blast. It jerked the head to the side and sent the dog off balance. He careened away from Hikari and Mannequin, and his right head turned around to glare at me in the sky. I shifted Swarm Shooter to a one-handed grip as I drew out Waymaker with my freed hand. I¡¯ll have to stay mobile. If I take one direct hit, I¡¯ll die. The right head breathed in deeply and then released a massive breath of fire towards me. I swiped with Waymaker, creating a portal in front of me to redirect some of the flames. They were turned back upon Cerberus, who seemed unaffected by his own hellfire. How unfortunate. The heat from the remaining conflagration as it went by was intense, and were it not for the defensive artifact Terra gave to me I would have suffered some serious burns.

    I portal-jumped while still falling, using the momentum to my advantage as I appeared by Cerberus¡¯s side with Waymaker held horizontally. It was buried hilt deep into his flesh as I carved a gaping line on his side before coming to a halt. It was impressive, although with his size it was naught but a scratch. I pulled Waymaker out, portal-hopping to the ground safely. I fired Swarm Shooter, aiming for the open wound. The explosive projectiles imbedded themselves deep into the flesh, causing further damage as they exploded. I was already gone from my position in anticipation of Cerberus¡¯s retaliation. But the demon finally wised up. He started shrinking, going from his gargantuan 4-story size down to the size of a horse. His decrease in size greatly improved his speed, allowing him to react to my movements more easily. His endless baying as he chased after me was bringing up some unpleasant memories.

    Suddenly, Cerberus stopped his pursuit. The left and right heads started spewing highly corrosive acid around himself like they were fountains, my confusion about said action vanished when the center head unleashed a fire breath onto the acid and created an acidic mist that was corroding everything in the nearby vicinity. The dog then blew the cloud of acid mist towards me as it kept generating more.

    It was an ingenious method to hamper my mobility. I launched several bolts with Swarm Shooter, using the blasts from the projectiles to blow away the mist. Thankfully, my crossbow generates its own ammo, so I can use it liberally without worry. Cerberus took advantage of my preoccupied state, lunging through the mist to try and devour me. I stowed away my crossbow as I was quickly parrying and counter striking the demon¡¯s three heads as they were relentlessly trying to bite me. He was too close for me to escape via portal, and I was losing ground under Cerberus¡¯s relentless onslaught.

    I have to end this before I am overwhelmed. Think ahead, predict the flow of the battle, and lead it to your desired conclusion. Left head is trying to bite, interrupt movement with a preemptive stab. Right head is about to counter, step forward to dodge. Immediate backstep to get-out-of range of the center head. Parry the right head and riposte. Duck beneath the left head. Slash the right head. Step forward again to avoid left head. Cerberus should overcommit to his attack¡­ now!

    Cerberus assumed I would backstep to avoid his center head once more, so he lunged forward with all 3 heads covering my escape routes. Backstepping would do nothing to save me, nor would sidestepping be possible with the left and right heads simultaneously pursuing. The three heads converged right where I was¡­ had I actually backstepped. I had instead jumped with all my might instead, giving me a perfect angle to attack. The three heads were lined up vertically, just as I had planned. I held Waymaker¡¯s hilt with both hands, pointing the blade downward as I fell onto Cerberus. I pierced through two heads, and nearly reached the third. Shit, I underestimated the toughness of his hide.

    I quickly disengaged, but I was not fast enough. The dog demon started to rapidly expand back to its original size, appearing as if it couldn¡¯t sustain its smaller form. While he was expanding, Cerberus¡¯s tail whipped around and slammed into me full force as he blindly thrashed about in pain. My defensive artifact turned on, coating me in silver light that managed to resist momentarily before dissipating. It saved my life, but it did nothing to stop me from soaring the length of the park and smashing into the oak tree that I liked sitting on. It shattered on impact and came crashing down on me. I was pinned to the ground, unable to move. My legs are broken, and I can tell that I¡¯m suffering some major internal injuries. I hate dogs so much.

    The defensive artifact started to heal me, but there¡¯s a lot of damage and it is a gradual process. I am too injured to do anything and were it not for my elven eyesight, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to watch what¡¯s unfolding. Hikari¡¯s been holding out admirably, but she¡¯s clearly overwhelmed. She doesn¡¯t have enough experience to be able to compensate for the demon¡¯s natural physical advantages.

    Cerberus is not getting involved, clearly being preoccupied with regenerating his two crippled heads. That¡¯s a minor blessing, seeing that Hikari has collapsed. Dammit! I refuse to lose anymore family! I gritted my teeth and pushed against the tree pinning me down. I managed to wriggle out just enough to free my arms. Swarm Shooter appeared in my hands and I aimed for Mannequin, who had an ominous green flame in her hand and was preparing to finish Hikari off.

    I lined up the most important shot in my life with a fiery determination. I pulled the trigger, sending a single bolt flying towards the demon. It zipped across the clearing, striking Mannequin in the head. It exploded with such power that I could feel the blast wind from here. My tenuous grasp on consciousness slipped as I saw Hikari stand back up. This is my limit. The rest is up to you, Hikari.

 Chapter 114: Comeback

    December 11<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    I looked at my opponent, the creepy plastic lady, and tried to maintain my cool. Vera has just managed to redirect the building-sized dog away from us, allowing me to focus on my fight without worry. Ok, time to stall. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± I called out. ¡°Well, little girl, I could tell you the truth. However, I think I¡¯ll play with you first. I¡¯m not that into girls, but for a pretty little thing like you I can make an exception.¡±

    There was a lustful undertone to her words, and I couldn¡¯t help but shudder. ¡°Nope, denied, I reject! Go find a sex doll to harass or something!¡± ¡°Ara, you¡¯re rather energetic, aren¡¯t you? This is going to be fun~.¡± And with that, Mannequin threw out more of her nauseating green flames. My body reacted before I could even think, throwing myself out of the way. I did a combat roll and came to my feet just in time to intercept her as she appeared in front of me. Damn, she¡¯s fast!

    Her right hand was like a knife as she struck towards my heart. Again, my body moved on its own, the muscle memory of many hours of arduous training and spars taking over. I blocked the first attack, redirecting it wide of my body. With my blade inside of her guard, I stepped forward, swinging Dynamo to the right. Mannequin ducked beneath the slice, opening herself up to my foot as I kicked her in the face. Contrary to my expectations, Mannequin was not flung backwards. My kick actually pushed me away. My foot throbbed in pain, like I had kicked a brick wall or something. ¡°How much do you weigh?¡± I exclaimed in surprise. Those were the wrong words to use. ¡°I¡¯LL KILL YOU!¡± Mannequin screeched, all traces of the sexy elder sister gone, as she pursued me. I utilized my extended reach to counter her flurry of kicks and punches, forcing her to work harder to get within striking range.

    Eventually though, one of her attacks got through my defense. The defensive artifact Minato insisted we all wear sprung to life, covering me in silver light as Mannequin¡¯s fist struck my abdomen. It saved me from severe injury, but I nonetheless had the wind knocked out of me. That did not deter me from using the opening that Mannequin gave me. I brought the hilt of my katana down hard on her head, sending her plastic face into my knee as it came up to strike. The silver light was still surrounding me, and it was all I needed to inflict damage. The silver light pulsed, blasting Mannequin some distance away.

    YES! I finally got a meaningful hit in! I¡¯m about to say something I never thought I would say: Thank you Vera for being so damn vicious during our early spars! My inner celebration was cut short when Mannequin picked herself up. A large amount of noxious green fire sprung up around her. Shoot, this is going to suck. I had to weave frantically in and out of the gouts of fire as they were launched at me. I have a sneaking suspicion that the fire is toxic, given that my defensive artifact has been glowing non-stop despite me not taking any hits from the flaming projectiles.

    Unfortunately, I made a critical error. Minato has always been adamant about staying focused during battle, he has made me do all sorts of hellish drills to condition me to maintain concentration. But my focus wavered when I saw Vera zoom across my field of vision like a missile. What happened?!? That lapse was all it took for a particularly potent green fireball to get a direct hit on me.

    *BOOOM* My defensive artifact broke, having been forced to expend all its power to prevent my instant death. I flew for a dozen feet or so, collapsing into a pile of limbs after a jarring landing. A multitude of burns covered my body, and I felt PAIN. I¡¯ve never experienced such gut-wrenching agony before. It was so strong that it made it hard to breathe. ¡°It hurts, doesn¡¯t it? For a sheltered little girl, you put up a remarkable fight. No one told us that you were dangerous. I¡¯ll have to tell my lord to demand more money for this job.¡± I managed to look up to Mannequin, who hadn¡¯t moved from her position. She seemed rather content to wait and watch my suffering.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Why are you targeting me?¡± I asked. ¡°We were hired to. Your existence was getting in the way of some very important people and their very important plans. Now, it¡¯s time to exit stage right.¡± She said as she conjured up a fistful of green fire. I can¡¯t move out of this attack. I guess I should be feeling panicked, or scared, but the truth is I¡¯m simply tired. I¡¯m barely clinging to life as it is, and hopefully after I die they¡¯ll forget about Vera and leave.

    ¡­I guess after all my talk of determination, I¡¯m going to die having given up. Gosh, I¡¯m such a hypocrite. Mannequin was beginning her throwing motion, but before she could finish a familiar looking crossbow bolt suddenly struck her. The resulting explosion was tremendous. It flung me backwards despite my distance from the blast and left nothing but a smoking crater in its wake.

    My hopes that Mannequin died were thwarted as I observed a black miasma rise up from the crater. It coalesced into a lust-inducing woman wearing a skimpy outfit of a red crop top and short shorts. Her long black hair curtained her face which was set with a pair of yellow snake eyes. A pair of gnarled horns stuck up from her forehead, matching with the bat wings on her back and the forked tail on her behind. She had lovely tanned skin and beautiful facial features. She also had a set of ridiculously enormous breasts and some especially curvy curves. I don¡¯t know my demonology, but I would hazard a guess that Mannequin is a succubus. Scratch that, she is definitely a succubus.

    Mannequin¡¯s beauty was marred by the absolute rage and hate adorning her face. She will without a doubt kill Vera in retaliation. Slowly and painfully, based on her expression. The only way Vera can survive is if I finish these two demons off. I gritted my teeth, and got off the ground. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. I shakily picked up Dynamo and faced down the gargantuan three headed dog and sultry succubus. ¡°Ara? You¡¯ve gained a second wind? Just stay down, cockroach, while I go find your annoying little friend.¡± I have enough strength for one last swing with Dynamo.

    The blade, given to me by the person I love with all my heart, started glowing with a fearsome light. Dynamo¡¯s ability to convert kinetic energy to mana is not limited to when it¡¯s swung. If the sword is moving in anyway at all, it is charging. If I¡¯m running while holding the sword, it gains mana. If it gets hit by something that¡¯s moving, it gains mana. A frantic fight, blocking blows that could fracture concrete, getting flung by a blast, it was all converted into mana. Combined with what I had already stored up, it had a lot of mana.

    My trusty blade was vibrating wildly as it was ready to unleash its power. ¡°Light ¡®em up, Dynamo!¡± I swung downwards, and a large beam of blue light shot in a forward/upward trajectory. Cerberus and Mannequin both conjured up shields of black and green light to block, but it was futile. They briefly held against my strike, but in the end they were unable to withstand it. Mannequin¡¯s upper torso got torn right off, and Cerberus lost his left front leg as the beam bit deep into his shoulder. The beam of light continued going into the sky until it passed the park¡¯s perimeter. A previously unseen barrier appeared, shattering like glass upon contact.

    ¡°Damnit! The isolation barrier has been destroyed! Dante¡¯s favored lady will be coming any moment now!¡± Cerberus roared in consternation and pain. He seemed completely uncaring about his dead partner and his missing limb, which was slowly regenerating. As for Mannequin¡­ my eyes opened wide as the topless corpse rapidly grew out its missing half. The succubus, who looked as good as new, opened her eyes and stood up.

    Oh, come on! My last-ditch ace-in-the-hole had no effect! What kind of B.S. is that!? ¡°Mannequin, we need to leave! Lord Dante has signaled that the New York decoy has been exposed!¡± ¡°NOT UNTIL WE FINISH THE JOB FOR THE HAYASHI GROUP!¡± Mannequin snarled at Cerberus before turning to me. She plunged her hand deep into her own chest, letting out a gushing of blood as she stabbed her own heart, and then she started speaking. ¡°I call death¡¯s caress upon you, I call time¡¯s agony upon you, I call a slow torment upon you. By my life¡¯s blood I curse thee, may you wither and rot into oblivion!¡±

    Upon her last words, everything started to fade into a red haze. I feel so very, very tired. I saw Cerberus and Mannequin flee and I could hear Minato calling out my name, but I am so very, very tired. Too tired to care even as an ominous darkness came upon me.

 Chapter 115: Berserk

    December 14<sup>th</sup>, 2089

    Terra¡¯s POV

    ¡°Terra, please rest. You¡¯ve done everything that you can right for her.¡± I grimaced at Kira¡¯s words, but I could not refute them. It¡¯s been three days since Pandemonium attempted to kill Hikari and Veronica, and I have no clue as to why. Not that I have had much time to think or do anything else other than frantically keep Hikari alive. Veronica was also badly injured in that battle, but Hikari ran afoul of a blood magic curse. I fucking hate blood magic. It was likely the succubus who cast it. Those dream demons suck the life force of men, adding it to their own reserves. This means that they are pseudo-immortal until said reserves run out, and they can use the most vile blood magics without worry.

    If I were a second later, Hikari would have died. This blood magic was draining her life force and forcefully aging her. It took the majority of my mana reserves and the drops from the Fountain of Youth to stave off the curse. Hikari is now in an uneasy equilibrium that is teetering on the verge of death. There are blackish-red streaks all along her body, a visible mark of the curse¡¯s presence. She cannot heal any further until the blood magic is removed, but this is not a curse that can be removed. I don¡¯t know what to do.

    I briefly got up to go check on Veronica. She has been fully healed, but it was an exhausting process for her. Until she fully recovers, I have ordered her to stay in bed. ¡°How¡¯s Hikari doing?¡± Veronica immediately asked as I entered the room. ¡°Stable, but not in a good way. She¡¯s not dying anymore, but I can¡¯t heal her past the near-death coma stage.¡± I replied. I walked over to her and proceeded to do a light scan with my magic to make sure that they were no festering hexes or other nasty surprises hidden. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked. ¡°Better.¡± Veronica responded.

    We fell silent after that, taking solace in each other¡¯s company. I don¡¯t want Veronica to go blaming herself for what happened to Hikari. The fault is mine and mine alone. ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Veronica suddenly said. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. If it weren¡¯t for your training, Hikari and I would have died for certain.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how reassuring that is.¡± I responded moodily.

    Then, to my surprise, I felt a flick to my forehead. I looked up to see Veronica giving me a smile. She then started patting my head gently. ¡°I chose to believe in Hikari during that battle, and she did not let me down. Now, I¡¯ll believe in you to heal her. I have complete faith that you will succeed.¡± While I was still processing her words, she leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips. She lied back down on the bed, clearly still weary from her healing, and peacefully drifted off to sleep.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    I left the room quietly, and gathered my gear. I have a lot of things to do in order to fulfill Veronica¡¯s faith in me. ¡°Irene, Rin, please keep your guards up. I¡¯m going out for a bit. Kira, you and Veronica should stay here into the apartment for the next few days.¡± ¡°What about school?¡± Kira asked me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll charm everyone into thinking that you guys are there. No one will notice any of us gone.¡± I said to her reassuringly. I gathered my weapons and put on my bandana as I headed towards the door. ¡°Boss, where are you going?¡± Irene asked me.

    ¡°I¡¯m headed out to go berserk, if I hold it in any longer I might destroy this city. Don¡¯t expect me back for at least the next week or so. Contact me if Hikari worsens.¡± And with those parting words, I vanished. I have one brief stop to make before I can relieve these roiling emotions inside of me. The highest levels of healing magic require a clear heart and mind to succeed. I need to quench my wrath before I can do anything else.

    I appeared in the sitting room of Princess Vivian¡¯s private chambers, thoroughly startling her in the middle of her afternoon tea. ¡°I need the list of all suspected Pandemonium contacts you have.¡± I said to her. ¡°Minato! Don¡¯t appear so suddenly, you nearly gave me a heart attack! And what¡¯s this about the suspect list? We¡¯ll contact you with the names when we confirm Pandemonium affiliations.¡± I waved away her point as I replied ¡°I don¡¯t care about that. Just give me all the suspects you have.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, this and that happened, so I¡¯m just going to kill them all.¡± I said disinterestedly, as if I were talking about the weather. Princess Vivian was aghast at my words ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡±

    My response was the full brunt of my bloodlust, which was elevated to new heights due to my wrath. Excalibur started shining brightly in an attempt to shield Vivian, who turned shockingly pale and was on the verge of breaking down in sheer terror. ¡°Do not test my patience today. I will apologize when all is said and done, but for now you will GIVE ME THAT LIST!¡±

    I left shortly after that, with the list of all 5,000 some people who had potential Pandemonium ties, I also decided to wipe Vivian¡¯s memories of our encounter. There¡¯s no need to sour our relationship due to my temper. About 95% of the listed individuals were criminals belonging to the various organized crime syndicates across the globe. I¡¯ve been a fool for trying to be merciful thus far. If I had remained as ruthless as I had been back in the other world, things would have never progressed to the point where Hikari and Veronica were attacked.

    I am someone who has murdered millions if not billions of people through my actions. I have murdered hundreds if not thousands of people personally. I am someone who does not care if the world burns as long as the few people my cold heart loves are safe. I lost sight of that and it has cost me dearly. No more. I am not a hero. And if that thrice-blasted summoning circle tries to appear even one more god damn time to whisk me away to another world, I will allow it to simply so I can slaughter everyone on the other side.

    Speaking of slaughter, it is time to start. Alright! Let¡¯s see who is first on the list.

    That day was the start of a three-week period of blood shed that rocked the world. It would have been shorter, but I took time to visit the girls and check on Hikari during my rampage. The numerous criminal enterprises died out with no trace of their attacker. The country of Mexico, having been virtually run by the cartels, collapsed into a state of near anarchy, resulting in a Council of Nine peacekeeping intervention. Official estimates say the final death count of my manhunt was 5,234 people. History would come to know it as the Bloody Holidays.

 Chapter 116: Invite Accepted

    January 8<sup>th</sup>, 2090

    Irene¡¯s POV

    It¡¯s been several weeks since the boss left to go on his rampage. He checked back in every once in a while, but most of the time he was absent. And the fucking, pussy-footed, ass-licking, dick-sucker didn¡¯t bring me along with. I may sound calm, but it is only because my anger emotion reached incalculable levels and triggered the circuit breaker in my emotional router. Back-up sub-routines took over until the router could be restored. In biological terms, I think I suffered the equivalent of a rage induced stroke. Peh, I¡¯ll give the boss the beating of a lifetime when he gets back.

    ¡°Irene, you¡¯re done for the day. Good work. Now get the hell out of here.¡± Ratface told me as I finished throwing the last of the gamblers out the door. ¡°Alright. Later, Ratface.¡± I waved my farewell and left as he made a rude gesture in response to his nickname. His shitty casino looks even shittier than ever after Pandemonium paid a house call. Of course, Blondie was the one working security at the time. Tch, I¡¯ve haven¡¯t had a good fight since London! I¡¯m horny for a brutal life or death brawl, and nothing since then has been able to satisfy me! Even Doll-face and Caramel had their own fun deathmatches!

    That¡¯s not to say I¡¯m not concerned about Doll-face, quite the opposite in fact. The boss¡¯s harem has grown on me and I might even start openly admitting that I consider them friends. But I know Minato will heal her, so I don¡¯t see any reason to worry. My creator is incredible in almost every way, although I¡¯d rather be permanently shut-down than to tell him that. The dense fuck doesn¡¯t need an overinflated ego.

    I strolled into the apartment, greeting Rin who was standing guard. ¡°Hey furball.¡± ¡°Hi, boiler brain.¡± I looked over at Rin who was lounging on the couch. She was in her human form, but she no longer had 3 tails. There were four of those fluffy abominations now. Her age had also changed, now she looked to be around 11. Apparently, her familiar¡¯s connection with Minato resulted in her channeling the massive amount of negative emotions he was experiencing. She had already been close to growing another tail and that was the tipping point. She¡¯s gotten stronger as well, although I will not lose.

    Our relationship is as antagonistic as ever, tempered with a mutual fondness from living together for so long. Our rivalry stems from the fact that we are both creations of Minato. Neither of us is willing to be considered second-fucking best. It¡¯s the natural desire of any creation to want its creator¡¯s affection. Although in my case, I want far more. Yeah, I¡¯ve said it. I fucking have the hots for Minato.

    No, it was not pre-programmed or any of that shit. I always had a fondness for him since he was my creator and all, but gradually I just fell in love. There¡¯s no specific moment that made it suddenly click, I just booted up one day and realized the truth. He¡¯s cool, tough, ruthless and attractive as hell. And¡­ he¡¯s kind. It¡¯s not that sickeningly sweet kindness that goodie two-shoes spew at everyone they see. It¡¯s a kindness that warms your being and makes you feel special since it¡¯s only shown to you. It¡¯s all the more precious for its rarity and all the more heartfelt because of it.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± Minato reappeared in entryway, covered in blood. ¡°¡°Welcome home, boss/master.¡±¡± Rin and I greeted back. ¡°So, you done with your damn angst-ridden rampage?¡± I asked grumpily. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve run out of people to kill for now.¡± He responded as he took off his bandana and overcoat. Tch, dense fuck can¡¯t even tell that I¡¯m mad. I¡¯d deliver my promised beating to him now, but I don¡¯t want to disturb the others. A warm, calloused hand interrupted my violent thoughts as Minato placed his hand on my head. He looked into my optics with a small smile. ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t bring you along. I know you wanted to come, but this was something I had to do myself.¡± He apologized.

    Damnit. I could feel the pigmentation composition of my skin changing to be bright red. His hand felt really pleasant on my head. Our beautiful moment, however, was interrupted by one annoying little furry fuck. ¡°Master! I missed you too! Look, I¡¯ve grown another tail!¡± Rin shouted softly (it was the middle of the night) as she inserted herself between us. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Rin. Good job.¡± Minato patted her head, much to Rin¡¯s delight. I saw her little smirk as she glanced back at me. The vixen¡¯s gotten more devious now that she¡¯s older.

    ¡°How have things been around here?¡± Minato asked me. ¡°Doll-face is the same. Blondie and Caramel have gone back to school, your magic has made no one notice Doll-face¡¯s absence. Furball¡¯s done a good enough job fooling your parents.¡± I reported dutifully. ¡°Thanks for holding down the fort you two. I owe you guys.¡± He said. I perked up at the promised favor. Okay, let¡¯s do it. When things get better, I¡¯ll make Minato take me out on a date. An official one, not the ones I¡¯ve been getting him to do so far. Then one thing will lead to another, and I¡¯ll jump him on the 3<sup>rd</sup> date. I¡¯m not a whore, so I won¡¯t put out too early.

    I returned Rin¡¯s earlier smirk back to her with interest, enjoying the small vixen¡¯s agitation as she realized what I was likely going to do. Ha, the stupid little loli is at a severe disadvantage when it comes to physical attraction. The boss is not a lolicon, and no amount of childish cuteness will be able to compensate for the lack of breasts, curves, and adult femininity.

    My victorious moment was ruined when the golden light of a summoning circle filled the room. ¡°Those bastards really are persistent, aren¡¯t they?¡± I commented as Rin and I waited for Minato to cancel the ritual like he¡¯s done before. He sighed in exasperation ¡°I have to take care of this problem permanently. Eventually this thing is going to appear in a public place and then we¡¯re screwed.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re accepting the invitation?¡± I asked. ¡°Just long enough to tell them to fuck off.¡± Minato responded. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, you guys will have to watch the place for a bit longer.¡±

    On an absurd impulse, I decided to do something bold. I dashed up beside him, and planted a light kiss on his cheek. ¡°You owe me a date when you get back. A real one.¡± I felt a surge of amusement at Minato¡¯s gobsmacked face. I quickly back away from the summoning circle. One would think that the dense fuck would have learned by now how to pick up signals. ¡°Have a fun trip, master!¡± Rin waved good-bye as Minato vanished into the golden light.

    The furball then turned to me, glaring with all the ferocity of a plushy. ¡°Cheater!¡± she accused. I crossed my arms, intentionally pushing up my already respectably sized bust. ¡°You¡¯re still 2 tails too young to compete with me. Come back when you¡¯re not jailbait.¡± I stifled a laugh as I watched Rin¡¯s outrage. I wonder what her reaction will be when I do something more with Minato than just a chaste kiss. Fufu, I can¡¯t wait to find out.

 Chapter 117: The Peerless Devil and the Redeemers

    The 4<sup>th</sup> day of Summer¡¯s Eve, Year 200 of the Royal Era

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I thought that being summoned would be like when I use to travel between worlds. I was wrong. There was no seamless transition after a brief spin. Instead, I felt as if I were stuck on a merry-go-round from hell. I had no discernable surroundings, and the only thing I could see was the damn writing from the summoning circle. The words that the summoner used echoed in the blurry space I was hurtling through: ¡°O Peerless Devil, bane of all that is good, come forth to harvest hate and sow discord!¡±

    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my surroundings came into sharp view. But I couldn¡¯t be bothered to notice, because the instant I materialized in this world I felt a surge of power beyond anything I have ever felt before. Mana surrounded me, so thick that it felt like I was swimming in it. I could feel my body soak it up like it was a bone-dry sponge. An endless waterfall of mana just poured into me. The richness and purity of the mana seemed to allow my body to store more of it without destroying itself.

    This process caused the room to visibly tremble and buckle under the pressure of the invisible mana flow. Eventually, it stopped and at that moment I was scared of myself. I feel like I have energy similar to when I was channeling the mana from Liberator during Project Redemption. Can this energy even be considered mana? Or is it something more? I decided to focus on this ridiculously excessive power-up later as I finally shifted my attention to my surroundings.

    The room of the summoning was a dark and dank dungeon. I was in the center of the summoning circle, a near exact replica of the one that appeared beneath me. Except for the fact that it was drawn in dried blood. A young human woman was prostrating on the edge of the circle. She had wispy green hair and blue eyes set in a face filled with worry lines. Her body looked rather skinny, and based on the slackness of her skin, it was probably due to a lack of food. Her flaws did not overshadow her natural attractiveness, especially when it was accentuated by the sheer ceremonial robe she was wearing. There was a large bandage wrapped around her arm, indicating where the blood for the summoning circle came from.

    The woman was in a terrified daze at my appearance, clearly having been overwhelmed by the pressure I was now exuding. I used the momentary silence to examine the esoteric underpinnings of the summoning circle. Depending on how the circle was constructed, the parameters of the summoning can vary. The most common ones I saw in the other world were subjugation circles, where wizards tried to dominate the summoned spirits in a contest of will and strength.

    Naturally, the wizards only summoned weaker spirits that they could clearly control. This summoning circle was a contract circle, where the summoner tries to bargain with the summoned for their services. If an agreement is not reached, the summoning terminates before the summoned can harm the summoner. That is, of course, assuming that the summoned being isn¡¯t strong enough to just destroy the circle before it activates. Interesting. The prospect of payment was enough for me to stay put and not just destroy everything in sight. I was also exceedingly curious about this world in general. How is it related to my visions? And is this bad feeling I¡¯m getting from the phrase ¡°Peerless Devil¡± something to be worried about?

    The woman was still terrified and unable to initiate the conversation, so I decided to do so myself. ¡°What do you want?¡± My voice echoed ominously in the dark room. Oops, I didn¡¯t expect my voice to gain so much gravitas and power. I wasn¡¯t even trying to be intimidating. Nevertheless, the woman let out a high-pitched squeak at my words before collecting herself. ¡°I, Baroness Willow of House Meadow, beg of you, grant my wish in exchange for my offering!¡± She maintained her prostate form respectfully as she waited for my response.

    ¡°¡­And what is this offering?¡± I asked. At my words the Willow¡¯s trembling increased. She stood up unsteadily and responded ¡°Me.¡± She undid the clasp of her robe, letting it slide off her pale skin to the stone floor. She was not wearing anything underneath. ¡°I offer you the unblemished soul of a noble virgin, my soul. In exchange, I wish for you to protect the city of Verlush from the invaders.¡±

    What the fuck is this? ¡°I decline. Why in the world would I want your soul?¡± I asked. My response was clearly not what Willow expected. ¡°B-but, the Peerless Devil always demands a soul in exchange for his services! You¡¯re him, aren¡¯t you?¡± she cried back, forgetting her fear in the face of her confusion. ¡°Do I look like a devil to you?¡± I asked sarcastically. To my dismay, Willow actually gave me a once over before staring past me to look at the back wall of the dungeon. I followed her stare, and saw a mural.

    It depicted a hideous humanoid abomination with long talons and black tentacles growing out all across the body. Its teeth were sharpened into fangs and a large eye with a bloody maw where the pupil should be was on its grossly swollen left bicep. Its eyes were pitch black from iris to sclera and there were eerie, jarring red tattoos all across its skin. In its talons was a rhomphaia dripping with blood, while in the background there were various scenes of death, despair and agony. Despite the monstrous depiction, one could clearly see the similarities between me and the monster. ¡°Uh, you kind of look like the devil? Your appearance seems to have been greatly distorted.¡± Willow said after staring at the mural.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    The picture of my Rin-possessed form made me suddenly get a very worrying suspicion. ¡°Tell me about this ¡®Peerless Devil¡¯.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you know better than me?¡± ¡°I have no idea whether or not I am this being you are referring to, so clarification would be helpful!¡± The fearful mood of Willow seemed to have dissipated completely now in the face of my own confusion. ¡°Well, to make a long story short, the Peerless Devil is the ultimate evil. A being of hate, malice, and wrath, the Peerless Devil is the manifestation of all that was wrong with this world before it was redeemed.¡±

    Redeemed. Hearing that word made me tense as the implications whirled through my mind. Willow continued talking, unaware of my reaction. ¡°The creation of our world was the result of the destruction of an old one. That world was a vile one. Atrocities occurred constantly, depravity was prevalent everywhere, and misery was the norm for all who lived there. Then 5 people decided to change everything. They were mighty beings known as ¡®wizards¡¯, individuals who were born with mana and were able to create it themselves, just like spirits. They worked to change the world, to save it from itself, to ¡®redeem¡¯ it. They were not gods, just simple residents who wished for a better existence. These Redeemers decided to change the world through a ritual. One that would purge all the evil impurities like a forge heating iron.¡± That¡¯s not how it fucking happened, they were trying to fuse two worlds together!

    ¡°Eventually, they stood on the cusp of success. The Redeemers were about to bring true salvation to the world, and ascend to be benevolent gods tending to their new creation. However, they were sabotaged a fellow wizard, one that embodied all that was wrong with the world they were trying to save, a devil in every sense of the word. His evil knew no bounds, leading him to be known as ¡°the Peerless¡±. The Redeemers died stopping this Peerless Devil, sacrificing their chance at divinity in order to delay him long enough to allow for the world to be reborn. And so everything came into existence. Unfortunately, the Peerless Devil¡¯s interference prevented true salvation from occurring. Thus, all that is evil still lingers in the world to this day, although true salvation is still within reach should we strive for it.¡± Willow finished her speech that sounded suspiciously like a sermon, looking at me expectantly for a response.

    ¡­This wasn¡¯t a new world I was summoned to. It was the old one, the one that I believed had been destroyed due to Project Redemption. It didn¡¯t end, it was simply remade. Upon this realization, I could feel the old sensation return, the one where I could feel the presence of the two worlds and travel between them at will. The migraines, the hallucinations and visions, they weren¡¯t that at all. It was my ¡°world sense¡± going haywire at the recreation of the other world into something new.

    I resisted the urge to continue interrogating her, seeing as I could feel the summoning circle weaken. If it breaks before a contract is established, I¡¯ll be flung back home and even if I travel back my usual way I may not end up in the same time. Unlike the old world, this new one is not in sync with my world. Or at least not yet. Without a summoning circle to temporarily link space and time, one second back home could mean 14 years here. Or vice versa.

    ¡°Hmm, I guess that I am this ¡®Peerless Devil¡¯, but the story is false on so many levels. I was never called a devil, my name is actually Terra.¡± Willow was about to ask me to explain, but I ignored her as I continued. ¡°Now, explain what exactly is your wish and we¡¯ll discuss a suitable payment for my services.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll grant my wish!?¡± Willow exclaimed. ¡°Yes, assuming you provide adequate compensation. And no, I have no interest in your soul. And put your clothes back on already!¡±

    What followed was a lengthy explanation about the situation here in Verlush (the lush is pronounced like loosh). Apparently, it is a city-state in the northern plains of this continent that is under siege by an army of vampires led by a True Ancestor (also known as a Vampire Lord), the highest level of vampire. Vampires as a species are strange. I would classify them as Undead, but their dependence on and consumption of blood makes them an anomaly in that category. In simplest terms, a Vampire is a corpse that has managed to retain their entire soul (a universal fact for the species) and memories (this varies individually) it had when it was alive by feeding on blood. This allows Vampires to keep a rather convincing semblance of life, looking more alive than dead.

    Unlike all other Undead, a vampire¡¯s strength is not dependent on their soul and memories. The strength of a Vampire is dependent on how pure their blood is. Pure blood is defined by how similar it is to a living being¡¯s blood. Weak vampires have death-tainted sludge oozing through their veins while True Ancestors have blood so pure that it is indistinguishable from the living. Purity is achieved through concentrating blood via repeated feedings, with blood from more powerful living creatures being more effective. Aging also purifies the blood, and I daresay there are other unknown factors that do so as well. Vampires may arise naturally from a corpse that was soaked in blood that¡¯s not its own or from a vampire infecting a living being. These are the only undead that can propagate like this.

    ¡°How many vampires are attacking?¡± ¡°Um, estimates say around 12,000. The city guard has been holding them off, but we won¡¯t last much longer. You have no interest in my soul, so instead I am prepared to offer up a secret treasure of my house.¡± Willow said dramatically, clearing hoping to tempt my interest. She succeeded. ¡°And what is this treasure?¡± ¡°An Elixir of Life which grants the one who drinks it temporary immortality.¡±

    I found it. I found the way to save Hikari. It must be my lucky day to have all the necessary ingredients just magically appear before me. ¡°I swear by the contract that I shall annihilate the invaders in exchange for an Elixir of Life!¡± I cried out before Willow could even finish her words. A faint imprint of the summoning circle appeared on the back of my hand as Willow spoke out her part ¡°I swear by the contract that I shall grant thee an Elixir of Life once the invaders are vanquished!¡±

    A blood red imprint appeared on the backs of our hands at the conclusion of the contract. I felt the tethers set by the initial summoning solidify onto Willow, giving me an anchor on this world. Seeing Willow was now my employer, I restrained the power that I had been naturally emitting. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The sooner this is done with the sooner I can leave.¡± I promptly strode past Willow, headed towards the exit and the 12,000 ingredients I still have to collect.

 Chapter 118: The Fortress of Flowers

    The 4<sup>th</sup> Day of Summer¡¯s Eve, Year 200 of the Royal Era

    I surveyed the most recent battlefield from the top of the battlements, casually balancing on the tip of a spire. A variety of knights surrounded me, oblivious to my presence. Willow was standing nearby, dressed in a formal gown with her coat of arms stitched on: a two-headed brown serpent entwined with a red rose. This was the same coat of arms as the slaughtered soldiers I saw in my previous visions. She glanced up at me occasionally, as if she couldn¡¯t believe that I was somehow hiding in plain sight. It was agreed between us that I would stay hidden, since seeing the Peerless Devil would cause a mass panic.

    Willow was quick to reassure me that only the most pious individuals would recognize me, since I¡¯m not a hideous abomination, but you can never be too careful. A twin pair of moons were rising in the clear night sky. The faint light they provided illuminated the area like it was clear day to my eyes. Verlush is an interesting place, set in the midst of an endless sea of flowers. The roads set in this massive meadow were covered in shortgrass that looked like artificial turf, and the city itself seemed overrun with plant life. Every house and manor had flowers, climbing ivy, or grass growing on the walls or roof. Interestingly, there were no trees amongst the plant life, and all the houses were made from clay or stone. I would have pegged this place as an elven enclave or a dwarven settlement, not a human city.

    However, the natural beauty of the scenery ended about 300 meters from the walls. The flowers that dotted the landscapes were turned into dried husks, demarcating a sharp line across the span of the invading army. The encroaching wasteland was a stark reminder of the Verlush¡¯s upcoming doom. 200 meters beyond that point a pile of corpses was stacked up around the vampire camp, forming a barrier of flesh and bone to deter any sallying forces from Verlush. An eerie mist covered the camp, obscuring the exact position of the enemy forces. This magical camouflage did nothing to hinder me. My newfound power was coursing through me, begging to be put to use. Such strength was¡­intoxicating.

    An elderly knight approached the battlement, quickly moving up the steps to kneel before Willow. ¡°Baroness Meadow! It is good to see that you turned back from your foolishness!¡± the knight exclaimed. ¡°It is good to see you too, Sir Bark.¡± Willow replied, showing a politician¡¯s talent for sidestepping unsavory topics. The sound of bat-like screeches quickly ended their conversation, as the soldiers on the walls readied their weapons. The vampiric horde marched forth, their crimson eyes flashing in the dark. Many of the men and women started trembling at the sight, feeling the instinctive fear that all prey experience before their predator.

    Willow took the massive drop in morale as her cue. ¡°Warriors of Verlush, stay strong! We face an army of foul creatures bent on devouring us, but as long as we believe in ourselves we can prevail! Let us follow the example of the Redeemers! Let us fight against the evil in this world! Let us reclaim hope!¡± Willow¡¯s voice rang out across the city, courtesy of a voice enhancement a group of mages cast on her. I could sense that they were not like wizards from the previous world, but they were still able to use magic. Fascinating. Maybe I¡¯ll look into that later. Willow¡¯s speech did its job of restoring the flagging morale. ¡°WOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!!¡± The defenders of Verlush roared their defiance at the oncoming army. Well, sorry to invalidate all of the fighting spirit, but it¡¯s time I step in.

    I started channeling mana, or whatever the hell this stuff was (I¡¯ll call it mana for now), feeling an ocean¡¯s worth crash into me as I funneled it into a spell I wouldn¡¯t have even dreamed of doing back home. ¡°We feast on your corpses, we grow on your blood. Our roots burrow deep, unyielding as we bud. We are nature eternal, rising through hardships anew. A Fortress of Flowers that none shall get through.¡± I finished my spell, feeling something that I would describe as a ¡°mana high¡± as I cast it. Despite the monstrous amount of mana I poured into the spell, I barely feel tired. The screeches of the undead vampires and the yells of the Verlush army both cut off suddenly as the land around the wall started to buckle and heave as if there was a bucking bronco beneath it. The vampires faltered at the sight, coming to a halt at the edge of their created wasteland.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    The land soon quieted down, although the keen observer would notice that the plant growth was far thicker than before. The vampires, after some prodding from the True Ancestor, started charging once more. They carelessly trampled over the plants as they continued forward. Then it happened. An endless number of roots burst from the ground, wrapping themselves around a multitude of vampires and pulling them beneath the earth. Loud squelching sounds were heard before an overgrowth of new plants burst from where the bodies went under. These new flowers extended their own roots and vines, ensnaring even more vampires and turning them into nutrients and fertilizer.

    Pure chaos erupted amongst the Undead ranks at the sudden ambush. The Vampire mages were quick to try and burn away the plants, but they could not match the regeneration rate. The rank and file soldiers were hacking away at the roots and vines, desperately trying to avoid being consumed. As the plants multiplied, their methods of attack did as well. Various thorny bushes were shooting their thorns like bullets, sweet flowers spread their pollen which then burst explosively, the number of ways that the plants were killing was both remarkable and growing.

    There was a dead silence on the walls of Verlush as the defenders all just stared, wide-eyed, at the sight of the meadow they call home rising up against the invaders. The ones who came to devour them became the ones being devoured instead. Willow¡¯s eyes kept darting to and fro, unable to decide whether to focus on me or the massacre. The True Ancestor, a handsome looking man with black hair and red eyes, managed to blast his way out to the wasteland. He crossed the threshold, along with some other subordinates, and I could see his palpable relief at reaching what he perceived as ¡°safety¡±. How very wrong he was.

    The flowers surged forward, reclaiming the land that they had been exterminated off with a thorny vengeance. The remnants of the vampire army tried desperately to outrun them, but the flora was relentless. The last to go was the True Ancestor, who managed to valiantly last until a blood red flower wrapped around him like a boa constrictor and popped his head like a champagne cork. His blood was quickly absorbed and crystallized, along with the blood of the rest of the army, and delivered to me by the plants as they started growing up the side of the battlements surrounding the city.

    The soldiers all hurriedly evacuated from the fortifications, watching in fear as the stone was crushed into dirt by the flowers. At this point, the wild rampage ended. All that remained was a low hedge of flowers ringing the city. However, I could feel that the power was not gone, merely dormant. Just as I had intended. And from the looks of the Verlush mages, they too realized that it was still there. I stood by Willow, admiring the see-through blood crystal that I would put to good use soon. ¡°What did you do?¡± Willow whispered in mute shock. ¡°I granted you an indomitable barrier. This Fortress of Flowers will ceaselessly guard your precious city from all those who wish it harm. I have no interest in being summoned every time you have an invasion after all.¡± I replied calmly.

    Willow smiled at my words, taking me off guard. ¡°That was rather kind of you. The only thing that the agreement covered was protecting the city from this one invasion. You had no obligation to do anything more.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t read into it. It was on a whim.¡± I replied back, much to her amusement. She giggled at me before muttering ¡°Tsundere¡± from the corner of her mouth.

    The contract seal on Willow¡¯s hand glowed, reminding her of her own part of our bargain. She handed over a small vial, containing a liquid that I confirmed to be the Elixir of Life. The contract summoning ended, and I could feel myself being pulled back across time and space to the moment I first left home. I decided to do one last service for my summoner, as gratitude for the opportunity I have gained from her. I pressed my hand to her shoulder and simply willed her back into full health. Her figure filled out from her starvation, and the lines of worry on her face vanished, revealing a beautiful young noblewoman.

    ¡°The legends about you really are false, aren¡¯t they?¡± She asked as she looked at her unblemished skin with unrestrained awe. ¡°Yeah, although it¡¯s not like I care.¡± I replied. And it¡¯s true, I could care less that I am the equivalent of <u>the</u> evil deity in this world. I don¡¯t plan on coming here again any time soon. I faded away from this new world to the sight of Willow mouthing ¡°Thank you¡± at my vanishing figure.

    The return trip was far more gentle than the initial trip, and I reappeared in front of Irene an instant after I had disappeared. The all-powerful feeling that I had in the other world faded as I returned to my ambient mana-starved home. The mana that is here is like beef jerky compared to the succulent steak of the mana in the other world. I felt a profound sense of loss for an instance, before shaking it off to focus on Irene. I then remembered that she had kissed me and confessed right before I had left. But that can wait for now. ¡°Irene, I¡¯ve found a way to cure Hikari.¡± Her response was textbook Irene: she karate chopped my head and said ¡°About damn time boss!¡±

    I clutched the vampiric blood crystal and the Elixir of Life in my hands tightly, having come up with a potential solution to Hikari¡¯s predicament. I just have to hope that she forgives me for what I will have to do to her for it to succeed.

 Chapter 119: Unlife

    January 15<sup>th</sup>, 2090

    ¡°Terra, you know what you are doing, right?¡± Kira asked. ¡°No, but this is our best shot. I would recommend heading to where the others are. I don¡¯t know how this ritual will turn out.¡± Kira nodded at my words and hastily retreated. It was the dark of the moon tonight, a suitable time for my ritual to heal Hikari. We were located out in countryside, specifically near the side of Mt. Fuji. It was isolated enough to avoid notice and located on a leyline in case I needed the extra mana.

    The thing about rituals, and magic in general, is that all the actions required are arbitrary. Doing this or that to get a desired effect is unnecessary in theory. Magic requires intent, will, and mana, nothing else. However, knowing <u>how</u> you want to achieve your goal with magic exponentially lowers the mana cost. Even if the thought process behind the how is imaginary, as long as the user <u>believes</u> the reasoning the mana cost will lower. Belief has great power in magic. Hence, there are chants, rituals and the like. These can vary from person to person, although it is easier for others to believe that an action works if they have proof it worked before. This is why magic users can and often do use spells and rituals created by other magic users.

    The blood curse on Hikari is one of the most potent ones I have ever seen. The succubus must have used the life force of around 100 people when casting it. I can¡¯t break through it via brute force. To end this curse, I am going to use the vampire blood crystal and the elixir of life. The elixir would not work alone, unfortunately. It would prevent Hikari from dying for the next 100 years no matter what, but it would not break any curses that afflicted her. Blood magic cannot be foiled easily, and a curse of this magnitude is impossible to dispel for a human. A vampire, on the other hand, is immune to blood magic due to their very nature. But I do not wish to turn Hikari into an Undead, instead I plan to do something much more drastic.

    The magic circle was a simple one, with an ordinary pentagram in the center and each point of the star was pierced with a wooden stake. Hikari¡¯s body was lying at the center, with only the slightest rise and fall of her chest indicating that she was more than just a well-preserved corpse. The vampire blood crystal was set on her chest, the vial containing the elixir of life was embedded in the ground by her side. I stood at the edge of the circle, trying to compose myself for the ritual. If this fails, Hikari dies. I can¡¯t afford any errors.

    It¡¯s now or never. I clasped my hands into a hand seal, channeling my mana into the circle and extracting the elixir of life from the vial. It coiled in the air like a serpent as it waited to be used. Suddenly, it darted forward, enveloping the blood crystal. The crystal dissolved in the water, thickening and turning it a dark crimson. Mana coalesced around the blood-like fluid, forcing a grey sludge ooze out of it. Said sludge was purified away, lightening the dark crimson to a far more brilliant shade.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The blood of death, fused with the liquid of life to create something more. The liquid floated above Hikari, thinning out to become a long crimson thread. Its needle-like tip pierced into the left side of her heart, creating the smallest of holes through which it started threading through. Simultaneously, a small hole appeared on the right side of the heart. As the new blood entered, the old blood was pulled from Hikari¡¯s body, dispersing into the night air.

    While the replacement was occurring, I was freely pouring mana into the circle as I spoke. ¡°Light and Dark. Warmth and Cold. Life and Death. The universe is balanced, with an opposite for each and every thing. So it is and so it shall be. For as the dead rise in Undeath to mimic life, so too shall the living fall in Unlife to mimic death and see past the veil of mortality!¡± And as I finished my spell with some necromantic underpinnings, I felt the darkness of the moonless night thicken. The blood swap was complete, and I watched with bated breath as Hikari¡¯s body began to adjust. The pentagram lighted up in a dark red outline and the stakes on the edge were vibrating as they contained the free mana. My connection to the ritual was cut off as it became self-sustaining, leaving me to continue to keep the high concentration of mana confined within the magic circle.

    The changes that were occurring to Hikari were noticeable. The color of her lips changed into the classic, full red one associates with lipstick. Her canines lengthened, although they stopped slightly short of the length I saw on the vampires in Verlush. The muscles got leaner and tougher as they were stimulated by the blood and nourished by the plentiful mana. She gained another two inches in height as her bones altered as well. Her pale white skin returned as the blackish-red streaks all across her body faded away. Those changes were all minor compared to the subtle aura of death that rose around her, similar yet different to that of an Undead being. A living being shouldn¡¯t be able to exude such an aura, it would be like a fire emitting cold. The ritual then died down, leaving Hikari lying there just like before.

    I crossed the distance in an instant, kneeling down beside her to check her pulse. Her eyes snapped open, staring up at the night sky, the black eyes having been replaced with an iridescent crimson. My fingers pressed against her carotid, feeling a strong and steady pulse. She was breathing regularly as well and her body was warm as I lifted her into my arms. ¡°¡­Minato?¡± Hikari asked in a faint voice as she shifted her gaze to me. ¡°Hey, sleepyhead. You¡¯ve been out for a while.¡± I replied softly with a smile.

    ¡°Is Vera okay?¡± Hikari asked tiredly. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s safe. I am so proud of you, but for now just go back to sleep. Everyone will be here when you wake up.¡± Hikari nodded with a yawn as she nestled into my arms and drifted off to sleep. I stood up gently, careful not to wake her, looking over my shoulder to see everyone rushing over to see how things turned out.

    ¡°Hey Master, why does big sis feel different?¡± Rin asked me curiously. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®different¡¯?¡± ¡°Well, she doesn¡¯t feel as human as before.¡± Rin put a finger to her chin as she tilted her head to think. ¡°It¡¯s like half of her is something else instead.¡± I nodded in confirmation as the others looked at me. ¡°She¡¯s a Dhampir now, a half-human and a half-vampire. It was the only way to end the blood magic curse. I¡¯ll explain the rest once Hikari wakes up.¡± I told the girls as I prepared the teleportation magic.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m taking bets on Doll-face¡¯s reaction upon learning of her new species change. I say that she¡¯ll be surprised and then take it in stride. Any takers?¡± Irene whispered to the others. ¡°I¡¯m betting that she¡¯ll be mad that she didn¡¯t get a fluffy tail like mine.¡± Rin replied, while Kira said ¡°I think she¡¯ll say that it¡¯s cool.¡± Veronica put down a bet on her being ¡°happy to have survived¡± the Pandemonium encounter. I rolled my eyes at their antics before joining in with a bet that she¡¯ll be temporarily pissed at me for doing this. No matter what her reaction though, it¡¯s worth it to see her alive and well again.

 Chapter 120: New and Improved

    January 16<sup>th</sup>, 2090

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    I opened my eyes, basking in that refreshing feeling that one gets after a good night¡¯s sleep. The room was dark, yet strangely enough that didn¡¯t hinder my vision in the slightest. Huh, that¡¯s new. I got out of bed, feeling much lighter on my feet than usual. Did I lose weight? I also don¡¯t remember being this top-heavy, not that I¡¯m complaining. And since I¡¯m asking questions, am I taller? I silently stalked into the bathroom of the apartment, trying my best not to wake anyone else who was sleeping. I then glanced into the mirror and¡­

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!¡± my scream of surprise set off the dogs nearby and caused everyone else in the apartment to run over to the bathroom. Minato, Kira, and Vera all stood at the doorway in various stages of undress. I locked onto Minato, who I instinctively knew was responsible for whatever the hell was going on. ¡°You. Explain. Pronto.¡± I gave him my fiercest glare (which now comes in a RED VERSION APPARENTLY) as I waited for his explanation.

    ¡°After your heroic stand against Pandemonium, you were cursed with an overpowered blood magic. You fell into a near-death coma for a month before I managed to develop a ritual to cure you after acquiring the necessary items in the other world. Vampires are the only creatures that are immune to blood magic, but I figured you didn¡¯t want to become an Undead. Thus, I had you contract vampirism and used an Elixir of Life to counteract the Undeath that comes along with it. Long story short, you¡¯re a Dhampir.¡± Minato said all in one breath, as if giving it piecemeal would have been far worse.

    Maybe it would have been worse hearing it piecemeal, but either way I was pissed. ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that I now have to drink blood regularly, avoid daylight, and fear holy objects?¡± I said with a quiet fury that is infinitely scarier than shouting. I know that he had no choice, but the shock of waking up as a DIFFERENT SPECIES has made me somewhat irrational at the moment. Minato shook his head at my question. ¡°If you were a vampire, then yes, but you¡¯re not a vampire. A Dhampir is stronger, heals faster, has better night vision and senses, lives far longer, and does not need to consume blood to survive. Otherwise, they are the same as a living human.¡±

    Tch, that still sounds rather different to me. ¡°Kari, I know it¡¯s a lot to take in, but look on the bright side! Terra says that you¡¯re now going to live just as long as the rest of us! That¡¯s a good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kira reassured me. I let out a sigh as I let go of my irrational anger. Kira¡¯s right. Minato did extend my lifespan like he promised, the thoughtful jerk. He also saved my life by doing this. ¡°Sorry about the outburst, Minato. I guess the surprise just got to me.¡± I apologized.

    Minato walked over to me and took me into his arms as he looked into my now crimson eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know it¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± I leaned into his embrace, deciding to ignore the grumbles of Irene as she acknowledged that Minato won the betting pool involving my reaction. Huh, so this is what enhanced hearing is like. I chose not to ruin this moment, opting instead to take out my irritation on him later in the bedroom. Speaking of which¡­

    I drew Minato into a deep, passionate kiss. I then whispered seductively into his ear ¡°Do you mind helping me adjust to this new body? We should figure out its capabilities after all.¡± Shortly after that, we were headed to the bedroom with Kira and Vera following close behind. Fufu, I¡¯m looking forward to finding out how I stack up against them. I have a reasonable suspicion that tonight will be the night that we conquer Minato¡¯s seemingly inexhaustible stamina.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    After a particularly wild night, I discovered that my suspicion was incorrect. Minato is still an untamable beast, although I no longer finish earlier than the others. Currently, however, I am standing in a sparring ring. It was agreed amongst everyone that we should fully examine my newfound capabilities, so I have been paired against Irene for a mock battle. ¡°You ready to go?¡± Irene asked me. ¡°Yep! Let¡¯s do this!¡± I replied as I readied Dynamo. Minato stood between us, hand raised in the air as he prepared to give the start signal. ¡°Alright, show us your strength, Hikari!¡± He called out as his hand dropped and the match began.

    Irene sprinted forward towards me with such strength that the stone beneath her cracked with every step. She brought her bat down in a fearsome overhead swing which I chose to block with my sword. I felt great force in the strike, but my arms did not waver. I kicked Irene away, sending her flying as I swung Dynamo. Its enchantment activated, and the strength of my swing was potent enough to send a powerful bolt of mana towards Irene. She sidestepped, and retaliated by taking out her big-ass gun.

    The machine gun roared as it spewed forth hot lead, but I was able to dive away. I sprinted around the arena, going so fast that the surroundings were a blur. My eyes were locked onto to Irene, and the instant that she had to reload I turned on a dime with an inhuman agility and charged back into the fray.

    Irene was forced onto the defensive as I swung Dynamo around with impunity. A grin came onto my face as the fight became drawn out. It is only to my advantage the longer a fight goes on, since Dynamo stores more and more energy as a result. A circuit board like pattern appeared on Irene¡¯s bat, indicating that she was forced to Optimize it to keep up with me. I immediately disengaged, not wanting to find out exactly what she perfected. I readied Dynamo for a grand finale, while Irene braced herself for what she knew was coming.

    ¡°Light ¡®em up, Dynamo!¡± I cried out as I swung my blade, releasing a large beam of magic that tore up the ground as it went for Irene. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better Doll-face, but don¡¯t get cocky!¡± Irene bellowed as she stood firm in front of my attack. I heard her say ¡°Optimize: Magic Reflection.¡± before swinging her bat, diverting the path of the beam away from her as she struck it. It then was immediately dispersed by Minato before it could leave the ring. ¡°Okay! I¡¯m declaring the match over. Well done, both of you.¡± Minato said as he came over to us.

    He then patted both of us on the head. I took it in stride, although it was amusing to see Irene blushing. Amongst the gossip and news that Kira and Vera were catching me up on was the fact that Irene has officially confessed to Minato. It was about time. Their first date should be in a few days. Looks like the harem is going to be growing again.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Minato asked me. ¡°Great! I¡¯m not tired or sore at all!¡± I replied cheerfully. It still feels rather strange, becoming a different species all of a sudden, but I think I can get used to all the perks that come along with it. ¡°Okay, I think that¡¯s enough for today then. Let¡¯s go Hikari, I need to make you an illusion artifact, we have to go pick up all the school work you¡¯ve missed, and I have to go and undo all the cover-ups I¡¯ve done to hide your absence.¡± Minato said as he held out his hand. Irene and I both touched it, feeling that familiar pulling sensation of teleporting.

    A thought suddenly struck me as we reappeared in the apartment. ¡°Has anyone told Reiji yet?¡± I asked Minato. ¡°No. He didn¡¯t even know about your condition. He has enough issues to overcome, I didn¡¯t want to add to his worries.¡± An evil grin appeared on my face at his words. ¡°So, are you telling me we have an opportunity to completely blow his mind?¡± Minato paused at my words for a moment, then he had an evil grin just as fearsome as mine despite lacking elongated canines. Poor Reiji, he won¡¯t know what hit him. It¡¯s going to be so much fun!

    While giggling over imagining Reiji¡¯s reaction, I remembered what Susan said before I passed out. ¡°Minato, I just remembered something I should tell you!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I heard the succubus mention a name right before I blacked out.¡± ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was Hayashi. Does that mean anything to you?¡± As soon as I said the name Hayashi, I noticed Minato stiffen. ¡°Something wrong?¡± I asked. Minato shook his head as he replied ¡°Not yet.¡± Something is clearly wrong, but I decided to let it go for now. Even if he is currently emitting an intense bloodlust.

 Chapter 121: A Messy Family Affair

    January 16<sup>th</sup>, 2090

    Rin¡¯s POV

    Mwahaha! Despite boiler brain¡¯s unexpected confession to Master, I still managed to be the one to go on a date with him first. Okay, it¡¯s not an actual date, but I don¡¯t have to tell boiler brain that. Master got quite agitated after big sis said the name Hayashi. He told me to get ready for an excursion tonight, so here we are at some fancy mansion in the fancy part of Tokyo. I still don¡¯t know what is going on. ¡°Hey Master! What are we doing tonight?¡± I asked him telepathically as we ghosted through the building. ¡°Getting some answers and possibly killing some people.¡± ¡°Yay! It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve killed something that¡¯s not a demon!¡±

    This is a date. I mean, what else could it be? A cute girl (me) and a handsome guy (master) out alone late at night doing something naughty (murder) is the definition of a date, right? That¡¯s what those shows on TV always say. Hehehe, seems like Master couldn¡¯t resist me after my fourth tail. I knew that the extra fluffiness would get to him!

    My delightful daydreams (or are they normal dreams since I¡¯m doing it at night?) were interrupted when we arrived at a bedroom with the guy Master wanted to interrogate. The bed he was sleeping in was HUGE. It like could have fit everyone back in the apartment in it at the same time and still have space left over to toss and turn! ¡°Wait here.¡± Master commanded me as he went over to the bed. He placed his hand on the old man, and started sifting through his memories.

    ¡­I¡¯m bored. Master¡¯s done nothing but stand there for like a minute already! Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. After an eternity (2 minutes!!) Master was done. ¡°Rin, feel free to devour his soul. Just don¡¯t get mad if you get indigestion.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± I eagerly chowed down on the soul, leaving the body intact at Master¡¯s request. Apparently, he wants it to look like the old man died in his sleep. I don¡¯t get why, but whatever! If master wants me to do it like that, I¡¯ll do it. And I won¡¯t be a meanie about it like boiler brain!

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Rin.¡± ¡°Alrightie!¡± I used this chance to leap into Master¡¯s arms as he started teleporting. We appeared in the apartment, where boiler brain was waiting. It was the middle of the night and the others were asleep, so we made sure to stay quiet. I did not relinquish my grip on Master, much to boiler brain¡¯s chagrin. And she couldn¡¯t even yell bad words at me about it, since she didn¡¯t want to wake the others. Ha! Take that!Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Did you find out the details behind the attack, boss?¡± boiler brain asked. ¡°Yeah, it seems my recently deceased grandfather hired Pandemonium to kill Hikari. He was going to use me as a pawn in his corporate schemes, which required me being un-engaged.¡± Master replied. ¡°Shit, that little cock-sucker is really somethin¡¯. How long did you torture him before you capped his fuckin¡¯ ass?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t bother. He¡¯s dead, that¡¯s all that counts. Besides, he was family. Shitty family, but family nonetheless. Since he was kind enough to have just recently reinstated my mother into said family and write her back into his will, I made it quick.¡± ¡°Master is so nice!¡± I chimed in, hoping that he¡¯d pet me for the complement.

    He did. Ahhhh, it feels good. It feels even better than usual because I can see boiler brain¡¯s jealous face as she is forced to watch. Fufu, it¡¯s not that I would mind sharing Master, but it¡¯s just too much fun messing with her. Right when boiler brain was about to try to counter, I turned to look at Master, taking full advantage of my cute and innocent looks as I asked ¡°Can I sleep with you tonight? Big sis told me a scary ghost story earlier and I don¡¯t want to be alone¡­¡± I followed up with the ¡°puppy-dog eyes¡± that always seem to work.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Master replied as he helplessly fell to my secret attack. I then went for the super combo by doing the drooping sleepy eyes. As expected, Master picked me up gently before carrying me off to bed. I gave a smirk back towards boiler brain, who was fuming over getting her alone time with master cut short. This was a good night. I irritated boiler brain, got to kill someone, and am now going to cuddle with master until morning.

    Terra¡¯s POV

    I woke up this morning with Rin snuggled up against me, pondering about what to do next. My wonderful grandfather was the culprit behind Pandemonium¡¯s attack on Hikari and Veronica. He was also the one who had been subtly harassing my parents¡¯ livelihoods behind the scenes, with the full intention of outright suppressing them once Hikari was out of the way. His memories were very informative, although his knowledge of Pandemonium was minimal.

    For better or for worse, with my grandfather¡¯s death I no longer have anyone to kill. Pandemonium has gone quiet recently, and I¡¯ve slaughtered all their known and suspected affiliates. Whatever plans they had must have taken a hit with the massive loss in manpower. The Council of Nine has also been actively engaging Pandemonium, and that interference must be working. All that¡¯s left is to wait until Dante loses patience and does something rash.

    Until then, I¡¯ll need to keep training the girls and Reiji in order to prepare. The girls have proven themselves able to stand toe-to-toe with Dante¡¯s lieutenants. I need to trust that they can deal with them next time we fight. This will be vital for taking Dante down, since we are so closely matched (especially with whatever artifacts he has found). I can¡¯t afford him getting any assistance which might tip the balance in his favor. That¡¯s how I lost last time, and if it hadn¡¯t been for Rin, it would have been how I died.

    That¡¯s not to say that I won¡¯t be making any preparations of my own. I made good use of those 5,000 souls that died when I went berserk. As a power source, they¡¯ll allow me to keep fighting no matter how many small-fry demons Dante tosses at me to wear me down. Unless he has an entire army at his back, our battle won¡¯t be determined via attrition. And then I can finally have some long-awaited peace and quiet after I kill the bastard.

 Chapter 122: The Fabulous End Game

    January 20<sup>th</sup>, 2090

    Dante¡¯s POV

    I rubbed my temples tiredly as I looked over the massive pile of paperwork that was on my desk. I remember the good ol¡¯ days, where terrorism and insurgency didn¡¯t require anything besides violence. ¡°MY LORD! HAVE YOU FINISHED WITH THE DUTIES OF RULING YET!?!¡± Ibaraki-doji bellowed as he came by to drop off even more paperwork. The strength of his voice caused the documents on my desk to scatter about the office, making me bite back a depressed sob.

    Why is Ibaraki-doji my secretary in the first place? Why isn¡¯t Susan or Mannequin doing this? Having a sexy secretary would have eased some of this stress with some naughty break time, but no, I get stuck with the exact opposite. Fuck my life. ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ve had it! Ibaraki-doji, go get Jumbo and tell him he can deal with this fucking paperwork!¡± I roared as I stomped out of the office. It¡¯s 2090, damnit, yet I¡¯m forced to do all my work on paper to avoid the Council of Nine assholes! Their computer mumbo-jumbo has been a massive pain in my ass. Breathe, Dante. Breathe. In, out, in, out. Yes, just like in Lamaze class. In, out, in, out. Phew, I feel better now.

    Pandemonium has been forced to go underground recently, and apart from the occasional bombing or shooting, we¡¯ve done nothing. Our newfound secrecy was due to my darling Rin¡¯s rampage across the globe. She did a rather marvelous job exterminating all the decoys I set-up to distract everyone. The problem is that she did it a little too early and was a little too thorough. I guess she was rather pissed that she fell for my misdirection last time. But honestly, it was necessary. My darling was interfering with every single operation we had in Japan, and we had to get her out of there to do that job for Hayashi. Doesn¡¯t matter anymore, since the old man snuffed it.

    Everyone¡¯s been fooled into thinking that Pandemonium¡¯s goal was to infiltrate the criminal underground and use that as a staging point for its terrorist activities. Thus, all the eyes and ears have been focused on them. The truth is that my main plan has no use for them. Their sudden disappearance means that the Council of Nine and Rin will be looking around for Pandemonium and I no longer have bait to tempt them with. Ah well, it¡¯s fine. The decoys did a good enough job to get us to the final stage of the plan. Just a few more things to cross off the list and we¡¯ll be ready to rumble.

    ¡°My lord, we are ready.¡± Susan appeared in a chilling swirl of snowflakes to report in. ¡°Wonderful! Let¡¯s get to it then.¡± I teleported away with Susan in tow, appearing at a rinky-dink base in the middle of a vast desert. It was a very strange military base. The artillery they had were all facing in instead of out. They even had some mechs, looking rather fearsome as they stood 20 feet tall. Covered in dull grey armor plating, they looked similar to blocky knights from the medieval ages that were missing their head. Optical sensors placed across the body provide a 360-degree visual feed to the pilots in the center chest. On their shoulders were a variety of launchers and energy canons, complementing the high-caliber machine gun they were carrying.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Damn, I really want one of these things. Humans create such wonderful war machines, I¡¯ll have to keep some on as slaves to make them for me after I conquer the world. The few soldiers around that were not in an air-conditioned cockpit all looked miserable in the heat, while the eggheads were enthusiastic beyond measure. Both groups were completely unaware of our presence. I followed Susan to the largest building around, a reinforced warehouse, and entered.

    And there, surrounded by various protective barriers, was¡­ something. I felt a shiver through my entire being as I entered the premises. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Susan do the same. This place is rich in mana like nowhere else on this planet. ¡°Woah, I didn¡¯t expect there to be something so remarkable here where we were born.¡± I commented as I continued focusing on the anomaly. ¡°Do you know what it is, my lord?¡± Susan asked. ¡°No clue!¡± I cheerfully replied. ¡°However, I think that it could be a dimensional rift left over from the mana calamity. Whether this is just a transient tear in dimensions or something more is up in the air.¡±

    Hmm, this is rather fascinating. When a little birdie told me about this place, I thought it was just an exaggeration. But it clearly was not. Hell, even the humans can tell something is off here. And they know jack shit about mana and almost nothing about alternate dimensions except for the fact that they may exist. That¡¯s probably why they¡¯re so eager to study it. This dimensional rift is the first physical sign of the multiverse theory. ¡°What do we do about this, my lord?¡± Susan asked. ¡°Nothing. All that we can do is wait and see what happens. We¡¯ll be getting updates about this place without having to invest in it anyway.¡± Susan nodded in deference to my impeccable logic. We left as quickly as we came, teleporting back to the castle in Denmark.

    I walked past my office, taking the time to savor Jumbo¡¯s loud wails of frustration as he tried to get through the endless paperwork. Teehee, it feels great to delegate! I sat down in my favorite leather armchair and picked up a cigar to enjoy. With the decoys gone, it¡¯s vital that Pandemonium acts like it has been severely impaired. We¡¯ll send out some ¡°internal¡± e-mails that the Council of Nine will intercept that indicate we¡¯re hurting, cut down on open terrorist activity, and generally act as if we¡¯re scrambling to recover. Politicians the world over will act as if they have won a great victory and pander to the masses that the threat is gone. Then we¡¯ll come back with a vengeance, like our absence was nothing but a big April Fool¡¯s joke.

    Patience. That¡¯s the word for now. It¡¯s not a very fun word (it lacks the letter o after all), but it¡¯s necessary for the plan. My fellow demons are likewise unenthusiastic. It¡¯s only due to the promise of a feast at the end of this wait that¡¯s keeping them docile. That and the fact that if they dare disobey me my foot will be so far up their ass that their breath will smell of shoe polish.

    The world may not know it, but we¡¯re in the end game here. A new era is coming, with Pandemonium at the helm. My inferno of fun will consume the world soon. It¡¯s gonna be fabulous!

 Chapter 123: The Truth Comes Out

    January 22<sup>nd</sup>, 2090

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    I stumbled up the stairs, sore all over from Minato¡¯s latest training. I dragged myself into the bath, letting out a moan of pleasure that could have been recorded for a dirty movie as I sunk into the hot water. I unfortunately can¡¯t savor this bath for too long, since this was a morning training and school starts in an hour. Apparently, Minato is holding these super early trainings to make us adapt to operating with sleep deprivation. Jeez, he really is a drill sergeant from hell. But I can¡¯t argue with the results. I looked over my body, noting the increased muscle. Has it been only a year or so since I had been an overweight dough boy? Now I¡¯m becoming lean and mean. Well, kind of. Instead of a bookish pretty boy type, I now am getting closer to the athletic pretty boy type. Although the others would claim I¡¯m turning into an athletic pretty girl, those pricks.

    Speaking of body changes, Hikari scared the pants off me with her new species change. We went out for coffee the day after Minato told me that she had been in a near death coma for a month. And damn did I shout at him for keeping that away from me. The bastard claimed that I was still ¡°emotionally compromised¡± and he didn¡¯t want to undo the progress I¡¯ve made. Anyways, Hikari was already at the coffee shop, wearing a brand new illusion artifact. When I entered said shop, I saw through the illusion artifact which I didn¡¯t know was there. I thought I was going crazy when I saw a vampire version of Hikari sipping on a latte. When she made no comment about her new appearance, and when I saw no one else reacting either, I was befuddled.

    Eventually, Hikari couldn¡¯t keep her composure anymore and started laughing. She then told me cheerfully that she became a Dhampir. My face at the news was priceless, an image that was immortalized when Minato took a picture at that very instant. Gah, I need to get those two back somehow for their stunt. No one pranks me like that and gets away with it! And Minato was lying to me when he said he couldn¡¯t change my appearance. Tch, he¡¯s been holding out on me. I should have suspected that he was downplaying his shapeshifting prowess. For all I know, he could be leading a double life right no-

    And then it happened. That one casual thought sparked an epiphany of tremendous proportions. The dots that were there became connected, leading me to an unbelievable conclusion. Holy shit. Minato is Rin Yamamoto. That¡¯s why she had Minato¡¯s phone when I called, that¡¯s why I thought the two looked so similar last year, and that¡¯s why I saw Rin the fox at the concert attack. His reluctance in joining the fan club, and his discomfort whenever Rin was discussed. All the clues add up. Holy shit. That shapeshifting bastard had been leading a double life as a female idol. Holy shit. That¡¯s why the Demon Lord didn¡¯t personally slaughter everyone at the concert, he was too busy fighting Minato to do so.

    I have to confirm this. As sure as I am, this is something that must be verified. And if it¡¯s true I will forever have material to tease Minato with. Ha, I wonder how the girls will react. Or better yet, I can use this to get Minato to owe me a big favor. But before I even consider using this as blackmail¡­ ¡°HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!¡± My loud and raucous laughter echoed throughout the house. I laughed so hard that I nearly drowned in my bathtub. My aches were forgotten, along with my sleepiness, as I eagerly got my things ready for school. I practically skipped out my front door, and when I saw Minato sitting as I entered the classroom, I flashed him an ominous smile before taking my own seat.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Mr. Doi walked in, signaling the start of math class. How dull. I want it to be lunchtime already! Why am I sitting here learning about calculus? That stuff is so simple! I decided to people watch instead, taking advantage of my position in the back of the room. I glanced over at Kira, who was rapidly scribbling down notes in her notebook as Mr. Doi talked. Her tail was moving to and fro, causing Reito, who was sitting behind her, to sneeze. That¡¯s right, I think she has a mild cat allergy. What a cruel curse to inflict on someone, making them unable to embrace the glory that is the cat-kin.

    Eventually, I shifted my gaze over to Veronica. Instead of Kira¡¯s eager scribbling, she focused more on the lecture, only jotting down brief notes as Mr. Doi talked. 2 rows over and 3 seats down from where she sat, I spied Aito. I wonder how would he react to learn that one of his classmates is an elf? To have your dream so close to you, yet be completely unaware of it is rather sad. Lastly, I peeked over at Hikari, who was biting her lip as she was trying to figure out one of the practice problems project onto the holographic display. That action really emphasized her prominent canines. Gosh, it¡¯s still strange to seeing her new dhampir look.

    Class times started blurring after that, until finally the bell rang for lunch. Hikari, Veronica, and Kira got together for a ¡°girls-only¡± lunch date. Hikari jokingly (I hope) offered me an invitation, which I declined. I headed up to the roof with Minato, who most certainly noticed that I had something I wanted to talk to him about. We were just about to dig in to our food when I said ¡°What¡¯s it like being an idol, Rin Yamamoto?¡±

    To my immense amusement, Minato choked on his onigiri as I spoke. Alright, confirmation acquired. First, get in some well-deserved outrage before the actual discussion. ¡°Give me back my heart, you bastard! I had a minor crush on you! Hell, I founded a fan club for you! What do you have to say for yourself!?!? What possible reason do you have for doing this?!?!?¡± Hehehe, Minato will now desperately try to explain himself, anything he says I will ignore unreasonably. Then I will threaten to tell the girls, and goodness me would they tease him mercilessly about it. He¡¯ll then try to buy me off, just as planned.

    ¡°I felt like it.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Minato took a sip of his water before repeating himself ¡°I said that I became a famous idol because I felt like it.¡± ¡°¡­You became a female idol because you felt like it?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± Minato¡¯s face was expressionless as usual, the surprise from my discovery already gone. The one major difference was that his whole face was a lovely shade of bright red that showed no signs of fading soon. Nevertheless, he maintained his indifferent demeanor. Hoh, he¡¯s gone the defiant route. He fully expects me to tell the girls, and he has in turn decided to accept his fate of being mercilessly teased about it.

    ¡­Suspicious. Very suspicious. This is not what Minato¡¯s reaction would normally be. As a socially stunted individual, he is particularly sensitive to embarrassing things. A whopper of this magnitude getting out would be scarier than death to him, yet he¡¯s not putting up a protest or trying to bribe my silence. Why is that? I filed away that thought for another time. It seems like Minato has layers of secrets I have yet to discover. I guess I¡¯ll just have to enjoy myself for now by seeing how much prodding it¡¯ll take to break his taciturn mask. I want to see Minato¡¯s panicked/flustered side by the end of lunch!

 Chapter 124: And Another One Joins

    February 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Irene¡¯s POV

    ¡°So, boss, what¡¯s it like being outed to the rest of the harem?¡± I cackled at Minato as he flushed a solid brick red in embarrassment. My gender bending creator finally got busted when Trap-kun connected the dots together. I don¡¯t think the blushing red on his face has faded since. He has also been coerced into going out with them as Rin for a girl¡¯s night. The others were giggling over how they would do their nails, watch a romantic movie, all that girly stuff. It¡¯ll be funny as hell to watch the boss¡¯s reactions throughout. Some would say it¡¯s in poor taste to relentlessly tease him on a first date, but the bastard kept me waiting for nearly a month before taking me out after my confession. It¡¯s only fair I get even.

    ¡°Minato.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Call me Minato. We¡¯re on a date, you should call me by my name.¡± Now it was my turn to blush. He¡¯s right, but it¡¯s so embarrassing. ¡°¡­Fine, M-m-m-Minato.¡± I stuttered back bashfully, taken off guard as he smiled at me. Damnit! It¡¯s hard to think when you smile like that! I took a big bite of my cheeseburger, using the action to buy time for me to compose myself. We¡¯re at the mall, an ideal first date location according to the data mining I conducted beforehand. After eating we¡¯ll do some shopping before he takes me back to the apartment and k-k-kisses me.

    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Minato asked as we walked around the mall. ¡°I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s nothing really here that interests me.¡± I replied. I don¡¯t mind nice clothing, but I prefer just buying it online. This was a miscalculation on my part, but all the data indicated that the mall was the ideal first date location. ¡°I see. Well, how about we go somewhere else?¡± Minato asked with a roguish smile. Before I could ask where, we teleported away, landing in a dusty little town.

    ¡°Welcome to Texas.¡± Minato said cheerfully. ¡°And why are we in this dirty shithole?¡± I asked grumpily. This place seems even more boring than the mall. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Minato said mysteriously as we walked down a dirt road. A few minutes later and a building came into view. It was old and dirty, but the sign caught my eye. ¡°Big Billy Bob¡¯s Big Gun Range ¨C Bigger is Always Better!¡± ¡°¡­No fuckin way.¡± ¡°Yes way. This is a popular place, I had to call weeks ahead of time to reserve it for today.¡± Minato said as we entered the door. Ah, so that¡¯s why he took so long asking me out. Damnit, why do you have to be so fucking thoughtful.

    Despite the horrid exterior, this place was without a doubt heaven. Guns upon guns lined the walls and displays, and just like the sign advertised there were big guns ranging from heavy machine guns to small artillery pieces. It was a way more extensive collection that that underground dealer had in Tokyo. ¡°Is it legal for a private citizen to own this kind of military grade weaponry?¡± I whispered to Minato as we waited for the owner. He snorted at the question. ¡°It¡¯s Texas.¡± He said, as if that explained everything.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Any further talk was interrupted as a 300 pound 6 foot 8 inch man with shaggy brown hair walked in. He wore a dirty white tank top that barely covered his prominent gut. ¡°You Jack?¡± he asked gruffly. ¡°Yessir. Is everything ready?¡± Minato replied in English. ¡°Sure is, follow me out back.¡± We went outside, where a large target range was set up, with a variety of stationary and moving targets. But that¡¯s not what drew my attention. It was the rather glorious line-up of weaponry set up on tables by the firing range that my optics focused on. ¡°Alright, you guys have 4 hours here on the range. If you run out of ammo, reloads cost extra. If you shoot each other, I ain¡¯t liable. Have fun.¡± The owner stomped back indoors, leaving me and Minato alone. I just stood there, still processing this surprise. ¡°Um, Irene? Do you¡ª¡±

    Minato never got the opportunity to finish his question as I grabbed his shirt and yanked him in for a deep, long kiss. Fuck waiting until the end of the date. Only after my tongue finished mapping the entire interior of his mouth did I let him go. ¡°Let¡¯s go shoot some fuckin¡¯ guns!¡± I cheered happily, running off to pick my first firearm as Minato stood there in a bit of a daze. 4 hours and thousands of rounds later, our first date ended. We teleported back to the apartment, which had been thoughtfully cleared out by the others just in case things got intimate. It did.

    The door barely finished closing before I yanked Minato in for another kiss, intentionally grinding up against him in order to turn him on. A firm pressure on my abdomen indicated success. A few moments later and we were both stripped. Even though I am an automaton, my exterior is indistinguishable from that of a human. I feel just as squishy and warm as any of them, although I am far sturdier and have a few other differences.

    For example, I don¡¯t need to breathe, which makes me give one hell of a blowjob. Minato was groaning in pleasure as I did my thing with him on the couch. It was a damn good ego boost to get him going so quickly. Eventually Minato couldn¡¯t restrain himself, and he lifted me up in his arms and penetrated me at the same time. ¡°Hot damn, that¡¯s good!¡± I moaned as I wrapped my legs around him. Pleasurable sensations rippled through me with each movement of his hips as he pounded me. Damn, now I see why organics do this all the god damn time.

    Unlike most organics, however, I have far superior stamina, which meant that Minato and I went at it for the whole god damn night. I showcased the flexibility that having omni-directional joints provided by trying out a variety of particularly daring positions, much to Minato¡¯s delight. It ended shortly before the sun rose up, and I was lying contently in Minato¡¯s arms. ¡°Well Minato, you¡¯ve proven me wrong about your ¡®performance issues¡¯. There¡¯s nothing that needs to optimized down there, you horny fuck.¡± I murmured softly into his ear.

    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡± Minato whispered back with a small smile on his face. I snuggled into his embrace, eliciting a chuckle. ¡°Despite your adamant denials, you can be rather cute.¡± He teased. I turned slightly red at the reference to back when he first activated me. ¡°I¡¯m also sexy and cool, don¡¯t forget that or else I¡¯ll beat your ass.¡± I cheekily replied back. We didn¡¯t say anything more after that.

    I guess that I¡¯m officially a part of Minato¡¯s harem now. He really likes his variety, most guys would just be satisfied with having multiple women. But not Minato. No, that otaku pervert has a dhampir, a cat-kin, a dark-elf, and now an automaton in the harem with a fox demon to follow once she matures. Speaking of which, I¡¯m gonna enjoy rubbing this in the furball¡¯s face when she comes back home.

 Chapter 125: Life is Good

    March 21<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Terra¡¯s POV

    Life is good right now. That¡¯s the thought I have been having these past two months. Pandemonium has gone dark, clearly reeling from my systematic extermination of all their criminal affiliates. Not to say that the threat is gone, but I¡¯ve learned to appreciate the quiet before the storm. Demons are rather impulsive, and I daresay that Dante won¡¯t be able to reign in his subordinates for much longer. They¡¯ll appear somewhere, and I¡¯ll be there to exterminate them. The only real threats are Dante and his six subordinates, the rest of the demons are no match for me and my girls. They have continued improving by leaps and bounds, and I feel that they¡¯re more than capable of dealing with Dante¡¯s lieutenants.

    The home life is great as well. My parents have had more time off work recently, since Dad¡¯s restaurants are no longer getting harassed by the Health department and Mom¡¯s trouble at work died down. She was saddened somewhat by Hayashi¡¯s death, but the wounds from all those years ago don¡¯t heal so easily. Her lingering resentment made it rather easy for her to move on. The additional money and stock options she received from being written back into the will were also greatly appreciated.

    My relationship with my harem has been going well. Irene¡¯s induction went without issue since she and the girls got along rather well. Everyone has been having a lot of fun touring the world, which is as easy as can be thanks to my teleportation magic. Our nighttime activities have been hotter than ever, both on the individual level and the harem play. Reiji has been doing better, I think he might finally be moving on. He has a newfound desire to help people, possibly out of guilt, but since it isn¡¯t a destructive behavior it should be fine. So when a familiar summoning circle appeared beneath me as I sat in my room, I decided to roll with it. Let¡¯s see how Willow and Verlush are doing. With any luck, I¡¯ll be given some rare magical materials again.

    My surroundings blurred like before, and the power-up I seem to get in this world rammed into me like before. However, that¡¯s where the similarities ended. The dungeon that I had been summoned into was completely redone, with elegant white marble instead of the crumbling grey stone. The summoning circle was made of inlaid gold accents, and they framed the new mural in the back of the room rather nicely. To my surprise, it was a now accurate depiction of myself, surrounded by luscious plant life. Beneath the mural there was a bright silver plaque which read:

    ¡°To the future heirs of House Meadow, should thee ever be in dire straits, use the summoning circle to call upon our savior. Unfairly scorn by the world, his goodness persists despite the adversity. For a price, he will grant any wish. May our Fortress of Flowers ever bloom.¡±

    ---Duchess Willow of House Meadow

    So¡­ it looks like quite a bit more time has passed on this end then I expected. But before I thought any further on the subject, there was a breathy gasp behind me. I turned around to see my summoner, and had to visibly repress the urge to recoil in disgust. I have seen some hideous things, but this poor soul was ugly beyond compare. The short man had greasy green hair and dull brown eyes set in a horrendously pockmarked face that had excessive acne. His teeth were yellow and crooked, his big hook nose looked like a broken beak, and his skin was an off-putting pasty white. The man was horrendously obese, and he was panting as he exclaimed ¡°The summoning worked! I can¡¯t believe it!¡±

    And then, before I could say I word, the man started crying. ¡°Finally, a chance to change everything! No longer will the other nobles mock me so ruthlessly! No longer will I be ostracized as Hawthorne the Hideous!¡± I assume he was going to continue with his pitiful monologue, but I decided to spare him any further self-loathing. ¡°Why have you called me?¡± I asked in my gravitas heavy voice.

    Hawthorne snapped to attention with a squeak, finally remembering that he stood in the presence of a supposedly all-powerful extradimensional being. ¡°A,apologies for my inattentiveness! I am Hawthorne of House Meadow and I have a wish that I would like granted!¡± ¡°What is this wish?¡± ¡°I would like you to change my appearance. Please make me handsome!¡± ¡°And my payment?¡± I asked. Hawthorne paused before bringing out a long antique box. It was covered in various runes that seemed to be imprisoning something. He fumbled with the latch before unlocking it.

    Time seemed to come to a standstill as whatever was within the box resonated with my very soul. It felt¡­ familiar, like seeing an old friend after a long time. The 3-foot long handle flew out from the box like a rocket, landing perfectly in my outstretched hand. It was the hilt of my rhomphaia that shattered at the final battle of Project Redemption. It looked the same as before, although there was a jagged edge where the blade once was attached. I thought it was consumed by the rampaging mana, but I was wrong. As surprising as the reappearance of a fragment of my favorite weapon was, it paled in comparison to the changes I sensed in said fragment.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The handle was emitting an ecstatic joy at being reunited with its creator and wielder, my faithful weapon seems to have gained some modicum of sentience. Only the greatest arms can develop a pseudo-consciousness. It is not true sentience, but it is close. This one piece felt more powerful than Vivian¡¯s Excalibur. Incredible. My shock was misinterpreted as disappointment by Hawthorne, so he started to hastily explain the offering. ¡°I, I hope that a fragment of your old weapon is a suitable payment. I know the legends after all, about how you slayed the Redeemer and the world with it. It shattered in the aftermath, and its pieces were scattered throughout the new world. 100 shards and the handle. I nearly bankrupted House Meadow in order to purchase this. I don¡¯t care that the apocalypse will come should you make your divine blade whole once more. I just want you to break this curse on me!¡±

    There¡¯s no question about this. ¡°Deal, on the condition that you also provide further information about my blade afterwards.¡± I said eagerly. The contract seal appeared on both of us and I immediately appeared at Hawthorne¡¯s side. I conjured a mirror to show his reflection and had various options pop up around it in text. These said various things like ¡°Weight¡±, ¡°Height¡±, ¡°Hair Color¡± and so on. Anyone from my world would recognize it as a complete replica of a character customization screen from a popular virtual reality video game. I even went so far to include a stats page. Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, and Wisdom, the usual stats popped up. An average adult¡¯s stats in this world (as estimated from my last visit) is from 10 to 15 in each category. I gave him 200 points. This is not a game world, but I found this format the easiest way to do this. His payment far exceeded my price, so the least I can do is provide the best service possible.

    ¡°You may change your appearance and abilities as you please in this mirror, press your finger to the text to see how to alter whatever you desire. Once complete, these changes will be permanent and they will pass onto to any children you have. Ask me if you have any questions.¡± I said as I gave Hawthorne a brief tutorial on how to operate the mirror. He immediately went to work, while I chose to ignore him in favor of examining my rhomphaia handle. It¡¯s near useless to me the way it is now, but I can¡¯t help but feel happy to have it in my hands again.

    Several hours later and Hawthorne finally finished. I looked in the mirror to see the end product. The reflection showed a classically handsome, very well-built man. His green hair was bright and glossy, with warm chocolate colored eyes set in a sculpted aristocratic face. His teeth were straight and a brilliant white. He was tall, with slightly tan, smooth skin and excellent muscular definition. The stats distribution was an equal 33 in each category, meaning that he would be 3 times stronger, faster and smarter than the average human citizen in this world.

    ¡°Are you satisfied with your selection?¡± I asked. Hawthorne nodded eagerly. ¡°Very well. Answer my questions and then I shall start the transformation.¡± ¡°Yes! What do you want to know?¡± ¡°What has happened to the rest of my blade?¡± ¡°Well, um, I know that the shards of the blade are scattered throughout the world. The legendary weapons wielded by heroes and champions, as well as many of the national treasures of various countries all were forged using a fragment as a base. That¡¯s why they are so sought after. The only reason I could get the handle is because it was impossible to forge into a weapon, since it kept killing the blacksmiths trying to work it. Heck, only a grandmaster blacksmith can forge a shard into a weapon or armor without dying from the blowback let alone trying to forge the entire handle.¡± Hawthorne explained.

    ¡°You mentioned something about an apocalypse. Explain.¡± ¡°It has been foretold that you, the Peerless Devil, are continually seeking to finish what you started and annihilate this world. However, you lack the power to do so, since the leader of the Redeemers shattered your blade in the final battle. It contained a great deal of your strength, so if you make the weapon whole once more you will be able to destroy this world once and for all.¡± Hawthorne said. I heaved a big sigh at those words. ¡°I will tell you what I told Willow, these stories are all gross misrepresentations of what actually happened!¡± ¡°Willow, as in my ancestor?¡± ¡°Yes, how many years has it been since I was last summoned?¡± ¡°Um, I believe it has been 300 years since Duchess Willow and the Miracle of the Meadow.¡± Hawthorne answered.

    Wow, it has been a while. ¡°I see. Very well, you¡¯ve answered my questions, let us begin with the transformation.¡± I said, much to Hawthorne¡¯s delight. ¡°Be warned, however, that your change will be gradual. This is so others don¡¯t mistake you as being someone else.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± Hawthorne asked. ¡°One month. You will claim that you had a curse of ugliness on you that was broken. I will mimic the aftereffects of such a curse to make it believable.¡±

    And with everything said, I slammed my fist onto the mirror. Contrary to common sense, the mirror didn¡¯t break. Instead, it reverberated like a gong, with the image of the new Hawthorne rippling like it was a reflection on a pond that had a stone thrown in it. The current Hawthorne let out a gasp as he clutched at his head, clearly feeling the unusual sensation of having your very body reworked down to the DNA.

    I slammed my fist onto the mirror once more, this time shattering it and ejecting the image of the new Hawthorne out into the room. The now ghostly looking image merged with Hawthorne, who let loose a loud yell of pain. He fell to the ground and started fading away into unconsciousness. My work was done, all that is left is to wait for the changes to finish. ¡°Remember, one month until the complete change.¡± I whispered to Hawthorne as I felt the summoning end upon completion of the contract.

    I reappeared back into my room, where I glanced at the clock. 5 seconds had passed since I left. In my hand was my rhomphaia¡¯s handle, which was all but purring in contentment at being with me once more. I was thinking about Hawthorne¡¯s words, about my rhomphaia being a divine blade. It¡¯s certainly possible, since it got sucked into a ritual that was meant to catalyze an ascension into godhood. Does that mean I¡¯m a god in the new other world? Is that why I feel all-powerful there? Or am I a demigod since most of my divine power is apparently trapped in my broken blade? I shook my head at the thought. Focus on the present for now. Potential god or not, it means nothing here on Earth.

 Chapter 126: An April Fools Day to Remember

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    ¡°Why are we here, Reiji?¡± I asked wearily. ¡°We need to expose Kira and Veronica to all parts of Japanese culture, Minato! I¡¯m appalled that you haven¡¯t done this yet!¡± Reiji replied in a self-righteous tone. The girls and I are with Reiji in a maid caf¨¦ in Akihabara, the well-known otaku holy land. It was late in the evening, with the night almost upon us. I rolled my eyes at his words while Hikari stifled a giggle.

    I have actively tried to avoid exposing Kira and Veronica to too much otaku culture. It¡¯s not that I have anything against it, in fact I would consider myself a fan. However, it¡¯s extremely embarrassing trying to explain some of the more perverted elements of otakudom. It¡¯s just not worth the effort and I didn¡¯t want to give Kira and Veronica a bad impression of humanity when they first came here.

    Kira and Rin were busy snacking on the various pastries, while Irene was skimming through the latest e-book of Guns & Ammo. Veronica was elegantly slipping her tea, completely at home having maids serving her. I too was used to this, although not because I was raised in a noble household. Being best friends with Reiji means that I have spent a considerable amount of time in maid caf¨¦s.

    I ignored Reiji¡¯s heartfelt sermon about the wonders of maid cafes, choosing instead to browse the news on my holophone for any stories that have hints of Pandemonium activity. Vivian hasn¡¯t contacted me about anything so far, but there¡¯s no harm in checking. What I didn¡¯t expect was for a government wide alert to be issued on all communication devices. My holophone, the television projectors, everything broadcasted an emergency message: ¡°Citizens of Japan, please return to your homes. A hostile foreign force has invaded, please return to your homes and wait for further instructions.¡±

    The question of which hostile foreign force was answered very quickly when I saw a pair of Chinese supersonic bombers fly over. Those bombers then released their load, carpet bombing the entire area. The district was decimated, or it would have been had I not discreetly launched a targeted electromagnetic pulse to disable the smart bombs from targeting the building foundations in the area.

    Why the hell did they just target a civilian district and population?!?!? This one action alone must have broken at least 4 different international treaties! ¡°Terra, what is happening? Why is Japan suddenly at war?¡± Hikari frantically asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, this doesn¡¯t make any sense. The Chinese aren¡¯t stupid enough to invade Japan and risk the wrath of the United Faction. They don¡¯t have enough friends to weather that.¡± I responded as I led the group away from the caf¨¦ in order to find a discreet location to teleport from. Sounds of explosions and gunfire began reaching my enhanced hearing, and based on Veronica¡¯s reaction she¡¯s hearing it as well.

    Another set of Chinese warplanes flew by, only to be intercepted by the Japanese Air Defense Force. An aerial dogfight occurred, with the missed bullets and missiles scattering amongst the frantic crowds trying to escape. Blood and gore sprayed everywhere as the death toll rapidly increased. I had Irene tune into the military channels as we ducked into cover, and what we heard was not promising. Multiple invasion forces, centered on the major cities and bases of Japan, are known. Most have been intercepted by the Japanese Self Defense Force outside of the civilian heavy zones, with the glaring exception of Tokyo.

    ¡°Cheh, the only good news is that Japanese electronic counter warfare successfully jammed the Chinese Orbital Bombardment Satellites, else this place would have been wiped off the map already.¡± Irene complained. ¡°Minato, you need to help!¡± Reiji yelled over the chaos. ¡°I know! But first I need to get everyone here and our families to safety!¡± I shouted back. I know that helping here would be a massive violation of my low-key low-magic policy, but this is my home. What¡¯s the point if I don¡¯t even protect that?

    We finally found an empty alleyway from which I could teleport. Good, the sooner we get out of here the sooner I can get everyone to safety. But as I was gathering the mana, the ground shuddered as an absurdly large explosion leveled part of the city. The fire was an eerie green. An abnormal stormfront appeared in the sky from which lightning struck out and shot down the JADF planes. Most exploded in the air, although one crashed down close to us. A loud thunderous noise echoed in the air, most similar to the barking of a dog. Snow could be seen falling in the city.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Every television screen, computer screen, personal mobile device, and electronic billboard in the city than showed a live feed of a red-haired crimson-eyed white man in a leather jacket. He was perched upon a spire that I recognized as the Tokyo Tower, the tallest building in the city. ¡°Hello Japan! Happy April Fools!¡± Dante gleefully said. ¡°You may be wondering why all this weird stuff is happening while the Chinese are invading. I¡¯ll give you a hint.¡± The camera widened to show one of the skyscrapers nearby. Dante took out his was-sceptre and gave a simple wave. A bright red light flew out of the staff, and the entire skyscraper turned to dust. Literally.

    After that blatant display of magic, Dante started laughing. It was not a normal laugh. It was inhuman, a sound that made everyone who heard it shudder involuntarily. Ominous black and red light from his magic coalesced around him as he spoke ¡°It was so¡­ funny, when I heard the nickname you humans gave to me. Demon Lord Dante. Well, guess what? IT¡¯S TRUE!!!¡± The area surrounding the tower vanished as an inferno of black hellfire consumed it in an instant. The screams of terror and pain from those poor souls caught within it reached the camera, despite the distance. Dante kept talking. ¡°The Demons of Pandemonium have come! Despair as your last hope falls! RIN!!! DON¡¯T KEEP ME WAITING!!!!!¡±

    Fuck. Pandemonium was never set-back at all, they were simply preparing. I would try to think through what they did, but there¡¯s no time to do anything but react. I could see Cerberus¡¯s monstrous form to the south, the opposite direction from Dante. The snowfall was localized to the east, and the green fire was to the west. The mother fucker. He wants this to hurt. No matter where I go, the others would rampage and destroy Tokyo before I can stop them. He¡¯ll wear me down and then defeat me. It would have worked too, had I not had friends of my own to rely on.

    ¡°Reiji, I¡¯m getting you out of here. As soon as you arrive at the apartment, I want you to go get our parents and use this artifact to teleport them to safety.¡± I said, handing Reiji a small pendant before promptly teleporting him away. He was understandably scared, but I don¡¯t have time to comfort him. ¡°Rin, Veronica. Go take care of Cerberus. Hikari, Irene I want you to head west. Kira, you go east.¡± I ordered as I shapeshifted into my Rin form. ¡°Boss, let me take care of Sparky. The twitchy fuck will be too much of a pain otherwise.¡± Irene countered, glancing over at the wrecked JADF fighter plane. ¡°Fine.¡± I replied, flinging out an arm and fixing the jet in an instant. Irene jumped into it, and I gave her a helping hand for take-off as I flung the jet into the sky. The tell-tale circuit patterns indicating Optimization coursed across the plane as Irene flew into the demonic stormfront.

    ¡°Link up the illusion artifacts to your defensive ones, you¡¯ll need the extra power.¡± I said as the others readied themselves to go. ¡°But what about secrecy?¡± Kira asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore, we need every advantage we can get. I believe in you guys.¡± I said before taking to the skies myself and dashing to Tokyo Tower. I have to believe in them. They can do this. They are so much stronger from when I first met them. Feeling an odd sensation in my heart as I trusted the others to do their part, I flew for what¡¯s likely to become my final confrontation with Dante.

    Vivian¡¯s POV

    I am standing in the Crisis room alongside my father and his vassals. We are all staring mutely at the screen, which just showed Dante¡¯s live broadcast in Tokyo. China has allied itself with Pandemonium. Their combined forces are invading Japan. Demons and magic have been revealed to the world. Tokyo is turning into a hellish nightmare. The other members of the Sino faction have invaded neighboring countries belonging to the United and Monarch Factions, and the Emperor of Zaire had just been assassinated in a coup which I would bet my sword was incited by Pandemonium. The Empire of Zaire is rapidly devolving into a civil war, and satellite imaging is showing that the Central African Confederacy is sending in troops to take advantage of the situation.

    We too will need to send in troops quickly to prevent the Neo faction from subverting our ally. The United faction is currently preoccupied with the minor countries of the Sino faction invading some of their key resource rich allies, meaning that military aid for Japan will be late if it comes at all. The Neo faction will have no interest in aiding a United faction member, and the Monarch faction can¡¯t spare the manpower with our allies in turmoil. I doubt that any of them will believe the reports about demons and magic from Japan until it is far too late to help. Japan will face both Pandemonium and their ally (or possible puppet?) China alone. My attempts to contact Minato have failed, likely due to China blocking communications.

    The display of power by Dante has illustrated just how in over our heads we truly are. We can¡¯t stop that, especially not with a Council of Nine member supporting them. Minato is our only hope. God help us all.

 Chapter 127: The Fabulous End Game Begins

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Terra¡¯s POV

    There was a veritable wall of enemy aircraft between me and Tokyo Tower. The Chinese had deployed their drones in full force, ranging from large bomber types to the small ¡°swarm¡± fighter drones that ran on the old supercomputer technology. It¡¯s to be expected that a Council of Nine member has lost technology, but it means that the JSDF is at a technological disadvantage. That¡¯s to add to their numbers disadvantage and the fact that they were completely ambushed by the invasion. There are no ground troops yet, but if Dante is going all in on this then those troops will be coming. I don¡¯t know how he managed to possess or manipulate an entire country, but it doesn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°May the hate between metals surge forth! Scatter in repulsion!¡± I chanted, creating a huge magnetic field that flung the drone armada apart. They hit their fellow aircraft, causing a series of scattered explosions as their payloads automatically detonated to prevent the technology from being leaked upon crashing. I shot forward through this clear corridor to arrive before Dante. He was still balancing on the tip of the spire on top of Tokyo Tower, with the fat imp Jumbo operating the camera.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it. Start off with a wide-angle shot before zooming in for the close-up.¡± Dante was directing Jumbo before turning to face me. ¡°Hello, darling! What do ya think?¡± Dante asked, indicating the chaos surrounding us. The sky was a complete battlefield, everyone in the downtown area was fleeing for their life, and I could see troop transports on the ground and in the sky approaching the city. I focused my vision, and saw the rest of Dante¡¯s demon cohort among them. Looks like this first wave was just Dante, his lieutenants, and the Chinese Air Force. Fuck, things are already awful and they¡¯re just going to get worse. Let¡¯s not waste anymore time then.

    I launched an invisible hex that screeched through the air towards Jumbo, but before it could connect, Dante punted him away. ¡°WHYYYYYY!????¡± Jumbo screeched as he flew into the distance. ¡°Go get some action shots around the city! And lead the second wave once they set-up!¡± Dante called after him. He was seemingly indifferent to my follow-up curse, letting it strike him. His suit dissipated under the intensity of my curse, falling away to reveal the same strange dark coat he wore the last time we met.

    ¡°You like?¡± Dante said, doing a pirouette in midair to show off his relic. ¡°It belonged to Rostam, he was kinda a big thing back in the Middle East. It has breathtaking defensive properties.¡± My response was to bring out my Wristbreakers and start shooting for his head. Dante twirled his was-sceptre, conjuring a gale that blew away my bullets along with me. I was sent tumbling in the sky, ramming into a fighter jet as it flew by. I was unaffected by the subsequent explosion as I tore through the steel construct.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    I quickly righted myself after the collision, scanning the sky for Dante. ¡°Up here, darling!¡± Dante cried out as he came down from above, punching right through the illusory copy I had generated while the explosion had obscured Dante¡¯s vision. I rocketed from my hiding place horizontally through the sky, intercepting Dante on his vertical descent. My flying side kick sent him careening through a nearby skyscraper and into the barren wasteland he had created during his earlier demonstration.

    Dante teleported from his crater on the ground into the sky far above me, and conjured a massive black fireball. And by massive, I mean it had a diameter the length of a school bus. I shudder to think what kind of damage that will cause should it hit the city. The fucker knows I can¡¯t afford to dodge this. The black fireball fell towards me like a meteor, and I quickly channeled an old standby to counter it. ¡°The void is eternal. Lives end, legacies fade and reality decays to nothingness. But the void will remain. Vanish now into its infinite depths!¡±

    I finished the incantation just in time, neutralizing the fireball into nothingness right before it consumed me. I powered up my defensive barrier, waiting for Dante¡¯s follow-up, but nothing happened. I scanned the area, finally seeing him standing on the top of a skyscraper a few miles away. I focused my hearing and the words I heard were not reassuring. ¡°Niner, niner. This is the Big D. Come in, Artillery Corps¡­ Roger that, fire-when-ready.¡± He then gave me a cheeky wave before mouthing ¡°Go get ¡®em, tiger!¡±

    The whistling of income artillery fire and intercontinental ballistic missiles registered in my ear. Damn it, Dante¡¯s obviously trying to whittle away my mana reserves by targeting the city! ¡°Come forth, beast of the sky, howl in defiance of your chains, and unleash your fury!¡± The wolf made of condensed wind appeared at my command, snarling at the incoming barrage. It rushed through the sky, destroying all the projectiles before they could hit the ground. The cost of my defense was a cheap shot from Dante while I was distracted. The was-sceptre rammed into my gut, breaking my barrier. I was flung into the pavement, leaving behind a large furrow as I ploughed a notable distance before stopping. I stood up, dusting off the gravel and dirt, and glared at Dante as he landed onto the sidewalk nearby. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to break you, darling. Just imagining the expressions you¡¯ll make, gets me all fired up!¡± Dante said while approaching me casually.

    The streets were empty, with the majority of the people dead or gone, leaving just me and Dante. Several fires had broken out nearby, and the street was tinged red with blood flowing from the many corpses around us. The chaotic dogfights up in the sky were continuing, and the stormfront was pulsating erratically as Sparky was fighting with Irene. I reloaded my Wristbreakers, firing as quickly as I could while preparing for close-quarters combat. Dante was forced to defend, allowing me to close the distance without consequence. I stored my pistols in my dimensional storage as I launched a punch at Dante. He parried with his was-sceptre, but its length got in the way as I kept close while I attacked.

    My goal right now is to stall Dante while preventing him from getting help from the Chinese or his fellow demons. Eventually the Japanese Self Defense Force will respond properly and tie down the invaders. I still have my ace prepared from killing all those Pandemonium associates, but I need to wait until Dante¡¯s lieutenants are occupied fighting the others before using it. I gritted my teeth and continued my assault as Tokyo was burning around me. At the very least Reiji and my parents have gotten out of harm¡¯s way.

 Chapter 128: Bring It

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    After Minato suddenly sent me away to the apartment, I immediately ran to his place. Unlike Akihabara the streets were completely deserted, which allowed me to make good time as I sprinted. I barged into Minato¡¯s house, flashed the pendant at Minato¡¯s parents before they could even get up and ask where he was, and then watched in surprise as it put them to sleep before whisking them away to an unknown location. Hikari¡¯s parents were in Korea on vacation, so I hauled ass over to my place and repeated said process.

    After I was finished, I immediately tossed the pendent away. My intuition was correct, as I saw the pendent flash once before vanishing. Tch, Minato was trying to get me out of here too. I know that I¡¯m still a weak human, but I can¡¯t run away again. I want to help. I have to help. I don¡¯t know whether this need is born from guilt or not, but I don¡¯t care. I opened up my father¡¯s safe, and withdrew his 9mm pistol. Sorry Minato, despite your best intentions, I¡¯m going to be doing something reckless.

    I ran back out into the street, with my new weapon hidden in my jacket. I looked towards downtown, and started running once more. Good thing I¡¯m in so much better shape now. I may not be able to help Minato and the others, but I can try and help evacuate people caught in the crossfire. I have Minato¡¯s defensive artifact with me, alongside a few other magic artifacts he entrusted to me, so I should be able to survive. It is frustrating that I can¡¯t do more, but that¡¯s okay. I am not a hero, but I¡¯ll do my best anyways.

    Kira¡¯s POV

    It has been only a few minutes at most since this invasion started, but as I ran towards my rematch with Susan I saw carnage and destruction that in some ways eclipsed the scenes I saw back home. Humans were blown to shreds with blood and gore everywhere, cars were burning, and the very ground was torn up to the point of being unrecognizable. It seems that humanity¡¯s science can destroy even better than it can create. The skies were thick with drones, gunships, and warplanes. The defenders were fighting back fiercely in the sky, driven by their desire to protect their home. Shrapnel and scrap metal rained downed as the aerial combatants fought for supremacy.

    In order to bypass the crowds running in the streets, I was running in the air. I was using Farclaws as footholds, sending the throwing daggers ahead of me as I kept sprinting at full speed. I ignored the occasional cry of shock from the crowd below as they saw me. Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure seeing a cat-kin for the first time is incredible, but do try and remember you¡¯re fleeing a battlefield! The civilians were not the only ones who noticed my skyward movements. Two drones broke off from a nearby dogfight to engage me. I jumped above the incoming missiles, before flipping in midair and pushing off one of my daggers to dive beneath the subsequent gunfire. I landed with each foot on a Farclaw, and I maneuvered the blades while I stood on them to fly between the two drones. The other 11 Farclaws followed, rending through the steel encased machines like a hot knife through butter.

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    I kept going without looking back, drawing out Longfangs as I saw more aerial fighters inbound. Rather than waiting for another 5 drones to engage, I willed my blades to expand to an extreme length and slice through the drones before they even got in range of their small-arm weaponry. Farclaws zoomed into the sky, intercepting, and destroying the inbound missiles that had been loosed by the drones before their demise. My throwing knives continued screening my advance, striking down many more drones and even an attack helicopter that were blocking my path.

    I soon entered the frost covered neighborhood that indicated the ice elementalist was nearby. There was no chaos or carnage here, even the skies were clear of fighting. But there was far more death here than before. Hundreds, no, thousands of people were frozen solid where they stood. Some were lying on the ground, others were frozen in mid-stride. These ice statues centered around one person who was still moving. She turned upon my approach, her silver-blue hair swaying gently with the motion. Her expressionless face seemed to indicate that she couldn¡¯t care less about my arrival, but I didn¡¯t need a cat-kin¡¯s superior intuition to notice the uncontained hatred that she was directing towards me. I dropped from the sky, landing lightly onto the thin layer of snow in the area. My defensive artifact was glowing brightly, warding away the worst of the chill.

    ¡°We meet again. I have nothing to say to a hideous mongrel like yourself. Die.¡± Susan waved a hand, causing a series of large icicles to erupt from the ground towards me. I noted a small opening in the spread of the icicles, allowing me to contort my body and pass through the attack unharmed. I charged forward, having no intention in allowing Susan to draw out the battle. She has altered the very environment to her advantage, and I don¡¯t want to wait to allow the cold to sap my strength. I struck with my twin butterfly swords at normal length, getting in close to Susan. She created a mace and round shield of ice, blocking my blades as she countered with an overhead swing. I jumped backwards and dived sideways, dodging the initial strike and the blast of frost that immediately followed.

    Susan took advantage of the new distance to shoot out snowflake projectiles, which I avoided by taking cover behind one of the many frozen corpses in the area. The snowflakes are apparently razor sharp, seeing how they sank all the way into the thick ice. I continued weaving in and out of the ice statues, circling around Susan for an opening as she continued with her snowflake throwing stars. Farclaws was on automatic mode at the moment, repeatedly attacking Susan. She was forced to block with her shield, allowing me to dart back into close combat.

    Longfangs became softer at my command, curling around the edge of her shield as she blocked my descending cross-cut. I managed to score a light cut on the side of her shield-bearing arm, causing her blue blood to stain my blade. I deflected her mace with my other sword, determined to press my momentary advantage. My defensive artifact glowed brighter as Susan¡¯s rage caused the surrounding temperatures to drop further. My breath crystallized in the air as I exchanged blows with Susan, neither of us giving ground. I was winning, as evidenced by the series of minor wounds that decorated Susan¡¯s body.

    My intuition suddenly went off like a siren, causing me to lash Longfangs out like a grappling hook and then command it to retract in order to pull me far away from Susan. ¡°YOU FUCKING MANGY CAT!!!! I¡¯LL EVISCERATE YOUUUU!!!!!!!¡± Susan howled, her impassive demeanor shattering like all the ice in the vicinity at the force of her declaration. The many frozen statues slumped to the ground as their prisons broke, pale corpses hitting the concrete with a thud as the ice dust sparkled around them. Her pristine face became droopy and wrinkled as her hands elongated into white talons. She bulked up, tearing her kimono into pieces, with just barely enough remaining to protect her modesty. She became completely feral, snarling as she dropped to all fours.

    Well this sucks. Seems like I finally managed to get the emotionless yuki-onna to completely lose her shit. Oops. I recalled Farclaws to me, jumping on a pair of the daggers as I took to the sky. Susan was quick to follow as a massive mountain of ice burst through the ground, upending the nearby buildings as it rose upwards. Hmm. This scenario seems awfully similar to what happens in those video games that Reiji showed me with the last boss. Is this the final form? I flew between the relentless barrage of frozen shrapnel as I prepared to reengage. ¡°BRING IT!!!¡± I roared as I flew back into the fray.

 Chapter 129: Tag Team Deathmatch

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    ¡°Master and Dante are fighting now.¡± Rin informed me as we were hurrying towards Cerberus. The telepathic artifacts that Terra distributed to everyone are still working, although everyone is currently too focused on their respective tasks to idly chat. I was using Waymaker to make good time, portal-jumping repeatedly as I spied Cerberus¡¯s gargantuan figure in the distance as he rampaged. I ignored the various looks of amazement directed my way as escaping citizens noticed me. Rin was riding on my shoulder, being far too chipper considering the situation we¡¯re all in.

    The sounds of small arms fire reached my ear, causing me to pause in my portal-jumping as I searched for the source. I saw a group of 12 soldiers rappelling down from a helicopter, joining another 20 solders already on the ground. They wore dull grey ablative ceramic armor, which looked similar to the half-plate armor from back home. According to Terra, this armor was designed to disperse the kinetic energy of projectiles to protect the wearer. I noted the crystal focuses in front of their rifles, indicating they were laser based weapons. A red flag with golden stars was emblazoned on their armor over their hearts.

    These men were shooting amongst the civilians indiscriminately, acting more like bandit scum than soldiers. Unacceptable. ¡°Hang on.¡± I told Rin telepathically before readying Waymaker. The soldiers finally noticed me, one of them yelling out something in their language. The translation artifact did its job, but I ignored it. Who cares what a dead man says.

    Waymaker easily pierced through the ablative ceramic armor and the man¡¯s heart. It seems the body armor does nothing against melee weapons. I made a small portal directly behind the man I killed, redirecting my blade as soon as it exited his body into another nearby soldier. Two men fell with a single thrust of my estoc, while Rin blasted the other 5 soldiers nearby with her black fox fire. ¡°Shoot her, damnit!¡± a nearby soldier cursed. I dodged the incoming gunfire, easily identifying the paths of the lasers based on the angle of the guns. I stabbed Waymaker repeatedly, felling a soldier with each thrust.

    The gunship that had delivered the soldiers flew off after my slaughter of the soldiers. I heard the whirling of its armaments as it prepared to shoot at me. My response was to stab Waymaker once more, going through a portal to pierce the pilot in the head. The helicopter veered off course, crashing in a fiery wreck.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    I promptly proceeded on my way, ignoring the incredulous looks from some of the nearby survivors who had been in hiding. My altercation with the ground troops caused a series of enemy aircraft to head in on my position. I was forced to stow Waymaker into my storage ring and proceed on foot while freely shooting down the drones with Swarm Shooter. I ran into an occasional unit of soldiers, but that proved to be no issue when I discovered that their armor was not able to withstand my crossbow. Quantity over quality. That is my impression of the human armies so far. Their low-level soldiers are far stronger than the low-level soldiers of the Darkmoon Queendom due to their superior equipment, but they fall like wheat before a scythe when faced with a more powerful foe. Granted, I have yet to face their fiercest war machines.

    We reached the disaster zone and Cerberus noticed our advance. His six eyes locked in on me, clearly remembering our previous encounter. With a loud howl, Cerberus finished demolishing the nearby buildings before turning to face us. The 4-story tall beast began moving, become a veritable avalanche of flesh and bone as he charged. Rin¡¯s 4 tails were whipping back and forth frantically, and I heard her hum a cheerful tune despite our predicament.

    ¡°Rin, why are you so happy?¡± I asked the demonic fox familiar. ¡°I¡¯m really happy Big Sis because Master gave me an order he¡¯s never given before.¡± Rin replied. ¡°Oh? And what is that?¡± I asked, keeping my eyes on Cerberus in order to gauge the distance so I could use Swarm Shooter. ¡°Master ordered me to go wild.¡± Rin said in a rather fearsome voice as she emanated a powerful demonic aura.

    She jumped off my shoulder and ran towards Cerberus. A four-tailed fox the size of a lapdog was counter-charging a 3-headed behemoth weighing several tons. Right before they were about to collide, Rin expanded to the size of a house and leapt for the throat of Cerberus¡¯s right head. She bit deeply into his flesh, turning him sideways into a towering office building which started collapsing due to the impact. Rin skillfully disengaged and escaped the falling debris to reappear by my side. Her eyes were glowing with barely contained demonic malice and her muzzle was a bloody red.

    Rin¡¯s four tails pierced the ground behind us, anchoring Rin as she gathered energy for her foxfire laser. To fell a foe as large as Cerberus, she¡¯ll need some time to charge. The dog was struggling to get out of the rubble, leaving him wide open for Rin¡¯s attack. However, I interrupted her technique by using Waymaker to portal-hop us away from an incoming hostile. ¡°YOU FURRY FIEND! WE MEET ONCE MORE ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE! THIS TIME I SHALL BE VICTORIOUS!¡± an enormous one-armed oni dropped down from the sky, creating a localized earthquake as his landing pulverized the spot where Rin and I had just been. ¡°It¡¯s the doofus.¡± Rin grumbled as we observed Cerberus extricate himself and stand next to Ibaraki-doji.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll kill them both.¡± I said, fully immersed in my own bloodlust. These demons dare to attack my new home, the sanctuary where I am living the life I have always dreamed of. The place where I found friends and a family. They¡¯ll pay for this. Be it Cerberus, Ibarki-doji, or the demon lord himself. I pulled out Swarm Shooter and hopped onto Rin¡¯s back. In a fight between giants, I need to stay close or risk being squashed. Rin yipped in approval as she dashed towards Cerberus and Ibaraki-doji ¡°Yeah, Bis Sis! We¡¯ll kill ¡®em all!¡±

 Chapter 130: Last Stand

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    I sprinted through the streets at a pace that I would have never even driven at in this area. There was screaming, gunfire, and explosions in my surroundings. I ran past the devastated store front of an ice cream shop I liked to visit from time to time. The burning bodies within were likely the store owner and his family. I felt sorrow at the sight, along with the other dead and dying people here in Tokyo. Nevertheless, I maintained my composure. I can¡¯t help if I don¡¯t remain calm. I can grieve for the dead later. This area was not under aerial assault, instead it seemed to be a focus for long-range missile strikes, bombing runs, and the like. This was good in the sense that I didn¡¯t have to slow down, my enhanced reflexes being good enough for me to dodge everything sent my way. While I ran, I was contemplating the situation.

    Pandemonium subverting a Council of Nine nation was beyond everyone¡¯s expectations, even Minato, whom I¡¯ve come to associate with being infallible. They must have used magic to brainwash the leaders, or maybe they possessed them instead. China has an ironclad information control and propaganda network, so they only needed to go after the government and military. Hell, I bet the general population doesn¡¯t know anything other than that they¡¯re going to war.

    The stuck-up slut who nearly killed me last time was located the furthest away out of all the demon lieutenants. Minato and the others were already engaged with the other demons while I¡¯m still traveling. She was also in the opposite direction of the invading Chinese army, meaning that I had no opposition on the ground as I proceeded.

    After a long run, I finally arrived at the region that was burning with the familiar green flames. ¡°Ara, ara, if it isn¡¯t the little girl from way back when. How are you still alive?¡± Mannequin said as she emerged from the flame. It was a dramatic entrance, yet unlike last time I was not intimidated in the least. My increased heart rate was from fighting spirit. She wore the same revealing attire from last time, and she glared at me with her yellow snake eyes.

    ¡°Meh, things happened. How about you? How have you survived until now without dying from a heart attack? Fatty.¡± There was no further conversation as I had to dive away from a green fireball that decimated the building behind me in a fiery explosion. I jumped back to my feet with Dynamo drawn and shot back a magic blast, forcing Mannequin to conjure up a wall of green light to block. With her vision obscured, I moved in close and tried to decapitate her with Dynamo.

    To my pleasant surprise, I succeeded. Mannequin¡¯s face was frozen in an expression of shock as it parted with her neck, showering me with blood that sprayed out. However, the body kicked me away as it began regenerating like last time. ¡°Hoh, looks like you¡¯ve improved from our previous encounter. Well, how about this?¡± Mannequin cut her wrist, taking the blood that leaked out and muttering some words I couldn¡¯t hear over it. The blood disappeared, and I felt a kind of ticklish sensation as I briefly had some sort of red light surround me. The light faded quickly, leaving me standing no worse for the wear and causing Mannequin to show a trace of panic. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the blood magic work?¡± she yelled in confusion and anger. She looked at me once more, this time really taking in my appearance.

    ¡°You became a vampire!??!? But you¡¯re still alive, how is this possible!?¡± Mannequin screeched, and then I felt it. The smallest hint of fear now seemed to be coming from the succubus at her discovery that she had the worst possible match-up with me. I said nothing, opting instead to initiate combat once more. I slashed through Mannequin a variety of times, causing her to gush out blood before regenerating once more. It¡¯s become obvious to me that Mannequin is a caster type, relying on her magic more so than her martial skill to fight. Now that there is no longer a massive gulf between us in terms of physical prowess, I easily carved her up with Dynamo. The street was running red with Mannequin¡¯s blood, but she still healed after every injury.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Don¡¯t count me out just yet!¡± she cried, conjuring her toxic green fire in her immediate vicinity. I evaded it with ease, and retaliated by cutting off her left arm. She cried out in pain, giving me another opening. But before I could stab Dynamo through her chest, I heard a whirring noise that made me dive behind cover as a glob of plasma landed right where I had been. Tch, seems like the Chinese army has arrived.

    I poked my head out to see Mannequin standing up and ordering the 10 or so troops to attack. I swung Dynamo, firing a cutting crescent of magic that sliced open two of those soldiers before taking cover again as Mannequin lobbed a green fireball in my direction. More troops started arriving, indicating that things were about to get worse. To add to the problem, demons from Pandemonium also arrived as reinforcements. The street turned into a fire fight of magic and plasma as I held them off. Damnit, I had Mannequin on the ropes! I continued exchanging long-range attacks with my opponents as I tried to figure out how to turn things around.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    ¡°Everyone, get inside! Quick!¡± I yelled, herding a group of 30 or so people into a nearby bank. They joined another 50 people I had already gotten off the streets and into cover. And I was not a moment too soon. A pair of Chinese bombers razed the avenue we had just evacuated from. Damnit, it¡¯s like they¡¯re more interested in exterminating us than invading.

    What¡¯s worse is the fact that the demons of Pandemonium have now spread out into the city, gleefully murdering anyone they come across. My defensive artifact glowed as it negated yet another hex thrown my way as a group of 3 imps and one lesser demon are sieging the bank I am currently holed up in with the survivors I had rescued. I shot back a magic arrow from one of the artifacts Minato gave to me, which homed in on one of the imps as it frantically tried to evade. The imp was hit in the head, barely having time to screech before dissipating in a puff of black miasma. The demons retreated after that casualty, either to wait for reinforcements or to reorganize their assault. I took the opportunity to fall flat on my ass, gasping for breath as I did so. Using magic artifacts takes a lot out of you. Unfortunately, I had long ago run out of ammo for my dad¡¯s pistol, meaning I¡¯ll have to keep using the artifacts.

    ¡°Are they gone?¡± A middle-aged salaryman asked me tentatively. ¡°No, they¡¯re just regrouping.¡± I replied, gratefully accepting a bottle of water from a teary-eyed high schooler when she offered. I drained it instantly before standing back up. ¡°Hey mister, are we going to die?¡± a little boy asked me in a soft voice. That was the first he had spoken since I had found him crying over the body of his dad. ¡°Of course not!¡± I replied with false bravado. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the awesome things I can do, right?¡± I said, puffing out my chest in a show of confidence. Some of the other onlookers chuckled at my actions as the boy nodded his head. ¡°They¡¯re back! And they¡¯re more of them!¡± An elderly granny called out while looking out the corner of a window. It was a risky job, since there was a high chance of being hit, but the woman insisted on doing it. She had said ¡°These old bones should be good for at least that.¡±

    I ran back to the front entrance, readying myself for another round. I guess I could use the telepathic artifact to call for help, but from what I¡¯ve been hearing the others aren¡¯t available. I chose to do this, I¡¯ll suffer the consequences. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll distract them now. A familiar face was there to see me. ¡°oH, IT SeemS tHAt We mEeet Again.¡± The hideous cylindrical head of Ori greeted me in her creepy little girl voice. ¡°I¡¯Ll enjOy fInisHing whaT I starTED!¡± She roared before launching a salvo of lightning bolts at the building. My defensive artifact shined brightly, creating a half-dome that blocked her attack.

    I kept the dome going, weathering the onslaught of curses and hexes as the demons slowly advanced. Damnit, there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop them! I groaned under the strain of actively using the defensive artifact, but I refused to yield. I want to protect the people behind me, innocent people with families and friends waiting for them back home. They don¡¯t deserve to die like Akemi did. I fell to one knee to brace myself as the attacks increased. I could feel the defensive artifact start draining my life force now that I had run out of stamina. Should I be completely drained, I¡¯ll die. Minato had warned me of this feature during training. ¡°Ori, stop fooling around. The boss is waiting for back-up to deal with his woman.¡± A fat little imp that looks like a cross between a bat and an obese goblin spoke to Ori. ¡°YEs, LORd Jumbo!¡± she replied hastily. This Jumbo glanced at me indifferently before waving his hand, causing a surge of magic to break my artifact.

    I spat out blood at the overload, falling prone to the ground as I struggled to get up. Damnit! After all this, am I going to die just like that? No, I refuse. The people behind me are counting on me! I promised the little boy that I¡¯d take him home to see his mom! Even if I die, I will save them! I staggered to my feet, coughing out another mouthful of blood as I did so. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re still alive? That¡¯s impressive willpower you have there.¡± Jumbo said casually as a flurry of large fireballs appeared around him. ¡°Unfortunately, I have things to do so I can¡¯t play with you. Die.¡± The fireballs zoomed in towards the bank as I let out one last yell of defiance.

 Chapter 131: The Land of the Rising Sun

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Irene¡¯s POV

    ¡°Kiss my ass!¡± I bellowed as I shot down yet another enemy fighter. It was pure anarchy up in this stormy sky, with drones everywhere and one annoying storm demon doing its best to shoot me down. I yanked on the joystick, performing a barrel roll to evade yet another barrage of lightning from Sparky as I chased him amongst the grey clouds. ¡°Die, die, die, die!¡± The twitchy fuck shouted as it blasted away JASDF planes that got in its way. I quickly optimized the plane¡¯s turning radius, forcing it to flip in midair at an impossible angle. I then switched the optimization to the missile guidance systems, unleashing my last salvo at Sparky as he approached. 4 missiles flew out, 2 of them being blown apart instantly by Sparky. He tried to frantically outrun the remaining two missiles, but to no avail. With an unnatural tenacity the missiles hunted him down, exploding with a large bang.

    ¡°Tengu-1, please respond, over.¡± The radio in the cockpit went off yet again with hails from my fellow pilots. Thankfully I was flying a JASDF plane, meaning that I didn¡¯t have to worry about getting shot at by the very people I was trying to help. They have been trying to get in contact with me ever since I took to the air, but until now I have ignored them. The losers will just get in my way.

    I looked to where Sparky had been hit, noting that the demon was very much alive although injured. The storm clouds that had been surrounding the area started getting sucked into the lightning based demon, indicating that I had managed to really piss him off. Good. I used the 120 mm gatling gun on my plane to decimate the few flying lesser demons who foolishly thought they could contribute in the air. With my intervention, the JASDF has managed to push back the enemy. ¡°I, I, I, I hate, hate, hate, hate, you, you, you, you!!!!!!¡± Sparky bellowed as a massive surge of electricity danced across the sky. I barely managed to optimize my plane¡¯s electrical insulation in time to avoid being annihilated like both the Chinese Air Force and the JASDF. Fuck. It¡¯s just me and Sparky now in the empty night sky.

    Overclocking protocol engaged. Full optimization initiated. Warning: overusage can lead to irreversible damage, would you like to proceed? Confirmed, loading protocol¡­ loading¡­ loading¡­ Overclocking protocol in effect. I felt my mana pump go into overdrive as I activated my ace in the hole. Overclocking allows me to optimize everything at the same time. It¡¯s a super power up that I can use for a limited time only. The plane itself was altering under the Overclocking protocol, becoming sleeker and more deadly in an instant. The engines roared at full strength as I proceeded with my deathmatch with Sparky. He zigzagged across the sky at full-speed as I tailed him closely. I endured his occasional potshot as he tried to get behind me. I banked sharply, getting a chance to shoot at him with my optimized gun. He hissed in pain as he was hit, the injury leaking out dark grey cloud instead of blood.

    An incredible surge of mana drew my attention momentarily to where Minato was fighting with Dante. The Chinese ground forces had fully entered the city along with the rest of Pandemonium, meaning that Minato was getting besieged on all fronts. He looks like he could use back-up. I should finish things up here.

    Terra¡¯s POV

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    ¡°Try to keep up darling, it¡¯s no fun if you don¡¯t resist!¡± Dante taunted me as I continued my frantic dive from cover to cover. The Chinese Ground Forces and the rest of Pandemonium have entered the city, causing the situation to get complicated. Hikari has indicated that she¡¯s been pinned down by the back-up, while Rin and Veronica are facing heavy mechs in addition to Cerberus and Ibaraki-doji. Kira has also been put on the back foot by snipers who are trying to take her out while she¡¯s avoiding the berserk Susan. Were it not for her cat-kin intuition she¡¯d have died already.

    Simply put, we¡¯re at a severe number disadvantage. Irene and Sparky¡¯s battle has cleared the sky of air support, but that means nothing at the moment. The JSDF has managed to break through the Chinese lines, and they¡¯re inbound to Tokyo. ETA is unknown however, meaning that it is me and the girls against all of Pandemonium and China. I myself am currently forced to be on the defensive as the plasma cannon tanks are firing at me. Dante¡¯s been content to just sit back and remotely possess incoming soldiers to harass me with.

    ¡°I call upon the endless hunger of the inferno. Devour everything, consume all, leave nothing but ash behind!¡± My inferno spell destroyed a pair of plasma cannon tanks, causing their ammo to splatter everywhere. The splash damage destroyed a heavy machine gun encampment as well as a lesser demon that was trying to curse me with blood magic. Dante¡¯s possessed soldiers charged at me with a feral look on their face, forcing me into close combat as more reinforcements arrived. I ducked beneath one punch, countering with a kick that sent the man flying through a concrete wall. I grabbed the outstretched leg of another soldier, using him a club to bludgeon the surrounding attackers.

    I barely had the time to throw up a barrier as Dante sent a destruction spell with his was-sceptre my way. That delayed me long enough to be surrounded by more troops. ¡°You know, darling, you¡¯re doomed if you keep this up. There¡¯s no way you can defeat me and the combined might of Pandemonium and a Council of Nine member.¡± Dante commented as I finished tearing through the latest batch of cannon fodder. I flew into the sky to gain a brief reprieve, dodging a large salvo of energy weapon fire and Dante¡¯s was-sceptre.

    I looked around to see Tokyo in complete disarray. There was an inexplicable surge of holy power nearby, but I don¡¯t have the time to investigate. Given that it was of holy origin I know that it can¡¯t be on Pandemonium¡¯s side. That¡¯s enough for me at the moment. Downtown was trashed, bodies were lying everywhere, and death permeated the very air. Hundreds of thousands of people must have died already, if not a million. I sighed in regret at the thought.

    I took out the crystal I had made during the time I went berserk and channeled its energy for a ritual that should help turn the tide.

    First though, I unleashed a massive concussive blast that leveled the surroundings and scattered the anti-air emplacements that were shooting at me. Even Dante was pushed back, giving me the time I needed to do this. His plan so far was well-thought out and executed perfectly. The JSDF was caught off-guard, along with myself and the rest of the world. He knew that I would protect my home no matter what, placing me in a situation where I could be overwhelmed by his army¡¯s might. And once I¡¯ve been taken care of, it would be a simple matter to conquer the rest of the world.

    But he has made a critical mistake, one that will allow me to overcome him. I placed myself upon an appropriate intersection of leylines, allowing me to channel the mana in the earth. I crushed the crystal, using its energy to project my voice and my magic across the city and the country itself. Every Japanese soldier and resident with the will to fight against the invaders heard my words:

    ¡°O citizens of Japan, our homeland is burning, beset by the forces of darkness and our ancient foe. We must stand united to turn the tide. For the sake of our loved ones, for the sake of vengeance, for the sake of our honor, for the sake of our duty to protect this land. Darkness shall never reign here, for this is the Land of the Rising Sun.¡±

    And true to my words, a glorious golden sun appeared in the night sky, eclipsing the stars and the moon as it shone across all of Japan. There was a sarcastic clapping as Dante floated up to my position in the sky. ¡°Whoopty fucking doo. That was a lovely speech darling, but there¡¯s no one alive around here to hear it.¡± He mocked as he indicated the many corpses surrounding us. Dante was unprepared when I smiled at his taunt, looking borderline angelic with the golden sun at my back. ¡°Who said I was talking to the living?¡± I replied.

    Across Tokyo and the country of Japan, the dead started to rise in the light of the golden sun.

 Chapter 132: The Will to Save

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    General Ando¡¯s POV

    ¡°Is what I¡¯m seeing here true Corporal?¡± I demanded as I glanced across the screens that showed the situation across Japan. The Chinese managed to get a good sucker-punch in, sending us reeling as they rapidly spread across the country. If it weren¡¯t for them inexplicably committing the bulk of their forces to Tokyo, we¡¯d have been overrun already. As it stands, the JSDF has been holding the line against those Chinese bastards. Hopefully we can hold out until the USA gets off its ass and helps us. Several troop carriers are inbound from Hawaii, but it¡¯s little comfort considering that our satellites have shown the Chinese determined to exterminate every single living soul. This isn¡¯t an occupation, it¡¯s a genocide.

    Reports also indicate chaos is erupting elsewhere in the world, making it quite possible that a 4<sup>th</sup> World War is on the horizon. I shudder at the thought. Haven¡¯t we fucking learned our lesson from last time? This is all neglecting the fact that Dante is an actual goddamn demon lord and Pandemonium is a group of demons. Gods, it¡¯s like this is the plot of a shitty web novel. My men and I have been watching slack-jawed as a goddamn magic battle has been occurring across Tokyo, with cat girls and elves and magical girls and all kinds of other shit going on.

    And now this. I¡¯m staring at the screen stupefied. I thought that there was nothing that could surprise me anymore. I was wrong. Apparently, this fantasy setting now has a healthy dose of zombie apocalypse as the DEAD ARE COMING BACK TO LIFE!!!! Zombies, skeletons, and even ghosts of samurai from the goddamn Warring States era have been spotted! I¡¯ve already received numerous reports asking for orders as the casualties throughout Japan are rising up against the invaders. Not a single undead has been hostile to the JSDF, so I decided to just roll with it.

    ¡°Tell all troops to focus their efforts on the Chinese. Ignore the undead, providing they remain indifferent to us.¡± I ordered. ¡°But sir¡­¡± one of my men was about to object, but I cut him off. ¡°I¡¯ll take all the help I can get, colonel. Even if it¡¯s from a Shinigami, damn it!¡± I bellowed. ¡°Now give me an ETA on our forces headed for the capital! I also want any available gunships to double time it! I want air support to help those girls ASAP!¡±

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    ???¡¯s POV

    It did not know how long it has been floating in the ether between the two worlds. It had been destroyed, broken into pieces after the failure of its previous master. However, it was of divine origin, and as long as its creator existed it would be remade in time. It had even been reunited with the five pieces of its sheathe, both of them becoming whole once more. This thing did not have a consciousness per say, but it did have a basic awareness. It wished to be used again, to protect those in the name of its creator. And so it searched, desperately seeking one who was worthy to wield it.

    It had many wielders in the past, legendary figures who were beyond reproach. They were perfect in every sense of the world. However, its last owner¡¯s demise had it reassessing itself. He had been perfect, yet he went astray and died in pursuit of his dream. Perhaps it is time to search for something else in its new wielder?

    Time was an unknown quantity between dimensions, it could have been searching for millennia or merely a few minutes. But then it felt something that resonated with its very being. The will to save. The will belonged to a fragile soul, flickering feebly like a candle¡¯s flame in the wind. The owner of this will was weak and dying. This human was far from the perfection it desired in its wielders. But his desire was so pure and determined, that it couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to it.

    Yes, it had decided. It shall return to the world once more. Let¡¯s see to what heights its new master could rise to.

    Reiji¡¯s POV

    I watched in a mixture of confusion and awe at the sight before me. Jumbo¡¯s attack had been blocked by a sword that appeared out of nowhere. A masterpiece of metal, the sword was a brilliant white that glowed with holy power and shone brightly in the darkness. In lieu of a sheathe, the sword was wrapped by a chain composed of links that alternated between the colors gold, red, white, black, and silver.

    I reached out my shaking hand, and grabbed the blade. I felt strength surge up from deep within me, as the blade sang out its joy in having found its new wielder. It spoke its name to me as its radiance forced Jumbo back. I have no clue on how to use a sword, but it guided my actions as I raised it up high. Words unbidden came to my lips as the blade shined ever brighter. ¡°Free us from the evil in the world! Liberator!¡± I swung Liberator downwards, unleashing a blast of magic beyond anything I had ever seen. Jumbo cried out in agony as he was vanquished by the holy light. Ori and the other demons were purified in an instant, not even having the chance to scream.

    ¡°You did it!¡± the people behind me cheered as I stood there panting. To my dismay however, one of Minato¡¯s memory wiping artifacts he had given me suddenly activated, knocking out everyone who had just seen my epic comeback. Damnit Minato! Why do you keep giving me artifacts that activate on their own? Don¡¯t you trust me!?! I limped back into the bank, looking over the rows of now unconscious people, casualties to Minato¡¯s paranoia. He really is thorough, I¡¯d be willing to bet that when those people wake up they won¡¯t remember me or my magic. I then looked up and down the street for anymore enemies. Seeing none, I gratefully collapsed and let unconsciousness take me. Even with the added strength from Liberator, I had reached my limit. But it was worth it. I managed to protect everyone after all.

 Chapter 133: Counterattack

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Kira¡¯s POV

    Terra¡¯s done something again. What makes me think this? Oh, I don¡¯t know, maybe it¡¯s the fact that the dead are no longer staying dead. Terra has mentioned his necromantic abilities before, but seeing thousands of corpses getting up off the ground is shocking. Not that it has stopped Susan though. She¡¯s been tearing through the near endless stream of zombies and other undead in her single-minded pursuit of me.

    *Bang* I ducked behind cover just in time to dodge the railgun shot from one of the snipers who have been hounding me since just after Susan went berserk. I¡¯ve been unable to locate them due to Susan¡¯s interference, and thus have been forced to rely on my intuition to avoid dying prematurely. A swarm of spectral ghosts conveniently solved that problem for me, overrunning a nearby apartment building. I heard screaming and the sound of railguns going off before it went deathly quiet. Well, it looks like the snipers won¡¯t be an issue anymore.

    I looked over at the monstrous form of Susan, who had just finished dismantling the last of the nearby undead. She blew out an icy breath, freezing everything between me and her. I jumped high into the air, using Longfangs to maneuver away from the attack. I landed on the top of a nearby building. I then sent Farclaws to stab into Susan, but she seemed indifferent to the damage they caused. She took another deep breath, giving me enough forewarning to run away as she turned the entire building I had been standing on into a block of ice.

    I landed back on the cold ground, wincing a bit as I felt the chill bite into me. The battle has been going on for a while now, and Susan¡¯s effect on the environment has been wearing down my defensive artifact. I can¡¯t win in a battle of attrition, I need to finish this soon. ¡°Hey Susan, YOU SUCK!¡± I shouted at the demon, hoping that my childish taunt would enrage her. Surprisingly enough, it worked. Susan bellowed in rage at my provocation. She then charged, every step of hers causing ice to form and the air to frost. I held out Longfangs in front of me, the tips pointed at Susan. The blades shot forward, extending to an incredible length as they pierced into Susan. I made the tips of the blades bend inwards, hooking into Susan¡¯s flesh and preventing her from pulling them out.

    She roared in rage and pain as her forward momentum faltered. Farclaws floated in front of me, forming a tight circle. I had them start spinning as fast as they could manage. The knives soon resembled a buzzsaw, whirling through the air at a high speed. I braced myself as I retracted Longfangs while simultaneously pulling with all my strength. Susan was yanked in the air, and before she could react, she came upon my makeshift buzzsaw. The yuki-onna was cut perfectly in two, her blue blood flying everywhere.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    I stood over her mauled corpse, panting from the exertion of our long, drawn-out struggle. It¡¯s over at last. I had no time to bask in my victory, opting instead to assist the undead in clearing out the Chinese ground forces and Pandemonium demons nearby. No rest for the weary, I suppose. I let out a battle cry as I dashed towards the nearest group of soldiers.

    Irene¡¯s POV

    The beeping on the console of the jet gave me an annoying reminder that I¡¯ve been trying to ignore for the last five minutes. ¡°I FUCKING KNOW THAT I¡¯M LOW ON FUEL DAMNIT!¡± I shouted at the console as I made a hurried loopty loop to avoid another blast of lightning from Sparky. Another beep on the console indicated incoming anti-air fire, which I evaded by doing a steep nose-dive. I wrenched on the joystick, pulling the jet out of its descent. I scanned the vicinity, noting the nearby anti-aircraft emplacement. I did a quick strafing run, destroying the set-up. Tch, now I¡¯m running low on ammo too. I almost groaned at my predicament, were it not for the fact that I¡¯m not a weak-ass pussy. My mana circuits were nearly burned out under the strain of my Overclocking, so I¡¯m put in a situation where I¡¯m gonna have to do something drastic.

    I maneuvered the jet to face Sparky, the annoying little storm demon seemed to be powering up a big-ass lightning attack. Okay, let¡¯s do this. I put the thrusters on max, redistributing my Overclocking to focus on just the thrusters and the electrical insulation aspects. This allowed me to increase their performance even further, at the cost of them breaking down immediately afterwards. A solid wave of electricity surged towards me as Sparky unleashed his full strength. I did not hesitate, plunging into the storm. Even with my Overclocking, the attack tore the plane and myself up. I gritted my jaw as the lightning coursed throughout my body. Nevertheless, I kept the pedal to the metal and broke through. Sparky was right in front of me, clearly not expecting my near-suicidal charge.

    ¡°EAT THIS YOU MOTHER FUCKER!!!¡± I yelled as I rammed the plane into him. Sparky got plastered onto the tip of the plane like a bug on a windshield. I then punched the eject button, launching out of the plane as I withdrew my trusty Mark IV Lancer LMG. A storm of Overclocked gunfire bombarded both the plane and Sparky. ¡°NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!¡± Sparky screamed as my bullets pierced the fuel tank.

    One of the most beautiful explosions I had seen in my short lifetime graced my eyes as the plane detonated. I knew that low engine fuel light was lying. If there was enough left for that blast, I would have had at least another 20 minutes of flying time. The plane¡¯s explosion was followed by a burst of lightning which I knew was Sparky finally going kaput. No longer will I have to put up with the weird-ass speech of his. The parachute opened up properly upon my ejection, letting me release my Overclocking as I slumped back in my seat.

    Warning: Extensive Damage sustained, Emergency Deactivation and Internal Repair initiated¡­ Deactivating¡­ Deactivating¡­ Deactivating¡­ Deactivation Complete. Repair in Progress¡­

 Chapter 134: Vengeance

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Hikari¡¯s POV

    ¡°For the glory of Japan! Push them back!¡± the ghost of a daimyo waved his ethereal katana in the air as he roared at his fellow phantoms to attack the Chinese soldiers. The ghostly army of samurai retainers, loyal to their lord even in death, complied readily and did their best to overrun the enemy. Material bullets passed through them, having no effect, but the laser fire was a different story. The energy weapons were super effective, mowing down the ghosts instantly. However, there were not enough soldiers with laser rifles to resist the huge swarm. Either way, their timely interference freed me up to resume my one on one grudge match with Mannequin.

    The succubus was frantically trying to avoid me, but I was steadily cornering her. If she tried to fly away, I bombarded her with Dynamo¡¯s magic projectiles. The undead prevented her from using the Chinese soldiers as meat shields, and she wasn¡¯t fast enough to put distance between us on foot. In other words, she was helpless as I continued to whittle away at her pseudo-immortality. ¡°Hey, stop, let¡¯s talk this through?¡± Mannequin pleaded with me as I relentlessly lopped off limb after limb. ¡°Oh? Did you stop to talk things through last time?¡± I replied right before viciously decapitating her for like the fourth time. My bloodlust was soaring, and I must admit I was rather enjoying my slow torment of Mannequin. Is this a side effect of my species change?

    Mannequin threw more green fire, which I ducked beneath with ease, having learned her tells through the course of our fight. ¡°Hey, can you regenerate if there¡¯s nothing left to start from?¡± I asked with an evil grin. Mannequin blanched at my words, obviously picking up on the implication. Before she could react, I literally cut her off at the knees. I then kicked her in the face, caving it in as I sent her soaring some distance away. She landed in a messy heap, her legs very slowly starting to regenerate. Hmm, it seems like she¡¯s running out of life force.

    I pointed Dynamo straight up into the air, feeling it vibrate intensely as it responded to my will. ¡°It¡¯s been fun, fatty. However, it¡¯s time to exit stage right.¡± I said as I swung Dynamo downwards like it was the axe of an executioner. Which I guess it was. Similar to the night I nearly died, an enormous beam of magic burst from Dynamo. It tore a deep canyon into the street as it headed towards Mannequin. ¡°YOU BITCH!!!!¡± Mannequin managed to scream out before she was vaporized, leaving nothing behind.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    God, that felt good. I¡¯ve proven to myself that I can stand alongside Minato and the others at long last. ¡°Well done, lassie! If I had known women could be that fierce in battle I¡¯d have recruited them for my armies long ago!¡± The nearby phantom of a daimyo laughed as he congratulated me on my kill. I grinned at his words, before moving with the remainder of the ghost samurai to the nearest group of Pandemonium demons. Let¡¯s take the city back!

    Colonel Kobayashi¡¯s POV

    ¡°Sir, we have the monstrous combatants in sight!¡± The pilot of the armored helicopter yelled to me over the roar of the engines. I looked at the monitor and had to pinch myself as a reminder that this was a reality and not a dream. Yes, there is a pretty dark elf girl riding a giant four-tailed fox while brawling with a one-armed oni and a gargantuan 3-headed dog. As a closet otaku, I would be having a fangasm were it not for the fact that it was occurring in Tokyo. We¡¯re reinforcing from the Sapporo base, here to provide air support to whoever was left fighting the invasion. The nearby military base had gone dark since the beginning of the invasion, I bet that those Pandemonium demons took them out beforehand.

    ¡°Alright! Listen up, we¡¯re going to be going in hot! Be prepared to show the Chinese and these demons not to mess with the JSDF!¡± My words were met with a roar of fighting spirit from my men. ¡°Sir, who are we supporting?¡± The heli gunner asked as he pointed at the monitor. My response was to slap him upside the head. ¡°YOU IDIOT! OBVIOUSLY, WE¡¯LL BE HELPING THE ELF AND FOX! WHAT KIND OF QUESTION WAS THAT!? ARE YOU EVEN JAPANESE!?!?¡± I shouted as my inner otaku was let loose. I¡¯m not an elf otaku, but they are definitely in my top 3. Besides, reports indicate that the elf is on our side.

    The rant I was about to go off on was interrupted as the giant dog was the first to notice us, and its left head decided to greet our arrival by breathing out fire. The pilot swerved to the right, barely avoiding death by fire. The damn dog wasn¡¯t giving up, continuing his excellent dragon imitation as he spewed fire with reckless abandon. ¡°Sir, we¡¯re running out of space to dodge!¡± The pilot yelled as we were about to be roasted. Damnit, are we going to die before we even do anything?

    We were saved however, when a hole opened up in front of the helicopter, swallowing what would have been our fiery doom and redirecting it at the oni. Another hole appeared nearby, through which the dark elf girl jumped out from. She had a crossbow in her hand, which she was firing like a rifle. She fearlessly fell towards the dog, which reached out with all three of its heads in an attempt to devour her. At the last moment, she teleported through yet another portal to reappear elsewhere.

    ¡°Chinese mechs spotted!¡± The pilot yelled out to us as we headed to our designated landing zone. I looked out the window to see the 20-foot tall metal robotic suits stomping out the multitude of undead that were attacking them. Finally, something that we can fight. ¡°Get the can openers ready!¡± I shouted, referring to the AMCP (anti-mechanized combat platform) missile launchers that we had packed before leaving the base. We rappelled from the helicopter, putting boots on the ground in the Tokyo at last.

 Chapter 135: Fifth Tail

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Veronica¡¯s POV

    I have lost track of time as Rin and I have battled with Ibaraki-doji and Cerberus. They have a major advantage in terms of bulk, but Rin and I are far superior in terms of long-range firepower. This has led us to a game of cat and mouse, or I suppose fox and hound would be a more appropriate analogy. We were in a stalemate, but things changed when Chinese reinforcements showed up. These mechs had an impressive array of energy-based weaponry, including high-frequency repeating laser guns, plasma missiles, and high precision arc canons. There were 16 deployed, and I was only able to eliminate 4 of them by the time the JASDF arrived.

    After preventing their premature demise, I was back to trying to eliminate the mechs. Rin was admirably fending off both Ibaraki-doji and Cerberus in order to buy me the necessary time. I charged towards the nearest machine, which was stomping away at the zombies clawing at its wiring. Their relentlessness and unnatural strength had managed to already take down another two of the mechs in addition to the four I had already handled personally.

    I sprinted forward, dodging the laser barrage. It doesn¡¯t matter if the shots are faster than light if I can move out of their way by predicting their path beforehand. I came in close to one of the pinned mechs, using it as cover from its comrades. I slipped Waymaker in between the armor plating at one of its joints, piercing through the interior. The mech¡¯s balance was destroyed, and with it the undead swarming it the mech started to fall over. I turned to face another of the machines while leaving the disabled one to the undead, but a series of missiles flew in and destroyed three of the war machines in an instant. I turned to see members of the JSDF storming in, with a helicopter providing air support. The commander shouted towards me ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the tin cans! You go help your foxy friend!¡± I nodded in appreciation before using Waymaker to reappear on Rin¡¯s back.

    ¡°Did you get rid of the gear boxes?¡± she asked me. ¡°The JSDF are handling it, so we should be fine.¡± I replied. I strengthened my grip on Rin¡¯s fur as she leaped away from an incoming truck thrown by Ibaraki-doji. She then conjured some black fox fire on her tails and flung it to interrupt Cerberus¡¯s fire breath. I returned fire with Swarm Shooter, which Ibaraki-doji guarded against with his kanabo. ¡°Let¡¯s split them up.¡± I said to Rin as she scampered away from Cerberus. The two of them are too powerful to eliminate at range, and when they¡¯re together we have no chance in close quarters combat. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care of doofus.¡± Rin responded. I stood up on her back, keeping my balance despite her movement as I ran towards her tails. ¡°Give me a boost, Rin.¡± I said as I hopped onto a tail. ¡°Okay!¡± Rin replied as she obliged with my request.

    She turned sharply and whipped her tail around, sending me flying like a bullet towards Cerberus. Rin then charged after me, letting loose a powerful foxfire laser that blew Ibaraki-doji apart from the dog demon. Cerberus¡¯s center head focused on my fast moving form, while its other two were scanning its surroundings. It seems that he has learned from our previous encounters. Cerberus opened his mouth and spat out his acidic spit, while the other two heads prepared to breathe fire. An enormous glob of acid flew out to meet me, one which I dodged by portal-jumping. Contrary to Cerberus¡¯s expectations, I did not appear anywhere in his surroundings. I had created a portal directly behind the acid, skipping over the attack and continuing on my original trajectory. His mouth was still open from his attack, presenting a perfect opportunity for me to fire away with Swarm Shooter before portal-hopping once more.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    No matter how strong Cerberus¡¯s hide is, it doesn¡¯t protect his interior. Even he could not stomach an explosion without injury. He staggered and his other two heads lost focus, presenting another opening. ¡°Now Rin!¡± I shouted telepathically. Rin jumped away from Ibaraki-doji, unleashing a firefox laser that she had been charging. Ibaraki-doji had dived for cover, assuming that he was the target. It was a feint. Instead, Rin¡¯s attack pierced through Cerberus¡¯s left head before entering a portal I had created. The beam was then redirected into Cerberus¡¯s right head.

    Two heads were down, leaving the third to me as I plunged down from the sky with Waymaker outstretched. The momentum from Rin¡¯s initial throw was still in effect, and I had portal-jumped to the furthest distance above ground that I could manage after shooting Cerberus. This falling acceleration combined with my initial momentum made me pierce through Cerberus¡¯s head with ease. I then hurriedly created another portal to avoid getting crushed by his body as the dog demon finally fell.

    I bounced across the payment, bleeding away the remaining kinetic energy as my defensive artifact cushioned my landing. I rammed into a car, getting wedged deeply into it. Despite the defensive artifact, I saw some stars from the impact. I¡¯ll need some time to recover. ¡°Rin, can you handle Ibarkai-doji on your own?¡± I asked as I staggered to my feet. ¡°No problem, Big Sis!¡± Rin cheerfully replied. I had to sit down on the ground as my dizziness from my impact overwhelmed me. I stared at Cerberus¡¯s corpse as it dispersed back into mana. Good riddance.

    Rin¡¯s POV

    ¡°Hey doofus! Guess what? All your friends have died!¡± I taunted Ibaraki-doji as Cerberus¡¯s corpse disappeared. The red doofus¡¯s response was to ready his big stick and yell ¡°I SHALL PERSERVERE FOR MY LORD!¡± before charging me. Hmph, it truly is disturbing when lesser demons think they can dare stand against their betters. I should do a favor for demon lords everywhere and rend him limb from limb.

    My bloodlust surged to ever greater heights, and power surged within me as I felt my fifth tail form. Yay! Master is going to be so pleased with my progress! Only one more tail until I¡¯m no longer a kid! Take that boiler brain! Then I can get cuddly with master during the night too! Grrr, it¡¯s so frustrating that boiler brain managed to get to master first. But I won¡¯t give up! I have my secret weapon: fluffiness! That is something that no amount of optimization can compensate for! My form grew along with my fifth tail, becoming as large as a two-story building. By the time Ibaraki-doji reached me, we were standing eye to eye. I grinned at him before piercing each of his limbs with a tail, using magic to harden my fur. I lifted him up, ignoring his pathetic struggling, and charged my super-duper foxfire laser. ¡°Bye-bye, doofus!¡± I said before flinging him up in the air and eradicating him with my technique.

    Hmph, as I thought, he was weak. I just got my fifth tail and yet that was enough to reduce him to nothing more than a mere fly. How unsatisfying. I can almost see why Dante likes Master so much. It would be boring to fight with just weaklings all the time. But Dante clearly doesn¡¯t understand Master¡¯s greatness. If he did, he would be trying to get him to pet him rather than kill him. No one is as good at petting as Master after all.

    My blood was still boiling, so when I saw that hundreds of the enemy humans were nearby. I couldn¡¯t help but be delighted. Master told me to go wild, so I will. Besides, it¡¯s a lot of fun slaughtering humans. Not as fun as being with Master or my big sisters, but it¡¯s a close second. I appeared within the ranks in a flash, launching my fox fire everywhere and watching them burn. Their screams were delightful, and I had so much fun killing every single one of them! Rejoice, your sacrifice and life force will help me gain my sixth tail!

 Chapter 136: Im a G.I.R.L. (Guy In Real Life)

    April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    Terra¡¯s POV

    The undead gathered around me as they stared down Dante and his demonic and human troops. The one-sided battle has turned around completely since my large-scale necromantic ritual. The undead don¡¯t tire, do not feel fear, and are intimidating to boot. Although I had the crystal ready for a power boost, I hadn¡¯t intended it for this specifically. Nor did I expect it to be so widespread and powerful. Although when I think about it, it makes sense.

    The invasion has caused casualties across the country that are numbering in the hundreds of thousands if not millions. Necromancy is at its strongest in places of death, particularly if it¡¯s fresh. Furthermore, Japan and China have had a long history, fraught with rivalry and conflict. That history and the desire to protect one¡¯s home is what I think made my call to arms resonate with the dead from all eras of Japan. I was almost as surprised as Dante to see the ghosts of samurai, veterans of WWIII, and others appear alongside the corpses of the dead. It just goes to show how much there is to magic that I have yet to learn. If science is dedicated to facts and knowledge, then magic is dedicated to belief and feeling.

    With the warriors of those who had died for Japan behind me, we have rallied. The girls have successfully eliminated Dante¡¯s lieutenants, with the exception of Jumbo, who no one has seen since Dante punted him away at the start of our battle. The JSDF has arrived, and along with help from the girls and the undead, are clearing the city of both Pandemonium and the Chinese army. The frenzied lesser demons have foolishly tried to stay and fight rather than regroup, meaning that if I can kill Dante here, Pandemonium will fall.

    ¡°Finish them.¡± At my words, the undead horde of rotting flesh and bone and ectoplasm charged forward. Ghastly cries of hate filled the air as the fallen of Tokyo went to claim vengeance against the invaders who killed them. The Chinese troops formed a firing line, riddling the oncoming undead with bullets and lasers. The Pandemonium members threw spells into the mix, with the larger demons charging into the horde. They bellowed in bloodlust as their horn and fang and claw tore into the putrid flesh.

    I teleported above the mosh pit of violence, trading blows with Dante as he mirrored my action. I teleported again, forcing Dante to mimic me once more to keep up. I did an overhead chop, which Dante held out his was-sceptre upwards to block. Before I finished my motion, I did a short-range teleportation, appearing between Dante and his staff. I headbutted him, knocking him down into the melee. Before he could reappear, I seized the was-sceptre and claimed it as my own. Dante cut out a large swathe from the warring combatants below me, and then took to the air once more to face me as I wielded his former weapon.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to be over soon, Dante. Your lieutenants are dead, the other demons are being exterminated, and you don¡¯t have enough power to ward off the dead and me. I will be standing over your corpse before the dawn.¡± I said intimidatingly as I prepared for another exchange of blows. Contrary to my expectations, Dante snickered at my words.

    ¡°Darling, you continue to underestimate me. Who cares about some minions, demon or not? I am Pandemonium! And I would never leave my dreams of an inferno of fun to chance. You have your ace-in-the-hole and I have mine. And my ace-in-the-hole is way better, and thus by the dawn my ace will be in your hole.¡± He said in a creepy tone of voice as he pulled out a ring. He must have been shielding it before, because now that I saw it I could sense the crazy amounts of mana and malice contained within it. ¡°I said this before, but back when your world had magic there were some truly scary people. Take this King Solomon guy. He not only decimated the last demon lord to have come along here on Earth, he compressed its essence into this ring, and then used said ring to usurp the demon lord¡¯s authority and control his former minions!¡±

    Before I could try and stop him, Dante swallowed the Seal of Solomon whole. ¡°Yum, that was delicious. Now darling, what do you get when you combine two demon lords? A DEMON KING!¡± he roared as his mana spiked to an impossible level. The demons around him along with the Chinese soldiers died under the pressure of his new demonic aura. The undead were banished back to death, even the ethereal ghosts could not withstand it. Our surroundings were already devoid of buildings that were still standing, but the rubble was crushed into a fine powder. Damnit, this is like when I faced Jupon! Heros and Demon Kings, why can¡¯t I face a pushover for once?!?! I tensed before flaring my entire mana capacity to maximum output. I can reinforce myself for about 30 seconds to a level on which I can resist Dante. Fuck!The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Dante vanished from my sight, crossing the dozens of the meters as if he teleported. I took a fist to the face, breaking most of the bones there, and was flung across the empty expanse that once was Tokyo¡¯s downtown district. My trajectory led me into another skyscraper on the edge of wasteland, busting through it and another two behind it. Waiting for me behind my 3 building detour was Dante, where he drop kicked me into the street below. My impact created a large crater and a subsequent tremor of such magnitude that the 3 skyscrapers I had just broken through toppled as their weakened foundations gave way.

    I managed to teleport from the several tons of falling steel, glass, and concrete. I didn¡¯t have time to counter-attack, being forced to throw up a barrier to try and stop the blast of hellfire sent my way. It failed miserably, doing just barely enough to prevent my instant demise. My body was charred, with a variety of full thickness burns adorning my skin. I was blasted back into the wasteland as the entire square mile where I had been burned with hellfire.

    Dante appeared in the sky above me, pitch black storm clouds gathering around him. Crimson lightning was generated, and then sent down to strike me with a vengeance. I jerked around as the millions if not billions of volts tore my body up internally. Great, I¡¯m now charred inside and out. When it ended, I managed to get to my feet unsteadily. My 30 seconds finished at this point. What? I said I would be able to resist him, not fight him. Any attack beyond this point will kill me for sure. Dante likely realized this as well, choosing to increase gravity to what seemed like 1000 times normal around me.

    I was forced to kneel as I desperately tried to overcome the enhanced gravity. ¡°DO YOU KNOW WHY I DIDN¡¯T USE THIS BEFORE? BECAUSE IT¡¯S NO FUN TO USE A CHEAT CODE TO WIN THE GAME!!!¡± Dante said, his very voice bombarding me like a series of intense blows. Several buildings in the distance crumbled from his voice alone. ¡°BUT YOU HAVE PROVEN TO BE FAR MORE WORTHY AN OPPONENT THAN I EXPECTED. I WAS RIGHT TO KEEP THIS RELIC IN RESERVE. NOW IT¡¯S OVER AND I SHALL CONQUER THIS WORLD!!!!¡± Dante gloated as he walked, his very footsteps causing the ground to quiver.

    I futilely struggled to stand up, an effort that did not escape Dante¡¯s notice. ¡°I HAVE POWER TO RIVAL THE GODS, SOMETHING NOT EVEN A HEROINE LIKE YOURSELF CAN RESIST!!!¡± Dante stopped within arm¡¯s reach of my kneeling form. He lifted an arm up towards the sky, gathering mana comparable to what I¡¯ve done in the other world. Wait¡­ Dante launched his spell into the night sky, extinguishing my golden sun with ease. The dead succumbed to death once more without my necromantic ritual to sustain them.

    Dante then proceeded to generate mana in an amount that was even greater than his previous spell. ¡°WATCH IN DESPAIR AS I DESTROY THIS CITY AND COUNTRY. I WANT TO SEE YOUR HATE AS THE HOME YOU LOVE BURNS IN HELLFIRE!¡± Dante cackled with insanity as the temperature picked up rapidly. He then grabbed me by the throat, lifting me up to see him face to face. I must have made quite the sight, with my disfigured face, well-roasted skin, and generally battered appearance. Blood leaked from a multitude of wounds, and my nose was far off center.

    ¡°ANY LAST DEFIANT WORDS BEFORE I PROCEED TO BREAK YOUR SPIRIT?¡± Dante asked, basking in the glow of his perceived victory. Despite his certainty of success, he still had his guard up around me. Paranoia at its finest, I have to respect that regardless of the predicament it puts me in. All I have left is one last desperate gambit.

    ¡°Yes, you misspoke when you called me a heroine earlier.¡± I said, resigning myself for what I was going to do next. ¡°HOW SO?¡± Dante asked. ¡°I am not a hero¡­ AND I¡¯M NOT A GIRL EITHER!¡± I yelled as I released my shapeshifted form. The beautiful Rin Yamamoto that Dante had an unhealthy obsession with was revealed to be a guy. And there it was. For the briefest, tiniest fraction of a second, Dante was startled and knocked off-guard. I took that opening.

    I materialized my rhomphaia¡¯s handle, plunging the jagged edge right into Dante¡¯s heart with the last dregs of strength I had left. Even though I do not have the strength of a demi-god here, a divine artifact is still a divine artifact. It bypassed Dante¡¯s near-god like power and dealt him a fatal blow. His grip on my throat faltered, dropping me as he staggered back with my rhomphaia¡¯s handle firmly lodged in his chest. And as he died, Dante started laughing.

    ¡°You twisted little fuck, you had me going for the longest time! Good thing you killed me, otherwise this would have been such a dealbreaker on our honeymoon! I become a Demon King, only to die getting trolled! And I thought my April Fool¡¯s joke was the best! Yours is just TOO FUCKING FUNNY!¡± Dante winked at me before taking his last breath and saying ¡°Look me up in hell when you get there, I¡¯ll buy you a drink!¡±

    And with those odd final words, Demon King Dante died, combusting spontaneously into a smoldering pile of ashes that stank of sulfur.

 Chapter 137: Aftermath

    May 1<sup>st</sup>, 2090

    It has been a month since Pandemonium¡¯s April Fool¡¯s Joke from Hell and its subsequent defeat. After Dante¡¯s death, the remaining demons were found and eradicated personally by me. All 666 members are dead, something I verified repeatedly by extracting memories from every member I came across. The Sino faction has been thwarted and dissolved, with China losing its position on the Council of Nine due to its sudden decline in national power. This was in no small part due to me and the girls. After securing Tokyo, we rapidly appeared throughout the country to eliminate the invaders alongside the JSDF and US reinforcements. China was completely crippled as a result. The various small countries were quickly defeated without China¡¯s support and World War 4 thus lasted for less than a month, although the unrest in Zaire continues.

    Nevertheless, casualty estimates put the number of dead in Japan at 2.1 million. This was over a single night. The country was devastated by the death toll, although it¡¯s recovering thanks to the influx of foreign aid. Casualties from the rest of the Sino faction¡¯s uprising was estimated to be around 1 million total. This included the decimation of China¡¯s military during its invasion. Speaking of which, initial Council of Eight investigations have revealed that the ruling party and military of China was completely brainwashed by Pandemonium. They were very thorough, working their way from the Secretary himself down to the lowliest private. It was likely a project they were working on since the beginning of their inception. With the majority of the military dead and the entire political establishment compromised, democratic advocates quickly took control of China.

    Pandemonium¡¯s secret take-over of China caused the world to revise their view of them. The strong resentment due to China¡¯s involvement in the Cyber Plague dissipated, and they were no longer isolated from the global community. With the notable exception of Japan, for obvious reasons. The new government of China was quick to agree to large reparations to Japan for the damage they caused, but that was nowhere near enough for the Japanese to forgive them. Sure, they were controlled by Pandemonium, but the wound was still too fresh for public opinion in Japan to be anything but unfriendly and hostile towards China.

    Magic has been irreversibly revealed to the world at large, with an endless amount of personal video recorded of the Battle for Tokyo in addition to footage from various spy satellites. Fortunately, when Dante turned into a Demon King his aura was potent enough to passively interfere with those same spy satellites, meaning that my identity as Rin Yamamoto is still safe. Kira, Veronica, and Hikari were all caught on camera. My decision for them to turn off their illusion artifacts actually worked in their favor, since no one recognized them. Hikari may be asked about it, but the differences between her old and new form are prominent enough that she can say it¡¯s a coincidence.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Irene and Rin were also caught on camera, which wasn¡¯t a problem either. I gave Irene an illusion artifact, and Rin was never seen in her human form. She also gained her fifth tail during the battle, much to her delight. The real problem was Reiji. Irene was the first to find him after the battle, since her crash site was near where he had passed out. The idiot had thrown himself into the battle in order to rescue whoever he could while openly using magic to do so.

    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, he somehow came into possession of Liberator and the 5 Chains of Adligo. Or should I say Chain of Adligo, since the 5 chains apparently fused and were in fact Liberator¡¯s sheathe. The sword Liberator seemed to remember me, given how it flared up in dislike as I approached it. If it weren¡¯t for its new owner being best friends with me, I was worried the blade would have attacked me.

    I did my best to destroy any recorded evidence the onlookers gathered, but they were still a couple of blurry videos on the internet that showed Reiji¡¯s heroic last stand against the demons and Jumbo. Thankfully/amusingly, everyone is convinced that Reiji is a girl based on those videos. I gave Reiji an illusion artifact just in case someone ever recognized him. At least the fool got our parents out of harm¡¯s way. I retrieved them before they woke up, and they were none the wiser. Miraculously, I managed to keep everyone from getting exposed as magic users, fantasy species, etc. Only Princess Vivian and King William knew I was involved, and I put a curse of secrecy on them both. So even if they try to reveal my existence, they physically won¡¯t be able to. I also removed the knowledge that I was Rin from their minds, finally discovering a better way to alter memories.

    That¡¯s not to say the Council of Eight and the rest of the world are not frantically searching for the ¡°Magical Girls of Tokyo¡±. Yes, that was the name that stuck, much to Reiji¡¯s and my dismay and everyone else¡¯s amusement. Research has also begun into magic, although I doubt anything will come of it. There have been public outcries for and against magic, a debate which has become extremely divisive. Some, like the otaku population, are delighted. They believe that it will launch a new era in human history. Others are horrified, some to the point where they¡¯d be happy to lead an Inquisition level witch hunt and eliminate the threat of magic users from the world at large.

    School has been cancelled for the rest of the year, meaning summer break has come early for us. I am relishing in this newfound peace, relieved to no longer be concerned about Pandemonium at last. I can enjoy naughty time with my harem, train Reiji in swordplay, and just relax. My worries are all gone, and unlike last time, there are no potential loose ends. I will finally be able to enjoy a normal high school life. Well, normal for me at least. A familiar golden summoning circle appeared beneath me as I was headed to bed. Considering that each of my previous two visits resulted in me gaining payment that either saved my life or someone else¡¯s, I answered the summons eagerly. Surely nothing crazy is going to happen on this summoning, right?

    END OF ARC 2: RISE OF PANDEMONIUM